Myrna Loy | Hollywood Yesterday

The Unforgettable Myrna Loy: Born on this Date in 1905

August 2, 2020 By Joi Leave a Comment

Myrna Loy, Double Wedding

Myrna Adele Williams on August 2, 1905 in Helena, Montana. She would go on to become the much-loved actress Myrna Loy.

What better star to shine the spotlight on than the birthday girl herself, today?!

Myrna Loy is always such a joy to watch – she had a unique acting style that was all her own and, while I’m sure it was, didn’t seem to be inspired by anyone but HER, herself. There was an underlying strength and confidence radiating from her that jumps through the screen at you.

Those of us who adore her certainly aren’t alone.

Some of her biggest fans included James Stewart, Winston Churchill, and Eleanor and Franklin D. Roosevelt were also fans.

The beautiful photos, shown here, are from Myrna’s hilarious 1937 movie Double Wedding, with William Powell.

Talk about a magical duo… this was one of the most magical.

Myrna Loy and William Powell

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House: Melvyn Douglas, Cary Grant & Myrna Loy (Picture of the Day)

November 28, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House stars Melvyn Douglas, Cary Grant & Myrna Loy

Cary Grant and Myrna Loy star as married couple Jim and Muriel Blandings who decide to build their dream house in the country. What they assume will be a pretty run-of-the-mill task turns into anything but!

It’s a really cute, especially fun film that also stars Melvyn Douglas (you had to know I’d be on board if he’s in the cast).

Find Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House on Amazon.

Myrna Loy: Age Six (On the Porch of Her Grandmother’s Home)

October 2, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

The adorable photo above is of Myrna Loy Age 6 with Her Cousin Laura Belle Wilder. The photo was taken on Myrna’s grandmother’s porch in Helena, Montana.

You can certainly recognize her face, can’t you? The “I will stand for NONE of your nonsense!” look is already firmly in place.

Gotta love her!

Myrna Loy: The Only Good Girl in Hollywood

16 Fast Facts About Myrna Loy

April 11, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Myrna Loy was born on a cattle ranch in Helena, Montana on August 2, 1905.
Her father, a rancher, was the youngest person ever elected to the Montana State legislature.
When her father was travelling by train in early 1905, he saw a small station called “Myrna.” This is how she got her beautiful name.
A few of Myrna’s hobbies were sculpting and dancing.
She made her Broadway debut in the 1973 revival of “The Women.”
Her first film was a small part in the production of What Price Beauty? (1925). He appeared that same year in Pretty Ladies with Joan Crawford.
Myrna was one of the few stars who made a successful transition from silent films to “talkies.” She made 129 motion pictures!
Somehow never nominated for an acting Oscar, she received an honorary Academy Award in 1991.
Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center in 1988.
In 1939, she was nearly killed when her horse bolted during the filming of The Rains Came (1939) with Tyrone Power.
“Men-Must-Marry-Myrna” Clubs were formed due to her role in The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
In 1936 Myrna was named (in a national poll) Queen of the Movies while Clark Gable was named King.
In her autobiography, she says that she did not get along with Gable in their early films. However, in her later films he developed a respect for her and they became good friends.
Some of Myrna Loy’s biggest fans included James Stewart, Winston Churchill, and the Roosevelts. Franklin D. Roosevelt invited to the White House early on in his administration, and she became especially friendly with First Lady Anna Eleanor Roosevelt.
Ever the fighter, she underwent two mastectomies after being diagnosed with breast cancer TWICE.
Myrna Loy passed away on December 14, 1993, at the age of 88 and is buried in Helena, Montana.

The Best Years of Our Lives Cast Photo + Film Trivia

January 11, 2019 By Joi Leave a Comment

Frederic March, Myrna Loy, Dana Andrews, Teresa Wright and Hoagy Carmichael.

Harold Russell (Homer Parrish) was training paratroopers at Camp MacKall (North Carolina) on June 6, 1944 when TNT exploded in his hands, causing him to lose both of them. After receiving hooks he was chosen to make an Army training film called “Diary Of A Sergeant.” Director William Wyler “discovered” him in this army training film.

William Wyler (director) was apparently furious when he found out that Harold Russell had been sent to acting lessons. He preferred Russell’s untrained, natural acting.

To avoid awkwardness when he first met his co-stars, Russell reached out to each with his hooks, putting them at ease with his disability.

This was the first time Myrna Loy worked with William Wyler and they got along very well.

Wyler had a reputation as “90-Take Willy.”

Wyler wanted a totally un-Hollywood, unglamorous look for the film so he stipulated that all costumes had to be bought “off the rack” and worn by the cast before filming.

In the film, Fredric March’s character (Al Stephenson) is a banker. Before becoming an actor, March had a career in banking.

Myrna Loy received top billing for the film.

Fictional Boone City was patterned after Cincinnati, OH.

In 1946 The Best Years of Our Lives became the most successful film at the box office since Gone with the Wind in 1939.

The film was remade as a TV movie in 1975,Returning Home with Dabney Coleman, Tom Selleck, James R. Miller, Whitney Blake, Joan Goodfellow, Sherry Jackson and Laurie Walters. Miller, like Harold Russell, was chosen to play Homer because Miller had lost his hands fighting in Vietnam.

The Best Years of Our Lives is one of Francis Ford Coppola’s favorite films.