Errol Flynn, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors
By Joi
Errol Flynn, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
By Joi
Henry Fonda and Bette Davis, Jezebel
One of my favorite movies stars FIVE of my favorite stars… it doesn’t get much sweeter than that! The movie is Jezebel (1938, directed by the wonderful William Wyler) and the four stars are Henry Fonda, Bette Davis, Theresa Harris, Spring Byington, and Margaret Lindsay.
How much do I love this particular movie? Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret I haven’t told anyone before (besides my cats, of course, we keep nothing from each other)…. I actually like Jezebel even better than Gone With the Wind.. and this is really saying something because I adore that one.
There’s just something about the magic in this particular film and Henry Fonda and Bette Davis simply cannot be topped. When they’re on top of their game (which they always were), there were no two stars any better.
If you’ve never seen Jezebel, I hope you’ll find it really soon. You can find Jezebel on dvd (Amazon link) or you can watch Jezebel on Prime Video (link to the movie).
Henry Fonda and Bette Davis
By Joi
Bette Davis, All About Eve
Ruth Elizabeth Davis was born April 5, 1908, in Lowell, Massachusetts and would go on, one day, to take Hollywood and the world by storm! Bette Davis is one of those stars who I am convinced was born with “it.” She had acting and star quality in her blood and boy did she ever know what to do with it!
If you aren’t familiar with Bette Davis’ movies, I hope you’ll spend some time going through her filmography.
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Bette Davis, Dark Victory
Though I love all (except one!) of the Bette Davis movies I’ve seen, my top six personal favorites, and what I’d call “essential Bette Davis films” are….
Jezebel (1938)
Dark Victory (1939)
In This Our Life (1942)
Now, Voyager (1942)
All About Eve (1950)
The Star (1952)
Just please don’t let “Whatever Happened to Baby Jane” be the first (or second, or third, or fourth…) Bette Davis movie you watch. You’ll never guess which of her films is the one I don’t like!
By Joi
Henry Fonda and Bette Davis
I have a bit of a confession to make. When I first saw Jezebel (years ago), I only watched it because Henry Fonda (one of the ones who ties for my top 3 favorite actors) was in it. This was before I had seen many Bette Davis movies. In fact, at the time I had only seen two and hated one of them a great, great deal (What Ever Happened to Baby Jane…. still hate it to this day!).
Before Jezebel was even half over, however, I knew that Bette Davis had become one of my favorite actresses and that I’d spend the rest of my life watching and rewatching her films AND trying to get everyone who thinks they don’t like her to give her more of a chance.
Since then, I’ve seen too many of her films to even count, and she is absolutely one of my favorites. Never, ever let one, two, or even just three films decide the fate of an actor or actress in your heart – give them a fair chance, you’re the one who stands to win big!
If you’ve never seen Jezebel, by all means see it as soon as possible. It is outstanding and the cast is as good as it gets. Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, Theresa Harris, Spring Byington, George Brent, Margaret Lindsay, Fay Bainter, Donald Crisp, Richard Cromwell… one outstanding performance after another.
You can find Jezebel on dvd (Amazon link) or you can watch the wonderful movie Prime Video (link to the movie).
Henry Fonda and Bette Davis
By Joi
Theresa Harris and Bette Davis, Jezebel
Like most old Hollywood lovers, I have my own, personal regrets:
It always makes me sick to my stomach that, when I want a picture to post or tweet of Theresa Harris, I have to look for her co-stars. Find them, and you’ll find her… supporting them in their starring role. Before anyone points it out, I am, of course, very aware that many actors and actresses made entire careers from being character actors and actresses. I also will be the first to acknowledge the GREAT worth of these supporting stars. Many, many, many “good” films were made “great” based upon the character stars.
Also, a career in film is highly admirable, rewarding, and glorious whether you are a lead or supporting star. I get every bit of that… trust me.
However, Theresa Harris had all of the qualifications to be both a supporting actress and a lead actress. Again, due to the time in which this beautiful actress lived, she was never given the chance she would have been given had she been born later. As a fan of hers, it simply bothers me, that’s all.
How frustrating it must have been to know you were every bit as talented and beautiful as many stars getting the lead roles (heck, more so than plenty!) – and yet, you were never given your shot.
