Golden Age of Hollywood
Rita Hayworth
My Gal Sal stars Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, John Sutton, James Gleason, and Phil Silvers. It was directed by Irving Cummings and, while it can be difficult to find (it’s never shown on television it seems!), it’s very much worth the effort.
You CAN find My Gal Sal on dvd (Amazon video). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video yet.
Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature
Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature star in the 1942 My Gal Sal, directed by Irving Cummings. I’m always surprised that this film isn’t better known. I mean, it stars Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature – how can it not be more popular?!
The movie also stars Carole Landis, John Sutton, James Gleason, and Phil Silvers.
You can find My Gal Sal on dvd (Amazon video). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video yet. That’s probably a good sign of why the film isn’t better known.. it’s hard to find!
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth, Down to Earth
Beautiful Rita Hayworth stars in the 1947 film Down to Earth, directed by Alexander Hall. The musical is light-hearted, fun, and quite funny in parts. Make no mistake about it, however, Rita Hayworth and the beautiful costumes are the main stars.
She’s perfectly ethereal in this film… then again, when wasn’t she?!
You can find the Down to Earth dvd on Amazon (with a gorgeous cover, I must say) or watch the film on Prime Video – I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s available.
Rita Hayworth
Howard Hawks, Cary Grant, and Rita Hayworth
Love everything about he photo above of Howard Hawks, Cary Grant, and Rita Hayworth behind the scenes of Only Angels Have Wings (1936, directed by Howard Hawks). If you’ve never seen this film, I hope you check it out really soon. The STELLAR cast includes Cary Grant, Jean Arthur, Rita Hayworth, and Thomas Mitchell and was directed by one of the best in the business, Howard Hawks.
You can buy Only Angels Have Wings on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video.
Rita Hayworth, Down to Earth
The next dvd I need to add to my Rita Hayworth collection is Down to Earth. I’m anxious to buy it because, truth be told, I’m anxious to watch it again (it’s never on tv!). While, even as a Rita Hayworth fanatic, I can’t claim this is a wonderful movie, it is entertaining. The two leads’ voices are both dubbed – one being Rita Hayworth and the other Larry Parks – and Adele Jergens’ voice is also dubbed. To be honest, dubbed voices always kind of bother me. It seems kind of lazy to not just hire stars who you feel can sing well enough in the first place.
Or… simply allow them to sing whether their voices are perfect or not. After all, most people don’t sound like Shirley Jones or Harry Belafonte when they sing!
This was actually Rita’s least favorite of her films, and usually not a hit with critics or fans BUT if you take it for what it is, a fun glitzy, visually beautiful film that’s lighthearted and has some really funny moments, you’ll think it’s a little hidden gem.
You can find the Down to Earth dvd on Amazon or watch the film on Prime Video.
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth, Gilda
The beautiful, multitalented, iconic, and perfectly wonderful in every way Rita Hayworth was born on this day in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1918. This incredible actress is one of the stars I CANNOT imagine old Hollywood without. She was so much more than just an uncommonly beautiful actress – she was incredibly talented. She could do drama, comedy, musicals, film-noir and make it look effortless.
Amazingly enough, she was also one of the best dancers ever to hit Hollywood. How wonderful was she? Guess who Fred Astaire named as his favorite dancing partner? That’s right… Rita Hayworth. If you’ve never seen You Were Never Lovelier, their wonderful musical from 1942, I hope you find it soon. It’s one of my favorite musicals of ALL TIME – it’s extraordinary, and so is Rita.
Happy Heavenly birthday to one of the reasons I love old Hollywood as much as I do. I promise to always do my part to keep your face and name alive and well!
You can find Gilda and You Were Never Lovelier on dvd (Amazon link – be sure to look at the different price options! They run from $12 to over $50… I’m going for the $12 one!). You can also watch Gilda on Prime Video.
Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier
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).
Rita Hayworth, Gilda
There are many (lucky for us!) Rita Hayworth promotional pictures from her iconic role as the title character in Gilda. Gilda (1946) was directed by Charles Vidor and stars Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It’s a legendary film, mostly due to the fact that Rita Hayworth is so remarkably well…. she was so remarkably Rita!
However, when (if?) you get past her ridiculous beauty, you will find this to be a wonderfully-directed, exceptionally well-acted, and very well-written movie. It’s one of my favorites. It’s also the movie that introduced me to Glenn Ford and made him such a favorite.
It’s funny, a lot of the Gilda Promotional pictures of Rita Hayworth are sultry and gorgeous (like the one below), but for some reason, the photo above is my favorite. It, to me, is more representative of the person lovely Rita actually was.
Rita Hayworth
You can find Gilda (link to the dvd or blu-ray on Amazon) on dvd on Amazon or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Rita Hayworth
One of my favorite actresses (or stars overall) is Rita Hayworth. Love her, love her, love her. The first thing about her that caught my attention (when I was around 16 or so) was her beauty. I remember seeing a photo of her in one of my mom’s books and asking her about the ridiculously beautiful actress. She said she’d find one of her movies on tv soon for us to watch. She did… we did… and I’ve been obsessed with Rita since!
As I said, her beauty is what I first noticed about Rita Hayworth, but after seeing a few of her films, I quickly realized that she was as talented as she was beautiful. Over the years, as I’ve seen so many more of her films, I’m also struck by the fact that she could play any role, any genre, and master anything thrown her way. Comedy, drama, musicals (she was one of the best dancers ever and was the one Fred Astaire named as his favorite dance partner… HIGH praise from a man who danced with the best)… there isn’t anything this lady couldn’t do.
The pictures here are promotional photos for Rita’s 1957 film Fire Down Below. I rewatched this film recently and something else occurred to me about this lovely actress – she seemed to heighten the charisma and screen presence of everyone around her. It’s almost as though they knew they were sharing a screen with an icon and stepped their game up to the highest notch possible.
Not that any of her co-stars needed to step up their game, mind you… I just personally think she made the great ones even better.
You can find the Fire Down Below dvd on Amazon (link to Amazon) or watch it on Prime Video: Fire Down Below on Prime Video (Amazon link).
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum star in the 1957 adventure drama Fire Down Below, directed by Robert Parrish. Lemmon and Mitchum play boat owners whose friendship is greatly threatened by a beautiful woman who (oh so naturally) catches their eye and their hearts.
Gee wonder what actress plays that role??
Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum are each extraordinary actors and outstanding in every film they ever made. Seeing three movie legends sharing the screen is a real joy.
You can find the Fire Down Below dvd on Amazon (link to Amazon). I need this one for my Rita Hayworth collection, so I need to practice what I preach and go buy a copy, myself! You can also find Fire Down Below on Prime Video (Amazon link).
The beauty above is Silent Film star Mildred Davis. She was a frequent co-star (and longtime wife) of legendary actor Harold Lloyd. She’s one of my favorite silent film actresses and one I can’t understand not being a household name!
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…
