-Cinema Spotlight Speedy 1928

When it comes to sikent films three best known slapstick comedians Harold Lloyd usually comes in third, behind Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, but there's a lot to be said for Harold Lloyd

His be-speckled, ambitious characters captured the can do spirit of the optimistic 20s and his movies remain funny and charming.  (Plus he's the only silent era comedienne to have a character on the sci fi comedy cartoon Futurama named after him, Dr. Zoidberg's uncle Harold Zoid) 

Prolific even by early cinema standards Lloyd made nearly 200 films.  The best of the ones I've seen is Speedy, 1928

In the film Lloyd plays Harold "Speedy" Swift.  An ambitious, baseball obsessed young man with a sweet steady girl friend, Jane, played by charming flapper actress Ann Christy.  She really looks good in a cloche.

Jane lives with her grand daddy a curmudgeonly charmer who drives one of the last horse drawn trolleys in New York and who doesn't look to kindly on Speedy's tendency to loose jobs.

Which happens early in the film after his love of baseball gets in the way of his job as a soda jerk at the world's chicest soda fountain.

Not to be discouraged by his job loss Speedy does what any  love struck young man in 1920s New York would  do.

To get to Coney Island Jane and Speedy have to take the subway, and thus follows the best mass transit scene in cinema history

Coney Island's hey day was the 1920s and I've never seen film capture its former glory better then Speedy.

The adventure ends with Speedy and Jane having lost all their money,  but gained a mischievous stray dog.  The two hitch a ride home in the back of a furniture wagon, which Speedy arranges to look like the apartment they hope to share one day.  Note the dog at their feet!

Eager to earn the money to make his fortune come true:

Speedy takes a job as a taxi driver

With predictably disastrous results:

Though the bright spot is he gets to drive his idol Babe Ruth to yankee stadium.  Its a lot of fun for the modern viewer to see this early example of a celebrity cameo and Babe does a great job.

After the Babe Ruth incident leads to using yet another job, Speedy takes over Jane's grand-daddy's horse drawn trolley.

Eventually with the help of his dog he manages to save the trolley from thieves, becoming the hero of the day, and finally getting engaged to Jane.

Speedy is a delightful film perfect for established fans of silent slapstick comedy or those new to silent film.  Its available to stream on hulu and amazon prime.

Ill be going on blogger break for the rest of the summer until after labor day so I can enjoy my vacation. Enjoy these last summer days.

Vintage Outfit Post-1930s Everyday Dress and a Trip to the Pharmacy

As I've said many, many times before on this blog vintage needn't be fancy.  After all women of the past needed their casual outfits too, and these same looks make comfortable and casual outfits for vintage lovers today.  The most common casual outfit of the 1930s was the house dress, the yoga pants of their day.

Granted there a bit fancier then much of today's everyday wear but just look at how cute they are.  I decided I needed a 1930s house dress in my wardrobe and when I couldn't find an authentic vintage one I liked I asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me one.   The result is perfect.  She used feedback reproduction fabric, a tea stained collar, and even a vintage zipper!  You absolutely can't tell that this dress isn't authentic 1930s.  

I paired it with a 1930s straw hat from Adeline's attic.   This hat is totally falling apart but it's very special to me because it is the first piece of 1930s vintage I bought.  It started the whole obsession three years ago.   I also wore my crochet 30s gloves, remix shoes,   A 1930s crochet purse and my merriweather horse shoe brooch.  

I wore my outfit to my favorite resteraunt, Brooklyn Farmacy.   The only authentic soda fountain in our area.   It's about an hours travel by train from Jersey but totally worth it.  

I finally tried the end of the world sundae which features a donut from the famous Peter Pan bakery, I choose chocolate coconut, so good!

I took a few more pictures on the Pharmacy's cute pink bench. 

