Do You Know Who I Am?

By Stephen Schochet

One dilemma that the super famous face is balancing the needs of privacy and recognition. One time in New York an unnoticed Marilyn Monroe was walking down Madison Avenue accompanied by Eli Wallach. " My God, don't these people know who you are?" Wallach asked her. Marilyn, whose application of make-up took nearly as long Boris Karloff''s Frankenstein Monster, grinned at him. "I'm only recognized when I want to be. Watch this." She began to swing her hips and walk in a way that was familiar to movie goers and was eventually mobbed by adoring fans.

For some stars privacy is an overrated commodity. In 1919, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford went on their European honeymoon. The two international icons had divorced their previous spouses and were concerned about how they would be greeted. They needn't have worried. In London their limousine was surrounded by admiring women who pulled Mary out of the car to shake her hand, still grateful after two year for her efforts selling war bonds. In Paris they couldn't get any sleep with crowds gathering below their hotel room to serenade them. In Amsterdam they attended a party and were mobbed by other guests who wanted to get close to them. The acrobatic Fairbanks placed his wife on her shoulder and escaped through the window. Finally, they found privacy in Hamburg, because of World War I their movies were not shown there. For an hour the famous newlyweds walked the streets unnoticed until the bored Mary turned to her husband and said,"Doug I'm sick of this. Let's go back to one of those countries were they mob us."

Joan Crawford had similar sentiments. Once in the 1930s she was staying in New York getting over her breakup with Clark Gable. Tired of moping around her hotel she told her entourage they should go out and get some fresh air. The sycophants who had trouble keeping up with the star's brisk pace, were startled when she took a detour. "Oh my God. She's going into Grand Central Station!" Someone shouted," Look it's Joan Crawford!" and she was mobbed, it took thirty minutes to escape the crowd and get back to their hotel suite. Her hair disheveled, her dress torn and her face scratched, Crawford leaned against the door out of breath. "Oh. . .oh my. That was wonderful. Lets do it again!"

Notoriety can get you out of a jam. Tired of being identified as James Bond, Sean Connery took an unusual step for Hollywood leading man by publicly revealing his baldness on screen, beginning with The Man Who Will Be King (1976). On location in Casablanca, the Scotsman rejected the use of a chauffer and limo, choosing instead to drive himself in Volkswagen Bug. One day he drove around town dressed in a sweat shirt and shorts and was stopped for questioning by the local police. The former Mr. Universe runner-up had unfortunately left his passport back at the hotel and was arrested as a suspicious character. Just as he was about to be locked up, Connery shouted,"007! I'm 007 damn you!" They recognized him and let him go.

If you lose your hair, you can keep your privacy. Rob Reiner's big break was Harrison Ford turning down the role of Meathead on All In the Family (1971-1980) because Ford couldn't stand Archie Bunker's bigotry. When the show first went into production, Reiner and his fellow castmates would leave the CBS lot to eat lunch at the neighboring Farmers Market. Initial low ratings meant they were mostly ignored by the tourists. A few months later All In the Family was a monster hit and they received Beatle's like attention. From then on the cast generally preferred to stay in their dressing rooms at lunchtime. All except the ever hungry Meathead who removed the toupee he wore on the show and continued to eat at the Market in peace.

About The Author

Stephen Schochet is the author and narrator of the audiobooks Fascinating Walt Disney and Tales Of Hollywood. The Saint Louis Post Dispatch says," these two elaborate productions are exceptionally entertaining." Hear realaudio samples of these great, unique gifts at www.hollywoodstories.com.

orgofhlly@aol.com

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The Stars of Silent Pictures

By Michael Russell

Ever since the beginning of the cinema, the public was always particularly interested in the leading actors and actresses of these movies. They were called "stars". They had such a public appeal that the success of a certain movie would depend largely on the popularity of the cast. Each "star" in this "star system" was an actor or actress who had his own distinctive qualities. They also had their own famous Hollywood name or image. Others may have their own signature tag lines.

