Portrait by Jacob Heinrich Elbfas (1600–1664) December 18, 1626– Christina, Queen Of Sweden "It is a far greater happiness to obey no one than to rule the whole world." In 1626, a Swedish Queen was born and I am not talking about that guy in the kitchen section of … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Greta Garbo
Garbo and Nils Asther in Wild Orchids (1929) directed by Sydney Franklin, photo via Wikimedia Commons September 19, 1905 - Greta Lovisa Gustafson: "Being a movie star, and this applies to all of them, means being looked at from every possible direction. You are never … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Writer & Lover of Women, Mercedes de Acosta
March 1, 1883– Mercedes de Acosta: "I can get any woman from any man." March is Women's History Month, and with Rapey von Tinyfingers and his administration finally out of power, there's never been a better time to honor all women. Especially gay women. Alice B. … [Read more...]
#RealEstatePorn: Garbo’s NYC Apartment Is on the Market For the First Time in 64 Years –Just As She Left It
Yes, for the first time in 64 years, Greta Garbo's Upper East Side apartment is on the market. (FYI, Garbo, was one of Hollywood's biggest stars in the 20s & 30s.) Her family has decided to sell the place and due to the building’s ultra-exclusive nature, interested buyers must … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Tennis Player, Bill Tilden
February 10, 1893- William Tatem Tilden II: “I am not a criminal! I am a tennis player. I feel awkward saying this, but I consider myself an artist, an artist of the game...I have to create.” I was recently regaling the sad tale of the trials and tribulations of Bill Tilden to … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Writer, Vicki Baum
January 24, 1888- Vicki Baum When her book and play Grand Hotel became a Broadway hit, Baum traveled from Berlin to the USA to take part in the advertising campaign of her NYC publisher Doubleday. She was celebrated as a star, and after a publicity tour around the country for … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Photographer/Designer, Cecil Beaton
January 14, 1904- Cecil Beaton I have been reading 2 volumes of Cecil Beaton’s Diaries over the past year, in small little doses, choosing to read a few entries here and there. He knew & photographed everyone that mattered for most of the 20th century. As a gay man of … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Marlene Dietrich
December 27, 1901- Marlene Dietrich: “I am at heart a gentleman.” Don't you continue to find her to be fabulous? She had quite the gay life. Marie Magdalene Dietrich, the smoky voiced Gay Icon, ended her cabaret show in the very dangerously conservative 1950s, with this … [Read more...]
#RealEstatePorn: Gore Vidal’s Cliffside Italian Villa, La Rondinaia, Is Up For Sale
Writer Gore Vidal famously owned this gravity-defying villa in Ravello, along Italy’s Amalfi … [Read more...]
#BornThisDay: Actor, Rin Tin Tin
September 10, 1918- Born on a battlefield in World War 1, Rin Tin Tin went on to be a big American film star & Gay Icon. Rin Tin Tin is credited with saving Warner Brothers Studios from … [Read more...]
