Joan Crawford Video Club Mix

Thought you might get a laugh out of this special video mix of Joan Crawford clips: Enjoy the holiday!

Joan Crawford Club Mix 2006

Thanks for stopping by, Happy 4th of July!

-Rick Rockhill

Joan Crawford in Palm Springs...and others

I came across this fun old video of Joan Crawford where she mentions having just been in Palm Springs a few times. It's kind of fun to watch....enjoy!

Here Joan mentions Palm Springs twice, right in the beginning and again toward the end. Apparently she was so busy working for Pepsi at the time her return trip to Palm Springs was the first vacation she had in two years. OK, since we're showing old Joan Crawford clips, here are two more:


Hope you enjoyed these Joan Crawford videos...

Sunday Art Review: Portraits of Joan

I thought I'd mix things up a bit this week and go with a different style of art. Regular readers of this blog know I am a fan of Joan Crawford, the actress. Actually I like "Film Noir", and Miss Crawford was arguably top of the heap in that genre. She started in silent films and learned the art of using facial expressions to convey emotions, instead of words. In addition a very fortunate set of cheekbones and facial structure, she became known for "giving goof face" to the camera. Some of her expressions are legendary on the silver screen. This was the inspiration for the theme to this week's Sunday Art Review: Portraits of Joan. While this isn't necessarily art you would have in your home, it is fun to admire.

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed this week's Sunday Art Review.

-Rick Rockhill

Have You Kissed Your Pet Today?

I did. Go ahead, you try it, it will make you feel so great.

Happy Friday!

Sunday Art Review: Focus on Faces

"Focus on Faces" is the subject of this week's Sunday Art Review. The ultimate face ever painted, in my opinion was the Mona Lisa, by the great Leonardo DaVinci. Since art is so subjective, I thought I'd mix things up a bit and bring together a variety of differing styles for this week's installment. My Sunday Art Review feature has become quite popular over the past few months. Traffic to the site spikes on Sundays and I tend to receive a number of e-mails regarding the artists or pieces I share. This weekly blog series has now been referenced by a newspaper in Nashville, TN as well as a few other sites on the Internet as an unpretentious presentation of art. So thank you to those of you who have e-mailed me regarding prior Sunday Art Review posts. Now, onto "Focus on Faces":

above: "The Conjurer", by Palm Springs artist DJ Hall. I've seen this in person at the Palm Springs Art Museum it is actually two large pieces that are next to each other for the complete scene. This speaks "friendship" to me.

above: "Isidro In My Shirt" by Los Angeles artist Tony de Carlo.

above: "Girl in the Field", artist unknown (sorry for the slightly blurry photo). She seems troubled to me, or at least preoccupied.

above: "Miss Joan Crawford", artist unknown. I've always liked this portrait, she seems so elegant.

above: "Anne Churchill", by John Henry Byrd. The red shawl really makes this piece.

Do any of these faces speak to you? Which face do you like best? Comments are always welcome and appreciated.

-Rick Rockhill

Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce

I thought I'd treat you to a clip from one of my favorite Joan Crawford films, Mildred Pierce. If you've not seen this film, do youself a favor and rent it. It's classic film noir and showcases some of Miss Crawford's finest skills as an actress. It was a role which re-established her career in Hollywood and made her highly sought-after by the independent studios. After winning the Academy Award in 1945 for Mildred Pierce, Joan went to Palm Springs to celebrate with friends and was seen at The Racquet Club carrying her Oscar with her! My apologies to those of you who can't view YouTube at work...check it out at home.


Hope you have a good week.
-Rick Rockhill

Retro Hairdos

Yesterday afternoon I stopped for a cup of tea at the local overpriced coffee joint. As I handed over the $3.00 it occurred to me that I could buy a whole box of Twinings tea bags for the same price. But I digress. The point of this story is that the woman who took my order looked familiar. I glanced at her name badge, which read "Diane". That wasn't it, I thought. I was sure I knew her. Then it hit me: she was Donna Reed. Well not exactly, I mean Donna Reed is long dead now, this woman just resembled Donna Reed. It was her hairdo. As I stood waiting for my $3 cup of tea, I wondered why this woman was still wearing a hairdo from the 1950's. Then I realized, retro hair styles are back in fashion! So I felt compelled to create this post around retro-hairdos (sorry about the long set up). Here are a number of retro "way back" styles I found interesting:
Above: "The Donna Reed Look"