Charlie Chaplin, for example, was called the Little Tramp because he was always in a pair of baggy trousers and wearing a battered Derby hat. Harold Lloyd was known for his horn-rimmed glasses. Buster Keaton always kept a straight face. However, these comedians did not rely on these images the public had of them because they had real talent. Their slapstick and pantomime was a real work of art.

When a certain actor was given a unique role in a film, it became his trademark. One kind of trademark was that of the vampire or commonly known as the "vamp". Theda Bara was the first vamp. She redefined what the public thought vampires looked like. Because of her, a "vamp" meant a sexy, beautiful woman who was fatally attractive to men. Theda Bara was soon followed by another actress called Gloria Swanson who was then eventually replaced by Clara Bow, known as the "It Girl". Each actress was able to create their own brand of vamp.

For men in the film industry, the ultimate symbol of masculine glamour was Rudolph Valentino. This trademark came from his most famous Desert picture entitled The Sheik which was filmed in 1921. Even unattractiveness became glamorized in Hollywood. This was exemplified by Lon Chaney. He was a character actor who played the roles of various monsters and cripples such as in the movie The Phantom of the Opera in 1925 and the Hunchback of Notre Dame in 1923. Drama also had its stars like the Gish sisters, Dorothy and Lillian Gish. They were renowned dramatic actresses. In Western movies, the leading cowboy actors were William S. Hart and Tom Mix.

In love stories, there were no one else but "America's Sweetheart" Mary Pickford and the dashing, debonair and romantic Douglas Fairbanks. Mary Pickford had the perfect image of innocence and purity while Douglas Fairbanks was flawless in his roles as beautifully costumed heroes in the movies Robin Hood in 1922, The Thief of Baghdad in 1924 and The Black Pirate in 1926. The Black Pirate was an exceptional film made using color photography.

As time went by, these epic films were made more frequently and had more startling and imaginative effects. Because of the magnitude of these films it wasn't only the actors and actresses that became famous. The people behind the scenes, like the directors and producers, also became quite known to the public. Cecil B. De Mille was a director who became known as the director of spectacles with biblical themes. The classic movie Ben Hur was made in 1926 and it was the most expensive production made in the era of silent films. It was Frank Niblo's adaptation of a General Lew Wallace novel, Ben Hur, A Tale of the Christ. The movie cost over $400 million. The high point of the movie was an intense chariot race which climaxed in a spectacular accident. In the 1950s, a second version of Ben Hur was made and was equally successful.

Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Movies

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SLIM AARONS - MARILYN MONROE

SLIM AARONS - THE KINGS of HOLLYWOOD

Gone With Wind

Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable

A clip from the 1934 film "It Happened One Night", starring Claudette Colbert and Clark Gable.

Two Films With Tons of Recognition That Leave This Viewer Unfulfilled

By Ed Bagley

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – 2 Stars (Average)

Master and Commander is set during the Napoleonic Wars and pits the British frigate HMS Surprise and its Captain "Lucky" Jack Aubrey on a quest to catch and destroy the French privateer Acheron in a cat and mouse game off the coast of South America.

The Surprise is rather pedestrian compared to the larger Acheron with its greater firepower. The Acheron strikes the first, crippling the Surprise and leaving Lucky Aubrey (Russell Crowe) two choices: either retreat and limp back to England or repair his vessel and fight against a superior opponent.

A lot of moviegoers saw Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World as a great picture with great acting and pretty much a shoo-in for a handful of Oscars. I did not see it the same way, nor did the Academy.

This film was nominated for 10 Oscars and won two, being aced out in the two significant awards-- Best Picture and Best Director—by Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. I was not surprised at this result as Peter Weir was both the director and writer of the screenplay, a dual role that generally breeds more failure than success.

Master and Commander is slow to develop, suffers from too many still shots when actors are present, and creates tremendous confusion in trying to identify which side the combatants are on during the fight scenes.

I believe that Crowe's jaws were wired a little tight when he was not nominated for the Best Actor Oscar. He has four Oscar-nominated performances to his credit and won an Oscar for his role as Maximus in Gladiator, which was nominated for 12 Oscars and won 5, including Best Picture as well as Crowe's Best Actor award.

