Kylie Minogue as Marlene.

From the spring issue of Sorbet magazine. Two of my favorites merge!

Elsa Mars, 'American Horror Story: Freak Show"

Did anyone happen to catch this season's American Horror Story: Freak Show? It featured Dietrich references and imagery throughout. Jessica Lange turned in a brilliant, Marlene-styed ("She stole my act.") performance as Elsa Mars, the owner of the Freak Show, who wants to be a star while hiding more secrets than Witness For The Prosecution. Lange turned in  show stealing Dietrich like musical performances of Lana Del Rey's Gods and Monsters and Life on Mars  and Heroes originally performed by that Dietrich fan and delightful androgyne David Bowie.  The homage to MD and DB sent me over the moon. For those who don't like horror her's the link to Life On Mars:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5D1-VlrWcA

Leni, wenn du Geburtstag hast?

Happy birthday to Marlene Dietrich, whose sultry birthday song, "Johnny," should have replaced the insipid American one. In honor of this day, I'll post my favorite cover of her song. Please share your favorite versions--by Marlene or by others--in the comments section.

When Baryshnikov & Dietrich Met on Business

Back in 1987, the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) hosted its 6th annual awards dinner at the Temple of Dendur in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. For $750 a plate, attendees got to watch designers--who paid only $250 for their grub (beat that, AARP cardholders!)--walk like Egyptians to the podium and bask in the recognition of their peers.

Absent from the ceremony was Marlene Dietrich, who had won a lifetime achievement award, which someone less respectful than I might term a sort of "deathbed award" that Dietrich describes under her ABC entry, "Academy Award." On Marlene's behalf, Mikhail Baryshnikov accepted the award. Maria Riva tells us in her book that Dietrich rejected David Riva for this task in favor of the diminutive dancer-turned-actor, who became the object of her mother's unbridled octogenarian lust.

If Baryshnikov never had the chance to visit Dietrich's "nice and tight" nether regions, at least one of her top-shelf impersonators, played by Adele Anderson, flirted with him and Gene Hackman in the 1991 movie, Company Business. This Dietrich may be dressed like The Blue Angel's Lola-Lola, but she's singing "The Boys in the Backroom," the signature song of Destry Rides Again's Frenchy, even jiggling her Adam's apple like the saloon strumpet to whimper with vibrato!

Dial 'M' for Marlene: One More Ballyhoo

Gussie Berger & Ariane Bellamar
as Marlene Dietrich & Marilyn Monroe

Tell me where this story originated: after Marlene Dietrich had rejected the role of Nazi floozy Erika von Schlütow in A Foreign Affair, Billy Wilder showed her June Havoc's screen test, which presumably convinced Dietrich that only she could handle the part. I can only trace it as far back as Homer Dickens' book, The Films of Marlene Dietrich, first published in 1968.

Whatever this tale's roots may be, it came to mind (as did Barbra Streisand and the multiple hats she wore for the productions of Yentl, The Prince of Tides, and The Mirror Has Two Faces) when I learned of Dial 'M' for Marlene's recent casting change.

Although Gussie Berger has assured me that the play's former Dietrich, Victoria Valentino, left by her own volition, I can't help but credit kismet because Berger herself has now stepped into Dietrich's foundation. This second recasting will undoubtedly augment the play's comedic appeal, and I hope to catch it before it ends its run on Sunday, July 15, 2012 at The Flight Theater. Make your reservations before you miss this incredible revamp! Visit its Facebook page for more info!

News About This Blog

On the subject of recasting, you may have noticed the banner in the sidebar for the blogathon, The Great Recasting, co-hosted by Frankly, My Dear and In The Mood. Click it to learn more. I'll be imagining Marlene Dietrich and Jane Wyman in The Devil Wears Prada. When I first watched this movie, the way that Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) treated Andi Sachs (Anne Hathaway) immediately reminded me of Charlotte Inwood and Eve Gill in Stage Fright. Now, I have an excuse to fashion my fancy into a blog entry! If you have any suggestions for who should play Stanley Tucci and Adrian Grenier's roles, I welcome them.

