Tony Curtis, began his acting career in an uncredited screen debut came in the film, Criss Cross (1949) playing a rumba dancer. Later, he performed in the film, Sweet Smell of Success (1957) with Burt Lancaster (who also starred in Criss Cross) and an Oscar-nominated performance in, The Defiant Ones. He also performed in the comedies: Some Like It Hot. When musicians, Joe and Jerry (Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon), witness what looks like the Saint Valentines Day Massacre of 1929. When the Chicago gangsters see them, they decide to leave town, taking a job where they disguise themselves as women, playing in an all-girl musical band . Calling themselves Josephine and Geraldine, they join the band and board a train. Joe and Jerry both have eyes for"Sugar Kane" (Marilyn Monroe), the band's singer and Ukulele player.
Another wonderful comedy,Sex and the Single Girl. His dramas include: The Outsider, the true story of WW II veteran Ira Hayes, and The Boston Strangler, in which he played the self-confessed murderer of the film's title, Albert DeSalvo.
Curtis also performed on television, he co-starred with Roger Moore in the TV series The Persuaders!. Later, he co-starred in McCoy and Vega$. In the early 1960s, he was immortalized as "Stony Curtis," a voice-over on The Flintstones.
Curtis loved to paint and since the early 1980s, it became his second career. In 2007, his painting The Red Table was on display in the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan. His paintings can also be seen at the Tony Vanderploeg Gallery in Carmel, California.
Curtis was disappointed that never won an Oscar. But in March 2006, Curtis did receive the Sony Ericsson Empire Lifetime Achievement Award. I will always remember his wonderful performances. He will be missed. He is part of the vanishing era of Hollywood .....
Angie Dickinson was born in Kulm, North Dakota, in 1931, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Brown. Mr. Brown was the publisher of The Kulm Messenger. The family left North Dakota in 1942 when Angie was 11 years old, moving to Burbank, California. In December of 1946, when she was a senior at Bellamarine Jefferson High School in Burbank, she won the Sixth Annual Bill of Rights Contest. Two years later her sister Janet, did likewise. Being the daughter of a printer, Angie at first had visions of becoming a writer, but gave this up after winning her first beauty contest. After finishing college she worked as a secretary in a Burbank airplane parts factory for 3-1/2 years. In 1953 she entered the local Miss America contest one day before the deadline and took second place. In August of the same year she was one of five winners in a beauty contest sponsored by NBC and appeared in several TV variety shows. She got her first bit part in a Warner Brothers movie in 1954 and gained television fame in the TV series "The Millionaire" (1955) and got her first good film role opposite John Wayne and Dean Martin in Rio Bravo (1959). Her success then spiraled until she became one of the nation's top movie stars. During the 70's she played the iconic Sgt. Suzanne "Pepper" Anderson in the hit TV series Police Woman.
One of Deborah Kerr's first on screen performances was in the film, Hatter's Castle (1942), with Robert Newton and James Mason. The following year, she played three women in, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp. It was her role in Black Narcissus (1947) which caught the attention of Hollywood producers. Kerr won the New York Film Critics Award as Actress of the Year. In Hollywood, her British accent and manners led to her many roles portraying a refined and proper English lady.
She performed in one of my favorite films,(pictured above)King Solomon's Mines(1950), shot on location in Africa with Stewart Granger and Richard Carlson. This was followed by her performance in the epic, Quo Vadis? (1951), filmed in Cinecitta in Rome, which she played Lygia, a first century Christian.
Kerr changed her typecasting with her performance as a military wife in the film, From Here to Eternity (1953). (pictured above)For which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
Kerr's career choices made her one of the most versatile actress in Hollywood. She played a nun in, Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison, a mama's girl in, Separate Tables, and a governess The Chalk Garden. She also played an Australian sheep-herder's wife in, The Sundowners and beautiful Bonjour Tristesse. She also starred in comedies, The Grass is Greener and Marriage on the Rocks. Her best known films: The King and I (1956). A Musical film , directed by Walter Lang and produced by Charles Brackett and Darryl F. Zanuck. The film King and I, is based on the book Anna and the King of Siam by Margaret Landon. The plot comes from the story written by Anna Leonowens, who became school teacher to the children of King Mongkut of Siam in the early 1860s.
She also performed opposite Cary Grant in An Affair to Remember (1958).(Pictured below). The film is considered one of the most romantic films of all time. The movie was a remake of McCarey's film Love Affair (1939). An Affair to Remember was almost identical to love affair on a scene to scene basis. The films theme song "An Affair to Remember (Our Love Affair)' composed by Harry Warren. The song is sung by Vic Damone during the opening credits and then sung later by Deborah Kerr's character, a nightclub singer. Kerr's singing was dubbed by Marni Nixon, who also dubbed for Kerr in the film The King and I.
In 1967, at the age of 46, she starred in Casino Royale, being the oldest 'Bond Girl' in any James Bond film.
