Ethel Barrymore | Hollywood Yesterday

The Spiral Staircase (1946), Starring Dorothy McGuire and Ethel Barrymore

December 28, 2022 By Joi

Dorothy McGuire

One of my favorite suspense films is The Spiral Staircase (1946, directed by Robert Siodmak). The wonderful cast includes one of my absolute favorites, Ethel Barrymore, Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Kent Smith, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester (magnificent as always), and Sara Allgood.

The suspense, directing, and acting in this film are sheer perfection. This is the type of movie that makes you fall in love with classic films all over again and I simply could not recommend it enough.

You can watch The Spiral Staircase above or on YouTube. You can also find The Spiral Staircase on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link)

George Brent, Kent Smith, Dorothy McGuire, Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore in The Spiral Staircase (PERFECT Suspense/Horror Movie from 1946)

September 26, 2022 By Joi

Ethel Barrymore, The Spiral Staircase

One of my favorite movies (not just favorite classic horror movies, but favorite movies, period) is the spell-binding 1946 horror film The Spiral Staircase (directed by Robert Siodmak). While it is categorized as a horror movie, I’d call it more of a suspense, but we’ll just go with “horror” since we’re this close to Halloween.

The movie stars one of my absolute favorites, Ethel Barrymore, Dorothy McGuire, George Brent, Rhonda Fleming, Gordon Oliver, Elsa Lanchester (SUBLIME as ever), Sara Allgood, and Kent Smith.

The cast is absolutely flawless in a film that’s suspenseful, extraordinarily directed, entertaining, well-written, and downright spellbinding. If you’ve never seen this one, I really hope you’ll check it out this Halloween season. It isn’t necessarily “scary” and won’t give even the biggest scaredy cat (ME!) nightmares. It’s just an outstanding film, period.

You can find The Spiral Staircase on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link).

Joseph Cotten, Loretta Young, Ethel Barrymore, and Charles Bickford: The Farmer’s Daughter

April 27, 2022 By Joi

Joseph Cotten and Loretta Young

When I first sat down to watch The Farmer’s Daughter, I was a little afraid that a blonde Loretta Young, faking a Swedish accent would be a great distraction. Although I love her to distraction, I honestly wondered, “Why didn’t they simply get a blonde Swedish actress WITH an accent already built in?!”

Inside of 10 minutes, I knew why… there’s simply no role Loretta Young could not play. In no time, I was completely buying everything she was selling. She managed the accent perfectly, never over or under doing it and she wore the blonde hair exquisitely.

The VERY entertaining film was directed by H.C. Potter and stars Loretta Young, Ethel Barrymore, Joseph Cotten, and the always wonderful Charles Bickford. It’s a wonderful story, brought to life by an outstanding cast. The entire cast had a magic-like rapport and the chemistry between Joseph Cotten & Loretta Young AND Ethel Barrymore & Charles Bickford is palpable.

The casting department struck gold with this cast.

You can find the wonderful The Farmer’s Daughter on dvd (Amazon link)… and if you love great movies, with wonderful storytelling and extraordinary casts, you should do just that!

Ethel Barrymore and Charles Bickford

The Perfect Movie, The Perfect Cast: The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)

March 28, 2022 By Joi

Joseph Cotten, Loretta Young, Charles Bickford, and Ethel Barrymore

The Farmer’s Daughter (1947) is one of the most thoroughly enjoyable movies ever made. This may seem like a huge statement to some people, but to those who have seen this extraordinary film, it will seem more like an understatement.

It’s a breathtakingly lovely romantic comedy with a cast that’ll blow you away. Directed by H.C. Potter, everything about The Farmer’s Daughter is perfect. Loretta Young, Joseph Cotten, Ethel Barrymore, and Charles Bickford bring a wonderful script to life and make movie magic in doing so.

Joseph Cotten, Loretta Young, and Charles Bickford

If you’ve never seen The Farmer’s Daughter, I hope you’ll watch it as soon as possible, if not sooner. It’s actually on YouTube in its entirety – and in great quality.

Personally, I’m ordering The Farmer’s Daughter on dvd (Amazon link). I need it for my Ethel Barrymore collection anyway!

The Wonderful Charles Bickford and Ethel Barrymore

Ethel Barrymore Print… Stunning!