Aside from that, I look forward to others contributing entries. If you'd like be an author on this blog, let me know! Of course, I've got my own list of entries in mind, but I never manage to get to them as quickly as I intend: a third part in my horse-related series (see the first and second parts; by the way, I've been agonizing about my omission of Blonde Venus, which features a brief horse scene), more Maria Riva blind items, a series comparing Marlene's films with Greta Garbo's, an entry about Dietrich's influence on Marilyn Manson, a look at how Marlene was promoted to Latino audiences in the United States, a transcription of Thom Nickels' profile on Marlene's friend John Banks (which Nickels very kindly mailed me), etc. If you'd like me to get to any of those topics first, tell me what interests you most.

Meanwhile, I'll continue adding locations to Mapping Marlene Dietrich and listing online resources for Dietrich's concert-era photographers, both of which would benefit vastly from your contributions. I would like to especially thank missladiva and Paul for their help in both those endeavors.

EDIT: Thanks to Google Alerts, I saw a somber example of Dietrich's cultural salience--a girl named Marlene Dietrich who was born in 1931 and passed away in 1934. Also, I watched a Russian newsreel of Dietrich's 1964 Moscow appearance on YouTube that seems to categorize Marlene Dietrich's work as art and Marlene as a poet (Russian-speakers, correct me if I'm wrong; I speak Bulgarian, and these words appear to be cognates).

Last Night, I Dialed 'M' For Marlene

Last night, I dialed 'M' for Marlene. There was a bit of static, but our operator-cum-playwright/director/stagehand Gary LeGault made the connection. In Dial 'M' for Marlene, the story begins at Marilyn Monroe's January 7, 1955 press conference where she announces the launch of Marilyn Monroe Productions with her business partner, Milton H. Greene. Never one to miss a publicity opportunity, Marlene Dietrich attends the event. Herein lies my first and only quibble. Why wasn't there a moment when Monroe, Greene, and Dietrich pose together, in reference to this photograph? Oh, one more gripe, which would come later. A dusty mirror initially assaulted my senses because Dietrich would have never tolerated such filth in her apartment. Because this play later kicks open the door to the spirit world, Dietrich's Prussian geist undoubtedly possessed LeGault, who Windexed (Or Fabuloso-ed? Who knows what's available at this end of Hollywood?) the soiled looking glass.

Otherwise, this play is rife with fun Dietrich (and Monroe, which doesn't interest me much here) trivia. Dietrich (Victoria Valentino) invites Monroe (Ariane Bellamar) and Greene (Jeremy Ebenstein) to her apartment at 993 Park Avenue (by the way, I racked my brain trying to remember whether Dietrich lived at this address during the first half of the '50s and am now inclined to believe that she actually lived at 410 Park Avenue at this time, which is why your knowledge is integral in augmenting and correcting the markers in the now-dormant Mapping Marlene Dietrich project), name-drops Ernest Hemingway and Noel Coward, and pretends to be a Spanish maid when she answers her phone, which happens to rest upon a trunk stickered with depictions of Cap d'Antibes and Le Grand Hotel, possibly inadvertent nods to Dietrich and Greta Garbo respectively. Speaking of trunks, Dietrich and Monroe chit-chat about the circus, in reference to Dietrich's ringmaster stint (on March 31, 1954 and also back in 1952) and Monroe's later elephant ride. Before I forget Garbo, I should add that there are a few jokes at her expense, which always wins my applause. I wish I could recall all of them, but I can only cite one at the moment--about Garbo in a floppy hat and a trench coat, shopping at a flea market and stalking poor Monroe.

So what about the performances? Well, it's nearly impossible to play Dietrich without her souffle foundation and skin-firming braids, but Valentino began to find Dietrich's trademark accent after the first scene. With some false lashes glued to the outer edges of her eyelids, she'd also have Dietrich's bedroom eyes. Maybe Bellamar could snip hers in half and share? As for Bellamar, she cooed her lines as sultrily as Monroe would have, and her Louboutins were a contemporary touch that I'm sure Monroe would sport if she were among today's stars. Given that Valentino and Bellamar had replaced the previous lead actresses with short notice, I was impressed by their efforts, although these beautiful women ought to give their scenes with a Sapphic touch a firm squeeze. Regardless, these two played their parts to meta-theatrical perfection. When Dietrich hands the torch--or, in this case, the confetti horn--to Monroe, I couldn't help but see the act transpiring between the actresses themselves, a 1963 Playboy Playmate graciously giving her blessing to a 21st-century Playboy Bunny.

