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#15 Lessons from Century Companies

reasonsforhope · 1 year

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"At least 239 barriers, including dams and weirs, were removed across 17 countries in Europe in 2021, in a record-breaking year for dam removals across the continent.

Spain led the way, with 108 structures taken out of the country’s rivers. “Our efforts to expand dam removals across Europe are gathering speed,” said Pao Fernández Garrido, project manager for the World Fish Migration Foundation, who helped produce Dam Removal Europe’s annual report.

“An increasing number of governments, NGOs, companies and communities are understanding the importance of halting and reversing nature loss, and buying into the fact that dam removal is a river-restoration tool that boosts biodiversity and enhances climate resilience. We’re also seeing lessons being learned from previous dam removals, new countries kickstarting removals, and new funds, including crowdfunding.”

More than 1m barriers are estimated to exist on Europe’s rivers, with many built more than a century ago. At least 150,000 are old, obsolete barriers that serve no economic purpose.

Dams, weirs and other river obstacles block fish migration routes, often leading to the loss of breeding areas and reduced numbers of species such as salmon, sturgeon, trout and eel, which affects the wider biodiversity of ecosystems, including species ranging from eagles to otters. Free-flowing rivers also transport sediments and nutrients.

Pictured: Before-and-after shots of a dam removal on a river in Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura, France, in 2021.

“Removing dams is a real need,” said Fernández Garrido. “We have hundreds of thousands of abandoned barriers, which is a safety problem. Dams affect water quality and underground water levels, cause channel and coastal erosion and beach disappearances, generate greenhouse gas emissions and lead to declines and even extinctions of migratory fish populations, with a 93% decline of migratory fish in Europe in the last 50 years. Dams have a negative impact on the environment, so if a dam or weir isn’t strictly necessary any more, we mustn’t pass the burden to future generations.”

Dam Removal Europe is a coalition of seven organisations, including the World Fish Migration Foundation, WWF, the Rivers Trust and Rewilding Europe, working to restore healthy, free-flowing rivers across the continent. The latest report found that 76% of the removals were of small dams and weirs, but 24% were higher than 2 metres. Three countries – Portugal, Montenegro, and Slovakia – recorded their first ever dam removals in 2021. In Finland, a functioning hydropower dam was also dismantled, the first of three on the Hiitolanjoki River, which, when completed, is expected to allow landlocked salmon to return to spawning grounds.

Pictured: The Cantabrian River Basin Authority in Spain removed 50 barriers in 2021. Photograph: CRBA

“This is the perfect example to show that when an operating hydropower dam isn’t needed, and energy can be supplied by other sources, it’s worth removing it and recovering the river,” said Fernández Garrido. “The river will be totally free of dams for the first time in over 120 years.” ...

Fernández Garrido continued, “We really want to see governments from all countries taking action and creating national grants and plans to completely free some of their rivers from obstacles, so there is, at least, a free and healthy river per country. We’re talking about creating a big shift.”"

-via The Guardian (US), 5/15/22

#spain #europe #dam removal #rivers #riparian #rewilding #conservation #wilderness restoration #salmon #fish #ecosystem restoration #good news #hope

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lotus-flower-writes-history · 8 months

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The Unofficial Black History Book

Janet Collins (1917-2003)

The history of ballet began around the 1500s in Italy. The term "ballet" stems from the Italian word "Ballare," meaning to dance. When ballet was introduced to America in the early twentieth century, it was a new form of art. Unfortunately, African Americans couldn't be part of ballet culture for many years, saying that our bodies were wrong for ballet.

Until one woman broke one of the last major color barriers in classical ballet,

This is her story.

Janet Faye Collins became the first African American prima ballerina and one of the very few prominent black women in American classical ballet. And the first black prima ballerina to perform with the Metropolitan Opera Ballet in New York City, New York.

She broke one of the last major color barriers in Classical Ballet.

Janet Collins was born on March 2, 1917, in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother was a seamstress, and her father was a tailor. They moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1921, when she was four years old.

She started taking private dancing lessons at a Catholic community center, and ironically, Collin's parents urged her to study painting rather than dance. Because at that time, art seemed to offer more opportunities to gifted African Americans than classical dance.

Collins studied art on a scholarship at Los Angeles City College and later at the Los Angeles Art Center School.

But she continued her dance training and attracted the attention of Adolph Bohm, Carmelita Maracci, and Mia Slavenska. All prominent dance instructors agreed to work with her. She continued her dance training with Carmelita Maracci, who was one of the few dance teachers at the time to accept black students.

At the age of 15, Janet prepared to audition for Leonide Massine and the De Basil Ballet Russe Company. The company was performing in Los Angeles during its American tour and advertised for an aspiring young dancer to audition for the company.

When it was Janet's turn, she was one of the best to audition. She moved with such beauty and grace that all the other ballerinas applauded her.

Massine saw her talent and accepted her into the company. But only under one condition...

He told her she would have to paint her face white for performances.

Going further into my notes, she was told that she would either need "special roles" created for her or dance with a white face to disguise the fact that she was black.

Collins left the audition in tears and vowed to perfect her art so that race would not be an issue.

In an exchange quoted in U.S. News & World Report, she responded, "I thought talent mattered, not color."

Collins found a cold reception in professional ballet, despite her training. However, she didn't let that set her back, and she continued to perform.

In the 1930s, when she was still in her teenage years, she performed as an adagio dancer in vaudeville productions.

In 1940, she became the principal dancer for the Los Angeles musical productions of "Run Little Chillun" and "The Mikado in Swing". At this time, she worked with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company.

In 1943, she performed in the musical film "Stormy Weather," and in 1946, she appeared in the film, "Thrill of Brazil."

In 1949, Collins made her New York debut after performing her own choreography on a shared program at the 92nd Street NY. In the same year, and after two more performances, Dance Magazine named her "The most outstanding debutante of the season."

Collins made her debut as a prima ballerina on November 3rd, 1948, at the Las Palmas Theater in Los Angeles, and critics praised her as a one-of-a-kind performer.

Zachary Solov, the Metropolitan Opera House's ballet master, noticed her in a Broadway production of Cole Porter's "Out of this World" in 1951. Solov then invited Collins to join the Metropolitan Company when she was 34.

November 13th, 1951: Collins broke a color barrier after her performance of ‘Aida'. She was the first African American prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera after a year of joining the Corps de Ballet. It marked the first time a black artist had joined the permanent company.

Unfortunately, Collins faced racism on the road as the company toured southern cities, despite her success in New York.

She was kept off stage due to Race laws, and sometimes her parts were performed by understudies who were white.

She remained at the Met until 1954. She would then go on to tour across the United States and Canada. She then began teaching ballet, which included using dance in the rehabilitation of the handicapped.

She also taught at the School of American Ballet, the San Francisco Ballet School, and the Harkness House.

Janet retired from performing and teaching in 1974. She spent the last years of her life painting religious subjects in her studio in Seattle.

Janet Collins died on May 28th, 2003, in Fort Worth, Texas, at 86 years old.

Despite all that was thrown at her, Janet Collins made a legacy for herself by becoming the first African-American Prima ballerina with the Metropolitan Opera and breaking its color line.

The 16th Street Baptist Church Bombing

Juneteenth

___

My Resources

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artoodeeblue · 2 years

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Weird questions for one blue writer: 2, 5, 8, 15, 22, 25 :) Also, if you feel like it, 17?

HI HI HI!!

2 - If you had to give up your keyboard and write your stories exclusively by hand, could you do it? If you already write everything by hand, a) are you a wizard and b) pen or pencil?

I think I could! I've always enjoyed writing by hand (and I still learn things better if I write them down on a notepad!) It would give me an opportunity to go back to my roots, when I scribbled stories in horrible handwriting all over my school lessons fshgsf. also I think pen, specifically fountain pen for the style B)

5 - Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

Never write without some music in my ears. It helps me "escape", imagine myself in the action. Makes it easier also to focus on sensations other than sight, which I tend to focus on instinctively. Having something in my ear reminds me other senses are just as important to describe! (Idk if this counts as superstition sorry fsghk)

8 - If you had to write an entire story without either action or dialogue, which would you choose and how would it go?

I would write about someone rummaging through old stuff - an attic, an old room, something dusty and forgotten. Gradually, the bric-a-brac transforms into a series of objects with their own significance and history. A saxophone, a glittery single-use camera, fairy lights, a cross pendant... Maybe the story ends with the person, smiling, crying, or maybe an image of the bric-a-brac laying on the side of the road, waiting to be picked up by the garbagemen. Idk something to do with memories and usefulness?

15 - Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

Write in the margins: only when I'm studying them for school. Dog-ear: nope! Read in the bath: I used to when I was young, until I dropped the book in the water fkghkfd. Do I judge: nah, you do you! Can we still be friends? Ofc <3

22 - How organized are you with your writing? Describe to me your organization method, if it exists. What tools do you use? Notebooks? Binders? Apps? The Cloud?

I am. So disorganised it's insane. I frantically write down ideas when they come to me and never bother putting them all together. My ideas are spread out between my phone notes app, my OneNote, my wip document, and the Cloud. Good luck finding any semblance of logic! I do, however, have separate folders for fanfiction and original writing. Everyone applaud.

25 - What is a weird, hyper-specific detail you know about one of your characters that is completely irrelevant to the story?

One time in university Felix and Maggie (twins from my original novel) dressed up as each other for Halloween. Felix got so into it he stopped cutting his hair for nine months to get the right length, and loved the result so much he decided to keep it long. He also got into nail polish because of that stunt. Maggie just stole his shirt and hung an earring from her ear and called it a day.

17 UNDER THE CUT!!

17 - Talk to me about the minutiae of your current WIP. Tell me about the lore, the history, the detail, the things that won’t make it in the text.

Ohhh how to answer this without too many spoilers!! Okay here's a few lore points for my novel The Rapture:

The technology for space travel was developed in the mid twenty-second century. Calliope, originally a telecommunications mega-corporation, converted to shuttle fabrication and space-travel engineering and research, and was the first company to patent the technology allowing for human travel. Shortly after, most research funds, public or private, were redirected towards space travel, causing a stall in many other fields.

Calliope now owns a third of all shuttles that are currently leaving Earth. Attempts to counter its growing influence on British (and world) politics have been widely unsuccessful, and its recent marketing campaign was the highest-budget campaign ever recorded.

At the time the novel begins, there have been 43 Calliope "shuttles" (each carrying about 10 000 people) launched to the three habitable exoplanets for the Earth Mass-Evacuation Program (EMEP), Hermes III, Proserpina, and Gaia 656.

Maggie and Felix were born January 7th, 2152 to Dr. Raheela Lahiri (physics engineer at Calliope) and Harold Morland (head of public relations at, you guessed it, Calliope). They both wish they hadn't been.

