Golden Age of Hollywood
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House stars Melvyn Douglas, Cary Grant & Myrna Loy
Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant, Notorious
There’s something extra fun about two powerhouse stars teaming up for a film – seeing them interacting onscreen together is a special kind of magic, isn’t it?
Ingrid Bergman and Cary Grant are outstanding in the 1946 film Notorious. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, this is one memorable movie.
Find Notorious on Amazon.
Ginger Rogers and Cary Grant: Two of the Reasons Monkey Business is Such a Fun Movie
As you’d assume, I watch A LOT of old movies & classic television and listen to countless old radio shows. I love dramas, Westerns, noirs, romances, mysteries, and horror… but I have always been drawn to comedies like a moth to light. The reason is simple – I love to laugh and am, myself, a born clown. I’m seldom serious and… truth be told.. even when I AM serious, there’s a smile and possibly even a giggle lying just below the surface.
Naturally, I love stars who make me laugh – those who have a natural ability to pull people’s proverbial funny bone. Most people don’t realize just how incredibly difficult that actually is. I am, by no means, an actress, but did take drama classes in school. Doing a dramatic play was infinitely easier than a comedy – a LOT goes into comedies and making a scene work is unspeakably difficult.
That’s one of the reasons I love stars who make it look so easy – those who seem as though they were born to make people laugh. Some of my favorites were the all-time “greats” at this:
Unless you’ve seen their comedies, it may surprise you when I say I think Ginger Rogers and Cary Grant were two of the best at comedy and could easily be placed on the list. In fact, had each been given a few more comedic roles, I believe they would be.
Their comedic timing was exceptional. Each one was perfect in Monkey Business and each had other films that showcased their great talent for comedy. Ginger Rogers was even funnier in Stage Door and The Major and the Minor and Cary Grant was on par with any comedian in Bringing Up Baby.
If you’ve never seen Monkey Business (Amazon link), I hope you’ll check it out – it’s just an awful lot of fun.
Grace Kelly and Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief
Think for just a minute about Cary Grant’s leading ladies:
Reads like half of a “top actresses of Old Hollywood” list, doesn’t it? I name all of these exceptional actresses to simply highlight the weightiness of the following quote by Cary Grant in 1986:
“I’ve worked with (Ingrid Bergman). I’ve worked with Katharine Hepburn. I’ve worked with some of the biggest stars, but Grace Kelly was the best actress I’ve ever worked with in my life. That woman was total relaxation, absolute ease – she was totally THERE. She was an extraordinarily serene girl.”
When you take into account all of the stars he worked with over his career, this is truly an exceptional quote – about an exceptional actress. He didn’t just single Grace out with this quote, either. He often cited her as his favorite leading actress. He, of course, attended her state funeral (1982) and wept throughout the service.
The Hollywood legends co-starred in To Catch a Thief in 1955, one of the last movies Grace Kelly would make.
After she became Princess Grace, Cary Grant would visit her on occasions in Monaco. Click here for a hilarious short article on Vanity Fair about the “dirty jokes” he would tell her family on these visits.
I think you’re going to like his poem about generals and… well… privates.
“We all loved her very, very much.” ~ Cary Grant, about Grace Kelly
Cary Grant was born on January 18, 1904 in Horfield, Bristol, England. Archibald Alexander Leach would one day become one of the most celebrated actors of all time.
I have a confession to make – I have always watched movies based upon who is in them. For example, if one of my favorite actresses or actors is in a film, I will pop the popcorn, pour the raspberry tea, round up my cats and head for the den. I will plop in my favorite chair and escape with said favorite or favorites.
The great news is I have a lot of favorites, so I eat a lot of popcorn. However, there have (over the years) been a lot of wonderful gems I’ve come across simply because they were on when I needed a movie to watch – whether a favorite stars in it or not!
This was the case, recently with In Name Only. Don’t get me wrong, I have VERY MUCH liked Cary Grant and Carole Lombard for some time, now- they simply hadn’t reached the same “absolute favorite” rarefied air of, say Lucille Ball, Katharine Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, Maureen O’Hara, Buster Keaton, James Stewart, Audrey Hepburn, Rita Hayworth, Barbara Stanwyck, Joan Crawford, Ava Gardner, John Wayne, Robert Montgomery, Clark Gable, Marion Daviess… the stars I make time in my schedule for – even if it’s a movie I’ve seen a million and thirteen times…. looking at you, Sabrina and The Quiet Man.
Funny thing is, though, I often “meet” new favorites who ascend to the rarefied air this very way. Cary Grant and Carole Lombard just landed themselves smack in the middle of the aforementioned favorites and I’m now on a mission to see their complete filmographies.