The supporting cast gave Peter Sellars a run for his money by taking on multiple roles and accents, but my favorites were Bruce Culpepper, who (naturally?) evoked Dr. Phil in his role as 1st Psychologist, and Peter Cluff, whose lisping 2nd Psychologist may have been a reference that flew over my head. Dietrich fans will also chuckle upon seeing Sophie Brabenec's Mawia Wiva interpretation and her Gertrude Lawrence/Gertrude Stein possession at Dietrich's seance, where spaghetti--not spaetzle--is served. Bill Riva would have felt at home!

If I can, I'll gladly redial Dial 'M' for Marlene. As I've told you before, visit its Facebook page for more information and see it before it ends its run on July 15.

Fame Begets Parody: Morelegs Sweetrick

Marlene Dietrich & Shirley Temple (1934?)

Ah! Marlene Dietrich and Shirley Temple photographed so perfectly together that they were like the mother-daughter duo who never was. Forget Heidede! Heidi's stolen the show. If you want to see the photo to your left in print, I can tell you with certainty that it gets an entire page to itself in the McGraw-Hill edition of Sheridan Morley's biography, Marlene Dietrich, with a caption about Temple's first onscreen kiss in her role as the questionably named Morelegs Sweetrick, "a parody of Dietrich and Morocco." Tres Toddlers & Tiaras! Indeed, Temple spoofed Dietrich under Charles Lamont's direction in a 1933 short called Kid 'n' Hollywood, but it wasn't a nod to Morocco.

As you'll see below, the soundtrack announces Sweetrick's debut as lazy, big-footed Freta Snobo's (ouch! a snarky jab at Greta Garbo!) replacement to the strains of The Blue Angel's "Falling in Love Again," yet Sweetrick's costume resembles Dietrich's "Hot Voodoo" get-up from the film Blonde Venus. With a glittering top, fluffy trim, and an arrow through her head, all that Sweetrick's missing is an oversize afro. At least she compensates with a colossal diaper pin! Rather than croon a Dietrich standard, Sweetrick hiccups "We Just Couldn't Say Goodbye," a signature song of Annette Hanshaw, whose relaxed delivery at least didn't stray too far from Dietrich's. 

Music aside, the plot also references Blonde Venus. On the movie set, Sweetrick rejects her suitor's sugary temptations in favor of her husband and child (or, as she says it, "chee-yild"), just as Helen leaves her paramour Nick to return to her hubby Ned and son Johnny. On top of that, Sweetrick's suitor--whose military garb may be the closest link to Morocco, although it doesn't resemble anything Legionnaire Tom Brown sports--is wearing a hat similar to Helen's in her dressing room scene encounter with Nick. Offstage at the end, Sweetrick bathes a baby alongside her husband, evoking the first family scene shared by Helen, Ned, and Johnny. Speaking of Sweetrick's spouse, named Frightwig von Stumblebum, Wikipedia editors declare him a parody of director Erich von Stroheim, but the actress-director romance leads me to suspect that there's a little Josef von Sternberg in the character as well.

Thoughts? Reactions?



EDIT: A photograph of Shirley Temple as Morelegs Sweetrick is available now at Ebay!

Dial 'M' for Marlene Reminder

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Dial 'M' for Marlene

As I told you all before, a Greta Garbo alter-ego has been planting stories about Marlene Dietrich and Marilyn Monroe. Well, I'm glad to play along now that I know Miss Gussie Berger isn't here to pat our pockets and catch the culprit who stole her sugar cubes. Straight from the original Swedish horse's mouth, I'd like to share with you the news about . . .

Marlene Dietrich Makeup Tutorials

Getting dolled up on the Destry Rides Again set

You may move like Jagger, but are you getting dolled up like Dietrich? We've seen Marlene primping in several of her movies--The Blue Angel, Dishonored, Blonde Venus, Destry Rides Again, and Manpower coming to mind. Maria Riva shares lots of Dietrich's cosmetic tricks in her book as well.