#thanks so much for the ask!! hope this was interesting <3 #ask #oc #felix #maggie #writing

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market-news-24 · 5 days

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As the sale of Paramount Pictures inches closer, the entertainment industry reflects on past Hollywood takeovers as valuable lessons. From Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox to Comcast's purchase of NBCUniversal, these historic deals provide insights into the potential impact of new ownership on the iconic film studio. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story. Click to Claim Latest Airdrop for FREE Claim in 15 seconds Scroll Down to End of This Post const downloadBtn = document.getElementById('download-btn'); const timerBtn = document.getElementById('timer-btn'); const downloadLinkBtn = document.getElementById('download-link-btn'); downloadBtn.addEventListener('click', () => downloadBtn.style.display = 'none'; timerBtn.style.display = 'block'; let timeLeft = 15; const timerInterval = setInterval(() => if (timeLeft === 0) clearInterval(timerInterval); timerBtn.style.display = 'none'; downloadLinkBtn.style.display = 'inline-block'; // Add your download functionality here console.log('Download started!'); else timerBtn.textContent = `Claim in $timeLeft seconds`; timeLeft--; , 1000); ); Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_1] Paramount Pictures is facing another potential transition in 2024, as a new acquisition looms on the horizon. The idea of a "seamless transition" often comes hand in hand with corporate takeovers, but history tells a different story. In the past, studios like MGM and Warner Bros saw major upheavals with new ownership, leading to canceled projects and staff layoffs. Paramount's situation in 1966 was particularly chaotic, with canceled shoots and infamous box office flops under the new owner's leadership. As the studio now faces potential changes involving companies like Skydance, Sony, and Apollo, concerns arise about how smoothly the transition will be. Past takeovers by companies with unconventional backgrounds, like parking lot owners and casino moguls, have led to tumultuous times for Hollywood studios. Foreign acquisitions have also faced challenges, with Universal Studios experiencing stormy regimes under Japanese and French ownership. Charles Bluhdorn, a financial manipulator turned studio owner, tried to emulate MGM's success with star-driven musicals, resulting in massive losses. Today, Paramount must navigate the streaming wars and redefine its relationship with CBS amidst potential bids from Sony and Apollo for $26 billion. As a three-executive team currently leads Paramount, the future of the studio remains uncertain. Will the next transition be truly "seamless"? Only time will tell, as various players vie for control and the studio's fate hangs in the balance. Hopefully, all involved have studied the tumultuous history of studio takeovers to avoid past mistakes. Win Up To 93% Of Your Trades With The World's #1 Most Profitable Trading Indicators [ad_2] 1. What is the significance of past Hollywood takeovers in relation to the Paramount sale? In the past, takeovers in Hollywood have shown us the impact on creativity, distribution, and financial structure within the industry. 2. How might a new owner of Paramount affect the movies we see in theaters? A new owner could potentially influence the types of movies produced, the talent hired, and the Marketing strategies used to promote films. 3. Will the sale of Paramount have any impact on jobs within the entertainment industry? There is a possibility that a sale could lead to job cuts or restructuring within the company and its subsidiaries. 4. How do past Hollywood takeovers shape the way we view potential buyers of Paramount? By looking at past takeovers, we can better understand the potential consequences and outcomes of a new owner entering the Hollywood landscape. 5. What should film fans and industry insiders keep in mind as the Paramount sale unfolds?

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femaleswiss66 · 2 years

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Some Known Details About Camping

Backpacking This write-up has actually various problems. Please support the Foundation in finding economical property as rapidly as you may or aid us deliver an update on this problem. What you may perform When you need aid finding affordable real estate in your neighborhood, you can easily: Sign up right here. Your nearby housing money management website will definitely give you along with the list of devices available in the nearest region, coming from which you may calculate the cost of subsidized housing if you live in an permitted place. Please assist strengthen it or review these issues on the speak page . When it comes to what is taken into consideration as "a brand new law worrying abortions" this is one that is constantly being enforced. It is a very usual transgression of the majority of regulations. But it is also one that is frequently carried out efficiently and often in a method that is helpful to women and households. The technique of using a pregnancy exam to track whether or not an abortion is lawful or not has come to be common in Japan. (Find out how and when to get rid of these template notifications) Camping is an exterior activity entailing through the night stays away coming from residence, either without shelter or making use of standard sanctuary such as a tent or a entertainment motor vehicle. Camping outdoors is commonly created to last at least 15-30 mins. Please take note that this is an alternate to the Camping Policy. In the celebration that a camping area or RV is not available in order to join the following activities, please talk to your regional shelter authorization (Camping Authority). Commonly individuals leave cultivated regions to devote opportunity outdoors in even more all-natural ones in pursuit of activities delivering them satisfaction or an educational experience. Such individuals are typically a lot more experienced along with workout. The tasks they take part in are all suited to enhance their health and wellness and wellness and advertise their well-being in a maintainable, eco favorable technique. Long-term modification and revitalization likewise take place in areas where organic task is currently entailed, such as woodland, wetlands, wildflowers, and ponds. The evening (or additional) devoted outdoors distinguishes camping outdoors from day-tripping, picnicking, and various other likewise short-term leisure activities. The following are five types of outdoor camping that can enhance all three of these skill-sets: Camping outdoors. Camping outdoors helps individuals take up some basic things, such as camping outdoors rods and supplies. Camping outdoors has been presented to be reliable for protecting against severe burns and various other health problems connected with exterior tasks and may even reduced water and heat energy anxiety levels. Camping outdoors as a entertainment task ended up being popular among bests in the early 20th century. In Campervan , there were actually some 400 organizations that engaged in such a company, so their goal was to give information and recreational tasks to those who could not afford them. But through the 1990's entertainment teams that existed, such as the American College of Pool Sports, had become part of the mainstream entertainment, providing to bolster the condition quo. With opportunity, it developed in attraction among other socioeconomic lessons. The most renowned was the "White American". The most prominent team were the "white American parents" who, if they had wed or taken on children, were looked at the finest of residents in his community. On the other palm, the typical white colored American had not come from an rich history to this country who in the past didn't have access to private insurance coverage. The normal American family did not possess its label written on its insurance. Present day recreational campers recurring publicly possessed natural sources such as national and condition parks, wilderness locations, and commercial camping areas. Such personal recreational camping areas are located at federal government, commercial, and national parks, including Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone National Park, National Peninsular Park in Wyoming, and Grand Teton National Monument in Arizona. Camping sites are made use of mostly for sporting activities, entertainment, animals, relaxation, and instructional functions. In a couple of countries, such as Sweden and Scotland, social backpacking is lawful on privately-held property as properly. The federal government has concurred it would take up to 10 years to launch the regulation. Other nations in the world are presently looking at the very same, though lots of are questioning them before then, several along with no clear tip what the law is. In the US, which has actually the many wild land for social use, the state is taking into consideration growing public outdoor camping even more than it does nationwide. Camping is a essential part of a lot of youth associations around the world, such as Scouting, which make use of it to show both self-reliance and unity. Camping outdoors is also a way to create friendships, and that doesn't take place in many universities, but it is popular as a resource of inspiration and job when you have to carry out it. I know there are a lot of youngsters who, while they work hard at college, typically turn down one extra hour a day to go camping.

Definition[edit] The act of staying and resting in an outside place for one or additional days and nights, often in a camping tent. The meaning likewise uses to various other location in North America. (View additionally: Tent Rules.). edit] Localization [ edit ] On April 29, 2003, the House of Representatives recommended in support of finishing government backing of the National Endowment for the Arts' Arts and Culture, called in the name of President Bush and Senator John McCain. Outdoor camping explains a variety of activities and technique to outside holiday accommodation. It worry that individuals curious in finding a place to remain (or also a place to sleep) should always keep an eye out for such factors as the nearby restaurants, the hotels and resort itself, the stores and the street edges. As of April 2014, the UK has actually an average of 100 folks every 100-metre wide, from over three. The amount was lost to around one on Monday.

#Campervan #Minicamper

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anthonybialy · 2 years

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On Order

But I thought people would enjoy getting bossed around by the most awful idiots amongst us. The consequences of telling others what to do are disregarded by the tellers. Why should instructors deal with what happens? Avoiding effects of what they create is the whole reason our superiors sought office.

The only problem with our reigning politicians is the entire way they ruin life for everyone else with casual diktats. Nothing is hypocritical like violating your rights by pretending capricious commands carry the weight of legality, so they naturally threw that in, too.

Politicians need the threat of force to implement what must undoubtedly be desirable programs. Meanwhile, professional demonizers call managers at work soulless ogres who dare to only care about profits. What do they dare think companies are for?

The purpose of enterprise is obviously to pay others to live comfortably and not on anything pedestrian like how much value is created; focusing on staying open is so greedy. Those are jobs you're allowed to quit, by the way. The only thing worse than bossing around is when same bossing makes life crummier.

Customers don't seem to be enjoying maximum aggravation with a preposterous minimum wage. Nobody can find staff or stuff, but at least these teetering piles of currency are worthless. A lower forced rate would allow for give and take between workers and employers just like occurs with sellers and buyers. Payment would naturally increase from competition. Hey: this market thing works great! But the innately useless demand an absurd rate per hour because they can't conceive of earning a raise after three weeks of displayed competence.

Potential hires have always been entitled to negotiate, which would be a good sign of entrepreneurial competence. You do the same every time you purchase something, believe it or not. Deciding what's valuable is a right that's been revoked by professional life coaches elected so they could dish out what you truly need.

Workers who never get hired in the first place should know how much they'd make if they hadn't been replaced by cyborgs who expect 15 dollars per hour less. Even the employed can't afford luxuries like sandwiches, which should assuage those who can't find worthwhile toil. It's nice to not feel alone.

Food is a right, then? Announce it in a supermarket or restaurant to see if they'll let you walk out. You'll need to eat today but hopefully won't require health care. Treating something others provide for you as something that must be issued means taking it away is a violation. Keep going. Having to provide something means someone is forced to work. There's a term for that which has been illegal in America for over a century and a half. Liberals don't just hate the Constitution for the 13th Amendment.

Getting people to work on behalf of others without coercion is just another step that requires faith in government instead of personal abilities. Health care is indeed a commodity, which horrifies those who think self-righteousness is the strongest cure. Its importance is precisely why it's best treated as a product. Treating curing like something special without limits is exactly what makes it scarce. The lesson in sanctimony-based economics features quite a bit of agony.

It sure is telling why they need government to enforce tolerance. At least, it would be if the self-righteous realized why they think people can't be trusted to be as cool as them. Voters who don’t select woke are cruel, claim those who want to exclude fans of free markets from what they amusingly think of as polite society. The same people who are totally loving on their own need a court to tell them discrimination is prohibited. Openminded liberals who'd ban conservatives from their businesses if they knew how to run them think everyone else is intolerant.

Property is treated as communal by those who don't own it. You may be surprised to learn you're allowed to do as you wish, including in your place of business. Liberals should try running one before telling others how they must conduct their affairs. They'd suddenly be opposed to pushy unions and unbearable taxes. But the axiomatically invasive don't expect to endure their own onerous demands.

Deciding what constitutes acceptable behavior is what Democrats presume is their role for every store that doesn't provide abortions. Decent people can obviously agree that excluding based on personal characteristics is loathsome. So, don't go anywhere that does so. Would you patronize a place that doesn't serve based on ethnicity or the gender one dates? I hope not, which makes governmental intervention both invasive and redundant. The free market beats bigotry. Liberals can debate in their own heads whether they don't trust choice because they doubt others or themselves.

We should be appreciative to share this planet with enlightened humans who know exactly how others should act. Compassion in commands is supposed to create what should already exist. People couldn't just be nice without legal consequences.

Those who treat the law as a chance to inflict values they think nobody else possesses fail to think out results. That makes it like every other thing they believe. But don't worry, as self-appointed communal conscience imposers compensate by overpromising on every issue. The thought of life being wonderful will have to suffice when those determined to perfect existence make it miserable.

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royal-ruin · 2 years

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bungou stray dogs fic recs (part 17)

this is a fic rec list for long fics (fics longer than 18k).

other bsd fic recs here personal favorites are starred, by the way. everything is complete unless stated otherwise.

dazai osamu / nakahara chuuya (soukoku) fanfic recs

hey look, the sky's falling apart by saffroncassis (~25k)

The facts are this: Chuuya is a compassionate person. He cares too much and too fiercely. He gets attached easily and is undyingly loyal to the people around him. He also happens to be the strongest ability user this side of Japan since the turn of the century. At age 16, Chuuya defects from the Port Mafia and drags his partner with him not so much kicking and screaming as silently begrudging, and the rest follow suit in time.

Double Black by setosdarkness (~40k, incomplete: last updated 10.31.16)

Chuuya and Dazai are dating, with enough PDA to make one vomit rainbows. Both are hiding a huge secret from each other: that they’re assassins.

