The Life and Times of a Hollywood Classic Movie Lover.....

City Lights - The ending) CHARLIE CHAPLIN

2009-03-16T06:37:00.000-07:00

2009-03-13T16:13:00.001-07:00

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - CLARA BOW

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"Even now I can't trust life. It did too many awful things to me as a kid"

"The more I see of men, the more I like dogs"

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - Marlene Dietrich

2009-03-08T21:43:00.000-07:00

"I am not a myth"

"I never enjoyed working in a film"

"I am at heart a gentleman"

"I'm worth more dead than alive. Don't cry for me after I'm gone; cry for me now"

"If there is a supreme being, he's crazy"

"It's the friends that you can call up at 4:00am that matter"

"Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast"

"Sex. In America an obsession. In other parts of the world, a fact"

"The Germans and I no longer speak the same language"

"Without tenderness, a man is uninteresting"

"When you're dead, you're dead, thats it"

"Think twice before burdening a friend with a secret"

Falling in Love Again - Marlene Dietrich

2009-03-08T21:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry.....

2009-03-07T13:37:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been online for the past few weeks....had to change computer companies, telephone numbers, etc. and it turned out to be a major mess. But I am back today and will probably leave an entry tomorrow after watching some more of the movies I have been missing so much! Hope all is well with all and life is treating you well!

My Forgotten Man from "Gold Diggers of 1933"

2009-02-08T17:43:00.000-08:00

2009-02-06T11:30:00.000-08:00

Directed by: Mervyn LeRoy
Date: 1933
Starring: Aline MacMahon - Trixie Lorraine
Ruby Keeler - Polly Parker
Dick Powell - Brad Roberts (Robert Treat Bradford)
Guy Kibbee - Faneul H. Peabody
Ned Sparks - Barry Hopkins
Ginger Rogers - Fay Fortune

"Golddiggers of 1933 was a delightful movie and was a joy to watch, it has all the right elements that go into the making of a successful musical.

The film is the story of young hopefuls in New York City who are trying to make it into the musical theater business during the Great Depression. Carol, Trixie and Polly are dirt poor and don't even know where their next meal is going to come from. These young girls receive word from their friend/past employer named Barney that he has a new show he is working on. Everything sounds great until they find out that he doesn't have a dime for funding this great new musical.

But things have a way of working themselves out, as they usually do in these depression era movies and the show gets its financial backing and manages to become a big success.

The story's subplot concerns these three young ladies love interests in the film and they are all very enduring and delightful. The cast is excellent, and the musical numbers are very inspiring. If you are looking for a really great old Busby Berkely musical, this is one not to be missed!

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - CLARK GABLE

2009-02-01T10:48:00.000-08:00

"The only reason they come to see me is that I know that life is great , and they know I know it" - Clark Gable

"It's an extra dividend when you like the girl you're in love with" - Clark Gable

"I'm just a lucky slob from Ohio who happened to be in the right place at the right time" - Clark Gable

"Hell, if I'd jumped on all the dames I'm supposed to have jumped on, I'd have no time to go fishing" - Clark Gable

CLARK GABLE - Putting on the Ritz

2009-02-01T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - February 1 - CLARK GABLE

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Birthname: William Clark Gable
Birthdate: February 1, 1901
Birthplace: Cadiz, Ohio, USA
Died: November 16, 1960 (59)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California, USA
Spouses: Josephine Dillon (1924-1930)
Maria Franklin Printiss Lucas Langham (1931-1939)
Carole Lombard (1939-1942)
Sylvia Ashley (1949-1952)
Kay Williams (1955-1960)

2008 Stars Obituaries tribute

2009-01-30T08:48:00.000-08:00

Classic Movie Stars Tribute

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Today's Birthday - January 24 - ERNEST BORGNINE

2009-01-24T11:39:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Ermes Effron Borgnino
Birthdate: January 24, 1917 (92)
Birthplace: Hamden, Connecticut
Spouses: Rhoda Kemins (1949-1958)
Kathy Jurado (1959-1963)
Ethel Merman (1964-1965)
Donna Rancourt (1965-1972)
Tova Borgnine (1972 - present)

Today's Birthday - January 18 - CARY GRANT

2009-01-18T06:45:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Archibald Alexander Leach
Birthdate: January 18, 1904
Birthplace: Bristol, England
Died: November 29, 1986 (82)
Deathplace: Davenport, Iowa, USA
Spouses: Virginia Cherrill (1934-1935)
Barbara Hutton (1942-1945)
Betsy Drake (1949-1962)
Dyan Cannon (1965-1967)
Barbara Harris (1981-1986)

CARY GRANT Tribute

2009-01-18T06:44:00.000-08:00

KEYSTONE COMEDIES WITH MACK SENNETT-SILENT CLASSIC

2009-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - January 15 - LLOYD BRIDGES

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Birthname: Lloyd Vernet Bridges Jr.
Birthdate: January 15, 1913
Birthplace: San Leandro, California, USA
Died: March 10, 1998 (85)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California
Spouse: Dorothy Simpson (1938-1998)

Today's Birthday - January 14 - WILLIAM BENDIX

2009-01-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

Birthname: William Bendix
Birthdate: January 14, 1906
Birthplace: New York City, New York, USA
Death: December 14, 1964 (Age 58, Lombar Pneomonia)
Death Place: Los Angeles, California
Spouse: Theresa Stefanotti

Today

2009-01-14T16:07:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - January 10 - RAY BOLGER

2009-01-10T10:03:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Raymond Wallace Bulcao
Birthdate: January 10, 1904
Birthplace: Dorchester, Massachusetts
Death: January 15, 1987 (83)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California
Spouse: Gwendolyn Rickard (1929-1987)

Today's Birthday - January 7 - BUTTERFLY MCQUEEN

2009-01-07T16:23:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Thelma McQueen
Birthdate: January 7, 1911
Birthplace: Tampa, Florida, USA
Death: December 22, 1995 (84)
Deathplace: Augusta, Georgia, USA

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - CHARLIE CHAPLIN

2009-01-05T08:44:00.000-08:00

"Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain"-Charlie Chaplin

"I'd sooner be called a successful crook than a destitute monarch" - Charlie Chaplin

"I have no further use for America. I wouldn't go back there if Jesus Christ were President" - Charlie Chaplin

"Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot" - Charlie Chaplin

"A day without laughter is a day wasted" - Charlie Chaplin

"A man's true character comes out when he's drunk" - Charlie Chaplin

"Actors search for rejection. If they don't get it they reject themselves" - Charlie Chaplin

"All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl" - Charlie Chaplin

"Despair is a narcotic. It lulls the mind into indifference" - Charlie Chaplin

"Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people" - Charlie Chaplin

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself" - Charlie Chaplin

"I am at peace with God. My conflict is with Man" - Charlie Chaplin

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even out troubles" - Charlie Chaplin

"Remember, you can always stoop and pick up nothing" - Charlie Chaplin

"The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury" - Charlie Chaplin

"We think too much and feel too little" - Charlie Chaplin

Wallace Beery dressing......

2009-01-04T07:38:00.001-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Stars - WALLACE BEERY

2009-01-04T06:54:00.000-08:00

Wallace Beery was an American Academy Award winning actor, best known for his portrayal of Long John Silver in "Treasure Island" (1934), who appeared in 200 movies over a 36 year span.

Beery was born as Wallace Fitzgerald Beery on April 1, 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri to Noah W. and Marguerite Beery. He was a younger brother of actors William Beery and Noah Beery, who also had long careers in motion pictures. He was an uncle of actor Noah Beery Jr. According to U.S. Census records, all three Beery brothers were born to the same parents, making them full brothers and not half-brothers as many biographies say.

Wallace Beery joined the Ringling Brothers Circus at age sixteen as an assistant elephant trainer. He left two years later, after being clawed by a leopard. Beery found work in New York City in musical variety and began to appear on Broadway. In 1913 he moved to Chicago to work for Essanay Studios, cast as "Sweedie" The Swedish Maid", a masculine character in drag. Later, he worked for the Essanay Studios location in Niles, California.

In 1915, Beery starred with his wife Gloria Swanson in "Sweedie Goes to College". This marriage did not survive his drinking and abuse. Beery began playing villains, and in 1917 portrayed Pancho Villa in "Patria" at a time when Villa was still active in Mexico. Beery reprised the role seventeen years later.

With the transition to sound, Beery was for a time out of work. However, Irving Thalberg had no objection to Beery's gruff speech as a character actor, and hired him under contract to MGM.

