Musical Monday with White Town

Every so often, we come across an item that, by itself, encapsulates the spirit of the Shades of Gray blog by seeming to be a manifestation of the mish-mash of content here. From silent movies, through the 1950s, and into the 1980s--you'll find that vibe in this 1990s song and video from White Town. The video looks like it's set in 1960s England but features silent movie tropes and humor, and it supports a electronica that samples a hook from a 1930s song that itself was a cover of a 1920s song.

Your Woman (1997)

Starring: Chloe Treend

Director: Mark Adcock

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

It's the first full moon of 2023...

 ... and we present a timeless tale of Elmo Aardvark in observance, courtesy of writer/artist/animator Milton Knight!

Like us here at Shades of Gray, Elmo recognizes the true nature of the Moon and that the Moon Girls are the ones running the show up there!

Support Milton Knight by joining his Patreon page (and get previews of what he's working on). Milton tells us that he likes this blog, so we encourage you to support him!

You can also join him in conversation on his Facebook page!

Firearms Friday with Anna May Wong

Born on Jan. 3, 1904, Anna May Wong was a third-generation Chinese-American who began her film acting career at the age of 15. Within a year, her raw talent and charisma was being noticed by directors and fellow actors alike, and she swiftly moved from bit parts, to major supporting roles, and to her first starring role at the age of 17 in "The Toll of the Sea" (1922). 

 
Wong is perhaps best remembered for her major supporting role in "The Thief of Bagdad" (1924) (where she was as captivating and scene-stealing on screen as leading man Douglas Fairbanks). As sound replaced silent movies, Wong made a successful transition into talkies and cemented her legacy as the first Asian-American movie star. Unfortunately, the racism baked into the U.S. film industry--with its regulations that stated actors of different races could not share the screen in romantic scenes, and the habit of casting white actors in "yellow face" in leading parts--stopped her from maintaining her star status, and she went to Europe where such policies and habits did not stand in her way.

As World War II was looming on the horizon, Wong returned tothe U.S. where, after acclaimed leading roles in thrillers "Daughter of Shanghai" (1937) (where she received top billing) and "Dangerous to Know" (1939), she found the old racist blocks were still in her career path and she quickly found herself relegated to choosing to star in Poverty Row films, or take minor parts in major pictures. By 1942, after appearing in 48 American, British, or German pictures, Wong left film behind for the stage.

In 1949, Wong returned briefly to the Big Screen with a supporting role in the fabulous thriller "Impact", and in 1951 she starred as the title character in the short-lived detective TV series
"The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong". 

During the 1950s, Wong battled several health issues, but still managed to return to television during the second half of that decade, with small supporting and guest-starring roles in detective shows, drama anthology series, and westerns.

Wong suffered a massive heart attack and passed away in 1961, one month after her 56th birthday.

'What the Doctor Ordered' is okay medicine

What the Doctor Ordered (1912)

Starring: Mack Sennett, Mabel Normand, Edward Dillon, Jack Pickford, Kate Toncray, and J. Jiquel Lanoe

Director: Mack Sennett

Rating: Five of Ten Stars

A wealthy hypochondriac (Sennett) is instructed by his doctor (Lanoe) to go up onto the mountains to benefit from the pure air. The man's wife (Toncray) and teenaged children (Normand and Pickford) come along for the trip. Snowball fights, illicit lovemaking between the daughter and her boyfriend (Dillon) ensue, with it all culminating with members of the family in mortal danger.

That's a long summary for a short movie, but I couldn't figure out a shorter way to put it. Which is odd, because that paragraph also describes almost everything that happens in the film. 

"What the Doctor Ordered" is a fast-moving film where not a second is wasted. In fact, it moves so fast that I wish a little more time had been spent on a few more transition scenes or character interactions to fill in the relationships a bit more. It would have made the film feel less choppy and the story more substantial.

That said, the film is full of raw energy and the actors all give excellent performances. Mabel Normand and Edward Dillon are particularly fun to watch, while Normand's scenes with Jack Pickford have a playfulness in them that will put a smile on your face. Frequent watchers of silent movies may be particularly fascinated to see Mack Sennett in a starring role, since he's usually behind the camera or in very minor parts. 

fdsa

Ballerinas must be light on their feet...

 ... or Tamara Cerner wouldn't be dancing on water in the flooded basement at Shades of Gray HQ.

Musical Monday at Shades of Gray HQ

Have you ever wondered what it's like at the Shades of Gray offices, the place where everything is in black-and-white and all time is meaningless? Well, watch the video below and you'll get a feel for it!

Dinero (2018)

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled

Director: Joseph Kahn

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(Okay... so it might not be exactly like that around here, but... all right, it's NOTHING like that. But it's a new year. Maybe THIS is the year we go viral and stuff! Or Jennifer Lopez just decides to give us a dump truck full of money!)

It's a Mohammed Monday!

It's a new year, but we're the same old Shades of Gray... and we're bringing you the same old Jesus & Mo, in show of our respect for murderous religious fanatics everywhere!

THIS WEEK WITH JESUS & MO

It's January...

 ... Lois January that is! It seems 2023 snuck up on her!

Happy New Year from all of us here at Shades of Gray!

Alice's New Year's Resolution...

... is to remember to put on pants before she leaves the house.

Have you made a New Year's Resolution? If so, put in the comments and Alice will record it and keep you to it!

Happy birthday to Aesha Ash!

Celebrated and internationally renowned ballet dancer (and now instructor) Aesha Ash turns 45 today! Here are a few pictures in celebration!