A Galaxy of Glamour . Camp & Kitsch . Extreme Fabulosity
Divine Decadence . Delusions of Grandeur . Art & Artifice
Hot Male Dancers. The Sacred Feminine . The Gay Agenda


Click on images to view full size. You know you want to.



The Fabulous Joan Blondell

(12) Comments



Sass and brass and a lotta class.




, , ,

12 Responses to "The Fabulous Joan Blondell"

TJB said :
June 11, 2008 2:17 AM
Joan Blondell is a goddess! MOMA had a little film festival devoted to her a few months back; in addition to truly classic fare like the surreally freakish "Nightmare Alley" (required Fabulon viewing, methinks!), they also screened some lesser gems.

"Three Girls About Town" is a low-budget screwball comedy, whose plot is neatly summed up in the title; and slight as the film is, Blondell is just terrific. It was a very entertaining way to spend 80 minutes in the dark, and made me sad that there aren't charming, entertaining, fluffy little "B" pictures like that anymore.
pita ou franck said :
June 11, 2008 5:08 AM
Just a link ,if you have time to explore I'm sure you'll find great pictures
;-)patricia
Donna Lethal said :
June 11, 2008 8:30 AM
This post has been removed by the author.
Donna Lethal said :
June 11, 2008 8:31 AM
Oh I need some Joan Blondell today - you just made my morning cuppa. TJB: more reasons to say, "if only I still lived in NY!" Things are a bit topsy-turvy in the West Wing ... "Nightmare Alley" is one of my very favorites. The novel is better, and you'll still picture Joan!
TJB said :
June 11, 2008 9:17 AM
And, of course, as she aged and thickened, Joan was still great as the "second banana" in "Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter" and "The Opposite Sex," among other atomic gems.

The King Cole Bar misses you, Donna!
Emma P. said :
June 11, 2008 10:55 AM
Does anyone remember her as the ballsy saloon owner on a 60's series called, "Here Come The Brides"?
That was my 1st exposure to La Blondell.
She had aged & thickened but I (& the P brothers) found her incredibly sexy.
Mama P then smartly exposed me to her earlier screen gems.
Muscato said :
June 11, 2008 10:57 AM
Oh, darlings - must we say "thickened"? I prefer to believe that Miss Blondell (not unlike my own self) "ripened" with the passage of time.

Now isn't that just a tad more divine?
thombeau said :
June 11, 2008 11:14 AM
Muscato, of course you are right. "Ripened" is the proper term. And some of us are over-ripe!

EmP, I think "Lottie" was an entire generation's introduction to La Blondell. It definitely was mine!

(Note to self: make HCTB post soon!)
elcynic said :
June 11, 2008 8:38 PM
Oh THANK you! I have fallen in love with her lately.
Donna Lethal said :
June 11, 2008 8:44 PM
The great thing about Joan B is that there are so many eras of her to choose from - from Busby Berkeley to Grease!
K. R. Seward said :
June 11, 2008 9:46 PM
I've only seen the ripened Joan. Her 'damn right I was a babe once and still am' vibe always makes an impression. She's first among second bananas. Will seek her early films.

I mostly remember the theme from HCTB (helped by Jay Sherman singing it in The Critic). Looking forward to that, Thom.
Donna Lethal said :
June 12, 2008 7:35 PM
Oh, young Joan B is just adorable, delicious, and sassy! You really have to see her early films.

Post a Comment