Beery appeared in the highly successful 1930 prison film "The Big House" for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor. The same year he made "Min and Bill" (opposite Marie Dressler), the movie vaulted him into the box office first rank. He followed with "The Champ" in 1931, this time winning the Best Actor Oscar, and the role of Long John Silver in "Treasure Island" in 1934. He received a gold medal from The Venice Film Festival for his second appearance as Pancho Villa in "Viva Villa" in 1934 with Fay Wray. Other Beery films include "Billy the Kid" in 1930, "The Secret Six" in 1931 with Jean Harlow and Clark Gable, "Hell Drivers" in 1931 with Gable, "Grand Hotel" in 1932 with Joan Crawford, "Tugboat Annie" in 1933 with Dressler, "Dinner at Eight" in 1933 opposite Jean Harlow, "The Bowery" with George Raft that same year, "China Seas" in 1935 with Gable and Harlow, and "Ah! Wilderness" in 1935. During the 1930's Beery was one of Hollywood's Top 10 box office stars, and at one point his contract with MGM stipulated that he be paid $1 more than any other contract player at the studio, making him the highest paid actor in the world.

He starred in several comedies with Marie Dressler and Majorie Main, but his career began to decline in his last decade.

Beery's second wife was Rita Gilman. They adopted Carol Ann, daughter of Rita Beery's cousin. Like his first marriage, this one also ended in divorce.

Beery seems to have been somewhat misanthropic and difficult to work with, and Jackie Cooper, who worked with Beery in several films, called him in his autobiography, "The most sadistic person I have ever known". Child actress Margaret O'Brien also worked with Beery, and ultimately had to be protected by crew members from Beery's insistence on constantly pinching her.

One of his proudest achievements was catching the largest black sea bass in the world off Santa Catalina Island in 1916. It was a record that stood for 35 feet.

Wallace Beery died at his Beverly Hills home of a heart attack at the age of 64. He was interred at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery, in Glendale, California.

Smile More - Classic Movie Stars

2009-01-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

1930 Movie Magazine Covers

2008-12-31T10:13:00.000-08:00

To all the Classy Ladies of the Silver Screen.....

2008-12-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

My Ten Favorite Movies of All Time (Happy New Year!)

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1. "You Can't Take It With You" - 1938
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: Lionel Barrymore, Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Ann Miller,
Edward Arnold

2. "Harvey" - 1950
Directed by: Henry Koster
Starring: James Stewart, Josephine Hull, Peggy Dow, Jesse White

3. "Rear Window" - 1954
Directed by: Alfred Hitchcock
Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey, Thelma Ritter,
Raymond Burr

4. "My Man Godfrey" - 1936
Directed by Gregory La Cava
Starring: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Eugene Pallete

5. "After The Thin Man" - 1936
Directed by: W.S. Van Dyke
Starring: William Powell, Myrna Loy, James Stewart

6. "Sitting Pretty" - 1948
Directed by: Walter Lang
Starring: Robert Young, Maureen O'Hara, Clifton Webb

7. "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" - 1939
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: Jean Arthur, James Stewart, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold

8. "Dark Victory" - 1939
Directed by: Edmung Goulding
Starring: Bette Davis, George Brent, Humphrey Bogart, Ronald
Reagan

9. "The Petrified Forest" - 1936
Directed by: Archie Mayo
Starring: Bette Davis, Leslie Howard, Humphrey Bogart

10. "The African Queen" - 1951
Directed by: John Huston
Starring: Humphrey Bogart, Kathrine Hepburn, Robert Morley

Favorites

2008-12-29T12:10:00.000-08:00

Coming tomorrow (?) My ten favorite movies of all time (A New Years testimonial....)

My Ten Favorite Actors of All Time (Happy New Year!)

2008-12-29T11:56:00.000-08:00

1. William Powell (07-29-1892 to 03-05-1984)
2. James Stewart (05-20-1908 to 07-02-1997)
3. Humphrey Bogart (12-25-1899 to 01-14-1957)
4. Cary Grant (01-14-1904 to 11-29-1986)
5. Lionel Barrymore (04-28-1878 to 11-15-1954)
6. John Barrymore (02-15-1882 to 05-29-1942)
7. Bette Davis (04-05-1908 to 10-06-1989)
8. Jean Arthur (10-17-1900 to 06-19-1991)
9. Hedy Lamarr (11-09-1913 to 09-04-1990)
10.Fred Astaire (05-10-1899 to 06-22-1987)

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - MICKEY ROONEY

2008-12-29T11:16:00.000-08:00

"A lot of people have asked me how short I am. Since my last divorce, I think I'm about $100,000 short" - Mickey Rooney

"Always get married in the morning. That way if it doesn't work out, you haven't wasted the whole day" - Mickey Rooney

"I buy women shoes and they use them to walk away from me" - Mickey Rooney

"I was a thirteen year old boy for thirty years" - Mickey Rooney

"I'm the only man in the world with a marriage licence made out to whom it may concern" - Mickey Rooney

"You always pass failure on your way to success" - Mickey Rooney

Mickey Rooney & Judy Garland - Could you Use Me?

2008-12-29T11:14:00.001-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Stars - MICKEY ROONEY

2008-12-28T17:02:00.000-08:00

Mickey Rooney is one of the few stars that I have written about that is still alive today, and for that we should all be very grateful. He was and still is a very talented actor who never quits.

Mickey Rooney was born as Joseph Yule Jr. on September 23, 1920 in Brooklyn, New York. He is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span his lifetime. During his career he has won multiple awards, including an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and an Emmy Award. Best know for his work as the Andy Hardy character, Rooney has one of the longest movie careers of any actor ever. entering the "Guinness Book of Records" as the actor with the longest career on both stage and screen.

Rooney was born into a vaudeville family. His father, Joseph Yule, was from Scotland and his mother, Nellie W. was from Kansas City, Missouri. Both parents were in vaudeville, and appearing in a Brooklyn production of "A Gaiety Girl" when Joseph Jr. was born. He began performing at the age of fifteen months as part of his parents routine, wearing a specially tailored tuxedo which he still owns to this day.

The Yules separated in 1924 during a slump in vaudeville, and in 1925, Nell Yule moved with her son to Hollywood, where she managed a tourist home. Fontaine Fox had placed a newspaper ad for a dark haired child to play the role of "Mickey McGuire" in a series of short films, and, lacking the money to have her sons hair dyed, Mrs. Yule took her son to the audition after applying burnt cork to his scalp. Joe got the role and became "Mickey" for 78 of the comedies running from 1927 to 1936, starting with "Mickey's Circus" released September 4, 1927. These had been adapted from the "Toonerville Trolley" comic strip, which contained a character named Mickey McGuire. Joe Yule briefly became Mickey McGuire legally to trump an attempted copyright lawsuit (as it was his legal name, the movie producers did not owe the comic strip writers royalties).

During an interruption in the series in 1932, Mrs. Yule made plans to take her son on a ten week vaudeville tour as McGuire, and Fox sued successfully to stop him from using the name. Mrs. Yule suggested the stage name of Mickey Looney for her comedian son, which he altered slightly to a less frivolous version. Rooney did other films, including a few more of the McGuire films, in his adolescence, and signed with MGM in 1934. MGM cast Rooney as the teenage son of a judge in 1937's "A Family Affair", setting Rooney on the way to another successful film series.

In 1937, Rooney was selected to portray Andy Hardy in "A Family Affair", which MGM had planned as a "B" movie. Rooney provided comic relief as the son of Judge James K. Hardy, portrayed by Lionel Barrymore (although Lewis Stone would play the role of Judge Hardy in later films). The film was an unexpected success, and led to thirteen more "Andy Hardy" films between 1937 and 1946, and then one final "Andy Hardy" film in 1958. Rooney received top-billing in a feature film as Shockey Carter in "Hossier Schoolboy" (1937). The same years, he made his first film alongside Judy Garland with "Thourbreds don't Cry". His breakthrough role as a dramatic actor came in 1938's "Boy's Town" opposite Spencer Tracy as Whitey Marsh, which opened shortly before his 18th birthday.

Garland and Rooney became a successful song and dance team. Besides three of the Andy Hardy films, where she portrayed Betsey Boothe, a younger girl with a crush on Andy, Garland appeared with Rooney in a string of successful musicals, including the Oscar nominated "Babes in Arms" (1939).

In 1944, Rooney entered military service for 21 months during World War II, during which time he was a radio personality on the American Forces Network. After his return to civilian life, his career slumped. He appeared in a number of films, including "Words and Music" in 1948, which paired him for the last time with Garland on film.

