From AvaG to RocM in 6 easy steps!

I've just rescued another biography from the discount bin. Yay for me! This one was all about the late great Ava Gardner, actress & retro-siren extraordinaire.

And who is Ava Gardner? Well, she was a 1940's Hollywood icon who drove Frank Sinatra to near suicide, married three of her leading men, brought millionaire Howard Hughes (almost-husband # 4) out of retirement, and socked him in the face. In that order.

And hey, guess what...we're connected! How? Well, let me trace the six (ok five!) small degrees of separation...

1. Ava Gardner & Frank Sinatra:

     Now, Frank (no last name needed- we're chumy like that) met Ava in the late 40's while he was still married to wife # 1 (Nancy). And they had this crazy torrid affair that drove Frank crazy. Then out of the blue she cut him off- she wouldn't return his calls, or answer his emails. Turns out Ava had become pregnant and had an abortion without him knowing. When the poor guy found out he was so distraught, legend has it he almost committed suicide.
     They eventually got married, but not for long. I like to think she inspired his song "Can't Take That Away From Me" (my fav), but turns out it was written a full decade before they met. Whatever, details, shmetails- who cares about a small thing like chronological accuracy.

2. Frank Sinatra & Esther Williams:

     Now before things got messy for Frank (and by messy I mean wife #s 2-4, the Rat Pack, and the Vegas-induced haze that were his later years), he got a break with a 'small' movie called "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" alongside the red-headed, gal-next-door Esther Williams. She got her movie contract when MGM studio scouts spotted her doing laps at the local pool.

     Turns out she was practising for the 1940 Olympics. But that got cancelled because of the start of WWII. So Esther quit the local pool and headed straight for Hollywood (& Frank & Co.).

3. Esther Williams & Marilyn, the Cherry-Print One-Piece:

     Seeing that she could no longer be an Olympic swimmer, good ol' Esther did the next best thing: she started her own line of retro swimsuits (the ones with the halter top and shorty-things at the bottom). One of them (Marilyn-comes in a variety of colours including cherry-print) even had a cameo in the Sex & the City movie on Cynthia Nixon in the poolside 'she-jungle' scene in Mexico. (If you've never seen the movie, that must've definitely caught your attention).

     Incidentally, Esther also sells pools too. Olympic-sized. Bearing her autograph. Should you ever need one, here knock yourselves out.

4. Marilyn, the Cherry-Print One-Piece & RocM:

     Now RocM, the dazzlingly witty gadabout-town who moonlights as a blooger (and blogs by moonlight), has a fetish for all things retro. Especially cherry-print 50's swimsuits. And one day while googling her favourite actress (she has a lot free time like that) she comes across the perfect one! Now, several weeks and $100 (US!) later, she is the proud owner of a cherry-print retro swimsuit. She's only worn it once (small from the top, big from the bottom*), but it is now her sole exclusive link to none other tha the LATE GREAT AVA GARDNER! Tar-aa!

See, told ya. AvaG to RocM in six (ok five!) easy steps. Now, I'll think I'll go dust off that damn swimsuit and wear it to work tomorrow.

*Actually it's the other way around, but just humour me.