SparkleJamesySparkle

Vintage media and pop culture through a rainbow lens. Restored photos, gif sets and Tinseltown lore. Blog established in 2013. Canadian, proud cat daddy, comfortably settled in adulthood. 🇨🇦 🌈🐱 Blank blogs, porn, terfs, ai slop, negativity, etc. will be blocked. Minors dni.

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“𝐎𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲: ‘𝐎𝐡, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐝𝐨𝐠 𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐡. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐝𝐫𝐨𝐩 𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐭’𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲.’ 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐦𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐲: ‘𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲, 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜!’ 𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰, 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐝𝐨𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬. 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐟𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐡𝐢𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝.” Elizabeth Taylor chats with Whoopi Goldberg on the debut episode of The Whoopi Goldberg Show, originally broadcast in syndication on September 14th, 1992. An early trailblazer in the fight against HIV/AIDS and a staunch and outspoken LGBTQ+ ally, Elizabeth committed her time and energy to the cause when her friend and co-star Rock Hudson was diagnosed with AIDS prior to his passing in 1985. Elizabeth went on to become a co-founder (alongside Dr. Mathilde Krim) of the first AIDS research center amfAR, and later founded her separate Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation in 1991 with the specific focus of providing nutritious meals (as well as medical and financial assistance) to people living with HIV and AIDS. She also lobbied the U.S. congress to contribute more money for AIDS research and education, devoting the last twenty-six years of her life to the cause. After Elizabeth passed away in 2011 at the age of 79, a large portion of the $156,800,000 raised at the Christie’s auction of her legendary jewelry collection was bequeathed to her charity in order to continue providing the services and assistance she believed were important in perpetuity. Still actively raising funds today, Elizabeth’s grandson Quinn Tivey is now an officer and co-trustee of her foundation. Reflecting on his grandmother’s humanitarianism and advocacy, he recently stated: “The fight against HIV/AIDS was such a vital part of her legacy, and although the fight is far from over, I’m honored to see the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation continue her work, educating legislators, raising awareness for the public, disproving myths and decreasing fear and stigma. Grandma stood up for what she believed in, living boldly and courageously. She would never buckle under pressure, and she certainly would not support the status quo if the status quo didn’t feel right.”

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Lgbtq+ classic screen matinee idol Ramón Novarro and chorus boys perform a cheerful little ditty about remaining united in the face of adversity (colorized version below) in the MGM/Robert Z. Leonard pre-code musical In Gay Madrid, 1930.🌈

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Gene Hackman as Reverend Frank Scott, Pamela Sue Martin as ship passenger Susan Shelby, Red Buttons as passenger James Martin, Ernest Borgnine as police lieutenant Mike Rogo, and Stella Stevens as Linda, an ex-hooker with a heart of brass (and the new Mrs. Rogo), in the 20th Century Fox/Ronald Neame disaster epic The Poseidon Adventure, 1972. Featuring an all-star cast (which included Roddy McDowall and Shelley Winters, who earned a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe Award in the same category for her performance as selfless passenger Belle Rosen), The Poseidon Adventure was a box office and critical smash, praised for its fantastic script, innovative special effects, and riveting, character-driven storyline. The movie still holds up today and rightly deserves its singular designation as "the best disaster movie of the 1970s".

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"𝐈'𝐦 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬. 𝐒𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐢𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫." Remembering four time Best Actress Academy Award winning screen legend Katharine Hepburn... Born on May 12th, 1907 in Hartford, Connecticut Died on June 29th, 2003 (age 96) in Old Saybrook, Connecticut ❤ Portrait of Katharine by George Platt Lynes, 1939.

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"𝐈 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐢𝐫𝐥 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫. 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫." Remembering screen icon Jayne Mansfield... Born on April 19th, 1933 in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania Died on June 29th, 1967 (age 34) near Slidell, Louisiana ❤ Portraits of Jayne Taken by French-Canadian photographer Gaby (aka: Gabriel Desmarais), Los Angeles, 1957.

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"𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰; 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭. 𝐒𝐨 𝐈'𝐦 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐧𝐬." Remembering classic Hollywood screen legend Lana Turner... Born on February 8th, 1921 in Wallace, Idaho Died on June 29th, 1995 (age 74) in Los Angeles, California ❤ Photos of Lana taken by Clarence Sinclair Bull in 1941 (long hair) and 1942 (short hair).

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"𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧-𝐚 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐧-𝐚 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐈'𝐦 𝐠𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐚 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐞, 𝐚 𝐩𝐥𝐮𝐦 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐨𝐭-𝐚 𝐭𝐨𝐨, 𝐞𝐡!"

