BOTD | Hollywood Yesterday

The Wonderful Ethel Barrymore was BOTD in 1879

August 15, 2023 By Joi

Ava Gardner, Walter Huston, and Ethel Barrymore in The Great Sinner

One of (IMO) the best actresses of all-time… and absolutely one of my favorites.. Ethel Barrymore was BOTD in Pennsylvania in 1879.

The wonderful lady is pictured here with Ava Gardner and Walter Huston from the film The Great Sinner (1949, directed by Robert Siodmak).

You can find The Great Sinner on dvd (Amazon link). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video, yet but they seem to be adding more classics, so hopefully it will be soon.

Arlene Dahl and Red Skelton, A Southern Yankee (1948)

August 11, 2023 By Joi

Arlene Dahl and Red Skelton

The beautiful Arlene Dahl was BOTD in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1925. In her honor, I decided to spotlight one of my favorite Arlene Dahl films, A Southern Yankee.

What seems like a TOTALLY unlikely team, Red Skelton and Arlene Dahl, work beautifully together in the fun 1948 comedy. Directed by Edward Sedgwick, the movie also stars Brian Donlevy, George Coulouris (always wonderful), Lloyd Gough, and John Ireland.

You can find A Southerner Yankee (Amazon link) on dvd or Prime Video.

Happy Katharine Hepburn Day! The Iconic and Legendary Actress was BOTD in 1907

May 12, 2023 By Joi

Katharine Hepburn and David Manners in A Bill of Divorcement

Katharine Hepburn’s first film was A Bill of Divorcement (1932). Directed by George Cukor, the movie also stars John Barrymore, David Manners, Billie Burke, and Elizabeth Patterson.

The executive producer (David O. Selznick) did NOT want the newcomer, 24 year old Katharine Hepburn, in the lead role but Cukor DID. Cukor won out and would go on to have a wonderful lifelong working relationship (and friendship) with the legendary actress.

Katharine Hepburn and David Manners

In an interview w/Dick Cavett, Hepburn told how he studio’s PR department kept trying to get her to wear beautiful gowns around the set instead of her much-preferred pants.

Long story short: She balked. They took her pants. She walked around in her underwear. Her pants were returned!

Katharine Hepburn’s second film, Christopher Strong (1933) is memorable for several reasons…

It was directed by the trailblazing Dorothy Arzner… not a lot of women directors in old Hollywood!
This was Katharine Hepburn’s second film
It was the first film in which she was given top billing… imagine… top billing in just your second film.
…and, of course, the moth costume is VERY memorable (see below for proof)

Katharine Hepburn, Christopher Strange (1933)

Katharine Hepburn won four Oscars for Best Lead Actress:

Morning Glory, 1934
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, 1968
The Lion in Winter, 1969
On Golden Pond, 1982

She was nominated for 8 more in the same category. Kind of thinking that, had she won these as well, they should have renamed it the “Katharine Hepburn Award!”

Katharine Hepburn

Dame Margaret Rutherford, BOTD in England in 1892

May 11, 2023 By Joi

Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple in Murder Ahoy (1964)

“I hope I’m an individual. I suppose an eccentric is a super individual. Perhaps an eccentric is just off centre – ex-centric. But that contradicts a belief of mine that we’ve got to be centrifugal.”

~ Dame Margaret Rutherford

The wonderful Margaret Rutherford was born in England on May 11, 1892. Perhaps best-known for her deliciously entertaining performances in the Miss Marple films, Rutherford has a VERY fine filmography outside of these mysteries.

Ironically, she was initially hesitant to play the role of Miss Marple. Her reasoning is, in my opinion, both brilliant AND deliciously British… “Murder, you see, is not the sort of thing I can get close to. I don’t like these things that are just for thrills. I would far rather go without work. I do not like murder. It has an atmosphere I have always found uncongenial.”

Happy Heavenly birthday to a truly extraordinary lady!

The Wonderful Glenn Ford was BOTD in Canada in 1916

May 1, 2023 By Joi

Glenn Ford, Pocketful of Miracles

I literally love all of Glenn Ford’s films – with the exception of two (and I even half-love one of those!). He’s one of those actors who makes it look so easy that we don’t talk about them nearly often enough. The stars who embodied the “go big or go home” philosophy or who lived a life with as much drama as they ever lived onscreen seem to get most of the attention. It’s a complete travesty, actually, because consistent, talented, extraordinary stars like Glenn Ford, Paul Henreid, Ann Sheridan, Beulah Bondi, Van Johnson, Marie Dressler, Pat O’Brien, Van Heflin, Kay Francis, etc not only helped build Hollywood, they’re a huge part of what makes it so magical even to this day!

Glenn Ford has a filmography any star would be proud of.. and it includes a wide variety of genres because he was beautifully versatile – more so, I believe, than he even realized.

Gene Tierney and Glenn Ford, The Secret of Convict Lake

Some of my favorite Glenn Ford movies are…

The Secret of Convict Lake
Pocketful of Miracles
Gilda
3:10 to Yuma
A Stolen Life
The Violent Men
The Fastest Gun
The Last Challenge
The Big Heat
Superman (’78)
Heaven with a Gun

The list goes on and on. He made a lot of great films as well as TV movies as well. If you aren’t familiar with his body of work, I hope you’ll seek out his films very soon. I’d simply choose my favorite genre and proceed accordingly. If you like Westerns and/or film-noir, you’re particularly in luck, but he made a lot of quality dramas and comedies as well.