Turns out they’re working for rival companies too. Turns out they were actually sent to kill each other by their respective companies. Turns out they actually hate each other’s guts and were just pretending to like each other (well, okay, maybe not the last one).

aka The Fake Dating AU + assassins + crossdressing + shenanigans , because why not

[“T-That’s so s-sweet of you!” Yeah, so sweet that he can just gag. “N-Nobody’s ever told m-me that.” Probably because he’ll kill them dead if they attempt to do so. “It’s been fifteen hours since we saw each other.” Chuuya wants to scream: If you’re gonna flirt like that, do it right! It’s been sixteen hours, damn it, not fifteen!]

i don’t really read incomplete fics, but i didn’t realize this is incomplete till i was in the middle of reading it. it was still pretty good. the plot had just started picking up by the time i stopped at chapter 15.

Noir by Adargo (~42k)

In the past, he never truly understood that darkness growing behind Dazai’s eyes. Yet lately, Chuuya thinks, when he stares back into the black of his own, encircled by those pale-blue skies…

He’s starting to catch glimpses of it.

Retrace by Kuranoa (~44k)

Chuuya dreams every night, and in those dreams, he dies the most horrendous deaths, over and over. He wakes up in a cold sweat, afraid and disoriented.

Dazai always assures him that they are nothing but nightmares.

In this world, Fyodor has successfully obtained The Book. In this world, Dazai has witnessed Chuuya’s death 18,263 times.

i didn’t finish reading this fic. i stopped at about chapter five. it’s really really good, but super angsty. it’s a time loop where chuuya basically just dies every single day, over and over again. the writing is absolutely amazing, but i the angst really was too much for me this time.

*kabuki dance by teawriter (~122k)

kabuki dance: an event designed to create the appearance of conflict when the outcome has already been predetermined.

After two years of a losing war against Dostoyevsky, Mori calls Chuuya up to his office to explain the terms of his next mission—an undercover assignment to infiltrate the Decay of Angels by marrying Dazai Osamu, Dostoyevsky’s equal in everything but name. According to Mori, it’s the optimal solution.

But missions rarely go as planned, and Chuuya is only one pawn in a game far bigger than himself. So when it inevitably unravels in his hands, Yokohama's future hangs in the balance.

*where your loyalties lie by writingfromtheshadows (~163k)

Loyalty is the foundation of the yakuza code, something that was drilled into Chuuya at an early age. However, his lessons did not cover how to manage a political marriage with his organization's oldest rival.

i’m a sucker for arranged marriage aus w/ soukoku as a badass team.

#bsd #bungou stray dogs #bsd fanfic #bungou stray dogs fanfic #Nakahara Chuuya #bsd chuuya #Dazai Osamu #bsd dazai #soukoku #bsd soukoku

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unpopularwiththepopulace · 3 years

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A retrospective on some of Broadway’s most important female costume designers across the last century

How much is our memory or perception of a production influenced by the manner in which we visually comprehend the characters for their physical appearance and attire? A lot.

How much attention in memory is often dedicated to celebrating the costume designers who create the visual forms we remember? Comparatively, not much.

Delving through the New York Public Library archives of late, I found I was able to zoom into pictures of productions like Sunday in the Park with George at a magnitude greater than before.

In doing so, I noticed myself marvelling at finer details on the costumes that simply aren’t visible from grainy 1985 proshots, or other lower resolution images.

And marvel I did.

At first, I began to set out to address the contributions made to the show by designer Patricia Zipprodt in collaboration with Ann Hould-Ward. Quickly I fell into a (rather substantial) tangent rabbit hole – concerning over a century’s worth of interconnected designers who are responsible for hundreds of some of the most memorable Broadway shows between them.

It is impossible to look at the work of just one or two of these women without also discussing the others that came before them or were inspired by them.

Journey with me then if you will on this retrospective endeavour to explore the work and legacy that some of these designers have created, and some of the contexts in which they did so.

A set of podcasts featuring Ann Hould-Ward, including Behind the Curtain (Ep. 229) and Broadway Nation (Eps. 17 and 18), invaluably introduce some of the information discussed here and, most crucially, provide a first-hand, verbal link back to this history. The latter show sets out the case for a “succession of dynamic women that goes back to the earliest days of the Broadway musical and continues right up to today”, all of whom “were mentored by one or more of the great [designers] before them, [all] became Tony award-winning [stars] in their own right, and [all] have passed on the [craft] to the next generation.”

A chronological, linear descendancy links these designers across multiple centuries, starting in 1880 with Aline Bernstein, then moving to Irene Sharaff, then to Patricia Zipprodt, then to the present day with Ann Hould-Ward. Other designers branch from or interact with this linear chronology in different ways, such as Florence Klotz and Ann Roth – who, like Patricia Zipprodt, were also mentored by Aline Bernstein – or Theoni V. Aldredge, who stands apart from this connected tree, but whose career closely parallels the chronology of its central portion. There were, of course, many other designers and women also working within this era that provided even further momentous contributions to the world of costume design, but in this piece, the focus will remain primarily on these seven figures.

As the main creditor of the designs for Sunday in the Park with George, let’s start with Patricia (Pat) Zipprodt.

Born in 1925, Pat studied at the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York after winning a scholarship there in 1951. Through teaching herself “all of costume history by studying materials at the New York Public Library”, she passed her entrance exam to the United Scenic Artists Union in 1954. This itself was a feat only possible through Aline Bernstein’s pioneering steps in demanding and starting female acceptance into this same union for the first time just under 30 years previously.

Pat made her individual costume design debut a year after assisting Irene Sharaff on Happy Hunting in 1956 – Ethel Merman’s last new Broadway credit. Of the more than 50 shows she subsequently designed, some of Pat’s most significant musicals include: She Loves Me (1963) Fiddler on the Roof (1964) Cabaret (1966) Zorba (1968) 1776 (1969) Pippin (1972) Mack & Mabel (1974) Chicago (1975) Alice in Wonderland (1983) Sunday in the Park with George (1984) Sweet Charity (1986) Into the Woods (1987) - preliminary work

Other notable play credits included: The Little Foxes (1967) The Glass Menagerie (1983) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1990)

Yes. One person designed all of those shows. Many of the most beloved pieces in modern musical theatre history. Somewhat baffling.

Her work notably earned her 11 Tony nominations, 3 wins, an induction into the Theatre Hall of Fame in 1992, and the Irene Sharaff award for lifetime achievement in costume design in 1997.

By 1983, Pat was one of the most well-respected designers of her era. When the offer for Sunday in the Park with George came in, she was less than enamoured by being confined to the ill-suited basements at Playwright’s Horizons all day, designing full costumes for a story not even yet in existence. From-the-ground-up workshops are common now, but at the time, Sunday was one of the first of its kind.

Rather than flatly declining, she asked Ann Hould-Ward, previously her assistant and intern who had now been designing for 2-3 years on her own, if she was interested in collaborating. She was. The two divided the designing between them, like Pat creating Bernadette’s opening pink and white dress, and Ann her final red and purple dress.

Which indeed leads to the question of the infamous creation worn in the opening number. No attemptedly comprehensive look at the costumes in Sunday would be complete without addressing it or its masterful mechanics.

To enable Bernadette to spring miraculously and seemingly effortlessly from her outer confines, Ann and Pat enlisted the help of a man with a “Theatre Magics” company in Ohio. Dubbed ‘The Iron Dress’, the gasp-inducing motion required a wire frame embedded into the material, entities called ‘moonwalker legs and feet’, and two garage door openers coming up through the stage to lever the two halves apart. The mechanism – highly impressive in its periods of functionality – wasn’t without its flaws. Ann recalls “there were nights during previews where [Bernadette] couldn’t get out of the dress”. Or worse, a night where “the dress closed up completely. And it wouldn’t open up again!”. As Bernadette finished her number, there was nothing else within her power she could do, so she simply “grabbed it under her arm and carried it off stage.”

What visuals. Evidently, the course of costume design is not always plain sailing.

This sentiment is exhibited in the fact design work is a physical materialisation of other creators’ visions, thus foregrounding the tricky need for collaboration and compromise. This is at once a skill, very much part of the job description, and not always pleasant – in navigating any divides between one’s own ideas and those of other people.

Sunday in the Park with George was no exception in requiring such a moment of compromise and revision. With the show already on Broadway in previews, Stephen Sondheim decreed the little girl Louise’s dress “needs to be white” – not the “turquoisey blue” undertone Pat and Ann had already created it with. White, to better spotlight the painting’s centre.

Requests for alterations are easier to comprehend when they are done with equanimity and have justification. Sondheim said he would pay for the new dress himself, and in Seurat’s original painting, the little girl is very brightly the focal centre point of the piece. On this occasion, all agreed that Sondheim was “absolutely right”. A new dress was made.

Other artistic differences aren’t always as amicable.

In Pat Zipprodt’s first show, Happy Hunting with Ethel Merman in 1956, some creatives and directors were getting in vociferous, progress-stopping arguments over a dress and a scene in which Ethel was to jump over a fence. Then magically, the dress went missing. Pat was working at the time as an assistant to the senior Irene Sharaff, and Pat herself was the one to find the dress the next morning. It was in the basement. Covered in black and wholly unwearable. Sharaff had spray painted the dress black in protest against the “bickering”. Indeed, Sharaff disappeared, not to be seen again until the show arrived on Broadway.

Those that worked with her soon found that Sharaff was one to be listened to and respected – as Hal Prince did during West Side Story. After the show opened in 1957, Hal replaced her 40 pairs of meticulously created and individually dyed, battered, and re-dyed jeans with off-the-rack copies. His reasoning was this: “How foolish to be wasting money when we can make a promotional arrangement with Levi Strauss to supply blue jeans free for program credit?” A year later, he looked at their show, and wondered “What’s happened?”

What had happened was that the production had lost its spark and noticeable portions of its beauty, vibrancy, and subtle individuality. Sharaff’s unique creations quickly returned, and Hal had learned his lesson. By the time Sharaff’s mentee, Pat, had “designed the most expensive rags for the company to wear” with this same idiosyncratic dyeing process for Fiddler on the Roof in 1964, Hal recognised the value of this particularity and the disproportionately large payoff even ostensibly simple garments can bring.

Irene Sharaff is remembered as one of the greatest designers ever. Born in 1910, she was mentored by Aline Bernstein, first assisting her on 1928’s original staging of Hedda Gabler.

Throughout her 56 year career, she designed more than 52 Broadway musicals. Some particularly memorable entities include: The Boys from Syracuse (1938) Lady in the Dark (1943) Candide (1956) Happy Hunting (1956) Sweet Charity (1966) The King and I (1951, 1956) West Side Story (1957, 1961) Funny Girl (1964, 1968)

For the last three productions, she would reprise her work on Broadway in the subsequent and indelibly enduring film adaptations of the same shows.

Her work in the theatre earned her 6 Tony nominations and 1 win, though her work in Hollywood was perhaps even more well rewarded – earning 5 Academy Awards from a total of 15 nominations.

Some of Sharaff’s additional film credits included: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) Ziegfeld Follies (1946) An American in Paris (1951) Call Me Madam (1953) A Star is Born (1954) – partial Guys and Dolls (1955) Cleopatra (1963) Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) Hello Dolly! (1969) Mommie Dearest (1981)

It’s a remarkable list. But it is too more than just a list.

Famously, Judy’s red scarlet ballgown in Meet Me in St. Louis was termed the “most sophisticated costume [she’d] yet worn on the screen.”

It has been written that Sharaff’s “last film was probably the only bad one on which she worked,” – the infamous pillar of camp culture, Mommie Dearest, in 1981 – “but its perpetrators knew that to recreate the Hollywood of Joan Crawford, it required an artist who understood the particular glamour of the Crawford era.” And at the time, there were very few – if any – who could fill that requirement better than Irene Sharaff.

The 1963 production of Cleopatra is perhaps an even more infamous endeavour. Notoriously fraught with problems, the film was at that point the most expensive ever made. It nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox, in light of varying issues like long production delays, a revolving carousel of directors, the beginning of the infamous Burton/Taylor affair and resulting media storm, and bouts of Elizabeth’s ill-health that “nearly killed her”. In that turbulent environment, Sharaff is highlighted as one of the figures instrumental in the film’s eventual completion – “adjusting Elizabeth Taylor’s costumes when her weight fluctuated overnight” so the world finally received the visual spectacle they were all ardently anticipating.

