Golden Age of Hollywood
Ava Gardner
The gorgeous photo above is a publicity photo for Ava Gardner’s wonderful film The Killers (1946). The film-noir is one of Ava’s most popular films and is one of the best ever made, in my opinion.
The Killers was directed by Robert Siodmak and boasts a great cast that includes Burt Lancaster, Ava Gardner, Edmund O’Brien, Sam Levene, and Albert Dekker.
You can find The Killers on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Lawrence Tierney and Kathleen Crowley in Female Jungle
Two names you, unfortunately, don’t hear talked about a lot today are Lawrence Tierney and Kathleen Crowley. They starred together in the 1955 film-noir Female Jungle. I haven’t seen this particular film in ages but I remember being awfully impressed with both stars and I remember liking the movie a lot.
I think the main reason these stars aren’t as well-remembered today as others boils down to their films. While there were a few stand outs, for the most part, their films aren’t the ones that are aired frequently on TCM or anywhere else for that matter. It’s frustrating and unfortunate, but it is what it is.
I always recommend that fans of old Hollywood…
Speaking of film-noirs, Female Jungle is an especially good one – very, very true to the genre! It was directed by Bruno VeSota and stars Kathleen Crowley, Lawrence Tierney, John Carradine, and Jayne Mansfield.
You can find Female Jungle on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the film on Prime Video. I was delightfully surprised to find it on Prime!
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
Rita Hayworth
The Lady from Shanghai (1947) is based on a novel by Sherwood King and was directed by Orson Welles. The wonderfully talented Orson Welles also wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Rita Hayworth.
The film-noir also includes Everett Sloane, Ted de Corsia, and Glenn Anders.
You can find The Lady from Shanghai on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the drama unfold on Prime Video.
The Lady from Shanghai Movie Poster
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford
Some days I only have enough time to throw a picture in your direction and hope you love it. This is one of those days, so I’ve chosen a photo with Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford.
No way you can’t love it! That’s what we call hedging our bets, y’all.
This is a photo of the two fan-favorites behind the scenes of their 1946 film-noir Gilda, directed by Charles Vidor.
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, The Lady from Shanghai
I don’t post many photos from or information about The Lady from Shanghai and I honestly have no idea why! Rita Hayworth gives such a wonderful performance in the film – truth be told, I love her performance more than I do the movie, itself. She’s truly remarkable in it.
The 1947 film-noir was based on a novel by Sherwood King and was directed by Orson Welles, who also wrote the screenplay and stars alongside Rita.
While Rita and Orson are most certainly the stars of the show, the drama also includes Everett Sloane, Ted de Corsia, and Glenn Anders.
You can find The Lady from Shanghai on dvd or Blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch the drama unfold on Prime Video.
Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth, The Lady from Shanghai
Gloria Grahame
The wonderful 1947 film-noir Crossfire was directed by Edward Dmytryk and boasts an extraordinary cast which includes Gloria Grahame, Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, George Cooper, and Jacqueline White. Gloria Grahame isn’t just one of my favorite film-noir actresses, she’s one of my favorite all-time actresses. She was wonderful in absolutely everything from comedy to film-noirs…. from Ado Annie to the femme fatales she played so deliciously.
I also love her co-stars in this film – the casting department worked magic with this group and it pays off in the film. It’s absolutely wonderful.
Gloria Grahame and Robert Young, Crossfire
Robert Young fascinates me – he’s best-known for his wonderful classic television show Father Knows Best, but when you see him in a film role, you realize just how great an actor he was. He had an undeniable charisma about his as well.
You can find Crossfire on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.
Gloria Grahame
Barbara Stanwyck and Paul Douglas
I’ve seen nearly all of Barbara Stanwyck’s films at least once and one that always grabs me by the lapels is Clash by Night (1952, directed by Fritz Lang). The storyline is gritty and spellbinding and the performances are just as gritty and spellbinding. Then again, when an outstanding director meets an outstanding cast, this is pretty much what you’d expect.
The cast includes Barbara Stanwyck, Paul Douglas, Robert Ryan, Marilyn Monroe, and J Carrol Naish. Each gives a “filmography highlight” type of performance and, while I’d be hesitant to single any of them out – I do have to mention Paul Douglas’ phenomenal performance and Marilyn Monroe’s ability to hang with the more seasoned stars SO early in her career. The beautiful actress was haunted by insecurities when it came to acting, so knowing all she had to personally overcome to step in front of a camera always impresses the daylights out of me (so, how Kentuckian… on a scale of one to bless their hearts was that saying?!?!).