I’m a huge fan of his, or could you tell?

Happy Heavenly birthday to a wonderful actor who did it all with style and class!

Van Heflin and Glenn Ford, 3:10 to Yuma

Remembering the Wonderful Celeste Holm on the Date of Her Birth

April 29, 2023 By Joi

Celeste Holm

The beautiful Celeste Holm was born on this day (April 29th) in 1917 in Brooklyn, New York. She brought so much charisma and talent to EVERY single performance, often stealing scenes from household names… she had a quality (much like Joan Blondell, Thelma Ritter, S.Z. Sakall, and a select group of others) that made you want to keep your eyes on her and your ears tuned into whatever it was she had to say.

You dare not look away, EVEN if you wanted to.

Celeste Holm

Some of my Personal Favorite Celeste Holms Films:

Come to the Stable
All About Eve
High Society
Champagne for Caesar
The Snake Pit
Tom Sawyer (’73)
Gentleman’s Agreement
Cinderella (TV Movie)
The Tender Trap

The films above are jut the tip of her wonderful filmography which also includes numerous wonderful guest appearances on tv.

Celeste Holm

“We live by encouragement and die without it – slowly, sadly, and angrily.” ~ Celeste Holm

Thank you for all the wonderful entertainment, Celeste Holm, and happy birthday!

Happy Birthday to the Extraordinary Carol Burnett!

April 26, 2023 By Joi

Carol Burnett and Lucille Ball

The adorable picture above shows two of my favorites doing what they do/did best… making people smile. Such extraordinary women and very close friends in real life as well.

Carol Burnett’s birthday is today and I can think of no better way to honor her than a photo with a friend that meant so much to her.

She was born on April 26, 1933 in San Antonio, Texas and television and its fans are all the richer for it. It’s amazing to me just how timeless The Carol Burnett Show is, even today. The music, opening monologue, skits, and humor ring as wonderful today as they did then and so much of that is because of the wonderful redhead we’re celebrating today.

Happiest of birthdays, Carol Burnett, and thanks for all of the wonderful fun and laughter!

You can find the complete series (or buy seasons individually) of The Carol Burnett Show on dvd or watch on Prime Video. (Amazon link)

Happy Heavenly Birthday to Mary Pickford!

April 8, 2023 By Joi

Mary Pickford, Suds

The beautiful, talented, and absolutely iconic Mary Pickford was BOTD in Toronto in 1892. Pickford was an extraordinary woman, author, and pioneer in addition to being an extraordinary actress.

“I left the screen because I didn’t want what happened to Chaplin (Charles Chaplin) to happen to me. The little girl made me. I wasn’t waiting for the little girl to kill me. I’d already been pigeonholed. I know I’m an artist, and that’s not being arrogant, because talent comes from God. My career was planned, there was never anything accidental about it. It was planned, it was painful, it was purposeful. I’m not exactly satisfied, but I’m grateful.” ~ Mary Pickford

The beautiful picture at the top is a promotional pic for Mary Pickford’s 1920 silent film Suds (directed by John Francis Dillon).

Doris Day was BOTD in 1922 in Cincinnati, Ohio – and Are We Ever Lucky She Was!

April 3, 2023 By Joi

Doris Day, Lover Come Back (1961)

I don’t have a lot of time, unfortunately, this morning to spend at the computer – otherwise, I’d love to rave on and on and on about Doris Day on the date of her birth! Her talent, beauty, genuineness, love for animals, graciousness, positivity, and inner light deserve more words than I have time to devote to them right now.

But to be honest, I’m not sure a billion words could sum up even half of how special and unique she was.

I love her filmography and the way she lights up a screen. I love her speaking voice, as well as her wonderful singing voice. I love how much joy she seemed to derive from making people smile. I love how positive she was about her co-stars and how gracious she was about her experiences and films.

The lovely photos in this post are from one of my favorite of her films, Lover Come Back. The 1961 comedy was directed by Delbert Mann and co-stars Rock Hudson, Tony Randall, Edie Adams, Ann B. Davis, Jack Albertson, and Jack Oakie.

You can find the romantic comedy Lover Come Back (1961) on DVD, Blu-ray, or Prime Video (Amazon link).

Elizabeth Taylor, Actress and Humanitarian was BOTD in 1932

February 27, 2023 By Joi

Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra

Today we celebrate the date of Elizabeth Taylor’s birthday, and what better way to do so than with photos of her iconic role as Cleopatra in the iconic 1963 movie. Brilliantly directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the movie also stars Richard Burton and Rex Harrison.

Elizabeth Taylor was born on this date in England in 1932. While she is (for obvious reasons) greatly celebrated for her beauty, she was also an extraordinary actress and humanitarian. She passionately fought for victims of AIDS – for them to receive both care and respect. She dedicated so much of herself and her life to the cause that it’s one of the things I most respect about her. Can you imagine if we all fought so valiantly for the cause or cause we believed in? If we all preached love, tolerance, and kindness instead of trying to draw lines, pick sides, and judge people who are different than we are.

The world wouldn’t just be a better place, it’d be a much happier one as well.

Thanks to Elizabeth Taylor for her beauty, her films, and her great example. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

You can find Elizabeth Taylor’s iconic Cleopatra on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Elizabeth Taylor in the Iconic Cleopatra Bath Scene