ERROL FLYNN & OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

They are one of the best known couples of the screen. They came to Warner Brothers at a strange time, while Bogart and Cagney roughness reigned as gangsters and Errol Flynn's pretty-boy look was out of place. Olivia De Havilland lady-like portrayals also contradicted the other actress roles of the studio.

Flynn and De Havilland were first teamed together, by chance, in Captain Blood and starred in seven additional films. Here they are:

Errol Flynn (1909-1959)

Olivia De Havilland (1916-LIVING)

Captain Blood (1935)

The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)

Four's a Crowd (1938)

Dodge City (1939)

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

Santa Fe Trail (1940)

They Died with Their Boots On (1941)

They are one of the true romantic couples on the screen. Their films were not unlike some of the silent era films, but they launched them into the sound era quite successfully. Flynn's character was always devoted to De Havilland's character, no matter the sword fight. She would respond with leading him along just enough to prove how much he loved her. This pairing is most evident in their classic The Adventures of Robin Hood.

GREER GARSON & WALTER PIDGEON

Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon played in a total of eight films together, seven of them as husband and wife. Her proper British manners teamed with his dominate stature and voice was a perfect combination that MGM used over and over again. Here are the films:

Walter Pidgeon (1897-1984)

Greer Garson (1904-1996)

Blossom's In the Dust (1941)

Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Madame Curie (1943)

Mrs. Parkington (1944)

Julia Misbehaves (1948)

That Forsyte Woman (1949)*

The Miniver Story (1950)

Scandal at Scourie (1953)

They were a more realistic couple on the screen than many of the others. True to life, they depended on the other and drew off each other's strengh and encouragment. Though they didn't kiss every time they met, they were concerned with each other's dreams and hopes. What a great example to marriages today.



MA & PA KETTLE

For quirky Monday, my couple to post on is the odd Kettle couple. I haven't seen all of their movies, but what I have seen I've loved.

Ma & Pa Kettle are played by Majorie Main & Percy Kilbride. The first time they played opposite of each other was in "The Egg & I" (1947) with Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray. They were a smash hit and made seven more Ma & Pa Kettle movies.

Marjorie was surprisingly a mysophobe which made her character even harder to play. She would wear gloves and a mask to protect herself from dirt and germs.

Percy was almost into his sixties when he took on this role. The last of the series was "Ma & Pa Kettle at Waikiki" (1955) and was to be his last film.





Now looking directly at Ma & Pa Kettle themselves: they were a couple that understood each other. She was more of the brains and he was the friendly neighbor, willing to loan you anything as soon as he could borrow it from someone else. They were completely compatible and totally satisfied with what they had. I love this couple.

*Here is a collection of some favorite scenes from Ma & Pa Kettle Go to Town.

COUPLES ON THE SCREEN

With one more week left for February I wanted to turn to the couples on the screen. Some of these couples may have sent shock waves through the country or they may have just fit together so well. Regardless, I'm sure fans of the past waited to here updates on their dating and marriage.

This week I will be listing some of my favorites who seemed to be so compatible. They may not be ones that you would think of, but to me they were meant to be. I would love to hear about your favorite couple.

Cary Grant & Ingrid Bergman in "Notorious" (1946).

COUPLES OF HOLLYWOOD

For the last day of this month I want to post on some of the Hollywood Couples of the past. I've chosen three, who are an inspiration to me in my own marriage because of their love and unselfishness to each other.

The first most popular couple of Television was the married Lucielle Ball and Desi Arnez. Despite their contrasting differences they fell in love and eloped off together in 1940. Not unlike other marriages they had their struggles. With Lucy starring in the movies and Desi working side jobs in Los Angeles it was obvious that she was the more successful one.

When a TV show was considered for Lucy she wanted to work with her husband. The studio could not comprehend such a move and put their faith in Lucy. The rest is history. Though it ended in divorce their marriage was an inspiration to the US and even the world.

The most touching moment I have ever seen on television was when Lucy told Desi about their new baby. Rumor has it, he did not even know about the news, in order to have a genuine reaction.

The next one I wish to cover is Clark Gable and Carole Lombard. Both had been in previous marriages before their own marriage in 1939. In 1942 Carole was killed in a tragic airplane accident with the other passengers including her mother. Clark was devastated and left the screen for three years to fight in the Air Force.

