Dames to Watch Out For: Today is Jennifer Connelly's Birthday

which gives me an excuse to post a picture of Jennifer Connelly.

along with some dude's 'stache

Ah, Ms. Connelly.

Unlike a lot of her contemporaries, Connelly never really became part of a Brat Pack or became known in the sort of faddish way many actresses get used up and spit out, only to wind up on absolutely terrible Lifetime and Hallmark Channel holiday movies.  Which I've been watching again, and they are awesome.

Connelly was a child actress, showing up in Sergio Leone's Once Upon a Time in America as the 12-year-old Deborah, but I remember her as the girl from Labyrinth that I was crushing on and who was pursued by David Bowie and Muppets.  Of course later she wound up as Bettie Page stand-in Jenny in The Rocketeer, which is worth watching just for Connelly in a cocktail dress.

She's gone on to all sorts of work, and has carved out an interesting career for herself while not melting down in public, but managing to mostly appear in movies I just never see.  I think the last of her movies I saw was the iffy remake of The Day the Earth Stood Still.

Still, my hat is off to Connelly, because, dang, yo.  You keep being you, Ms. Connelly.

ah, heck.  here's Ms. Connelly in that cocktail dress.