In 1969,she agreed to appear nude in, The Gypsy Moths, the only nude scene in Kerr's career. Which led to her decision to leave film for television and theatre. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- TCM, is showing the following films today,as a Birthday tribute to the wonderful actress:
Please Believe Me (1950). Three men pursue a shipboard romance with a woman they think is an heiress. Cast: Deborah Kerr, Robert Walker, Peter Lawford.
Avengers, The (1942) . A war correspondent fights to stop the German invasion of Norway. Cast: Hugh Williams, Griffith Jones, Deborah Kerr. Dir: Harold French.
Dream Wife (1953). For state reasons, a diplomat fakes an engagement to a Middle Eastern princess. Cast: Cary Grant, Deborah Kerr, Walter Pidgeon. Dir: Sidney Sheldon.
King Solomon's Mines (1950). A spirited widow hires a daredevil jungle scout to find a lost treasure in diamonds. Cast: Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger, Richard Carlson. Dir: Compton Bennett, Andrew Marton. Here is some behind the scenes video.
From Here To Eternity (1953). Enlisted men in Hawaii fight for love and honor on the eve of World War II. Cast: Burt Lancaster, Montgomery Clift, Frank Sinatra. Dir: Fred Zinnemann.
Tea And Sympathy (1956) . A faculty wife risks her marriage to help a troubled teen tormented by his fellow students. Cast: Deborah Kerr, John Kerr, Leif Erickson. Dir: Vincente Minnelli.
If Winter Comes (1947) . Scandal results when a well-meaning man takes in a pregnant girl. Cast: Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr, Janet Leigh. Dir: Victor Saville.
A photograph of Lizabeth Scott in Harper's Bazaar magazine was seen by movie agent Charles Feldman, who took her on as a client. Her first movie was in, You Came Along (1945).
Paramount named Scott "The Threat," to create an persona for her similar to Lauren Bacall and Veronica Lake. Scott's sensuality and husky voice was perfect for the film noir genre, beginning with the movie, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946).
In the film, Too Late for Tears. Lizabeth was compared to Bacall because of her resemblance and a similar voice, even more so after she performed with Bacall's husband, Humphrey Bogart, in the film noir, Dead Reckoning (1947). At the age of 25, Scott's billing were equal to Bogart's .
She also performed in, Desert Fury (1947), a noir filmed with, John Hodiak, Burt Lancaster, Wendell Corey and Mary Astor. Directed by Lewis Allen, the story is based on the racy novel, Desert Town by Ramona Stewart. It was produced by Hal Wallis. Music was by Miklós Rózsa. Desert Fury has fast dialogue and dark secrets. I posted the first video of 17. To help you get started.
Scott was then paired with Lancaster, Corey and Kirk Douglas in, I Walk Alone (1948). She also performed in, Too Late for Tears (1949). After completing the film, Loving You (1957) with Elvis Presley, Scott retired from the screen. Later that year, she would record her album, Lizabeth. Scott occasionally guest-star on television shows, including a 1963 episode of Burke's Law.
Lady on a Train(1945). Comedy, shot in film noir style. Cast: Deanna Durbin, was directed by Durbin's future third husband Charles David. The film's music score was by Miklós Rózsa. Durbin sings, "Silent Night" and "Night and Day." The comedy, musical and film noir seems to be a spoof on Cornell Woolrich mystery stories. Cowboy star Lash La Rue, plays a waiter at the Circus Club.
Nikki Collins, is a witness to a murder while traveling by train. Nikki goes to the police, who believes that her story is a figment of her imagination. Nikki, then goes looking for mystery writer Wayne Morgan, to help her solve the case.
Lady on a Train(1945). reminds me a little of a Agatha Christie movie. One of my favorite scenes was in the night club/dressing room.
I think you will enjoy, Lady on a Train. I posted the first of 11 videos to help get you started.
Gloria Stuart (July 4, 1910 – September 26, 2010). Had a long Hollywood career that spanned more than 70 years, Stuart performed on stage, in television and film, and was best known for her roles in, The Invisible Man and as 101-year-old Rose in her Academy Award nominated role in the film Titanic.
My favorite Gloria Stuart Films : Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935) Poor Little Rich Girl (1936) Change of Heart (1938) Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (1938) Island in the Sky (1938) The Three Musketeers (1939)
Brigitte Bardot, born 28 September 1934, is a French animal rights activist and a former fashion model, actress and singer.
Bardot began as a ballet dancer. She started her acting career in 1952, and after performing in 16 films, became world-famous because of her performance in her then-husband Roger Vadim's film, And God Created Woman. She later performed in the film, Contempt(1963). She was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress for her role in Louis Malle's 1965 film, Viva Maria!.
Bardot retired from the entertainment industry in 1973. During her career in show business Bardot starred in 47 films, performed in numerous musical shows, and recorded 80 songs. She was awarded the Légion d'honneur in 1985 but refused to receive it.