Nowadays, YouTube makeup gurus are teaching their acolytes how to look like Our Lady of the False Eyelashes, but these YouTubers never refer to Dietrich's movies or Maria. Instead of following Marlene's techniques, they devise their own ways to emulate her, which makes perfect sense. No longer must you spit in your mascara pot, and if you do, please stop! With updated methods, these gurus ought to do Dietrich justice, but that's no easy feat without her lighting and genes.

Among these videos, I see some false prophets and some messiahs, but I prefer to ask what you think. Which of these videos get Marlene Dietrich's look right? Which go horribly awry?

Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich, and...Anna Swanson?

EDITED MAY 7, 2012 TO ADD: Looks like the video has been made private. What a pity!

when you wish upon a star from Cams Compsers on Vimeo.


While ritually Googling "marlene dietrich," I spotted a Carleton College Cinema & Media Studies (a.k.a. film school) events page, which literally highlighted Anna Swanson's presentation about herself, Lady Gaga, and Marlene Dietrich. I immediately thought, "Well, I want to watch it," and easily found it online, as you see above. It's more than a presentation, as the events page describes it. Swanson identifies it as "an experimental, historically re-interpretive, non-narrative, quasi-documentary piece on gender performativity and the construction of the female star." To me, it's a short film that cleverly splices audio and video of its subjects to address gender performativity and performance. Oh, and Swanson sounds a lot like My So-Called Life's Angela Chase, too!

When Swanson epiphanizes, "Marlene Dietrich may not be what I want her to be the way Lady Gaga is," and then cuts to Dietrich (as Mrs. Bertholt in Judgment of Nuremberg, a detail that I perhaps shouldn't bother to mention because it isn't relevant to Swanson's narrative) stating, "That's why it's so ironic," I can't help but wish that all the folks who ever professed that Dietrich was their feminist icon would watch Swanson's piece! Indeed, it is ironic because Dietrich's gendered performances have been so much more visibly striking overall than Lady Gaga's, whose only stand-out act was as Jo Calderone, yet we only know of Dietrich's vehemently anti-feminist ideology in Maximilian Schell's documentary Marlene, whereas Gaga has publicly spoken about feminist causes such as rising rates of HIV infection among women and self-identifies as a feminist.

There is, however, one caveat to this. As Swanson said, she is exploring Gaga and Dietrich's embodied self-expressions. Well, Dietrich's rant about women's lib was disembodied and perhaps intoxicated self-expression. What do we make of that? I feel as ambivalent--and possibly as naked--as Swanson does at the end of her short film. I don't feel uncomfortable, though! If Noel Coward could compare Dietrich to Helen of Troy, I have no qualms about comparing Dietrich to Lady Gaga and whoever else hits the scene years from now. I encourage the chance encounter of a sewing machine and an umbrella on an operating table.

Vanished Vestments

To keep the goon squad's interest, let's talk about some famous Marlene Dietrich duds that have disappeared. Back in the late '80s, Los Angeles Times assiduously reported on the Hollywood relics that the City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks had acquired from the then-(and still-)defunct Hollywood Museum Associates. For criminally demanding costly upkeep, these treasures were eventually sentenced to the decommissioned Lincoln Heights jail, where their Hollywood connection ironically continued. Because the jail served as a filming location for chefs d'oeuvre such as Chained Heat, these captive costumes and memorabilia allegedly became swag for thieving film crews.

This story described one such stolen goodie as "a white tuxedo worn in 1935 by Dietrich in The Devil Is a Woman." Oh, yes. I remember that scene as if it were yesterday. Concha gets deported from some South Pacific island for inciting barroom brawls yet manages to become a Russian empress who earns chump change as a clip joint floozy, coaxing electrical workers to squander their paychecks on apples. This must be from the scene in mind:

Obviously, this is not Concha, but Helen from Blonde Venus

Because the L.A. Times writer didn't cite the right Dietrich film, I wonder whether this costume was in fact snatched from some jail cell. Someone posted this photo of a white tuxedo displayed at the Filmmuseum Berlin as the one from Blonde Venus, but it's surely a tux from Dietrich's later cabaret career, isn't it? It reminds me an awful lot of the tux featured on the Dietrich in Rio LP cover. Whatever the truth is, the FIDM Museum blog continues to spoil us by sharing high-quality images of Dietrich-owned items on loan from the Dept. of Recreation and Parks, such as this pair of custom-made Delmans. Dietrich didn't need to dance when she could get the party started with those disco balls on her heels.

