Loretta or Cary: Who Is more Beautiful?

Loretta Young: a photographer's dream

The Faces of Beauty
Both Loretta Young and Cary Grant were known as much for their classic movie star looks as their acting abilities. Young, a star since the days of silent films, is considered one of the screen’s great beauties. Her big expressive eyes and lovely cheekbones made her a photographer’s dream. Grant’s was the face that the top female stars of the 1930s wanted next to theirs on the big screen.

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
When Young and Grant costarred together in The Bishop’s Wife (1947), audiences were faced with two of the most beautiful and most photographed faces in the movies. With those two great faces on the screen side by side, the question comes up; who is the most beautiful of all?

Publicity photograph of Cary Grant

Dressed to Impress
In the film, Grant plays a very dashing angel named Dudley. Dressed by five-time Oscar-winner Irene Sharaff, Grant looked as if he just walked off the set of Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946). He’s as dapper as, well, Cary Grant. Young on the other hand, plays Julia Brougham, the wife of a Bishop (David Niven). Throughout the movie, Young is dressed modestly, but beautifully. Likewise, her hairstyle is pulled back, simply styled, but framing that beautiful, luminous face.

Vanity, Vanity
Like the public that adored them, Young and Grant were aware of their respective good looks and did all they could to present themselves on screen in the best way possible. The story goes that when director Henry Koster blocked out a two-shot between Young and Grant, both protested that the blocking did not exploit the best sides of their faces. To appease the two stars, Koster had them look out a window in the same direction. This shot satisfied Young and Grant because their best sides (the left sides of their faces) were photographed.

I'm not Paying for Half a Face

 Tyrone Power and Young

When producer Samuel Goldwyn saw the dailies (film shot that day), he was critical of Koster’s decision to shoot the scene in such a manner. When Koster asked Young and Grant to explain why the shot was set up and filmed this way, Goldywn let go with one of his famous “Goldwynisms.” He said to both stars “Look, if I'm only getting half a face, you're only getting half a salary!” Young and Grant, both being freelance movie stars and not contracted to a major movie studio were also conscious of workplace politics.

After that confrontation with the boss, the subject of what side of their faces looked better on film never came up again.

Coming Soon: Interview with Best-Selling Author Karen Abbott

Check back next month for an interview with best-selling author Karen Abbott. Abbott's first nonfiction book, Sin in the Second City chronicled the rise and fall of the notorious Levee District in Chicago.

For her second book, American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare, Abbott chose Gypsy Rose Lee as her subject. This new biography, of the show business legend, chronicles her humble beginnings from playing second fiddle to her pretty baby sister to her rise and eventual triumph as the queen of burlesque. This interview will post on December 28, 2010.

Around the South Loop and Chicago: Happy Thanksgiving!

South Loop Connection would like to wish everyone a "Happy Thanksgiving." We hope you enjoy some of the shots around Chicago and the South Loop. Most of the photographs were taken this week. How many locations can you recognize?

Rainy days and Mondays: This past Monday wasn't the best day to walk to work.

The new Old St. Mary's school is going up fast.

2nd Ward Alderman Bob Fioretti and 3rd Ward Alderman Pat Dowell at the "State of the South Loop"

Fall colors morph into winter sparkle at the Blackstone Hotel.

Workers insulate the wall of a building on S. Michigan Ave. just south of Johnson Publishing

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas: sprucing up (pun intended) S. Michigan Ave.

The clock inside the Chicago Hilton and Towers lobby

Commuters cross Wacker Dr. with the Merchandise Mart in the background

The view of Trump Tower from Lake St. and Wabash Ave.

Flirting with Flirty Cupcakes on Lake St. between Clark and Dearborn

The Boeing building and points south

Picketers in front of the Congress Hotel

The Glessner House Museum porte ccohere is lighted for an evening event

Trader Joe's Coming to Roosevelt and Wabash?

True or South Loop Urban Legend?
I know, I know, you’ve heard this rumor a million times since you moved to the South Loop. New fuel was added to that fire this past Saturday at the State of the South Loop meeting with Aldermen Fioretti and Dowell.

