MetaFilter posts tagged with Helen

Best Friends for Sixty Years and Counting

emjaybee — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:56:51 -0800

Cloe. I am begging you honey. None of that Jello crap. No one eats it and the garbage stinks for a week after I throw it out. Margaret and Helen (mostly Helen) have a blog, thanks to Helen's grandson, and have a lot to say to America, about remembering an America where black men didn't grow up to be president, abortion, and the sorry state of the American media, among other topics.

Hazel Eyed-Chic-Sleek-gorgeously glamorous twinkle Toed Charmer of the Silver Screen

bookish — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 17:58:41 -0800

Bollywood, the 1960s and 70s: "For years, the favorite setting for the big dance number has been a cabaret, with its atmosphere of forbidden liquor and sexual permissiveness, with its mixed audience of privileged Indians, industrialists, playboys, princes, and its foreign decadence..." And no one was more at home this exotic milieu than an Anglo-Burmese refugee who began dancing in films at 13 to support her family. Her pale skin and vaguely foreign looks, along with a collection of colored contacts and wigs, allowed her to play white women, Asian women, whatever titillating role was called for. She was Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls (part 2, part 3, part 4). The Merchant Ivory documentary is sometimes painfully condescending, but it has some great footage and gives a good primer on the phenomenon of Helen. Although she performed in hundreds of films and was quite famous and well loved, she never had success as a leading lady-- perhaps because she was too foreign or too provocative for Indians at the time to relate to. Mostly retired since the 80s, she still does occasional cameo roles. A few of her finer moments, courtesy of YouTube: Mera Naam Chin Chin Choo, from Howrah Bridge, 1958: The song that made Helen famous. Hum Kaale Hain To, from Gumnaam, 1965: A crazy comic/horror number, against glowing-eyed tiki statues and fog machines. Aa Jane Ja, from Inteqam, 1969: Helen lusciously taunts men in black-face (one of whom is actually in a cage) at a nightclub. Muqabla Humse Na Karo, from Prince, 1969: "Western" Helen has a spectacular dance-off with a traditional Vyjayanthimala. Piya Tu Ab To Aaja, from Caravan, 1971: Classic Helen cabaret. Breathy, drunken, and lovelorn. Mehbooba Mehbooba, from Sholay, 1975: Gypsy Helen dances for a camp of ragged outlaws. Yeh Mera Dil, from Don, 1978: Helen tries to seduce Amitabh Bachchan, who somehow retains his characteristic cool. Helen on Wikipedia; rediff.com profile.

Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan talking

Rafaelloello — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 18:27:33 -0800

Helen Keller speaks. As an elementary school student of the 60's, I was schooled in Helen Keller's amazing accomplishments. I had no idea that there were video records and great stills. I am humbled. At least for today. Anne Sullivan rocks, she should have been the first woman president.

Boop Boop Ba Doo

Astro Zombie — Fri, 25 Aug 2006 07:55:53 -0800

Helen Kane. (Wikipedia bio.) They based Betty Boop on her. MP3 files. WAV files. Podcast.

How do you convert a slinch to a pat?

blahblahblah — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 17:17:36 -0800

Measuring beauty through arson and ships launched. Introducing the Helen as a unit of beauty. There are plenty of odd units of measure. Some are natural extensions of physical measures, like the microcentury or the pico-parsec, while others are constantly being invented. Can't figure out how large your apartment is? Use a handy converter to measure its area in terms of Wales (or whales, or the Prince of Wales). Of course, despite a long history of odd changes, units are still the subject of political fights and even human rights monitoring.

The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships

rdone — Tue, 11 May 2004 19:58:03 -0800

The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships Just in time for "Troy Story", a lyrical evocation of the Iliad.