Too young for love? Teen-age Romances comic book 1949
xoxo
Forgotten Modern: California Houses 1940-1970
My brother Robbie gave me this book one fine Christmas a few years ago. When I opened it and gazed at what was inside, my heart quickened. What I found was image after image of dramatic but warm mid-century modern houses built by such less-remembered architects as Edward Fickett (who designed my neighborhood), Jack Hillmer and William Krisel. Here's a look .
Edward Fickett, 1966, George & Marion Jacobson house #2 from Forgotten Modern photo: Alan weintraub
Dr. Poor House, Jack Hillmer, architect.
Owings House, Mark Mills & Nathaniel Owings, Architects 1957
Dr. Williams House, Paul R. Williams, Architect. 1946
Bubeck House, Allyn E. Morris architect, 1956
Apparently this book is now out of print, but I'm sure it will turn up at a decent price on ebay or another bookseller such as ABE books.
The Women: "There's a name for you ladies that's not used in high society... outside of a kennel."
1939's "The Women" boasts an all-star, all-female cast, brilliant direction by George Cukor, hilarious performances by Rosalind Russell, Joan Crawford, Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland, & Marjorie Main, fast, fast, witty dialogue, anchored by the warm central character and her sweet little family played pretty straight with a healthy dash of melodrama by Norma Shearer, Lucile Watson and the wonderful Virginia Weidler (Katherine Hepburn's hilarious little sister in "The Philadelphia story"). (Stops to catch breath) It's really one of my favorite films of all time, catty as catty can be. Based on the acerbic play by Clare Boothe Luce and adapted for the screen by Anita Loos and Jane Murfin (plus an uncredited F. Scott Fitzgerald), what better tribute to l'amour (with a sizable sprinkling of salt).
The best lines of "The Women" These are only the tip of the iceburg. I could make another 10 of these if I wanted with no problem. This movie is great and (IMHO) 100x better than the remake. My favorite character is Miriam Aarons (Paulette Goddard). Followed closely by Sylvia Fowler (Rosalind Russell).
The Women (1939) trailer
On the train to Reno with Paulette Goddard, Mary Boland and Norma Shearer. "L'amour, L'amour!"
Norma Shearer and Virginia Weidler supply the pathos, and how!
Scheming Rosalind Russell engages in a bit of malicious gossip at the beauty parlor with the manicurist played by Dennie Moore.
+Netflix dvd +Watch on YouTube +Amazon.com
+or to have Turner Classic Movies send you an email reminder when it plays next, click here
Vegetarian bbq "chicken" panini with collards & brussels sprouts
Where I used to work in Los Angeles, on Wilshire blvd, we had a great little cafe downstairs, called "The Garden Cafe". We all used to trundle off to get a sandwich or a salad for lunch. They had a fantastic arugula and pear salad that I'd get on most days, but so many more temptations if I wanted to eat meat. They had this amazing Barbecue Chicken Panini that had bbq sauce, cilantro, and red onion which they served on a grilled ciabbatta with melted cheese. It was so good, I wished they had a vegetarian version. So now, I'm here working at home, and I finally have it. It's pretty simple, really. I just substituted tofu chicken strips (I like the ones from "Beyond Meat" and I ramped up the veggies by adding some sautéed collard greens & shaved brussels sprouts.
After this, I'm cutting out the cheese in my life. Umm, somewhat...
THE FILLING
"Beyond Meat" Southwest Flavor Chick'n Strips (Available at Whole Foods)
1/4 red onion
Small handful of chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Barbecue Sauce
1 cup leafy greens such as slivered collard greens, kale or shaved brussels sprouts
THE PANINI
2 small ciabatta rolls
1 oz Gruyere cheese
1 oz light mozzarella
Mix together in small bowl Chick'n strips, sliced onion, cilantro and bbq sauce. Sauté the leafy greens with part of the red onion and set aside. Spray olive oil on outside of roll. On the bottom half of roll, layer on the gruyere, chick'n mix, greens, and then mozzarella before covering with other half. In lightly oiled grill pan, or panini press, heat until cheese melts, flipping halfway through. There you go. I use the light mozzarella to hold the calories down. MAKES 2 PANINIS.
Science fiction novels from the 1950s
The fifties were arguably the golden age of science fiction, and here are a few highly collectible novels from that era by such giants as Isaac Asimov & Ray Bradbury. The first six are from the bookseller L.W. Currey. They have an especially wide range of first edition science fiction and fantasy books. The last two are from my own library.
Isaac Asimov THE STARS, LIKE DUST. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1951
![Clarke, Arthur C. THE CITY AND THE STARS. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, [1956]. Cover design by George Salter.](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/516351c0e4b032c4bb392b81/1391966577747-EQ9UR9J1UUQPA7FNAKUE/148618.jpg)
Clarke, Arthur C. THE CITY AND THE STARS. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company, [1956]. Cover design by George Salter.
Asimov, Isaac. THE CURRENTS OF SPACE. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1952. Jacket design by George Giusti.
Asimov, Isaac. THE MARTIAN WAY AND OTHER STORIES. Garden City: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1955.
Robert A. Heinlein. BETWEEN PLANETS. New York:Charles Scribner's Sons, 1951.
Bradbury, Ray. THE ILLUSTRATED MAN. First British edition. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1952.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. 1950. This is my copy. It's a facsimile edition from The First Edition Library. An actual first edition of this novel is really pricey, usually in the thousands of dollars..
Shambleau and Others by C.L.Moore 1953. My "First Edition Library" reprint of the First Edition from 1981.