But Crowe could not carry Master and Commander's script. I was more impressed with the performance of the 13-year-old Midshipman Blakeney (Max Pirkis). Pirkis picked up two lesser awards as the Most Promising Newcomer and Best Young Artist.

Weir (average rating) joins a not-so-exclusive club of fellow writer/directors who have fallen short, including Nancy Meyers (average rating) for Something's Gotta Give, Thomas Bezucha (average rating) for The Family Stone, Michael McGowan (average rating) for Saint Ralph, Jared Hess (terrible rating) for Napoleon Dynamite, Robert Rodriguez (terrible rating) for Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and Paul Thomas Anderson (terrible rating) for Punch-Drunk Love.

Released in 2003 with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl with Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Master and Commander could not compete big time.

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was nominated for 5 Oscars and won none yet was four times as good as Master and Commander ever thought of being on its best day.

Do not even bother comparing Russell Crowe to Johnny Depp with moviegoers; Depp would win on his worst day and Crowe would lose on his best day as captain of any ship. Depp is aleady an icon as the best pirate in movie history.

Leave Master and Commander on The Far Side of the World.

The Lion in Winter – 2 Stars (Average)

The Lion in Winter is a 2 Star movie with some 4 Star (Excellent) performances.

It is Christmas time in 1183 and an aging King Henry II (Peter O'Toole) calls his dysfunctional family together to determine who will succeed him as King of England.

The players in this game of chess are Henry's scheming but imprisoned wife Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine (Katharine Hepburn), his mistress Princess Alais (Jane Merrow) who he hopes to marry, his sons Richard (Anthony Hopkins in his film debut), Geoffrey (John Castle) and John (Nigel Terry), and King Philip of France (Timothy Dalton) who is Alais' brother.

Henry and Eleanor are involved in a terrible rivalry over who will succeed him. All three of his sons have flaws, including his eldest son Richard the Lionhearted who apparently is gay.

In the end, Henry banishes his three sons and his mistress from his sight as he considers all four of them unworthy. He keeps his wife Eleanor in confinement, and ponders what lies ahead.

I wanted to give this film a 3 Star (Good) rating but there is no resolution to the relationship problems and at the end we are left with an even more dysfunctional family, thus the 2 Star rating despite some 4 Star acting.

The Lion in Winter received 7 Oscar nominations and won 3, including Best Music, Best Writing and Best Actress as Katharine Hepburn won her third of four Oscars. She holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar nominations with 12.

Hepburn's acting career spanned 7-plus decades. She appeared in her first film and 1932 and her last in 1994. She celebrated her 96th birthday on May 12 and died in June of 2003. The American Film Institute rates Katharine Hepburn as the top female star ever.

Peter O'Toole was nominated for Best Actor, Anthony Harvey for Best Director and Martin Poll for Best Picture.

The recognition of these two films is staggering. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World earned 19 wins and another 43 nominations for awards in 2003 and The Lion in Winter earned 14 wins and another 16 nominations for awards in 1968.

I still came away from both movies feeling that they are average films because they stir no emotion in me, foment ill will and breed confusion when clarity should rule the day and resolution should be the result.

Copyright © 2006 Ed Bagley

Ed Bagley is the author of Ed Bagley's Blog, which he publishes daily with fresh, original writing intended to delight, inform, educate and motivate readers with articles about Internet Marketing, Careers, Movies and Life. Visit Ed at . . .
http://www.edbagleyblog.com

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Legends Of Film Noir: Bogie, Bacall, Joan Crawford, and Peter Lorre

By Timothy Stelly Sr

“Bogie and Bacall” may have been America’s most popular movie star couple, with its genesis in the 21940s—the era of film noir. Along which Peter Lorre and Joan Crawford, this quartet set the tenor for that genre of film. Though there were others who were as popular during that time—particularly James Cagney, Bette Davis, et al. It was the aforementioned foursome who best personify that era. Bogart was the tough-as-nails deective or every man, torn between being a mobster and a man abiding by a moral decision. Bacall was the rare combination of vamp and girl next door. Her dimples, almond-shaped eyes and flowing locks made her as big a female actor as her contemporaries, of which Crawford was one. Between 1932-36 Crawford was one of the four biggest box office draws in movies and Lorre was typecast as the consummate villain.


