You are browsing archives for
Sorting out the Lane Sisters is always a bit tricky, but Joe always likes to give it a try. First, this brief introduction: The sisterly trio lit up the screens for Warners brothers for a few years in the late 1930s. There were three of them, naturally, and we’re hoping pay an informal homage to […]
She took her stage name from the first character she played onscreen. And after dancing and singing with the best of them she was a full fledged MGM star. She was indeed an image of the girl next door, one who just happened to possess a supple soprano voice worthy of grand opera. Born […]
Muliple marriages are a time-honored custom among Hollywood stars, today as well as in the classic period we cover. Here are three samples. Recognize the three couples pictured today? They just weren’t destined to stay together. Can you indentify them? (Answers tomorrow.) Did you like this? Share it:Tweet
There he is (below) with Humphrey Bogart. As the big gesture might indicate, our man Edmond O’Brien plays an outsized PR man involved with not-terribly-successful writer-director (Bogie) who convinces Flamenco dancer Ava Gardner to try her hand in the movies. As he did in many of his roles, O’Brien seems to sweat in the part. […]
He was a leading man, once, but then turned into a great character actor, and then what could be considered a a combination of the two or a “character leading man.” But those who caught his starring performance in the 1950 suspense thriller D.O.A. (that’s Dead On Arrival for the uninitiated) will not easily forget […]
Alcohol and drugs have undermined many a Hollywood star. And the story of Gloria Dickson is one of quick rise and quick fall. Joe was re-watching one of his favorite films, 1943’s Lady of Burlesque, when he noticed that one of Barbara Stanwyck’s co stars was Gloria Dickson. Joe had noticed her name in the credits many […]
The top (best picture) Oscar has increasingly gone to films that are soon forgotten, intones a recent issue of the British newsweekly, The Economist. Gosh, no kidding. This confirms our suspicion that recent Oscar winners, while often experiencing temporary box office boosts, are soon consigned to the dustbin of neglected Hollywoodiana. Quickly: which movie actually […]
Occasionally we like to highlight those second tier leading men of the 30s, 40s and 50s. In the mid forties Warner Brothers tried to make a star out of actor Robert Alda. He’s mostly remembered today for being the father of TV and film star Alan Alda. Nonetheless, Alda Sr. carved out a distinguished and […]
She was a great dancer but a mediocre singer. Her movie vocalizing was usually dubbed. (Two of the dubbers were singers Carol Richards and Vikki Carr.) She was indeed a woman of many professional names for various reasons. And the one she enjoyed most was Mrs. Tony Martin. Her marriage to the crooner lasted 60 years […]
Yes, you’ve seen her dance in dozens of films, many classics, but what else do you know about her? Did you know that she went by many names at various stages of her lengthy career — some 56 credits from 1941 to 2008? That she emerged from a go-to dance partner to a genuine […]