Book 1, Page 117
Added 2019-10-17 22:57:55 +0000 UTCHi patrons! Becky here. The theme for this page was rabbit holes. We're back at the Rabbit Hole; my coworker got me hooked (don't judge) on a flawed-but-cool Alice in Wonderland-themed musical called Alice By Heart; and I fell into a fun research rabbit-hole while choosing everyone's outfits.
I was looking for a new dress for Mona, and found this:
I thought it looked exciting, fun, and splashy--perfect for Mona--but I couldn't quite tell what was going on with it. Are those bows? Is that a shirt or a jacket? The file was too small to see clearly.
I did find out that the pianist's name was Hazel Scott, and a Google search led me to a video called What Ever Happened to Hazel Scott. It turns out she was a Juilliard-trained pianist who specialized in "jazzing up the classics;" she appeared in Hollywood films on the condition that she always played herself and got to choose her own outfits; and she was a civil rights activist (eventually blacklisted during the Red Scare). She also performed with all the big band names I've been hearing since 7th grade jazz band, so I was extra-peeved that I didn't know any of this before. Anyway, it's totally worth a watch. (Bonus: at 10:20 there's footage of her performing in [a white version of] the dress!)
Thanks, as always, for supporting this project. It means a lot!
-Becky
