Golden Age of Hollywood
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
My Gal Sal stars Rita Hayworth, Victor Mature, Carole Landis, John Sutton, James Gleason, and Phil Silvers. It was directed by Irving Cummings and, while it can be difficult to find (it’s never shown on television it seems!), it’s very much worth the effort.
You CAN find My Gal Sal on dvd (Amazon video). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video yet.
Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature
Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature star in the 1942 My Gal Sal, directed by Irving Cummings. I’m always surprised that this film isn’t better known. I mean, it stars Rita Hayworth and Victor Mature – how can it not be more popular?!
The movie also stars Carole Landis, John Sutton, James Gleason, and Phil Silvers.
You can find My Gal Sal on dvd (Amazon video). Unfortunately it isn’t on Prime Video yet. That’s probably a good sign of why the film isn’t better known.. it’s hard to find!
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth, Down to Earth
Beautiful Rita Hayworth stars in the 1947 film Down to Earth, directed by Alexander Hall. The musical is light-hearted, fun, and quite funny in parts. Make no mistake about it, however, Rita Hayworth and the beautiful costumes are the main stars.
She’s perfectly ethereal in this film… then again, when wasn’t she?!
You can find the Down to Earth dvd on Amazon (with a gorgeous cover, I must say) or watch the film on Prime Video – I’m pleasantly surprised that it’s available.
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth, Down to Earth
The next dvd I need to add to my Rita Hayworth collection is Down to Earth. I’m anxious to buy it because, truth be told, I’m anxious to watch it again (it’s never on tv!). While, even as a Rita Hayworth fanatic, I can’t claim this is a wonderful movie, it is entertaining. The two leads’ voices are both dubbed – one being Rita Hayworth and the other Larry Parks – and Adele Jergens’ voice is also dubbed. To be honest, dubbed voices always kind of bother me. It seems kind of lazy to not just hire stars who you feel can sing well enough in the first place.
Or… simply allow them to sing whether their voices are perfect or not. After all, most people don’t sound like Shirley Jones or Harry Belafonte when they sing!
This was actually Rita’s least favorite of her films, and usually not a hit with critics or fans BUT if you take it for what it is, a fun glitzy, visually beautiful film that’s lighthearted and has some really funny moments, you’ll think it’s a little hidden gem.
You can find the Down to Earth dvd on Amazon or watch the film on Prime Video.
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
One of my favorite actresses (or stars overall) is Rita Hayworth. Love her, love her, love her. The first thing about her that caught my attention (when I was around 16 or so) was her beauty. I remember seeing a photo of her in one of my mom’s books and asking her about the ridiculously beautiful actress. She said she’d find one of her movies on tv soon for us to watch. She did… we did… and I’ve been obsessed with Rita since!
As I said, her beauty is what I first noticed about Rita Hayworth, but after seeing a few of her films, I quickly realized that she was as talented as she was beautiful. Over the years, as I’ve seen so many more of her films, I’m also struck by the fact that she could play any role, any genre, and master anything thrown her way. Comedy, drama, musicals (she was one of the best dancers ever and was the one Fred Astaire named as his favorite dance partner… HIGH praise from a man who danced with the best)… there isn’t anything this lady couldn’t do.
The pictures here are promotional photos for Rita’s 1957 film Fire Down Below. I rewatched this film recently and something else occurred to me about this lovely actress – she seemed to heighten the charisma and screen presence of everyone around her. It’s almost as though they knew they were sharing a screen with an icon and stepped their game up to the highest notch possible.
Not that any of her co-stars needed to step up their game, mind you… I just personally think she made the great ones even better.
You can find the Fire Down Below dvd on Amazon (link to Amazon) or watch it on Prime Video: Fire Down Below on Prime Video (Amazon link).
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, The Loves of Carmen
One of my favorite actresses (for as long as I can remember knowing what an actress even was!) has always been Rita Hayworth. So many people – UNDERSTANDABLY – associate the name Rita Hayworth with beauty. They’ll usually even picture her in her role as Gilda. For me, I guess the relationship I have with her image is a little different. Obviously, I associate the name with great beauty (I’m not blind after all!) but I associate it first and foremost with her wonderful, wonderful talent.
My first Rita Hayworth movie was actually Miss Sadie Thompson and while, obviously, beautiful, the main thing that stands out to you in that particular film is her acting. She does as great a job in this role as any actress has ever done in any role.
Yes… ANY role.