A Supermarket is Coming to that Address
During his address, Fioretti said that a supermarket would be opening up in the old Sam’s wine store. He added that he couldn’t mention the name, but that it would be upscale. Well, that could suggest Trader Joe’s. But what about Fox and Obel? As some of us may recall, before Sam’s moved in, it was rumored that Fox and Obel was opening at Roosevelt and Wabash. In fact, this rumor actually made the pages of the Tribune, as I remember.

Most Supermarkets in Town
When the new supermarket opens, whichever one it is, I think the South Loop will have set some kind of record for the most supermarkets concentrated in a very narrow corridor; they’ll all be within walking distance of each other.

I’m hoping for Trader Joe’s. I love the one at 44 E. Ontario St., but it’s a bit of a hassle shopping there if you don’t have a car. One within four blocks of my house would be heaven. That means I’ll never run out of peanut butter and organic jelly!

What do you think? Is Trader Joe’s coming or not?

UPDATE: It's official. Trader Joe's has applied for a business license for 1147 S. Wabash Ave. Click here for details.

Looking for the Perfect Holiday Gift?

Stress-free Holiday Shopping
Order a gift bag from Overflow Coffee Bar.  Save yourself time, energy and stress.  They offer FREE delivery in the South Loop!  Your purchase also helps this new South Loop business and makes a positive difference in the lives of farmers and for the environment. 

Gift Bags Make it Easy

These bags are CREATE YOUR OWN!  Select your own unique variety of coffee, tea, hot cocoa, chocolate and Overflow branded items.  You check off what you want in the bag and they put it together for you.  You can select one item, five of the items, or all the items, it's up to you.

More information is available at the Overflow Coffee Bar Web site.

Help Change the World
Overflow Coffee Bar’s mission is to give South Loop residents, ,and workers the opportunity to change the world.  They are coming to 1550 S. State in 2011 but they are already offering items (including the holiday gift bags) for purchase on their website.  Every purchase helps them open sooner and with a better chance of success.

To learn more about Overflow Coffee Bar check out the cool video below.

OVERFLOW Hits the Streets of the South Loop of Chicago from Brandon Neely on Vimeo.

Announcing South Loop Shout Out!

This could be you, sort of.

South Loop Shout Out!
Do you have something great you’d like to share with your neighbors in the South Loop? Do you have a problem with dog owners not cleaning up after their pets in front of your building? Is there a new store or restaurant in the South Loop that you like? Have an idea that would make life in the South Loop better? Do you have a club or organization that you’d like to talk about? Thought about writing a blog, but want to test the waters first?

Well, this is your opportunity to let your voice be heard. Here are some of the rules (you knew there would be rules, didn’t you?).

Guidelines for South Loop Shout Out! Writers
Blog posts should be no longer than 500 words. Posts cannot be anonymous; your name will be attached to anything you have published on the South Loop Connection blog.

It's Easy!
Blog posts may be submitted in Microsoft Word or any other word processing program you are familiar with. If you don’t have access to word processing software, you may provide your submission via e-mail. Please, to the best of your ability, proof and spell check your work upon submission. SLC reserves the right to edit for length and clarity.

South Loop Shout Out! will not publish personal attacks on individuals or groups, but will consider opinions and viewpoints on a variety of issues related to life in the South Loop.

The comments and issues expressed in South Loop Shout Out! are the opinions of the writers and not the opinions of the SLC blog.

Send submissions to sreggie@sbcglobal.net, include “South Loop Shout Out!” in the subject line, and let your voice be heard.

"Meet Me at the Movies" after "Laura"

There Never Was a Woman Like Laura
We had a great crowd last night for the screening of Laura starring Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews. By an interesting coincidence, Friday November 19 marked Tierney's birthday. She would have been 90 years old.

Some of the "Meet Me at the Movies" crowd

To Weather Mark Tavern We Go!
After the movie, about 15 of us went to Weather Mark Tavern 1503 S. Michigan Ave. to eat, drink, and discuss the movie. Those who had never seen Laura before were stumped as to who the murderer was. The 1944 classic was voted the fourth best film in the mystery genre in 2008 by the American Film Institute and the music by David Raksin was ranked number seven by the AFI's 100 Years of Film Scores in 2005.

These ladies are regular "Meet Me at the Movies" attendees