Eventually when he passed away in 1961 he was buried in the shrine he had built for Carole and his mother.

Now I would like to cover one of my favorite couples of all time, George Burns and Gracie Allen. George started in Vaudeville and was quite successful. Before their marriage in 1926 they had already become partners. Here is were George realized he wasn't getting as many laughs as her. So he flipped the routine making her the funny-man and for the fist time ever him the straight-man.

The audiences loved it and he said of it himself:

"The audience realized I had a talent. They were right. I did have a talent—and I was married to her for 38 years."

 A year before his death in 1996 he mentioned that he looks forward to death since he will be with Gracie again in heaven. When he was buried the crypt was changed to "Gracie Allen & George Burns - Together Again," in contrast to their Burns & Allen partnership title. He wanted her to have 'top billing.'

DORIS DAY AND HER LEADING MEN

To sum up this month of romance I wanted to post on my favorite actress of all. Doris Day, the flower of Hollywood.

Shes acted with the best actors, laughed with the best laughers and sung with the best singers. From Howard Keel to Gordon McCrae she had a voice out of this world, of which they were her really good back up singers. With Jimmy Stewart and James Cagney she made us cry in suspense. Then with Rock Hudson and James Garner we never laughed so hard in a movie.

What other woman of Hollywood could take on as many "big stars" as her. Here are what some of them have said of her.

JAMES GARNER:
“I’d rather have Doris than Liz Taylor... Everything Doris does turns to box-office gold.… I think Doris is a very sexy lady who doesn’t know how sexy she is. That’s an integral part of her charm. One other thing about acting with Doris—she was the Fred Astaire of comedy Whether it was Rock Hudson or Rod Taylor or me or whoever—we all looked good because we were dancing with Clara Bixby.”

JACK LEMMON:
“I think she is potentially one of the greatest actresses I’ll ever work with, because in every scene she is so open, simple, and honest that I found myself in the position of having to play up to her. Which, in the parlance of actors, means she’s so good that I automatically reacted to her.”

ROCK HUDSON on "Pillow Talk" (1959):
“They had to add a week on to the shooting schedule because we could not stop laughing I used to think about terrible things, to try not to laugh, but I think that’s the wonderful part about when you see two people on the screen—if you like them, if they like each other, and you sense that they like each other.”

*Here she is at one of her best moments.

Who else could make a song so suspensfull.

LEADING LADIES TIMELINE

Here are my favorite actresses of Hollywood. I may have not included some of your favorites, of which I apologize.

After their names they birth and death are shown in solid colors. Their acting years are in the middle. I have created two to show their age comparison and acting years comparison. Since Grace Kelly only acted for five years I put her acting time to the left.

I researched thoroughly before creating this and have not included their years in Television.



Organized by year of birth.



Organized by year of first movie.

UPDATE ON THE "LEADING LADIES TIMELINE"

I've almost finished the timeline. It should be done by tonight. I really enjoy creating these reference points. It's a way of finding out what actors and actresses had in common. This is seen by what era they both acted in, their age and how long they lived after their career. Some actresses kept on acting while others like Greta Garbo and Irene Dunne felt their time was sufficient and returned to the life of a civilian. This seemed to be more common among the woman of Hollywood than the Men.

I hope you enjoy the timeline, a lot of hard work has gone into it.

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

As I began creating a timeline for my favorite Leading Actresses, it's taken a lot more time than I had expected. I should have it prepared by tomorrow. Something that has surprised me is how long some of these actresses disappeared off the radar until their death. It could be due to the fact that they were appreciated more for their looks than thir acting or they may have not agreed with changes occuring during the fifties and sixties.

Another surprising discovery was that Grace Kelly only "graced" the screen for five short years. Yet she became a princess in Hollywood and then in real life in this small amount of time. Maybe we only deserved to have her for that long.

Grace Kelly in 1982.

Grace Kelly during her Hollywood Years.

ROMANCE IN HOLLYWOOD

Now that we are into the fourth week of the month I get to think outside of the regular post and write about something I find interesting within the theme of the month. This week I will create a Leading Lady Timeline and talk about some of the couples on and off the screen. Here is a video my wife found on YouTube to get it started.

