Libeled Lady(1936). Comedy. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell (who were romantically involved at the time), Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway.
Libeled Lady was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was remade in 1946 as Easy to Wed with Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Lucille Ball.
Wealthy Connie Allenbury is falsely accused of breaking up a marriage and sues the New York Evening Star newspaper for libel. Warren Haggerty, the chief editor, turns to reporter and ladies man Bill Chandler for help.
Bill comes up with a plan, to be alone with Connie when his "wife" shows up, the suit will have to be dropped. Bill is not really married, so Warren has his neglected fiancee, Gladys Benton, play the part, which she is not to happy about.
Bill returns to America from England on the same ocean liner as Connie and her father J. B.. He pays some men to pose as reporters and harass Connie at the dock, so that he can "rescue" her. Connie believes that he is just a fortune hunter after her money, but Bill quickly wins her trust.
The plan falls apart when Connie and Bill actually fall in love. They get married, but Gladys interrupts their honeymoon to reclaim her husband. Bill reveals that he found out that Gladys' Mexican divorce wasn't valid, but then Gladys tops him. She got a second divorce and she and Bill are really man and wife. Will Connie and Bill manage to convince Gladys that she's really in love with Warren?
I always love to see a performance of Powell and Loy together, they really seem to enjoy each others company. Tracy, is wonderful as always. There are many amusing character actors, in this film. The film offers humor and gorgeous sets and costumes. Harlow, also gave a wonderful zany performance in this film.
Fun Facts:
Lionel Barrymore was originally cast as Mr. Allenbury while Rosalind Russell was originally considered to play Connie Allenbury.
Harlow wanted to play Connie Allenbury, so that her character and Powell's would wind up together. MGM insisted, however, that the film be another William Powell-Myrna Loy movie, as they originally intended. Harlow had already signed on to do the film but had to settle for the role of Gladys Benton. As Gladys, top-billed Harlow got to play a wedding scene with Powell. During filming, Harlow changed her legal name.
The fifth of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.
Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940), who performed in almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. His first film performance came in two silent films, The Marked Woman (1914) and A Soldier's Oath (1915), and a talkie in 1930, Many Happy Returns, but his Hollywood film career really began in 1932, when he performed in four films. His trademark role was that of a business tycoon or newspaperman, often as the father of the female lead character, as in It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Broadway Bill (1934), supporting Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy; and Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell and Loy again. Other notable roles included the worthless uncle of Paul Muni's character in, The Good Earth (1937) and one of the two con men encountered by Mickey Rooney's, Huckleberry Finn in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939). Connolly was particularly memorable as General Yen's American advisor in, The Bitter Tea of General Yen.
Connolly mostly played supporting roles, but starred occasionally, as Nero Wolfe in The League of Frightened Men (1937), 5th Ave Girl(1939), opposite Ginger Rogers and as the title character in, The Great Victor Herbert (1939), his last film.
The Housekeeper's Daughter(1939). Comedy. Directed and produced by Hal Roach. Cast: Joan Bennett, Adolphe Menjou and John Hubbard. The screenplay was written by Rian James, Gordon Douglas, Jack Jevne and Claude Martin, based on novel by Donald Henderson Clarke.
The film begins when Hilda decides to visit her mother, who is the housekeeper for the Randalls. The Randalls go on vacation, while their son Robert stays behind to start his career as a reporter.
While, Benny is selling his flowers, he is a witness to Gladys Fontaine kidnapping and follows close behind while she is taken to Gangster Floyd's houseboat. Benny, wanting to save Gladys, puts poison in a cup of coffee meant for Floyd, but Gladys drinks it instead. The next morning, Robert reads about Gladys death in the papers and decides to cover the story, hooking up with reporter Deakon Maxwell and photographer Ed O'Malley. At a police station, they find Benny confessing to Gladys' murder. After a night on the town with Deakon and Ed, Benny suggests to the drunken Robert that he call his editor and tell him that Gladys was thrown from a houseboat.
Robert's story makes Floyd believe that the reporter knows what happened and puts out a contract on his life. While, Deakon and Ed are shooting fireworks from the roof, the gangsters think the fireworks are gun shots and they shoot back. Will the police get there in time?
Loved the cast of this fun movie, Joan Bennett, now a brunette, who reminded me a little of Heddy Lamar. Menjou of course always gives a wonderful performance. The rest of the cast were wonderful character actors including: William Gargan, Marc Lawrence, Donald Meek, George E. Stone and Peggy Wood. Also.. in his debut film, Victor Mature.
