March 26

Happy Birthday to Alan Arkin, James Caan, Sterling Haydon, Sruther Martin, Leonard Nimoy and Diana Ross.

To celebrate Diana Ross’ birthday I watched Mahogany. At the start of the film there is a fashion show and Diana comes out at the end of the show as Mahogany. She is basking in the glory of people accepting her designs. Backstage someone is telling her that she made it, that there is a party to celebrate with everyone. She freezes and as the credits start she is in fashion school. The great theme starts. As she is walking home from class she sees Billy Dee Williams. He is an alderman trying to get the people to rally to stop the city from tearing down buildings. By day she is a secretary for a model agency. While assisting she catches the eye of photography Anthony Perkins. She tells her boss that she has a doctors appointment, but is out trying to sell her designs. No one is interested. Her boss finds out that she is lying and fires her. She tries other places to sell her designs but again no one is interested. She works at Billy’s office and they date. Perkins calls her from Rome offering her a job as a model. She agrees and flies out that day. In Rome she goes to Perkin’s apartment. There are photographs of a woman “My Last Duchess” he states. There are darts on one picture. “You’re only young once, but you can be immature forever” as he pulls the darts off the picture. He calls people names of inanimate objects. “You are rich, dark, beautiful and rare. I shall call you Mahogany”. She becomes a model. The next part is a montage. Diana in costumes being photographed, interspersed with scenes of Rome and still photographs with the theme song once again playing.

Perkin’s in unable to become her lover. He tries to humiliate her but she stands tall. She is on the run way in one of her creations and Jean-Pierre Aumont purchases the dress for $20 million lira. Billy comes to Rome. At a party Perkin’s tries to kill Billy in an act of jealousness. Billy tries to get Diana to come back home and be herself not Mahogany. They argue and Billy leaves. The next day at a photo shoot, Perkin’s takes photos of her in a car. He is still upset and jealous. He takes photos instead of driving. They end up off the road in an accident. Diana is hurt. Perkin’s is killed. Jean-Pierre helps her recover. He creates a studio at his home. She becomes a demanding task manager. After the fashion show that opened the film Jean-Pierre wants to become lovers. He recognizes that she doesn’t want to have sex with him but would if he requested, that it was time to pay the piper. This discourages him and he leaves. Diana goes back to America and reunites with Billy at a political rally. Even though she realized her dreams it was nothing without the man she loved.

At the end credit’s the theme song played again. The costumes were designed by Diana Ross.