Argh!
By nature, I’m a very positive person, so I don’t want to spend any more time with this line of thinking. I’d rather focus on the fact that Theresa Harris got to be a movie actress! She worked on some very special films (Jezebel and Baby Face to name just two). She also not only met some of Hollywood’s biggest legends, but worked alongside them. Heck, she even stole scenes from more than a few of them!
Today’s picture of the day is from one of my absolute favorite movies, Jezebel (1938). The movie stars Bette Davis, Henry Fonda, George Brent, Theresa Harris, Spring Boyington, Margaret Lindsay, and Fay Bainter. It was superbly directed by William Wyler and is one of the first movies that comes to my mind when I hear the words, “Perfect film.”
I just wish Theresa Harris’ character had more screen time – it would have made the movie EVEN better.
You can find the excellent film Jezebel (link to the dvd on Amazon) on Amazon.
By Joi
David Niven, Peter Ustinov, and Bette Davis in Death on the Nile
I love books. There you have it – an understatement to end all understatements! I love them so much, I collect many different types, so they’re always near me. In fact, it occurred to me recently that (when home) three things are always within my reach…
Even as I type this out, I have raspberry tea and a cup of coffee to my left, two cats to my right, and Mary Astor’s wonderful autobiography right in front of me. What can I say, I get antsy if any of these four life sources are out of my reach.
Hmmm… maybe that’s why I’m such a homebody. I can take my tea, chocolate, and coffee with me but not my cats and book collections.
One of my favorite authors (tying with Emily Dickinson and my daughter Emily, named in her honor) is the wonderful Agatha Christie. I collect her books and read them again and again. True story: seven or eight years ago, I was making out my New Year’s resolutions and I must have been in a cheeky mood because I wrote down… “Always be in the middle of an Agatha Christie mystery” AND “Eat chocolate every single day.”
I guess I just wanted to MAKE CERTAIN at least two of the resolutions were kept? They were… to the tune of that year and every year since.
Cheeky Kentuckian.
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Agatha Christie Books
There have been numerous films made from Agatha Christie mysteries. While I’ve never seen one that was quite as good as the book, itself, they are always entertaining – especially when they have a cast like Death on the Nile had! Peter Ustinov (as Hercule Poirot), Bette Davis, David Niven, George Kennedy, Maggie Smith, Angela Lansbury, Jack Warden, Simon MacCorkindale, Lois Chiles… outstanding cast and a darn good movie.
Death on the Nile Cast
By Joi
Hollywood in Kodachrome by David Wills
As I said in a previous post, I’ve had a really, really rotten July. I just did my makeup, so I won’t get into the details again.. runny mascara isn’t much of a look on anyone not named Ava Gardner.
To lift my spirits, one of my daughters (Brittany) bought me the book you see here, Hollywood in Kodachrome. Knowing my GREAT love for Old Hollywood, she knew I’d lose myself in its pages at a time when losing myself would be just what I needed.
This book is absolutely spectacular – if you love old Hollywood and/or photography, this is the next book you’ll want to add to your collection. Each time I sit, looking through the gorgeous photos, I think how it feels this book was made just for me… just for now.
However, that’s dangerously short-changing the book. Hollywood in Kodachrome is an ideal book for anyone – whether their spirits need to be lifted or their spirits are soaring just fine, thank you very much.
Photographers, understandably, are very particular about where, when, and how their photos are shared with others, so I don’t want to include any here in the post. When you click through one of the links in this post, you can see some of the photos in a preview on Amazon. Even though they appear there, I’m just not comfortable publishing them, here.
I will tell you a few names you can expect to see gorgeous photos of:
Many of these photos are never-before-seen!
Kodachrome film saturated the 1940s with an unprecedented explosion of color. Movie audiences, accustomed to seeing photographs of their favorite stars on magazine covers, billboards, and cinema marquees in monochrome or black-and-white, were suddenly enthralled as their idols came to life in vibrant hues as flesh-and-blood human beings. For the first time, the world was treated to the glory of Rita Hayworth’s auburn hair, Gary Cooper’s blue eyes, Betty Grable’s rosy cheeks, and the multicolored fruit bouquets of Carmen Miranda’s hats.