Peggy Wood (February 9, 1892 – March 18, 1978), did not perform in many films. Her few film appearances include co-starring opposite Will Rogers in the film, Handy Andy, Jalna, a cameo in the film, A Star is Born(1937), playing a movie studio receptionist. Other films: "Call It a Day" with Olivia de Havilland, "The Housekeeper's Daughter" with Joan Bennett, "The Bride Wore Boots" with Barbara Stanwyck, "Magnificent Doll" with Ginger Rogers and "Dream Girl" with Betty Hutton.
Wood's final screen appearance was as the Mother Abbess in the, The Sound Of Music (1965), for which she received an Academy Award nomination in the category of Best Supporting Actress. She was thrilled to be in the movie although she knew that she could no longer sing. Mother Abbess's performance of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" is dubbed by Margery McKay. Her co-star Marni Nixon wrote in her memoir, "I Could Have Danced All Night", that Wood especially liked McKay's singing voice because it sounded like her own.
In 1969 she joined the cast of the ABC-TV soap, One Life to Live as Dr. Kate Nolan and had a recurring role until the end of the year.
It Should Happen to You (1954) . Romantic/comedy. Cast: Judy Holliday, the first screen appearance of Jack Lemmon. Other cast members: Michael O'Shea, Vaughn Taylor, Connie Gilchrist, Walter Klavun, Whit Bissell, Constance Bennett, Ilka Chase, Wendy Barrie and Melville Cooper. The film was directed by George Cukor and filmed on location in New York City. Screenwriter Garson Kanin originally intended the script as a vehicle for Danny Kaye, but Kanin's wife, Ruth Gordon, suggested casting Judy Holliday instead. The title was initially, A Name for Herself.
Lemmon had a meeting with studio boss Harry Cohn, who feared that critics might use jokes about the name "Lemmon". He wanted Lemmon to change his name to "Lennon." Lemmon said that if he did that people might confuse his name with "Lenin" and associate his name with Communism, a very real concern in the 1950s. He decided to keep the name Lemmon and went on to become a Hollywood legend.
Small time filmmaker Pete Sheppard, meets Gladys Glover, in New York City's Central Park, while filming her feeding peanuts to the pigeons. Gladys shares with him that she has just been fired from her modeling job and now wonders how she can make a name for herself. Pete tells her that, " she is the only one who can make her dreams come true". Later, while walking barefoot in Columbus Circle, Gladys sees a huge billboard for rent, she envisions her name written there and decides to rent it for the three-months. Several days after Gladys has her name painted on the billboard, businessman Evan Adams III, tells his advertising firm, that his soap company usually rents the billboard for the spring season and wants Gladys to give it up. Gladys meets with Evan and the agency representatives, but refuses their money and an additional five hundred dollars. Back at her apartment, Gladys learns that Pete has just moved into her building. She asks him to visit Columbus Circle to see her bill board.
She eventually makes a deal with the advertising company to have her name posted on 10 billboards posted throughout city. Suddenly, all of New York is curious about who Gladys Glover is. Evan Adams III also has eyes for Gladys.
Fun Fact: The background music playing during the scene when Peter Lawford is trying to romance Judy Holliday is also used during several scenes in the film, From Here to Eternity (1953) .
I loved the on screen chemistry between Judy Holliday and Jack Lemmon. This film maybe my favorite Judy Holliday performance. Is this the first time someone became famous for doing nothing??
Judy Holliday (June 21, 1921 – June 7, 1965). Kanin, together with George Cukor, Spencer Tracy, and Katharine Hepburn, wanted to promote Holliday by offering her a part in the film, Adam's Rib(1949). She got rave reviews and Cohn offered her the chance to repeat her role for the film version of Born Yesterday. She won the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and at the 23rd Academy Awards, Holliday won the Academy Award for Best Actress, over Gloria Swanson, nominated for Sunset Boulevard, Eleanor Parker, for Caged, and Bette Davis and Anne Baxter, both for All About Eve.
In 1954, she starred with a new young star Jack Lemmon in the popular comedy It Should Happen to You, and again (in 1954), in Phffft!.
She was best known for her ability to shift her mood quickly from comic to serious is one. George Cukor said that she had "in common with the great comedians...that depth of emotion, that unexpectedly touching emotion, that thing which would unexpectedly touch your heart." Please click here to view past Judy Holliday reviews.
