How Well Do You Know Hollywood? - Question 2

She topped the Hollywood salary list for 1938

Bette Davis

Carole Lombard

Claudette Colbert

Joan Crawford

View comments to find the answer

Week in Review

Films of the Week

• They Wanted to Marry (1937) - Betty Furness (Sheila), Gordon Jones (Jim), E.E. Clive (Styles), Patsy Parsons (Patsy), Henry Kolker (Mr. Hunter)

Week in Review

Films I've Watched

• I Love a Mystery (1945) - First in the 'I Love a Mystery' B Movie series based on the great radio program of the same name.  Two detectives: Jack Packard (played by Jim Bannon) and 'Doc' Long (played by Barton Yarborough) are on the trail of an oriental cult who prophesied death for a man.  The creepy thing is that the leader of this "cult" offered the man $10,000 for his head which they planned to use for their leader.  They had mummified their leader and wanted to replace his rotting head with the man's (played by George Macready, the villain from Gilda).  Fun mystery.  I was definitely surprised with the ending, which I won't spoil for you guys.

Film Review - Caretakers (1963)

Caretakers (1963) is an interesting view of the Mental Health system.  Strong performances by all: Robert Stack as the Doctor, Joan Crawford as the nurse administrator who fights him, the wonderful actors and actresses who played the patients and nurses such as Polly Bergen (the main patient) and Susan Oliver as the understanding nurse.  Other amazing performances by Janis Paige, Van Williams, Sharon Hugueny, and Ellen Corby are well worth it. 

Daring Dors

I adore Diana Dors.  Often thought as just another blond in the mold of Marilyn, she always seemed so much more to me.  Calculating, talented, and seemingly always up to mischief, I have always thought she had more talent than she was given credit for.

Fred MacMurray Channels Tony Curtis

Fred MacMurray

June and Fred

“I’ve had so many pictures taken with my wife (June Haver)  that I’m beginning to feel like Tony Curtis.”

[Source: Movieland; February 1955]

June and Fred

I find both Fred MacMurray and June Haver delightful.  They were married 37 years, from 1954 until MacMurray's death in 1991.  They adopted twin girls in 1956.  

Above Suspicion (1943)

June is not remembered as she should be and Fred seems to be remembered solely for My Three Sons.  Not that it wasn't a good show, but he was great in many other projects, most notably in Double Indemnity, a Film Noir classic.  My current MacMurray favorite is Above Suspicion (1943) which I saw recently on TCM.  My favorite June Haver film is her last film appearance, The Girl Next Door (1953).

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Short Women

How to Look Well in Clothes - For Short Women
From the advice of New York designer Edwina Patterson

V Length dresses

Do not wear too much padding

No horizontal stripes

No wide belts

[Source:  Quick Steps to Beauty and Charm.  Dorothy Cocks.  White's Book Company.  Westfield, Massachusetts.  1948.]

Homes of the Stars - Part 3

Homes of the Stars - Part 3

John Gilbert

John Barrymore

Joe E. Brown

Joan Crawford

Jean Harlow

Vintage Book of the Week - Sudden Fear

  

Vintage Book of the Week - Sudden Fear by Edna Sherry


Stunner of a pulp! Myra is a famous, middle-aged, rich, bored playwright. One day she saves a woman from drowning. To gain inspiration for her next play, Myra brings the girl to her home where Myra lives with her young husband. Naturally Myra's 'philanthropy' goes awry when she plays her tape recorder. On it, Myra hears her 'beloved husband' and 'guest' Irma plotting Myra's murder. A race against time of whom will murder whom first. Loved it from start to finish. Definitely kept me guessing as to what the truth was and who would get murdered first.

It's no wonder this book was turned into a film.  The 1952 stars the fabulous Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, and Gloria Grahame.  I can definitely see Joan Crawford in the role of Myra.  I haven't seen the film yet, but hope to if it gets cheaper.  It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actress (Joan Crawford), Best Supporting Actor (Jack Palance), Best Cinematography (Black and White), and Best Costume Design (Black and White).

On a side note, the book mentioned Schiaperelli clothing about 100 times.  I'm not sure if she paid them or if the author is obsessed with them, but here are a couple gorgeous gowns from Schiaperelli.

Favorite Actresses - Part 1

Here is a partial list of my favorite actresses, not necessarily the best, but I enjoy nearly every film they are in and know that if they are in the cast, I'm going to love it.

Eve Arden

Ann Blyth

Jeanne Crain

Joan Crawford

Yvonne DeCarlo

Alice Faye

Joan Fontaine

Betty Grable

Jean Harlow

Rita Hayworth

Title Quiz 9

"The merchandise on the boat was very unusual"

Some hints if you need them:

• Stars Clark Gable and Joan Crawford
• 1940
• This film is included on one of the Joan Crawford DVD collections
• Joan Crawford wore 3 ready to wear dresses in the film which cost less than $40
• It was condemned by the Legion of Decency because scripture was quoted incorrectly in the film and there was a lot of lust in the film
• According to IMDB: After Clark Gable and Joan Crawford shot a scene with a snake hanging from a tree, Joan realized that the snake was real. "That son-of-a-bitch is alive!". When informed that the snake's mouth had been tied shut with a rubber band, she said "And what happens if the f**king rubber band snaps!" and refused to shoot the scene again.

