Wednesday, March 13, 2013

The Louise Brooks Quarterly

Silent movie star Louise Brooks had such a unique and special look that she started fashion trends in her day, inspired the creation of a major comic book character after she had passed, and continues to inspire fashion designers and artists to this day. And now she joins our rotating line-up of quarterly lovelies. Click here to see all posts featuring Brooks that have been featuring previously on Shades of Gray.


Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Cover graphic for "The Mummy's Tune"

My latest piece of "artwork," based in part on a publicity still from the 1917 silent film "Cleopatra."


The image is for the cover of "The Mummy's Tune," the next supplement for NUELOW Games's ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters. Click on the link to check out the line-up.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Picture Perfect Wednesday:
Happy birthday, Jennifer Love Hewitt!

Okay... so it's one day early, but it's a Picture Perfect excuse to put up some pictures of a beautiful actress! (Jennifer Love Hewitt was born 2/21/1979.)

Thursday, February 14, 2013

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

The June Collyer Quarterly

June Collyer and her crystal ball see Valentine's Day in your future -- perhaps even romance!


Wednesday, January 9, 2013

The Milla Jovovich Quarterly

As the first entry in the Milla Jovovich Quarterly of '13, we bring you a picture of Milla at 13. (The picture is from 1988... if the hard rock hair wasn't enough of a hint.)




Friday, January 4, 2013

'The Frozen Ghost' ventures forth
frrom the Inner Sanctum

The Frozen Ghost (1945)
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Evelyn Ankers, Milburn Stone, Elena Vergougo, Martin Kosleck, and Tala Birell
Director: Harold Young
Rating: Six of Ten Stars

When a heckler dies during one of his performances, a celebrated stage mentalist (Chaney) becomes convinced that he has a genuine ability to kill people with his mind. He retreats from public life and into the refuge of a wax museum run by friend (Vergougo) while his agent (Stone) and fiance (Ankers) try to help him deal with guilt and delusions. But when strange events start occurring at the museum, including the disappearance of its owner, he grows ever more convinced of his supernatural powers... while the police become ever more convinced that he is a murderer.


"The Frozen Ghost" is the fourth entry in Universal's "Inner Sanctum" series starring Lon Chahey Jr. in a different role each time (with frequent co-star Evelyn Ankers similarly showing up in several of them). It's another quirky mystery that walks the line between thriller and horror while delivering a series of twists and turns, some of which will be not be surprising to most modern veiwers both others are as effective now as they were in 1945 when the film was first released.

Lon Chaney Jr. is in fine form as the tortured and perpetually confused Alex Gregor, as he basically spends the film as a sad-sack whose life keeps collapsing in the most nightmarish ways--be it on the professional, romantic, or completely mundane front. Gregor is a character who can't even go for a walk without some horrible development cropping up to make him even more miserable... and to make it even more certain that he is doomed.

On first glance, it might seen a little overkill that have a mentalist with apparently real psychic powers hiding in a creepy wax museum with an even creepier staff who may or may not have sinister motives, and who has friends who may or may not be trying to hide bad intentions behind their helpful smiles, but it works here. The film remains engaging and entertaining from beginning to end. Fans of Chaney and of classic Universal horror and mystery films should check it out.



Monday, December 31, 2012

Only minutes left until the end of the world!!!


The wisdom of the ancients and their screwy calendars can't possibly have been so much crap, can it?! Have you made your peace with yourself and prepared your spirit for the Great New World that is about to emerge?!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Good bye, Year of the Dragon!



The Year of the Dragon is amost over... and Anna May Wong reflects all of our fears as its shadow fades away. Will the Mayan Prediction be right?! Will the world end when 2012 does... or will be receive a respite until the Year of the Dragon ends?

Friday, December 21, 2012

Merry Christmas!

I hope all visitors to my blog during this holiday season have a chance to spend time with their family and loved ones. Please enjoy this rendition of "The Little Drummer Boy", perhaps my favorite Christmas song of all, by Jars of Clay.