Remembering singer and actress Rosemary Clooney... Born on May 23rd, 1928 in Maysville, Kentucky, Died on June 29th, 2002 (age 74) in Beverly Hills, California ❤

The photos of Rosemary featured above were taken to promote her first number one hit single Come On-a My House which she recorded in 1951 with music industry maestro Mitch Miller leading a group of four musicians. The just under two minute long and extremely catchy novelty number was written by Ross Bagdasarian and acclaimed novelist William Saroyan using a melody adapted from an Armenian folk song with lyrics reflecting old Armenian hospitality customs. Fun Fact: though the song was a massive hit and Clooney sang it throughout her long career, her feelings about the number were the same as Doris Day's towards her similarly-veined 1950s hit Que Sera Sera: she ~utterly~ hated it, only recorded it because Miller threatened to replace her as lead vocalist if she backed out, and couldn't understand why it was so popular. "You can hear the anger in my voice because I was forced to sing it," Rosemary stated decades later. "I despise it to this day."

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Myrna Loy as Nora Charles and William Powell as her husband Nick in the MGM/Richard Thorpe comedy-mystery The Thin Man Goes Home, 1944. This was number five of the six very popular The Thin Man movies Loy and Powell starred in together between 1934 and 1947.

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Joan Crawford as department store model Geraldine "Gerry" March in the MGM/Harry Beaumont pre-code comedy-melodrama Our Blushing Brides, 1930. Miss Crawford's glamorous (and rather risqué) gowns in the film were designed by Gilbert Adrian. This was the third and final of a similarly titled (but unconnected plot and character-wise) trilogy Joan starred in for MGM and the first in sound, the previous two being Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and Our Modern Maidens (1929).

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📽️🎬𝐎𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐬. 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐞🎬📽️ Miriam Hopkins as Millie Drake and Bette Davis as Kit Marlowe in the Warner Bros./Vincent Sherman drama Old Acquaintance (1943), and Candice Bergen as Merry Noel Blake and Jacqueline Bisset as Liz Hamilton in the MGM/George Cukor drama Rich and Famous (1981). This was classic screen director Cukor's final theatrical movie after a fifty year long career. Both films were adapted from the 1940 Broadway play Old Acquaintance by John Van Druten. Fun Fact: Bette and Miriam utterly ~loathed~ each other in real life and had a long-standing feud which began years earlier, creating a volatile working environment; Candice and Jacqueline also clashed while making Rich and Famous, with the set described as "tense" and Bisset (who also had a producer credit) accusing others of "untruthfulness" and "backstabbing"; she also irritated George Cukor with the length of time she spent on her hair and makeup, which he felt slowed things down.

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Clara Bow in early two-strip Technicolor footage shot for the introduction of the Paramount Pictures/Clarence G. Badger silent movie Red Hair, 1928. The approximately seventy minute film, the remainder of which was in black and white, is now considered lost, with only the brief color segment surviving and stored in the UCLA Film and Television Archive. This is the only known footage of Clara ever shot in color, capturing her auburn hair on celluloid for posterity.

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“𝐀𝐬 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐈 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐞𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐬.”

In memory of classic screen star Ann Blyth who has passed away at the age of 98. Best remembered for her iconic performance as Joan Crawford's spoiled, selfish daughter Veda in the 1945 film noir Mildred Pierce (for which she received a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award nomination while still in her teens) and for her role as Lenore the mermaid in the 1948 romantic fantasy Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, Blyth had dozens of film and television credits to her name prior to her retirement from acting in 1985. In memory of Ann... August 16th, 1927 - June 24th, 2026 May she rest in peace. 🕊️

Portrait of Ann by Paul Hesse, circa early-1950s.

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The opening scene of the Walt Disney Productions/Gary Nelson fantasy comedy Freaky Friday (1976), illustrations by Kelly Oechsli (who was uncredited) with titles by Art Stevens and John L. Jensen.

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Hollywood's original "It" girl Clara Bow in the Paramount Pictures/Dorothy Arzner pre-code comedy drama The Wild Party, 1929. After a number of years starring in silent movies, this was Bow's first "talkie". The flapper costumes in the film were designed by Travis Banton.

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Myrna Loy as Nora Charles in the MGM/W.S. Van Dyke pre-code comedy-mystery The Thin Man, 1934.

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"𝐒𝐮𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐫 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐞, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐮𝐥𝐟𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨. 𝐁𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐢𝐭'𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧." -𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐡 𝐅𝐚𝐰𝐜𝐞𝐭𝐭 Remembering television and screen icon Farrah Fawcett... Born on February 2nd, 1947 in Corpus Christi, Texas Died on June 25th, 2009 (age 62) in Santa Monica, California ❤ Gifs of Farrah from her star-making role as private investigator Jill Munroe on the hit 1970s ABC/Aaron Spelling television series Charlie's Angels.

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Keanu Reeves as Jack-be-Nimble and Richard Mulligan as Barnaby Barnicle in the Orion Television/Clive Donner holiday musical Babes in Toyland, originally broadcast by NBC on December 19th, 1986.