Battle of the Blondes: Janet Leigh VS Brigitte Bardot.

Both Janet Leigh and Brigitte Bardot, were well known as the "sex kittens" of their era.

Janet Leigh (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004). Discovered by actress Norma Shearer, landed a contract with MGM and began her film career in the late 1940s. She performed in Alfred Hitchcock's, Psycho (1960) and Living It Up(1954). She also played more dramatic roles: Safari (1958) Touch of Evil (1958) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). She also performed in one of my favorite Musicals, My Sister Eileen (1955). Directed by Richard Quine. It stars Janet Leigh, Betty Garrett and Jack Lemmon.

Ruth and her "blonde bombshell sister Eileen,(that all the boys go gaga over), come to New York looking for "fame and fortune". After they find a small apartment, Ruth catches the eye of playboy publisher Bob Baker, after she submits a story about her sister Eileen. She tries to keep his attention by convincing him that she and the gorgeous, Eileen are one and the same person.

This is a very charming musical with a wonderful score by Jule Styne. Betty Garrett and Janet Leigh, both shine in their performances. And the film spotlights some wonderful choreography by Bob Fosse.

Houdini (1953). Biographical film about the life of the magician, Harry Houdini. Directed by George Marshall, based on the book Houdini by Harold Kellock. The music score was by Roy Webb and the cinematography by Ernest Laszlo. Costume design by Edith Head.

Brigitte Bardot(September 28, 1934). By the time she was 15 Brigitte was modeling and posed for the French magazine "Elle". She performed in her first french film, Crazy for Love (1952). She made her first US film in, Act of Love (1953) with Kirk Douglas. Brigitte's "sex kitten" sexuality took the US by storm. In 1965 she appeared as herself in, Dear Brigitte (1965) with James Stewart (she only appeared in one scene). Just before she turned 40, Brigitte retired from movies after filming, The Edifying and Joyous Story of Colinot (1973).

I'm really looking forward to viewing these two Brigitte Bardot films listed below:

And God Created Woman (1956). A French drama film directed by Roger Vadim and starring Brigitte Bardot. This was the film that created her "sex kitten" image.

A Very Private Affair(1962). A French film directed by Louis Malle and starring Brigitte Bardot.

Pawsome Pet Pictures: Lassie and friends

Lassie always kept good company in films with stars such as Janet Leigh, Elizabeth Taylor, June Lockhart and Roddy McDowall

Happy Birthday: Janet Leigh!

Janet Leigh, was discovered by the actress Norma Shearer, in the winter of 1945. Shearer's late husband Irving Thalberg had been a senior executive at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Shearer showed talent agent Lew Wasserman a photograph she had seen of Leigh while vacationing at Sugar Bowl, the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. Shearer said that "that smile made it the most fascinating face I had seen in years. I felt I had to show that face to somebody at the studio". From the end of the 1950s, she performed in the films: Touch of Evil (1958) and The Manchurian Candidate (1962). Janet Leigh, is best known for her performance as Marion Crane, in one of my favorite Alfred Hitchcock's films, Psycho (1960). The film is based on the screenplay by Joseph Stefano, who adapted it from the 1959 novel of the same name by Robert Bloch. The novel was based on the crimes of Wisconsin serial killer Ed Gein.
The film is a about the meeting between a secretary, Marion Crane, who stopped at a motel to rest after stealing money from her employer and the motel's caretaker, Norman Bates.... Psycho at first received mixed reviews, but the box office returns were so positive and led to four Academy Award nominations. Psycho is now considered one of Hitchcock's best film.

Her acting career declined from the mid 1960s. However, she continued to perform occasionally in films and television. In 1975, Leigh played a retired Hollywood song and dance star opposite Peter Falk and John Payne in one of my favorite Colombo episodes, Forgotten Lady. she also performed in two performances with her daughter Jamie Lee Curtis in The Fog (1980) and Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998).

Fun Facts:

Leigh married her third husband, Tony Curtis, on June 4, 1951. They had two children, actresses Kelly and Jamie Lee. Following their divorce in 1962, Leigh married stockbroker Robert Brandt in Las Vegas. They remained married until her death.


She served on the board of directors of the Motion Picture and Television Foundation, a medical-services provider for actors.

Leigh was awarded an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California on May 14, 2004.

Leigh is also the author of four books. Her first, the memoir "There Really Was a Hollywood", was a NY Times bestseller. This was followed by the novels "House of Destiny" and "The Dream Factory", and the non-fiction book "Psycho: Behind the Scenes of the Classic Thriller". Interestingly, daughter Jamie Lee Curtis is also an actress and popular author.