Beschreibung:

"not 'selling' the legs" Dietrich, Marlene, Schauspielerin, Tänzerin und Chansonniere, international gefeierte Filmdiva (1901-1992). Konvolut von 25 Briefen, Karten und Zetteln (4 Briefe maschinenschriftlich, alles andere handschriftlich), meist mit Unterschrift "Marlene". In engl. Sprache. Zus. ca. 80 S. Verschied. Formate. Mit den eigh. Umschlägen und zahlr. Beilagen. 1959-1985. An die ihr befreundete Tänzerin, Choreographin und Produzentin Sonia Shaw, die mit Bill Hitchcock verheiratet war. 18 meist umfang- und inhaltsreiche Briefe, z. T. hoch interessant, weil Marlene Einzelheiten ihrer von Sonia Shaw choreographierten Revue- und Show-Auftritte erörtert, so die Auswahl und Verwendung der Kostüme, die wirkungsvollste Reihenfolge der Auftritte, der Einsatz der Beine (ihrer eigenen und der Girls-Truppe), der nicht zu aufdringlich geschehen soll, etc. Besonders bemerkenswert und selten sind 8 Bl. "Change", auf denen Marlene für die Show ihre Gänge, Bewegungen und blitzschnellen Kostümwechsel notiert hat. Sie bezeichnet sich gegenüber Sonia, die sie stets mit "Dearest" anredet, mehrmals als ihre dankbare Schülerin. Die Briefe enthalten eine Vielzahl biographischer Details und zeigen die Künstlerin als eine kluge, selbstsichere Frau, die auch in den USA aus ihrer politischen Haltung (z. B. ihrer Abneigung gegen Richard Nixon) keinen Hehl macht. Aus der Fülle der Mitteilungen einige Zitate: "... Thankin you is not so easy. I remember how I fought you that first day, just because of ignorance I guess, not knowing that you had planned it all so brillantly so that it would be easy for me and look so wonderful. I also thank you for sticking to your guns - when you could have given up in order to have harmony. I hope you were rewarded for all this by all the talk about the finale - let me add my thanks to it [8.VII.1959] ... the Music-man-song with the girls was sort of a big production. Your idea me being dressed as a girl does not work with the song as it is a man's song. Now - we think after I have sung the song the girl should come out in silk tights and long black turtle made sweaters, Pony-tails if possible, and do a ... number in which I join ... if I had the time it would be wonderful to in the middle of it change into the same costume and finish with the girls in the line. For that short time there would be no objection to high heeled shoes. The sweater goes fast as the tights would not take too much time if they can fill it on the stage. To get out of the tails I showed that would take 5 seconds ... When you hear the orchestration you will see how easy this is. And when the Twist is out of fashion we will just do another step. So far this Vegas is my last of the contract. Paris would just be still rigid for the Twist [23.I.1962] ... I will send you the score of 'Baby' immediately ... I have talked to Man's who does not like me to be dressed like the girls. She prefers that I should rather have a dickey with the white stuff on it so that when I have taken off the whole tails I can slip the tights on, the little panties (black) ... and only when we do the Dance together the legs come into view ... I could wear the high heels which we always wanted to avoid, because these would be no reason for boots. I had the patent leather flat shoes with the linen spots made. They pull on easily, but what reason is there for them? [24.I.1962] ... I now have had time to get a distant look at the finale and I do not think it is good enough for Paris. It is not ingenious enough as a time-filler. If we do it, it should be as surprising as the first change ... In other words we must find something not cute, not corny, not 'selling' the legs, not 'milking' the legs, not fanfaring them. The more we do that the less they will applause. I see that every night. I get no applaus at all for the legs ..." [3.VIII.1962]. Diverse Künstler ihrer Umgebung werden erwähnt, darunter Burt Bacharach und Nat King Cole , über dessen T