Humphrey DeForest Bogart was born on Christmas Day, 1899, in New York City. His parents were Belmont Maud Humphrey, a surgeon and a renowned commercial artist.


After an uncredited bit part in “Life” (1920), Bogart appeared in 21 Broadway productions between 1922 and 1935. Bogart won his first starring role ten years later in, “Up the River.” Bogart’s film resume is second to none, having starred in the classics, “Angels With Dirty Faces” (1938), “The Maltese Falcon” (1941, a part turned down by George Raft), “Key Largo” (1948), “Casablanca (1942),” “Treasure of the Sierra Madre” (1948), “The Roaring Twenties” (1939, with James Cagney), "The Big Sleep" (1946), “Dark Passage” (1947), and "The Caine Mutiny(1954)." However, he won the Oscar for Best Actor just once, for his performance as a tough-talking, but soft-hearted boat captain in “The African Queen” (1951) opposite Katherine Hepburn.


Bogart often played characters caught between the allure of the gangster life, but conflicted by moral concerns. This was also a concern of his in real life. His Wikipedia biography states, “Bogart was proud of his success as an actor, but the fact that it came from playing a gangster weighed on him. He once said, ‘I can't get in a mild discussion without turning it into an argument. There must be something in my tone of voice, or this arrogant face. Something that antagonizes everybody. Nobody likes me on sight. I suppose that's why I'm cast as the heavy’."


Bogart’s voice was often comic fodder for impressionists, Louise Brooks, author of “Humphrey and Bogart “wrote, “His handsome face was made extraordinary by a most beautiful mouth. It was very full, rosy...he both loved and hated his beautiful mouth. America, in the Twenties, was exclusively Western in its ideas of beauty and vulgar people made fun of Humphrey's 'nigger lips'.” Nonetheless, Entertainment Weekly magazine named him the number one greatest movie legend of all time. In 1997 he was ranked 9th in the British magazine “Empire” among the “Top 100 Movie Stars of All Time.”


Of the American Film Institute’s “100 Greatest movie Quotes”, six are attributed to Bogart. They include: “Here’s looking at you, kid” (No. 5), “Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship” (No. 20), “We'll always have Paris" (43rd), "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" (67), “Round up the usual suspects.” (No. 32, all from “Casablanca”); and “The stuff that dreams are made of” (No. 14, from “The Maltese Falcon”)


Bogart was known as a heavy drinker and pushed himself through the making of “We’re No Angels.” He had cancer of the esophagus, having it removed in 1956, but by then the cancer had spread to his lymph nodes and ribs. He died in 1957. In his eulogy of Bogie (a nickname bestowed upon him by friend Spencer Tracy), John Huston said succinctly, "He is quite irreplaceable. There will never be another like him."


Peter Lorre was born Ladislav Lowenstein on June 26, 1904 and was known as the consummate villain, over a career that spanned – years. He had been an onstage actor in several foreign productions before Fritz Lang cast him in his classic thriller, “M.” (1931). The film is best known for its ending, where Lorre’s character pleads for his life. Following “M” he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s, “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” (1934). In 1940 Lorre found his niche, playing a killer in “Stranger On The Third Floor,” which many consider Hollywood’s first film noir vehicle.


Lorre went on to star with Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon” (1941), “Casablanca” (1942) and the anti-Communist drama, “All Through The Night.” (1942). But he was perhaps best known for his portrayal of Japanese detective Mr. Moto, a series which ran from series (1937-1939).


Later in his career Lorre suffered through ill health and made more television appearances than film. He died from a stroke on March 23, 1964, just months after his final film, “The Patsy”. The film starred Jerry Lewis and was a movie Lorre was reluctant to do.


Lauren Bacall was born Betty Joan Perske in New York City on September 16, 1924. She is the daughter of William and Natalie Perske and is also the cousin of former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres.