Curator and photographic preservationist David Wills has amassed one of the world’s largest private collections of original Kodachromes and color photographs from the 1940s. Now, in Hollywood in Kodachrome, he has gathered spectacular, museum-quality work from many of the great photographers of Hollywood’s golden era—George Hurrell, Clarence Sinclair Bull, John Engstead, Paul Hesse, Ernest Bachrach, Bernard of Hollywood, Robert Coburn, Ray Jones, Bud Fraker, Frank Powolny, Eugene Robert Richee, and many others—to create this stunning portfolio of images that pays homage to the richest, clearest, most brilliant, and archivally dependable film stock in history.
Among the highlights:
Pairing more than 250 first-generation photographs with vintage magazine covers, advertisements, movie posters, quotes from photographers, and a personal foreword by Hollywood’s “Queen of Technicolor,” Rhonda Fleming, Hollywood in Kodachrome is an unforgettable showcase of a time when movies were truly glamorous and color photography reigned supreme at its most luscious.
Find this extraordinary book on Amazon (Hollywood in Kodachrome) or in a bookstore. You’re going to love it each time you look through it. Talk about a fascinating coffee table book – only problem is, you’ll lose your guest’s attention entirely as they look through this very, very large 352 page book!
By Joi
Bette Davis, Ex Lady (1933)
Bette Davis was one of the most incredibly talented stars of all time. She simply gave one breathtaking performance after another. Ex Lady was no exception. While the film isn’t as well known or celebrated as some of her other films, it is certainly more than worth watching. She is, of course, mesmerizing.
By Joi
Bette Davis and Henry Fonda, Jezebel (1938)
I have loved every single Bette Davis movie I have ever seen except for one. Ironically, one of her most popular ones is my least favorite – What Ever Happened to Baby Jane… hate it! Halfway through the movie, I was like, “I don’t CARE what happened to her or any of the rest of them!” Well, I cared about the rat, but it was too late for him.
At least I can say this, I’ve never seen a bad Bette Davis performance.
Henry Fonda fares a bit better with me – I have never seen a Henry Fonda film I didn’t like and, like Bette Davis, I’ve never seen a bad Henry Fonda performance.
These two teaming up could only be something magical, which is (of course) exactly what Jezebel is. Magical. The costumes are stunning and the stars are stunning. Visually, it’s just a very beautiful movie. Fortunately, it’s as entertaining as it is beautiful.
Bette Davis gives the performance of a lifetime in Jezebel and you can’t help but be transfixed by her every move. Whenever I watch Jezebel, I think how stunningly she would have played the role of Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Not that Vivien Leigh wasn’t perfection, mind you… I’m just saying that Bette Davis could have played the role to perfection as well.
If you don’t believe me, watch Jezebel.
Below are a few fast facts related to this iconic movie:
By Joi
“I will never be below the title.”
“If you want a thing well done, get a couple of old broads to do it.”
“Today everyone is a star – they’re all billed as ‘starring’ or ‘also starring’. In my day, we earned that recognition.”
(About Katharine Hepburn’s tie with Barbra Streisand for the 1968 Oscar) “I wanted to be the first to win three Oscars, but Miss Hepburn has done it. Actually it hasn’t been done. Miss Hepburn only won half an Oscar. If they’d given me half an Oscar I would have thrown it back in their faces. You see, I’m an Aries. I never lose.”
(About fourth husband, Gary Merrill) “Gary was a macho man, but none of my husbands was ever man enough to become Mr. Bette Davis.”
(When she was told that “at one time” she had a reputation for being difficult) “At one time?! I’ve been known as difficult for 50 years, practically! What do you mean ‘at one time?’ Nooo, I’ve been like this for 50 years. And it’s always always to make it the best film I can make it!”
(When told not to speak ill of the dead) “Just because someone is dead does not mean they have changed!”
(About her mother) “I had to be the monster for both of us.”
“If Hollywood didn’t work out, I was prepared to be the best secretary in the world.”
“I have been uncompromising, peppery, infractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile and offtimes disagreeable. I suppose I’m larger than life.”
“(Joan Crawford) and I have never been warm friends. We are not simpatico. I admire her, and yet I feel uncomfortable with her. To me, she is the personification of the Movie Star. I have always felt her greatest performance is Crawford being Crawford.”