ROBERT Z. LEONARD (1889-1968)

ROBERT ZIGLER LEONARD

Born: October 7th, 1889 (Chicago)

Died: August 27th, 1968 (aneurysm)

Marriages: Mae Murray (1918-1925), Gurtrude Olmstead (1926-His death)

Children: (Unknown)

Interesting Fact: He directed all but two of the films starring the famous musical duo Jeanette MacDonald & Nelson Eddy.

Success: He directed primarily at MGM during the musical years.

Awards: He was nominated twice for Best Director: "The Divorcee" (1930) & "The Great Ziegfeld" (1936). He was also nominated for the Mussolini Cup for the latter film and has received a Star on the Walk of Fame.

My Favorite Film: Having grown up with the MacDonald & Eddy films I find it hard to find a favorite. "New Moon" (1941) and "The Firefly" (1937) would be at the top of the list.

Unfortunately there is'nt very much to be found about Directors, and such is the case with Robert. though his contributions to the Silent era and on into the Musical era is quite evident, there seems to be a blank page when it comes to his effect on Hollywood.

FRANK CAPRA (1897-1991)

FRANCESCO ROSARIO CAPRA

Born: May 18th, 1897 (Sicily)

Died: September 3rd, 1991 (heart attack in his sleep)

Marriages: Helen Howell (1923-1928), Lou Capra (1932-Her death in 1984)

Children: He had four children with Lou: Frank Capra Jr., Tom Capra, Lulu Capra & John Capra.

Interesting Fact: Capra had enlisted in all three wars. WWI at the age of 21, WWII at the age of 44 and The Korean War at the age of 53.

Success: Capra's successful era spanned from his film spanned from the thirties on into the forties. His most successful films were done at Columbia Pictures, setting the standard for all the other Directors of the Studio. In the fifties the mood began to change and he withdrew himself from making his type of films.

Awards: He has won three Oscars for Best Director: "It Happened One Night" (1934), "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" (1936) & "You Can't Take It with You" (1938). He was also nominated for Best Director on his films: "Lady for a Day" (1933), "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) & "It's a Wonderful Life" (1946). He has also received eight other achievements while being nominated for an additional five. With all of these awards his greatest was the Distinguished Service Medal for his contributions to the war through his War Documentaries.

My Favorite Film: With Frank Capra there is no favorite film, only favorite era. From the mid-thirties to the mid-forties he made of the best films known to man. All of those films are among my favorites. When it comes down to it though "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" (1939) sneaks it's way to the top.

On the first week of this Blog I had dedicated it to my favorite Director, Frank Capra. Normally I would skip a previous individually to make room for another on a post, but since the beginning, my formatting has evolved, and I thought I would like to study Capra again.

VINCENTE MINNELLI (1903-1986)

LESTER ANTHONY MINNELLI

Born: February 28th, 1903 (Chicago)

Died: July 25th, 1986 (pneumonia and emphysema)

Marriages: Judy Garland (1945-1951), Georgette Magnani (1954-1958), Danica Radosavljev (1962-1971), Lee Anderson (1980-His death).

Children: Liza Minnelli with Judy Garland & Christiana Nina Minnelli with Georgette Magnani.

Interesting Fact: He invented the Crab Dolly, which allows the camera to move in any direction.

Success: His first film "Cabin in the Sky" (1943) set him off into the MGM musical era. As you can see below on the timeline that he directed many of the top musicals in its day.

Awards: He was nominated for Best Director on "American in Paris" in (1951). He returned with an Oscar win for "Gigi" in 1958 as Best Director. He has won seven additional awards while being nominated for fourteen others.

My Favorite Film: I knew of Minnelli before but had no idea how many of my favorite films he directed. The two I pick will rather be my favorites that may not be so popular: "I Dood It" (1943) & "The Long, Long Trailer" (1953).

As I said above, I have known about this Director before. I've known him for his marriage to Judy Garland and that he had done some of her films. I had no idea of how many big hitters he directed at MGM. Before he became a Director he was an apprentice and learned every area of the Studio. This definitely paid off for him in the end.