Another performance that also impresses me (but in no way surprises me) is Barbara Stanwyck’s. I’m used to greatness by the legendary actress, but she filmed this role under a great of stress – she was going through a divorce at this time, yet remained completely focused on her work and, as always, highly professional.
Director Fritz Lane would say of her: “She’s fantastic, unbelievable, and I liked her tremendously. When Marilyn missed her lines—which she did constantly—Barbara never said a word.” (I hasten to add that this was extremely early in Marilyn’s career AND she was, again, greatly incombered by insecurities.)
You can find the wonderful Clash By Night on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Amazon Prime.
Marilyn Monroe, Clash By Night
Barbara Stanwyck: Double Indemnity
One of my favorite actresses, Barbara Stanwyck, also happened to be one of the best actresses (or actors in general, thank you very much) of all time. She was simply phenomenal in each and every role – but it goes beyond that. She had a gift of making everyone around her better or even better. I’ve seen some stars who I never thought were terribly good get in scenes with her and suddenly look like they have a world of talent!
I once had a debate with a woman who said she didn’t think Barbara Stanwyck was one of the all-time greats because she didn’t win a lead actress Emmy. Okay, get out of here with that weak tea argument! Seriously, if you don’t like an actor or actress (whether it’s their overall acting style, their look, their voice, their films… whatever), just say so and stick with that. Don’t venture into ridiculous territory.
For one thing, to a GREAT extent, the committee gives awards to who they WANT to give awards to. They select the actor or actress they want to win – a small committee, not the overall general public who has seen the performance or film.
If this was not the case, why in the world was Halle Berry the first African American to win a lead actress Emmy? If you think she was the first to deserve it, hold still while I call you a doctor because you’re obviously ill. Many things go into selecting the individuals who win the awards each year. And, yes, very often the right one wins – but even then it’s very subjective. There have even been stars who have won who have, themselves, said they didn’t deserve it.
On the flip side, a life-time achievement Oscar (Honorary Award) is one of the greatest awards you can be given. It awards an exemplary career and outstanding body of work. It’s a way of rewarding a star who has greatly contributed to the industry. Barbara Stanwyck was an Honorary Award Winner in 1982 – this was in addition to being nominated for lead actress four separate times for..
(Continued Below…)
Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
As you can see, getting me started defending Barbara Stanwyck can take you out into deep, treacherous waters! The story actually had a happy ending, however! When the woman admitted that she had only seen Barbara Stanwyck in three things (a couple of episodes of The Big Valley, Clash of Night, and The Strange Love of Martha Ivers), I told her that these didn’t give her a good overall picture of how wonderful she was. For one thing, in the two films she’d seen, Barbara portrayed such unlikable women who WOULD love her?!? Okay, besides me. Also, like most tv series, The Big Valley needed to have been seen regularly to understand the characters. If you just catch a few, the strength of her character might be off-putting for some – however, more episodes allow you to see her other side AND the fact that she was so strong because she HAD to be.
Life presented the character with no alternative.
I recommended these films and did all but beg her to see at least one, two if possible:
One month and a half later, she had seen all four (ALL FOUR!) and said she had been wrong about Barbara Stanwyck and was now eager to see all of her films. She said she wondered if she’d been wrong about Bette Davis as well…. and, yes, I recommended some of her films to see. I’ve got your back, too, Bette!
The beautiful pictures in this “If you don’t like Barbara Stanwyck, you are crazy” diatribe are publicity photos for her wonderful 1944 Film-Noir (one of the best and most popular ever made) Double Indemnity. Double Indemnity was directed by the wonderful Billy Wilder and co-stars Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson. You can find Double Indemnity on dvd (Amazon Link) or watch it on Prime Video.
Barbara Stanwyck
Maureen O’Hara and Melvyn Douglas
One of my favorite actresses is Maureen O’Hara. If push came to shove and I HAD to name just one favorite all-time actress, she’d be it. Fortunately no one has ever threatened to push or shove me over the fact. Not even on Twitter and it can get intense over there.
Another favorite actress is Gloria Grahame and one of my favorite actors is Melvyn Douglas.. so how am I not going to watch and rewatch and rewatch a movie starring all three?! Okay, if we’re going to be honest, if the movie was crummy, I wouldn’t rewatch it even once – in spite of the cast. Fortunately A Woman’s Secret (1949, directed by Nicholas Ray) is a wonderful film noir and the stars give exceptional performances.
What’s more, the chemistry between Maureen O’Hara and Melvyn Douglas is outstanding. I SO wish they’d made many movies for me to enjoy.
As it is, I’ll just keep revisiting them and the wonderful Gloria Grahame in this one. I don’t mind one bit.
Maureen O’Hara and Gloria Grahame, A Woman’s Secret
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…