February 20, 2022 By Joi

The gorgeous Ethel Barrymore Print (Amazon link) pictured on the right is sitting proudly in my Amazon cart at this very moment. I frame photos of my favorite old Hollywood stars and hang them throughout the house. I’m collecting favorite photos and illustrations of Ethel Barrymore and will be devoting an entire wall in the bedroom to her.

This one will be displayed proudly in the center!

There are LOTS of other beautiful Ethel Barrymore prints, posters, and wonderful photos on Amazon (eBay as well).

Trust me… I’d know!

See Ethel Barrymore Print (Amazon link) for a closer look at this beauty, then browse around for other Ethel Barrymore prints – or, of course, prints of your own personal favorites!

Ethel Barrymore, Angela Lansbury, and Keenan Wynn in Kind Lady (1951)

February 19, 2022 By Joi

Ethel Barrymore, Keenan Wynn, and Angela Lansbury

Talk about an OUTSTANDING cast – Kind Lady (1951, directed by John Sturges) certainly has one: Ethel Barrymore, Maurice Evans, Angela Lansbury, Betsy Blair, Keenan Wynn, John Williams. SO much talent, it isn’t any wonder this movie is as good as it is. Unfortunately, this one can be a real challenge to find – it isn’t on television very often (can’t remember the last time it was, to be honest) and it certainly isn’t on Prime Video.

Oddly enough, the only place I’ve found it on dvd is as a double movie package (which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, truth be told): Kind Lady Double Feature (Amazon link).

Ethel Barrymore, Keenan Wynn, Betsy Blair, Maurice Evans, and Angela Lansbury

Wonderful Ethel Barrymore Quote…

February 12, 2022 By Joi

Ethel Barrymore

“You must learn day by day, year by year, to broaden your horizons. The more things you love, the more you are interested in, the more you enjoy, the more you are indignant about… the more you have left when anything happens.” ~ Ethel Barrymore

What an amazing quote… great quote from a great lady!

Ethel Barrymore Print (Amazon link)

Ethel Barrymore Appreciation Post… Truly One of the Greatest Actresses of ALL Time

February 2, 2022 By Joi

Ethel Barrymore, The Farmer’s Daughter (1947)

One of the greatest actresses of ALL TIME is pictured above… the wonderful Ethel Barrymore. If you’re like me, you watch a lot of old movies. I mean A LOT. Often, I’ll see a performance from an actor or actress and think, “Wow, they were really good.”

Then I’ll see one of the great ones, like Ethel Barrymore, and am reminded that there was simply something extra that separated the good ones from the great ones. You can’t always define it, but you can always recognize it.

Gene Tierney and Ethel Barrymore: The Secret of Convict Lake (1951)

I was looking for an Ethel Barrymore movie collection on Amazon earlier and, sadly, didn’t find one. Surely one has been put together! But I did find something else I love (pictured below), an Ethel Barrymore Poster Print (Amazon link). I’m obsessed with this and plan to order one to go in my bedroom immediately. The search for a collection of her films continues but the next great bedroom artwork has been locked and loaded!

Ethel Barrymore Poster Print (Amazon link)

The Secret of Convict Lake: Wonderful Western with a Spell-Binding Cast

July 18, 2021 By Joi

Gene Tierney and Glenn Ford: The Secret of Convict Lake

Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, and Ethel Barrymore lead an outstanding cast in the 1951 Western The Secret of Convict Lake. Directed by Michael Gordon, it’s one of the first Westerns I’d recommend to someone who is either new to Westerns or doesn’t think they like the genre.

As a Westerns fanatic, I’m convinced there is no way under the sun to NOT like a Western… one only thinks they don’t like them until they see the right ones.

Ann Dvorak, Ruth Donnelly, Barbara Bates, Gene Tierney, and Ethel Barrymore

This is one to start with. The acting is flawless, the cast outstanding, and the story holds your interest from start to finish. The excellent cast includes Gene Tierney, Glenn Ford, Ann Dvorak, Ruth Donnelly, Ethel Barrymore, Zachary Scott, and Barbara Bates.

You can watch The Secret of Convict Lake on STARZ on Amazon Prime. Finding the dvd can be a bit of a challenge.. trust me, I’m looking! There’s one on Amazon that’s a “Spanish Release” but it doesn’t play on most American dvd players.

Gene Tierney and Ethel Barrymore: The Secret of Convict Lake