Jane Novak (January 12, 1896 – February 3, 1990.) After her father died an aunt invited her to California where she began acting in 1913 at the age of 17. The actress began in a stage stock company with her uncle in St. Louis. Novak's career went into the sound film where she performed in 115 movies.
She performed in a movie on her very first day in California, before there was a film studio in Hollywood. There she met Frank Newburg, who took her to a studio in Santa Monica, California, where her aunt, Anne Schafer, was a popular star. Newburg and Novak later married in 1915 and had one daughter. However, the marriage was short lived and the couple divorced in 1918.
Novak flourished as a performer, by sacrificing sensational roles for roles as leading women in more wholesome films. As a result, Novak, refused to work in films with other leading ladies. She played opposite Wallace Beery, Hobart Bosworth, Alan Hale, Thomas Moore, and Lewis Stone. A one time she was engaged to marry Western star William S. Hart, although their marriage never took place. She is best known for her westerns and made five films with Hart.
Novak's movies, Kazan (1921), Isobel (1920), The River's End (1920), and The Rosary (1922). By March 1922 she had her own company and was under contract for five movies. Aside from Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks Sr., Novak was the first film star to paid in four figures for a single movie. At this time performers were only paid while a motion picture was shooting. An entire film was completed in three or four weeks.
Novak's last starring role was opposite Richard Dix in the Technicolor film, Redskin (1929). The movie was also supposed to be with sound but there was a contract dispute involving this being Dix's final film with Paramount Pictures. So it was made without sound. Novak's voice was good but she made only a handful of pictures following sound. One was a pre-World War II epic, The Yanks Are Coming. It starred Slapsie Maxie Rosenbloom. She also performed in Alfred Hitchcock 's Foreign Correspondent in 1940, having meeting him in the 1920s.
In 1974 the former silent screen star published a cookbook entitled Treasury of Chicken Cooking. The volume is a collection of 300 recipes compiled by Novak over the years, all of them her own.
“Wagon Tracks” (1919) is a silent western starring William S. Hart, Jane Novak, and Robert McKim. Directed by Lambert Hillyer and adapted from the story by C. Gardner Sullivan, this film is about a mountain man guiding a wagon train across the West while trying to discover the truth about his young brother’s murder. The story begins with wagon train guide, Buckskin Hamilton, played by William S. Hart, headed to meet his younger brother, Billy Hamilton, played by Leo Pierson, who is arriving on a riverboat steamer. Aboard the steamer are notorious gambler, David Washburn, played by Robert McKim, his younger sister, Jane Washburn, played by Jane Novak, and her fiancé, Guy Merton, played by Lloyd Bacon. When David Washburn and Guy Merton cheat Billy Hamilton in a card game, Billy pulls a gun on the thieves but Jane intervenes and Billy is shot and killed in the struggle for the pistol. Trying to cover up their cheating card game, David and Guy claim Billy was drunk and when Buckskin Hamilton arrives, they lay all the blame on Jane. Even though the shooting is ruled accidental, Buckskin suspects foul play. When Jane finally reveals to Buckskin how Billy was being cheated, Buckskin binds David and Guy to a lariat and herds them out into the desert to walk until one or the other confesses. After seeing two silent westerns, "Naked Hands" (1916) starring Broncho Billy Anderson and "Wagon Tracks" (1919) starring William S. Hart, I have no doubt about Hart's enormous popularity as a western actor of the silent screen. I noticed that Anderson's "Naked Hands" had none of the production values or large scale action sequences that distinguished "Wagon Tracks." While Anderson's performance in "Naked Hands" was quite hammy, Hart's style of acting was quite naturalistic in "Wagon Tracks." Anderson also lacked Hart's magnetic qualities. I was also impressed with Jane Novak's very moving but restrained performance in "Wagon Tracks." Even though I am not a big fan of silent westerns, I am glad to have discovered William S. Hart, the silent era's most influential western star.
William Surrey Hart was already a major stage actor when he entered films in 1914 with the two-reel short “His Hour of Manhood.” He had originated the role of Messala in “Ben-Hur” in 1899 and played Cash Hawkins in the original 1905 production of “The Squaw Man.” Hart’s concept was to depict the West as he believed it to be, and he viewed his films as much as an art form as the paintings of Frederick Remington. Hart genuinely loved the West, and he took the western movie away from the painted backdrop and showed the western environment as it really was. In the nomadic years of his youth, Hart’s family had settled in the Dakota Territory near a Sioux reservation, and he claimed to understand the language and customs of Native Americans. When he saw his first western film, he vowed someday to make one of his own, and to make it realistic in its portrayal of the life he had as a boy. Producer Thomas H. Ince brought Hart to the screen, but the two men quarreled and Hart operated as an independent production unit with his own studio. Under the Ince banner, Hart starred in 55 films, ending with “John Petticoats” in 1919. The Ince films and the later eleven productions from 1919 onward for Paramount-Artcraft were generally westerns. Hart would not compromise on production values or cost and, in the end, left Paramount, independently producing his last film, “Tumbleweeds” (1925) for United Artists. Hart’s leading ladies served generally as plot devices. They helped to make or keep him pure. Hart was certainly a ladies man. He proposed to five of his leading ladies, including Jane Novak and Margery Wilson. Jane Novak had a rather weary look which perhaps made her an ideal leading lady to the domineering William S. Hart in a total of five feature films: “The Tiger Man” (1918), “Selfish Yates” (1918), “The Money Corral” (1919), “Wagon Tracks” (1919), and “Three Word Brand”(1921). Aside from Hart, Novak is best remembered for being Lewis Stone’s leading lady in “Man’s Desire” (1919), “The River’s End” (1920), and “The Rosary” (1922). Successful as she was financially in the 1920’s, the Wall Street Crash wiped out Novak’s assets, and by 1937, she was forced to file for bankruptcy. She had been off screen from the end of the silent era when she made a triumphant farewell to the screen in “Redskin” (1929), until 1936, when she made a couple of minor films.
