Here Comes Mr. Jordan: Robert Montgomery’s Belted Leather Jacket

Robert Montgomery in Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941)

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Robert Montgomery as Joe Pendleton, prizefighter and pilot known as “The Flying Pug”

En route New York City, Spring 1941

Film: Here Comes Mr. Jordan
Release Date: August 7, 1941
Director: Alexander Hall
Costume Designer: Edith Head (gowns)

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Perhaps one of the first true “Renaissance men” in Hollywood, Robert Montgomery was born 120 years ago today on May 21, 1904 in New York’s Hudson Valley. Montgomery displayed a versatile range across movies and television, his comedic and dramatic abilities resulting in two Academy Award nominations and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was also an inventive director, pioneering an unusual but daring first-person narrative style for his 1947 directorial debut Lady in the Lake, adapted from Raymond Chandler’s pulp novel of the same name.

When World War II began in Europe, Montgomery enlisted for the American Field Service in London and drove ambulances in France up through the famous Dunkirk evacuation. After the United States entered the war a year and a half later, Montgomery joined the U.S. Navy and rose to the rank of lieutenant commander.

Amidst all this, Montgomery received his second Oscar nomination for his performance as the charismatic, saxophone-playing boxer Joe Pendleton in the smart supernatural comedy Here Comes Mr. Jordan, based on Harry Segall’s 1938 play Heaven Can Wait. Continue reading →

From Pinstripes to Plaid: Travis Henderson’s Transformation in Paris, Texas

Harry Dean Stanton in Paris, Texas (1984)

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Harry Dean Stanton as Travis Henderson, wandering drifter

West Texas to Los Angeles, Fall 1983

Film: Paris, Texas
Release Date: September 19, 1984
Director: Wim Wenders
Costume Designer: Birgitta Bjerke

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Wim Wenders’ masterpiece Paris, Texas debuted during 40 years ago today on May 19, 1984 during the 37th Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Palme d’Or among other accolades. The film arrived at theaters exactly four months later and would continue to garner critical acclaim including a BAFTA win for Wenders’ direction.

Co-written by Sam Shepard and L.M. Kit Carson, Paris, Texas presents a rare starring role for stalwart character actor Harry Dean Stanton—one of my personal favorites—who had been well-regarded for his performances in Cool Hand Luke (1967), Dillinger (1973), Alien (1979), Escape from New York (1981), and Christine (1983) before Shepard tapped the nearly 60-year-old actor for the leading role of the lost Travis Henderson.

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Road House: Patrick Swayze’s ’80s Suede Jacket and Jeans

Patrick Swayze as Dalton in Road House (1989)

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Patrick Swayze as James Dalton, professional bouncer

Jasper, Missouri, Spring 1988

Film: Road House
Release Date: May 19, 1989
Director: Rowdy Herrington
Costume Designer: Marilyn Vance

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

The recent announcement of a sequel green-lit for the 2024 remake of Road House came just in time to celebrate the anniversary of the original, released 35 years ago this week on May 19, 1989. Patrick Swayze famously starred as Dalton, a New York City cooler who has mastered a zen-like approach to his work to overcome being haunted by having ripped a guy’s throat out several years earlier. Continue reading →

Stavisky: Belmondo’s 1970s-Does-1930s Gray Chalkstripe Suit

Jean-Paul Belmondo in Stavisky… (1974)

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Jean-Paul Belmondo as Serge Alexandre Stavisky, debonair Russian-born French financier, impresario, and embezzler

Paris, Summer to Fall 1933

Film: Stavisky…
Release Date: May 15, 1974
Director: Alain Resnais
Costume Designer: Jacqueline Moreau

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

After a series of well-acclaimed and unconventionally presented films, Alain Resnais’ sixth feature Stavisky… was released 50 years ago today, starring the late Jean-Paul Belmondo as the famous financial fraudster Serge Alexandre Stavisky who made a fortune selling worthless bonds in interwar-era France. Continue reading →

Harvey Keitel’s Tan Plaid Sport Suit in Mean Streets

Harvey Keitel in Mean Streets (1973)

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Harvey Keitel as Charlie Cappa, conflicted Mafia associate

New York, Fall 1972

Film: Mean Streets
Release Date: October 14, 1973
Director: Martin Scorsese
Wardrobe Credit: Norman Salling

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

To celebrate the prolific Harvey Keitel’s 85th birthday, today’s #MafiaMonday post flashes back to the New York-born actor’s first prominent starring performance as the conflicted and connected Charlie Cappa in Martin Scorsese’s breakout feature, Mean Streets. Continue reading →

Barry Newman in Fear Is the Key

Barry Newman in Fear is the Key (1972)

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Barry Newman as John Talbot, “truculent, insolent, and a man of violence”

Louisiana, Spring 1972

Film: Fear Is the Key
Release Date: December 26, 1972
Director: Michael Tuchner
Wardrobe Credit: Mike Jarvis

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

I had never heard of Fear Is the Key before I had the pleasure of catching it streaming on the Criterion Channel last November, so I feel comfortable describing it as underrated—the kind of raw ’70s-style adventure intended for pure entertainment with a thrilling momentum, great score, and a fine cast led by Barry Newman that also included Suzy Kendall, John Vernon, Dolph Sweet, and a “young”—well… middle-aged—Ben Kingsley. Perhaps best known for his performances in Vanishing Point and the TV series Petrocelli, the Boston-born Newman died one year ago today on May 11, 2023 at the age of 92.