MICHAEL GORDON (1909-1993)

IRVING KUNIN GORDON

Born: September 6th, 1909 (Baltimore)

Died: April 29th, 1993 (natural causes)

Marriage: Mrs. Cohn

Children: Jane Gordon

Interesting Fact: He is the Maternal Grandfather of Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Success: In the forties he made mainly B-Movies. In the mid-fifties he was blacklisted by Senator McCarthy and did not come back until the late fifties to direct his most popular film "Pillow Talk" (1959).

Awards: He has been nominated for the DGA award for his film Crano De Bergerac (1950).  He has also been nominated for the Golden Laurel achievement.

My Favorite Film: My two favorite films are "Pillow Talk" (1959) and "Move Over Darling" (1963).

His years at Hollywood were very rough and disappointing. Starting out with only smaller films and then being Blacklisted I'm sure was tough to take. It wasn't until he was asked to direct "Pillow Talk" (1959) that he began to be recognized for his skills as a director.

LEO MCCAREY (1886-1969)

THOMAS LEO MCCAREY

Born: October 3rd, 1886 (Los Angeles)

Died: July 5th, 1969 (emphysema)

Marriage: Stella Martin

Children: Virginia Mary McCarey

Interesting Fact: He is responsible for teaming up the ever famous Laurel & Hardy. He said of them that Laurel was completely intelligent and capable of inventing his own gags. Hardy on the other hand was a surprise that he even found his way to the studio everyday.

Success: His success started in the twenties with the silent era and gag reels. In the thirties he made monumental films that were not as appreciated as they are today. His movie "Going My Way" (1944) was a huge hit that won him a few additional Oscars. In his later years of the 1950's his movies were not as popular as his "Love Affair" (1939) remake "An Affair to Remember" (1957).

Awards: In 1937 he won the Best Director award for the "Awful Truth." In his acceptance speech he said that he got this award for the wrong movie. The movie he was eluding to was his film "Make Way for Tomorrow" (1937). He received an additional two Oscars on his film "Going My Way" (1944) for Best Director and Best Writing. He was also nominated for Best Story on his films: "Love Affair" (1939), "My Favorite Wife" (1940) & "My Son John" (1952). He was nominated for Best Director in "The Bells of St. Mary's" (1945) and for Best Original Score in "An Affair to Remember" (1957). He has also received five other achievements and was nominated for an additional five others.

My Favorite Film: I had no idea that he directed so many other films and now I cant decide on a favorite. To now see that he was the king of comedy "An Affair to Remember" (1957) is even more interesting to me.

As I studied on Leo I was surprised by his talents and contributions. Frank Capra is still, and I anticipate will always be, my favorite Director, but now I have close second. I invite you to read about him and even further than that, watch his film "Make Way for Tomorrow" (1937). I had been reading a book about the actresses of the thirties and the authors named this as their favorite film. I found the whole video online on YouTube.com but I haven't had a chance to finish it. Then I find myself doing a post on its director and I'm even in more awe about him.

Here is another Director who climbed each rung of the latter one at a time. He was considered very handsome and is responsible for some of Cary Grants techniques. Not only did they look similar they had some of the same mannerisms and Grant would watch him to improve his talent. He suffered from a tragic car accident in 1939 which confined him to wheelchair. His films had a meaning, even the comedies, which has made them last on into our generation.

"I don't know what my formula is. I only know I like my characters to walk in clouds. I like a little bit of the fairy tale. Let others photograph the ugliness of the world. I don't want to distress people."

APOLOGIES

I'm sorry for missing a day there. I have had a post for everyday excluding Christmas and I wanted to keep it that way. Yesterday, however, is a two-in-one holiday in our family. Not only is it Valentines, of course, it also happens to be my wife's birthday.

I thought I would be able to squeeze in some time, but each post can take up to a couple hours to prepare. Needless to say we had a wonderful February 14th here.

I appreciate this opportunity I have had to read, study and comment on some of the greats from Hollywood. I started this blog with a love of the era, but now my enthusiasm has turned into an appreciation for the hard work that went into each film. I hope to have a post for each day of the year, all 365 of them. With this new gained experience I hope to expand into other ideas around Hollywood for 2013.

MERVYN LEROY (1900-1987)

MERVYN LEROY

Born: October 15th, 1900 (San Francisco)

Died: September 13th, 1987 (Alzheimer's)

Marriages: Edna Murphy (1927-1933), Doris Warner (1934-1942), Katherine Spiegel LeRoy (1946-?)