In 1960, he directed and starred in "The Private Lives of Adam and Eve", an ambitious comedy know for its multiple flashbacks and many cameos. In the 1960's Rooney returned to theatrical entertainment. Ne still accepted film roles in undistinguished movies, but occasionally would appear in better works, such as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" (1962) and "The Black Stallion" (1979). One of Rooney's more controversial riles came in the highly acclaimed 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" where he played a stereotyped buck toothed myopic Japanese neighbor of the main character, Holly Golightly. Producer Richard Shepard apologized for this in the 45th anniversary DVD, though director Blake Edwards and Rooney himself did not.

On December 31, 1961, he appeared on televisions "What's my Line" and mentioned that he had already started enrolling students in the MRSE (Mickey Rooney School of Entertainment). His school venture never came to fruition though, but for several years he was a spokesman/partner in Pennsylvania's Downington Inn, a country club and golf resort.

In 1966, while Rooney was working on a film in the Philippines, his wife Barbara Ann Thomason, a former pin up model and aspiring actress who had won 17 straight beauty contests in Southern California, was found dead in their bed. Beside her was her lover, Milos Milos, an actor friend of Rooney's. Detectives ruled it as a murder/suicide, which was accomplished with Rooney's own gun. Milos was also a bodyguard. Grief stricken and not in his right frame of mind, Rooney quickly married Barbara's friend, Marge Lane. The union lasted about one hundred days.

He was awarded an Academy Juvenile Award in 1938, and in 1983 the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted him their Academy Honorary Award for his lifetime of achievement. Laurence Olivier called Rooney "the single best film actor America ever produced". a sentiment echoed by actor James Mason, Judy Garland stated that Rooney was "the worlds greatest talent". As a result of the "Andy Hardy" series, Rooney was the highest paid actor in Hollywood in the late 1930's.

Rooney continues to work in film and tours with his current wife in a multi-media live stage production called "Let's Put on A Show!" On May 26, 2007, he was grand Marshall at the Garden Grove Strawberry Festival. Rooney made his British pantomime debut, playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella at the Sunderland Empire Theater over the 2007 Christmas period. He appeared on BBC Points West dressed in a pair of shorts and socks. He is currently playing Baron Hardup in Cinderella now at the Bristol Hippodrome From December 12, 2008 to January 8, 2009.

As of 2008, Rooney and his wife Jan Chamberlin, live in Westlake Village, Californis. They met through his son Mickey Jr. whom Jan had been dating at the time. They were married on August 7, 1978, when Jan was 39 and Mickey was 57. Both are outspoken advocates for veterans and animal rights.

After battling drug addiction and a near bankruptcy caused by gambling and bad investments, Rooney became a born again Christian in the 1970's, reportedly after an angel appeared to him in a coffee shop.

Mickey Rooney's Marriages:
1. Ava Gardner (1942-1943)
2. Betty Jane Rase (1944-1949) (child- Mickey Rooney Jr. & Tim Rooney)
3. Martha Vickers (1949-1951) (child - Teddy Rooney)
4, Elaine Devry (1952-1958)
5. Barbara Ann Thomason (1958-1966) (children - Kyle Rooney, Kimmy Rooney, Kelly Rooney, Kerry Rooney)
6. Marge Lane (1966-1967)
7. Carolyn Hockett (1969-1974) (children - Jimmy Rooney, Jonelle Rooney)
8. Jan Chamberlin (1978-present)

Today's Birthday - December 27 - MARLENE DIETRICH

2008-12-27T15:09:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Marie Magdalene Dietrich
Birthdate: December 27, 1901
Birthplace: Berlin, Germany
Death: May 6, 1991 (90)
Deathplace: Paris, France
Spouse: Rudolph Sieber (1924-1976)

RICHARD WIDMARK

2008-12-26T09:55:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - December 26 - RICHARD WIDMARK

2008-12-26T09:37:00.000-08:00

irthname: Richard Widmark
Birthdate: 12/26/1914
Birthplace: Sunrise Township, Minnesota
Died: March 24, 2008 (93!)
Death Place: Roxbury, Connecticut
Spouses: Jean Hazlewood (1942-1997)
Susan Blanchard (1999-2008) (his death)

HUMPHREY BOGART - Actor #1 - Greatest Screen Legends

2008-12-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - December 25

2008-12-25T17:52:00.000-08:00

Born as: Humphrey DeForest Bogart
Birthdate: December 25, 1899
Birthplace: New York City, New York, U.S.A.
Died: January 14, 1957 (57)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California
Spouses: Helen Menken (1926-1927)
Mary Philips (1928-1937)
Mayo Methot (1938-1945)
Lauren Bacall (1945-1957, his death)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone and Merry Christmas to all! I know I have been a bit sparce on my blog entries this past week, but since it is Christmas and all, I guess I have a pretty good excuse! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and that it brought you everything that you desired (and I don't only mean material things....). But, peace, joy and happiness, and that you got to be with the ones you love. After all, isn't that what Christmas is all about? My thoughts go out to each and everyone who is reading this, and I wish you all the happiest of seasons!

A Christmas Carol

2008-12-24T04:55:00.000-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - LIONEL BARRYMORE

2008-12-23T18:18:00.000-08:00

"Half the people in Hollywood are dying to be discovered and the other half are afraid they will be" - Lionel Barrymore

"Hollywood is tied hand and foot to the demands for artificiality of the masses all over the world" - Lionel Barrymore

"I can remember when nobody believed an actor and didn't care what he believed" - Lionel Barrymore

" I've got a lot of ham in me" - Lionel Barrymore

"This is the age of insincerity. The movies had the misfortune to come along in the twentieth century, and because they appeal to the masses there can be no sincerity in them" - Lionel Barrymore

A Fireside chat with Lionel Barrymore (preview for 1938 version of "A Christmas Carol"

2008-12-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

Ingrid Bergman

2008-12-18T13:31:00.000-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - INGRID BERGMAN

2008-12-18T13:14:00.000-08:00

"Be yourself, The world worships the original" - Ingrid Bergman

"Happiness is good health and a bad memory" - Ingrid Bergman

"I have no regrets. I wouldn't have lived my life the way I did if I was going to worry about what people were going to say" - Ingrid Bergman

"I made so many films which were more important, but the only one people ever want to talk about is that one with Bogart" - Ingrid Bergman

"I've gone from saint to whore and back to saint again, all in one lifetime" - Ingrid Bergman

"If you took acting away from me, I'd stop breathing" - Ingrid Bergman

"It is not whether you really cry. It's whether the audience thinks you are crying" - Ingrid Bergman

"Never again! I can see no reason for marriage - ever at all. I've had it. Three times is enough" - Ingrid Bergman

"There are advantages to being a star though - you can always get a seat at a full restaurant" - Ingrid Bergman

"Until 45 I can play a woman in love. After 55 I can play grandmothers. But between those ten years, it is difficult for an actress" - Ingrid Bergman

"A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous" - Ingrid Bergman

"I do not know how to kiss, or I would kiss you. Where do the noses go?" - Ingrid Bergman

Famous Classic Movie Stars - PETER LORRE

2008-12-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

Peter Lorre was born as Laszlo Lowenstein on June 26, 1904 In Ruzomberok, Slovakia. He was of Hungarian-Austrian heritage who became an American actor frequently typecast as a sinister foreigner.

He made an international sensation in 1931 with his portrayal of a serial killer who preys on little girls in the German film "M". Later, he became a popular featured player in Hollywood crime films and mysteries, notably alongside Humphrey Bogart and Sydney Greenstreet, and as the star of the successful Mr. Moto detective series.

Lorre was born into a Jewish family. His parents were Alois and Elvira. When he was a child, his family moved to Vienna where Lorre attended school, and during his youth he was a student of Sigmund Freud. He began acting onstage in Vienna then moved to Breslau, and Zurich. In the late 1920's, the young 5'5" actor moved to Berlin where he worked with the famous playwright Bertolt Brecht. He achieved fame when Fritz Lang cast him as a child killer in his 1931 film "M".

When the Nazi's came to power in Germany in 1933, Lorre took refuge first in Paris and then London where he played a charming villain in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (1934). When he arrived in Great Britain, his first meeting was with Hitchcock, and, by smiling and laughing as Hitchcock talked, Lorre was able to bluff the director about his limited command of the English language. During the filming of "The Man Who Knew Too Much", Lorre learned much of his part phonetically.

Eventually, he went to Hollywood where he specialized in playing wicked or wily foreigners, beginning with "Mad Love" (1935) directed by Karl Freund. He starred in a series of Mr. Moto movies, a parrallel to the better known "Charlie Chan" series in which he played a Japanese detective and spy. He did not much enjoy these films and twisted his shoulder during a stunt in "Mr. Moto Takes a Vacation", but they were lucrative for the studio and gained Lorre many new fans.

