Old Hollywood Actresses

Here are the actresses (leading ladies as well as "scene stealers") from Hollywood's Golden Age - the classic era that many refer to as "Old Hollywood." I just call it the Best Hollywood.

Olivia de Havilland: If She Isn’t One of Your Favorite Actresses…. I Just Don’t Know You!

July 12, 2017 By Joi 1 Comment

Olivia de Havilland, A Midsummer Nights Dream

Beautiful Olivia de HavillandI recently had a great conversation with a fellow lover of the Golden Age of Hollywood… okay, we’re obsessed if we’re being honest. We started off trying to name our five favorite actresses and five favorite actors and when that proved to be impossible for both of us, we moved on to talking about a few of our own favorites. While we had quite a few favorites in common (Audrey Hepburn, Ava Gardner, Rita Hayworth, Claudette Colbert, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, Shirley Temple, Hattie McDaniel, Marilyn Monroe, Hedy Lamarr, Butterfly McQueen, Vivien Leigh, James Dean, Lillian Randolph, Frank Sinatra, Henry Fonda, Cary Grant, James Stewart, Clark Gable…), there were a few that were exclusive to each of us.

For example, a few who are firmly on my lists of favorites that are (somehow!) not on her’s are Olivia de Havilland, Veronica Lake, Gene Tierney, Ida Lupino, Abbott and Costello, Clint Eastwood, Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, and Lauren Bacall.

There were also a couple of her “absolute favorites” who didn’t quite make my list: Grace Kelly, Laurence Olivier, Myrna Loy, and Ingrid Bergman. Not that I don’t like them, mind you.. .they simply aren’t my favorites. I mean, they can’t ALL be, right??!

Because she is one of my absolute TOP favorites, I had to question her about not listing the beautiful and talented Olivia de Havilland. I had a feeling that I KNEW the reason, but I wanted to interrogate her to be sure. As I’d suspected, she’d only seen her in Gone With the Wind.

That’s the only explanation there could be.

Melanie was a lovely character in one of the greatest movies of all time, but the role did very little to showcase Olivia de Havilland’s talent, beauty, and personality. The same can certainly be said for Leslie Howard as Ashley. The characters of Rhett and Scarlett were written larger than life and they were directed in a manner to loom larger than the rest of the cast – although, in my personal opinion, Hattie McDaniel and Butterfly McQueen – along with Clark Gable – were the ones who truly stole the show. Melanie and Ashley were vital to the story but were never meant to outshine the stars.

While their performances were, obviously, wonderful, they didn’t show all they have to offer. This is especially true (in my opinion) with Olivia de Havilland. The actress is a real force to be reckoned with – ironically, she has a great deal of “Scarlett O’Hara” fire in her… certainly more Scarlett than Melanie.

Her personality is as large as her face is beautiful – and that’s saying a great deal.

A few of my favorite Olivia de Havilland roles:

Maid Marian in The Adventures of Robin Hood
Charlotte Bronte in Devotion
Rachel in My Cousin Rachel
Josephine in To Each His Own
Emmy in Hold Back the Dawn
Catherine in The Heiress
Virginia in The Snake Pit
Okay, so maybe there are too many to name..

I’ll leave you with the same words I left my fellow “Old Hollywood” lover with… If you’ve never seen Olivia de Havilland in anything besides Gone With the Wind, DO SO! She is about as far from Melanie as you can conceivably get. The vast majority of her roles are filled with passion, fire, personality, and fun. To give you an idea of the type of personality we’re talking about here, when she was nine years old, Olivia made a will in which she stated, “I bequeath all my beauty to my younger sister Joan, since she has none”.

Wonder what Melanie would think about that?!

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Facts About Olivia de Havilland:

Born in Tokyo, Japan on July 1, 1916.
Sister of actress Joan Fontaine.
During a time when women “simply did not” make waves, she did just that. She took Warner Brothers to court in the mid 1940s and won. Her victory stopped Warner Brothers from adding suspension periods to actors’ contracts. The “de Havilland decision” meant more freedom for actors in Hollywood and she is remembered for her boldness to this day.
In 1965 she became the first female president of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival.
She made a special appearance at the The Academy Awards in 2003 and received a standing ovation.
Won the Oscar for Best Actress for To Each His Own in 1946.
She and Joan Fontaine were the first sisters to win Oscars.
Her mother named her Olivia from a heroine in William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night”.
She received the Medal of Arts honor from President George W. Bush in 2008, “for her persuasive and compelling skill as an actress in roles from Shakespeare’s Hermia to Margaret Mitchell’s Melanie. Her independence, integrity, and grace won creative freedom for herself and her fellow film actors.“
Was offered the role of Mary in It’s a Wonderful Life but turned it down.
In 1950, she won the Best Actress Academy Award for “The Heiress.”