List of Judy Holliday Films :
1944 Greenwich Village 1949 Adam's Rib 1950 Born Yesterday 1952 The Marrying Kind 1954 It Should Happen to You Gladys Glover 1954 Phffft! 1956 The Solid Gold Cadillac 1957 Full of Life 1960 Bells Are Ringing
Father Takes a Wife (1941). Cast: Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Swanson, John Howard and Desi Arnaz .
Shipping magnate Frederick Senior Osborne, enters his sons office one day and announces that he is turning the business over to him and plans to marry actress, Leslie Collier. later that night when he and his wife Enid meet Leslie, they talk about Senior and Leslie's age difference. After dinner, the Osbornes attend Leslie's farewell stage performance, where Senior becomes jealous over the attentions of Leslie's leading man. During their honeymoon cruise to Mexico, they discover a stowaway, singer, Carlos Bardez. Feeling sorry for the impoverished Carlos, Senior offers to help him. Once the three arrive home, Leslie appoints herself Carlos' impresario, which the Senior is not to happy about. On the night of Carlos' debut, Leslie comes home very late, angry Senior decides to move in with Junior and Enid. Trying to help, Junior invites Carlos to move in with him and Enid. Things don't go as planned when Leslie moves out of the house and refuses to speak to Senior.
Meanwhile, at Juniors house, same thing happens when Enid takes over the role of Carlos' impresario and Junior leaves in a jealous rage, on the night of Carlos' concert. Father and son then plan to rid themselves of Carlos once and for all, by sending him on a sixty-five city concert tour. Soon after, at their doctor's office, Enid and Leslie meet and both learn that they are pregnant. What will happen next?
Swanson looks gorgeous her beautiful clothes and I thought she gave a wonderful performance. Menjou is very believable playing the jealous spouse. Arnaz gives a fun performance. This film did remind me a little of one of my favorite films,SUNSET BLVD. Trivia buffs may want to watch for unbilled performances by Loretta Young's ex-husband Grant Withers (as Judge Waters) and Ginger Rogers' future husband Jack Briggs (as Menjou's chauffeur).
FATHER TAKES A WIFE, deserves at least one viewing for the chance to see Gloria Swanson, in a sound motion picture.
Gloria Swanson
Florence Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974), became an actress during the early 1930s and after several Broadway roles, eventually made her way to Hollywood. Rice was cast at first as the reliable girlfriend. During the 1930s, MGM gradually provided her with more substantial roles.
Rice never became a major figure in films, but performed in a number of screen pairings with Robert Young. Her best known performances are in the films: Double Wedding (1937), Sweethearts (1938) and At The Circus (1939).
Page Miss Glory (1935). Romantic comedy. Cast: Marion Davies, Pat O'Brien, Mary Astor and Dick Powell. It was based on the play of the same name by Joseph Schrank and Phillip Dunning.
Small town girl Loretta Dalrymple, arrives in New York City and finds a job as a chambermaid in a luxurious hotel. Also, staying at the hotel is con man Wiley and his photographer partner Ed Olsen, who are three weeks behind on their hotel bill. Click and Ed, come up with a plan, to put together a picture of a beautiful woman, by combining the best features of several Hollywood beauties and enter the picture as "Dawn Glory" in a nationwide beauty contest for the $2500 prize. Which they win.
Bingo Nelson a pilot, immediately falls in love when he sees her picture. After flying a serum to Alaska through a blizzard, he proposes to Dawn on national radio. As a result, reporters want to interview Miss Glory, putting Click in a tough spot. Slattery of the Express digs up Click's checkered past to try to blackmail him into giving him an interview. Ed's girlfriend Gladys Russell finds Loretta trying on a dress delivered for Dawn. Earlier in the day, Loretta had her hair styled in the new hairdo called, "Dawn's bobb". Gladys and Ed think that she looks a lot like the "picture" and decide to pass off Loretta as Dawn. Soon, advertising endorsements and royalties come rolling in, making Click and Ed rich.
Meanwhile, Loretta has fallen in love with a newspaper picture of Bingo. Now, that she is famous she hopes she will meet Russell and when she does.. the troubles begin.
Marion Davies, shines in this fun film from beginning to end. Dick Powell, Mary Astor and Patsy Kelly, are all wonderful. This one of Davies' last pictures and she was pushing 40, but.. she is brave to play half the film as the dowdy country girl. Davies was a star for 20 years and made the switch to talkies.