With all this Blonde Venus tux talk, I'd like to pay my respects to the late Whitney Houston, who referenced Dietrich, the Supremes, and Audrey Hepburn in her "I'm Your Baby Tonight" music video (the American and European versions below, to appeal to this blog's international readers).

American version:

European version:

Musically speaking, I prefer the American version, which exemplifies Houston's foray into harder-edged R&B after the 1989 Soul Train Awards audience booed her R&B/urban contemporary nomination for "Where Do Broken Hearts Go?"--a power-pop ballad whose soul truly is difficult to discern. The house remix of the European "I'm Your Baby Tonight" release nullifies this context, which may be inconsequential to non-American audiences who have never lived in the U.S. to experience its race relations, where crossover artists can be treated like traitors or nonentities. Think Houston's cousin, Dionne Warwick.

In terms of images, I don't notice any difference between the the videos' Dietrich homages. I will point out, however, that--although the tuxedo color, backup dancers, setting, and hand-grabbing certainly mirror the Blonde Venus comeback performance--the scene amalgamates some Morocco images, particularly Houston's reclining pose at the beginning and the flirtation between Houston and her female audience members.

Despite those nods, no lesbian kisses take place, and Houston tops a male audience member with her hat rather than presenting him with a flower. Also, Houston's video reconfigures the gender-bending with a sort of trompe l'oeil that led me to mistake the slender-necked male love interest for a lady in Josephine Baker drag. As for Baker, some credit her as the influence of Houston's video, but this begs me to argue in favor of Dietrich:

"Whatever you want from me, I'm giving you everything," sang Miss Houston, but none of us deserved so much.

Mark Your Calendars!

Dietrich looking godless in her final
Judgment at Nuremberg scene

On Tuesday, February 28th at 7:30pm, Terry Sanderson will once again present his Marlene Dietrich tribute, which will take place at Conway Hall in London. Tickets cost £10. At that reasonable price, not only will you see a popular show previously mentioned on this blog, you will also help fund Britain's National Secular Society. Read more about Sanderson's tribute here. Coincidentally, missladiva's recent post about Dietrich's phone conversations with Dick Cavett ties into this theme because Cavett noted that war had killed Dietrich's Protestant faith, and he cited her disillusionment with politicized clergymen who had vied for divine favor.

Aside from this announcement, I'd also like to express my appreciation to all of you who read this blog and comment on its posts. It appears that we've had a flurry of visitors today--496 page views as of this posting. Wherever all of you are finding us, I hope you take a moment to share your opinions. I started this blog to discuss Dietrich with others and am always happy to engage in conversations with you. In fact, a missladiva post that quoted Maria Riva has been this blog's top entry with over 150 page views today (1,253 overall), and--surprisingly--only two people have commented on it--missladiva and yours truly.

La Dietrich duranguense

Andrea Palma, La mujer del puerto, 1934

Marlene Dietrich has influenced sundry entertainers, but I never knew that she became an archetypal performer within less than five years after her Hollywood debut, inspiring a fellow emigrant named Andrea Palma to transition from obscure milliner to iconic Mexican actress. I may be a smidge illiterate because I fail to notice in either Steven Bach or Maria Riva's tomes any mention of Palma.

Born Guadalupe Bracho in 1903 from a good Durango family, Andrea Palma was the cousin of two other famous Mexican stars, Dolores del Rio and Ramon Novarro, and the sister of director Julio Bracho (if you read Spanish, check out the biographical chronicle that informs this post, Los Bracho: tres generaciones de cine mexicano, by Jesus Ibarra). Of course, we're familiar with the dolorously gorgeous del Rio, whose beauty Dietrich admired (that Maria did confirm in her book). Even though I'd rather swim with the fishes than fantasize about them, I'm aware that some of you may find it titillating to imagine del Rio attending those mythical sewing circle shindigs.