Review: In Such Good Company by Carol Burnett

January 14, 2016 By Joi 1 Comment

In Such Good CompanyA few classic television series stand out to me as being as much a part of growing up as Hostess Cupcakes and Saturday morning cartoons. Gunsmoke, The Carol Burnett Show, Sanford and Son, Andy Griffith, I Love Lucy, Good Times, The Jeffersons, The Beverly Hillbillies are a few. They were (and are!) extra special to me because I spent so many years sharing the experiences with my mom and dad.

One of our absolute favorites was The Carol Burnett Show. Carol Burnett was my first girl crush – I loved her style, her beautiful smile, and… most importantly.. she had what I’ve always considered to be the BEST trait for anyone to have. She made you laugh.

And laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh!

I can still watch skits with Carol Burnett, Vicki Lawrence, Harvey Korman, Tim Conway, and Lyle Waggoner and roll with laughter as though it was the first time I’d ever seen them. A lot of people talk about “it” and about “TV magic,” these 5 were bathed in “it” and frolicked in the magic they created.

When I saw that Carol Burnett had written a new book, In Such Good Company, and that it was devoted to the 11 years of creating The Carol Burnett Show, it was all I could think about. I knew it’d be a very special book, but it actually surpassed my expectations.

About In Such Good Company (from Amazon)

The New York Times Bestseller

Comedy legend Carol Burnett tells the hilarious behind-the-scenes story of her iconic weekly variety series, The Carol Burnett Show.

In In Such Good Company, Carol Burnett pulls back the curtain on the twenty-five-time Emmy-Award winning show that made television history, and she reminisces about the outrageously funny and tender moments that made working on the series as much fun as watching it.

Carol delves into little-known stories of the guests, sketches and improvisations that made The Carol Burnett Show legendary, as well as some favorite tales too good not to relive again. While writing this book, Carol rewatched all 276 episodes and screen-grabbed her favorite video stills from the archives to illustrate the chemistry of the actors and the improvisational magic that made the show so successful.

Putting the spotlight on everyone from her costars to the impressive list of guest stars, Carol crafts a lively portrait of the talent and creativity that went into every episode. With characteristic wit and incomparable comic timing, she details hiring Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway; shares anecdotes about guest stars and close friends, including Lucille Ball, Roddy Mcdowell, Jim Nabors, Bernadette Peters, Betty Grable, Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme, Gloria Swanson, Rita Hayworth, and Betty White; and gives her take on her favorite sketches and the unpredictable moments that took both the cast and viewers by surprise.

This book is Carol’s love letter to a golden era in television history through the lens of her brilliant show. Get the best seat in the house for “eleven years of laughter, mayhem, and fun in the sandbox.”

In Such Good CompanyI haven’t had the book in my possession very long but I devoured it like I would a piece of peanut butter fudge – and, at the risk of sounding corny, the stories and reflections in this book are even sweeter and more enjoyable than any peanut butter fudge I’ve ever had.

And I make some darn good peanut butter fudge, just so you know.

The book includes adorable behind the scenes photographs as well as photographs from skits (naturally, I remembered each and every one). The stories and reflections are broken into bite size readings – sort of like blog posts. I can’t tell you how much I love this. Books that break everything down in such a way spoil me to the point that I get annoyed with books with long chapters. I know, I know – that doesn’t say anything good about my attention span, but there you have it.

I just can’t say enough good things about this book. I feel like I know so much more now about Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway as well as guest stars that are also household names: Sammy Davis, Jr, Rita Hayworth, Betty White, Betty Grable, Jim Nabors, and my much beloved Lucille Ball. This gal was never happier than the times my favorite red heads shared TV time together.

I hope you will click through In Such Good Company and order a copy for yourself. This book would also make a perfect gift idea – there’s a whole generation of us who connect with this show and these stars in a very profound way. Trust me, this is a book any Carol Burnett fan would love immensely.

Note: I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review. The opinions and photographs are my own. When they send books for review, it’s entirely up to the reviewer whether it’s a positive or negative review…. it all depends on the book and In Such Good Company is exceptional. Ironically, it was at the top of my “Buy SOON” list when they sent it. Sometimes fate smiles on a blogger.

Ann Harding Biography by Scott O’Brien

June 23, 2010 By Joi Leave a Comment

“I believe that the actress who wears her profession on her sleeve, as it were, outside of her work, is, as a rule, merely dramatizing herself. When she acts off-stage as well as on, she is wasting her talent. It is like using nectar to quench a casual thirst.” – Ann Harding

Ann Harding, was born Dorothy Gatley on August 7, 1901 in Fort Sam Houston, Texas.