The Roman Spring Of Mrs. Stone(1961). Cast: Vivien Leigh, Warren Beatty, Lotte Lenya. Dir: Jose Quintero. Karen Stone, an actress, and her husband are vacationing in Rome. On the plane, her husband suffers a fatal heart attack. Karen decides to stay in Italy and rent a luxury apartment in Rome. The Contessa Magda Terribili-Gonzales, introduces her to a young Italian man, Paolo. Karen and Paolo have a passionate affair, with terrible consequences. Vivian Leigh said that "Warren Beatty had the kind of magnetic sensuality you could light torches with".
Anna Karenina (1948). Cast: Vivian Leigh, Ralph Richardson, Kieron Moore. Dir: Julien Duvivier. Anna Karenina, is married to Alexei Karenin, a politician more interested in his career than in his wife. Called back to Moscow by her brother Stefan Oblonsky, who has cheated on his wife Dolly for the last time. Anna meets Countess Vronsky on the night train. They begin a passionate affair, with terrible consequences.
I loved this film. Vivien is so believablein her performance when she goes from, insanity, misery, pity and which consumes her. One memorable scene for me is when she goes to the opera and sits by herself while everybody is whispering around her and she picks up the pamphlet and shields herself from every ones stares.
Caesar And Cleopatra (1945). Cast: Claude Rains, Vivien Leigh, Stewart Granger. Dir: Gabriel Pascal. In this film, Julius Caesar takes over the Egyptian city of Alexandria, and tries to end the feud between Princess Cleopatra and her younger brother Ptolemy. Caesar develops a relationship with Cleopatra.
Ship of Fools (1965). Cast: Simone Signoret, Oskar Werner, Vivien Leigh. Dir: Stanley Kramer. film which tells the stories of several passengers aboard an ocean liner traveling to Germany from Vera Cruz. The movie was adapted by Abby Mann from the novel of the same name by Katherine Anne Porter. It was directed by Stanley Kramer.It was Vivien Leigh's last film.
This was by far my favorite look from the D&G collection. Everything is the show was so cute, girly, and sweet. Such a drastic feeling from fall, which had so many black and masculine-inspired suits and cuts. Looking at the Spring/Summer collection made me think of a picnic in a fairytale wood. Precious!
Some new looks from LA Vintage, I'm absolutely in love with that cape. And I've never done a cape. SOMEONE BUY ME A CAPE!!!
BUtterfield 8(1960) film directed by Daniel Mann. Cast: Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won an Academy Award for her performance.
The film begins when sophisticated call girl Gloria, wakes up in Weston Liggett's apartment. She is heartbroken when she finds the $250 dollars he left for her. Gloria, whose dress is torn, takes Wes's wife Emily's mink coat to cover up and writes "No Sale" in lipstick on the mirror, but tells her telephone exchange, Butterfield 8, to put Wes calls through when he calls.
Later, Gloria visits her old friend, pianist Steve Carpenter, in his apartment, he tells Gloria to stop wasting her life on one-night stands. Will she be able to change her life around before it is to late?
Elizabeth Taylor, is one of the last great actors that came out of old Hollywood. No one will ever have a career like Elizabeth Taylor. We may never see an actor like her again.
Eddie Fisher, was a talented singer and entertainer, who was one of the world's most famous and singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and having his own TV show. He performed in his first movie, Bundle of Joy(1956), with his first wife, Debbie Reynolds. His second film, Butterfield 8(1960), with Elizabeth Taylor, whom he married soon after.
Douglas began his film career in the late 60s and early 70s performing in the film Hail, Hero! and Summertree. He is best known for his role in the TV series The Streets of San Francisco from 1972 to 1976, where he starred alongside Karl Malden.
In 1975, Douglas received from his father, Kirk Douglas, the rights to the novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Michael produced the film with Saul Zaentz. The lead role went to a young Jack Nicholson, who ended up winning the Academy Award for Best Actor. Douglas won the Award for Best Picture for producing it.
