Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Behind the scenes with Rathbone and Karloff



Please, do tell me what you think of the new blog design! I wanted some change, I think it works.

Anyway, I was "cruisin' the net" for Basil Rathbone pictures for a desktop wallpaper for myself (don't you all do that on your spare time?), when I found quite a few adorable behind-the-scenes photos. Since it was all too long ago since I even mentioned my eternal Rathbone love, why not share some of them with you?



Basil Rathbone being Peeping Tom on Olivia De Havilland.



I believe this is the first picture I've ever seen of Rathbone and a bikini broad!



If I was Veda Ann Borg sharing a couch with Rathbone on the set of Confession (1937), I would just... No wait, children may be reading this.



Basil Rathbone dancing with Marlene Dietrich, with David O. Selznick and wife behind them.



Isn't that cute? Rathbone kissing Dietrich.



That's "bromance", for you! Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and Peter Lorre sneaking up on them from behind.



I don't know who the guy to the left is, but I laughed out loud when I saw Karloff on monster make up with a cigarette in his mouth.



Poor quality on this photo, but I hadn't seen it before. Nancy Sinatra greets Karloff and Rathbone. Warning: Do not watch any recent photos of Nancy, if you don't want to have horrible nightmares. (Why can't women age with pride anymore? Why?)



Yes, Boris Karloff in drag. Obviously from the TV show "The Girl from U.N.C.L.E" (1966), with April Dancer (Stephanie Powers) to the left and Napoleon Solo (Robert Vaughn) to the right. Karloff played the evil mastermind "Mother Muffin". That's just lovely.


Drooling over here.



Yeah... I'm not drooling any more. Can anyone explain this photo to me?




Not a behind the scene photo, but a screenshot from The Masked Bride (1925) with Rathbone as Antoine, obviously trying to seduce Mae Murray. Why haven't I seen this film?

17 comments:

1001: A Film Odyssey is produced, directed and written by Chris, a librarian. said...

I've been looking at your blog and can really see the time you spend on this. Keep up the good work. It's great to discover sometimes forgotten films.

1001: A Film Odyssey is produced, directed and written by Chris, a librarian. said...

I really like your blog. Keep up the good work. Great to see others with an admiration for classic films.

Lolita of the Classics said...

Thank you, Chris!

Amber said...

I LOVE Basil Rathbone and thought I was the only one!! I think he's just darling in the Sherlock Holmes films. I don't think I've seen him in anything else.

A said...

Love the photos! I really want to see the last film too. Looks fabulous. My favorite has to be the bromance photo. Lots of talent there.

Lolita of the Classics said...

Amber:
Oh no, you're not alone! But if you haven't seen him in anything else you have missed something! See The Adventures of Robin Hood, Anna Karenina and Son of Frankenstein, to name a few!

Amanda:
Sadly it seems a little hard to get a hold of The Masked Bride... I'll have to investigate further! I feel I have a mission!
Hehe, yes, aren't they cute?

Abe Lucas said...

Keep this new look, I like it mucho! It looks professional and art deco and cozy. Good job!

Oh, and just for the heck of it:

"Buy Cialis! Russian, Thai war bride! Gucci reproduction Nigerian Lottery Watch!"

Sabina E. said...

I love that photo with him and Olivia de Havilliand.

I know what you mean about wallpapers-- I looked up wallpapers from some Woody Allen films. He's one of my fave filmmakers

Amy said...

a new discovery for me. thank you. :)

The Divine Miss J said...

Oh Vincent Price, my hero!!! I have a comicbook you need to read dear Lolita. One of the main characters is modelled after Mr. Price.
GloomCookie, absolutly darling little gothcomic.

Christopher said...

looking good there!..Some nice Rathbone shots I've never seen before..particularly like the top with Olivia De Havilland..Thats director James Whale with Franky
stein with a Ciggy hanging out his mouth..

Dymon Enlow said...

The bikini picture is from THE GHOST IN THE INVISIBLE BIKINI which is a fucking horrible movie, but it came on the flip side of the THE GHOST OF DRAG STRIP HOLLOW DVD so I own it. I've tried to watch it three times and can't even get 45 minutes into it before I punch a hole in my TV then run around the house shitting in every room.

Lolita of the Classics said...

C. K. Dexter Haven:
Thank you! I thought it looked much "cleaner" than the last design, so I think I'll keep it ;)
I wondered whether or not you suffered a minor brain damage writing that last sentence, but I guess it's a quote I don't recognize... Please, enlighten me!

Jihad Punk 77:
It's kind of fascinating to see behind the scenes photos from classic films - it's for some reason so hard to imagine a life behind the films themselves.
I make my own screen backgrounds/wallpapers, since those you find on the Net often are too ugly. To put it delicately.

Amy:
You're welcome, fellow enthusiast!

The Divine Miss J:
Oh, daahlin'! Finally you make your presence known, love! I borrowed the first two volumes of Gloom Cookie quite a wile ago and loved them - but some evil spirit from your past had escaped with the next volume! I need to borrow them again, soon.

Christopher:
I knew I could trust my dear readers! James Whale, huh? I'm embarrassed I can't identify him by his looks. One should get whipped.

Darsh:
Haha! In my most intense Rathbone hysteria I read something about that film, and I never even dared to acknowledge it as a Rathbone vehicle. And your summary of it does not make me more curious, no... Thanks for filling me in, though! It's great to have such well educated readers! ;)

Merriam said...

Those are some cute pictures! And I think the new layout looks fabulous. :)

Gordon Pasha said...

Lolita:

Re: Your "I'm not drooling question:The Life photo archive says: Actor Basil Rathbone playing the evil duke in ABC's TV production of James Thurber's "13 Clocks."

Gerald (of Laszlo's)

Lolita of the Classics said...

Gordon:
Thank you! I will not watch it. I like Basil being handsome. (Okay, I would watch it if I could.) I also realize that the information probably wasn't too hard to get a hold of, and that I now seem pretty stupid. Haha. But thanks! (Want to be my slave?)

Anonymous said...

I can see that sadly you haven't updates your marvellous blog in a year, but I thought I'd post this on the off chance.

I've just started my own Basil Blog!

The Baz: the multifarious talent & gorgeousness of Basil Rathbone

If you start blogging again Lolita do drop by and say hi.

And DO start blogging again because the blogosphere needs your coolness and humor!

Neve