The Incredibles snazzy living area. I want it . . . . with the Zanuso chair to boot!

Thrive to Survive

Today the world greets a new year... with an undercurrent of Uncertainty. Fear. Unrest. Monumental shifts in world powers. In America, our own government is seen to be out of control and the People are bearing its oppressive weight. More spending and rules, less and less freedom. Who could have imagined only a few years ago that as of today, January 1st, Edison's world-shaping invention, the ubiquitous electric filament light bulb is now declared officially off limits! Did the Mayans know something we didn't foresee? Are their predictions, that this year of 2012 the entire world would come to a great climatic "lights out," actually coming true???

What a different age we live in compared to some 60 years ago. But still, we can relate to the tinge of fear that pervaded a society that was determined to survive and thrive. Here's one public service film from those whirlwinds-of-changing times, and their own predictions for surviving the threat from atomic fall-out in mid century America:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_Zgyp4HgNU

Hopefully Congress's plans to regulate the Internet has been held off long enough for me to share this link with you tonight. And that you enjoyed checking out some of the modern living homes featured in this short as well!

And, government-willing, I shall thwart the Mayan predictions
by returning with yet another installment ...

This has been another bulletin from

Atomic Living's Emergency Broadcast System for

Please tune in again - Same Atomic time - same Atomic channel!

Happy All Hallow's Eve

May you have a Happy All Hallow's Eve!

If you'll please pardon me for not staying longer, but I have a date with the very bewitching Miss Veronica Lake... or at least I can dream of it while watching her starring role in 1942's fantasy comedy flick "I Married a Witch", directed by René Clair, with Fredric March,
and Robert Benchley.

Sa-woooon!

The Beautiful Blonde with a Beauty Mark: Anne Francis . . . in Memoriam

A long time heartthrob of mine is gone. Actress Anne Francis, forever iconized for her role as the unforgettable love interest in the 1950s science-fiction classic "Forbidden Planet" and in the 1960s for the sexy private eye in "Honey West" on TV, has died at age 80.

The beautiful blonde with a prominent beauty mark, Anne appeared opposite such stars as Spencer Tracy, Paul Newman, Robert Taylor and Glenn Ford in some of the most popular films of the 1950s.

in "Forbidden Planet"

"Forbidden Planet" was a science-fiction retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest." The 1956 film had Commander Leslie Nielsen and his crew land on a planet soley occupied by hermit scientist Walter Pidgeon, his daughter (Francis) and their helper, Robby the Robot.

as "Honey West" with her pet ocelot

In "Honey West," airing from 1965 to 1966, Anne was a private detective played as a female James Bond, who happened to keep a pet ocelot, bested her worst enemies with her martial arts and just as cool with a gun. It was one of the first TV series to star a woman in an action series. She won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Emmy award for her role in "Honey West."

from "So Young So Bad "

Among Miss Francis's other films:

• "Blackboard Jungle," the landmark 1955 film about an idealistic teacher (Ford) in a violent city school, Francis played his pregnant wife who is targeted for harassment by one of his students.
• "Bad Day at Black Rock" with Tracy and Robert Ryan
• "Rogue Cop" with Robert Taylor
• "The Rack" with Paul Newman
• "A Lion Is in the Streets" with James Cagney
• "Hook, Line and Sinker" with Jerry Lewis

the young starlett with Jeffrey Hunter in "Dream Boat"


with Tom Ewell and her dog Smidgeon, going over the script for "The Great American Pastime"

In television, Anne appearing in dozens of series:

• "Mission Impossible"
  
• "The Virginian"
  
• "My Three Sons"
  
• "Ironside"
  
• "Gunsmoke"
  
• "The Twilight Zone"
  
• "Charlie's Angels"
  
• "The Golden Girls"
  
• "Home Improvement"
• "Nash Bridges"

with dark hair as Jess Belle

Born September 16, 1930 in Ossining, New York as Ann Marvak, she grew up performing for radio and television and on the Broadway stage. Anne relocated to Hollywood when she landed a movie contract at MGM (and later went to 20th Century-Fox) acting opposite the biggest male stars of the day.

According to sources, Anne had married twice and is survived by a daughter and grandchild. This last Sunday she succumbed after a long battle with lung and pancreatic cancer, in Santa Barbara at age 80.

Anne's website: http://www.annefrancis.net

The Powers of 10

On this historic date (10/10/10) I'd like to share with you a short work created by the Eames (Eameses?), namely the Powers of 10.

Basically, the Powers of Ten is a 1968 American documentary short film written and directed by Ray Eames and her husband, Charles Eames, depicting the relative scale of the Universe in factors of ten.

This film has been stuck in my mind since being wowed by it in my junior high school science class. Believe me, most of the filmfare we got in school was pretty dry stuff!

I'd planned to share a YouTube link with you today... unfortunately the video has since been removed... booo. Hopefully this new link below will remain active through today (crossing my fingers). If not, you can still visit the official website to learn more. I'm pretty sure it won't be removed anytime soon ;)