Vintage Heartthrobs: Sherlock Holmes
Benedict Cumberbatch Print from QuoteArtisan on Etsy
We took a break last week so I knew I had to come back with the big guns. Now of course we all love a bad boy, but that’s too obvious right, at the end of the day you need someone you can take home to Mum and who could be better than infamous sleuth Sherlock Holmes? For me the ideal vintage heartthrob can intrigue your intellect as much as your heart and he has the most fabulous lines, ponder this,
“Life is infinitely stranger than anything which the mind of man could invent. We would not dare to conceive the things which are really mere commonplaces of existence. If we could fly out of that window hand in hand, hover over this great city, gently remove the roofs, and and peep in at the queer things which are going on, the strange coincidences, the plannings, the cross-purposes, the wonderful chains of events, working through generations, and leading to the most outre results, it would make all fiction with its conventionalities and foreseen conclusions most stale and unprofitable.” Arthur Conan Doyle
Over the years Sherlock Holmes has has many faces, portrayals and ok, often he is an eccentric older chap and perhaps not your obvious choice. I also have a soft spot for Hercule Poirot and Detective Barnaby, (the first one, Tom Barnaby, obviously!) so maybe it’s just my love of sleuthing but more recently Sherlock Holmes got hot, right!?
First we had Robert Downey Jr, actual bad boy, giving Sherlock a steam punk, hold on tight things just got crazy, make over. It probably helped that he also had Jude Law in tow as Watson. The fast paced action and clever twists gave us a new Sherlock, one that made you sit up and pay attention but praps not one you’d take home to the parents.
But then, oh then, came Benedict Cumberbatch and a new generation of Sherlock lovers, fans and obsessives was born. The full length mac and scarf look, along with some help from Dr Who, got fresh appeal it could never have imagined. Let’s face it, anyone who can pull off a deerstalker hat and pull in the ladies that fast is a force to be reckoned with. I love the print above from QuoteArtisan an Etsy business based in Cardiff. Thank you Arthur Conan Doyle! Do any other literary heroes set your heart alight? I’d love to know.
Now, get out. I need to go to my mind palace…
Vintage Heartthrobs: Gilbert Blythe
I bet you didn’t see that coming, I hope to keep you on your toes with these heartthrobs. The romance and love story between Gilbert Blythe and Anne Shirley captured my heart from a young age, I loved getting lost in the Anne of Green Gables books and tv series. I would have happily thrown on a straw hat, pigtails, lace up boots and a high neck dress to pretend I was Anne or Diana. The outfits, the Canadian town etiquette, the history, the language, yep, Gilbert Blythe is most certainly a vintage heartthrob of period drama. I’m afraid I haven’t been able to find any suitable photos for you this week but you can relive the trailer here and some Gilbert and Anne moments with suitable music here.
Despite monumentally messing things up from the word go by teasing Anne when he calls her ‘Carrots’, he also begins on the lifelong quest for Anne’s friendship and eventually her heart. He is persistent, smart and he knows what he wants, it also helps that he looks rather dashing in a waistcoat and cap. He’s witty, funny and skilled in romance, the flowers and love letters are plenty and let’s not forget he rescues Anne on a number of occasions, notably from a pond. What is it with these vintage heartthrobs and water sources?!
Anne is stubborn and let’s face it, the lady doth protest too much, I’m pretty sure she secretly knew she loved Gilbert from the first book too but where’s the fun in that. Gilbert comes back stronger following her refusal to his first proposal, he survives typhoid, becomes a Doctor and eventually marries his sweetheart and together they have seven children! Gilbert Blythe will always have a place in the hearts of old fashioned romantics he embodies good values, romance and strength of character, oh if he were real he’d be snapped up in no time!