Children: He had two children with his last wife: Warner LeRoy & Linda LeRoy Janklow.

Interesting Fact: His family lost everything in the San Francisco earthquake of 1909. To make ends meet, he sold newspapers and began his performing career at Vaudeville, singing with his brother.

Success: Mervyn claimed to have never directed a complete flop. With his well rounded films of comedies, dramas, fantasies and musicals, that is hard to do. His film "Little Caesar" (1931) started the gangster craze and many other hits led the way on into the forties. With the decline of the studios he began to withdrawal himself from the cinema.

Awards: He was only nominated once for Best Director and it was on "Random Harvest" (1942). He did, however, receive a honorable Oscar for the Frank Sinatra short "The House I Live In" (1945) and the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award. He has received six other achievements along with eleven other nominations.

My Favorite Film: "Random Harvest" (1942) is my favorite movie on romance. He also did "Blossoms in the Dust" (1941), "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo" (1944) and "The FBI Story" (1959) which are all among my favorites.

I have already written much about him above but I wanted to speak again on his beginning. After leaving Vaudeville he went to Hollywood and literally climbed the ladder from the bottom rung. While seeing others step in greatness I'm sure he counted each rung as a blessing of knowledge. He believed that good stories makes good movies and he was right.

DIRECTORS OF THE WEEK (ROMANCE)

Now is the week to cover the Directors of my favorite romantic films. Keeping with the month, you cant help think these men had a romantic side to them. I wonder if their wives watched their films with a squeezing hand of pride or a raised eyebrow of amazement.

With each post I have done on a celebrity of the past, I've learned a little more about them and the movies they've made. I hope you enjoy them as well!

JEANETTE MACDONALD (1903-1965)

JEANNETTE ANNA MCDONALD

Born: June 18th, 1903 (Pennsylvania)

Died: January 14th, 1965 (heart attack)

Marriage: Gene Raymond (1937-Her death)

Children: None.

Interesting Fact: She was crowned Queen of Hollywood in 1939.

Success: She is most famous for her duets with Nelson Eddy in their films at MGM.

Awards: She has received two walk of fame's.

My Favorite Film: "Smilin' Through" (1941), "Maytime" (1937), and "The Firefly" (1937) are my top three, but having seen a majority of her films it is hard not to add all of them to this list. Jeanette's publicly proclaimed her favorite to be "Maytime."

This is the most famous Actress in my household, which caused a great surprise as I discovered how unknown she is. I grew up with her & Nelson Eddy music in my home, and it was a treat. She was a beautiful red-head on the set and a demanding performerer on the screen.

*Here is the song she sang at Louis B. Mayer's funeral and

that was sung at hers.

CYD CHARISSE (1921-2008)

TULA ELLICE FINKLEA

Born: March 8th, 1921 (Texas)

Died: June 17th, 2008 (effects from a heart attack)

Marriages: Nico Charise (1939-1947), Tony Martin (1948-Her death)

Children: She had two boys, one with each husband: Nicholas & Tony Martin Jr..

Interesting Fact: Her second husband Tony could always tell who she danced with that day. If she came home bruised and battered, she had dance with the physically demanding Gene Kelly. If she wasn't it was with the ever gentle Fred Astaire.

Success: She starred in a few movies as a simple dancer but it wasn't until her performance in "Singin' in the Rain" (1952) that her name would never be forgotten. She was one of the biggest stars during the MGM musical era.

Awards: She was never nominated for an Oscar, but was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in "Silk Stockings" (1957). She has received a Walk of Fame and a Desert Palm Achievement Award. One of her greatest awards came in 2000 when she was given the very first Nijinsky award from the Princess Caroline of Monaco.

My Favorite Film: My favorite has to be "Brigadoon." Her routines with Gene are immortalized and I enjoy watching them every time. I also feel her acting is portrayed more in this film than others.

Here is a woman who has shared dance floors with some of the greatest dancers in the world but became her own definition of a Star. I add my voice to the many others out there that she is my favorite female dancer.

I thought that instead of a quote I could show a clip of Cyd Charisse.

*Here is Dancing in the Dark from "Band Wagon" (1953).