After leaving Streets of San Francisco in 1976, Douglas performed in the film, Coma(1978) and Running(1979). In 1979, he also starred in The China Syndrome, a film co-starring Jane Fonda about a disaster at a nuclear power plant.
This weeks Noir and Chick Flicks at the Movies: Alfred Hitchcock Presents- The long Shot. A gambler(Peter Lawford pictured above) attempts to scam a man who has hired him to tell him stories about London. Except the man isn't what he seems. Click picture on side bar to view movie.
ON TCM: Sun. Sept. 26, 2010. BUtterfield 8 (1960). Is a film directed by Daniel Mann. Cast: Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won an Academy Award for her performance. The story about a party girl who ruins her life when she falls in love with a married man.
ON TCM: Mon. September 27, 2010 . A Dane Clark tribute. He was known for his performance as, "Joe Average".
Her Kind Of Man (1946) .A singer can't choose between a charismatic gangster and an honest newspaperman. Cast: Dane Clark, Zachary Scott, Janis Paige. Dir: Frederick de Cordova.
Deep Valley (1947). A farmer's daughter helps an escaped convict. Cast: Ida Lupino, Dane Clark, Wayne Morris. Dir: Jean Negulesco.
That Way With Women (1947) . An elderly millionaire makes a hobby of playing cupid. Cast: Sydney Greenstreet, Dane Clark, Martha Vickers. Dir: Frederick de Cordova.
Embraceable You (1948) .When he accidentally injures a young girl, a gangster risks his freedom to nurse her. Cast: Dane Clark, Geraldine Brooks, S.Z. Sakall. Dir: Felix Jacoves.
Fort Defiance (1951). A Civil War veteran returns to his hometown to avenge his brother's death. Cast: Dane Clark, Ben Johnson, Peter Graves. Dir: John Rawlins.
Never Trust a Gambler (1951). A small-time gambler goes on the lam from a murder charge. Cast: Dane Clark, Cathy O'Donnell, Tom Drake. Dir: Ralph Murphy.
Sheila MacRae (born 24 September 1924) . Best known films: Pretty Baby (1950), Caged (1950). Is the story of a teenage newlywed, who is sent to prison for being an accessory to a robbery. Her experiences while in prison, change her from a frightened young girl into a hardened convict. Backfire (1950), and Sex and the Single Girl (1964).
MacRae, also played Alice Kramden, the wife of bus driver Ralph Kramden ( Jackie Gleason) on the musical-comedy "The Honeymooners" and on The Jackie Gleason Show from 1966 to 1970.
She also performed in the role of "Madelyn Richmond" on the television soap opera, General Hospital.
MacRae was married to the actor Gordon MacRae from 1941 until 1967. Both wonderful singers, they performed in a 1964 production of The Bells Are Ringing , and Guys and Dolls, playing the role of Miss Adelaide, a role which she also performed on Broadway in the 1965. They were the parents of the actresses Heather MacRae and Meredith MacRae.
Eddie Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010). He will be greatly missed as a talented singer and entertainer, who was one of the world's most famous and singers in the 1950s, selling millions of records and having his own TV show. He was married to Debbie Reynolds, Elizabeth Taylor, and Connie Stevens.
This week at the movies: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, was an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over 30 years.
This weeks feature: The Human Interest Story. Newspaper reporter (Steve Mc Queen)interviews a man who believes he is from the planet Mars.
Newspaperman Bill Everett, goes to the neighborhood bar to interview a man who believes he is a Martian. There, Everett meets up with Howard Wilcox, who tells him he woke up one morning to find that everyone on his planet had all disappeared. He traveled to Earth and found himself in Wilcox's body. He almost convinces Wilcox to keep his story a secret. Instead He decides to tell his wife the truth. Everett decides to take action to keep him quite and then reports back to his editor. It was fun to see a very young Steve McQueen. Loved the surprise ending. Click to view : Human Interest Story.
In my opinion Janis Paige (born September 16, 1922) , is a underrated actress. She began singing from the age of five in local amateur shows. She then moved to Los Angeles after graduating from high school and then got a job as a singer at the Hollywood Canteen during World War II. That is where Warner Bros. first saw saw her and signed her up. She began her film career co-starring in musicals, where she performed with either Dennis Morgan or Jack Carson. She later performed in adventures and dramas . Following her role in the film, Two Gals and a Guy (1951), she decided to leave Hollywood .
She then went on to Broadway to perform in , Remains to Be Seen(1951), co-starring Jackie Cooper. She also toured as a cabaret singer.
Stardom came in the Broadway musical, The Pajama Game(1954). (Doris Day went on to play the role on film.) After a six-year hiatus, Paige returned to films in Silk Stockings (1957), which starred Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse, plus the Doris Day comedy Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960), followed by a role in Bachelor in Paradise with Bob Hope (1961). Sorry this wonderful clip of Janis does not have sound.
Fri. Sept. 24, 2010. TCM is featuring two Janis Page films: House Across the Street(1949). The film is about how pressure from the mob sends a reporter from the front page to the advice column.