But even beyond that, Sharaff’s work had impacts more significantly and extensively than the immediate products of the shows or films themselves. Within a few years of her “vibrant Thai silk costumes for ‘The King and I’ in 1951, …silk became Thailand’s best-known export.” Her designs changed the entire economic landscape of the country.

It’s little wonder that in that era, Sharaff was known as “one of the most sought-after and highest-paid people in her profession.” With discussions and favourable comparisions alongside none other than Old Hollywood’s most beloved designer, Edith Head, Irene deserves her place in history to be recognised as one of the foremost significant pillars of the design world.

In this respected position, Irene Sharaff was able to pass on her knowledge by mentoring others too as well as Patricia Zipprodt, like Ann Roth and Florence Klotz, who have in turn gone on to further have their own highly commendable successes in the industry.

Florence “Flossie” Klotz, born in 1920, is the only Broadway costume designer to have won six Tony awards. She did so, all of them for musicals, and all of them directed by Hal Prince, in a marker of their long and meaningful collaboration.

Indeed, Flossie’s life partner was Ruth Mitchell – Hal’s long-time assistant, and herself legendary stage manager, associate director and producer of over 43 shows. Together, Flossie and Ruth were dubbed a “power couple of Broadway”.

Flossie’s shows with Hal included: Follies (1971) A Little Night Music (1973) Pacific Overtures (1976) Grind (1985) Kiss of the Spiderwoman (1993) Show Boat (1995)

And additional shows amongst her credits extend to: Side by Side by Sondheim (1977) On the Twentieth Century (1978) The Little Foxes (1981) A Doll’s Life (1982) Jerry’s Girls (1985)

Earlier in her career, she would first find her footing as an assistant designer on some of the Golden Age’s most pivotal shows like: The King and I (1951) Pal Joey (1952) Silk Stockings (1955) Carousel (1957) The Sound of Music (1959)

The original production of Follies marked the first time Florence was seriously recognised for her work. Before this point, she was not yet anywhere close to being considered as having broken into the ranks of Broadway’s “reigning designers” of that era. Follies changed matters, providing both an indication of the talent of her work to come, and creating history in being commended for producing some of the “best costumes to be seen on Broadway” in recent memory – as Clive Barnes wrote in The New York Times. Fuller discussion is merited given that the costumes of Follies are always one of the show’s central points of debate and have been crucial to the reception of the original production as well as every single revival that has followed in the 50 years since.

In this instance, Ted Chapin would record from his book ‘Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical ‘Follies’ how “the costumes were so opulent, they put the show over-budget.” Moreover, that “talking about the show years later, [Florence] said the costumes could not be made today. ‘Not only would they cost upwards of $2 million, but we used fabrics from England that aren’t even made anymore.’” Broadway then does indeed no longer look like Broadway now.

This “surreal tableau” Flossie created, including “three-foot-high ostrich feather headdresses, Marie Antoinette wigs adorned with musical instruments and birdcages, and gowns embellished with translucent butterfly wings”, remains arguably one of the most impressive and jaw-dropping spectacles to have ever graced a Broadway stage even to this day.

As for Ann Roth, born in 1931, she is still to this day making her own history – recently becoming the joint eldest nominee at 89 for an Oscar (her 5th), for her work on 2020′s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom. Now as of April 26th, Ann has just made history even further by becoming the oldest woman to win a competitive Academy Award ever. She has an impressive array of Hollywood credits to her name in addition to a roster of Broadway design projects, which have earned her 12 Tony nominations.

Some of her work in the theatre includes: The Women (1973) The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1978) They're Playing Our Song (1979) Singin' in the Rain (1985) Present Laughter (1996) Hedda Gabler (2009) A Raisin in the Sun (2014) Shuffle Along (2016) The Prom (2018)

Making her way over to Hollywood in the ‘70s, she has left an indelible and lasting visual impact on the arts through films like: Klute (1971) The Goodbye Girl (1977) Hair (1979) 9 to 5 (1980) Silkwood (1983) Postcards from the Edge (1990) The Birdcage (1996) The Hours (2002) Mamma Mia! (2008) Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (2020)

It’s clear from this branching 'tree' to see how far the impact of just one woman passing on her time and knowledge to others who are starting out can spread.

This art of acting as a conduit for valuable insights was something Irene Sharaff had learned from her own mentor and predecessor, Aline Bernstein. Aline was viewed as “the first woman in the [US] to gain prominence in the male-dominated field of set and costume design,” and was too a strong proponent of passing on the unique knowledge she had acquired as a pioneer and forerunner in the field.

Born in 1880, Bernstein is recognised as “one of the first theatrical designers in New York to make sets and costumes entirely from scratch and craft moving sets” while Broadway was still very much in its infancy of taking shape as the world we know today. This she did for more than one hundred shows over decades of her work in the theatre. These shows included the spectacular Grand Street Follies (1924-27), and original premier productions of plays like some of the following: Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler (1928) J.M Barrie’s Peter Pan (1928) Grand Hotel (1930) Phillip Barry’s Animal Kingdom (1932) Chekov’s The Seagull (1937) Both Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour (1934) and The Little Foxes (1939)

Beyond direct design work, Bernstein founded what was to become the Neighbourhood Playhouse (the notable New York acting school) and was influential in the “Little Theatre movement that sprung up across America in 1910”. These were the “forerunners of the non-profit theatres we see today” and she continued to work in this realm even after moving into commercial theatre.

Bernstein also established the Museum of Costume Art, which later became the Costume Institute of the Met Museum of Art, where she served as president from 1944 to her death in 1955. This is what the Met Gala raises money for every year. So for long as you have the world’s biggest celebrities parading up and down red carpets in high fashion pieces, you have Aline Bernstein to remember – as none of that would be happening without her.

During the last fifteen years of her life, Bernstein taught and served as a consultant in theatre programs at academic institutions including Yale, Harvard, and Vassar – keen to connect the community and facilitate an exchange of wisdom and information to new descendants and the next generation.

Many designers came somewhere out of this linear descendancy. One notable exception, with no American mentor, was Theoni V. Aldredge. Born in 1922 and trained in Greece, Theoni emigrated to the US, met her husband, Tom Aldredge – himself of Into the Woods and theatre notoriety – and went on to design more than 100 Broadway shows. For her work, she earned 3 Tony wins from 11 nominations from projects such as: Anyone Can Whistle (1964) A Chorus Line (1975) Annie (1977) Barnum (1980) 42nd Street (1980) Woman of the Year (1981) Dreamgirls (1981) La Cage aux Folles (1983) The Rink (1984)

One of the main features that typify Theoni’s design style and could be attributed to a certain unique and distinctive “European flair” is her strong use of vibrant colour. This is a sentiment instantly apparent in looking longitudinally at some of her work.

In Ann Hould-Ward’s words, Theoni speaks to the “great generosity” of this profession. Theoni went out of her way to call Ann apropos of nothing early in the morning at some unknown hotel just after Ann won her first Tony for Beauty and the Beast in 1994, purring “Dahhling, I told you so!” These were women that had their disagreements, yes, but ultimately shared their knowledge and congratulated each other for their successes.

Similar anecdotal goodwill can be found in Pat Zipprodt’s call to Ann on the night of the 1987 Tony’s – where Ann was nominated for Into the Woods – with Pat singing “Have wonderful night! You’re not gonna win! …[laugh] but I love you anyway!”

This well-wishing phone call is all the more poignant considering Pat was originally involved with doing the costumes for Into the Woods, in reprise of their previous collaboration on Sunday in the Park with George.

If, for example, Theoni instinctively is remembered for bright colour, one of the features that Pat is first remembered for is her dedicated approach to research for her designs. Indeed, the New York Public Library archives document how the remaining physical evidence of this research she conducted is “particularly thorough” in the section on Into the Woods. Before the show finally hit Broadway in 1987 with Ann Hould-Ward’s designs, records show Pat had done extensive investigation herself into materials, ideas and prospective creations all through 1986.

Both Ann and Pat worked on the show out of town in try-outs at the Old Globe theatre in San Diego. But when it came to negotiating Broadway contracts, the situation became “tricky” and later “untenable” with Pat and the producers. Ann was “allowed to step in and design” the show alone instead.

The lack of harboured resentment on Patricia’s behalf speaks to her character and the pair’s relationship, such that Ann still considered her “my dear and beloved friend” for over 25 years, and was “at [Pat’s] bed when she died”.

Though they parted ways ultimately for Into the Woods, you can very much feel a continuation between their work on Sunday in the Park with George a few years previously, especially considering how tactile the designs appear in both shows. This tactility is something the shows’ book writer and director, James Lapine, was specific about. Lapine would remark in his initial ideas and inspirations that he wanted a graphic quality to the costumes on this occasion, like “so many sketches of the fairy-tales do”.

Ann fed that sentiment through her final creations, with a wide variety of materials and textures being used across the whole show – like “ribbons with ribbons seamed through them”, “all sorts of applique”, “frothy organzas and rembriodered organzas”. A specific example documents how Joanna Gleason’s shawl as the Baker’s Wife was pieced together, cut apart, and put back together again before resembling its final form.

This highly involved principle demonstrates another manner of inventive design that uses a different method but maintains the aim of particularity as discussed previously with Patricia and Irene’s complex dyeing and re-dyeing process. Pushing the confines of what is possible with the materials at hand to create a variety of colours, shades, and textures ultimately produces visual entities that are complex to look at. Confusing the eye like this “holds attention longer”, Ann maintains, which makes viewers look more intricately at individual segments of the production, and enables the costume design to guide specific focus by not immediately ceding attention elsewhere.

Understanding the methods behind the resultant impacts of a show can be as, if not more, important and interesting than the final product of the show itself sometimes. A phone call Ann had last August with James Lapine reminds us this is a notion we may be treated more to in the imminent future, when he called to enquire as to the location of some design sketches for the book he is working on (Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created 'Sunday in the Park with George') to document more thoroughly the genesis of the pair’s landmark and beloved musical.

In continuation of the notion that origin stories contain their own intrinsic value beyond any final product, Ann first became Pat’s intern through a heart-warming and tenacious tale. Ann sent letters to three notable designers when finishing graduate school. Only Patricia Zipprodt replied, with a message to say she “didn’t have anything now but let me think about it and maybe in the future.” It got to the future, and Ann took the encouragement of her previous response to try and contact Pat again. Upon being told she was out of town with a show, Ann proceeded to chase Pat through various phone books and telephone wires across different states and theatres until she finally found her. She was bolstered by the specifics of their call and ran off the phone to write an imploring note – hinging on the premise of a shared connection to Montana. She took an arrow, stabbed it through a cowboy hat, put it in a box with the note that was written on raw hide, and mailed it to New York with bated breath and all of her hopes and wishes.

Pat was knife-edgingly close to missing the box, through a matter of circumstance and timing. Importantly, she didn’t. Ann got a response, and it boded well: “Alright alright alright! You can come to New York!”

Subsequently, Ann’s long career in the design world of the theatre has included notable credits such as: Sunday in the Park with George (1984) Into the Woods (1987, 1997) Falsettos (1992) Beauty and the Beast (1994, 1997) Little Me (1998) Company (2006) Road Show (2008) The People in the Picture (2011) Merrily We Roll Along (1985, 1990, 2012, segment in Six by Sondheim 2013) Passion (2013) The Visit (2015) The Color Purple (2015) The Prince of Egypt (2021)

From early days in the city sleeping on a piece of foam on a friend’s floor, to working collaboratively alongside Pat, to using what she’d learnt from her mentor in designing whole shows herself, and going on to win prestigious awards for her work – the cycle of the theatre and the importance of handing down wisdom from those who possess it is never more evident.

As Ann summarises it meaningfully, “the theatre is a continuing, changing, evolving, emotional ball”. It’s raw, it’s alive, it needs people, it needs stories, it needs documentation of history to remember all that came before.