In 1942 she adapted the stage name Betty Bacall (the surname a reworking of her mother’s maiden name, ‘Bacal’). She was a model who was discovered by director Howard Hawkes, who later cast her in “To Have and Have Not.” He suggested she change her name from Betty to Lauren.


During the 1940s Bacall became one of the biggest and arguably sexiest stars of the silver screen, but may be best known for being Bogart’s wife. She and Bogie worked together on 1944’s “To Have and Have Not,” where she seductively cooed one of the greatest lines in movie history: "You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow” (No. 34 on AFI’s “100 Greatest Film Quotes”).


While Betty Davis’ eyes” might have inspired a song, Bacall’s almond-shaped orbs enchanted many a moviegoer, and even Bogart who met her on the set of “To have and Have Not.” He divorced his wife Mayo Methot, and despite being 25 years Bacall’s senior, wed her a year later. It was her first marriage but his fourth.


They also worked together in the classics, “Key Largo (1948), “The Big Sleep” (1946), and “Dark Passage” (1947). The two were married for 12 years, until Bogart’s death in 1957. It has been written that his last words to her, “Goodbye, kid." He was a legendary boozer and once said, “The trouble with the world is that it's always one drink behind." It is rumored that his last words were, “I should never have switched from scotch to martinis."


Bacall was briefly engaged to Frank Sinatra, then married actor Jason Robards for 8 years, until they divorced due to his alcoholism.


She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her role in
“The Mirror Has Two Faces,” losing to Barbara Hershey (“Portrait of a Lady“). However, she did win a Golden for her performance.


Joan Crawford was once to have said, "I have always known what I wanted, and that was beauty, in every form." A post-mortem bestseller by her stepdaughter Christina which was later turned into a major motion picture, painted a portrait of Ms. Crawford that was quite the opposite. However, no one could argue with her talent, beauty and screen presence.


She was born Lucille Fay Leseur, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 1906. Crawford grew up a poor girl, her father having deserted the family shortly before her birth. But like her character Ethel Whitehead in the movie “The Damned Don’t Cry”, she was ambitious almost to the point of obsession. The family moved to KC when Joan was but 10, and upon her graduation she went to Chicago.


She began her career as a member of a Chicago dance troupe and was discovered by a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scout. She was invited to Hollywood for a screen test and afterward was signed to a six-month deal. She became so popular with the studio’s head, Louis B. Mayer, who believed her last name sounded too much like "sewer." Being that he had grown fond of his new hire, Mayer launched a national contest to find her a new name. After becoming Joan Crawford she soon after became one of the movie industry’s biggest stars. She was teamed with Clark Gable in eight films including their only musical, “Dancing Lady” (1933), a film noted for being Fred Astaire’s film debut and also featured the Three Stooges. Despite the success from this film, Crawford worried that “talkies” would ruin her career.


Feeling underappreciated, and believing that she was being passed over for better roles in favor of Bette Davis and other actresses in the MGM stable, Crawford left MGM in 1942. MGM believed her popularity was faltering and let her go without acrimony.


Her heyday was during the 40’s when she produced some of her best work, “A Woman's Face" (1941), "Mildred Pierce" (1945, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress), and "Possessed" (1947). Years later, when she was considered “washed up” she stunned audiences with her turn in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" (1962), where she shared screen time with her arch-rival Davis.


She landed at rival Warner Brother Studios where she nabbed the title role in “Mildred Pierce", a movie about a working woman who rises to the top of her field, but whose spoiled daughter steals her husband and eventually is pinned for his murder. A year later she made "Humoresque,” where she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, but lost it to Loretta Young for "The Farmer's Daughter." The same result would befall her in 1952, when she lost to Shirley Booth for her performance in "Come Back, Little Sheba".


She died in Manhattan in 1977, of a heart attack. Sadly, she may be forever remembered as a sadistic stepmother with an extreme disdain for wire hangers.


