Hot Toddy ~ Sterling Hayden

Name: Sterling Hayden

Stats: b. 3-26-1916 - d. 5-23-1986. 60 feature films from 1942 to 1982. Quit the movie business temporarily to sail to the South Seas with 4 of his kids. His autobiography Wanderer (1963) is still in print.

Rating based on level of excellence: 5 out of 5 Humunahs!

Hotness Factors: Rockin' physique, bad boy demeanor, beautiful blonde hair, sexy lips. Advertised back in the day as The Most Beautiful Man in Movies. He's the type of guy who may be interested but he's not about to show it, and that drives women wild!

Chicks He Digged: First he married actress Madeleine Carroll but they divorced after 4 years of marriage. Then he married Betty de Noon. They couldn't make up their minds whether to stay together or not. They married and divorced 3 times within 11 years, having 4 children along the way. Hayden finally settled down with Catherine Devine McDonnell with whom he had 2 children and they stayed married for 26 years until his death in 1986.

For Optimal Hotness Watch:

The Asphalt Jungle (1950) ~ Sterling plays Dix Handley, an ex-convict who is part of a complex heist to rob a jewelry store. He wants to start a new life and you root for him to get away with his crime. His devoted gal stands by his side.

The Killing (1956) ~ Sterling Hayden plays Johnny Clay, an ex-convict who is part of a complex heist to rob a horse racetrack. He wants to start a new life and you root for him to get away with his crime. His devoted gal stands by his side.

If Jeff Bailey from Out of the Past (1947) were on Match.com

Jeff_Bailey

Baby, I don't care.

30-year old man

Bridgeport, California

seeking women 23-25

within 100 miles of Bridgeport

Relationship: Never Married

Have Kids: None

Want Kids: Someday (3)

Body Type: Rugged

Height: 6" 1'

Smoke: Regularly

Drink: Regularly

About Me and Who I'm Looking For

I recently came out of a bad relationship with a dangerous woman. When she murdered my ex-partner and I discovered she was carrying stolen money, I knew I had to move on. I need someone who isn't like a leaf blowing from one gutter to another. And one that isn't awfully cold around the heart. She has to love fishing, be kind and want to live a quiet life in a cottage with me and our children. I deserve a break.

In My Own Words:

For Fun: Fishing on mean rivers, imbibing drinks and not paying for them and smacking seedy nightclub managers.

My Job: Pumping Gas. It's decent work.

Favorite hot spots: San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, Bridgeport, Acapulco

About Me

Best Feature: Chin Dimple
Sports and exercise: Chasing people
Education: Street smart
Occupation: Gas Attendent/Other
Income: $5k per job
Turn-ons: Danger & Excitement and Calmness & Security
Turn-offs: Murder, Back-stabbing, Theft, Deceit

About My Date

Hair: Blonde, Dark blonde, Red
Eyes: Flirty ones with long eyelashes
Height: 5'0" to 5'6"
Body type: Slender
Smoke: Regularly
Drink: Social Drinker or Regularly
Have kids: None
Want kids: Someday

Pillow Talk @ the Brattle

On Wednesday, some friends and I got together to see one of my all-time favorite films Pillow Talk (1959) on the big screen. My fellow co-worker Frank, a notorious Doris Day-hater, was not invited. The idea of the get-together started as far back as March of last year. That's when I had my tricked out, movie night showcasing Pillow Talk and a couple of other '60s sex comedies (see my post about that here). A few of my friends couldn't make the movie night and I was determined that I would share this film with them if it was the last thing I did! Fast forward to February 2009 and the Brattle Theater in Harvard Square just happens to be showcasing Pillow Talk as part of their fourth annual Great Romances event. Finally! Not only could I see my darling film on the big screen, but I also got a chance to drag those slackers, err friends to see it with me.

And they all came! Gina and Lisa R. were Pillow Talk virgins and H. had seen the film before. Kevin, who had been at the original movie night, came along with his friend Lisa D. One friend, Hazie, couldn't make it (we missed her!). And of course, Frank was not invited.

Lisa R., Kevin and Gina buying tickets for the show

H., Gina, Lisa R., Kevin and Lisa D. participating in some pre-show bonding.

The audience reaction to the film was better than I expected. Pillow Talk is a funny movie with lots of sexual innuendos and silly moments that make it fun to watch. The best part was seeing how much my friends enjoyed the film. They laughed throughout the movie and I was on cloud nine!

Lisa R., Gina, H. and moi after the show

One of the great parts of watching a favorite film with friends, are those little things that a friend will notice that I hadn't until then. For example, the best joke of the film is the shot of Rock Hudson carrying wood. So sly, so underhanded, so obviously sexual, yet so subtle. I went years without noticing it until Kevin pointed it out to me. Kudos to Kevin!

And a big thank you to my friends for so graciously joining me for a night of fun that only a good '60s sex comedy can provide.

Frank wasn't invited.

Parrish (1961) & Susan Slade (1961)

Parrish (1961) is a coming-of-age soap which follows young Parrish's (Troy Donahue) transition into manhood. Parrish relocates with his mother Ellen (Claudette Colbert) to Connecticut's Million-Dollar-Mile; a stretch of land boasting various tobacco farms. These farms produce some of the finest tobacco leaves that are used as wrappers for top-notch cigars. Parrish enters the world of tobacco farming and learns how the business works. He discovers the underhandedness of the business and what it is to be ethical and fair. He falls in love with field worker Lucy (Connie Stevens) who is a little to quick to become intimate with him. Then he falls into rebellious rich girl Alison's (Dianne McBain) snare. She sees Parrish as an opportunity for a continued life of wealth and pleasure. Finally there is quiet and wholesome Paige (Sharon Hugueny), daughter of tobacco tycoon Judd Raike (Karl Malden) and the only one of the Raike siblings who hasn't inherited her father's greed. Things get complicated when Parrish's mother marries Judd Raike and Parrish becomes part of Raike's dirty business.

There are two reasons you should watch this film. Karl Malden and Claudette Colbert. Karl Malden turns over a wonderful performance as angry man Judd Raike who's greed and desire for control are so overpowering that he will plow over anyone in his way, including his own kin. Malden excels in bad-guy roles, yet he can be genuine playing nice-guy characters too. He just has incredible range. Parrish happens to be Claudette Colbert's last feature-film role. She looked as beautiful as she did almost three decades earlier in the milk-bath scene in The Sign of the Cross (1933). It's quite a delight to watch her in this movie.

Susan Slade (1961) is another coming-of-age soap in Delmer Daves/Troy Donahue style. Similar to Parrish, it follows the story's title character, played by Connie Stevens, as she blossoms into womanhood. After spending 10 years in Chile, the Slade family is returning to the US. On the cruiseliner, Susan meets a young man, Conn White (Grant Williams), who is on his way to Alaska for a mountain climbing expedition. They fall in love and the close quarters of the ship speed up their romance and they become intimate very quickly. They separate once they arrive in California, but Conn promises that he will return to her after his expedition so they can marry. Susan writes to him everyday, longing for the day that he will come back to her and the baby she is carrying but he never returns. Now it is up to the Slade family to figure out how to protect their family and the future life of the baby from a less-than-understanding society. Oh and Troy Donahue is somewhere in their too.

This is not a film I would recommend to folks that did not like A Summer Place (1959). Both films are very similar in how they deal with premarital sex and teenage pregnancy. They also both star Troy Donahue and Dorothy McGuire. If however, you liked A Summer Place, you would enjoy this. The cinematography is beautiful and lush; candy for the eyes. The story is over-the-top in the only way a good soap can be. Also, if you happen to be a fan of Peyton Place (1957), this is right up your alley!