Patsy Kelly (January 12, 1910 – September 24, 1981). Kelly, like many New York actors, made her screen debut in a Vitaphone short subject filmed there. Producer Hal Roach hired Kelly to co-star with Thelma Todd in a series of short-subject comedies. The Todd-Kelly shorts created Patsy Kelly's image: a brash, wisecracking woman. Later, in the series showcased Kelly's dancing skills. Thelma Todd died in 1935, and Kelly finished out the series.
Patsy Kelly then moved into feature films, often playing working-class character roles in comedies and musicals. One of her memorable roles was as Etta, the cook, in the five Academy Awards-nominated comedy, Merrily We Live(1938).
On television she performed in shows: The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Wild Wild West, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. She also made a memorable performance as Laura-Louise in the film, Rosemary's Baby (1968).
Kelly performed as the housekeeper Mrs. Schmauss in the film, Freaky Friday(1976). Her final movie performance was in the Disney comedy, The North Avenue Irregulars(1979).
Patsy Kelly movies I have seen: 1935 Page Miss Glory. 1938 There Goes My Heart. 1938 The Cowboy and the Lady. 1941 Topper Returns. 1960 Please Don't Eat the Daisies. 1968 Rosemary's Baby.
Indiscreet (1933). Cast: Gloria Swanson, Ben Lyon, Barbara Kent and Monroe Owsley. A comedy film directed by Leo McCarey. The screenplay by Buddy G. DeSylva, Lew Brown, and Ray Henderson, based on their story Obey That Impulse, originally was written as a musical, but only two songs - "If You Haven't Got Love" and "Come to Me".
On New Year's Eve, fashion designer Geraldine Trent decides to break up with her boyfriend Jim Woodward, having grown tired of his infidelities. Soon afterward, Geraldine meets and falls in love with novelist Anthony Blake. Blake knows that she has had a man in her past, but he is does not seem to concerned. Things become complicated when her sister Joan returns from a trip and introduces Woodward, as the new man in her life.
To see a young Swanson, in this film is to be pleasantly surprised of her beauty and her talents as an actress. You may want watch "Indiscreet" just to see a young Gloria Swanson at the height of her career.
Barbara Kent (born December 16, 1906) is a former Canadian actress who was popular in silent movies. She is at one of the very few surviving adult-aged players from Hollywood's silent film period.
She began her Hollywood career in 1925 in a small role for Universal Studios. Kent made a strong impression as the heroine who comes up against Greta Garbo's femme fatale in, Flesh and the Devil (1926).
She attracted attention in the film, No Man's Law(1927), by swimming nude (she wore a flesh colored bathing suit in scenes that were considered very daring at the time). She made a smooth transition into talking pictures opposite Harold Lloyd, in the comedy, Welcome Danger (1929). She is also well known for her role in the film, Oliver Twist(1933).
Her marriage to the agent and producer Harry E. Edington stalled her career, for one-year. During that time Edington groomed Kent for what he planned to be a high-profile career. By the time she returned to films, her popularity had faded. She made her final film in 1935.
It's a Wonderful World(1939). Romantic screwball comedy.Cast: Claudette Colbert and James Stewart, directed by W. S. Van Dyke.
Detective Guy Johnson's client, Willie Heywood is framed for murder and while Guy hides him so he can catch the real killer, both of them are caught by the police, tried and convicted . Guy for a year, Willie to be executed. On the way to jail, Guy comes across a clue and escapes from the police...
Edwina Corday, accidentally gets involved in Guy's trying to hide from the cops, eventually becoming a runaway herself and falling in love with Guy, causing him a lot of trouble along the way.
This movie is non-stop fun from start to finish, and Stewart plays a much rougher guy than his usual more like able personality.
Frances Drake (October 22, 1912 – January 18, 2000) . She was appearing as a nightclub dancer in London when she made her first film appearances: Meet My Sister (1933) and The Jewel (1933).
List of Frances Drake films: Bolero (1934) The Trumpet Blows (1934) Ladies Should Listen (1934) Forsaking All Others (1934) Mad Love (1935) Les Miserables (1935 film) The Invisible Ray (1936) And Sudden Death (1936) Midnight Taxi (1937) Love Under Fire (1937) There's Always a Woman (1938) It's a Wonderful World (1939) I Take This Woman (1940) The Affairs of Martha (1942)
Cain and Mabel(1936). Romantic/comedy film designed to showcase Marion Davies in which she co-stars with Clark Gable and Robert Paige (credited under his original name, David Carlyle).