Sources:


Humphrey Bogart profile, Wikipedia


Lauren Bacall profile, Wikipedia


Joan Crawford profile, Wikipedia


Peter Lorre profile, Wikipedia


Louise Brooks, “Humphrey and Bogey,” Sight and Sound, Winter 1966-67, Vol. 36, No. 1

Timothy N. Stelly, Sr. is the author of two novels" "The malice of Cain" and "Tempest In The Stone." He is also a contributor to several e-zines and is a fan of the film noir genre.

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Spencer Tracy

Spencer Tracy's biography in photo's and music!

Film Noir Legends: Bette Davis, Claire Trevor, Eleanor Parker, and John Huston

By Timothy Stelly Sr

When it comes to cinema, I love those made during the 40’s and 50’s when in my view, films were made not so much for their profitability, but for the art itself and the messages contained within. As a kid I would watch the local version of The Sunday Matinee Movie and became familiar with actors such as Humphrey Bogart, Joan Crawford, Bette Davis and others. This was the era of “film noir” which is defined as movies that are symbolized by dimly-lit sets, a bleak setting and center on stories about corrupt and cynical characters. The plots of these films often revolve around an anti-hero, a crime (and subsequent moral dilemma), and a romantic interest for the films central character. The films were shot in black and white, with shadow having as much importance as dialogue. These films used unusual angles, silhouetted close-ups and somber tones to create unique and powerful storylines. These films were made during a roughly twenty year period, beginning with 1940’s "Stranger on the Third Floor" (starring Peter Lorre and John McGuire) and the underrated "Brother Orchid" (Edward G. Robinson), to Orson Well’s 1958 classic, "Touch of Evil."

Some other movies opf this era are "Angels With Dirty Faces" (James Cagney and Pat O’Brien), "Key Largo" (Bogart, Bacall, Sidney Greenstreet), "Gaslight" (Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer), "Double Indemnity" (Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck under Billy Wilder’s direction) and "Mildred Pierce." Hollywood has had some recent success with films of that style including, “Chinatown" and "L.A. Confidential." seem to support such a notion, with the latter featuring an Oscar-winning turn by Kim Basinger as femme fatale Lynn Bracken.

Arguably, the biggest actress of this era was the doe-eyed beauty Betty Davis. She was born Ruth Elizabeth Davis, on April 5, 1908 in Lowell, Massachusetts When she attained stardom at age 26, it was not just for her acting acumen and acidic delivery, but her eyes, which were immortalized in song by Kim Carnes/’ “Bette Davis Eyes” hit number one in 1981.

She made her film debut in 1931’s “The Bad Sister” and usually played characters with tough exteriors, but who were vulnerable. Her characters usually were smart-mouthed and many of them smoked cigarettes, behavior which wasn’t considered very lady-like. According to the Unofficial Bette Davis website, Bette Davis, “was described by
one critic as ‘a force of nature that could find no ordinary outlet’." Her filmography boasts such classics as, “Dangerous” (1935) and “Jezebel” (1938), for which she received her first two Best Actress Oscars. However, she wanted the lead in 1939s “Gone With the Wind,” but the role went to Vivian Leigh. Davis’ most famous role would come some 11 years later, as that of actress Margo Channing in 1950s “All About Eve,” earning her another Best Actress nomination. Ironically, her career waned shortly thereafter.

Davis also gave sterling performances in “Now, Voyager” (1942); “The Bride Came C.O.D.” (1941, with James Cagney); “Deception” (1946); “The Corn Is Green” (1945); “Mr. Skeffington” (1944) and “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane” (1962). In the latter she played alongside her long0time rival, Joan Crawford and won an Oscar for Best Actress. In the film she portrayed an unbalanced, washed-up child star. “Baby Jane” was also that year’s top grossing film.