In 1940, Lorre co-starred with fellow horror actors Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff in the Kay Kyser Movie "You'll Find Out". Lorre enjoyed considerable popularity as a featured player in Warner Brothers suspense and adventure films. Lorre played the role of Joel Cairo in "The Maltese Falcon" in 1941 and portrayed the character Ugarte in the film classic "Casablanca" in 1942.

Lorre demonstrated a gift for comedy in the role of Dr. Einstein in "Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). And in 1946 he starred with Sydney Greenstreet and Geraldine Fitzgerald in "Three Strangers" about three people who are joint partners on a winning lottery ticket.

In 1941, Peter Lorre became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

After World War II, Lorre's acting career in Hollywood experienced a downturn, whereupon he concentrated on radio and stage work. In 1954 though, he had the distinction of becoming the first actor to play a James Bond villain when he portrayed Le Chiffre in a television adaption of "Casino Royale" opposite Barry Nelson as an American James Bond. Also in 1954, Lorre starred alongside Kirk Douglas and James Mason in the hit-classic "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". In the early 1960's he worked with Roger Corman on several low-budgeted, tongue-in-cheek, and very popular films.

Lorre was married three times: Celia Lovsky (1934-1945), Kaaren Verne (1945-1950) and Annemarie Brenning (1953-1964) (his death). Annemarie bore his only child, Catherine, in 1953 who died in 2006 from diabetes.

Lorre had suffered for years from chronic gall-bladder troubles, for which doctors had prescribed morphine. Lorre became trapped between the constant pain and addiction to morphine to ease the trouble. It was during the period of the Moto films that Lorre struggled and overcame this problem.

Overweight and never fully recovered from his morphine addiction, Lorre suffered many personal and career disappointments in his later years. He died in 1964 of a stroke at 59 years of age. Lorre's body was cremated and his ashes interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Hollywood, Ca. Vincent Price read the eulogy at his funeral.

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes - JIMMY STEWART

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"If I had my career over again? Maybe I'd say to myself, speed it up a little" - James Stewart

"I'd like to do Harvey again. I did it two years ago with Helen Hayes in New York. It was a joy. I was so glad to do it again because I never thought I did it right the first time" - James Stewart

"When it came to kissing, Harlow was the best" - James Stewart

"Well, I think one of the main things that you have to think about when acting in the movies is to try not to make the acting show" - James Stewart

"I always told Hitch that it would have been better to put seats around the set and sell tickets" - James Stewart

"I sort of got into Westerns...it was a sort of desperation move, really. I had several pictures that didn't go very well, and I just realized that I would have to try something else" - James Stewart

"It was amazing that a play that seems dated in this world...A man whose best friend is a six-foot white rabbit...But it caught on, especially with young people - they surprised me most of all" - James Stewart

"I lasted one night. They said my playing spoiled peoples appetites" - James Stewart

"Frank called me one day and said 'I have an idea for a movie, why don't you come over and I'll tell you?' So I went over and we sat down and he said, 'This picture starts in heaven'. That shook me" - James Stewart

EDWARD G. ROBINSON - Greatest Screen Legends #24

2008-12-12T05:13:00.001-08:00

Today's Birthday - December 12 - EDWARD G. ROBINSON

2008-12-12T05:00:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Emanuel Goldenberg
Birthdate: December 12, 1893
Birthplace: Bucharest, Romania
Died: January 26, 1973 (79)
Deathplace: Hollywood, California
Spouses: Gladys Lloyd (1927-1956)
Jane Robinson (1958-1973)

Classic Movie Star - WILLIAM BENDIX

2008-12-11T05:01:00.000-08:00

William Bendix, an American film actor was born on January 14th, 1906, in Manhattan, New York. As a youth in the early 1920's, Bendix was a batboy for the New York Yankees and said that he saw Babe Ruth hit more than a hundred home runs at Yankee Stadium. In 1927 he married Theresa Stefanotti.

Bendix worked as a grocer until the Great Depression, before making his film debut in 1942. He played in supporting roles in dozens of Hollywood films, usually as a soldier, gangster, or detective. He started with appearances in film noir films including a memorable performance in "The Glass Key" (1942), which also featured Brian Donlevy and Veronica Lake. He soon gained more attention after appearing in Alfred Hitchcocks "Lifeboat" (1944), as Gus, a wounded and dying American sailor. Bendix's other well known movie roles include his protrayal of baseball-player Babe Ruth in "The Babe Ruth Story" (1948) and Sir Sagramore opposite Bing Crosby in "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" (1949). He also played Nick the bartender in the 1948 film version of William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life" starring James Cagney.

Bendix was also well known in that era for his radio work, starring as "Chester A. Riley" in the radio situation comedy series "The Life of Riley" from 1944 through 1951. He also played the title role in the second television version of the series, which ran from 1953 to 1958 (Jackie Gleason played Riley in a short-lived 1949 version).

On the 1952 television program "This is Your Life", it was claimed that he was a descendant of the 19th century composer Felix Mendelssohn.

Bendix died at the age of 58 in Los Angeles from lobar pneumonia in 1964 and was interred there in the San Fernando Mission Cementery. Bendix was survived by his wife Theresa and two children (Lorraine and Stephanie) from their 37 year marriage.

Today's Birthday - December 10 - DOROTHY LAMOUR

2008-12-10T05:24:00.000-08:00

Birthname: Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton
Birthdate: December 10, 1914
Birthplace: New Orleans, Louisiana
Died: September 27, 1996 (81)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California
Spouses: Herbie Kay (1935-1939)
William Ross Howard III (1943-1978)
2 Childen

Classic Tribute - DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS JR.

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Today's Birthday - December 9 -DOUGLAS FAIRBANKS JR.

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Birthname: Douglas Elton Ulman Fairbanks
Birthdate: December 9, 1909
Birthplace: New York City, New York
Died: May 7, 2000 (90)
Deathplace: New York City, New York
Spouses: Joan Crawford (1929-1933)
Mary Lee Epping (1939-1988)
Vera Shelton (1991-2000)

Today's Birthday - December 7 - ELI WALLACH

2008-12-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Birth Name: Eli Hershel Wallach
Birth Date: December 7, 1917
Present Age: 93
Birth Place: Brooklyn, New York
Spouse: Anne Jackson (1948-present)

Classic Hollywood Star Quotes - JOAN CRAWFORD

2008-12-06T15:46:00.000-08:00

"I am just too much" - Joan Crawford

"I believe in the dollar, Everything I earn, I spend!" - Joan Crawford

"I have always know what I wanted, and that was beauty....in every form" - Joan Crawford

"I love playing bitches. There's a lot of bitch in every woman - a lot in every man" - Joan Crawford

"I need sex for a clear complexion, but I'd rather do it for love" - Joan Crawford

"I never go out unless I look like Joan Crawford the movie star. If you want to see the girl next door, go next door" - Joan Crawford

"I think that the most important thing a woman can have - next to talent, of course, is her hairdresser" - Joan Crawford

"I was born in front of a camera and really don't know anything else" - Joan Crawford

"If you have an ounce of common sense and one good friend you don't need an analyst" - Joan Crawford

"If you've earned a position, be proud of it. Don't hide it. I want to be recognized. When I hear people say, "There's Joan Crawford!" I turn around and say, Hi! How are you! - Joan Crawford

"It has been said that on screen I personified the American Woman - Joan Crawford

"Women's Lib? Poor little things. They always look so unhappy. Have you noticed how bitter their faces are? - Joan Crawford

"You have to be self-reliant and strong to survive in this town. Otherwise you will be destroyed" - Joan Crawford

"Love is a fire, But whether it is going to warm your hearth or burn down your house, you never can tell. - Joan Crawford

Classic Hollywood

2008-12-03T20:16:00.001-08:00

Classic Hollywood Lovers

2008-12-03T20:10:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - November 30

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Virginia Mayo
Born: Virginia Clara Jones
Birthdate: November 30, 1920
Birthplace: St. Louis, Missour
Death: January 17th, 2005 (84)
Deathplace: Los Angeles, California
Spouse(s): Michael O'Shea (1947-1973)

2008-11-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

I must apologize once again for being a bit slow this week in my blog entries. I have had a number of life's little interruptions and thus have been unable to really devote the time needed to my most favorite hobby (this is it everyone!). After spending the Thanksgiving holiday with family until tonight, I still will be a bit weighed down as I am also planning to move residences this coming week and am really busy with that. I should be in my new home (just across town...), on Wednesday the 3rd and be up and running that same afternoon if all goes according to plan. I hope to publish my next blog entry on Thursday. But who knows what may happen from now until Wednesday morning when they pull the plug! lol. I always have some classic star rolling around in my head just begging to be put down for all to see. So I might be able to squeeze in a bit here and there.

