September 13, 2009
I Want Work.

I Want Work.

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Soviet Stamp, 1931 - Polar bear watching the transfer of mail from the German blimp Graf Zeppelin to the Soviet icebreaker Malygin.

Soviet Stamp, 1931 - Polar bear watching the transfer of mail from the German blimp Graf Zeppelin to the Soviet icebreaker Malygin.

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Rene Zuber, 1930. via

Rene Zuber, 1930.

via

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Smitty the Flying Office Boy, a 1930 comic compilation written and edited by Walter Berndt and originally published in the Chicago Tribune. (via)

Smitty the Flying Office Boy, a 1930 comic compilation written and edited by Walter Berndt and originally published in the Chicago Tribune.

(via)

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Marie-Berthe [Aurenche], Max Ernst, Lee Miller, and Man Ray Man Ray, Paris, 1931-33, billyjane:insalatadiparole: Gelatin silver print, 9-1/16 x 6-5/8”, 84.XM.1000.109, The J. Paul Getty Museum, © 2002 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY/ADAGP, Paris

Marie-Berthe [Aurenche], Max Ernst, Lee Miller, and Man Ray Man Ray, Paris, 1931-33,

billyjane:insalatadiparole:

Gelatin silver print, 9-1/16 x 6-5/8”, 84.XM.1000.109, The J. Paul Getty Museum, © 2002 Man Ray Trust/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY/ADAGP, Paris

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exclamationmark: Junkers (1930)

exclamationmark:

Junkers (1930)
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Carole Lombard demonstrating the rhumba. via

Carole Lombard demonstrating the rhumba.

via

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Paul Muni ‘Scarface: The Shame Of The Nation’ (1932) feastingonroadkill: Some interesting asides for media and cultural historian types via filmsite.org here “To give the violent, tragi-comedy film respectability, to de-glamorize the folk-hero nature of the gangster, and to appease the forces of censorship, a number of restrictions or changes were imposed before the film could be released with the MPAA seal of approval: an added sub-title was required [its original title was simply Scarface, and the first suggested retitle was The Menace] to illustrate that the film was not a glorification, but an indictment of gangsterism an apologetic, moral statement was tacked to the beginning of the film various cuts, erasures, voice-overs and changes were made throughout Tony Camonte’s mother was shown expressing disapproval of her son’s behavior - she calls him “bad” and “no-good” although there are almost 30 deaths in the film, blood is never shown, and even more deaths occur off-screen moralistic, denunciatory speeches, in a prologue and epilogue, were added by a Chief of Detectives and a newspaper publisher (several scenes were directed by Richard Rosson), “the public” is blamed for the existence of gangs, rather than law enforcement officials: “Don’t blame the police. They can’t stop machine guns from being run back and forth across the state lines. They can’t enforce laws that don’t exist” an alternative, moralistic, sermonizing (and emasculated) second ending (substituted for the shootout) was created to condemn the gangster as cowardly and show his sentencing and retributory punishment (hanging) by an effective justice system muted hints of an incestuous attachment between the main protagonist and his sister, one of the film’s sub-themes, supposedly went uncontested, or the most obvious references to incest were removed by Hawks himself”

Paul Muni ‘Scarface: The Shame Of The Nation’ (1932)

feastingonroadkill:

Some interesting asides for media and cultural historian types via filmsite.org here

“To give the violent, tragi-comedy film respectability, to de-glamorize the folk-hero nature of the gangster, and to appease the forces of censorship, a number of restrictions or changes were imposed before the film could be released with the MPAA seal of approval:

  • an added sub-title was required [its original title was simply Scarface, and the first suggested retitle was The Menace] to illustrate that the film was not a glorification, but an indictment of gangsterism
  • an apologetic, moral statement was tacked to the beginning of the film
  • various cuts, erasures, voice-overs and changes were made throughout
  • Tony Camonte’s mother was shown expressing disapproval of her son’s behavior - she calls him “bad” and “no-good”
  • although there are almost 30 deaths in the film, blood is never shown, and even more deaths occur off-screen
  • moralistic, denunciatory speeches, in a prologue and epilogue, were added by a Chief of Detectives and a newspaper publisher (several scenes were directed by Richard Rosson),
  • “the public” is blamed for the existence of gangs, rather than law enforcement officials: “Don’t blame the police. They can’t stop machine guns from being run back and forth across the state lines. They can’t enforce laws that don’t exist”
  • an alternative, moralistic, sermonizing (and emasculated) second ending (substituted for the shootout) was created to condemn the gangster as cowardly and show his sentencing and retributory punishment (hanging) by an effective justice system
  • muted hints of an incestuous attachment between the main protagonist and his sister, one of the film’s sub-themes, supposedly went uncontested, or the most obvious references to incest were removed by Hawks himself”
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Dietrich. Blonde Venus (1932)

Dietrich. Blonde Venus (1932)

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September 12, 2009
Madam Satan, 1930.