Davis’ number of Oscar nominations—10, is second only to Katherine Hepburn (11). Her other nominations include powerhouse performances in, “The Star” (1952) ; “Mr. Skeffington” (1944); “Now, Voyager” (1942); “The Little Foxes” (1941); “The Letter” (1940); “Dark Victory” (1939) and “Of Human Bondage” (1934). In 1977, Davis became the first woman to receive the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also known as “The Queen of the Screen.” Three of her movie quotes are among the American Film Institute’s 100 greatest. They include, (No. 7, from “All About Eve”) “Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night,” (No. 60, from “Beyond the Forest”) “What a dump.” and (No. 45) “Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars. (from, “Now, Voyager”5)

Perhaps her most memorable line was from the movie that catapulted her to stardom. In “Of Human Bondage“ (1934) she co-starred with Leslie Howard and delivered the line, “You cad! You dirty swine! I never cared for you--not once! I was always making up to love ya. Ya bored me stiff. I hated ya. It made me sick when I had to let ya kiss me. I only did it because you begged me--ya hounded me and drove me crazy! And after you kissed me, I always used to wipe my mouth. Wipe my mouth!" Along that same tenor, In “Cabin In The Cotton” (1932) she uttered the line, “I'd like ta kiss ya, but I just washed my hair." Then again as Joyce Arden in, “It’s Love I’m After” (1937), she quipped: “Dearest, I think you're the lowest thing that ever crawled, but as long as I can reach out and get my hands on you, no other man will ever touch me."

As for her feud with Joan Crawford, in her 1962 autobiography, “The Lonely Life,” Davis wrote, “I do not regret one professional enemy I have made. Any actor who doesn't dare to make an enemy should get out of the business.”

She made her final film appearance in 1989, playing the role of Miranda Pierpoint in, “Wicked Stepmother.” She died that year on October 6, 1989 in Neuilly, France from breast cancer.

One of my favorite films from this era is the underappreciated “Caged,” starring Eleanor {Parker in the lead role of Marie Allen. It is the story of a pregnant girl imprisoned for being an accessory to a crime committed by her husband. While imprisoned Marie is mistreated by mean-spirited guard Emma Barber (played with a seemingly fiendish glee by Ellen Corby). Marie is eventually broken psychologically and her bitterness turns her into a hardened, wannabe criminal. Agnes Moorehead, better known for her role as “Endora” on TV’s “Bewitched” gives a strong performance as the kindhearted prison warden Ruth Benton.

For Parker it should have been a break out role that put her among the upper echelon of the actresses of that era. But she never reached the level of stardom that Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Claire Trevor achieved. One critic called the movie, “One of the most underrated movies of all time. Eleanor Parker really did deserve an Oscar for this performance.” Parker was nominated that year, but she was bested by Judy Holiday, (“Born Yesterday”). Also nominated for an Oscar was her co-star Hope Emerson, who played Marie’s foil, inmate Evelyn Harper. Emerson lost out to Josephine Hull (“Harvey”).

Parker was born in June 26, 1922, in Cedarville, Ohio. She made her debut in, “Busses Roar” (1942), The Film Guild of America says about her, “Audiences never knew what to expect when they saw her. To Eleanor, creating interesting characters was more important than cultivating a star image. In over 50 films, she would earn the title, ‘The Woman of a Thousand Faces’...If she had conformed, and simply used her stunning beauty to rise to stardom, she might be canonized today. Thankfully, she did not conform. Eleanor instead became a serious actress who gave her roles a depth and understanding that few stars have ever matched.”

This was followed by little known films, including five in 1944: “The Very Thought of You,” “The Last Ride,” “Crime by Night,” “Atlantic City,” (an uncredited part) and “Between Two Worlds.” She had a supporting part as Mildred Rogers in “Of Human Bondage” (1946). In 1950 she played Joan “Jo” Holloway opposite Humphrey Bogart in the war story “Chain Lightning.” Due to the weakness of the script the film is best remembered for its plane flying scenes.

Claire Trevor was born Claire Wemlinger on March 8, 1910, in Brooklyn, New York. Her career began in 1933 in “Life In The Raw,” and she also appeared in the John Wayne oater, “Stagecoach” (1939).

During her career, which spanned sixty films, she earned the moniker “Queen of Film Noir." She played a plethora of “bad girl” roles, but earned three Oscar nominations: “Dead End” (1937, which also featured Humphrey Bogart and marked the debut of The Dead End Kids); “The High and the Mighty” (1954) and won Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal as the drunken girlfriend of an abusive gangster (Edward G. Robinson), in “Key Largo” (1948).