My second Rita Hayworth film was The Loves of Carmen (the promotional photos in this post are from that film). Her beauty and talent kind of fight it out in this particular movie!
My third film was You Were Never Lovelier (her perfect musical with Fred Astaire). At the time (I was just a teenager without all of the Old Hollywood knowledge I currently sit on), I had no idea she could also dance, so I was blown away. I thought, “Gorgeous, wonderful actress, and an excellent dancer…. wow!”
She still wows me, each and every time I watch and rewatch her films.
Like Marilyn, Ava, and Lana… Rita is so much more than just a beautiful face. She was an actress and dancer who just happened to be extraordinarily beautiful.
You can find The Loves of Carmen (link to the dvd) on Amazon or watch it on Amazon Prime.
Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, The Loves of Carmen
Rita Hayworth, Miss Sadie Thompson
As if we Rita Hayworth fans needed the reminder, the actress served notice in Miss Sadie Thompson (1953, directed by Curtis Bernhardt) that she was much more than just a beautiful face. She was a very, very good actress and this role allowed her to show off her talent as well as her beauty.
If you’ve never seen this one, as a huge Rita Hayworth fan, I very much wish you’d check it out. She’s mesmerizing – the entire cast is outstanding, but she (as always) stands out.
You can buy the movie on dvd or blu-ray (Amazon link) or watch on Prime.
She seemed to relish playing the role so much that I think she totally understood the opportunity she had been given as an actress. And, boy, did she ever come through!
Rita Hayworth, The Loves of Carmen
One of my favorite actresses of ALL time is Rita Hayworth. Love her, love her, love her. She was so much more than just a beautiful face – she was an exceptionally talented actress AND dancer. She was equally wonderful in dramatic roles, lighthearted comedy, and colorful musicals. I’ve seen all of her films and, while some are better than others, every single one was good and worth watching more than once.
Not many stars have a filmography like that!
The Loves of Carmen (1948, written by Charles Vidor) isn’t one of my absolute favorite Rita films, but it is good. She’s great in the role as Carmen… someone you don’t particularly like but you simply can’t look away. It’s funny, she’s the bad girl and Glenn Ford is the good guy… and yet, his character annoys me more than her character does! I mean…. she’s supposed to be bad – we expect that. But for him to be such a simpleton is unforgivable!
I normally love Glenn Ford in every single role, but I honestly don’t care for him in this role. He seems out of place, somehow. Whenever I watch the film, I always wonder if he FELT out of place in the role of if, perhaps, he wasn’t any fonder of his character than I was.
Either way, the film is definitely worth watching (obviously, since I’ve seen it four times, I strongly feel it’s worth watching). Rita is mesmerizing and the film is a visual masterpiece.
Rita Hayworth, Salome (1953)
Rita Hayworth has been one of my absolute favorite actresses since I first saw her on television as a child. They were playing her film, “Blood and Sand” and I was hooked – even though she was the bad girl in the movie. Didn’t bother me – I loved her!
Not long after Blood and Sand I saw Salome and grew to love her even more. There was just something about her – she commanded scenes, often without even saying a word. What’s amazing to me is the fact that it wasn’t just her beauty that separated her. If we’re honest, there were actresses as lovely as Rita – many even co-starred with her.
Yet she had a certain something – a certain magic only given to a particular number of stars. When you watch her in Gilda, you’re fairly certain she had her portion of magic as well as enough for six others!
Like most people, I’ve been feeling anxious over the news (sometimes it seems like there’s never any good news, doesn’t it?!). It’s times like this that I choose to escape into the world of Old Hollywood, Classic Television, and Old Radio. Whether it’s reading a biography or watching a movie, an episode of a classic show, or listening to a great old radio episode – I’m awfully grateful that my “oldies” always take me on a mini-vacation… far away from the madness around us.
Sure, it’s there when I return, but I feel stronger and more able to cope with the craziness without it making me crazy, too!
(Continued Below Rita Hayworth being Rita Hayworth!)
Rita Hayworth, Salome
I hope these three gorgeous photos of Rita Hayworth from the 1953 film Salome (Amazon Link) lift your spirits if they need lifted and put a smile on your face. If that happens, it will have made my day.
Rita Hayworth as Princess Salome
Movie Description: After she is banished from Rome, Jewish Princess Salome (Rita Hayworth) returns to her Roman-ruled native land of Galilee where prophet John the Baptist (Alan Badel) preaches against Salome’s parents, King Herod (Charles Laughton) and Queen Herodias (Judith Anderson).
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…