I hope everyone had a great holiday and I wish you all the very best in this Christmas season!

A Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T01:32:00.001-08:00

FRED ASTAIRE - Putting on the Ritz

2008-11-26T08:14:00.001-08:00

FRED ASTAIRE

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Classic Movie Stars Homes

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Classic Movie Stars Homes

2008-11-23T21:35:00.001-08:00

Classic Movie Stars Homes

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Classic Movie Stars Homes

2008-11-23T21:28:00.001-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes.......TALLULAH BANKHEAD

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"I'm as pure as the driven slush" - Tallulah Bankhead

"The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner" - Tallulah Bankhead

"It's the good girls who keep diaries; the bad girls never have the time" - Tallulah Bankhead

"Nobody can be exactly like me. Even I have trouble doing it" - Tallulah Bankhead

"(On seeing a former lover for the first time in years) I thought I told you to wait in the car" - Tallulah Blankhead

"The less I behave like Whistler's mother the night before, the more I look like her the morning after" - Tallulah Blankhead

"There is less than in this than meets the eye" - Tallulah Blankhead

'Cocaine habit-forming? Of course not. I ought to know. I've been using it for years" - Tallulah Bankhead

"Here's a rule I recommend: Never practice two vices at once" - Tallulah Blankhead

"I read Shakespeare and the Bible, and I can shoot dice. Thats what I call a liberal education" - Tallulah Bankhead

"They used to shoot Shirley Temple through gauze. They should shoot me through linoleum" - Tallulah Bankhead

"I'd rather be strongly wrong than weakly right" - Tallulah Bankhead

"

Bogie & Becall - I"M ON FIRE

2008-11-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Stars - ROSS ALEXANDER

2008-11-22T13:51:00.000-08:00

Most Classic movie watchers have probably not heard of Ross Alexander....I was lucky enough to catch one of his movies on TCM one night last summer and have been a fan ever since. If you get a chance to view one of his movies, I think you'll love him as well. He was a true gem.

Born as Alexander Ross Smith on July 27th, 1907 in Brooklyn, NY, Alexander began his acting career in Broadway productions during the 1920's. By 1926, he was regarded as a promising leading man, with good looks and an easy and charming style, he began to appear in more substantial roles. He was signed to a film contract by Paramount Pictures, but his film debut in "The Wiser Sex" in 1932 was not a success, so he returned to Broadway. In 1934, he was signed to another film contract, this time with Warner Brothers Studios.

Alexander was better suited to the Warner Brothers style of film, and the studio persevered with him, gradually increasing the stature of his roles commensurate with his growing popularity with film audiences. His biggest successes of the period were "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Captain Blood" both in 1935. He married an actress named Aleta Freel in 1934. The marriage ended the following year when Freel committed suicide on December 7th, 1935.

Alexander was also said to have been infatuated with Bette Davis. His infatuation with her reached its height in 1936 with a series of love letters sent by Alexander to Davis. Davis, who thought Alexander to be homosexual (not known), at first found the attention amusing and harmless, and did not discourage it. As his attentions continued though, she begun to find it annoying, and Alexander was eventually confronted by Davis' husband who assaulted Alexander.

Alexander soon after married another actress, Anne Nagel with whom he had appeared in the films "China Clipper" and "Here Comes Carter" both in 1936. In 1936 he starred in an under-rated Warner comedy that was well written as a business venture type of film called "Hot Money". It was a defining role in his persona as a glamorous, wore-clothes-well leading man, not in the usual Warner gangster mold of rough hewn stars like Robinson or Muni. Warner Brothers had decided by this time that Alexander's potential as an actor was limited, and that his personal problems did not allow him to focus completely on his career. Although they continued casting him in films, the importance of his roles were greatly diminished.

With his professional and personal lives in disarray and deeply in debt, Alexander shot himself in the heard in the barn behind his home on January 2, 1937 at the very young age of twenty nine. Ross used the same gun, a .22 caliber rifle, he first wife Aleta Freel shot herself with two years earlier. Yet there is still a mystery regarding the actor's motive for committing suicide. On the day after New Years, 1937, Ross and Miss Nagel dismantled the Christmas tree in their ENcino, California ranch home. They discussed their plans for the coming year and resolved to take a trip together. The actress testified at the coroners inquest. She stated that her husband seemed happier on the day of his death than he had been in weeks. He was an expert shot and was used to handling firearms. He left no notes. However Anne said he had been writing poetry and tossing the crumpled paper into their fireplace. Police speculated that a probable motive may have been grief over his first wife's death. The coroner's jury ruled he had taken his life with suicidal intent.

His final film "Ready, Willing and Able" was released posthumously.

Famous Classic Movie Director Quotes - ALFRED HITCHCOCK

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"The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder" - Alfred Hitchcock

"The more successful the villain, the more successful the picture" - Alfred Hitchcock

"The only way to get rid of my fears is to make films about them" - Alfred Hitchcock

"There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it" - Alfred Hitchcock

"There is nothing to winning really. That is, if you happen to be blessed with a keen eye, an agile mind, and no scruples whatsoever" - Alfred Hitchcock

"When an actor comes to me and wants to discuss his character, I say "It's in the script". If he says, "But what's my motivation?' I say "Your salary" - Alfred Hitchcock

"What is drama but life with the dull bits cut out" - Alfred Hitchcock

"I'm not against the police; I'm just afraid of them." - Alfred Hitchcock

"I'm full of fears and I do my best to avoid difficulties and any kind of complications. I like everything around me to be clear as crystal and completely calm" - Alfred Hitchcock

"I never said all actors are cattle; what I said was all actors should be treated like cattle" - Alfred Hitchcock

"If its a good movie, the sound could go off and the audience would still have a perfectly clear idea of whats going on" - Alfred Hitchcock

"In feature films the director is God; in documentary films God is the director" - Alfred Hitchcock

"In films murders are always very clean. I show how difficult it is and what a messy thing it is to kill a man" - Alfred Hitchcock

"Luck is everything....My good luck in life was to be a really frightened person. I'm fortunate to be a coward, to have a low threshold of fear, because a hero couldn't make a good suspense film" - Alfred Hitchcock

Don't you Forget About Me.....

2008-11-20T07:05:00.001-08:00

Unforgettable

2008-11-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Today's Birthday - November 19 - GENE TIERNEY

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Born as: GENE ELIZA TIERNEY
Born on: November 19, 1920
Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY
Spouse(s): Oleg Cassini (1941-1952)
W. Howard Lee (1960-1981)
Death: November 6, 1991
Deathplace: Houston, Texas
Age: 71

Famous Classic Movie Stars - JOHN BARRYMORE

2008-11-18T13:23:00.000-08:00

John Barrymore was born as John Sidney Blyth Barrymore on February 15, 1882 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was an American actor, frequently called the greatest of his generation. He first gained fame for his portrayals of Hamlet and Richard III. His success continued with motion pictures in both the silent and sound eras. His classic nose and distinguished features won him the nickname "The Great Profile" Barrymore was a member of a multi-generational theatrical dynasty, he was the brother of Lionel Barrymore and Ethel Barrymore, and is the paternal grandfather of the actress Drew Barrrymore.

Barrymore was born into an illustrious theatrical family. His parents were Maurice Barrymore and his wife Georgie Drew Barrymore. His maternal grandmother was Louisa Lane Drew (aka Mrs. Drew), a prominent and well respected 19th century actress and theater manager, who instilled in him and his siblings the ways of acting and theater life. His uncles were John Drew, Jr. and Sidney Drew.

Barrymore fondly remembered the summer of 1896 in his youth spent on his father's rambling farm on Long Island. He and Lionel lived a Robinson-Crusoe-like existence, attended by a black cook named Edward. He was expelled from Georgetown Preparatory School in 1898 after being caught patronizing a bordello. While still a teenager, he courted showgirl Evelyn Nesbit in 1901 and 1902. When Nesbit became pregnant - she aged 17 and he 19 - Barrymore proposed marriage. Her "sponsor" Stanford White intervened, however and arranged for her to undergo an abortion, disguised as operation for "appendicitis". White was later murdered by Nesbit's husband, Pittsburgh millionaire Harry K. Thaw.

Barrymore was staying at the St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco when the 1906 earthquake struck. He had starred in a production of "The Dictator" and was booked to tour Australia with it. Since he loathed this prospect, he hid, spending the next few days drinking at the home of a friend on Van Ness Avenue. During this drinking jag, he worked out a plan to exploit the earthquake for his own ends. he decided to present himself as an on-the-scene "reporter", making up virtually everything he claimed to have witnessed. Twenty years later, Barrymore finally confessed his deception, but by then, he was so famous that the world merely smiled indulgently at his admission. His account was written as a "letter to my sister Ethel" He was sure the letter would be "worth at least a hundred dollars." In terms of publicity it earned Barrymore a thousand times that amount.