Her other films include, “Murder, My Sweet” (1944) where Trevor played Velma, the missing girlfriend of a gangster. Dick Powell played the lead as detective Philip Marlowe. In 1947 she starred in “Born To Kill” and in 1948 she made three films--“Raw Deal” playing a gun moll who helps her gangster boyfriend escape from prison; “The Velvet Touch,” where she was cast as an actress accused of murdering her husband; and then she played against type in “The Babe Ruth Story” (1948). The former two films are considered some of the finest examples of the Noir genre.

Trevor also won an Emmy (1956) for her performance in “Dodsworth,” co-starring with Fredric March. She died April 8, 2000.

Director John Houston was born August 5, 1906 in Nevada, Missouri. He went to Hollywood when his father Walter, another producer of note, gave him a job. He assisted with the writing on such hits as “Jezebel,” “High Sierra” and “Sergeant York.” He made his directing debut in 1941, directing Bogart, Lorre and Sidney Greenstreet in “Tha Maltese Falcon” for which he won an Oscar for writing. In 1948, Huston directed “The Treasure of Sierra Madre,” winning Oscars for writing and directing. His father won The Best Supporting Actor for his role in the movie. Many consider this to be his strongest film.

Huston once called filmmaking, “a collaborative medium. Rather than being a tyrant, I believe in getting ideas from as many sources as possible." He has worked with some of the biggest names of his era, including Humphrey Bogart, Edward G. Robinson, Claire Trevor, Peter Lorre and Katherine Hepburn.

His movies are a cornucopia of classics: “The African Queen,” “Key Largo,” “Treasure of the Sierra Madre,” “The Maltese Falcon” and “Prizzi's Honor,” which starred his daughter Angelica and earned her a Best Supporting Actress honor. Many of those films were written by Huston as well. He noted, “I don't make a distinction between writing and direction. But to write and to direct one's own material is certainly the best approach. The directing is kind of an extension of the writing." Huston also lensed an interpretation of “The Bible” (1966) and “The Red Badge of Courage” (1951).

Lauren Bacall called him, "Daring, unpredictable, maddening, mystifying and probably the most charming man on earth." Katherine Hepburn said Huston was the “best piece of direction I have ever heard."

Houston died August 28, 1987 from emphysema.

Sources:

John Huston profile, Wikipedia
Claire Trevor profile, Wikipedia
Martin Connors and Jim Craddock, “Videohound’s Golden Movie Retriever 2000”
Eleanor Parker biography, IMDb.com
“The John Huston interviews,” edited by Robert Emmet Long
Bette Davis, imdb profile
Bette Davis profile, Wikipedia
The Unofficial Bette Davis Homepage
Bette Davis profile, “Reel Classics”

Timothy N. Stelly is the author of two novels, "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice of cain." He is also an afficionado of film noir and currently writes for several e-zines.

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Philadelphia Story

Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn in the famous "face push" scene...

Katharine Hepburn Tribute

Cary Grant

The famous scene
in NORTH BY NORTHWEST in which Carey Grant is...
chased by a crop-dusting plane.

Singapore Sue 1931 - Cary Grant

Cary Grant's first film appearance, playing First Sailor in 1931's "Singapore Sue."

Precious Cary Grant Moments 2

In Howard Hawks' Monkey Business Ginger Rogers regresses into her childhood after drinking her husband's (Cary Grant) youth formula.

Precious Cary Grant Moments 3

In Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest the only Art Cary Grant is interested in is the "Art of Survival".

Precious Cary Grant Moments 1

This is from TO CATCH A THIEF, by Alfred Hitchcock

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant Slideshow 1

Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant Slideshow 2

Cary Grant Montage

This is a tribute that I made recently to Cary Grant. Background Music: An Affair To Remember, by Vic Damone. Special thanks to Debbie Dunlap Webmaster of www.carygrant.net for graciously supplying the photos of cary grant used for this montage.