After reporter Aloysius K. Reilly, is responsible for Mabel O'Dare, to lose her waitress job, he helps find her a job in the chorus of a new production. Jake casts Mabel in the lead even though she isn't really a dancer. The night before her opening, while practicing her routine, she keeps her downstairs neighbor, boxer Larry Cain, awake. Because he has a big boxing match the next day, Larry asks Mabel to quit, but they get into a heated argument. Larry wins the championship, but his lack of charisma does not bring in the crowds. Mabel's show is also not doing well. So... Reilly comes up with the idea of spreading the rumor that there is a a romance between Mabel and Larry. The publicity about their love affair does help their careers. Larry shares with Mabel that his dream is to retire to New Jersey and work in his own garage. They decide to marry and make Larry's dream come true. Overhearing their plans, Reilly gives the story to the papers, and Mabel and Larry each think the other has betrayed their secrets. When Mabel finally learns the truth, she flies to Philadelphia to find Larry .
I do not know if I would not call this a great movie, more of a curiosity piece and a must see for fans of the stars.
Ruth Donnelly (May 17, 1896 – November 17, 1982). She began her stage career at the age of 17 in 1913 in, The Quaker Girl. Her Broadway debut brought her to the attention of George M. Cohan, who cast her in many comic-relief roles. Though she made her first film appearance that same year, her Hollywood career took off in 1931 and lasted until 1957.
Filmography: Blessed Event (1932) Hard to Handle (1933) Ladies They Talk About (1933) Lilly Turner (1933) Bureau of Missing Persons (1933) Footlight Parade (1933) Ever in My Heart (1933) Female (1933) Wonder Bar (1934) Heat Lightning (1934) Housewife (1934) Hands Across the Table (1935) Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936) Thirteen Hours by Air (1936) Cain and Mabel (1936) More Than a Secretary (1936) A Slight Case of Murder (1938) The Affairs of Annabel (1938) My Little Chickadee (1940) You Belong to Me (1941) This Is the Army (1943) The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) The Snake Pit (1948) Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950) A Lawless Street (1955) Autumn Leaves (1956)
“The Show- Off”(1926) is a silent comedy drama starring Ford Sterling, Lois Wilson, and Louise Brooks. Directed by Malcolm St. Clair, this is the first of the four film adaptations of the George Kelly play. The story begins with Aubrey Piper, played by Ford Sterling, posing as a railroad executive even though he is really just a $30 a week clerk. He manages to convince a girl from a nice family, Amy Fisher, played by Lois Wilson, that he is rich and successful. Amy’s mother and father dislike Aubrey, but Amy loves him dearly despite his boastfulness. After the wedding, Amy realizes that Aubrey is not rich nor famous. They move into a small apartment, but life is tough because they have trouble paying the bills. When Amy’s father dies, the couple decides to move back into her mother’s home. Surprisingly, Aubrey wins a car in a raffle. Unfortunately, he picks up the car not knowing how to drive and causes some accidents by driving in the wrong lane. At Aubrey’s court hearing the judge hands him a $1,000 fine. Amy’s brother, Joe Fisher, played by Gregory Kelly, pays it with the $1,000 check his father gave him before he died to pay the mortgage. Joe actually prefers losing the house than to have a family member locked up in jail. What happens next is interesting and surprising.
Even though “The Show-Off” is fairly predictable, it is worth watching just to take a look at the legendary and beautiful Louise Brooks in a supporting role as the girlfriend of Joe Fisher, played by Gregory Kelly. I liked the scene where Clara, played by Louise Brooks, catches Aubrey counting portions during the prayer before dinner. I also liked the scene in which Joe and Clara reacted to the death of Pop Fisher. No subtitles were needed because their expressions said it all. Ford Sterling, best known as the chief of the Keystone Cops, gives a wonderful performance as the boastful and pompous Aubrey Piper. His body language and facial expressions bring his character to life. He was certainly a natural comedian. Lois Wilson, who was one of the most dedicated actresses of the silent screen, gives a sympathetic performance as Aubrey’s loving wife.