(After blowing a line several times in Hollywood Canteen (1944), in which she plays herself) “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I think I just can’t play myself. I don’t know how! But, if you give me a drink – give me a cigarette – give me a gun – I’ll play any old bag you want me to. I just can’t play myself!”
“I was a person who couldn’t make divorce work. For me, there’s nothing lonelier than a turned-down toilet seat.”
“I always had the will to win. I felt it baking cookies. They had to be the best cookies anyone baked.”
“My favorite person to work with was Claude Rains.”
“I certainly would have given anything to have worked with John Wayne. He’s the most attractive man who ever walked the earth, I think.”
(During tension on the set of The Whales of August, about co-star Lilian Gish) “She ought to know about close-ups… she was around when they invented them!”
My main goal with Hollywood Yesterday is to keep the names, faces, and films of the stars that mean so much to me shining brightly. When I’m guilty of focusing more time on my personal favorites (such as Olivia de Havilland) than other stars, I hope you’ll forgive me. I am, by all indications, very human!
Also, please know that I try to keep my posts (except for book reviews) short and to the point, so you can enjoy the pictures, grab the information, and get back to your life. I don’t appreciate anything that’s overly wordy, so I don’t want to do that to others. For better or worse, I write as I talk, so if you ever feel like you’re reading the words of someone who’s a cross between Lucy Ricardo, Daisy Duck, and a Jerry Lewis character, that’s just because you are!
Wait. What did I just admit to??
Another personal absolute favorite of mine is Barbara Stanwyck. Not only was she beautiful and outrageously talented, she was exceptionally bright, charismatic, and colorful. This growing collection of Barbara Stanwyck Quotes will give you an idea of just how colorful she was!
There’s nothing quite like watching a movie from the Golden Age of Hollywood. Whether it’s a Musical, Western, Comedy, Romance, Film Noir, or Drama – if it’s on, I’m not too far away… with popcorn and raspberry tea in hand and a couple of cats nearby.
Below are a few Old Hollywood movie reviews I’ve done on the blog. There are, as you’d imagine, a lot more to come. – Joi (“Joy”)
We’re in the Money (Joan Blondell, Glenda Farrell)
The Naked Spur (James Stewart, Janet Leigh)
The Prince and the Showgirl (Marilyn Monroe, Laurence Olivier)
The White Sister (Helen Hayes, Clark Gable)
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (Howard Keel, Jane Powell, Russ Tamblyn, Julie Newmar)
Rio Bravo (John Wayne, Dean Martin, Angie Dickinson, Ricky Nelson, Walter Brennan)
El Dorado (John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, James Caan, Charlene Holt, Michele Carey)
Rio Grande (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara)
Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein (What is it With Me and These Movies??)
The Stooge (Jerry Lewis’ favorite Lewis and Martin Movie… for good reason.)
Critic’s Choice (Hilarious movie starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball)
To Please a Lady (Clark Gable and Barbara Stanwyck team up in a fast track movie)
Grand Hotel (Joan Crawford, Greta Garbo, John Barrymore, Lionel Barrymore)
Hearts Divided (Marion Davies, Dick Powell)
The Quiet Man (John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara, Barry Fitzgerald)
More Old Hollywood Movie Reviews
Find out just how much I (truly) Love Lucy in the Lucille Ball category. I’m warning you, I call it an obsession for a very good reason…
Aside from pictures of books I review, I do not claim to have taken any of the pictures on this website, nor do I own the pictures – the ones of the stars or the affiliate (product) pictures. Other, far more talented photographers than me have the credit for the beautiful photos you see. If you would like credit for a photograph or would like one removed, please e-mail me (joitsigers@gmail.com).
Movie posters and promotional photos are used in the belief that they qualify for the Fair Use law. Fair use is a doctrine in the law of the United States that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests of copyright holders with the public interest in the wider distribution and use of creative works by allowing as a defense to copyright infringement claims certain limited uses that might otherwise be considered infringement.
When you click through an affiliate (product, book, dvds..) link, I earn a small portion of the money you spend IF you purchase anything. This does not cost you any extra money, of course. This is how I am able to work from home and support my cats! – Joi (“Joy”)