Virginia Weidler - Award Winner

Virginia Weidler was given the annual Parents' Magazine Award as the outstanding juvenile star of 1940 for her work in Young Tom Edison (above with Mickey Rooney),

All this and Heaven Too,

and The Philadelphia Story (with Katherine Hepburn). Mickey Rooney, 1939 winner, presented the award to Virginia on the MGM set where he was making Andy Hardy's Private Secretary.

I love Virginia Weidler! I think she was a fabulous, overlooked child star. She and Norma Shearer's scenes in The Women are so touching and as a child from a divorced home, she totally acted the part. Virginia was born March 21, 1926 in Los Angeles. She appeared in more than 40 films, but her most well known ones were with MGM who signed her in 1938. Virginia retired at the tender age of 17 and would refuse to be interviewed the rest of her life. She married Lionel Krissel on March 27, 1947 and had two sons, Gary and Ronnie. Virginia Weidler died July 1, 1968 from a heart condition at the age of 42. Her ashes are scattered at sea.

What 100 Stars Want Most in 1956 - Margaret O'Brien

Margaret O'Brien (Born January 15, 1937) - One of my favorite child actors. Most people know her from Meet Me in St Louis, but my favorite Margaret O'Brien film is The Secret Garden. Incidentally, for all you TCM lovers Margaret O'Brien is one of the featured stars in this August's Summer Under the Stars. So mark your calendar for August 15, 2010. TCM will play The Secret Garden at 8 pm est, or if you love Meet Me in St Louis, it is playing at 3:45 pm est. If you ever get a chance to see TCM's special on Child Stars, I would definitely recommend it. Margaret seems like such a wonderful person!

Some Margaret O'Brien Trivia:

• She was born Angela Maxine O'Brien
• Margaret made her film debut in a 1941 civil defense film (Her major motion picture debut was 1941's Babes of Broadway)
• She won a special Oscar for Meet Me in St Louis. It was stolen in 1954, found at a swap meet in 1995 and returned to her.
• My favorite Margaret O'Brien quote: "When I cry, do you want the tears to run all the way or shall I stop halfway down?" - What a pro!

What did Margaret O'Brien wish for in 1956?

"I want a place in the Valley where I can keep a horse"

"I'd like the lead in the story The Life of Esther Costello. It's the story of a deaf and dumb Irish child who rose to fame and prominence despite these handicaps"

Unfortunately for Margaret, Heather Sears got the part. Has anyone seen The Story of Esther Costello? It apparently also stars Joan Crawford.






"I'm on a personal campaign right now to tell people about the other children, the ones who aren't juvenile delinquents. We're way in the majority, incidentally."

What 100 Stars Want in 1956 - Joan Crawford

What does the fabulous Joan Crawford wish for in 1956?


1. "Personally, I want happiness and contentment for my children" - Do I even need to go there? Obviously there was an issue here - whether true or not.

2. "Professionally, I want Hollywood to have the best year in its history for everyone". - I'm not sure if I would think of 1956 as the best year in movie history. What about 1939? Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz, The Women ....just so many good ones.

3. "As a citizen, I hope more time and effort will be used to combat juvenile delinquency. I'd like to see methods devised which make certain the leisure time of the children can be used constructively instead of destructively". - I would love that too. There has got to be a better way.

Favorite Foods of Famous Stars Gigi Parrish

Gigi Parrish (Aug 30, 1912 - Feb 8, 2006) provided us with a wonderful dessert menu. Even though it is described as "unusual bridge desserts", the options look rather tasty to me.

Gigi's menu includes: Chocolate Mint Parfaits, Smooth Fruit Sherbet, and Fresh Peach Ice Cream Pie. Delicious!



Above is a picture of Gigi on her exciting Honeymoon at the tender age of 15. I never was able to have a Honeymoon myself, but I can't imagine choosing to motorcycle across the country during the 1920s. Gigi was obviously an adventurous dame.

Gigi Parrish was a real tough one to come up with some info or pics about. She only appeared in 9 films, most in uncredited roles. The most famous films she appeared in were Twentieth Century (934) uncredited and Roman Scandal (1933) uncredited.

I've added some of films I knew she was in. The Hollywood short was fun. Wish I could get some of those giant beer glasses :)



Gigi was also part of the 1934 WAMPAS Baby Stars. The WAMPAS were seen as promising stars of the future. Some WAMPAS babies included Joan Crawford, Clara Bow, Ginger Rogers, Joan Blondell, Loretta Young, Fay Wray and several other girls featured in this cookbook.

For a full list of the WAMPAS, check out: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAMPAS_Baby_Stars