Dior Trick?

I've been reading that Grace Kelly, Marlene Dietrich, and Marilyn Monroe were digitally included in the Charlize Theron J'Adore Dior "movie" (is this what we're calling commercials nowadays?) that premiered this fall, but that Lola Lola doesn't look like a CGI Dietrich to me. Rather, she's a beautiful impersonator, no? If this doppelganger has any acting skills, maybe she can play Dietrich now that Gwyneth Paltrow thankfully no longer has the biopic listed on her IMDB page.

Beyonce For L'Uomo Vogue

Folks didn't flock to bid on Marlene Dietrich's "Boys in the Backroom" ensemble at Debbie Reynolds' recent auction, but celebrities continue to emulate La Dietrich in fashion magazines. Sometimes their intentions are questionable, and other times they genuinely pay respect, as Beyonce did at L'uomo Vogue. Although the intertitle would have been a more appropriate nod to Pola Negri or some other actress who peaked in silent films, Beyonce faithfully recreated two of Dietrich's most iconic looks--the swansdown coat and the top hat and tails. Manning the camera, Francesco Carrozzini snapped shots of Beyonce's prominent cheekbones in black-and-white and in color, but Beyonce's poses suggested a Dietrichian intimacy with her key light. Just as Dietrich couldn't play Catherine the Great without playing Dietrich, Beyonce couldn't play Dietrich without playing Beyonce--her hair flips making me wish for a Sasha Fierce "Diva" redux.

If questions of race came to your mind when you saw these Beyonce images, let me state that the video and photos reminded me of various analyses I've read regarding race and Marlene Dietrich's "Hot Voodoo" performance in Blonde Venus. I recently stumbled upon this blog entry by Natalia Cecire that drew from Mary Anne Doane's discussion of "Hot Voodoo," emphasizing the following concepts: white femininity representing unstable sexual purity, black masculinity representing sexual impurity, and black femininity remaining invisible. Cecire and Doane slightly weakened this last point by acknowledging the black(face) female troupe onstage during Dietrich's "Hot Voodoo" performance, who stood conspicuously behind an afroed Dietrich, but Cecire and Doane noted the insignificant and ornamental role of the dancers, calling them "props" and "mise-en-scene" respectively. EDIT 2: Additionally, "Hot Voodoo"'s song lyrics countered the claim that black female sexuality was invisible because Dietrich sang, "I'm beginning to feel like an African queen." Thus, black femininity was not only visible but also prominently typified sexual impurity in the "Hot Voodoo" sequence.



If I were to continue Cecire and Doane's comparisons, I'd add that this reduction of black women to stage decor valued only for their skin color subsequently minimized their skin color to a mere color. Just as an interior decorator could have a table painted red, a director could have a woman painted in blackface. Let me interject one admission: I am not certain as Doane was that the chorus girls were primarily white; some could be white, black, Latina, mixed, etc., but all we see is their uniform skin tone, exemplifying a sensibility expressed by "Blonde Venus" director Josef von Sternberg in Fun in a Chinese Laundry. Relating a story about a bearded extra who demanded to know his motivation for walking across the set of another director's film, von Sternberg revealed that this extra was replaced by another wearing a fake beard. Then, von Sternberg asserted that an actor "is no more than a small part of the entire chiaroscuro."