In periods where there can physically be no new theatre, it’s made ever the more clear for the need not to forget what value there is in the tales to be told from the past.

Through this retrospective, we’ve seen the tour de force influence of a relatively small handful of women shaping a relatively large portion of the visual scape of some of Broadway’s brightest moments.

But it’s significant to consider how disproportionate this female impact was, in contrast with how massively male dominated the rest of the creative theatre industry has been across the last century.

Assessing variations in attitudes and approaches to relationships and families in these women in the context of their professional careers over this time period presents interesting observations. And indeed, manners in which things have changed over the past hundred years.

As Ann Hould-Ward speaks of her experiences, one of her reflections is how much this was a “very male dominated world”. And one that didn’t accommodate for women with families who also wanted careers. As an intern, she didn’t even feel she could tell Patricia Zipprodt about the existence of her own young child until after 6 months of working with her. With all of these male figures around them, it would be often questioned “How are you going to do the work? How are you going to manage [with a family]?”, and that it was “harder to convince people that you were going to be able to do out-of-towns, to be able to go places.” Simply put, the industry “didn't have many designers who were married with children.”

Patricia herself in the previous generation demonstrates this restricting ethos. “In 1993, Zipprodt married a man whose proposal she had refused some 43 years earlier.” She had just newly graduated college and “she declined [his proposal] and instead moved to New York.” Faced with the family or career conundrum, she chose the latter. By the 1950s, it then wasn’t seen as uncommon to have both, it was seen as impossible.

Her husband died just five years after the pair were married in 1998, as did Patricia herself the following year. One has to wonder if alternative decisions would’ve been made and lives lived differently if she’d experienced a different context for working women in her younger life.

But occupying any space in the theatre at all was only possible because of the efforts of and strides made by women in previous generations.

When Aline Bernstein first started designing for Broadway theatre in 1916, women couldn’t even vote. She became the first female member of the United Scenic Artists of America union in 1926, but only because she was sworn in under the false and male moniker of brother Bernstein. In fact, biographies often centralise on her involvement in a “passionate” extramarital love affair with novelist Thomas Wolfe – disproportionately so for all of her remarkable contributions to the theatrical, charitable and academic worlds, and instead having her life defined through her interactions with men.

As such, it is apparent how any significant interactions with men often had direct implications over a woman’s career, especially in this earlier half of the century. Only in their absence was there comparative capacity to flourish professionally.

Irene Sharaff had no notable relationships with men. She did however have a significant partnership with Chinese-American painter and writer Mai-mai Sze from “the mid-1930s until her death”. Though this was not (nor could not be) publicly recognised or documented at the time, later by close acquaintances the pair would be described as a “devoted couple”, “inseparable”, and as holding “love and admiration for one another [that] was apparent to everyone who knew them.” This manner of relationship for Irene in the context of her career can be theorised as having allowed her the capacity to “reach a level of professional success that would have been unthinkable for most straight women of [her] generation”.

Moving forwards in time, Irene and Mai-mai presently rest where their ashes are buried under “two halves of the same rock” at the entrance to the Music and Meditation Pavilion at Lucy Cavendish College in Cambridge, which was “built following a donation by Sharaff and Sze”. I postulate that this site would make for an interesting slice of history and a perhaps more thought-provoking deviation for tourists away from being shepherded up and down past King’s College on King’s Parade as more usually upon a visit to Cambridge.

In this more modern society at the other end of this linear tree of remarkable designers, options for women to be more open and in control of their personal and professional lives have increased somewhat.

Ann Hould-Ward later in her career would no longer “hide that [she] was a mother”, in fear of not being taken seriously. Rather, she “made a concerted effort to talk about [her] child”, saying “because at that point I had a modicum of success. And I thought it was supportive for other women that I could do this.”

If one aspect passed down between these women in history are details of the craft and knowledge accrued along the way, this statement by Ann represents an alternative facet and direction that teaching of the future can take. Namely, that by showing through example, newer generations will be able to comprehend the feasibility of occupying different options and spaces as professional women. Existing not just as designers, or wives, or mothers, or all, or one – but as people, who possess an immense talent and skill. And that it is now not just possible, but common, to be multifaceted and live the way you want to live while working.

This is not to say all of the restrictions and barriers faced by women in previous generations have been removed, but rather that as we build a larger wealth of history of women acting with autonomy and control to refer back to, things can only get easier to build upon for the future.

Who knows what Broadway and theatre in general will look like when it returns – both on the surface with respect to this facet of costume design, and also more deeply as to the inner machinations of how shows are put together and presented. The largely male environment and the need to tick corporate and commercial boxes will not have vanished. One can only hope that this long period of stasis will have foregrounded the need and, most importantly, provided the time to revaluate the ethos in which shows are often staged, and the ways in which minority groups – like women – are able to work and be successful within the theatre in all of the many shows to come.

Notable sources:

Photographs – predominantly from the New York Public Library digital archives. IBDB – the Internet Broadway Database. Broadway Nation Podcast (Eps. #17 and #18), David Armstrong, featuring Ann Hould-Ward, 2020. Behind the Curtain: Broadway’s Living Legends Podcast (Ep. #229), Robert W Schneider and Kevin David Thomas, featuring Ann Hould-Ward, 2020. Sense of Occasion, Harold Prince, 2017. Everything Was Possible: The Birth of the Musical ‘Follies’, Ted Chapin, 2003. Finishing the Hat: Collected Lyrics (1954–1981) with Attendant Comments, Principles, Heresies, Grudges, Whines and Anecdotes, Stephen Sondheim, 2010. The Complete Book of 1970s Broadway Musicals, Dan Deitz, 2015. The Complete Book of 1980s Broadway Musicals, Dan Dietz, 2016. Inventory of the Patricia Zipprodt Papers and Designs at the New York Public Library, 2004 – https://www.nypl.org/sites/default/files/archivalcollections/pdf/thezippr.pdf Extravagant Crowd’s Carl Van Vecten’s Portraits of Women, Aline Bernstein – http://brbl-archive.library.yale.edu/exhibitions/cvvpw/gallery/bernstein.html Jewish Heroes & Heroines of America: 150 True Stories of American Jewish Heroism – Aline Bernstein, Seymour Brody, 1996 – https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/aline-bernstein Ann Hould-Ward Talks Original “Into the Woods” Costume Designs, 2016 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EPe77c6xzo&ab_channel=Playbill American Theatre Wing’s Working in the Theatre series, The Design Panel, 1993 – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9sp-aMQHf-U&t=2167s&ab_channel=AmericanTheatreWing Journal of the History of Ideas Blog, Mai-mai Sze and Irene Sharaff in Public and in Private, Erin McGuirl, 2016 – https://jhiblog.org/2016/05/16/mai-mai-sze-and-irene-sharaff-in-public-and-in-private/ Irene Sharaff’s obituary, The New York Times, Marvine Howe, 1993 – https://www.nytimes.com/1993/08/17/obituaries/irene-sharaff-designer-83-dies-costumes-won-tony-and-oscars.html Obituary: Irene Sharaff, The Independent, David Shipman, 2011 – https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-irene-sharaff-1463219.html Broadway Design Exchange – Florence Klotz – https://www.broadwaydesignexchange.com/collections/florence-klotz Obituary: Florence Klotz, The New York Times, 2006 – https://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/03/obituaries/03klotz.html

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14th of December 2006, Volterra, Italy

Weeks passed by and soon the sticky warmth of summer turned into that coolness of Autumn. And a few weeks later, when December had arrived, the rain increased significantly along with the cold. The castle, that was pleasantly cool in the summer, was immensely cold in the winter. Thankfully for me, I no longer was obliged to wear the short dresses as I no longer was the secretary, but they still would appreciate it when I did. The past few months had been mostly filled by me learning all there is about the vampire world. Mostly by the kings and queens as they had been alive for around 3.000 years and new almost anything about how the word had changed, how the vampires had influenced those changes and soon they would teach me all about the other creatures roaming these lands or those who had once roamed here.

“It is quite easy. Just make sure no appointments clash. Make sure to keep feeding times in mind. The Masters, Mistresses and elite guard feed once every week on Mondays, while the rest of the guard feeds in groups every other week on Friday's. Feeding time is always between 13:00 and 15:00, and during those times you are prohibited from entering the throne room.” I explain to the new secretary, the third one since I retired from my position. Her name was Veronica, yet I didn't think she was the right one either for this job, just a pretty face like the last two were. She had beautiful dark skin and eyes that were almost black that complimented her black hair. Over all she was gorgeous, but I am not sure if she would fit for this job. Oh well, time will tell. “Do you have any more questions for me, Veronica?” I asked kindly. She returned the smile almost enthusiastic. “Thank you, Miss Mandy. I think I understand.” she said politely. I was still slightly taken back by the fact the secretaries called me ‘Miss’ now. It wasn't necessary for me but especially the kings and queens insisted on it. Claiming I was above the secretaries and other humans now. It was nonsense in my opinion, yet every time I tried protesting to it only ended up with me being spanked, kissed or fucked on the spot, so I had stopped complaining about it. Vampire truly were thick headedly stubborn when they make up their minds. “I am glad to hear that. If you do need me, I can usually be found in the library, my room or the Masters’ combined living quarters. Goodluck.” I said before turning around and making my way to the throne room. Caius and Athenodora would be teaching me about their war against the werewolves. One the couple had started centuries ago before even joining the Volturi.

Once I reached the heavy doors, I knocked on them and before I knew it, they were opened by Demetri and Felix, both with large smiles on their faces. “Micetta! We were starting to get worried that you might fancy spending time with the new secretary over us.” Demetri said in a playful mocking tone. I heard Heidi snort and a growl of annoyance from one of the queens. I giggled and pecked his lips as a greeting. “Never.” I quickly pecked Felix’ lips as well before moving Heidi who wrapped her arms around me and kissed me shortly but passionately, leaving my head spinning a bit. I quickly moved towards the kings and queens who were all gathered around a table in the corner of the throne room that was covered in many books in many different languages, both old and new. The kings all looked very handsome in their black suits. Aro and Caius were wearing a bloodred tie while Marcus’ tie was as black as his suit. The queens looked beautiful as always. Sulpicia was dressed in a gorgeous bloodred dress that seemed to be made out of liquid as it flowed around her tall frame. Athenodora, on the other hand, wore a dress made out of emerald green fabric that seemed to be very cosy yet expensive. Both their skirts reached just above their ankles while matching shoes and jewellery made their looks complete. I quickly pecked Aro and Sulpicia on their lips before moving to Marcus. He stood up and embraced me first before pecking my lips, making me blush a bit and him chuckle. I first pecked Caius on the lips who gave me a kind smile and finally I turned my attention to Dora. She smiled brightly at me and pulled me onto her lap. Her hand cupped my cheek and she kissed me quickly yet deeply. “I am glad you are not lost. Caius and I started to worry that you indeed fancied the new woman's company above ours.” she said with a playful pout. “Of course not, Mistress.” I said loyally making her pout turn into a grin. “Good, good. Now, let us start with today's lesson on the war against werewolves... And the reason why the goddess Athena was named after me.” she said winking. “Really?” I asked surprised. “Oh yes. We saved a couple villages back in the old days by killing many of the werewolves during their attacks. We had to use special blades made out of silver that were laced with our venom. Not exactly for the faint of heart to make and dangerous if done wrong. The chemical reaction of the silver, steel and our venom could prove lethal for most humans when inhaled.” Caius started to explain and I was immediately hooked onto his lips while Dora held me close in her lap, her chin lightly resting on my shoulder with her nose buried in my lose curls. “Really? What happens to the humans who tried making those swords?” I asked curiously which only seemed to fuel Caius’ enthusiasm to continue his story. “The damp coming from the weapons while being forged could burn the skin and make it even melt away at its mere touch. When inhaled, it would burn the human their lungs from the inside out, making them suffocate in mere, agonising minutes. Eventually, we had only vampires craft these weapons, but they had to be careful, as silver is a very delicate metal and we vampires sometimes have difficult controlling our strength. Also, the blood would be contaminated so the humans, once come in contact with these damps, were no longer of use to us.” He explained. He was about to continue his story when he suddenly stopped and every vampire in the room seemed to be on edge. Their relaxed faces and stances I had come accustomed to melted away into the ones usually meant for outsiders. Someone was approaching, someone who was not an ally. In the blink of an eye, I was on the other side of the throne room behind the actual thrones along with Dora and Sulpicia. Caius still stood standing up but now with his back towards the door, same as Marcus while Aro remained seated casually reading his book. Dora had put me into the only chair in front of the small table while Sulpicia had quickly placed three books in front of us, to make it seem we were