Born Mary Louise Brooks in Cherryvale, Kansas, on November 14, 1906, she began her entertainment career as a dancer appearing with the Ziegfeld Follies as well as the Ruth Saint Denis’ dance company. Signing with Paramount, Louise’s film debut was in “The Street of Forgotten Men” (1925) in an uncredited role. In 1926, Louise made six pictures at Paramount: “The American Venus,” “Love ‘Em and Leave ‘Em,” “A Social Celebrity,” “It’s the Old Army Game,” “The Show-Off,” and “Just Another Blonde.” Embittered over studio politics and longing for a new adventure, Louise shocked the industry by abandoning Paramount to work with director G. W. Pabst in Berlin, Germany. When Pabst saw Louise in Howard Hawks’ “A Girl in Every Port” (1928), he was convinced that she was ideal for the role of Lulu in “Pandora’s Box” (1929). At the time Louise was involved with a Paramount contract and was not available. Pabst settled on Marlene Dietrich, but before shooting began, a cable came from Paramount saying that Louise was willing to play the role. The film was not well liked in Germany, where there was resentment in having an unknown American play an important German dramatic role. In the United States, the film had no chance at all. It was reedited by its importers to make it seem that Lulu was reformed by joining the Salvation Army. Ironically, it was Louise’s waif like role as the doomed flapper Lulu that made her an international sensation and an icon of the Jazz Age. Her sleek, bobbed hairstyle was talked about in every film and fashion magazine and countless women copied it. In 1929, Louise reunited with Pabst and starred in “Diary of a Lost Girl” (1929), a silent study of a troubled young woman that would in time gain cult status. In 1930, Louise Brooks starred in “Miss Europe,” a French film released in both silent and sound versions and titled “Prix de beaute” in its native land. After being cast in B pictures by studio executives as punishment for her defiance, Louise retired from film in 1938. She returned to Kansas and tried teaching dance, but she was not suited for the job. Louise moved to New York City where she worked as a sales clerk at Saks. She lived in obscurity and destitution until former lover, Bill Paley, the founder of CBS, set up a monthly stipend that supported her for the rest of her life. In the 1950’s, French film historians discovered Louise in Rochester, New York. With the help of such film writers as James Card and Kenneth Tynan, she became a sought after film historian and accomplished writer. Louise Brooks died on August 8, 1985. She was 78 years old.
Eternally Yours (1939). Director: Tay Garnett. Cast: Loretta Young, David Niven, Broderick Crawford, Billie Burke, Eve Arden, Hugh Herbert, C. Aubrey Smith, Virginia Field, Zasu Pitts, Raymond Walburn.
While Anita is making plans to marry Don, she meets Tony a magician and they fall in love and marry. Anita goes on the road with Tony’s act, even performing in his show with him. But his stunts become more and more dangerous and Anita can no longer take it. She divorces him, and to get over the heartache, she marries Don. But Anita can’t escape Tony for long, and not long after her wedding they’re stuck at the same party together.
The first half of the movie is very charming. Niven and Young have wonderful chemistry and the story of a magician who’s torn between his fans and his commitment to his wife makes for a very interesting love story.
Virginia Field (November 4, 1917 – January 2, 1992) was a British-born film actress who performed in over 40 films including: Ladies in Love (1936), Waterloo Bridge (1940), Repeat Performance (1947), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949) and Dial 1119 (1950).
She started her film career in England then was brought to the U.S. to perform in, Little Lord Fauntleroy (1936). In the late 1930s she performed in various parts in, Mr. Moto movie series.
Fields married three times, including a marriage to actor Paul Douglas and a marriage to actor Willard Parker.
Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Romantic comedy. Cast: Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney. The film was directed by Blake Edwards. It was loosely based on the novel of the same name by Truman Capote. Orangey as "Cat" (trained by Frank Inn). Hepburn's performance of "Moon River" helped composer Henry Mancini and lyricist Johnny Mercer win an Oscar for Best Song.
The story begins in the early morning hours, as a taxicab pulls up at Tiffany's and Holly Golightly, enjoys her "Breakfast at Tiffany's" while looking in the window. At her apartment building, Holly sneaks away from her date from the night before, who has been waiting in his car all night.
The next morning, Holly is awakened by her new neighbor Paul Varjak, ringing the door bell. After feeding her pet cat she calls "Cat", Holly visits with Paul, as she quickly dresses for her visit to Sing Sing prison. This is a weekly routine from which she earns $100 for a visit with mob boss, Sally Tomato.
Wealthy Emily Failenson, arrives at the apartment and is introduced as Paul's "decorator". Holly later drops by Paul's apartment to escape another date and sees Failenson leave money on a table.
