flavor of the week: beautiful girl

All that style.com-ing made me think of one of my favorite movies, Gilda-- a sexy little film noir made in 1946 that is simultaneously known for being a classic of its genre and a blatant Casablanca ripoff.

And yes, while the exotic foreign backdrop, thrillingly illegal gambling scenes, and titillating war-crime storyline may be a little familiar, the film's namesake is 100% original.  Played by the gorgeous Rita Hayworth, Gilda taught us that you don't even need nudity to do a strip tease--bona fide proof in her famous glove scene that managed to slip through the Hayes Code in the most sexy loophole yet.