CLAUDETTE COLBERT (1903-1996)

EMILIE CLAUDETTE CHAUCHOIN

Born: September 13th, 1903 (Saint-Mandé, France)

Died: July 30th, 1996 (suffering from multiple strokes)

Marriages: Norman Foster (1928-1935), Dr. Joel Pressman (1935-His death in 1968)

Children: None, but she adopted became a godmother to a few including June Allyson's daughter Pamela Powell.

Interesting Fact: You will rarely see the right side of her face in any picture since she had a bump on her nose. The camera-men would call it the "dark side of the moon" and Doris Day later said that "God waisted half a face on Claudette."

Success: She originally began on the stage and only came to films when the depression hit. Her first film "For the Love of Mike" (1927) was a flop and she vowed to never make another film. One of her next films however was a success in "The Lady Lies" (1929) and she continued to become popular. Her most notable achievement was her role in "It Happened One Night" (1934) where she won her only Oscar. She began to wain in popularity around the 1950's and returned to the stage.

Awards: She one a surprising Oscar for "It Happened One Night" in 1934 and received two nominations for "Private Worlds" (1935) & "Since You Went Away" (1944). She also won five other acting achievements and was nominated for her role in "The Two Mrs. Grenvilles" in 1987.

My Favorite Film: I just watched her in "Without Reservations" (1946) with John Wayne and loved it. My two favorite films of her are "Since You Went Away" and of course "It Happened One Night." Another hidden gem is her performance in "The Egg and I" (1947).

Claudette can be both sophisticated and personable at any time she wishes. Her laugh is contiguous as well as any and all of her expressions. She was a Queen of the silver screen.

I mentioned in a previous post about her unexpected Oscar win. Below is a quote from her on the occasion.

"I was surprised when I got the prize. I really had no idea I would get it. In fact, I was ready to leave for New York the night they called to tell me about it. Dressed in a mousy brown suit, I was escorted into the banquet hall full of diamonds and tail coats. It was especially embarrassing because I imagined they thought I was putting on an act, making an entrance."

DORIS DAY (1924-LIVING)

DORIS MARY ANN KAPPELHOFF

Born: April 3rd, 1924 (Ohio)

Died: LIVING

Marriages: Al Jorden (1941-1943), George Weidler (1946-1949), Martin Melcher (1951-His death in 1968), Barry Comden (1976-1982).

Children: She only had one child named Terry Melcher who became a record producer. He died of cancer in 2004.

Interesting Fact: What isn't interesting about Doris Day? As a little girl she wanted to become a dancer. After a tragic accident her leg was smashed turning her attention to her voice instead.

Success: Doris Day played the opposite of many famous leading men: Gordon McCrae, Howard Keel, Rock Hudson, Jimmy Stewart and Cary Grant, just to name a few. Her popularity spanned from the late forties to the early sixties when she had her own TV show.

Awards: She was only nominated once for the Oscar and that was for her performance in "Pillow Talk" (1959). She received, however, twenty-seven other achievements with nominations for fourteen others. She was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Gorge W. Bush in 2004. She was unable to attend due to her fear of flying.

My Favorite Film: "Pillow Talk" (1959) and "Calamity Jane" (1953) are my two favorite Doris Day films. Recently I watched "I'll See You in My Dreams" with the famous Danny Thomas.

When I married my wife she didn't like any of the old films, but she always loved "The Man who Knew too much" (1956) and "Calamity Jane" (1953). Because of these films and other Doris Day films she has become a huge fan of the ancient cinema. She was America's pure sweetheart. She is my favorite leading lady of the screen.

"Some of the downbeat pictures, in my opinion, should never be made at all. Most of them are made for personal satisfaction, to impress other actors who say 'Oh, God! what a shot, what camera work!' But the average person in the audience, who bought his ticket to be entertained, doesn't see that at all. He comes out depressed."

DEBORAH KERR (1921-2007)

DEBORAH JANE KERR-TRIMMER

Born: September 30th, 1921 (Scotland)

Died: October 16th, 2007 (Parkinson's disease)

Marriages: Anthony C Bartley (1945-1960), Peter Viertel (1960-Her death)

Children: She had two children: Melanie Jane Bartley & Francesca Ann Bartley.