Paul is invited to Holly's party, where he meets Jose da Silva Pereira, a rich Brazilian and Rusty Trawler, one of the richest American's under 50. Paul, also meets Holly's "agent" O. J. Berman who tells Paul that Holly is a "real phoney".
After becoming fast friends, Paul joins Holly when she visits Sally at Sing Sing. One afternoon, Paul hears Holly playing guitar and singing "Moon River" from her windowsill. This is when they first realize that they are attracted to each other. Unfortunately Holly, is a "free spirit" a independent, adventurous woman who lives for the moment. Will her love for Paul turn her life around?
These two actors performances are what make the film memorable. One of my favorite scenes is when, Holly and Paul agree to spend the day together, visiting the library and going to Tiffany's, where Paul has the ring from a box of Cracker Jacks engraved. Below is the movie trailer, Breakfast at Tiffany's .
Fun Facts:
In the novel, there is no mention of anything romantic going on between Holly Golightly and the character who is named Paul in the film (in the novel, he is nameless). The character of Paul's "decorator", Mrs Emily Eustace Failenson or Patricia Neal, does not feature in the book and was originated in the film.
In the novel, Mag Wildwood, a model with a stuttering problem, moves into Holly's apartment after Holly falls out with the novelist upstairs. In the film, Mag appears as a stuttering guest who arrives at Holly's party with Rusty Trawler.
The film changed the novella's unresolved, open ending to a more conventional "Hollywood" romantic happy ending.
Capote, who sold the film rights of his novella to Paramount Studios, wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role of Holly Golightly in the film. Barry Paris references a quote by Capote: "Marilyn was always my first choice to play the girl, Holly Golightly." Screenwriter Axelrod was hired to "tailor the screenplay for Monroe." When Lee Strasberg advised Monroe that playing a prostitute would be bad for her image, she turned it down. When Hepburn was cast instead of Monroe, Capote remarked: "Paramount double-crossed me in every way and cast Audrey."
Kim Novak was asked to play the role of Holly Golightly, but she turned it down, for fear of being typecast as a scared sex kitten.
Originally producers Martin Jurow and Richard Shepherd had picked John Frankenheimer as the director, but Hepburn said: "I've never heard of him" and he was replaced on her request.
Most of the exteriors were filmed in New York City, except the fire escape scenes and the alley scene at the end in the rain where Holly puts Cat out of the cab and then Paul and Holly look for Cat. All of the interiors, except for portions of the scene inside Tiffany's, were filmed on the Paramount Studios lot in Hollywood.
It was rumored that the film's on-location opening sequence, in which Holly looks into a Tiffany's display window, was extremely difficult for director Blake Edwards to shoot. Crowd control, Hepburn's dislike of pastries, and an accident that nearly electrocuted a crew member are all said to have made filming the scene a challenge.
Audrey Hepburn said the scene where she throws Cat into the rainy street was the most distasteful thing she ever had to do on film.
George Peppard was a student of Method acting, a style Hepburn found difficult to work with. Nonetheless, the two actors remained close friends until her death.
Holly's couch is really an old-fashioned bathtub split in half. In some scenes, you can still see the gold handles at one end and the legs on the bottom.
Hepburn as Holly, carrying an over sized cigarette holder, is considered one of the most iconic images of 20th century American cinema.
Orangey, a red tabby cat, was owned and trained by animal trainer, Frank Inn. Orangey (credited under various names) performed in film and television in the 1950s and early 1960s and was the only cat to win two Patsy Awards (Picture Animal Top Star of the Year, an animal actor's version of an Oscar) - the first for the title role in Rhubarb (1951), a story about a cat who inherits a fortune, and the second for his performance in, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961). Other appearances included a regular role as "Minerva" on the television series, Our Miss Brooks (1952-1958). The cat was also credited as "Jimmy" and "Rhubarb".
Filmography:
Rhubarb (1951) (uncredited) .... Rhubarb This Island Earth (1955) (uncredited) .... Neutron The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) (uncredited) .... Cat Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) (as Cat) Gigot (1962) (uncredited) The Comedy of Terrors (1964) (as Rhubarb the Cat) .... Cleopatra Village of the Giants (1965) (uncredited) .... Giant Cat
Holiday(1938). Directed by George Cukor, a remake of the 1930 film of the same name. Romantic/comedy. The movie was adapted by Donald Ogden Stewart and Sidney Buchman from the play by Philip Barry. Cast: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Doris Nolan, Lew Ayres, and Edward Everett Horton, who played the same role he had played in the 1930 version. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Art Direction by Stephen Goosson and Lionel Banks.
