Movie Review: Charro! (1968)

I have to admit, I didn't think this film was going to be any good.  Most of the movies I've seen with musicians trying to act are iffy at best.  But I am on an Elvis kick so when I saw this in the Classics section of Bookmans, I had to snag it.  Elvis in a gritty western?  Cool!

Image courtesy of IMDB.  See link below.

Elvis as Jess Wade is actually very believable as an ex-outlaw trying to go straight.  I kept forgetting it was 'Elvis' on the screen.  He appears to be doing at least some of his own action sequences: riding a horse, being wrestled to the ground by the bad guys, being bucked about (albeit rather gently) by a 'wild' stallion he captures in an arroyo.  And as a lover he practically smolders a hole in my screen!  Seriously!  Those clear blue eyes and the scruffy beard he is sporting?  Ay chihuahua!

His lover Tracey Winters (played by the lovely Ina Balin) is no slouch either.  Vaguely Hispanic with long black hair and dark eyes, she is curvaceous, runs her own saloon and doesn't take any crap from anybody, including Jess Wade.  In one scene Jess comes into her room while she is in her bath and she goes out to confront him clad only in a diaphanous white robe that clings to her wet body, leaving very little to the imagination.  Talk about a jaw dropper!  I guess I figured that most classic movies were more prudish than that.  And when Jess grabs her and kisses her?  Oo lordy!  I was cranking my air conditioner and punching rewind!

The plot is fairly straightforward.  Jess ran for a while with a group of outlaws about a year prior to the film when he falls for the girlfriend of his gang leader, the lovely Tracey.  He leaves the gang, vowing to go straight but they catch up with him in Mexico and frame him for stealing a victory cannon, which is covered in gold and silver and was used in the Mexican War of Independence.  The Mexican army desperately want it back.  So the rest of the movie sees Jess dodging his gang and the Federales while trying to clear his name and return the cannon back to the Mexican authorities.

There are a couple flaws to the film, at least in my opinion.  They seem to spend a lot of time just riding through the desert (killing celluloid so the movie doesn't seem too short is my guess).  One of the outlaws has this high-pitched crazy laugh that is meant to be disturbing but he does it so often its irritating.  Some of the lines are clumsily handled.  And I don't know where the heck the movie title comes into play, but it makes a great title song for Elvis to sing during the opening credits!

Charro! sucked me in!  Great entertainment!

To find out more about the movie, see IMBd: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0064155/

Do clip on earrings hurt?

The answer is yes...sometimes.

I figured this question deserved a blog since I have a lot of people I encounter in my daily life and stopping by my stall at the Downtown Mercado who seem bemused by my love of vintage earrings.

Some clip ons are just very tight and will pinch if you wear them long enough.  Having said that only two of my two dozen personal pairs pinch me bad enough for me to notice.  And since they were both sentimental (one was the first pair I ever owned, the other a Christmas present from Will) and really, really cool to boot, frankly I don't care.  Honestly I don't even notice my earrings after a while.

However, there is an exception to this statement.  Vintage earrings and phones don't mix.  Especially the 50s style cluster earrings which are so big they get in the way of the receiver.  So you grab them and pull them off right?  Big mistake.  Pulling clip ons off, particularly the tight ones, hurt like hell.  We are talking the blinding, give-me-a-moment kind of pain.  (I've done it.  Frequently.)

The solution?  Always take the time to unhinge the earring before removing it.

There are a couple of ways our smart Grandmothers/Mothers dealt with tight earrings.  Remember, it used to be tacky bordering on whorish for a woman to have pierced ears at one time.  One trick is to place small pads of material between the clips and the ears.  A few earrings I've purchased have still had these pads in place.

Image courtesy of Amazon.com.  See link to purchase below.

There are several variations available; just type "clip on earrings pads" into Google shopping and see what pops up.  One variation that can be found on Hobe jewelry are rollers that fit onto the metal clasps and make slipping the earring off your earlobe much more comfortable.  All these are great options if you want to wear vintage earrings on a regular basis.

Image courtesy of Sparkles Vintage Costume Jewelry.  See link below to purchase.

My favorite way around the problem of painful earrings are screw back earrings.  Even older than clip ons, these date from the turn of the century to the early 1950s when they went out of style.  Screw backs operate just like they sound.  You slip your earlobe in between the earring and the post, then screw the post in until the earring is secure.  It is a bit tricky getting the earrings lined up right the first few times but you get the hang of it quickly enough.  The cool part is that you control the tension, so you can adjust them as tight as you want or don't want.  It is not as easy to pull them off (you must unscrew them first or risk damaging your treasure) but the designs are usually much smaller, small enough that you can use the phone while wearing them.