Above: Smart, Confident and Stylish

Above: Innocent, Naive and and Gullible

Above: "Modern", Independent and Practical

Above: Dignified, Devoted and Doting

Above: Hip, Sassy and Whimsical

Above: "Femme Fatale", Glamorous and Drama Queen

Above: Tragically Geek and Square.
Which category was your Mom when you were growing up? Leave a comment, it's totally FREE today!
-Rick Rockhill

Joan Crawford in Palm Springs

One of the many reasons I love living in Palm Springs is our connection to Hollywood. Back in the Golden Age of Hollywood, movie stars spent time in the desert because it was just far enough away to feel like they were on vacation, but also close enough to get back to LA if called back to the studio by one of the Hollywood movie bosses. The old studio system of MGM and Warner Brothers kept it's stars under tight control. But I digress....At left is perhaps my all time favorite Palm Springs celebrity photo. This is actress Joan Crawford, with her "lover" Greg Bauzer. What's so great about this photo is that she is wearing a 3/4 length fur coat in Palm Springs. "Beauty suffers" as they say. I wonder just how hot it was that day, but dammit, in the words of Joan Crawford herself: "I never go out of the house without looking like Joan Crawford". and "If you want to see the girl next door, then go next door!". I guess that's what she was thinking when she posed for this photo. Special thanks to the Palm Springs Daily Photo for this great picture of Joan. If you've never seen a Joan Crawford film, do yourself a favor and check out Mildred Pierce.

-Rick Rockhill

Sonny Bono Star Rededication on the Palm Springs Walk of Stars

On Saturday, a rededication ceremony was held for the Sonny Bono star along the Palm Springs Walk of Stars in downtown Palm Springs. For those of you under 25, Sonny & Cher had a successful singing and TV career back in the 60's and 70's. The star was originally installed in 1996 while Sonny was still mayor of Palm Springs. His widow, Congresswoman Mary Bono, left, and children Chianna Bono and Chesare Bono were on hand for the rededication. There were a number of dignitaries who made speeches, and former wife Cher recorded a message as well. Sonny's star is in front of Sonny's bronze statue, located on Mercado Plaza at 155 S. Palm Canyon Drive in downtown Palm Springs.

As Palm Springs Savant, it's my obligation to periodically provide information about this great desert oasis. The Palm Springs Walk of Stars is a great place to discover the many Hollywood Stars who lived, loved and played in Palm Springs.

Back in the 1920's and 30's, stars such as Ruby Keeler, Al Jolson, William Powell, Rudolf Valentino and Harold Lloyd started the escape from Hollywood to the desert.

In the 40's they were soon followed by Ralph Bellamy, Charlie Farrell, Shirley Temple, Buddy Rogers, Mary Pickford, and Gene Autry.

The 50's and 60's were very definitely its heyday, when celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Lana Turner, Bob Hope, Rock Hudson, Ginger Rogers, Jane Wyman, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Lucielle Ball & Desi Arnaz, Liberace, George Montgomery, Dinah Shore all had homes here in Palm Springs.

The 70's, 80's and 90's brought stars including Shirley MacClaine, Sonny Bono, Merv Griffin, Dolly Parton, Jack Jones, Keeley Smith, Debbie Reynolds, Kaye Ballard, Buddy Greco, Carol Channing, George Lopez, Dick Van Patten, Connie Stevens, Rich Little, Suzanne Somers, Victoria Principal, Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.
Today, in 2007, Palm Springs continues to attract big names, including Brad Bitt & Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Barry Manilow, Queen Latifah, Bill Mahr, and Ryan Seacrest. The annual Palm Springs International Film Festival attracts a huge roster of major motion picture actors, directors, writer and producers. It's not uncommon to see a major celebrity at a local restaurant one evening in town. With scenery and views like these below, its not hard to understand why Palm Springs has been home to celebrities for more that 80 years now. It's a beautiful oasis that I am proud to call home.

-Rick Rockhill