Quotes from the Stars of Old Hollywood

Beautiful Quote by Claudette Colbert (Plus a Few Beautiful Publicity Photos from Tonight is Ours)

November 15, 2021 By Joi

Claudette Colbert, Tonight is Ours (1933)

I love everything about the wonderful Claudette Colbert – from her films to her wonderful quotes. The one below is one of my favorites. The more you read about this amazing actress, the more you find to love about her!

“To be celebrated is nothing. To be loved is everything.” ~ Claudette Colbert

This publicity photo of Claudette Colbert is from Tonight is Ours (1933, directed by Stuart Walker). The movie co-stars Fredric March, Alison Skipworth, and Arthur Byron. Unfortunately it’s as impossible to catch on television as it is to find on dvd!

Wonderful Ethel Waters Quote… Love Her So Much!

October 27, 2021 By Joi

Ethel Waters, Cabin in the Sky

“I can get angry and curse a little. I don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, don’t get that idea. But I have a vocabulary without the Lord’s name that could raise the roof. You understand what I’m saying, sugar?” ~ Ethel Waters

I was already a huge fan of the wonderful Ethel Waters but, after reading this quote a while back, I became probably her biggest fan in all the world. What a colorful, amazing woman she was!

Sophia Loren and Gregory Peck in Arabesque (1966)

October 25, 2021 By Joi

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)

Susan and God: I LOVE This Fredric March Quote About Joan Crawford!

September 2, 2021 By Joi

Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, John Carroll

Not only do I absolutely ADORE Joan Crawford movies (the movies are almost always extraordinary and she always is), I’m also infatuated with the star quality this lady had. She didn’t just accept being a star, she embraced it. She, for me, defines being a star, so I really love when I read things (like the quote below) that reaffirm my suspicions:

“She was a nice person, but a real movie star. She even brought her own music to the set [of Susan and God (1940)]–a whole entourage, a violinist and a pianist to play her favorite songs, to get her into the proper mood for the scenes.” ~ Fredric March

Some people read things like this and decide they like an actor or actress a “little less” because of it. Not me! I read that Joan Crawford brought in live musicians to set her mood and I fall even further under her spell.

Fredric March co-starred with Joan Crawford in the 1940 comedy-drama Susan and God. The movie also starred Rita Hayworth, Ruth Hussey, Nigel Bruce, John Carroll, Bruce Cabot, Rita Quigley, and Rose Hobart. After reading Fredric March’s quote, I’m eager to watch the movie all over again!

You can find Susan and God on dvd (Amazon link).

BOTD in 1903, The Larger than Life Errol Flynn

June 20, 2021 By Joi

Errol Flynn, San Antonio (1945)

One of the greatest, most colorful, and certainly most popular actors of all time, Errol Flynn was BORD in 1909 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. He often reminds me of another wonderful actor (who also died far too soon), Heath Ledger. The fact that they were both born in Australia is pretty ironic.

One of the things that fascinates me most about Flynn was his ability to (very believably) transition from role to role – oftentimes very different roles! He was just as believable as a swashbuckler as he was a cowboy and just as believable as Don Juan as he was Robin Hood.

“If I have any genius it is a genius for living.” ~ Errol Flynn

Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn, Dodge City

Errol Flynn is oftentimes a bit of a controversial figure among old Hollywood enthusiasts and film historians. I always hate when anyone devotes time and effort to trying to “knock down” a star who is no longer with us. They contributed to the old Hollywood that we know and love so much – why is it so hard for some people to focus on the positives and leave the negatives in the background… where, of course, they’d prefer their own faults and shortcomings to remain.

I literally encountered a woman once who (after every positive word I said about Errol Flynn), countered with a negative word. I finally just dropped the subject and asked who her favorite was. She said his name, and while I won’t mention it here out of respect to the actor, he had done everything she had just accused Errol Flynn of! When I gently pointed this out, she laughed and said, “Oh I try not to think about any of that!”

Ummm… okay? I am perfectly fine with that. Just extend the same courtesy to everyone else!

Errol Flynn lived life on his own terms, was spoken highly of by his co-stars, and was seemingly adored by his leading ladies. He left us with larger than life performances – none greater than the one of Errol Flynn, himself.

Concluded Below…

Errol Flynn and Maureen O’Hara in Against All Flags

Errol Flynn’s last words were, reportedly (and VERY believably!), “I’ve had a hell of a lot of fun and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Lee Marvin Quote About Humphrey Bogart (Love it!)

May 20, 2021 By Joi

Lee Marvin, Paint Your Wagon

I love quotes – always have, always will. In fact, I’m a collector of many things in life, INCLUDING quotes. We’re talking notebooks full of them, y’all.

When it comes to old Hollywood stars, I absolutely love it when they say kind, supporting things about one another. Anyone can say bitter, ugly, and nasty things about other people (and they so often do!) but, as far as I’m concerned, give me an actor, actress, or director who tries to build someone up rather than tear someone down.

I was reminded of just how much I love it when I read this quote by Lee Marvin about Humphrey Bogart earlier.

“In life and in movies I profoundly admired Bogart, both personally and professionally.” ~ Lee Marvin

Obviously, it shines a great light on Humphrey Bogart but it shines just as bright a light on Lee Marvin. Kindness does that for a person.

Humphrey Bogart

A Few Favorite Sophia Loren Quotes… Beautiful, Smart, AND Colorful!

July 21, 2020 By Joi

Sophia Loren, Boy on a Dolphin

(When asked why she didn’t pose nude in the 2007 Pirelli calendar) “When Sophia Loren is naked, that is a lot of nakedness.”

“Cooking is an act of love, a gift, a way of sharing with others the little secrets – ‘piccoli segreti’ – that are simmering on the burners.”

“Mistakes are a part of the dues one pays for a full life.”

“The two big advantages I had at birth were to have been born wise and to have been born in poverty.”

“Tyrone Power was my ideal man.”

“The facts of life are that a child who has seen war cannot be compared with a child who doesn’t know what war is except from television.”

“I’ve never tried to block out the memories of the past, even though some are painful. I don’t understand people who hide from their past. Everything you live through helps to make you the person you are now.”

“Getting ahead in a difficult profession requires avid faith in yourself. That is why some people with mediocre talent, but with great inner drive, go so much further than people with vastly superior talent.”

Sophia Loren, Boy on a Dolphin Promo Shot

You can watch Boy on a Dolphin on Prime or buy the dvd on Amazon.

A Favorite Irene Dunne Quote And Photo

March 17, 2020 By Joi

“When we have learned to love our neighbor, not just ourselves, no matter where we come from, then America will be perfect.” ~ Irene Dunne

Rita Moreno: A Favorite Quote That Fits Her Like a Glove

March 6, 2020 By Joi

Rita Moreno, El Alamein

I almost always have my nose stuck in an Old Hollywood biography or autobiography and one of my favorite things is quotes from the stars, themselves. Truth be told, I fairly obsess over them. I have multiple notebooks I use for filmography study, movie quotes/rankings, etc, as well as research and study on individual stars. Rounding up and enjoying their quotes is one of my favorite things

The quote, below, from the incomparable Rita Moreno is one of my favorites. I love the attitude, I love the sass, and (most of all), I love the TRUTH!

Bigger than life is not difficult for me. I AM bigger than life.” ~ Rita Moreno

Bigger than life sums this lady up beautifully.