In Name Only is a movie that had never been on my radar – as in, AT ALL. When I saw that it was on TCM recently, I actually had to look to see who starred in it! See? Completely OFF my radar. I’ve recently become a big fan of Cary Grant and needed to see Carole Lombard in something else (I’d only seen her in three), so… you guessed it.. popcorn was popped while the raspberry tea was being poured.
It didn’t take long for this fun and engaging movie to pull me in. Carole Lombard, even without the wonderful assistance from Cary Grant and a solid cast, has a way of luring you in. There’s a certain vulnerability about her that makes you want to enter into her world and help her fight her fights and clear the path to happiness for her.
Cary Grant is Alec Walker who is in a horrible marriage to gold digger, nasty Maida (played sublimely by Kay Francis). Alec meets and falls for beautiful widow (and mother) Julie Eden, played perfectly by Carole Lombard. Even though the nasty wife certainly doesn’t love him, she refuses to give him a divorce. Far too much money involved for that!
The movie then takes you on a roller coaster ride as you hope Maida gets her comeuppance as much as you hope Alec and Julie get their happy ever after.
I am not about to give anything away, but I do want to say this is a roller coaster ride of emotion… and one I enjoyed completely.
Find In Name Only on Amazon – it’s truly a hidden gem.
Ever watch a movie and think, “You are perfect in every way!“? Of course you have! I think these very words every time I watch Bringing Up Baby (1938) with Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant. There’s nothing about this movie I don’t love to distraction. Truth be told, it’s one of those delicious classic old movies that I am completely and utterly obsessed with.
I could talk for hours and hours about this movie without ever taking a breath…
See what I mean? Obsessed.
Those of use who are Old Hollywood enthusiasts (addicts, fanatics… whatever word you use, I’ll answer) have lists we carry around in our heads of movies we recommend to those who aren’t as deep into old movies as we are. Bringing Up Baby is high on my own mental list.
I also keep it in my mental files on lists for people who only think they don’t like Katharine Hepburn or people who don’t think Cary Grant can do screwball comedy.
Heck… get out of here with that… he helped invent it.
Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, Bringing Up Baby
Plot: Katharine Hepburn beautifully (absolutely beautifully) plays Susan, an eccentric heiress who happens to have a pet leopard named Baby. She falls hard (literally a few times) for nerdish paleontologist David – played brilliantly and hilariously by Cary Grant. Problem is, she is making a total mess out of his prim and proper life and he just wants to get away from her.
Or, so he thinks.
Not only is this movie an absolute joy to watch, I’m in love with the fact that the stars, Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant had such a wonderful time making the film. I’ve read that they enjoyed it so much they’d frequently show up to the set early, just to get started working on their scenes. Some colorful “scenes,” no doubt as entertaining as the movie, carried out during the making of the movie as well!
The following is from the WONDERFUL Katharine Hepburn biography, I Know Where I’m Going by Charlotte Chandler:
“I make an effort to get along with all of my costars, the director, everyone on the set,” Cary Grant told me, “but I did not wish to establish a relationship with Baby.” He was referring to the leopard in Howard Hawks’ film Bringing Up Baby.
“I felt she might, at some moment, remember the call of her genes that told her she was a wild animal. Or she might like me too much and want to play. I hoped she’d had a good manicure, short claws, but I wasn’t going to be the one to take a close look. Now, Kate was never as worried by Baby. She like to pull her tail, fearless girl that she was, and Baby seemed to enjoy it. Kate didn’t pull very hard.”
“The was I saw my character, Susan,” Kate said, “was, I did anything that came into my heart. There was a great deal of the way I see myself in Susan,” Kate told me.
Ironically, frustratingly, and bewilderingly (pulling out all the stops with the -ly words here, aren’t I?), Bringing Up Baby was a box office bomb. I don’t understand it in the least, but there you have it. Equally {insert all of the previous -ly words here} is the fact that Katharine Hepburn seemed to get the blame!
WHAT?!
Katharine Hepburn, “Baby,” and Cary Grant – Bringing Up Baby
In 1938, the Independent Film Journal published an editorial to the Hollywood studios from the National Theatre Distributors of America. It included a list of stars (wait unitl you read the names) the writer of the letter, Harry Brandt, called “Box Office Poison.” The Hollywood studios ridiculously put a lot of stock in this idiocy.
On the list were…
Hahaahahahahahaa. They’re household names, today, and I just had to glance back to see Harry Brandt’s name again, even though I’d typed it mere minutes ago!
Spoiler: The ladies would survive Harry’s list.
When RKO attributed the failure to the “poisonous” Katharine Hepburn’s, they had NO idea how popular and beloved the movie would one day become. This is considered one of the original “screwball comedies” and, for my money, it’s also one of the best.
In addition to phenomenal performances by Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant, the movie also stars Barry Fitzgerald (although he doesn’t appear onscreen as much as you’d like…. does he ever??), Charles Ruggles, Walter Catlett, Leona Roberts, and May Robson.
