Old Hollywood: Movies, Actresses, and Actors
Veronica Lake on the Set of This Gun for Hire
This Gun for Hire (1942) was directed by Frank Tuttle and features an outstanding cast which includes Veronica Lake, Alan Ladd, Laird Cregar, and Robert Preston. The film-noir was the first to pair Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd and we can suffice to say, they struck gold with the casting!
You can find the classic film-noir This Gun for Hire on dvd and blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Veronica Lake Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire
Every now and then I get SO frustrated with myself for not talking more about certain stars from old Hollywood – stars I actually adore, but somehow simply don’t spend nearly enough time doing my part to keep their name and films shining bright and making noise.
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd are two such stars. I love their films to distraction and am a very big fan of both of them. If we’re being completely and totally honest, however, I think I actually know why I don’t talk about them more and, while, I SEE the reason…. I don’t APPROVE of the reason.
Simply put… they break my heart. Each star had so much going for them – they were beautiful and had a world of talent. Each was versatile and could do any genre thrown their way. However, neither had what could remotely be called a happy life and both stars turned to alcohol for their therapist.
Obviously, drinking is a complete failure when it comes to therapy and both stars died at the age of 50.
Devastatingly sad. To make matters worse, Veronica battled a mental illness that couldn’t possibly be understood or treated at the time. She was considered by some to be “difficult,” when in reality, she was battling demons the others wouldn’t recognize.
I’ve spent a great deal of time looking into both of their lives, looking for rays of sunshine – time or times when they were happy. A friendship/relationship Alan Ladd shared with June Allyson seems to have given him happiness while it lasted and both stars seemed to enjoy working together. I also love the fact that they were successful in their careers (especially during the 40s) and knew how many fans adored them.
Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake made seven movies together, all in the Forties:
This Gun for Hire (1942)
The Glass Key (1942)
The Blue Dahlia (1946)
Saigon (1947)
Star-Spangled Rhythm (1942)
Duffy’s Tavern (1945)
Variety Girl (1947)
You can find the classic film-noir This Gun for Hire on dvd and blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd, This Gun for Hire
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd on the Set of This Gun for Hire
Veronica Lake and Alan Ladd are pictured, here, while filming their 1942 film-noir This Gun for Hire (directed by Frank Tuttle). This was the first film the stars made together and is considered by many to be their best.
In addition to thier natural chemistry, something else that made their pairing so ideal was their heights. At 5′ 1¾” Veronica Lake was towered over by other leading men. Alan Ladd, on the other hand, at 5′ 6¼” would look eye to eye (or even UP to) many actresses. But… together, they were perfection.
You can find the classic film-noir This Gun for Hire on dvd and blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Veronica Lake, I Married a Witch
I Married a Witch (1942) was superbly directed by René Clair and boasts a wonderful cast including Veronica Lake, Fredric March, Robert Benchley, Susan Hayward, and Cecil Kellaway. I watch this adorable movie twice a year – once in September and once in October. It helps get me in the mood for the mischief and fun of Halloween!
You can find I Married a Witch on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Veronica Lake, I Married a Witch
Veronica Lake: I Married a Witch Promotional Photo
In my home, Halloween season starts September 1 each and every year. It’s such a colorful, full on FUN time of year, why settle for just one month when you can start at the beginning of September and make it a two month celebration?! So, yes, you can expect to see a lot of ghosts, goblins, monsters, and witches on the old Hollywood blog in the coming weeks.
The beautiful Veronica Lake stars in one of my favorite Halloween-time movies… I Married a Witch. It’s one of the cutest movies you could ever hope to see and she and Frederic March are perfect in their roles.
You can find I Married a Witch on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video. I can’t say enough wonderful things about this movie – it’s like Halloween… just so much FUN!
Fredric March: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931)
Fredric March was born in Wisconsin on August 31, 1897. He’d go on to one day be one of the finest actors to come out of Hollywood. The actor has a wonderful filmography and give an excellent performance with every role he ever stepped into. If my arm were twisted and I had to give my personal favorite of his films it would be I Married a Witch and it ties (with Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde) for my favorite Frederic March performance.
Having said that, he has a great number of wonderful performances and films.
Fredric March and Veronica Lake
For whatever sinister reasons, I always find it so funny when I read that certain stars didn’t get along during filming. I guess part of the reason is it points out how they were human just like the rest of us! During the filming of I Married a Witch, Frederic March and Veronica Lake did not get along AT ALL. You’d never be able to tell from their performances or the film, though. They have so much chemistry you’d think they got along quite well!
Miriam Hopkins and Fredric March, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
His performance in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) stands as one of the all-time great performances on film. He pretty much set the bar so high I’m not certain an actor will ever even come close.
You can find I Married a Witch on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video. It is SO DARN CUTE, you’ll love it!
You can find Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on dvd (Amazon link).
Frederic March: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Whereas some stars, in my opinion were better suited for one of the two, Veronica Lake was exceptional in BOTH. Her comedic timing really doesn’t get enough credit. I, personally, think she stood toe to toe with other great comedic actresses such as Lucille Ball and Rosalind Russell when it came to comedies. As for dramas (including film noirs), she was (again) as talented as anyone.
In addition to Veronica Lake, How Proudly We Hail (1943) starred several actresses who could do anything asked of a role – Claudette Colbert and Paulette Goodard. What. A. Cast!
How Proudly We Hail’s Plot: Nurses returning from the war in the Philippines recall their experiences, both in combat and love.
You can find the wonderful How Proudly We Hail on dvd (link to the dvd on Amazon). Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to be on Prime Video yet.
Veronica Lake
Veronica Lake, Joan Caulfield, and Barry Fitzgerald
The Sainted Sisters (1948) stars Veronica Lake & Joan Caulfield as cons from New York who are hiding from the law in a small town in Maine. They’re forced to form good deeds, which goes very much against the grain for them!
The outstanding cast also includes Barry Fitzgerald, Beulah Bondi, William Demarest, and George Reeves.
A while back I was bellyaching about Veronica Lake’s films not being shown on television NEARLY enough. Here’s yet another film that is wonderful, yet never televised. I’m also having a next-to-impossible time finding this one on dvd.
UGH!! Come on tv programmers and dvd companies, help a Veronica Lake fan out here.
If you’re ever able to find this one, watch it right away. It’s hilarious and the cast is absolutely perfect.
Veronica Lake
Veronica Lake and Eddie Bracken, Bring on the Girls (1945)
I wish (SO BADLY) that Veronica Lake’s films were shown on television more often. Sure, those of us who collect our favorite star’s movies can find them on dvd (usually… the movie this photo promotes, Bring on the Girls is one I can’t find anywhere) , but when they’re shown on television, more people are exposed to them and can become fans of the star(s) and film(s).
It seems that only a few of Veronica’s movies are ever shown – I Married a Witch is shown around Halloween each year and a few of her film noirs with Alan Ladd can occasionally be found. Occasionally.
If you are able to find her films on tv or Prime Video, I hope you’ll watch as many as you find. She was extremely talented, undeniably beautiful, and had a very special screen presence… a unique one, all her own.
Veronica Lake
Today’s Picture of the Day happens to also be Birthday Beauty Veronica Lake (born on this date in 1922). To show just how anal I am about things like this, I flipped a coin to see whether to give picture of the day to Louise Brooks (who was also born on this date in 1906) or Veronica Lake.
Ironically, each beautiful and talented actress is known almost as much as their films.
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…
