The nude photo of Elizabeth Taylor that surfaced last week—allegedly taken in the ‘50s by pal Roddy McDowell as an engagement present for husband Mike Todd—is a hoax. It’s really an image of dancer Lee Evans, taken by famed glamour photog Peter Gowland, and can be found on Gowland’s website (scroll down to “Row 5b”). However, a source close to Hugh Hefner tells me Hef is about to publish a heretofore unknown nude of another female star from Hollywood’s Golden Era.
Long before Taylor attracted the attention of moviegoers, there was sensuous, dark-haired beauty who called herself Anna May Wong. Hollywood didn’t know what to do with the stagestruck girl, who was destined to become the first Asian American movie star. “Piccadilly” (available from Sunrise Silents), made in London in 1929, captures Wong at her provocative best, as a nightclub dancer discovering her sexuality and using it to her advantage. As an added bonus, Gilda Gray does her famed shimmy dance in this movie. Warning: one way or the other, you are likely to be seduced.
Wong’s friend Marlene Dietrich is on view in a new release from Synergy Entertainment called “Falling in Love Again” that packages a 25-track CD along with a DVD of her star-making 1930 feature film “The Blue Angel.” The CD includes songs sung in English, German and French, including “The Boys in the Back Room,” one of her most popular numbers, and tunes from the film.
More from Jordan:
Keaton’s ‘Cameraman’ at TCM Film Festival, ‘Our Hospitality’ on Blu-ray
“Female Comedy Teams” on DVD, Vernon Dent in paperback
‘Wizard’ at Segerstrom, ‘Chickens’ at SCR
A birthday present for Tennessee Williams
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