Based on Alistair MacLean’s 1961 novel centered around one man’s mission for revenge against a criminal organization that killed his family, the movie blends classic adventure, ’70s grit, and international intrigue into a package adjacent to contemporary “hick flicks”. Maybe you’d describe it as Smokey and the Bandit meets Crank—or James Bond meets The Dukes of Hazzard—all with a twist of Three Days of the Condor. Continue reading →

Two for the Road: Albert Finney’s Cream Trucker Jacket and Jeans

Albert Finney in Two for the Road (1967)

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Albert Finney as Mark Wallace, young architect and amateur photographer

Northern France, Spring 1954

Film: Two for the Road
Release Date: April 27, 1967
Director: Stanley Donen
Wardrobe Coordinator: Sophie Issartel-Richas
Albert Finney’s Clothes: Hardy Amies

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Born 88 years ago today on May 9, 1936, the late, great Albert Finney’s prolific stage and screen career spanned six decades from his 1956 stage debut in Henry V to his final screen appearance as the grizzled Scottish groundskeeper Kincade in Daniel Craig’s 2012 James Bond adventure Skyfall.

The 1967 romantic road comedy Two for the Road presented one of Finney’s most stylish performances—appropriate for starring as the romantic lead opposite Audrey Hepburn. The story chronicles the 12-year relationship between the English couple Mark and Joanna Wallace through a series of trips taken together through northern France, including the first trip when they meet on the ferry from England to Dieppe. Continue reading →

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Bullet Train

Aaron Taylor-Johnson in Bullet Train (2022). Photo credit: Scott Garfield.

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Aaron Taylor-Johnson as “Tangerine”, snarky contract killer

Tokyo to Kyoto, Japan, Spring 2021

Film: Bullet Train
Release Date: August 5, 2022
Director: David Leitch
Costume Designer: Sarah Evelyn

WARNING! Spoilers ahead!

Background

Rumors continue swirling around who will be cast to replace Daniel Craig as James Bond. Henry Cavill, Richard Madden, Regé-Jean Page, and Aidan Turner have all been named as serious contenders, though English actor Aaron Taylor-Johnson often emerges as a current favorite for the likely choice. Thus, today’s 00-7th of the month post will focus not on a previous Mr. Bond but a possible future characterization of the sophisticated agent…by playing an contractor taking his codename from a “sophisticated” fruit. Continue reading →

Mystery Train: Masatoshi Nagase’s Rockabilly Style as Jun

Masatoshi Nagase as Jun in Mystery Train (1989)

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Masatoshi Nagase as Jun, taciturn tourist and rockabilly fan

Memphis, Tennessee, Summer 1988

Film: Mystery Train
Release Date: November 17, 1989
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Costume Designer: Carol Wood

Background

Jim Jarmusch’s triptych anthology Mystery Train debuted 35 years ago this month during the 1989 Cannes Film Festival.

Taking its title from the Junior Parker song later covered by Elvis Presley, Mystery Train follows three narratives that overlap over a long night at a rundown Memphis motel overseen by a night clerk played by blues legend Screamin’ Jay Hawkins and all incorporate elements related to Elvis, whether it’s his music (specifically his early recording of “Blue Moon”), his name, or even his ghostly apparition to one of the Arcade Hotel’s guests.

The first segment, “Far from Yokohama”, centers around a young Japanese couple whose pilgrimage to the city includes a breakneck tour of Sun Studios and plans to visit Graceland. The charming Mitsuko (Youki Kudoh) is devoted to Elvis and even maintains a scrapbook chronicling her fandom for the singer she refers to as “still the King” while the more aloof Jun (Masatoshi Nagase) declares a broader appreciation for rockabilly—preferring Carl Perkins to Presley.

Masatoshi Nagase and Youki Kudoh in Mystery Train (1989)

“King…”

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Jaws: Robert Shaw’s CPO Shirt and Sweater as Quint

Robert Shaw as Quint in Jaws (1975)

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Robert Shaw as Quint, grizzled and tough shark hunter and U.S. Navy veteran

Amity Island, July 1974

Film: Jaws
Release Date: June 20, 1975
Director: Steven Spielberg
Costume Design: Louise Clark, Robert Ellsworth, and Irwin Rose

Background

After early directorial efforts like Duel and The Sugarland Express, Steven Spielberg forever changed the cinematic landscape with Jaws, considered the first true blockbuster when it was released in the summer of 1975. Filming had commenced a year earlier, 50 years ago this week, on May 2, 1974.

Adapted from Peter Benchley’s novel of the same name, Jaws centered around a fictional shark terrorizing the swimmers off the idyllic New England community of Amity Island… though it had a very real impact on frightened beach-goers for years to follow.

Police chief Martin Brody (Roy Scheider) and oceanographer Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) team up with the hardened shark-hunter known only as Quint (Robert Shaw) to accompany them out into the water to bring an end to “Bruce” the shark’s reign of terror. Though local fishermen are eager to be the ones to stop the shark, Brody and Hooper are well aware of Quint’s qualifications that make him worth every cent of his requested $10,000 fee:

Y’all know me. Know how I earn a livin’. I’ll catch this bird for you, but it ain’t gonna be easy.

Continue reading →