This is a very charming, hilarious, comedy where Grant plays Johnny Case, a self-made man who is already tired of the rat race at the age of 30. Wanting to make enough money to retire on to travel around the world in search of adventure. Johnny proposes to his girl friend Julia in Lake Placid, but it isn't until he visits her and her family in New York, that he learns she's the daughter of a wealthy banker. He soon wins over the whole family hearts especially, Julia's sister Linda, who finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. Can Johnny live the life where responsibility is already laid out for him or will he have the courage to break free of society and follow his heart? There's more going on here than a fluffy romance. If you love witty and intelligent romantic comedy, then this film is for you.
Fun Facts:
The character of Linda Seton played by Hepburn was loosely based on a socialite named Gertrude Sanford Legendre.
Although the film was originally intended to reunite The Awful Truth co-stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne, George Cukor decided to cast Hepburn instead.
Doris Nolan, performed in films in the late 30s after earning a contract from Fox. Best known as Katharine Hepburn's, high-society sister in the comedy classic, Holiday (1938). She was gone within the decade and returned to theatre.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Directed by Frank Capra, based on the story Opera Hat by Clarence Budington Kelland that appeared in serial form in the Saturday Evening Post. Cast: Gary Cooper and Jean Arthur in her first featured role. The screenplay was written by Kelland and Robert Riskin in his fifth collaboration with Capra.
In the middle of the Great Depression, Longfellow Deeds, co-owner of a tallow works, inherits 20 million dollars from his late uncle, Martin Semple. His uncle's attorney, John Cedar, locates Deeds and takes him to New York City.
Cedar gives his ex-newspaperman Cornelius Cobb, the job of keeping reporters away from the heir. He is outsmarted by reporter Louise Bennett, who gets to Deeds' by masquerading as a poor worker named Mary Dawson. She pretends to faint after "walking all day to find a job". She writes a series of articles calling him the "Cinderella Man". Meanwhile, Cedar tries to get Deeds' power of attorney in order to keep his plan a secret. Fortunately, Deeds outwits them all, but.. when he falls for a big-city girl anything can happen.
A wonderful fast pace film that never lets the viewer down. It shows the genius of Frank Capra that make us treasure films like this one.
Fun Fact: Carole Lombard was going to play the female lead but she backed out three days before production began to go work on, My Man Godfrey (1936).
Jean Arthur (October 17, 1900 – June 19, 1991). Discovered by Fox Film Studios while she was modeling in New York City in the early 1920s, Arthur debuted in the silent film, Cameo Kirby (1923), directed by John Ford. It was her distinctive voice, that helped make her a star in the talkies.
In 1935, at age 34, she starred opposite Edward G. Robinson in, The Whole Town's Talking, also directed by Ford. She was famous for being filmed almost always from the left, Arthur felt that her left was her best side. Frank Capra recounted that producer Harry Cohn described Jean Arthur's imbalanced profile as "half of it's angel, and the other half horse."
The turning point in Jean Arthur's career came when she was chosen by director Frank Capra to star in, Mr. Deeds Goes to Town. Capra had spotted her from the film, Whirlpool (1934) and convinced Cohn to have Columbia Studios sign her for his next film. Arthur co-starred in two other Capra films: You Can't Take It With You (1938) and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington(1939), both with James Stewart. She was re-teamed with Cooper, playing Calamity Jane in Cecil B. DeMille's, The Plainsman (1936) and the film, Easy Living(1937) opposite Ray Milland. In 1939, she was one of four finalists for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in, Gone with the Wind.
She continued to star in films such as Howard Hawks' Only Angels Have Wings(1939), with Cary Grant, The Talk of the Town(1942), also with Grant and The More the Merrier(1943), for which Jean Arthur was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress. Arthur remained Columbia's top star until the mid-1940s, when she left the studio. Stevens famously called her "one of the greatest comediennes the screen has ever seen", while Capra credited her as "my favorite actress".
Arthur "retired" when her contract with Columbia Pictures expired in 1944. For the next several years, she turned down many film offers, the two exceptions being Billy Wilder's, A Foreign Affair (1948), in which she played a congresswoman and rival of Marlene Dietrich and in the classic Western, Shane (1953), which turned out to be the biggest film of her career. The latter was her final film, and the only color film she performed in.