You may remember her as Mae Priest on “Dr. Kildare” or as Edith Sommers on Ben Casey. Ann Harding also had a very impressive film career – even though she never received the acclaim she truly should have.

An exciting new biography has been written about this talented and beautiful actress.

Press Release for Ann Harding: Cinema’s Gallant Lady:

When Ann Harding opted for an acting career, her Brigadier General father, George Grant Gatley, told her that she had taken “the inevitable road to Hell.” He banished her from his home. The year was 1921. The father and his equally strong-willed daughter did not reconcile until he was on his death-bed ten years later.

Ann proved her father wrong.

Her integrity as an actor – her commitment to her profession, allowed her to create a sensation on and off Broadway in such hits as Inheritors, Tarnish, and The Trial of Mary Dugan. When Ann and actor-husband Harry Bannister settled into Hollywood, she took the motion picture industry by storm. Film fans and critics were transported by her honest, natural portrayals. The microphone loved her. One critic referred to Ann as having the “Voice of Temple Gongs.”

Following an Academy Award Nomination for her role in Holiday (1930), Ann went on to further triumphs in Pre-Code hits such as The Animal Kingdom (1932), When Ladies Meet (1932), Gallant Lady (1933), and, one of her best, The Life of Vergie Winters (1934). As Vergie Winters, Ann immersed herself (and her audience) with such a realistic take on the shopworn topic of unwed motherhood, that her lovely, frank, open face easily displayed a raw vulnerability that was rare for the screen.

Noted author and film critic Mick LaSalle (who has written the foreword for the new biography release Ann Harding – Cinema’s Gallant Lady) refers to Ann Harding as an “overlooked master” – “one of the greatest actors in the history of American cinema.”

Theater visionary-director Jasper Deeter, Ann’s life-long mentor, attributed her success to her ability in hiding a childish, and stubborn temperament.

Ann’s personal life countered what many have referred to as her “noble” screen image. Her passionate, free-thinking spirit was something to be reckoned with. She fell out of love with her opportunistic husband Bannister, only to become involved with two of cinema’s “bad boys”: the avant-garde film director Dudley Murphy (Emperor Jones), and the ribald and brilliant author and screenwriter Gene Fowler (Goodnight, Sweet Prince).

Both of them married men.

Ex-husband Bannister turned to blackmail in order to continue to get his share of Ann’s cinema earnings. A child custody battle over their daughter Jane went on for close to a decade. French surrealist, Luis Bunuel considered Peter Ibbetson (1935), which paired Ann with Gary Cooper, to be among the Top Ten All-Time Best Films. Critics felt that Ann’s role as the ethereal Duchess of Towers to be “the most complete revelation of her art.” However, Ann Harding was fed up with Hollywood moguls and scripts she felt unworthy. She told one writer in the 1970’s, “When RKO couldn’t find a script in the trash can for me, Harry Edington [her manager] would arrange a loan out.”

Fed up with battling Bannister and her film career, Ann abandoned Hollywood. She headed for England, and returned to the stage for a triumphant tour in Shaw’s Candida. The convoluted personal and professional life of Ann Harding didn’t stop after her cinematic peak. Ann Harding – Cinema’s Gallant Lady (BearManor, 2010), covers in depth her extensive career on stage, film, radio, TV, and pays homage to a woman who, according to Mick LaSalle, “pointed the way to an entirely new way of being on screen.”

For cinema aficionados the time is ripe for Ann Harding to reclaim her legacy.

On Amazon: Ann Harding – Cinema’s Gallant Lady

Yvonne De Carlo: There Was More to Her Than Just Lily Munster

January 12, 2007 By Joi Leave a Comment

We lost Yvonne De Carlo last week. Most people remember her as Lily Munster from The Munsters – a ridiculously fun tv series that ran (surprisingly) for only two seasons. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve seen each and every episode in reruns about 500 times. I never got into the Addams Family or a lot of the other little shows from that time…but The Munsters? I grew up with them and never saw fit to grow away from them. If a marathon came on television right now, I’d fly out of my home office, grab snacks and sweet tea, and assume my position in the den.

And dare anyone to disturb me!

My dad and I would watch them faithfully when I was growing up…. and laugh at the same jokes and bits each time. I’ll never forget the time he told me that “Lily” was actually a real beauty. I thought he was pulling my leg, so the next day my mom got her hands on some old pictures of the actress and they proved my dad’s point.

Boy did they ever!

I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw just how gorgeous Yvonne De Carlo actually was. And, yet here she is remembered as a green-faced vampire married to Herman. Every newspaper I’ve seen has shown a picture of her as lily with her death announcement. At first I thought it seemed kind of a shame – but then I thought about it. What better way to be remembered than someone who people loved? Someone who made them laugh and, for thirty minutes made them forget all of their worries?!