Younger Brothers(1949). The film is about, three law-breaking brothers who try to go straight, only to be followed by a vengeful detective. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- List of films: Bathing Beauty (1944) Hollywood Canteen (1944) Her Kind of Man (1946) Of Human Bondage (1946) Two Guys from Milwaukee (1946) The Time, the Place and the Girl (1946) Always Together (1947) Winter Meeting (1948) Wallflower (1948) Romance on the High Seas (1948) One Sunday Afternoon (1948) Fugitive Lady (1949) The Younger Brothers (1949) The House Across the Street (1949) This Side of the Law (1950) Mr. Universe (1951) Two Gals and a Guy (1951) Silk Stockings (1957) Please Don't Eat the Daisies (1960) Bachelor in Paradise (1961) Follow the Boys (1963) The Caretakers (1963) Welcome to Hard Times (1967)
Nita Naldi, (March 1895 – February 17, 1961). Was one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties. She often performed in the role of the "femme fatale".
Carrie Fisher (born October 21, 1956). Born in Beverly Hills, California, the daughter of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds. She is best know for her performance as Princess Leia in the original Star Wars trilogy.
Secret Beyond the Door(1948). Psychological thriller. Directed by Fritz Lang, produced by Lang's Diana Productions. Cast: Joan Bennett and was produced by her husband Walter Wanger.
When Celia's beloved older brother Rick dies she is left with a large trust fund. Celia decides to vacation in Mexico with her friend, Edith Potter. After arriving, Celia and Edith witness a knife fight between two men over a woman. Celia can not tear herself from the fight which attracts the attention of an American architect, Mark Lamphere. They quickly fall in love and within days are married. After the wedding, Mark tells Celia about his work managing an architectural journal and his interest reproducing in exact replica of rooms in which brutal murders were committed. The couple's honeymoon plans change when Mark tells Celia he has received a telegram sending him back to New York City. Mark asks Celia to go ahead to his family estate in Lavender Falls, where he will meet her later. That night the maid tells Celia that Mark received no telegram. Puzzled, Celia travels to her new home, where she is met by his sister, Caroline Lamphere, who tells her that Mark has been delayed. Celia is shocked to learn that Mark has a young teenage son, David. Carey introduces Celia to Mark's secretary, Miss Robey, who wears a scarf to hide the side of her face that was burned years before when she rescued David from the fire. When Celia meets Mark at the train station, he reacts strangly to her lilac corsage. Later he tells Celia he is worried about money, as his journal is failing. During a large party at the house, Bob tells Celia he believes that Mark may have married her for her money. Mark then takes the guests through his recreated rooms, which feature the murders of wives by their husbands, and Celia becomes worried when he refuses to show her the last room, which remains locked. What will Celia find beyond the door?
Even if this movie might be a little cheesy, I loved the cinematography and the haunting music which helped create a dreamy atmosphere. The focus on the door and the naration keeps you interested as to what the secret really is.
Fun Facts:
Fritz Lang's version of Rebecca (1940) was a project fraught with disaster. It ran over budget and over schedule, while Lang was at constant loggerheads with his leading lady, Joan Bennett. The first preview of the film attracted comments like "beyond human endurance" and "it stinks". Bennett herself referred to the film as "an unqualified disaster".
Michael Redgrave's first American film.
Anne Revere was a direct descendant of American Revolution hero Paul Revere. In 1926, she graduated from Wellesley College, then enrolled at the American Laboratory School to study acting with Maria Ouspenskaya and Richard Boleslavsky.
Revere made her Broadway debut in, The Great Barrington (1931). Three years later she went to Hollywood to reprise her stage role in the film, Double Door. She returned to Broadway to perform in the original production of, The Children's Hour(1934), and in later years she performed on the New York stage in: As You Like It, The Three Sisters, and Toys in the Attic (play), for which she won the 1960 Tony Award for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play.
Revere worked as a character actress in films between 1934 and 1951. She played mother to Elizabeth Taylor, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, John Garfield, and Montgomery Clift. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress three times and won for her performance in National Velvet. Other Revere films: The Song of Bernadette, Gentleman's Agreement, The Keys of the Kingdom, Body and Soul, and A Place in the Sun.
In 1951, Revere resigned from the board of the Screen Actors Guild after she pleaded the Fifth Amendment and refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. She would not perform until twenty years later in the film, Tell Me That You Love Me, Junie Moon. She began performing on television in 1960, in soap operas : The Edge of Night, Search for Tomorrow, and Ryan's Hope.
Madge Bellamy, best known films include: Love Never Dies (1921), Lorna Doone (1922), and The Iron Horse (1924). She made a successful transition to sound film in 1928 with the film, Mother Knows Best, but after a dispute with Fox in 1929, she left the studio and could not find work again until 1932, when she began performing in B movies. She is best known today for the 1932 film, White Zombie(1932).