“We were both crazy. Bringing Up Baby has always been called a screwball comedy. Well, we were the two screwballs!” ~ Cary Grant
Find Bringing Up Baby on Amazon and add it to your collection today… this is one of those movies that’ll be your “go to” movie when you need a little lift or just feel like escaping with a couple of lovable screwballs.
Irene Dunne and Cary Grant in The Awful Truth (1937)
Irene Dunne is an actress who fascinates me. She was beautiful, an exceptional actress, hilarious, charismatic, and had the singing voice of an absolute angel.. an angel who is the Heavenly choir director’s favorite
As I often tell people, she had everything in the world going for her. Not only was she greatly talented, she was known for being an especially charming and likable lady.
As a Kentuckian, I also love the fact that she was born in my home state – in the city of Louisville in 1898. She was quite the star in her day – her fans appreciated all of her splendid attributes and flocked to see her films.
However… somewhere along the way… as the years passed, her name and beautiful face faded from the landscape of the average film lover. She’s still absolutely known (and absolutely loved) among those of us who spend a great deal of our time in Old Hollywood. Heck, I practically live there, myself…. mentally that is. Physically, Kentucky is home – but mentally, I can often be found on the studio lots of Old Hollywood.
I often judge an actor or actress’ mainstream fame by feedback on this blog (I get a lot of e-mails and treasure them all!) and from my own family – the vast majority who do not watch anything older than Jaws or Friday the 13th. Sadly, Irene Dunne is a name (and face) that aren’t as easily recognized as they deserve to be. While Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, James Dean, Elizabeth Taylor, Lucille Ball, Rita Hayworth, James Stewart are recognized by name and face by almost anyone, some stars have not fared as well.
Drives me crazy!
As I recently told someone on Twitter, however, it serves as motivation for me to tweet more, blog more, and even talk more about these enchanting, downright magical stars… including the wonderful Irene Dunne.
If you are brand spanking new to the world of Irene Dunne, I hope you’ll allow me to recommend starting her filmography with The Awful Truth (DVD on Amazon). The camaraderie between the hilarious actress and Cary Grant (also hilarious) is simply wonderful. They play a married couple (Lucy and Jerry) who are going through a rough patch. Overly suspicious minds lead them on the path to divorce. They even begin divorce proceedings! However, it’s obvious that the spark of love is still there when they start to undermine one another’s attempts to move on with other people.
It’s just an awful lot of fun and I hope you’ll watch it right away.
If you don’t remember this ground-breaking actress from The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer, I’m sure you’ll remember her as Annie in It’s a Wonderful Life or Sister Sara in the 1977 miniseries Roots. Outstanding actress with an especially strong screen presence.
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer is a movie that kind of epitomizes WHY I’m so obsessed with old movies. For one thing, everything was so much simpler then – there was an innocence in the world that’s more than a little alluring. While we’ll never get that innocence back, it’s a joy to visit as often as possible.
I’m also crazy in love with seeing old clothes, cars, houses, furniture, buildings, etc. I actually record most of the movies I watch on the DVR (if I don’t own them on DVD, that is) because I’m always wanting to rewind to take a closer look or to relive a favorite scene.
I did this A LOT of times in The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer because of the fashion and cars – and also a few times because this particular role really gave Cary Grant the opportunity to ham it up… an opportunity he embraced with both arms!
As a huge (go ahead and pronounce that yuuuuuuuge) fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood, there are few things I love as much as cuddling up with a classic movie. However, snuggling up with a star’s biography (or autobiography) is right up there – especially when it involves one of my personal favorites. When it comes to Cary Grant: A Biography, I think it’ll be almost as good as watching one of the legend’s movies.
From Amazon: Rigorously researched and elegantly written, Cary Grant: A Biography is a complete, nuanced portrait of the greatest star in cinema history. Exploring Grant’s troubled childhood, ambiguous sexuality, and lifelong insecurities, as well as the magical amalgam of characteristics that allowed him to remain Hollywood’s favorite romantic lead for more than thirty-five years, Cary Grant is the definitive examination of every aspect of Grant’s professional and private life and the first biography to reveal the real man behind the movie star.
One of the things I love most about Hollywood biographies and autobiographies is this: You not only get to take an intimate look into the star on the cover’s life, you’re able to get up close and personal with the stars who were in their circle. That’s actually one of my favorite parts of these books- learning what sort of relationship different stars shared. You just never know what name will turn up in the pages or what they’ll be doing when they turn up!
As soon as I read Cary Grant: A Biography I’ll review it here on Hollywood Yesterday. I know it’s really going to be something special.
Read more about my Old Hollywood Book Reviews.
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!
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…
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!