Madam Satan, 1930.

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billyjane:a_k: Brassaï, c 1931

billyjane:a_k: Brassaï, c 1931

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Django Reinhardt — Minor Swing

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Alexey Grigoryevich Stakhanov A miner in the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor (1970), and a member of the CPSU (1936). He became a celebrity in 1935 as part of a movement that was intended to increase worker productivity and demonstrate the superiority of the socialist economic system. Stakhanov was born in Lugovaya near Oryol. In 1927, he began working in a mine called “Tsentralnaya-Irmino” in Kadiyivka (Donbass). In 1933, Stakhanov became a jackhammer operator. In 1935, he took a local course in mining. On 31 August 1935, it was reported that he had mined a record 102 tons of coal in 5 hours and 45 minutes (14 times his quota). On 19 September, Stakhanov was reported to have set a new record by mining 227 tons of coal in a single shift. His example was held up in newspapers and posters as a model for others to follow, and he even appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.

Alexey Grigoryevich Stakhanov

A miner in the Soviet Union, Hero of Socialist Labor (1970), and a member of the CPSU (1936). He became a celebrity in 1935 as part of a movement that was intended to increase worker productivity and demonstrate the superiority of the socialist economic system.

Stakhanov was born in Lugovaya near Oryol. In 1927, he began working in a mine called “Tsentralnaya-Irmino” in Kadiyivka (Donbass). In 1933, Stakhanov became a jackhammer operator. In 1935, he took a local course in mining. On 31 August 1935, it was reported that he had mined a record 102 tons of coal in 5 hours and 45 minutes (14 times his quota). On 19 September, Stakhanov was reported to have set a new record by mining 227 tons of coal in a single shift. His example was held up in newspapers and posters as a model for others to follow, and he even appeared on the cover of Time Magazine.

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Gracie Fields (1898-1979) “Born over a fish and chip shop owned by her grandmother in Molesworth Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, she made her first stage appearance as a child in 1905.  Her professional debut in variety took place at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre in 1910 and she soon gave up her job in the local cotton mill. She made the first of ten appearances in Royal Variety Performances in 1928, gaining a devoted following with a mixture of self-deprecating jokes, comic songs and monologues, as well as cheerful “depression-era” songs all presented in a “no-airs-and-graces” northern, working class style. Fields had a great rapport with her audience, which helped her become one of Britain’s highest paid performers, playing to sold out theatres across the country. Her most famous song, which became her theme, “Sally,” was worked into the title of her first film, Sally in Our Alley (1931), which was a major box office hit. She went on to make several films initially in Britain and later in the United States (for which she was paid a record fee of US$200,000 for four films). Regardless, she never enjoyed the process of performing without a live audience. Ironically, the final few lines of the song “Sally” were written by her husband’s mistress, and Fields sang this song at nearly every performance she made from 1931 onwards.”

Gracie Fields (1898-1979)

“Born over a fish and chip shop owned by her grandmother in Molesworth Street, Rochdale, Lancashire, she made her first stage appearance as a child in 1905.  Her professional debut in variety took place at the Rochdale Hippodrome theatre in 1910 and she soon gave up her job in the local cotton mill.

She made the first of ten appearances in Royal Variety Performances in 1928, gaining a devoted following with a mixture of self-deprecating jokes, comic songs and monologues, as well as cheerful “depression-era” songs all presented in a “no-airs-and-graces” northern, working class style. Fields had a great rapport with her audience, which helped her become one of Britain’s highest paid performers, playing to sold out theatres across the country.

Her most famous song, which became her theme, “Sally,” was worked into the title of her first film, Sally in Our Alley (1931), which was a major box office hit. She went on to make several films initially in Britain and later in the United States (for which she was paid a record fee of US$200,000 for four films). Regardless, she never enjoyed the process of performing without a live audience.

Ironically, the final few lines of the song “Sally” were written by her husband’s mistress, and Fields sang this song at nearly every performance she made from 1931 onwards.”

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Merle Oberon via

Merle Oberon

via

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