Vintage Heartthrobs: Dick Van Dyke
This week’s vintage heartthrob, Dick Van Dyke, has been nominated by our friend and super blogger Miss Sue Flay. At first I was taken aback as I immediately thought of Diagnosis Murder and as much as I love Dr Sloan and his sleuthing ways, surely Dr Sloan Jr, Van Dyke’s real life son, and Dr Travis are the heartthrobs of that show?! Although his smile still sparkles and he’s always wearing super stylish suits, I guess he’s still supercalifragilisticexpialidocious…
Then it struck me, of course Dick Van Dyke is a vintage heartthrob, indubitably, how could I overlook his starring roles in Mary Poppins and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
Wouldn’t it be nice to don a lacy white dress, grab a parasol and jump into fantasy land for a jolly holiday with Bert, because, don’t you know, gentlemen like him are few! I’d also be quite keen to meet the cartoon turtles, they seem so polite and helpful. Or how about twirling around and tapping away to ‘Step in time’ on the roof tops of London!
Now in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang Van Dyke, for me at least, is at his most dashing wearing a waistcoat and supervising his amazing breakfast machine while singing to his on screen children. Ok so I’m mostly interested in the breakfast machine but still. I remain terrified of the Child Catcher so the fact the Van Dyke’s character saves the day, whisks Miss Scruptious up into his arms at the end and carries her to his flying car all add to his heartthrob status. Now if only we could all have names like Truly Scrumptious!
Vintage Heartthrobs: Humphrey Bogart
While I’m sure there are plenty of delectable chaps out there right this minute, I’m married to one of course, let’s not forget the handsome stars of yesteryear both fictional and real who have made many a woman swoon! I hope you enjoy this new regular feature and maybe swoon a little yourself!
I’m starting with Humphrey Bogart, conquest of many a femme fatale and a founding member of the Rat Pack, if he’s good enough for Lauren Bacall then he’s more than good enough for us! Few actors have conveyed such an in-depth mixture of mystery, darkness, vulnerability, nobility and, I think, cheekiness through a gentle humour flickering in his eyes. If you could have walked into any gin joint you’d have wanted to have walked into his!
Most of you will probably be thinking of him in Casablanca, but it was watching the Maltese Falcon at 17 that I first admired him. I even named my first car, Bogie, after him. For the full swoon factor, especially that voice, I’d recommend grabbing a cup pot of tea and settling down to watch one of these films.
So, I hope you’ve enjoyed our first handsome hero of vintage lovers the world over. Keep your eye’s peeled and your hearts ready for the next gentleman! For now though, here’s looking at you kid…
Vintage Heartthrobs: Fitzwilliam Darcy
Image and product credit, Mr Darcy tote by SandiaTees available on Etsy
In vain I have struggled. It will not do. My feelings will not be repressed. You must allow me to tell you how ardently I admire and love…Mr Darcy!
Ok, I know Mr Darcy is a fictional character but he has tormented the hearts of women for years and I declare that he is, with no doubt, a vintage heartthrob! I’m not alone here, a quick search on Etsy flung out some fab products like the tote above and yes I heartily agree, I’ll be sticking with Mr Darcy thank you very much! What’s not to love, he goes for long walks, dances, mastered the aloof and brooding look, rides horses and perhaps most importantly tosses his shirt to one side for a leisurely dip in the nearest lake.
Jane Austen is a hero, she masterfully allows us to both briefly feel we hate but then fall in love with Mr Darcy as we read through Elizabeth’s perspective and thank goodness Elizabeth wasn’t hot for Mr Darcy straight away or we wouldn’t have all the drama and intrigue.
If you ever needed proof that Mr Darcy is one of the great heartthrobs of all time you need look no further than Laurence Olivier, Matthew MacFadyen, Matthew Rhys and the one, the only, heartthrob of our times, drum roll please….Colin Firth.
Now let’s all pray for a rainy day so we can stay in and watch Mr Darcy dive in the lake or just curl up and read, I’m loving this vintage paperback copy and the penguin clothbound series is gorgeous!