busy. Both Athenodora and Sulpicia stood on either side of me, in a casual yet protective manner. I frowned slightly at their quick change in behaviour and spot but Sulpicia gave me a look that said to not ask questions at this moment. So, I didn't and pretended to read the book in front of me. Sadly, for me, it was written in what I guessed was ancient Greek and I had absolutely no idea what it said. The doors busted open as Santiago walked into the throne room followed by another vampire. Her hair was pale, pale blonde, almost silver. It hung straight as a ruler to a blunt edge at her chin, parted evenly down the centre. She was very pale as every other vampire yet her eyes were different. They were the same golden colour as Alice and Edward Cullen had. Was she from the same coven? Caius loudly closed his book, making me flint slightly before turning around. I didn't need to see his face to know his usual scowl had returned as I saw the vampire woman flinch in her spot. “What do you want?” he asked suspicious. The woman's golden eyes quickly flashed to every vampire in the room yet they lingered on my form a little longer. “Hm?” Caius asked again growing annoyed at the woman's lack of response. The woman seemed to regain herself again and took a step forward while Felix, Demetri and Santiago stood on both her sides and behind her, ready to attack at any moment. Heidi, I had now realised, was standing near us in a protective manner. Probably in case the woman did manage to escape the three male vampires around her and planned on attacking the queens. The woman's attention was now fully on the three kings. She straightened her back and tried to not make her voice tremple. “I have to report a crime.” she started, sorrow deeply in her golden eyes. “The Cullens-” she started, gaining the attention of all three the kings and both queens. “- they have done something...” she tried to find the right word for the Cullens’ their crime. “-Terrible.” she finally decided. Aro quickly shut his book and rushed towards her. “Allow me, my dear?” he asked, his voice as sweet as sugar and as velvet as cotton candy. I had completely forgotten about pretending to seem busy as I watched Aro intensely. Marcus made his way besides Aro, but glanced at me first, giving me a reassuring look before his face turned like stone again as he faced the woman. Aro had by now grabbed the woman's hand in his and a small gasp escaped his lips. “Oh my.”

#aro volturi #athenodora volturi #caius volturi #demetri volturi #felix volturi #heidi volturi #marcus volturi #sulpicia volturi #volturi #twilight #pet

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96thdayofrage · 2 years

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How Red Lines Built White Wealth: A Lesson on Housing Segregation in the 20th Century

The mixer role play is based on Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law, which shows in exacting detail how government policies segregated every major city in the United States with dire consequences for African Americans.

An 11th-grade student leaned back in his chair at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon, and said, “Absurd. That is the only way to describe those numbers. They are absurd.” He and his classmates had just read statistics about the racial wealth gap in their Political Economy class: White households are worth at least 10 times as much as Black households; only 15 percent of whites have zero or negative wealth while a third of Blacks do; Black families making $100,000 typically live in the kinds of neighborhoods inhabited by white families making $30,000. These numbers are absurd, and they are not accidental.

This lesson, “How Red Lines Built White Wealth: A Lesson on Housing Segregation in the 20th Century,” introduces students to the 20th-century housing policies that bankrolled white capital accumulation while halting Black social mobility — and contributed to the absurd injustice of the modern wealth gap.

The mixer role play is based on Richard Rothstein’s The Color of Law (Liveright, 2017), which shows in exacting detail how government policies segregated every major city in the United States with dire consequences for African Americans. Students encounter stories about the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation, the Federal Housing Administration, the Veterans Administration, redlining, blockbusting, zoning, racially restrictive deeds and covenants, and move-in violence. Students also meet many people who fought bravely against this dizzying array of racist policies. This could be an introductory lesson in a unit on housing segregation, gentrification, the racial wealth gap, and/or reparations in a U.S. history, economics, or government course.

For more context and background on this lesson, read the online article, The Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated the United States by Richard Rothstein.

Roles for this mixer include:

Joseph Lee Jones, a Black man married to a white woman who sued to be able to live in a new housing development in St. Louis

Frank Stevenson, a Black Ford employee in California who faced stiff obstacles when trying to purchase a home

David Bohannon, a white real estate developer in California who built new homes which excluded African Americans

Wallace Stegner, a white writer who tried to assist Black homebuyers but faced resistance from the FHA

Floyd Lowe, president of the California Real Estate Association

Harold Ickes, the secretary of the interior under President Franklin D. Roosevelt

Walter Jackson, who, with other Black workers, won the right to move into the Sojourner Truth Housing Project in Detroit

Edward Jefferies, who in 1945 ran to be re-elected mayor of Detroit

William Warley, an African American lawyer who was blocked from buying a home in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1915

Harland Bartholomew, a white planning engineer working for the city of St. Louis

Frederick Ecker, president of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company

President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who established the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) that paved the way to homeownership for millions of Americans

Gabriel Eaton, who works for the Federal Housing Administration (FHA)

Arnold Cabot, who works for the Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC), one of the many government agencies formed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to address the economic crisis of the Great Depression

Robert Mereday, a Black WWII veteran who helped started a trucking company and helped build the suburbs, even though he wasn’t allowed to live there

William Levitt, a white real estate developer, often called the father of suburbia

J. C. Nichols, a real estate developer who developed a way to keep my developments all white at a time when the Supreme Court was beginning to question whether it was constitutional to use government power to bar Black people from buying property in certain areas

Ethel Shelley, a Black woman who bought a home in a white neighborhood, was sued for eviction, and went to the Supreme Court

“Norris Vitchek”, a real estate “flipper” in blockbusting

Clyde Ross, served in World War II, and in 1947 moved to Chicago, where I became a taster for Campbell’s soup.

Ethel Weatherspoon, one of the founding members of the Contract Buyers League (CBL), who bought a house “on contract” in North Lawndale in Chicago in the 1950s

Wilbur Gary, a Black WWII veteran who faced racist violence due to buying a home in a white community

Daisy Myers, who bought a home with her husband in Levittown, Pennsylvania but was forced to move back to an African American community due to racist violence directed at her family

Harvey Clark, an Air Force veteran who works as a bus driver in Chicago

Anne Braden, a white journalist and civil rights activist

Lou Fushanis, who sells houses in Chicago and developed a scheme to make a lot of money off the racism of government housing policies

Langston Hughes, an esteemed African American poet and writer

Gerald Cohn, a white school teacher

Robert Weaver, the secretary of housing and urban development in the mid-1960s, appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson

Katherine Peden, a white Democratic politician from Kentucky, the only woman on the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders (known as the Kerner Commission)

Catherine Bauer Wurster, a white housing expert and advisor to the U.S. Housing Authority (USHA), a government agency that helps manage and finance housing

J. Dexter Peach, chairman of the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), a nonpartisan government agency that issues investigative reports to assist Congress in writing good policies and laws

Vincent Mereday, a Navy veteran, who fought in World War II, and has been working for his uncle’s trucking and hauling company since the war ended

Steven Barnard, who helped write a report for the New Jersey State Attorney General’s Office in the 1960s about the impact of building a new interstate highway on the city of Camden

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handeaux · 3 years

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Cincinnati Men Balked In 1908 At Donning The Daring Sheath Trousers

Humans are such frail creatures, willingly submitting themselves to the capricious whims of fashion! In 1908 one such capricious whim landed with a resounding thud in Cincinnati – the dreaded sheath trousers.

With the new century, men’s fashions had grown bolder and more adventuresome. The staid grey/brown fog of Victorian propriety melted into the innovative Edwardian styles in which, it seemed, anything was worth a try. A dispatch from New York in September 1908 proclaimed the daring clothes awaiting Cincinnati men:

“Green – full rich hunter’s green – will lead in the colors of the garments but it may be relieved with stripes. To go with the green suit one must have a green hat. Soft hats, preferably made of plush, are being carried by leading hatters. They are known as Yodels (the hats, not the hatter) and evidently are of Swiss origin. Following close in the wake of the yodel hat is the Marathon tie, whose chief point of excellence seems to be that its colors are fast.”

One can only imagine a striped green suit topped by a plush green yodel and accented by a Marathon tie – whatever that is. But the fashion mavens saved their pièce de résistance for the nether extremities:

“But perhaps the most striking novelty of all is the sheath trousers. In these the leg seams on the outside, instead of running down to the bottom, will stop at the knee and be laced from that point on.”

Where did that come from? It turns out that the idea of lacing slitted clothing came from women’s fashions. The spring fashions for 1908 included the sheath skirt, sometimes known as the “directoire” style, slit up the front to expose women’s legs clad in tight-fitting trousers. According to the Enquirer [22 May 1908]:

“When French modistes first introduced them at Longchamps a few weeks ago the shapely girls wearing the new garments were unceremoniously hustled out of sight by unfeeling policemen, whose sense of the artistic had not been sufficiently educated. Whether Cincinnati modistes will succeed in popularizing the garments remains to be demonstrated.”

Sheath skirts did not dare to flash onto Cincinnati’s staid sidewalks. The idea of women wearing trousers was still very offensive, even illegal. By autumn, though, the boffins of fashion had cast their designs upon the masculine side of humanity. Walter L. Hurley, a salesman at Shillito’s, drew the short straw and actually donned a pair of these pantaloons for a photograph in the Cincinnati Post [25 September 1908]:

“The new sheath trousers are on tap in Cincinnati, to be had by anyone who will step right up and pay the $5 a pair and they are actually being worn. And really, as a matter of fact, they are not such awfully bad things to look at – not even as bad as their progenitor, the sheath gown.”

A Shillito spokesperson told the Post that the department store had not, in fact, actually sold any sheath trousers but that there had been some interest.

“Since the trousers were put on sale last Saturday, two and three calls have been had at the John Shillito store daily by people who were thinking seriously of wearing them. By next week the company expects actually to have sold some, and by the week after, it is confidently expected that either every man in town will be wearing them or else the police will be under instructions to arrest anyone who does.”

While no reports of arrests for wearing sheath trousers have survived, it is also notable that no reports of anyone actually wearing the daring dungarees have survived either.

Condemnation of the style arrived rapidly. In his “A Dictionary of Men’s Wear,” published later in 1908, William Henry Baker pounced upon sheath trousers and rent them into shreds and lint:

“Sheath trousers—one of the idiocies of 1908, ascribable, doubtless, to the hysterical feminine revival of directoire immodesties and their pernicious effect upon some men too invertebrate to uphold the precious responsibilities of their sex.”

While no living man appears to have actually purchased or worn sheath trousers in Cincinnati, the humor columnists and cartoonists enjoyed the fad and milked it for ideas. In one cartoon, a fashionable young lady upbraids a sheath-trousered fellow:

“Copy cat! You’ve used our corsets and buttoned shoes and now you’ve appropriated our sheath idea. In another year you will be wearing a rat in your hair.”

Another cartoon suggested that sheath trousers promulgated the feminization of men to the extent that women will be giving up their seats on crowded streetcars to make room for sheath-trousered dandies. Despite the implication that sheath trousers were sissified, one cartoonist showed manly President Theodore Roosevelt admiring the sheath trousers worn by his Secretary of War William Howard Taft and his Vice President Charles Fairbanks.

The fashion influencers learned their lesson and the 1909 forecast for men’s clothing predicted the end to “freak clothes” and a return to grey, grey, grey.

“Plain effects will distinguish the best-dressed man from the one who is wearing his last year’s suit.”