You can, of course, snap the backings off and attach modern posts which you can buy at most craft and jewelry supply stores.  That was actually my plan when I bought my first pair.  And then, after the first few times I wore them, I realized that there was no way I could deliberately damage an artifact over 50 years old.  But that's just me.  One recommendation: do some research on your earrings before you decide to alter them.  Costume jewelry typically is affordable but some pieces have some serious value ($$$) that, as we all know from watching the Antiques Roadshow, can be damaged if you alter them in any way.

 ***

Clip on pads seen above can be purchased through Amazon.com.  http://www.amazon.com/LawrenceProducts-Clip-On-Earring-Cushions/dp/B0041SP070

Hobe earrings seen above can be purchased through Sparkles Vintage Costume Jewelry: http://www.sparklz.com/signature/Hsignature.htm

An old photo of me

Me at the age of 3

I had to add this photo!  I found it when I was rummaging around for the photos that ended up in my earlier posts when this one fell out on my desk.  I am just loving that camera!

Outfit Snap - polka dots

Just a couple pics I snapped a while back while getting ready for work.

Makeup: eyebrow pencil is Wet n Wild, mascara is Rimmel and lipstick is Covergirl NatureLuxe in peony.  My shirt was found at Savers for about $4.  My earrings were a birthday present from one of my best friends Christy!  My super-cool cat glasses were found in Jerome, Arizona while on a road trip at a little place called the House of Joy.  It had been a historic bordello and now its a small shop catering to those of us who can't get enough of pinups, tassels and historic nudie pics!  You can't really see it from the pictures (I need to get me a photographer) but I'm also wearing a snood in my hair from How Sweet it Was on 4th Ave.

The Red Lipstick Chronicles

...or how I went from this:

June 2006

...to this:

May 2011

Needless to say it was a wee bit of a transition.  As a teen into my very early twenties I was obese, acne ridden, shy, wore no makeup and had a penchant for oversize black t-shirts and jeans.  I grew my blond hair out to the small of my back and wore bangs that made my overweight face look even rounder.  I loved lipstick but felt uncomfortable in it, almost always removing it as soon as I put it on.  I dyed my hair strawberry blond in high school but the red faded out almost immediately.  I just didn't have the resources to keep it up.  Makeup made me look a little better but it aggravated my acne so that I only wore it sporadically.  To this day I rarely wear more than eyebrow pencil, mascara and lipstick and when I do wear foundation its usually a tinted moisturizer.

Then I met Will and moved to Tucson.  The subsequent changes in my diet and exercise habits helped me drop 70 lbs gradually and kept them from coming back.  My acne went away.  My confidence increased and my naturally outgoing personality came out.  I ditched the bulky tees for retro inspired clothes, western shirts and began putting more care into my appearance.  I cut my hair off, too short, but I growing it out to my shoulders.  About a year ago the elements of my own personal style started coming together.

And the trigger was a Halloween costume!  Will had introduced me to the AMC show Mad Men earlier last year.  I went as Joan Holloway, he went as Don Draper.  I dyed my hair red, bought my first pair of clip on earrings and wore red lipstick and winged out black eyeliner.

 Will and I, Halloween 2010

Will and I, Halloween 2010

(Forgive the hair! It was too short for the style and the hairspray was starting to fail after too much bourbon and fresh air!)

I was hooked!

I felt sexy!  I felt strong!  I was compared to pinups and classic Hollywood starlets.  Quite a rush!  (Ironically, only two people recognized who I was supposed to be.  Oh well!)

While I don't dress as Joan on a daily basis (though I do show up at the coffee shop with a beehive from time to time, just for my regulars who are Mad Men fans!), some elements stuck.  The hair for instance.  I love being a redhead.  My blond hair was pretty, particularly when it went down my back, but my red feels more natural than my natural blond, for some reason.  People treat me differently too.  Instead of "Blondie" they call me "Red"; instead of being taken for a ditz, I am a fiery, sexy chick.  The earrings started a collection obsession that hasn't abated yet.  I've collected so many vintage earrings that I've had to start selling them.  And the red lips of course.  I now own a half dozen different shades of red lipstick and I wear it almost every day.  It makes me feel good about myself.  Happy.  Like I just had a bubble bath or treated myself to a bit of dark chocolate.

How did you discover your own personal sense of style?  Do you have a signature color or bit of makeup of clothing that makes you feel super special?

My biggest style influence

Without a doubt, my Grandmother!  Carol Arter was held up to me at an early age as the epitome of style manners and class.

Tom and Carol Arter, c. 90s.