I don't know why von Sternberg opted for blackface instead of black skin, and while Cecire and Doane's depictions of these dancers-as-decor correlated with von Sternberg's description of actors as elements of his film canvas, I can't fully endorse Cecire's observation that "blackness becomes yet another prop for fully commodified white female sexuality."*** According to how von Sternberg objectified actors, white female Dietrich would be as much a prop as the troupe in blackface. In fact, black people were one of many groups whose look von Sternberg appropriated in his films with Dietrich--for example, Chinese people in Shanghai Express, Spanish people in The Devil Is A Woman, and Russian people in The Scarlet Empress. As for the presence of commodified white female sexuality in the "Hot Voodoo" scene, we could say that Dietrich's character used her sexuality to sell her show, ultimately to help pay for her husband's radium treatment. Indeed, in other von Sternberg-Dietrich films, we can enumerate many examples, the most blatant perhaps being Dietrich's role as a prostitute-turned-spy who used her sexuality to earn money (as a prostitute) and learn military secrets (as a spy) in Dishonored. I'd only add that in von Sternberg's films, Dietrich's characters held or eventually snatched the purse strings of their white female sexuality. The Scarlet Empress illustrated this inevitable act, with Dietrich's character initially a hapless Prussian princess brought to Russia to bear a male heir to the throne, hardly different than a female panda shipped to a British zoo as part of a breeding program. Later, Dietrich's character took the reins of her sexuality to woo suitors stronger and more attractive than her spouse, bear the needed heir, and usurp the Russian throne.

***Some time, I would like to accept this premise to explore how Beyonce inverted it. In other words, I'd be interested in assessing how Beyonce used (Dietrich's masculine and feminine?) whiteness as a prop for her commodified black female sexuality. Evidence I might use to support Beyonce's commodification of her sexuality as a black woman would include her House of Dereon fashion line and a term she coined--"bootylicious." Such a discourse would draw too much attention away from this blog's star, Marlene Dietrich, so I'll leave it for another outlet. If you would like to discuss it, though, please do and please discuss anything else that comes to your mind in relation to this blog entry. EDIT: Can't help but touch this topic a little more because it struck me that Beyonce lit white female mannequins--props, if you will--on fire in the "Diva" video (linked in this blog entry). EDIT 2: Keeping the aforementioned concepts in mind, what intrigues me about Beyonce is that her entertainment career took off in the 1990s, when black female sexuality became increasingly visible in commercially successful songs by black male entertainers (from Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Baby Got Back" in 1992 to D'Angelo's "Brown Sugar" in 1995). Of course, there was no reason why men alone should profit from this emerging visibility, and Beyonce--like Dietrich's characters in von Sternberg's films--has successfully wrested black female sexuality to commodify it herself. Moreover, Beyonce has begun creating unique business ventures to sell multiracial female sexuality, which could be another way that I regard the House of Dereon, which bears the maiden name of Beyonce's Creole grandmother. With her recent single "Run the World (Girls)," Beyonce's marketing radical feminism, displaying impressive performance finesse and special effects.

Got Dietrich Under Your Skin?

Do any of you have Marlene Dietrich tattoos? Below are some inked renderings of La Dietrich, perhaps an intriguing way to avoid licensing permissions. For those of you with tattoos, why do you think all these people have Marlene on their limbs? Because those body parts are more visible, or because those body parts are less sensitive to pain?

Lola Cubed

Imitations and spoofs of Marlene Dietrich cropped up soon after her Hollywood arrival. From a 1932 Hollywood on Parade short, here are the Brox Sisters singing "Falling In Love Again":



Did Dietrich herself ever appear in any Hollywood on Parade shorts? They were produced by Paramount but seem to only feature supporting actors and Dlisters (e.g. Helen Kane and Anna May Wong).

Pointing Out The Obvious Pt. 1

Marlene Dietrich fans and film buffs already know all the trivia that I post, but I don't cater solely to them. I also post for the casual pop culture observer who can't tell Dietrich from Bette Davis and may pronounce Our Lady's name as if it rhymes with "Darlene, why, bitch?" Thus, it's time I finally recognize some of Madonna's nods to Marlene, which others have acknowledged more disparagingly. By the way, who supposedly had the pleasure of hearing Dietrich say about the Madonna comparisons, "I only acted vulgar; she is vulgar"?

Madonna Channels Amy Jolly Two Ways

Scarlett Johansson Should Have Done Jean-Louis Barrault

Some little starlet named Scarlett Johansson posed as Marlene Dietrich, Giulietta Masina, Buster Keaton, and Sarah Bernhardt in W magazine. See the photos, taken by Tim Walker, here. Color me amused to see Dietrich's mid-'30s eyebrows arched blithely among a cast of buffoons. I am guessing Johansson and Walker were going for that flat Edward Steichen 1935 Vogue shoot?