Almost. The Cincinnati Commercial Tribune [15 December 1908] predicted the return of the sheath effect in stylish men’s overcoats. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!

#sheath trousers #cincinnati fashions #shillito's #william howard taft

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sentinelchicken · 2 years

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On 20 June 2016 at the Museum of Flight at Boeing Field in Seattle, Alaska Airlines unveiled the "Celebration of Boeing". N248AK, a Boeing 737-900ER, was delivered from Renton in these special colors on that day and then made the short hop from Boeing Field to Sea-Tac to begin revenue services on 28 June 2016. ⁣ ⁣ When Bill Boeing founded Pacific Aero Products in 1916, he was already successful from the timber business, making his fortune shipping Washington timber to the US East Coast via the newly-opened Panama Canal. In 1909 he saw his first aircraft at an exposition and would eventually take flying lessons at Glenn Martin's flying school in Los Angeles. He purchased one of Martin's flying boats and it had gotten damaged in Seattle. After finding out that spare parts would take months to arrive, Boeing mentioned to his friend Conrad Westervelt "We could build a better airplane ourselves and build it faster."⁣ ⁣ The B & W Seaplane, also known as the Boeing Model 1, made its first flight on 15 June 1916. Boeing and Westervelt formed the Pacific Aero Products company shortly after and in 1917, the company was reorganized to become the Boeing Aircraft Company. And the rest, as they say, is history. ⁣ ⁣ In the words of Alaska CEO Brad Tilden: ⁣ ⁣ "It would be difficult to overstate the impact Boeing has had on the economy of the Pacific Northwest and on aviation globally. If you doubt this, visit virtually any airport on the planet and you are likely to see airplanes built by Boeing employees. From Bill Boeing’s determination to design a more efficient biplane to the launch of the first dedicated passenger aircraft in 1933, to the multi-decade evolution of the 737- the most popular commercial jet aircraft ever made- to today’s Dreamliner, Boeing has had a lasting impact on air transportation throughout the past century."⁣ ⁣ #avgeek #aviation #airlines #aircraft #planeporn #SEA #Seattle #SeaTac #Washington #airport #planespotting #instaplane ⁣ ⁣ #Boeing #737 #Alaska #Airlines #N248AK⁣ ⁣ #instagramaviation #splendid_transport #instaaviation #aviationlovers #aviationphotography #flight ⁣ ⁣ #AvGeeksAero #AvgeekSchoolofKnowledge #AvGeekNation (at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZ2ZCcolk7m/?utm_medium=tumblr

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timeless-hollywood-classics · 3 years

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Mary Carlisle (born Gwendolyn Witter; February 3, 1914 – August 1, 2018) was an American actress, singer, and dancer, she was best known for her roles as a wholesome ingénue in numerous 1930s musical-comedy films.

She starred in more than 60 Hollywood films, moving beyond bit parts after coming to attention, alongside the likes of Gloria Stuart and Ginger Rogers, as one of 15 girls selected by the Western Association of Motion pictures as their WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1932. Her first major role was in the 1933 film College Humor with Bing Crosby. The two performers worked together in two additional films, Double or Nothing (1937) and Doctor Rhythm (1938). After her marriage in 1942 and a starring role in Dead Men Walk (1943), she retired from acting.

Carlisle was born Gwendolyn Witter in Boston, Massachusetts, to Arthur William and Leona Ella (Wotton) Witter. Born into a religious family, she was educated in a convent in Back Bay, Boston, after her family moved to that neighborhood when she was six months old.

Some time after her father's death, when she was 4, Carlisle and her mother relocated to Los Angeles. Through her uncle Robert Carlisle, who was a film editor and producer, she learned of a casting call at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

Carlisle's uncle, who lived in California, gave Carlisle the opportunity to appear in the Jackie Coogan silent movie Long Live the King in 1923, a performance for which she was uncredited. Carlisle was discovered by studio executive Carl Laemmle Jr. at the age of 14 while she was eating lunch with her mother at the Universal Studios canteen. She was praised for her angelic looks, and Laemmle offered her a screen test. Though she passed the test and started doing extra work at Universal, she was stopped by a welfare officer who noticed that she was underage and had to finish school first.

After completing her education two years later, she headed to MGM. Carlisle, who had lied about her dancing ability, took a one-day basic tap-dancing lesson, won a part along with future star Ann Dvorak, and appeared briefly in one film. Carlisle signed a one-year contract with MGM in 1930, and was used as a back-up dancer. At the start of her movie career, Carlisle had small parts in movies such as Madam Satan and Passion Flower (both 1930). She also had a role in Grand Hotel (1932), as a bride named Mrs. Hoffman. She gained recognition when, in 1932, she was selected as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars (young actresses believed to be on their way to stardom).

Her major acting break came when Paramount Pictures "loaned" her out to star in the musical comedy College Humor (1933) alongside Bing Crosby. In the Hollywood "star system", stars could not work for companies other than the one to which they were contracted.) The performance was well regarded by critics, and catapulted Carlisle to leading-actress status. She made two more movies with Crosby, Double or Nothing in 1937, and Doctor Rhythm (1938). She continued working for different studios, mainly in B-movies as a leading lady. One of Carlisle's few appearances in an A-movie was in Dance, Girl, Dance (1940), opposite Lucille Ball and Maureen O'Hara.

She acted in more than 60 movies in a career that spanned about a dozen years, and retired after co-starring as the doctor's wife in Dead Men Walk (1943).

In 1942, Carlisle married British-born actor James Edward Blakeley (1910–2007), who later became an executive producer at 20th Century Fox. She retired from films shortly after. The couple had one son, James, and two grandchildren during their nearly 65-year marriage. In later life, Carlisle was the manager of the Elizabeth Arden Salon in Beverly Hills, California.

A Democrat, she supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.

After the death of Barbara Kent in 2011, Carlisle became the last surviving WAMPAS Baby Star. She died on August 1, 2018, at the Motion Picture & Television Fund, a retirement community for actors in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles; no cause of death was reported. She was believed to be 104, but never personally confirmed her age or birth date during her life. Carlisle is buried in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles, California.

Her mother's twin sister, Leotta Whytock, was a film editor.

On February 8, 1960, Carlisle received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 6679 Hollywood Boulevard.

#mary carlisle #classic hollywood #classic movie stars #golden age of hollywood #old hollywood #1930s hollywood #1940s hollywood

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aaarghjess · 3 years

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Hi, I turned 31 today. Birthdays make me sad. I was looking back on how pointless this whole year was and how little I had accomplished. And for some reason I don't feel so bad this year. I'm assuming its because it probably hasnt been a great year for most people. Although i would say most people in aus have done significantly better than me, but that okay, life isn't a fucking competition

So here is a note of some of my achievements and failures in the past year, some big, some small. I have spent the past 12 months feeling like I have done nothing but tread water. But maybe just maybe, all of the little things mean something when you add them all together.

1. Purchased a drum kit

2. Took drum lessons for a little bit, didn't get much better but still plan to improve

3. Sunk a significant amount of time into learning to speak Spanish. Got a tiny bit better. Purchased Spanish text books and got an online tutor.

4. Had my best friend ask me to be her maid of honor

5. Saw an old friends wedding

6. Caught up with a few friends i hadn't seen in years

7. Still have so many people to catch up with i still haven't seen

8. Put on a significant amount of weight

9. Joined a gym

10. Made a few new friends

11. Spent quality time with family

12. Worked a terrible job, at a terrible company, for Terrible money for an entire year...didn't kill anybody.

13. Quit smoking (okay we are only 9 days in on this one....probably a bit soon to call)

14. Visited Tassie, South Australia, NSW and regional Victoria

15. Only went to 1 live show...but it was Frenzal Rhomb and they played Disappointment so it was kinda the best moment ever

16. Didn't hit the century. 1 more for the win. Fuck this is taking a long time

17. Did a lot of house sitting, hung out with a lot of cats

18. Didn't save any money whatsoever

19. Changed home loan providers

20. Got excited by new books, purchased them, read the first chapters, plan to continue reading them at some point

21. Wasted a significant amount of time playing merge dragons.

22. Dropped a significant amount of money in the pokies and tatts lotto (because you gotta risk it to get the biscuit)

23. Watched so so so much tv. This sounds like a negative one but actually I love TV.

24. Changed from apple tv to Google chrome cast

(i really wanted to list 31 things, but I'm currently sitting at 24, really clutching at straws)

25. Didn't get covid (that I'm aware of)

26. Started doing meal prep for my grandmother

27. Tried to donate blood for the first time, failed. Will try again soon actually thanks for the reminder

28. Wishes i was still traveling

29. Played golf s couple of times

30. Yelled at Scott Morrison through the TV a lot

31. Went on a walk that one time even though I was hungover because i promised Chelsea we would do something.

Fuck. That was really difficult. It really was a nothing year. I'm exactly were i was this time last year, just a few kgs heavier. I'll try and do better this next 12 months. Shouldn't be difficult

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demonwifey · 4 years

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Lost Time

Hey guys, so this is my first story being put up on my Beetlejuice blog. It’s waaayyy longer than what I expected to write but I hope you guys enjoy it either way! I actually got this prompt from @scrawl-your-heart-out

Prompt: “Have you ever kissed anyone?” “No” They kissed them. “Well,” they said smiling, “Now you have”

word count: 3,335

Warnings: Cursing

Hope you guys enjoy!

It was another Saturday night at Y/N’s apartment. Her friends made plans to go out earlier in the week but everything inevitably got cancelled after her best friend came down with a bad case of the stomach flu. Y/N called her friend and asked if she needed her to come over.

“No, just stay home. The last thing I want is to give it to you guys and then we all are sick.” Which was immediately followed by the sound of her vomiting harshly through the phone speaker. With that, Y/N cringed at the noise but knew there was no point in trying to argue.

Despite the turn of events, Y/N wouldn’t be alone. For the past few months she found her apartment to be accompanied by the striped-suit-wearing demon named Beetlejuice. Even though she hoped for her friend’s better health, a small part of her was happy that she was free for the night. And she knew the dead man would be excited as well. Especially when they used to hang out almost on a regular basis. The self-proclaimed “Ghost with the Most” came into her life after she met Delia and Charles Deetz at her college’s job fair.

***

Charles was there working at a booth with the business department and giving info to students about his real estate work. It didn’t really interest Y/N too much as she was studying graphic design but she couldn’t help but notice the crystal shaped necklace hanging around Delia’s neck while she stood next to Charles while passing out pamphlets. Y/N of course walked up to the booth to compliment the red-haired woman and ask where she got it from. To which she later found herself stuck in an almost 30 minute conversation with Delia about charms, crystals, random positivity quotes, and something about her guru named Otho.

While Delia was talking Y/N happened to glance down at the pamphlet she didn’t even realize she had been handed. She looked at the picture of the house on the front and spoke.

“Wait, this is your house? Isn’t this the house everyone swears up and down is haunted?” To which both Delia and Charles stiffened in their places.

After exchanging information with Delia, she basically convinced Y/N to buy more and more crystals like her, she found herself hanging out at the Deetz's more than she would’ve thought. Especially after being introduced to Charles’ daughter Lydia. At age 23, Y/N would’ve never thought she had so much in common with a 15 year old. They both enjoyed the same music and shared an interest in photography.

Of course when Charles and Delia caught on to their bonding, they eventually asked Y/N to ‘babysit’ Lydia here and there. Lydia definitely would have protested had she not had so much in common with the other girl. So the two of them didn’t really count it as babysitting, and more of just hanging out.

Of course when the pair started hanging out an introduction to the green haired dead man wasn’t far behind. One night while Lydia and Y/N were sharing photos and designs with each other, the next thing to be heard was a loud “WHAT THE FUUUUCK” coming from the kitchen. All she wanted was a simple snack and now she was standing in front of a random man as he was swallowing a whole box of cereal. The man dropped the box at her screaming and stared at her in shock. Before Y/N could say anything else, Lydia ran in right behind her trying to babble up any explanation she could. For a moment everything grew silent and the green haired stranger stared into Y/N’s eyes and a dopey lovesick grin grew onto his face as he spoke.