Personal Quote: "I've avoided all my life the romantic stuff which novels and movies are about. Never went in for that mush. Of course, I've missed what most people would call the ultimate human experience. But then, I've remained my own person, which at my age is a very satisfying state" - Madge Bellamy, at age 87.
“Lorna Doone” (1922) is a silent romantic drama starring Madge Bellamy, John Bowers, and Frank Keenan. Directed by Maurice Tourneur and adapted from the novel by R.D. Blackmore, this film is about a young girl who is captured and grows up among a clan of evil outlaws. The story begins in 17th century England where John Ridd, a farm boy, played by Charles Hatton, meets Lorna, a young girl, played by Mae Giracci, who is the daughter of the Countess of Lorne. John and Lorna are drawn to each other as he pumps water to wash his hair. Shortly after the farewell scene between Lorna and John, Lorna is kidnapped by a feared band of highwaymen who terrorize the countryside and have a well-fortified community in the hillside country. The patriarch of this community, Sir Ensor Doone, played by Frank Keenan, is softened by fatherly love and raises Lorna as his own, keeping the secret of her royal blood from her. Years later, when both are adults, John Ridd, played by John Bowers, is swept down the river’s rapids and over a large waterfall. When he awakes, he finds himself on the bank with his head on the lap of his childhood sweetheart, Lorna, played by Madge Bellamy. John and Lorna arrange a signal from a hilltop if she ever needs him, but he must leave quickly to avoid getting caught by the Doones. Years pass and Ensor Doone is on his deathbed. Carver Doone, played by Donald MacDonald, seizes this opportunity to try and force Lorna into marrying him. Lorna’s maid signals for John’s help from the hilltop, and he rescues her from the Doones. Before dying, Ensor Doone sends a message to London so that Lorna’s royal heritage be known. When Countess Brandir, played by Gertrude Astor, shows up to take Lorna to London, John reluctantly tells her that she should go. Lorna soon renounces her heritage and comes back to John. Unfortunately, during Lorna and John’s wedding ceremony, Carver Doone shoots Lorna through the window.
Even though “Lorna Doone” (1922) is not one of the greatest films of the silent era, it is good entertainmnent. One of the things that impressed me the most about this film is the outstanding cinematography. The graceful photography of Henry Sharp under Maurice Tourneur’s direction is probably the film’s best asset. In fact, “Lorna Doone” is a visually beautiful film filled with gorgeous images. The acting is also first rate. The title role is nicely played by Madge Bellamy who portrays Lorna with such sweetness and grace. Ruggedly handsome John Bowers does a wonderful job as the stalwart hero. Kino’s DVD release is a beautiful print and adds much to the enjoyment of the film. With so few of Madge Bellamy’s films available, “Lorna Doone” is worth watching just to see one of the silent screen’s most popular leading ladies.
Critics called her captivating and artists dubbed her “the most beautiful girl in America.” As ethereal as Lillian Gish and as seductive as Clara Bow, Madge Bellamy was unique. Her film persona, evolving from ingénue to flapper, reflected the liberation of women from corsets to short skirts. Madge Bellamy was one of the few silent stars who came to Hollywood from the Broadway stage. She made her film debut in “The Riddle: The Woman” (1920) for Pathe and soon after was signed to a four year contract by pioneer producer Thomas Ince. In 1922, reviewers hailed Madge’s performance in the title role of Maurice Tourneur’s “Lorna Doone” and, when critic Robert E. Sherwood named her as one of his favorite actresses, she was destined for stardom. In 1924, Madge became an independent player. She was fortunate to star opposite George O’Brien in John Ford’s classic epic western, “The Iron Horse” (1924). A year later, Madge signed a contract with the studio, quickly becoming Fox’s most popular feminine star and their answer to Paramount’s Clara Bow and First National’s Colleen Moore. Her brilliance as a comedienne in such films as “Summer Bachelors” (1926), “Ankles Preferred” (1927) and “Very Confidential” (1927) gained the attention of the critics. “Ankles Preferred” was so well received by audiences that it was held over at New York’s famed Roxy Theatre. With the advent of sound, Madge’s stage-trained voice was apparently adaptable to the new medium. While disagreements with studio bosses over parts may have been partially responsible, her career, like those of her contemporaries, began to decline with the onset of sound. Most of Madge’s films in the 1930’s were minor efforts for smaller companies. A noteworthy exception was “White Zombie” (1932), a classic horror film in which she had second billing after Bela Lugosi. For a time Madge returned to the stage. After a long hiatus from films, she made her final screen appearance in Northwest Trail (1945). It is interesting to note that Madge was always ready to contribute to the cause of civil rights and feminism. Madge inherited her political activism from her mother who taught her to champion the underdog. There is actually a reference to Madge Bellamy in “Dreams of Movie Stardom,” a story in the collection, “Tales from the Secret Annex,” by Anne Frank, the young girl from Amsterdam who hid from the Nazis in WWII. At one point, Anne envisions herself sight-seeing with Madge on a trip to Hollywood. Like Anne Frank, Madge Bellamy was sensitive to injustice.
