Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors
Walter Huston, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, and Lionel Barrymore
The cast of Duel in the Sun (1946, King Vidor) was LOADED with talent: Walter Huston, Joseph Cotten, Jennifer Jones, Gregory Peck, and Lionel Barrymore are pictured above.
The cast also included Herbert Marshall, Lillian Gish, Butterfly McQueen, and Charles Bickford.
You can find Duel in the Sun on dvd and Blu-ray (Amazon link).
Jennifer Jones, Duel in the Sun
Gregory Peck, Audrey Hepburn, and William Wyler
One of my all-time favorite movies is the wonderful, wonderful, WONDERFUL Roman Holiday with Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck (two stars who were mesmerizingly beautiful together). Directed by the best man for the job, William Wyler, the film is a classic and lives up to the name.
If I could change one thing about the movie, it would be the ending… it was perfectly fine, mind you (and Peck’s smile made it even more so), but it wasn’t quite what I had hoped for. I still LOVE the movie to distraction, mind you.
You can find Roman Holiday on dvd (Amazon link) or watch its magic on Prime Video.
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
The wonderful Roman Holiday (1953) was directed by William Wyler and stars two of old Hollywood’s best and most loved stars, Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. It also stars Eddie Albert (best known for Green Acres) with a performance that makes you wish he had been featured in more films! I love him in this movie and his character’s friendship with Gregory Peck’s character is one of the best things about the film.
Without giving anything away, I have to say this: If there were one thing I’d change about this movie it would be something in particular about the ending. I should have prefaced that by saying that I am incredibly particular about movie endings. I honestly am the worst when it comes to movie endings and expectations. Somewhere along the way in every movie, my mind decides how it very much wants the film to end… then, when the ending deviates from my mind’s game plan… well, suffice to say it’s a letdown!
The movie is perfectly wonderful and its stars shine so brightly in each scene it takes your breath away. In spite of ending slightly different than the direction my brain was headed, I absolutely love this movie and would rank it a 10 each and every time I watch it.
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
You can find Roman Holiday on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) – I certainly cherish my copy – or watch the wonderful movie on Prime Video.
Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck
Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck co-starred in the wonderful 1966 action-adventure Arabesque, directed by Stanley Donen.
Sophia Loren said of Gregory Peck, “One of the most charming men I’ve ever met.” As a Gregory Peck fan, I always love reading positive things his co-stars said about him.. fortunately they only had wonderful things to say about him.
Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck
It would appear he was a wonderful person and treated everyone with great respect!
You can find Arabesque on dvd (Amazon link).
Gregory Peck and Sophia Loren in Arabesque (1966)
Angie Dickinson and Gregory Peck
As I’ve been known to bellyache about before (and will again), many films and stars from the 50s-70s often get lost in the shuffle. Old Hollywood fans often gravitate toward the 20s-40s and modern movie fans often don’t venture from the 90s-today. When they DO “go back” to what they consider old Hollywood, it’s often the 80s.
The sad thing is, there are a wealth of wonderful movies, stars, and performances from 1950-1979 – dare I say it? Yeah, why not. There is just as much magic and fun to be had during this time as before or after this time.
Infinitely so!
Angie Dickinson and Gregory Peck are two of the many stars I love most during the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The wonderful Gregory Peck, of course, made some extraordinary movies in the 40s as well whereas the younger Angie Dickinson didn’t come onto the scene until the 50s.
Captain Newman, M.D. is a highly entertaining movie starring both of these talented stars as well as a few other names I’m sure you know… Tony Curtis, Eddie Albert, James Gregory, Robert Duvall, Dick Sargent, and Bobby Darin.
Directed by David Miller, Captain Newman, M.D. has the distinction of being the rare “War Comedy Drama.” The comedy part seems kind of out of place for a war movie, doesn’t it? However, the movie brilliantly, aptly, and perfectly intertwines drama and comedy – the latter making the former much easier to handle.
If you’ve never seen this one or if it’s been awhile, I hope you’ll find it and revisit the colorful cast.
You can find Captain Newman, M.D. on dvd on Amazon.