I remember watching "I Love Lucy" reruns on Tv Land with my dad while I was growing up.  He used to chuckle at Lucy's antics and then would tell me about how my grandmother's hair used to be as bright red as the famous comedienne's.  Years later I found out that Grandma used to dye hers red.  I was following in her footsteps and didn't even know it! (Coincidentally I discovered that Lucille Ball dyed hers as well, as did Rita Hayworth).

My collection of vintage earrings is quite large and sometimes I like to just get out my jewelry box (I have one with small divided compartments I keep just for the antiques) and just handle them.  I was doing that a few months ago and I had a vivid memory of my Grandmother's jewelry.  I only rarely went into her bedroom out of respect unless she sent me up to fetch something for her.  I remember her mirrored dressing table and sitting beside her hair brush was a small tray with a mirrored bottom holding all her pretty clip on earrings.  She favored pearls if I remember correctly.

One of my favorite stores on 4th Ave, How Sweet It Was, displays their vintage jewelry in the exact same way.  It's probably one of many reasons why I find it hard to be in that store without buying something.

There is a picture of me that is famous in my family.  I was two years old according to my mother's handwriting on the back, and was visiting my Grandma.  Apparently I must have loved red lipstick even then because I am wearing what must have been a good part of a $30 tube of Estee Lauder all over the bottom of my face.  (My guess is that I have having trouble keeping the lipstick in the lines as it were so I just kept making it bigger so it would look good!)  Mom used to say she was terrified her Mother-in-law was going to get angry but apparently Grandma just rolled with laughter.

The Great Lipstick Escapade, 1986

I envision my Grandmother as she looked at my age, a sassy redhead in an airline stewardess' uniform.  Now there's an image to try and live up to!

I love you Grandma.

Music Review - The Essential Elvis Presley

"I was thinking last night about Elvis, the day that he died, the day that he died." - Gillian Welch, Elvis Presley Blues

I grew up listening to Oldies.  Mostly to the Beatles and the music of the late 60s and 70s when my parents grew up but we also had a couple local stations on the AM that featured the even older stuff.  Dean Martin.  Sinatra.  Roy Orbison.  The Andrews Sisters.  It was all really, really good.  More polished than the subsequent music for sure even if it lacked the same fire that rock & roll gained through its association with the hippies, the Civil Rights Movement and its exposure to the great songwriting of the folk and blues artists.  But there is something utterly delicious in listening to Oldies in general, like having a virtual time capsule in a song.  I can envision my mother as a little girl sitting on her bed listening to a Beatles record.  Or my Grandmother puttering about the kitchen making supper while Elvis is playing in the background.

Elvis vs. the Beatles.  My Grandma vs. my mother.  Mentions of Elvis always drew a hilarious adolescent eye roll from my mom, like she had never quite gotten past razzing her for her older tastes.  I listened to a lot of the Beatles growing up.  A lot!  Mom owns every single album they ever recorded and a few they didn't as well as all the movies and virtually every book written on John, Paul, George and Ringo.  George Harrison is her favorite.  John Lennon is mine.

For some reason I never really listened to Elvis.  Until recently.  I was strolling through Bookmans (I'm there a lot; just check out my previous post) thinking I should really get some Oldies cds.  Patsy Cline, for example.  Johnny Cash, certainly!  And then I saw it:

 Photo courtesy of Amazon.com

I took it home and stuck it in my cd player.  And I was hooked!

Elvis has an energy to his music that is utterly contagious.  It's like you can hear, in the rhythms, in the syncopation, in the blues, in the electric guitars, the very fabric that came together so that Elvis could exist.  He has all the fire of a gospel singer, the sexy swagger of a blues man, the rich voice that could have recorded anything on Tin Pan Alley.

Before I knew it I was playing the cd to get ready to go to work in the morning.  I was playing it while pouring myself a glass of wine and dancing through my living room at night.  I ripped it to my mp3 player and discovered just how hard it is to sit still on a public bus crowded by people while Elvis is shouting "That's alright mama!" in my ear!  I could just imagine being in a live audience, maybe during the fifties having to fight for breath amongst the crush of screaming teens.  I could imagine being in Vegas, being dazzled by the rhinestone covered white jumpsuit while he plays his hits and karate chops his way across the stage.

My favorite songs? That's All Right.  Heartbreak Hotel.  Jailhouse Rock.  Viva Las Vegas.  And on and on and on.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.  Publicity still from Jailhouse Rock (1957).

I now own six Elvis cds.  I've turned into an Elvis groupie!  And it doesn't help that he is pretty darn hot too. ;)

If you are interested in snagging The Essential Elvis Presley, follow this link: http://www.amazon.com/The-Essential-Elvis-Presley/dp/B00138H1MS

Or, for you Tucsonans, check out your local Bookmans or Zia Record Store.