Barrymore delivered some of the most critically acclaimed performances in theater and film history and was widely regarded as the screens greatest performer during a movie career spanning twenty five years as a leading man in more that sixty films.

Barrymore specialized in light comedies until convinced by his friend, playwright Edward Sheldon to try serious drama. Thereafter, Barrymore created a sensation on Broadway, culminating with the greatest success of his theatrical career with "Hamlet" in 1922, which he played on Broadway. for 101 performances, and then took to London in 1925.

Barrymore entered films around 1913 with the feature "An American Citizen:. He or someone using the name Jack Barrymore is given credit for four short films made in 1912 and 1913. but this has not proven to be John Barrymore. Barrymore was most likely convinced into giving films a try out of economic necessity and the fact that he hated touring a play all over the United States.. He could make a couple of movies in the off season theater months or shoot a film in one part of a day while doing a play in another part of the same day. He also may have been goaded by his brother Lionel and his uncle Sidney, who both had been successfully making films for a couple of years. He worked opposite his brother Lionel, and many of the screens foremost leading ladies, including Greta Garbo, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, and Carole Lombard.

Later in his career, Barrymore suffered a relapse on his boat "The Mariner" in 1929 off the coast of Mexico while on honeymoon with wife Dolores. This entailed a quick trip to shore by his crew and admittance into doctor's care. Much of his newly occurring health problems most likely stemmed from his consumption of bad and sometimes nearly poisonous illegal alcohol during the period of Prohibition in the US. In the late 1930's, alcoholism encroached on his ability to remember his lines, and his diminished abilities were apparent in a surviving screen test that he mad for an aborted film version of "Hamlet" in 1934. From then on, he insisted on reading his dialogue from cue cards. He continued to give credible performances in lesser pictures though.

In 1937, Barrymore visited India, the land where his father had been born. In his private life, during his last years, he was married to his forth and last wife, Elaine Barrie, a union that turned out to be disastrous. His brother Lionel tried to help him find a small place near himself and to convince him to stay away from impetuous marriages, which usually ended up in divorce and put a strain on his once large income.

Barrymore collapsed while appearing on Rudy Vallee's radio show and died three days later in his hospital room. His dying words were "Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing to happen to him".

Barrymore was married four times to:
Katherine Corri Harris (1910-1917)
Blanche Oelricks (1920-1928)
Dolores Costello (1928-1934)
Elaine Barrie (1936-1940)

JOHN BARRYMORE - Tribute

2008-11-17T12:55:00.001-08:00

Famous Classic Movie Star Quotes.......JOHN BARRYMORE

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"A man is not old until regrets take the place of dreams." - John Barrymore

"American is the country where you can buy a lifetime supply of aspirin for one dollar and use it up in two weeks." - John Barrymore

"Die? I should say not, dear fellow. No Barrymore would allow such a conventional thing happen to him." - John Barrymore

"If it isn't the sheriff, its the finance company; I've got more attachments on me than a vacuum cleaner." - John Barrymore

"In Genesis, it says that it is not good for a man to be alone; but sometimes its a great relief." - John Barrymore

"My wife is too beautiful for words, but not for arguments." - John Barrymore

"Sex: the thing that takes up the least amount of time and causes the most amount of trouble." - John Barrymore

"The good die young, because they see it's no use living if you have got to be good." - John Barrymore

"The trouble with life is that there are so many beautiful women and so little time." - John Barrymore

"Why is there so much month left at the end of the money." - John Barrymore

"You can only be as good as you dare to be bad." - John Barrymore

"You can't drown yourself in drink. I've tried, you float." - John Barrymore

The Weekend

2008-11-16T16:13:00.000-08:00

Sorry I have be a bit lax during the weekend, but if you are a mom or a grandmom, I am sure you know how it is.....this is the only time I get to spend some quality time with them. And I fully try to take advandtage of that time.

I also wanted to say that I appreciated everyone who has viewed my website and appreciated or learned something from it. I truly love Classic Movie Stars, and love to share that love with others. Please feel free to contact me whenever you like at carolynn_regan@yahoo.com or carolyn.regan54@gmail.com. I would love to hear some feedback from you! Thank you!
Carolynn P.S. These pics are from last Christmas!

Favorite Classic Movie Stars - FRANK MORGAN

2008-11-14T08:22:00.000-08:00

Frank Morgan was born as Francis Phillip Wuppermann on June 1, 1890 in New York City. He was the youngest of eleven children (six boys and five girls) to the wealthy family which distributed Angostura bitters. He attended Cornell University where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psa fraternity. He then followed his older brother Ralph into show business, first on the Broadway stage, and then into theaters.

His first film was "The Suspect" in 1916. His career expanded when talkies began, his most stereotypical role being that of a befuddled but good-hearted middle-aged man. He was nominated for an academy award for best actor in 1934's "The Affairs of Cellini" where he played the cuckolded Duke of Florence and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1942's "Tortilla Flat", where he played a simple Hispanic man.

Morgan's most famous performance was in "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939, in which he played the carnival huckster "Professor Marvel", the gatekeeper of Emerald City, the driver of the carriage drawn by "The Horse of a Different Color", the armed guard leading to the wizards hall, and of course, the Wizard himself. Like Margaret Hamilton's Wicked Witch of the West, his characters only appear on-screen for a few minutes total, but they are the show stoppers. He was so popular that MGM gave him a lifetime contract. Other movies of note include "The Shop Around the Corner", "The Human Comedy", The Mortal Storm" "The White Cliffs of Dover" and his last movie "Key to the City", which was released after his death in Beverly Hills, California.

He also recorded a number of children's records, including the popular Gossamer Wump, released in 1949 by Capital Records.

Morgan married Alma Muller in 1914; they had one son. They were married until his death in 1949.

Morgan died after suffering a heart attack in 1949 (while filming "Annie get your Gun". He was the one major player from "The Wizard of Oz" who did not live to see the film become both a television fixture and an American Institution. He is buried in Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, NY.

Classic Hollywood

2008-11-14T06:50:00.000-08:00

Famous Quotes from : CARY GRANT

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"Ah, beware of snobbery; it is the unwelcome recognition of one's own past failings." - Cary Grant

"Divorce is a game played by lawyers" - Cary Grant

"Do your job and demand your compensation - but in that order" - Cary Grant

"Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant" - Cary Grant

"My father used to say "Let them see you and not the suit. That should be secondary" - Cary Grant

"My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can" - Cary Grant

"To succeed with the opposite sex, tell her you're impotent. She can't wait to disprove it" - Cary Grant

Famous Quotes from: KATHARINE HEPBURN

2008-11-12T10:37:00.000-08:00

"Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and, at the same time, selling yourself." - Katharine Hepburn

"Acting is the most minor of gifts. After all, Shirley Temple could do it when she was four." - Katharine Hepburn

"Dressing up is a bore. At a certain age, you decorate yourself to attract the opposite sex, and at a certain age, I did that. But I'm past that age." - Katharine Hepburn

"Enemies are so stimulating" - Katharine Hepburn

"I don't care what is written about me so long as it isn't true." - Katharine Hepburn

"I never lose sight of the fact that just being is fun." - Katharine Hepburn

"I never realized until lately that women were supposed to be the inferior sex." - Katharine Hepburn

"If you always do what interests you, at least one person is pleased." - Katharine Hepburn

"If you obey all the rules, you miss all of the fun." - Katharine Hepburn

"If you want to give up the admiration of thousands of men for the disdain of one, go ahead, get married." - Katharine Hepburn

"Life is hard. After all, it kills you." - Katharine Hepburn

"Love has nothing to do with what your are expecting to get - only with what you are expecting to give - which is everything." - Katharine Hepburn

"Never complain, Never explain." - Katharine Hepburn

"When I started out, I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. I just wanted to be famous." - Katharine Hepburn

"Why slap them on the wrist with a feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer" - Katharine Hepburn

"Without discipline, there's no life at all" - Katharine Hepburn

A Tribute to Classic Hollywood Filmstars....

2008-11-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Favorite Classic Movie Stars - MABEL NORMAND

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Mabel Normand was born as Mabel Ethelreid Normand on November 9, 1893 in a house her father built in New Brighton, Staten Island, New York. She grew up in extreme poverty. Her father, Claude Normand, worked sporadically as a carpenter at Sailor's Snug Harbor home for elderly seamen. Before she entered films at the age of 16, Mabel worked as an artists model when she was only 14. Posing for postcards, illustrated by Charles Dana Gibson, the renowned artist, who created the Gibson Girl image.