Gregory Peck
Gregory Peck leads a ridiculously talented cast in the 1969 film Mackenna’s Gold, directed by J. Lee Thompson. The cast also includes Omar Sharif, Telly Savalas, Camilla Sparv, Keenan Wynn, Julie Newmar, Edward G. Robinson, Raymond Massey, Lee J. Cobb, Burgess Meredith, and Eli Wallach.
Clint Eastwood was one of the first actors considered for Gregory Peck’s role but he had a commitment to make another western, Hang ’em High.
Apparently Gregory Peck enjoyed making the film with Edward G. Robinson and enjoyed his company on the set. The two talked about religion, politics, acting, and the fine arts.
You can find Mackenna’s Gold on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck
We all have our favorite Alfred Hitchcock films (or as we almost always call them, our “favorite Hitchcocks”). My top two favorites usually aren’t anyone else’s top two favorites… not that I mind in the least.. leaves more of them for me! What are these rare Hitchcock favorites?
It isn’t surprising that they each star a dynamic lead actor (Ray Milland and Gregory Peck) and a mesmerizing leading lady (Grace Kelly and Ingrid Bergman).
“Ingrid was warm and wonderful. She was very, very young, and she had a fresh quality, but she had more confidence than I did. No wonder. She was beautiful, more beautiful in person than on the screen.” ~ Gregory Peck
You can find Spellbound on Amazon (link to the dvd on Amazon). Amazon also has a great number of Hitchcock collections – many of which include Spellbound.
Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman
Susan Hayward and Gregory Peck
Susan Hayward and Gregory Peck star in the 1951 Historical Romance David and Bathsheba, directed by Henry King. The film is filled with beauty – from the wardrobe to the scenery and, of course Susan Hayward.
While I like the film and recommend it, I can’t say that the two leads have a lot of chemistry. In fact, at the risk of sounding ornery, I kept wondering the entire time I watched this one, “Who does Susan Hayward wish were playing David…” and “Who does Gregory Peck wish were playing Bathsheba…” Each star struck me as someone stuck on a blind date they’d rather not be on.
Take, as a contrast, Gregory Peck in Roman Holiday. When he looks at Audrey Hepburn, his eyes tell you there isn’t anyone he’d rather be sharing the scene with. The same can be said for Susan Hayward in Garden of Evil. She seems to very much appreciate Gary Cooper being nearby!
As far as that goes, each star gives me that impression in every other film they ever made.
Naturally, this could just be me. When we watch a movie, we do so with our own personal emotions, likes, dislikes, tastes, expectations, personalities, etc. What strikes me as absolute truth about a film may not come anywhere close to what someone else thinks.
That’s what makes movies even more fun than they already are… hearing different people’s opinions and comparing them to your own.
(Continued below beautiful Susan Hayward….)
Susan Hayward as Bathsheba
Overall, mind you, the film is very entertaining and each star is wonderful in their role. If you’ve seen this one, I’d love to hear what you think about their chemistry!
Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, Spellbound
An onscreen couple I don’t think any of us talk nearly enough about is Gregory Peck and Ingrid Bergman. The two teamed up for the wonderful Hitchcock film Spellbound and their chemistry certainly lived up to the title, as they do, in fact, leave you spellbound.
If you’ve never seen this Hitchcock, I hope you’ll find it soon. It’s one of my top two favorite Hitchcock films (along with Dial M for Murder).
You can find Spellbound on Amazon (link to the dvd on Amazon). Amazon also has a great number of Hitchcock collections – many of which include Spellbound.
Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck
Roman Holiday (Amazon DVD link) is such a wonderful, fun, beautifully written and perfectly-acted movie that it almost defies description. If the ending had not gotten on my bad side (sorry, I am the biggest sucker for happy endings in the world), it would be one of my top 3 favorite movies. As it is… making the top 10 will have to suffice!
I love this picture of Audrey and Gregory Peck, behind the scenes. He was (like most people) crazy about Audrey Hepburn and said everyone on the set fell in love with her.
How could they not?!!
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…