“Hi.”

After that night Y/N and Beetlejuice started to hang out on the regular. Once Lydia explained the demon’s presence and how to summon him, the college girl would often summon him without thinking about it. Mr. Ghost with the Most was an odd but fun presence to be around. Whether it was him telling her stories about the Netherworld or showing her the different things he could do with his powers, Y/N found herself all too intrigued.

Thankfully at this point it was summer break so the two of them had time to hang out without any of Y/N’s school distractions. Y/N would call and Beetlejuice was there before she could even blink. Of course with all the time they were spending together, feelings began to arise of both parts.

Of course Y/N tried to not let it get the best of her. Especially when Beetlejuice seemed like the biggest flirt of the universe. He’s been alive for how many centuries? Why wouldn’t he be the one to fool around with anything dead or alive? And why would a man that’s been alive for so long want to deal with someone so inexperienced, like herself? These were all questions Y/N would ask herself whenever she thought heavily into her feelings about Beetlejuice. And all of those questions were about to be answered.

***

While they had so much time to spend over summer break, unfortunately it had ended before they knew it. With the fall semester here, Y/N was back busy with classes and didn’t have much time for Beetlejuice. It had been a while since the pair hung out for a full day. Beetlejuice’s time with her only seemed to be shrunk down to weekends, if even that at times. Having to hear him go on and on about how much he missed her company or seeing the extremely ecstatic face he made when she walked in the door pulled at her heart strings.

Y/N was currently getting the living room ready for her and Beej to hang out. She lined up all of his favorite scary movies from her Netflix account. She of course had to make around 4 bags of popcorn because Beej tended to eat more than she did. He would always scarfing down a whole bowl before she could even get one kettle. She moved her coffee table aside and set up multiple blankets and pillows on the floor.

Everything was perfect. Now all Y/N needed to do was call the dead man. She sat down on the couch to stay out of the way, whenever she called he always seemed to pop up in any location. And she learned her lesson after one incident where she called and the demon pop-up right next to her and tripped on top of her. Of course Beetlejuice wouldn’t be himself if he didn’t make a crude sexual joke with a smirk on his face. To which Y/N’s whole face turned red and she shoved him away.

“Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice. Beetlejuice.” Y/N said loud enough through the whole apartment. The air shifted and a puff of green smoke surrounded her. The young woman coughed and swatted her hands around to clear the smoke away. Y/N looked up with a smile on her face but it quickly changed to a confused frown. She didn’t even see Beetlejuice. She looked around for a second only to see him lying on the blankets she’d just placed out. He propped himself up on one arm, legs crossed, and... was that a dead rose in between his teeth? That’s when Beetlejuice spoke.

“‘Sup, dollface? Finally ditched the losers to get some sweet lovin’ from the B-man I see.” He mumbled through the rose before spitting it out. Y/N rolled her eyes before laughing at the man.

“Oh my god. Okay first, my friends aren’t losers. Second, no I didn’t call you to get ‘some sweet lovin’.” Y/N said in between giggles to which Beej’s eyebrows furrowed together. He sat himself up.

“You’ve got to be kidding, babes. No one sets up the floor like this unless they’re about to have a good ol’ all night fu-”

“Shut up, Beej. Jesus.” Y/N pinched the bridge of her nose trying to hide the faint blush. “I called you here because Gabby got sick and we all had to cancel our plans. So I figured the two of us could have a movie night.” She fiddled with her fingers. Beetlejuice’s already golden eyes light up even more. He quickly crawled towards her and grabbed the sides of her thighs. The young woman jumped at the sudden contact.

“You mean it, babes? We get to hang out all night?”

Y/N tried her best to respond but was still taken aback by his gesture. Sure, she was already used to his cold hands; Beej was always affectionate with her. He would always grab her into a giant bear hug or lay his arms around her while they watched TV on the couch. And don’t even mention the times he would lift her chin with his finger like he was going to kiss her while they talked. But the fact that he was gripping her bare thighs so tightly was sending her embarrassment into overdrive. Y/N shook her head slightly to try and push away the lewd thoughts she was having.

“Y-yeah, Beej. I-I mean we never hang out anymore. We should take the opportunity while we can.” Y/N moved her hands over his to move them away as she stood up. She ignored the look of disappointment on his face. “What do ya’ say?”

The dead man smirked “I say, FUCK YEAH!”

***

The rest of the night consisted of laughs, mostly Beej’s, through Y/N’s apartment. Even though the movies picked were some of the world’s top classic horror films, Beetlejuicce saw them as comedies. The pair sat on the blanket nest with Beej’s head resting on Y/N’s lap and his striped jacket around her shoulders.

“Why does he keep trying to help her? If she keeps falling just leave her dumbass there!” Beej screamed at the TV with clear frustration in his voice. His anger only made Y/N laugh.

“Jeez Beej, harsh much? Maybe she’s the love of his life.” The young woman spoke while grabbing some popcorn. The both made a conscious decision to use his stomach as a table to hold the bowl. Beetlejuice scoffed.

“Give me a break, babes. Someone that stupid couldn’t possibly be the love of someone’s life.” He followed her action and grabbed some popcorn as well; crunching the popcorn loudly as to show more of his anger.

“Oh come on, there’s someone out there for everyone. Even if they do fall at the worst times.” Y/N laughed as he girl on screen screeched in horror as the murderer ran towards her.

“Yeah whatever. Thankfully no one’s found you yet and I get to keep you to myself, sweets.” Beetlejuice spoke as he cuddled himself up more against her. She only rolled her eyes.

“Plan on it staying that way too.” Beetlejuice looked up from his spot.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Y/N stopped chewing her popcorn for a second.

“Uh...nothing Beej. It was just a joke. Look, the girl fell again!” She tried to cover up by fake laughing and pointing at the TV. Beej wouldn’t budge though. He sat up next to her and looked with a small amount of seriousness.

“No, what’s supposed to mean, babes? You don’t think there’s some other breather out there for you?” Beetlejuice made sure she knew he wasn’t planning to drop the subject. Y/N began playing with the hem of her pajama shorts.

“I-I. I mean kinda. At least not right now.” She mumbled not looking at him. The demon scrunched his face in confusion.

“Why not? Look at you, Y/N! Not only are you a total babe, you’re super smart. You’re funny. You make the best waffles ever. You’re crazy creative-”.

“And I’ve never been in a relationship.” Y/N said harshly. She flinched at her own tone once she saw the look on Beetlejuice’s face. There was a beat of silence before Beej spoke again.

“...What?” He asked silently. Y/N stood up off the floor, letting his jacket floor behind her. The demon watched it plop to the floor and then looked back up at her as she walked around the couch. “Come on, babes. You’re just kidding.”

“No, I’m not. I’ve never been in a relationship, Beej. I’m 23 going on 24 and I still have yet to date anybody.” She looked down at him and all he did was cock his head to the side and listen.

“I mean I’ve gone on dates but they never led anywhere. They’re usually just some guys my friends set me up with that aren’t that interested anyway. They always expect me to be like a clone of my friends. All giggly, and cutesy, and sexy, and flirty and...-and just not me! Ever since high school no guy has ever looked my way unless they were looking at the person standing next to me. I don’t turn heads. I don’t get people looking at me wherever I go. And it’s not even their fault, it’s also mine. I don’t go anywhere unless my friends drag me out. I stay home and do my own thing by myself. It just is what it is, Beej. Sometimes some people are just meant to stay alone.” As Y/N ended her rant she felt a small amount of tears build up in her eyes.

Y/N had always felt lonely until Beej came along. Even with her friends and family she always felt alone. Of course she felt bad about it. She wanted companionship, someone to talk to. Someone who was a friend and a lover. Someone she could talk to about anything and everything. And she thought she would never find that. So when Y/N came to that conclusion, she left it alone. Until a certain dead man came into her life.

The young woman didn’t realize she had been pacing back and forth behind the couch until Beetlejuice walked in front of her. She was determined not to let him see her tears but when she looked into his golden eyes she saw a mix of concern, sternness, sympathy, and worry. After that, her tears made small streaks down her cheeks.

“Just forget it, Beej. It wasn’t even that serious. Look, we've missed the ending.” She slightly whimpered, looking at the TV to see the credits rolling. While wiping the tears on her hoodie sleeve she went to move around him but he stood in front of her. Beetlejuice still didn’t speak and that only made her worry more. What was he going to say? What was he thinking? Y/N froze when the demon grabbed her face and wiped the remaining tears with the pads of his thumbs. His eyes softened as he looked into hers.

“Just one question, babes.” He spoke softly, almost like a whisper. At this point, Y/N was sure blush was covering her entire face. “If you’ve never been in a relationship, have you ever kissed anyone?”

The question caught her off guard. Of course she never kissed anyone though. She got close around 3rd grade during recess when a boy pulled her towards the swing and tried to kiss her. Only to be stopped when all of his friends caught them and started making fun of them.

“No. Never.” Y/N answered quietly while looking down to the floor. She wasn’t sure what embarrassed her more, the question or the answer. Surely Beej was going to make another joke causing her to be even more embarrassed. Before she could say anything else, the man moved her face towards her and placed his lips on top of hers.

Y/N hated the cliches of sappy romance movies and novels. Despite all of the same tropes she’d see, she finally agreed on one thing. Her first kiss was like fireworks. She felt like she was on cloud nine. While she didn’t necessarily know what to do, she was determined to figure it out. Y/N leaned into Beej’s lips with a relieved sigh, and much to her embarrassment, a light moan. She prayed to every and God there was that Beej didn’t notice it. But oh, he noticed.

The sound encouraged him to move one hand from her cheek to around her waist. Y/N nuzzled her cheek more into his hand and moved her own hands to his chest. All Y/N could do was let Beetlejuice take control. He deepened the kiss by pulling her closer and pushing his lips more onto hers. She had to push herself up on her toes to reach him even more.

But before Y/N could move her hands up further to his neck, he pulled his head back, ending the kiss abruptly. All Y/N could do was let out a slight whine while Beetlejuice chuckled in response.

“Well, now you have.” Beetlejuice said while smiling down at her. It took Y/N a second but she then realized what he meant. All she could do was giggle and hide her face in his chest. Beetlejuice laughed with her and wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“Let me tell you, babes. I’ve been waiting for so long to do that.” The demon spoke softly as he placed his chin on top of her head. There was a beat of silence before Y/N moved her head back and looked at him with her eyebrows furrowed.

“What?” Beej looked down at her sweetly before it turned to slight fear. Y/N moved out of his arms and inched forward causing him to back up. You mean to tell me, you liked me this entire time and never said anything?” Her voice rising. He threw his hands up.

“I-I figured you needed time. I know it can be overwhelming having this much man cake to yourself, doll.” He backed himself around the couch and plopped down back to the floor. Y/N stood over him with her hands on her hips.

“Beetlejuice, I’m over here hiding my feelings and thinking there could be nothing between us...ugh! Do you realize how much sooner we could’ve done that?” She said in mock with a little bit real anger in their voice. Beej sat up, crossed his legs, and smirked at her.

“Hiding your feelings, you say?” Beej inched forward and Y/N rolled her eyes.

“Ugh, yes. I-I’ve liked you for the longest, Beej. I just never said anything. But you felt the same so I’m not the only one at fault!” She yelled and turned her head to the side to look away from him. She could feel Beetlejuie staring at her.

“Y/N.” He spoke softly from the floor. She still didn’t move or look back. She heard him moving towards her and she finally looked down. He sat on his knees in front of her and moved his hands slowly up her thighs. This time she didn’t move. She only stared into his eyes like he had her in a trance. The demon man gazed at her with a more mischievous grin on his face.

“Let’s make up for lost time.”

Hope you guys enjoyed!

#beetlejuice #beetlejuice x reader #beetlejuice the musical #beetlejuice fanfiction

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