Dana Dunbaugh Burnell

When I was 10 years old, my mother took me to a children's museum in downtown Chicago. There were painting, weaving and sculpting kiosks lively with bright colors and half-finished projects. But there was also a curtain, in a doorway. I pushed it open and found a dark room filled with children watching a movie. A black and white movie, which opened with animals slowly morphing into the actresses they represented. I sat down crosslegged and watched those bold, sleek women snarl, laugh, and connive in the flickering shadows.  By the end of the film I'd decided: I'm going to see more of these movies. . .and, one day, I will wear a turban.

Crystal Allen: Queen of the Urban Jungle (Red), The Women, MGM 1939