Now, that’s a legacy.

A few fast facts:

She was born in Vacouver.

Her name was actually Margaret “Peggy” Yvonne Middleton.

Yvonne’s dad walked out on the family when she was only 3. The mom worked as a waitress to support the family, but she’d always dreamed of a career in Hollywood. So, she really encouraged Yvonne to go in that direction.

Her mom first took her to Hollywood when she was only 15 years old. Apparently, there wasn’t much of a call for baby beauties, so they returned home and tried again when Yvonne was 18 years old.

Yvonne starred opposite Charleston Heston in The Ten Commandments. She gives a memorable performance as the wife of Heston’s Moses.

She married actor and stuntman Robert Morgan in 1955. They appeared together in Death of a Scoundrel.

Yvonne and Robert had two sons. After the birth of her children, Yvonne took time off from acting. However, while working as a stuntman on the set of How the West Was Won (1962; with Henry Fonda), Robert was nearly killed when he was pinned underneath an avalanche of logs. Yvonne returned to work to support her family as well as pay for his outrageous medical bills. It took him several years to recover.

During this time, she took roles in several films, including McLintock! (1963 with John Wayne) and Law of the Lawless (1964 with Dale Robertson and John Agar). She was then cast as the infamous Lily Munster in the CBS series The Munsters.

Sometimes people wonder why Yvonne De Carlo took such a role in a television series. That question can be laid to rest – she was doing what a mother and wife had to do to support her family, and I’m an even bigger fan than before.

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Yvonne DeCarlo’s Career:

I Look at You (1941)
The Kink of the Campus (1941)
Youth on Parade (1942)
Lucky Jordan (1942)
Harvard, Here I Come! (1942)
This Gun for Hire (1942)
Road to Morocco (1942)
True to Life (1943)
So Proudly We Hail! (1943)
Salute for Three (1943)
Rhythm Parade (1943)
Let’s Face It (1943)
For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
Deerslayer (1943)
The Crystal Ball (1943)
Standing Room Only (1944)
Rainbow Island (1944)
Here Come the Waves (1944)
The Story of Dr. Wassell (1944)
Practically Yours (1944)
Salome Where She Danced (1945)
Bring on the Girls (1945)
Frontier Girl (1945)
Song of Scheherazade (1947)
Brute Force (1947)
Slave Girl (1947)
River Lady (1948)
Casbah (1948)
Black Bart (1948)
The Gal Who Took the West (1949)
Criss Cross (1949)
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass (1949)

The Desert Hawk (1950)
Buccaneer’s Girl (1950)
Silver City (1951)
Tomahawk (1951)
Hotel Sahara (1951)
Scarlet Angel (1952)
The San Francisco Story (1952)
Sea Devils (1952)
Sombrero (1953)
The Captain’s Paradise (1953)
Fort Algiers (1953)
Happy Ever After (1954)
The Contessa’s Secret (1954)
Border River (1954)
Passion (1954)
Shotgun (1955)
Flame of the Islands (1955)
Raw Edge (1956)
Magic Fire (1956)
Death of a Scoundrel (1956)
The Ten Commandments (1956)
Band of Angels (1957)
The Sword and the Cross (aka La Spada e la croce – 1958)
Timbuktu (1959)

McLintock (1963)
Law of the Lawless (1964)
A Global Affair (1964)
Munster, Go Home (1966)
Hostile Guns (1967)
The Power (1968)
Arizona Bushwhackers (1968)

The Seven Minutes (1971)
The Delta Factor (1971)
Blazing Stewardesses (1974)
The Girl on the Late Late Show (TV-1974)
The Mark of Zorro (TV-1974)
It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time (1975)
Won Ton Ton, The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976)
La casa de las sombras (1976)
Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977)
Nocturna (1979)

Silent Scream (1980)
The Man with Bogart’s Face (1980)
Guyana Cult of the Damned (1980)
Play Dead (1981)
Liar’s Moon (1981)
The Munster’s Revenge (1981)
National Lampoon’s Class Reunion (1982)
Vultures (1983)
Flesh and Bullets (1985)
A Masterpiece of Murder (TV-1986)
American Gothic (1988)
Cellar Dweller (1988)

Mirror, Mirror (1990)
Oscar (1991)
The Naked Truth (1992)
Desert Kickboxer (1992)
The Sorority House Murders (1993)
Seasons of the Heart (1993)
Here Come the Munsters (TV-1995)
The Barefoot Executive (1995)

TV Series – Cast:
The Munsters (1964-1965)

Rest in Peace.