Interesting Fact: She had held the record of six Oscar nominations with no wins until 1994 when she received an honorary Academy Award.

Success: Kerr popularity spanned the fifties and she played the lead in many smash hits, including "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "The King and I" (1956), and "An Affair to Remember" (1957). 

Awards: Her six nominations were for "Edward, My Son (1949), "From Here to Eternity" (1953), "The King and I" (1956), "Heaven Knows Mr. Allison" (1957), "Separate Tables" (1958) and "The Sundowners" (1960). She also won twelve other achievements along with fifteen nominations.

My Favorite Film: "An Affair to Remember" is my all-time favorite of hers with "The King and I" close behind.

Deborah is one of the few from Scotland to be nominated for an Oscar, with Sean Connery being the only winner of one. Her roles were around the proper British woman she was, but she enjoyed stepping out of her box to try other characters. All of her singing was dubbed but her talent of acting is unrepeatable.

"When you're young, you just go banging about, but you're more sensitive as you grow older. You have higher standards of what's really good; you're fearful that you wont live up to what's expected of you."

GREER GARSON (1904-1996)

EILEEN EVELYN GREER GARSON

Born: September 29th, 1904 (London)

Died: April 6th, 1996 (heart failure)

Marriage: Edward Alec Abbot Snelson (1933-1940), Richard Ney (1943-1947), E. E. Fogelson (1949-His death in 1987)

Children: She did not have any children of her own but her last husband adopted three children from his brother after his brothers death, giving her three adopted step children.

Interesting Fact: Greer Garson holds the record with Bette Davis of five academy award nominations in a row from 1941-1945.

Success: Her success was greatly with MGM in the forties. Her most successful film that won her the Oscar was "Mrs. Miniver" (1942).

Awards: She has been nominated a total of six times for the Academy Awards: "Goodbye Mr. Chips" (1939), "Blossoms in the Dust" (1941), "Madame Curie" (1943), "Mrs. Parkington" (1944), "The Valley of Decision" (1945) & "Sunrise at Campobello" (1960). She has also achieved eight other acting awards.

My Favorite Film: I just recently watched "Blossoms in the Dust" this last year and was very impressed with it, but my favorite by far is "Random Harvest" (1942)

Mrs. Garson was like the Jimmy Stewart of the women. You could put her in any leading role and suddenly she wasn't any other character but that one. In life she was very tall and intimidating but in person she was very warm-hearted. She did not intend on become an actress and dabbled with the stage until she was discovered by Louis B. Mayer while he was visiting London. She is definitely one of my favorite leading ladies.

"I think the mirror should be tilted slightly upward when it's reflecting life -- toward the cheerful, the tender, the compassionate, the brave, the funny, the encouraging, all those things -- and not tilted down to the gutter part of the time, into the troubled vistas of conflict."

ACTRESSES OF THE WEEK (ROMANCE)

Last month I covered the lead actors of some of the films I listed under Inspirational. This week I wish to talk about some of the leading ladies, for what would a romantic movie be without them.

If you have any requests or ideas please comment to let me know.

NEW MOON (1940)

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Producer: Robert Z. Leonard

Director: Robert Z. Leonard & W. S. Van Dyke

Awards: None.

Interesting Fact: Louis B. Mayer had split up his favorite duo to try and double his profits. He soon discovered, however, that the same magic wasn't there. This film was there reunion back together after so many other successful films in the past.

My Favorite Scene: When I was a boy my Mother showed me the "Stout Hearted Men" song and explained it to me. Ever since that moment it has been one of my favorite songs and scenes.

Here is the true test of a movie fan that I have used in the past. Any time I have conversed with someone on the old films we usually hit a dead end in this area. Almost no one knows who these two are. If you have watched the "That's Entertainment" series by MGM you will discover their impact in the movie industry and at MGM.

A rich land owner sends his daughter to New Orleans. On the ship that she travels is a political enemy who poses as a bondsman. She soon becomes attracted to him and purchases him after they have arrived. His identity is revealed and she lets him escape. On her departure from New Orleans, her ship "New Moon" is attacked by Pirates who are led by her former slave. This time, however, he is in charge and after a large storm they are all shipwrecked on an island. Now the Pirate must earn back her love.

