Robert Redford: Still Awesome After All These Years

1985 cover SKI Magazine

Robert Redford is a guy who never ceases to amaze me with his activism, his focus, his contributions to environmental causes and film and, most of all, his screen presence.  As a woman of a certain age, he is my all time favorite movie star and the handsomest man I've ever not seen.  Cary Grant wins that accolade from me because I walked past him once at Dodger Stadium and almost swooned at his gorgeousness.  (He had white hair and those heavy rimmed glasses by then but no matter.)

 

Anyway, SKI magazine is celebrating their 75th year in publication by "honoring the people, events, places, and things that have made skiing what it is today."

Redford is their first choice. 

Mine too.

Elizabeth Taylor: The Face That Launched

As a Woman of a Certain Age for some time, Elizabeth Taylor deserves her propers.  Here's my contribution to the media frenzy.

My girlfriend's mother, Grace, was a hairdresser at MGM back in the early Fifties.  Debbie Reynolds and Elizabeth Taylor were close friends and often came in at the same time for hair and makeup.  Grace said they were always in safety pins, pinning together their raggedy outfits, hair in curlers and whatnot.  She said Elizabeth Taylor was the most beautiful star on the lot, really did have violet eyes and a double row of eyelashes.  Grace said the two of them could really cut up and Ms. Taylor had "a mouth like a sailor". 

                                        Elizabeth Taylor by Roddy McDowall

Everyone knew she had violet eyes but I'd never heard about her lashes til Grace told the story.  I was about 16. She sounded pretty interesting to me!

                                                                                               

At some point during the Sixties, I saw this photograph taken of Ms. Taylor by her childhood friend, Roddy McDowall.  It was published in either the Ladies Home Journal or McCalls.  (My mother subscribed to both so not sure but leaning towards LHJ)  It is supposedly a photo of her without makeup.  With or without, it remains my favorite.