[Alternative Muses] Going and Coming: Alfred, Lord Tennyson/Carole Lombard Mashup

“Dreams are true while they last, and do we not live in dreams?”-Alfred, Lord Tennyson (died 6 October 1892)

Carole Lombard, circa 1932

Circa 1932: Carole Lombard (born 6 October 1908)

[Book Nerd News] Long-Lost Silent Sherlock Holmes Movie is Found

Long-Lost Silent Sherlock Holmes Movie is Found [courtesy The Hollywood Reporter]

This is terribly exciting news for fans of literature, theatre, and silent cinema.

William Gillette in Sherlock Holmes, 1916

An advert for William Gillette in Sherlock Holmes, 1916

[Alternative Muses] Two for the Road: Erich Maria Remarque/Mary Astor Mashup

“Life is a disease, and death begins already at birth. Every breath, every heartbeat, is a moment of dying-a little shove toward the end.”-Erich Maria Remarque (died on 25 September 1970)

Mary Astor, Stars of the Photoplay, 1924

Stars of the Photoplay, 1924: Mary Astor (died on 25 September 1987)

Off Topic Post: Happy Birthday, Maureen O’Hara!

Today is the talented, gracious, lovely Maureen O’Hara’s 94th birthday. Her fabulous memoir, ‘Tis Herself, was published in 2004. (See–this is sort of book-related.) It is a must-read for any fans of Classic Hollywood.

Maureen O'Hara, 1940s

Maureen O’Hara, 1940s. She never gave a bad or false performance.

Maureen O'Hara in The Black Swan

Enchanting Irish actress Maureen O’Hara in The Black Swan, 1942.

“Being an Irishwoman means many things to me. An Irishwoman is strong and feisty. She has guts and stands up for what she believes in. She believes she is the best at whatever she does and proceeds through life with that knowledge. She can face any hazard that life throws her way and stay with it until she wins. She is loyal to her kinsmen and accepting of others. She’s not above a sock in the jaw if you have it coming. She is only on her knees before God. Yes, I am most definitely an Irishwoman.”-Maureen O’Hara, ‘Tis Herself

Daily Diversion #219: My Book Family Keeps Growing, One Old Volume at a Time

Please welcome the newest member of my book family. A Western with a lovely cover, it’s at least mildly appropriate that I bought it at the State Fair. Note: The Antique Barn is next to the building where they display chickens, ducks, turkeys, and rabbits.

The Winning of Barbara Worth

The Winning of Barbara Worth by Harold Bell Wright. It was first published in 1911.

Fifteen years later, it was turned into a silent film starring Vilma Banky, Ronald Colman, and a fresh upstart named Gary Cooper in his first substantive role (but more on that another day).

“Not a line of Jefferson Worth’s countenance changed as the tall surveyor, pushing his way through the crowd about the new arrivals, greeted him. But Abe Lee felt the man from behind his gray mask reaching out to grasp his innermost thoughts and emotions.”-The Winning of Barbara Worth, Harold Bell Wright