-"Anger makes you very charming, mademoiselle."
-"Patronizing makes you very boring, monsieur."

*Trailer

*Stout Hearted Men.

IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Producer: Frank Capra & Harry Cohn

Director: Frank Capra

Awards: Here is the first movie to win the top major Academy Awards at the Oscars: Best, Actor, Actress, Director, Picture and Writing. It has also won a PGA & NBR award along with and award from the National Film Registry. It was also nominated for the Mussolini Cup.

Interesting Fact: Many other actors were offered the leads but turned it down. Among them are: Robert Montgomery, Myrna Loy & Constance Bennett. Even Gable and Colbert were unhappy to be a part of it. Rumor has it that on the first day of the set Gable walked and said: "Let's get this over with." Colbert salary was doubled to keep her on and she skipped the Oscars ceremony to leave on a trip. Before she boarded they found her and rushed her into the Awards for her acceptance speech in her traveling clothes.

My Favorite Scene: The hitch-hiking scene is my favorite. Seeing Gable portray frustration is priceless.

A spoiled woman is betrothed to a man she doesn't love and runs away to escape her father. On a bus she runs into an arrogant traveler who turns out to be a reporter looking for a story. Not wanting to loose sight of her they stick together as they keep running. Though they can't stand each other from the start they soon begin to fall in love. Now that he feels quilt about his alternative motive he seeks to correct it. While he is gone she suddenly realizes that maybe her love was one sided and returns to her father. With everything upside down from the way it was it seems they may never be together.

-"Why didn't you take off all your clothes? You could have stopped forty cars."
-"Well, ooo, I'll remember that when we need forty cars."

*Trailer

*Here is my favorite scene.

BRIGADOON (1954)

Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Producer: Arthur Freed

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Awards: Brigadoon was nominated for three Oscars: best art-direction, costume design and sound. It did however win a Golden Globe in 1955 for best cinematography.

Interesting Fact: Howard Keel & Jane Powell were originally cast for the leads, but were unable to, due to prior film commitments. Since they were replaced by Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse, they changed the theme of the film from a more vocal performance to more dancing.

My Favorite Scene: I actually played in this film back in my High School days and loved it ever since. My favorite scene would have to be the "Go Home with Bonnie Jean" song. Watching Van Johnson, dancing along with Gene Kelly, is a treat.

Yes, this is more of a musical than a romantic film, but it's message on love is timeless.

Two hunters find themselves in a peculiar village in Scotland, only to be looked at as the peculiar ones. After meeting a beautiful woman, one hunter decides to stay in the village for the day and find out what makes it so mysterious. What they find is an unbelievable story of the city disappearing at night, only to reappear 1,000 years later. Soon the hunter finds himself in love and wants to stay with the village, but after a tragic accident, he leaves and watches the city vanish. After returning home, he can't think of anything but her. As a result, he returns to Scotland to see if his love can perform a miracle.

-"If you love someone deeply enough, anything is possible, anything."

*Trailer

*Here is the song "Go home with Bonnie Jean."

PILLOW TALK (1959)

Studio: Universal Studios

Producer: Ross Hunter & Martin Melcher

Director: Michael Gordon

Awards: This film won the Oscar for best writing and nominated for best supporting & leading actress, best art direction and best music. It has also received three other awards with an additional four nominations.

Interesting Fact: In the scene at the diner where Tony Randal fakes a knockout, the actor to punch him made an accidental contact. This caused an actual knockout that they kept in the final film.

My Favorite Scene: There are so many scenes that I love in this film, but Rock Hudson accidental visits to the doctor tops them all.

This is the best romantic comedy I have ever seen.

Two people share a phone line, one of them a busy and sophisticated woman who works as an interior director, while the other is an over romantic musician who uses the line to sing to the new girl of the week. The woman is frustrated with this and has created a strict time schedule to use the phones. Now that they have become arch enemies, by chance, he meets her without her knowing who he is. Finding her attractive he disguises his voice as a tall Texan to begin a relationship. What makes it even worse is that his roommate is her boss and is in love with her also. With all the lies and confusion it is only a matter of time before everyone figures out what is happening.

-"Are you getting out of that bed, or am I coming in after you."
-"You wouldn't dare!"

*Trailer

*Roly Poly song