[To Celebate the Anniversary of the Thin Man Movies: Sophia Loren on Asta]

Sophia Loren is a rescue dog. She is highly trained in studio work and set training along with agility. Fashionable for sure but also a service dog. Thank you for the nice compliments on her blog and website. She is a hard working dog who loves to entertain. She doesn't dress up everyday as a dog needs to be a dog as often as possible! LOL! Thanks for the love.

[To Celebate the Anniversary of the Thin Man Movies: Sophia Loren on Asta]

http://www.littledoginthebigcity.com/2013/05/24/first-famous-movie-dog-gets-two-paws-up/First Famous Movie Dog Gets Two Paws UpBig Adventures, Doggone Reviews, Fashionable & Fabulous, General, Pet Love | May 24, 2013 by admin | 0 Comments <!-- Start Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic --><!-- End Shareaholic LikeButtonSetTop Automatic -->TCM Host Robert Osborn gives Sophia Loren, the Little Dog in the Big City, a big hug.As you all know, I have a LOVE for film. From modern to Classic film…especially film noir, I eat it up!Last month I was honored to take part in the TCM Classic Film Festival right here in my backyard of Hollywood, along with a special evening, the same weekend of the Festival, with The Los Angeles Visionaries Association known as LAVA.The evening highlighted the works of Dashiell Hammett with his granddaughter, Julie Rivett and writer, Richard Layman. Hammett is known to moviegoers as the writer of the Thin Man Series and the Maltese Falcon.Mama shares the magical moment with Sophia Loren and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz.That whole weekend got me to thinking of one of the first canine actors I ever saw on Turner Classic Movies, Asta. He is so much fun in the Thin Man movies and not many actors can outshine Cary Grant but Asta, or Skippy (the pup’s real name), did just that in, “Bringing Up Baby” and “The Awful Truth.”I asked one of my good friends, Joan Renner, who is one of the hosts of Esotouric Bus Adventures in Los Angeles, to tell us all a little bit more about that handsome canine, Asta! Joan is a great friend of pups and kitties so I knew she would be the purr-fect one to do so. Thanks to Asta we have a Benji and more recently, my BIG TIME CRUSH, Uggie from,” The Artist.”Dressed film-noir style with a canine couture twist, Sophia Loren turns heads and paws.Asta, SuperstarIn honor of Sophia Loren’s entrance into the blogosphere it seems only fitting to profile another dog of distinction and style — Asta!Asta gained movie fame and stardom in 1934 with his appearance in the much loved film THE THIN MAN, which also starred human actors Myrna Loy and William Powell.Whether he was leading Nick and Nora Charles (William Powell and Myrna Loy) on a merry chase through their apartment as he chewed up a paper clue, or accompanying Nick on a midnight search for a suspect, Asta was a very noir dog and an integral part of the Thin Man series.In one scene Nick tells him: “Asta, you’re not a terrier, you’re a police dog.”Asta’s starring roles weren’t confined to the Thin Man series. In the 1937 film THE AWFUL TRUTH, his character was the subject of a contentious custody dispute between characters portrayed by Cary Grant and Irene Dunne.Asta is on the set of the “Thin Man” with Myrna Loy and William Powell.In 1938 he had a pivotal role in the classic screwball comedy BRINGING UP BABY where he played opposite Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn. If ever there was a canine actor on the “A-list” it was Asta.In fact Asta (whose birth name was Skippy), was the subject of a piece in The American Magazine in an August 1938 profile titled “A Dog’s Life in Hollywood.”Check out this video of Asta on the set of the “After the Thin Man” in 1936.“Movie actresses stroke Skippy lovingly. They coo at him and murmur endearing terms in his ears. He takes it all in his stride, because, what with contracts, options, and exacting work before the movie cameras, he hasn’t much time for the attentions of Hollywood’s most beautiful stars. But if he’s paid for it and given the proper cue he will snuggle in the arms of the loveliest of stars, gaze into her limpid eyes, and, if necessary—howl.”“Skippy, a smart little wire-haired terrier, is one of the leading stars in pictures. He leads a glamorous life—a dog’s life de luxe. He is rated as one of the smartest dogs in the world, and when contracts are signed for his appearance in a picture he gets $200 a week for putting his paw-print on the dotted line. His trainer gets a mere $60.”If Asta were here today he would wholeheartedly approve of Sophia Loren’s smart and sassy style!– Joan Renner*Joan Renner is a writer and a social historian. Her blog, Deranged L.A. Crimes (www.derangedlacrimes.com) tells true tales of murder, mayhem, political corruption, and celebrity scandal from the 1920s through the 1960s. Her Vintage Powder Room blog (www.vintagepowderroom.com) draws inspiration from her vast collection of vintage cosmetics ephemera to explore history, film, literature, and style.