In 1962, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Two Women. Loren has won 50 international awards, including two Oscars, five Golden Globe Awards, a Grammy Award and a BAFTA Award. Her other films include Attila (1954), The Pride and the Passion (1957), Houseboat (1958), El cid (1961), Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963), Marriage Italian Style (1964), A Special Day (1977), Grumpier Old Men (1995), and Nine (2009).
That Hamilton Woman (1941). The film tells the story of Emma Hamilton, a dance-hall girl who became mistress to Admiral Horatio Nelson. The story begins with alcoholic Lady Hamilton, thrown into prison in the slums of Calais, and shows her past life in flashbacks, as she tells her story.
Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were newlyweds at the time of filming, That Hamilton Woman. Which is one of three films they made together. Their first film, Fire Over England, was also produced by Korda.Please read montys awesome review by clicking on That Hamilton Woman, in the tag line, located at the bottom of this post.
Waterloo Bridge (1940). A beautiful story of a dancer and an officer who meet on Waterloo Bridge, during an air raid in World War I.
Waterloo Bridge was nominated for two Academy Awards: Best Music for Herbert Stothart and Best Cinematography. It was also Vivien Leigh's and Robert Taylor's favorite film. Cast: Vivien Leigh, Robert Taylor, Lucile Watson, Virginia Field Dir: Mervyn LeRoy.
Yank At Oxford, A (1938). An American student runs into trouble when he transfers to a British college. Cast: Robert Taylor, Lionel Barrymore, Maureen O'Sullivan, Vivien Leigh Dir: Jack Conway.
The Big Clock(1948). Film noir thriller. Directed by John Farrow. The black-and-white film is set in New York City. cast: Ray Milland and Maureen O'Sullivan. Real-life married couple Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton perform in the film, along with Harry Morgan, in an early film role, as a hired thug.
The film begins with, George Stroud, editor-in-chief of Crimeways magazine, hiding from security guards, in the clock tower of the Janoth Publications building, in New York City. Just thirty-six hours before, was about to leave on his honeymoon after seven years of marriage, is ordered by his over baring boss, Earl Janoth, to go on assignment or be fired. Tired of jeopardizing his family life, George decides to quit his job at the magazine. Janoth's mistress Pauline York, follows him to the bar where he stopped in for a drink. Pauline, wants to help George humiliate Janoth by writing the truth about him in a biography. George tells Pauline that Janoth fired a man earlier in the day for using red ink instead of green. They go on a search for a green clock as a "present" for Janoth, who is obsessed with time. While in an antique shop, George and Pauline out-bid a woman for a Patterson painting, unaware that she is,Louise Patterson.
Later, they visit Burt's Sports Bar, where George introduces Pauline to McKinley, a radio actor friend. After finding the green clock, Burt gives George and Pauline a sundial. After which George takes Pauline home and falls asleep on her couch. Around one-thirty in the morning, Pauline sees Janoth arriving and pushes George out the door with his painting. Unfortunately, Janoth catches a glimpse of him waiting for the elevator and he and Pauline get into a fight about their infidelities. Pauline tells Janoth she spent the evening with a man named Jefferson Randolph. When Janoth insults her, Pauline says that women only go out with him for his power and position. Before he knows what he is doing, he snaps and hits her with the sundial, instantly killing her. He then calls one of his editors, Steve Hagen, for help. They quickly come up with a plan to shift the blame on, George Stroud.
I just saw The film, The Big Clock, for the first time. I thought it was a wonderful film noir, that turns out to be a exciting duel, of one man trying to out think the other.
Fun Facts:
Co-stars Elsa Lanchester and Charles Laughton were married, as were star Maureen O'Sullivan and director John Farrow.
A 'fin' is $5 in American slang.
This video has a couple of wonderful, Elsa Lanchester, scenes.
Maureen O'Sullivan's film career began when she met director Frank Borzage, who was doing location filming on. Song o' My Heart. He suggested she take a screen test. After she won the part in the movie, she moved to the United States.
O'Sullivan performed in six movies at Fox, then made three more at other movie studios. In 1932, she signed a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. After several roles there and at other movie studios, she was chosen to perform as, Jane Parker in Tarzan the Ape Man with Johnny Weissmuller.
In all, O'Sullivan played Jane in six features between (1932) and (1942). She did not mind doing the first two jungle movies, but was worried she would become typecast and quickly became bored with the role.
She also performed with William Powell and Myrna Loy in The Thin Man (1934) and played Kitty in Anna Karenina (1935) with Greta Garbo and Basil Rathbone. She performed as Molly Beaumont in A Yank at Oxford (1938). She played another Jane in Pride and Prejudice (1940) with Laurence Olivier and Greer Garson, and supported Ann Sothern in Maisie Was a Lady (1941).
After performing in Tarzan's New York Adventure (1942), O'Sullivan asked MGM to release her from her contract so she could care for her husband who had just left the Navy with typhoid. She then retired from show business, devoting her time to being a wife and mother.
