Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors
Gene Tierney
The Western Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen (1941) was directed by Irving Cummings. The cast includes Gene Tierney, Randolph Scott, Dana Andrews, Louise Beavers, Chill Wills, Elizabeth Patterson, and Shepperd Strudwick.
Gene Tierney and Randolph Scott
You can find Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Ethel Barrymore, The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)
One of the greatest actresses of ALL TIME is pictured above… the wonderful Ethel Barrymore. If you’re like me, you watch a lot of old movies. I mean A LOT. Often, I’ll see a performance from an actor or actress and think, “Wow, they were really good.”
Then I’ll see one of the great ones, like Ethel Barrymore, and am reminded that there was simply something extra that separated the good ones from the great ones. You can’t always define it, but you can always recognize it.
Gene Tierney and Ethel Barrymore: The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)
I was looking for an Ethel Barrymore movie collection on Amazon earlier and, sadly, didn’t find one. Surely one has been put together! But I did find something else I love (pictured below), an Ethel Barrymore Poster Print (Amazon link). I’m obsessed with this and plan to order one to go in my bedroom immediately. The search for a collection of her films continues but the next great bedroom artwork has been locked and loaded!
Ethel Barrymore Poster Print (Amazon link)
Gene Tierney and Vincent Price
Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb led a ridiculously strong cast in the 1944 film Laura, directed to perfection by Otto Preminger. Vincent Price considered this to be the best of his films and, while I’d personally tie a few with it (simply because I love all his films), I can certainly see his point. The movie is cinematic perfection.
Vincent Price and Gene Tierney in Laura
“I was on the set before the sun came up and tumbled home at eight or nine in the evening. He was simply tireless. When the rest of the cast seemed ready to drop from exhaustion, Otto would still muster as much vigor as when the day began.” ~ Gene Tierney, about director Otto Preminger
You can find Laura on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gene Tierney and Glenn Ford: The Secret of Convict Lake
Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, and Ethel Barrymore lead an outstanding cast in the 1951 Western The Secret of Convict Lake. Directed by Michael Gordon, it’s one of the first Westerns I’d recommend to someone who is either new to Westerns or doesn’t think they like the genre.
As a Westerns fanatic, I’m convinced there is no way under the sun to NOT like a Western… one only thinks they don’t like them until they see the right ones.
Ann Dvorak, Ruth Donnelly, Barbara Bates, Gene Tierney, and Ethel Barrymore
This is one to start with. The acting is flawless, the cast outstanding, and the story holds your interest from start to finish. The excellent cast includes Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, Ann Dvorak, Ruth Donnelly, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, and Barbara Bates.
You can watch The Secret of Convict Lake on STARZ on Amazon Prime. Finding the dvd can be a bit of a challenge.. trust me, I’m looking! There’s one on Amazon that’s a “Spanish Release” but it doesn’t play on most American dvd players.
Gene Tierney and Ethel Barrymore: The Secret of Convict Lake
Gene Tierney
As is often the case, I have a gazillion things to do and a set number of hours to do them in, so I am literally going to hit you with some gorgeous pictures of Gene Tierney and walk away.
Hey, there are far worse things that could be thrown at you!
These gorgeous Gene Tierney promotional pictures are for her wonderful and iconic 1944 movie Laura, co-starring Vincent Price, Dana Andrews, and Clifton Webb. Directed by Otto Preminger, it’s one of the great ones.
You can find Laura on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney and Louise Beavers, Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen
The two actresses pictured above?? LOVE them! Gene Tierney and Louise Beavers sharing screen-time is almost too much goodness for my heart. Like movies starring Henry Fonda and James Stewart… or Murphy’s Romance with James Garner and Sally Field… or the one film that starred Maureen O’Hara and Lucille Ball (Dance, Girl, Dance).
Almost too much for my heart and mind to handle.
Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen (1941) is such a good Western and the cast, which also includes Randolph Scott and Dana Andrews, could not possibly be any better.
I have absolutely no idea why it isn’t better-known. I mention it and 9 times out of 10, someone asks, “Who was in that one?” or they say, “Never heard of it!”
Sigh. The life of a classic film lover. So many movies and so many stars to try to shine a spotlight on. So much work – I mean there are just countless movies from silents through the 80s and even more stars to either introduce people to or remind others of. Exhausting.
Yeah. I love every second of it.
See Also: Gene Tierney in Belle Star: The Bandit Queen
You can find Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video. I very much hope you’ll seek this one out. Gene Tierney and Louise Beavers deserve to be seen and appreciated.
Gene Tierney, Sundown
One of the most beautiful actresses of all time also happened to be one of the most talented. Gene Tierney was truly one in a million – yet, somehow, it took me years to see enough of her work to realize just how extraordinary she was. I saw The Ghost and Mrs. Muir YEARS ago and loved it and her, but my second Gene Tierney movie didn’t come until many years later. I have no idea how or why I didn’t see more during this time – I guess I was too busy with filmographies of other favorites.
In fact, it was while focusing on another favorite’s filmography (Dorothy Dandridge) that I came to see my second Gene Tierney film which was Sundown. In the years since that second viewing, I have sought out as many of her films as I can find. She quickly became a favorite and I kind of want to kick myself for taking so long to become a fan.
You can find Sundown on Prime Video.
Gene Tierney, Sundown
Gene Tierney
Few actors and actresses are more associated with a film and character than Gene Tierney is with Laura (1944). She is, and will always be, Laura in the minds of many of her fans. Not only was she spectacular in this movie (a very, very good one at that), I suspect it was the first Gene Tierney film many of them saw. For me, my first Gene Tierney movie was The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, so that’s usually the one I measure all of her movies and characters against.
She was breathtakingly wonderful in everything and has an outstanding filmography.
You can find Laura on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gene Tierney, Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen
As hard as it is to imagine another actress (any other actress!) in the title role of Belle Starr, Gene Tierney wasn’t the first actress considered for the role. She wasn’t even the second.
What the heckity heck?!
You can find Belle Starr: The Bandit Queen on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gene Tierney, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir
Although it’s almost impossible to imagine, Gene Tierney’s first approach to the character of Lucy Muir in The Ghost and Mrs. Muir (1947) was light and more comedic than dramatic. After a meeting between (Twentieth Century Fox studio head) Darryl F. Zanuck and (Director) Joseph L. Mankiewicz, the first two days were reshot so the actress could give the character more depth and seriousness.
Thank goodness!
The role of Lucy is one of the wonderful actress’ signature roles and she played her to absolute perfection – her performance set the wonderful overall mood for the film. The result? One of the greatest movies ever made – and one that we Old Hollywood fans can proudly recommend to anyone.
You can find The Ghost and Mrs. Muir on Amazon (link to the dvd on Amazon) or watch it on Prime.
Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison
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…