Mabel first appeared on film as an extra at KALEM Film Studios. She also found steady work in movies at Biograph Studios working with D.W. Griffith and appeared in a large number of Biograph films. She fell in love with fellow actor and sometimes director Mack Sennett and embarked on a tumultuous affair with him. Her first films portrayed her as a bathing beauty, but Normand quickly demonstrated a flair for comedy and became a star of Sennett's short films. Mack Sennett formed Keystone in 1912. He took Mabel with him and together they worked on building the whole genre of slapstick as only Keystone defined it. The California studio was built in Edenale, near downtown Los Angeles. Fred Mace, Ford Sterling and Mabel formed the original core of Keystone Comedies. Mabel appeared regularly with Charlie Chaplin, and Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle as well, and wrote, directed and starred in some of Chaplin's early films. She had also been credited with being the first person to throw a cream pie on film -- at Arbuckle in "A Noise from the Deep" (1913) and is often cited as silent films most prominent comedienne. She directed films and made full length features before either Arbuckle or Chaplin.

In 1914, Mabel starred with Chaplin and Marie Dressler in "Tillies Punctured Romance" Normand developed into a major film star. As her relationship with Sennett came to an end, she signed a $3,500 a week contract (equivalent to over $53,3000/week in 2007) with Samuel Goldwyn in 1918 and opened her own studio in Culver City. During this time she reportedly became addicted to both alcohol and narcotics which damaged her health and her career. Nonetheless, her breakup with Sennett seems to have caused Normand to re-evaluate her life and she embarked on a program of self-education, developing keen and lasting interests in reading and books.

The first feature film Mabel made for Goldwyn was "Joan of Plattsburg" (1918) This became a shelved film. Goldwyn was madly in love with Mabel but there is no indication that the feelings were reciprocated. At the Goldwyn Studios, Mabel ran wild: showing up late after nights of partying; being ill prepared; and generally raising havoc.

Mabel was at the height of her popularity; both "Mickey" and "Joan of Plattsburg" were released. However, her fans saw signs of physical changes in the gifted star. How much was in fact due to ill health and how much due to partying is hard to tell. She began to disappear from the studio for days at a time. Even forgetting to cash her payroll checks. Sam Goldwyns feelings toward Mabel cooled and he was ready when Mack Sennett approached him to buy out the five year contract that had another eighteen months left to go. Mabel was also ready to go home to Edendale.

When she went back to Sennett, "Molly O" was presented to the prodigal Mabel as a welcome home gift. She wasn't fooled. She knew that Sennett had first offered it to Mary Pickford. Only when Mary had rejected it, did Sennett negotiate with Goldwyn for Mabel. Dick Jones, Mabel's favorite director, worried about how ill she looked. It was said that he also was in love with Mabel.

Jones did his best to show Mabel at her best, but nothing can hide the effects of time, fast living and perhaps the first signs of TB.

Mabel was having small hemorrhages in her lungs and was self-medicating with a cough syrup she called "Goop", that suppressed her cough but left her groggy. Everything showed on Mabel's expressive face.

The production of "Molly O' (1921) went smoothly, because Sennett surrounded Mabel with a cast and crew who knew how to work with her. However, Mabel was getting too old to play an inexperienced teenage girl. Even with it's shortcomings however; the film is a real treasure. The critics and public were very impressed with the film. Her box office was good and Mack Sennett was making money. Mabel was back.

Director William Desmond Taylor shared her interest in books and the two formed a close friendship. He was murdered in 1922 only minutes after Normand had left his home. She was closely scrutinized by the police but never considered a serious suspect. Newspapers speculated widely about Normand given reports of her drug usage along with her many past appearances in films with Roscoe Arbuckle, who also had recently became enmeshed in scandal. In 1924 she was involved in yet another scandal when her chauffeur Joe Kelly (an ex convict), shot and wounded Normands lover Courtland Dines with her pistol.

At a dinner party, Lew Cody, and actor called the "Butterfly Man" asked Mabel to marry him and Mabel accepted. They eloped to Ventura, California on September 17, 1926 and were married by a justice of the peace. After the wedding, each returned to their respective homes in Beverly Hills. They never lived together as a married couple. During the next four years, there was talk of an annulment, a honeymoon, selling of their separate homes and buying a house together, a divorce, but none of these happened. They just drifted. Lew continued to work and made the transition to sound pictures successfully, while Mabel had retired from films completely.

In February 1927, Mabel was taken to a hospital for treatment of a dangerous bronchial infection. An x-ray disclosed an abscess of the right lung. After several months she was able to leave the hospital. By November, she was well enough to travel to the East Coasr with Lew where he was completing the Orpheum Vaudeville Circuit. Mabel's Health began to fail gradually. She grew weaker and lost weight. In March 1929, the public was told that Mabel had tuberculosis ans was being taken to a sanatorium near Los Angeles for seclusion. At the same time, Lew was recuperating in Palm Springs from an attack of influenza.

Mabel's condition was serious. By January 1930, both lungs were infected. She was wracked with pain and fever. Flowers and letters of cheer arrived daily. In February, Mabel was given a blood transfusion, but nothing helped Mabel Normand died on February 23, 1930. She was thirty seven years old. She was interred as Mabel Normand-Cody at Calvary Cemetery , Los Angeles.

Humorous Quote:
"Say anything you like, but don't say I love to work. That sounds like Mary Pickford, the prissy bitch"

Today's Birthday - November 12 - KIM HUNTER

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Kim Hunter
Born: Janet Cole
Birthdate: November 12, 1922
Birthplace: Detroit Michigan
Died: September 11, 2002
Age: 79
Spouses: William Baldwin (1944-1946)
Robert Emmett (1951-2000)

Classic Hollywood - Please Remember

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Famous Quotes from : HUMPHREY BOGART

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"I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis." - Humphrey Bogard

"I was born when you kissed me. I died when you left me. I lived a few weeks when you loved me." - Humphrey Bogart

"The only point in making money is so you can tell some big shot where to go." - Humphrey Bogart

"The Problem with the world is that everyone is a Few drinks behind" - Humphrey Bogart

"Things are never so bad that they can't be made worse" - Humphrey Bogart

"I've been around a long time. Maybe the people like me." - Humphrey Bogart

Famous Quotes from: CHARLIE CHAPLIN

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"A Day without laughter is a day wasted" - Charlie Chaplin

"A man's true character comes out when he's drunk" - Charlie Chaplin

"All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl" - Charlie Chaplin

"Despair is a narcotic, It lulls the mind into indifference." -Charlie Chaplin

"Dictators free themselves, but they enslave the people." -Charlie Chaplin

"Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." - Charlie Chaplin

"I have no further use for America. I wouldn't go back there if Jesus Christ was President." - Charlie Chaplin

"I'd sooner be called a successful crook than a destitute monarch." -Charlie Chaplin

Laughter is the tonic, the relief, the surcease for pain." - Charlie Chaplin

"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles" - Charlie Chaplin

"We think too much and feel too little" - Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

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William Powell

2008-11-10T06:59:00.001-08:00

Pre-Code Hollywood

2008-11-09T09:57:00.000-08:00

Hollywood's "pre-code" era referred to a roughly five year period in movie history, beginning with the widespread adoption of sound which was around 1929 and ending on July 1, 1934, with the inauguration of the Production Code Administration and a policy of rigid censorship. Pre-code films were created before the Motion Picture Production Code or Hayes Code which were censorship guidelines . A previous code of conduct for the film industry, introduced in 1930 was widely ignored and not enforced in the United States very enthusiastically. Before the code was adopted, restrictions on movie content varied widely, depending on local laws and mores and public taste. As a result, pre-code films tended to be racier, sexier, more adult, more cynical, more socially critical, more honest and more politically strident than the films produced by Hollywood up on through the early 1960's.

Films from the late 1920's and early 1930's reflected the liberal attitudes of the day and could include sexual innuendos, references to homosexuality, illegal drug use, infidelity, abortion, and profane language. As well as women in their undergarments, Such behavior was common in the liberal climate of cities at that time, although it often shocked audiences in rural areas. Popular character roles included tough-talking, assertive woman, gangsters and prostitutes.

Of particular note were both the reference to sexual promiscuity, drug use, bloody gangster life and morally ambiguous endings, which drew the ire from various religious groups, some Protestant, but mostly Roman Catholic.

The difference between pre-codes and films made during the Code is so dramatic that, once one becomes familiar with pre-codes, it becomes possible to tell, sometimes withing five minutes whether a 1934 movie was released in early or late in the year. Contrary to what was sometimes assumed by historians, the pre-code era didn't just fade. It was ended in full bloom and with the finality of an axe coming down.