Now if only the Farmacy had Buster Keaton for a soda jerk

Friday Funnies-Yes Boy Do Poodles Exist

Since adding Mr. Tuvok to our family I've come to terms with the fact that nearly everyone assumes that toy poodles are girls and refers to them with feminine pronouns, even after being corrected.  However, Wednesday I experienced the funniest example of this. A large group of rather rowdy children outside of an apartment building, and with proper supervision I let them.  They wanted to know all about their names and who the mother was, only Tuvok, Fry, and Weasley, were present at the time.  Bob and Ping do not like rambunctious children.  I explained there was no mother and that they were all boys.   One little girl look confused as she petted Tuvok, "but I thought all poodles were girls she said. "  Mr. Tuvok choose to make a graceful exit at that time.

Vintage Fall Fashion Dreams

I've never  liked cold weather, and I've no desire for the lazy, lovely days of summer to end, but as the temperature rises and September approaches I have been thinking about fall.   

Specifically vintage fall fashions. Fall is a beautiful season, perhaps the loveliest one of all, and deserves clothes that compliment it's beauty.  It's also the ideal time to be outside in nature, so comfort is key.    Then of course there is my favorite Holliday, Halloween.  Below are some items I'm hoping to wear this fall.  

1) A Pendleton Jacket-Made in Canada these iconic wool coats in tartan plaids are perfect for outdoor wear among the fall leaves.  Comfortably cozy they are neither to heavy or too light for autumn winds. 

2) 1940s or 50s wide leg jeans-The young ladies in the picture below have in my opinion, the perfect casual fall looks oversize wool jacket, or fitted sweater,  comfortable loose and cuffed jeans, and bonus points for a cute pair of loafers.  Who says vintage style has to be fancy? 

3) Cowichan Sweater-Another Canadian classic. Oversize, cozy, and perfect for fall. Just look how amazing Marilyn looked in hers. 

4) 1940s knitted turban or headband-These are very in vogue now and a million patterns are popping up online.   

5) Letterman Sweater-There's something about fall that always makes me feel very collegiate even if my school days are decades behind me. For my money there is no better back to school look then a classic letterman sweater, no matter what your age. 

6) Saddle Shoes-Another campus classic and originally meant for the younger set but I'm really hopi g to score my first pair of saddle shoes this fall.  Hopefully authentic. 

7) A novelty circle skirt- These are so much fun but nearly impossible to find in modern, read 27 and up waist sizes.  I've yet to come across one I can squeeze my 30 inch waist into.   However, I recently discovered Girl In A Whirl on face book she makes custom novelty circle skirts in all sizes. Dogs are a common theme.  They don't exactly come cheap so squeezing in five dogs maybe a financial impossibility but I'm thinking of something with a pug and a poodle. Here are two of her cute skirts

8) A 1930s style wool dress-You can't always be casual, or at least I can't.  For dressier days I'm thinking of a classic wool dress like this one worn by Poirit's Miss. Lemon.  She wore it in the Egyptian Tomb episode and I'm obsessed with the pyramid detailing. I asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me a copy that I'm sure will be amazing.  I hope to channel some of Miss Lemon's elegant efficiency while wearing it, but it seems unlikely.  

9) A simple 1920s day dress- My favorite 20s looks are not the glitty gatsbyesque numbers, but the quieter, simpler day time dresses that are so often over looked during period retrospectives.  The simple black button dress with white collar and cuffs worn by Louise Brooks in the charming 1926 film The Show Off.  Ive asked Sew Vintage Seamstress to make me one in a similar vein. 

10) Something Halloweeny-I might have said before, oh about a 1000 times, is that  Halloween is my favorite Holliday. Even so I really have no interest in a traditional costume. My favorite Halloween look are the costume dresses worn in the 1920s. 

I used a bonus check from work and splurged on one from Guermantes Vintagre. 

Hopefully, I'm brave enough to wear it for a few days in October.  It's too special to save  for Halloween only. 

What are your plans for fall? Fashion or otherwise.