 

Edited by: AnneMaria on May 26, 2013 1:33 AM

[Sophia Loren: The Little Dog in the Big CIty LOVES TCM]

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL 2013 Sophia Loren is a big fan of the movies. She loves them all but has a soft place in her heart for classic movies and film noir. This was Sophia’s second year at the TCM Classic Film Festival and she had a blast! Four days of nothing but classic movies with people from around the world who enjoy the same thing and come together to celebrate the Golden Age of Hollywood. She has spent a lot of time watching TCM so all the hosts are familiar and boy was she happy to see TCM hosts, Robert Osborn and Ben Mankiewicz. The fun part was that they remembered her too as well as several of the festival goers. She got lots of attention and nice scratches behind the ears. Day one we gathered our festival passes and goodies at the historic Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel and watched Ben film some segments that were to be played throughout the weekend on TCM. The hotel’s lobby was turned into a TCM film stage and the Ballroom where the first Academy Awards were held was turned into Club TCM. Our first stop was the “Meet TCM” presentation. We got to know some of the folks behind the scenes at the network and learn about some new and exciting things coming up soon! Up next was the Opening Night Party where we got to see some of our friends from previous festivals and meet some Facebook friends who formed some TCM Clubs online. Next, we gathered around the beautiful pool of the Roosevelt for a discussion and screening of South Pacific. I made two wardrobe changes this day from a simple dress to my Bird of Paradise Dress by Christine Kennedy of Chica’s Closet. The nice folks at TCM even gave me a beautiful blue lei to decorate my neck. Day two started nice and early with one of the highlights of the festival called, A Journey to Italy. Italy has always had a rich history and beautiful countryside which has attracted filmmakers from around the world. Our first move was, Voyage to Italy, with Ingrid Bergman and George Sanders. Neither mama nor I had seen this film before. It was very emotional and the interesting part is that much of the film was improvised. Later, we headed back to the Roosevelt Hotel to listen to a live presentation of, “Taking the Fall: A Conversation with Hollywood Stuntmen.” Wow, are these men and women amazing. It was really interesting to hear what it takes to make the stars of the film look good!! We took a little break for lunch and then went into Club TCM to see, Hollywood Home Movies: Treasures from the Academy Film Archive Collection. I was really excited about this since my namesake was one of the featured stars in the collection. She was very beautiful!!! Let me also tell you that Cary Grant was GEORGOUS!!! It is amazing to see that the stars in their own home movies were just as glamorous as they were on the big screen. Mama said she sure wished she looked like that first thing in the morning!!! BOL! It was also nice to see how much the stars love their dogs!! Lots of sweet doggies were featured along with their famous parents. This day I wore a deep purple dress and bow by April Adams and a Italian inspired dress by Shana Wilkerson. Day three Mama and I were dragging a little bit but headed back to the festival to catch a screening of one of Mama’s favorite movies, The Lady Killers (1955). The movie was introduced by TCM Essentials, Jr. host and SNL alum, Bill Hader. It is such a funny movie starring Alec Guinness and first time pairing of Peter Sellers and Herbert Lom who would work together a decade later in the Pink Panther films. The best part of the movie is the 77-year-old actress, Katie Johnson as the eccentric landlady. She is PERFECT in this role. Next we sat in on a conversation with Tippi Hendren. She was really great and I love her rescue work with the Shambala Preserve that houses big cats. What an amazing life she has had! To think she starred in two of Alfred Hitchcock’s best known film, The Birds and Marnie. The stories she had were mesmerizing. A quick jog afterwards down the street to see my movie pick of the festival, Lady and the Tramp. Oh boy was it good!!! I even got to meet film critic, Leonard Malden. Some people even said that I was as pretty as Lady…that made me blush. That Tramp was really cute though!! It was fun to sing (or howl) along with “The Siamese Cat Song.” Christine Kennedy of Chica’s Closet made my dress this day where I was dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Day four and the closing day of the TCM Festival was a big day but Mama said that I should lay low a little bit so I could be fresh for the closing night party. I went to see a little bit of Bonhams movie memorabilia appraisals. We got to watch the experts at Bonhams help the festival attendees learn more about their silver screen collectibles. We also had been eyeing some of the jewelry in the TCM Boutique. Here we met our friend from last year, Hutton Wilkinson. He brought iconic American designer, Tony Duquette’s inspired jewelry to the boutique. He even gave me a private jewelry fitting. I picked up a vintage inspired bracelet and a ocean blue necklace. I sure am a lucky girl! Plus, mama can wear them when she wants to. Mama dropped me off at home with the kitties and then took off to see, It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World, at the Cinerama Dome in Hollywood. The Cinerama Dome was built for this movie. I love the Cinerama Dome, in fact mama and I love going to all the ArcLight Theatres. They are such wonderful theatres to see movies at. Prior to the movie was a talk with some of the actors in the movie, Barrie Chase, Marvin Kaplan and Mickey Rooney. Jonathan Winters was on the line-up but because of his passing a few weeks prior, they had an empty chair on the panel in his memory along with a short memorial of his work. Mama got her second wind and decided that she should head over to the TCL Chinese Theatre to see, Three Days of the Condor, with Robert Redford. She thought that it would be a good warm-up to our meeting with Robert Redford in June at the AMFE Film Festival in Albuquerque. Mama really enjoyed this screening and Robert Osborn introduced star, Max von Sydow prior to the movie to talk a bit about his amazing film career. What an incredible actor he is and very dapper! Mama ran home afterwards and we got dressed up for the Closing Night Party. Mama said that everyone was asking where I was but she assured them that I would be stopping by the party to give them all Hollywood Puppy Kisses. I dressed up in a film noir inspired gown and bow by my great designer friend, Roni Penberthy of Hobo Cwab. It was a BIG hit at the party. We got our picture with Robert Osborn and I gave him kisses but I was SO sad to say good-bye to him. He really makes my tail wag!!! I took lots of pictures with the celebrities and our new friends and then they had me pose on the TCM stage to show them my acting skills. It was a really long week but it flew by!!! I sure hope I get to see Robert and Ben before the next festival. I also offered to help give my very own doggie movie reviews anytime they needed a guest host! All and all, I will give the TCM Classic Film Festival two really high fuzzy paws up!!!!!