Sunday, August 15, 2010

Abbey Lincoln, 1930-2010

She had an exceptional, multi-layered career. As the obituary notes, the early phase of her career culminated in her appearance in The Girl Can't Help It, where her outfit was recycled from Marilyn Monroe's wardrobe in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. (There's at least one other Blondes costume that turns up in the film; medium-budget studio films got the most bang for their buck by re-using glamorous sets and costumes from earlier films.) She's one of the few non rock performers in the movie, yet she makes one of the biggest impressions.



4 comments:

Todd Mason said...

Indeed, the outfit and the content of the song are the working definition of Saturday Night and Sunday Morning...

Jaime J. Weinman said...

One of the running gags of the film is the contrast between the songs being performed and the glitzy nightclub setting, e.g. Little Richard performing for a crowd of people who are wearing tuxedoes and evening gowns.

Robert said...

they sure shot that on the cheap. The only hint of a set for her is a blue curtain.

michael robertson said...

Abbey was an amazing singer, and will surely be missed. I had the pleasure of seeing her perform about 10 years ago, and it's an experience I'll never forget.