Have a fascination with the King of Rock & Roll?  Or another figure from popular music from times past?  Leave me a comment and tell me about your Oldies music obsession!

Sweet finds at Bookmans

To those of you who live in Tucson, I probably don't have to explain what Bookmans is.  To those of you who haven't experienced it, Bookmans is a small local chain of business that buy/trade/sell primarily books but also cds, dvds, magazines, comic books and a small amount of antiques and oddities.  They are always worth a browse, even if you don't know what you want because you will never know what you will find.  For example, alongside my copies of foreign and classic films, numerous books that are threatening to overwhelm my bedroom, and piles of cds are strange and unique treasures.  My geisha doll in her glass frame, dressed in her finery.  A set of glasses with images from the silent movie greats.  The gunmetal grey Ibanez bass leaning up against the wall.

The most impressive thing is that since Bookmans deals in trade, you can bring in your old, unwanted items, they will buy what they want and either give you cash or credit.  The credit is always the better deal.  You not only receive more of it, but you don't have to pay a sales tax on your purchases.  Bookmans trade is better than gold if you are a bibliophile.

Needless to say, Bookmans finds will no doubt find their way into these posts frequently.  Today I wanted to share two sets of vintage earrings I snagged while waiting in line to pay for my purchases.

Now, Bookmans does carry a small selection of costume jewelry in spinners near their cash registers and the stuff they usually sell is very nice, but modern and cheap.  These caught my eye initially because of their unusual design, but when I turned them over and saw the screw backs, I really got excited.  They are made of sterling silver and consist of a small hoop hanging straight down.  The drops dangle very nicely and have a lot of movement to them.  The screw backs place the earrings prior to the 1950s when they went out of style, but the overall design of the earrings, I feel make them much older.  They look very Art Deco to me, which would set them in the 1920s-30s.  I paid $6 in trade credit for them.

This second pair was again snagged from  Bookmans while waiting in line.  This time the material is shell, dyed a vibrant shade of neon pink.  My cell phone camera does not do them justice!  They are marked "Japan" on the metal clips on the back which date the earrings after WWII when Japan was making cheap costume jewelry for export to the U.S. but the color and shapes place them in the early 1960s.  I'm a real sucker for "Japanized" vintage jewelry and own several pieces even though I know collectors don't place a lot of value on them.  I paid $5 in trade credit for this pair.

Have you found any treasures at your local Bookmans?  Leave me a comment and tell me about your find!

Retro-fy Me! The Origins

Introducing...your Author!

My name is Cassandra Arter.  The smile is real.  The red hair isn't.

I started this blog because I have become obsessed not only with the fashion of the 40s, 50s and 60s, but with adding little bits of glamour and luxury to my life that are eccentric, rare, antique and often very cheap.  Thrift store luxury, you could call it.  I revel in antique jewelry, especially earrings, which I collect to an embarrassing degree.  I own several tubes of red lipstick in varying shades; it improves my mood, my smile and just about every picture I've taken while wearing it.  I am a history enthusiast and love sharing interesting trivia about anything and everything but especially anything to do with cultural mores, women's fashion or music trends.  I am a crafter, creating retro pinup style hair barrettes and selling them alongside the vintage jewelry I find.  You can expect posts covering my great finds and where I find them, plus cool retro-inspired places here in Tucson and wherever else I may find them.

Life is infinitely improved by red wine, dark chocolate and fizzy water.

My favorite style icons are Lucille Ball, Ava Gardner, Dita von Teese, Veronica Lake, Clara Bow, Christina Hendricks and Rosemary Clooney.

I listen to music of every genre, but especially jazz, bluegrass, opera and a LOT of "oldies".  I grew up on the music of Neil Young, the Beatles, CSN, the great American songbook, early rock & roll all the way up to the music of the 70s that my parents grew up with.  Today I listen to a (much) wider range of artists but still adore my classic performers best including Johnny Cash, Patsy Cline, Robert Johnson, Rosemary, and Elvis!  You will probably see a few posts pop up from time to time on artists that I admire or a cd that I recently added to my collection.

I consider myself deficient in movies, particularly in the classics and foreign films, which coincidentally are also my favorite genres.  I intend on writing up short pieces on new movies I see.  Since I see movie criticism as best left to someone who has seen more of them than I have, I won't bore you or me by reviewing movies I dislike.  Feel free to send me suggestions but don't bug me about getting around to watching them all.  I am sloooooow getting around to watching movies.

Since I see a blog ultimately as a form of entertainment, it is my mission to entertain you, my reader.  Therefore feel free to jump in with comments and suggestions.  Remember, feedback just makes me write more which gives you more to read.  It's a happy cycle!