Despite there being a Production Code before the existing code was developed as I said earlier, it was blightly ignored. The story begins in 1929 when a group of lay Catholics and the Catholic clergy in Chicago, seeing the 1920's social revolution beginning to make its way onto film and realizing that sound was making movies more daring than ever, devised a code of ethics and practices they hoped that the studios would adopt. In February of 1930, these Catholics met with the production hears of various studios, including Irving Thalberg of MGM, and made revisions to the Production Code. Ultimately, the Code was adopted by all the major studios and a group was already in place...the Studio Relations Committee.

It's safe to say that if the producers actually thought they might ever have to abide by the Code, they would never have adopted it.....It was a reactionary document, not merely interested in grossly limiting what could be depicted on screen, but concentrating on using film as a social instrument to push forward a traditionalist agenda. According to the Code, sex outside of marriage could not be portrayed as "attractive and beautiful", could not be presented in a what that might "arouse passion", and could not be made to seem "right and permissible". Dances were allowed as long as they did not "excite the emotional reaction of an audience...with movement of the breasts or excessive body movements while the feet are stationery". All crime had to be punished, and while it could be portrayed, it had to be done in such a way as not to arouse sympathy for either the crime or the criminal. Authority could not be held up to ridicule. In the case of clergymen, their depiction as comic characters or villains was proscribed. In the case of politicians, police and judges, they could, under some circumstances, be movie villains, so long as it was clear that they were bad apples and not representative of their institutions.

Under this code, movies were to be sermons, Worse than that, they were to be deceitful sermons, presenting an untrue version of life for propagandist purposes. It was a document instigated by people who not only did not understand art but also hated and geared arts truth, power and freedom.

Fortunately, even a they signed it, the studio heads had not intention of following the code. From the beginning of film history, would-be reformers from both the left and right had repeatedly tried to censor and influence screen content and by 1930, Hollywood had learned that the best way to handle these people was to agree with them until they went away. So, the Studio Relations Committee, as set up, was given absolutely no power to control screen content, and their advice was almost totally ignored. Moreover, the man in charge of the SRC, Jason Joy, was no reformer. He liked sleazy movies and, upon leaving the SRC, Joy became studio editor for Fox, which produced a slew of lewd entries during his tenure. Though the code would eventually revive, its betrayal by the studios gradually became a rally point for reformers. in 1930, it was dead on arrival. And Hollywood went on making movies of increased daring and sophistication.

Today, as seen from a distance from well over seventy years, the pre-codes retain their freshness and fascination. Their appeal is multi-faceted. They have the capacity to take viewers by surprise, by the virtue of their honesty, but also, simply because they weren't made to a prescribed formula. They startle us with their modernity, Women in pre-codes for example, act recognizably like women - independent, shrewd and worldly - and not like the bubbleheads , girls next doors, martyrs and rueful sluts you often find in American film throughout the early sixties. Likewise, men didn't act like fools for authority, but as independent spirits. Most refreshingly, with pre-codes, you get the unmistakable sense of an era's speaking with its true voice without the countervailing of censorship. The pre-codes were inhibited by only one force: Public Mores. As a result, what we see in the pre-codes is an unfiltered expression of how people felt about life in their time.

The pre-code era was especially good for women. Though the 1940's is sometimes remembered as a golden age for actresses, it was in the early 30's that woman dominated the box office, and their films weren't considered "woman's films" at the time. Rather, they were the movies that the general public flocked to see. They dealt with the issues surrounding the emergence of the newly sexualized, self-sufficient New Woman, who'd emerged in the 1920's. They explored sex, marriage, divorce and the workplace. mainly in a spirit of discovering and re-evaluating morality in light of a new day. Men's vehicles were equally interesting. They depicted crime, the business world, politics, war, history and horror also from the viewpoint of examining morality and coming to terms with modern life. It's Ironic: Though the reformers considered pre-codes immoral, Hollywood, in fact, never made so many films, directly concerned with morality as in the pre-code era...The difference was that the reformers didn't want morals to be examined, debated, discussed, or discovered. They wanted them to be accepted blindly.

The pre-code era came to an end soon after the Catholics formed the "Legion of Decency" in April of 1934, an organization of clergy that threatened to keep Catholics away from the movies. Joseph Breen, one of the architects of the Code, who was now ensconced as head of the SRC, presented himself to the studio heads as the one man who could mediate between them and the Legion. The studios gave in to his demands. The PCA was founded under the agreement that no film could be released without a seal of approval from the PCA.

(Iwould like to thank Mick LaSalle for the majority of the previous very knowledgeable article)

Just the way you look tonight - FRED ASTAIRE

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Charlie Chaplin - Wonderful Scene

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Tribute to my favorite actor - WILLIAM POWELL

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Hooray for Hollywood - Sung by Doris Day

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Favorite Classic Movie Stars -EDWARD ARNOLD

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Edward Arnold was born Gunther Edward Arnold Schneider on February 18, 1890 on the Lower East Side of New York City. He was born as a son to German immigrants Carl Schneider and Elizabeth Ohse. Unfortunately, he was orphaned at age eleven.

Arnold was interested in acting since his youth though, and after being orphaned he supported himself with a series of manual labor jobs. He finally made his first stage appearance at age twelve playing Lorenz in an amateur production of "The Merchant of Venice". He became a professional actor at the age of fifteen, playing opposite such a great actress as Ethel Barrymore in 1907 in "Dream of a Summer Night". He found work as an extra for Chicago's Essaney Studios and New Jersey's World Studios, before landing his first significant role in 1916's "The Misleading Lady". In 1919, he left film for a return to stage and did not appear again in movies until 1932 when he made his talking debut in "Okay, America!" He recreated one of his stage roles in one of his early films "Whistling in the Dark" in 1933. His role in the 1935 film "Diamond Jim" boosted him to stardom. He reprised his role of Diamond Jim Brady in the 1940 film "Lillian Russell".

Arnold appeared in more than one hundred and fifty movies. Although he was labeled as "Box Office Poison" in 1938 by an exhibitor publication (he shared this dubious distinction with Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Mae West. Fred Astaire and Kathrine Hepburn). he never looked for work, rather than continue in leading man roles, he gave up losing weight and went after character actor parts instead. He was quoted as saying "The bigger I got, the better character actor roles I received" He was such a sought after actor he often worked on two pictures at the same time.

With a booming baritone and piercing blue eyes, Arnold was an expert at playing rogues and authority figures. He was best known for his roles in "Come and Get It" in 1936, "Sutters Gold" also in 1936, "The Toast of New York" in 1937, "You Can't take it With You" in 1938, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" in 1939 and "The Devil and Daniel Webster" in 1941. Arnold was one of director Frank Capra's preferred actors and worked in several movies with him. He also was president of the Screen Actors Guild from 1940-1942.

Starting in 1940, he became involved in Republican politics and was mentioned as a possible G.O.P. candidate for the U.S. Senate. He lost a closely contested election for Alderman and said at the time that perhaps actors were not suited to run for political office (Time has since proven him wrong). A staunch conservative, he later took a strong stand against alleged Communists in Hollywood, while trying to protect actors from the House Un-American Activities Committee. He was also co-founder of the "I am an American" foundation.

Arnold was married three times, as follows:
Harriet Marshall (1917-1927) with which he had three children, Elizabeth, Jane and William, who had a short movie career as Edward Arnold Jr.

Olive Emerson (1929-1948)

Cleo Mclain (1951- until his death)

Edward Arnold died at the age of 66 on April 26th, 1956 of a cerebral hemorrhage and is interred at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Just a quick note...

2008-11-05T10:30:00.000-08:00

I would just like to apologize for my absence for the past few days, just had alot going on with the grandkids and trick or treating, etc...plus I came down with a nasty head cold! I know its no excuse, but I felt I owed one anyhow. Hope all is well with eveyone out there in Classic Movie Land!!
P.S. I have included some photo's of my granddaughters taken this Hallloween...hope you like!

Today's Birthday - October 31 - LEE GRANT

2008-10-31T00:15:00.000-07:00

Birth Name: Lyova Haskell Rosenthal
Birth Date: October 31, 1927
Birth Place: New York City, New York
Spouses: Arnold Manoff (1951-1960)
Joseph Feury (1962-present)

Absolutely Hilarious!!

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In The Mood

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Todays Birthday - October 28th - ELSA LANCHESTER

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Todays Birthday: ELSA LANCHESTER
Birth Name: Elsa Sullivan Lanchester
Birth Date: October 28th, 1902
Birth Place: Lewisham, London, England
Died: December 26th, 1986 (age 84)
Death Place: Woodland Hills, California
Spouse: Charles Laughton (1929 - 1962)
Role most famous for: "The Bride of Frankenstein"