Category Archive: Grande Dames
Screen Goddess
Out of all the big time movie stars who’ve played the role of Cleopatra, Claudette Colbert was the queen among the queens of the Nile. In each biopic, pageantry, major jewelry, passion, dancing girls, outrageous headgear and sexy eveningwear have…
Gypsy Queen
The sound of her voice kills me. Her dancing is beyond divine. The bravado. And then there are her intensely frilly and polka-dotted costumes. I feel like August is the time of year when I yearn for Carmen Amaya (1913-1963),…
Two Lillies
In the late 1800s, few women were as infamous as the two Lillies—Lillian Russell and Lillie Langtry. And with their curvaceous good looks, and shocking reputations, it seems likely that few had more fun. Lillian Russell (1861-1922) was a vaudevillian…
Bollywood Bombshell
The singularly fabulous Bollywood sensation, Helen, makes a cameo in Encyclopedia of the Exquisite. And why not? She appeared in over 500 Indian films during the second half of the 20th century, shimmering across the screen in a gyrating, hip-thrusting…
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