Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford completely light the screen UP in The Big Heat (1953), directed by Fritz Lang. The film-noir (one of the best ever made in my opinion) also stars Lee Marvin and Jocelyn Brando.
I’ve said it before and I KNOW I’ll say it again, Gloria Grahame fascinates me. She always has. The versatility this actress had is honestly remarkable.
You can find The Big Heat on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford
The Big Heat (1953) was directed by the wonderful Fritz Lang and stars two of film-noir’s greatest stars, Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame. What these two meant to the genre cannot be overstated. They brought the magic!
The Big Heat movie also stars Lee Marvin, Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando’s big sister!), Alexander Scourby, and Carolyn Jones.
If you love film-noir, suspense, great acting, and spellbinding dramas, you’ll love this one.
You can find The Big Heat on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.
Gloria Grahame
Crossfire is a 1947 film-noir, directed by Edward Dmytryk. The cast includes Gloria Grahame, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, George Cooper, and Jacqueline White. The entire cast is perfection and the directing is a thing of beauty… like Gloria Grahame, herself!
You can find Crossfire on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gloria Grahame
The wonderful 1947 film-noir Crossfire was directed by Edward Dmytryk and boasts an extraordinary cast which includes Gloria Grahame, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, George Cooper, and Jacqueline White. Gloria Grahame isn’t just one of my favorite film-noir actresses, she’s one of my favorite all-time actresses. She was wonderful in absolutely everything from comedy to film-noirs…. from Ado Annie to the femme fatales she played so deliciously.
I also love her co-stars in this film – the casting department worked magic with this group and it pays off in the film. It’s absolutely wonderful.
Gloria Grahame and Robert Young, Crossfire
Robert Young fascinates me – he’s best-known for his wonderful classic television show Father Knows Best, but when you see him in a film role, you realize just how great an actor he was. He had an undeniable charisma about his as well.
You can find Crossfire on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gloria Grahame
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford
Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford star in one of my favorite film-noirs, The Big Heat (1953). Directed to perfection by Fritz Lang, the movie also stars Lee Marvin and Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando’s older sister).
If you’ve never seen this film, you have to check it out – it’s a great one. Gloria Grahame and Glenn Ford are extraordinary in their roles and the chemistry is undeniable.
You can find The Big Heat on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.
Maureen O’Hara and Melvyn Douglas
One of my favorite actresses is Maureen O’Hara. If push came to shove and I HAD to name just one favorite all-time actress, she’d be it. Fortunately no one has ever threatened to push or shove me over the fact. Not even on Twitter and it can get intense over there.
Another favorite actress is Gloria Grahame and one of my favorite actors is Melvyn Douglas.. so how am I not going to watch and rewatch and rewatch a movie starring all three?! Okay, if we’re going to be honest, if the movie was crummy, I wouldn’t rewatch it even once – in spite of the cast. Fortunately A Woman’s Secret (1949, directed by Nicholas Ray) is a wonderful film noir and the stars give exceptional performances.
What’s more, the chemistry between Maureen O’Hara and Melvyn Douglas is outstanding. I SO wish they’d made many movies for me to enjoy.
As it is, I’ll just keep revisiting them and the wonderful Gloria Grahame in this one. I don’t mind one bit.
Maureen O’Hara and Gloria Grahame, A Woman’s Secret
It’s a Wonderful Life Cast Photo
One of my favorite movies of all-time is also one of the ones that launched my extreme love and passion for old movies – It’s a Wonderful Life (1946).
WHAT A CAST! Undoubtedly one of the greatest casts ever assembled – and boy did it ever pay off. They made a movie that is an absolute legend and one that has touched (and continues to touch) countless hearts each year.
Find It’s a Wonderful Life on Amazon! The link goes to the black and white version, because it’s my favorite, but Amazon also has the colorized version.
A Woman’s Secret – Maureen O’Hara, Melvyn Douglas and Gloria Grahame
Two of my absolute favorite actresses are Maureen O’Hara and Gloria Grahame. One of my absolute favorite actors (right up there, shoulder to shoulder with Bogart, Keaton, and Stewart) is Melvyn Douglas. How in the world am I NOT going to be completely obsessed with A Woman’s Secret (1949) starring all three?!
Fortunately, it also happens to be a very good movie. It’d be a darn shame for me if it wasn’t, wouldn’t it?! I have a feeling I’d like it even if it was a turkey, simply because it has these three.
I’m working on my review of this wonderful film-noir, but for now, here’s a little tease as the picture of the day.
Gloria Grahame
Isn’t it remarkable how a star can come shooting right out of the blue and become one of your absolute favorite stars?! Maybe it’s that second or third (sometimes sixth) movie you see them in and… baddabing… you love them so much you’re ready to rename one of your cats after them.
Just me? Oh. Awkward.
I’ve been obsessed with Old Hollywood (or Classic Hollywood, whichever name you prefer) forever and three days. Some of my favorites have been with me since Day One (Lucille Ball, Maureen O’Hara, Rita Hayworth, Hattie McDaniel, Barbara Stanwyck, James Stewart, Humphrey Bogart), but most have joined the forces over the years as I grow to know and love them.
Gloria Grahame was an actress I always liked “a lot” but she was just outside the “favorites” realm. In my defense, I had only seen her in It’s a Wonderful Life and Oklahoma and, while she was adorable and stole scenes from the absolute best of them, she simply had not (in my world) earned equal footing with Barbara and friends.
And then….
Earlier this year, I made it my mission to watch more Gloria Grahame films and, after just two, realized she had climbed the ranks and now sat up high with the rest.
She truly is remarkable – so talented and always so much fun to watch.
This gorgeous Picture of the Day is a promo pic from the wonderful film The Bad and the Beautiful.
Gloria Hallward was born on November 28, 1923 in Los Angeles, California. Her mother (and acting mentor) was stage actress Jean Grahame. Gloria acted professionally while still in high school and in 1944 Louis B. Mayer (after seeing her on Broadway) gave her an MGM contract under the name Gloria Grahame.
Gloria would go on to star in Oklahoma!, It’s a Wonderful Life, The Bad and the Beautiful, A Woman’s Secret, The Big Heat, In a Lonely Place, and many other memorable movies. While she was wonderfully capable of starring in any genre, she’s most associated with film-noir.
Below are 10 Facts about this beautiful and incredibly talented actress.
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…
