Rita Hayworth | Hollywood Yesterday

Susan and God: I LOVE This Fredric March Quote About Joan Crawford!

September 2, 2021 By Joi

Joan Crawford, Rita Hayworth, John Carroll

Not only do I absolutely ADORE Joan Crawford movies (the movies are almost always extraordinary and she always is), I’m also infatuated with the star quality this lady had. She didn’t just accept being a star, she embraced it. She, for me, defines being a star, so I really love when I read things (like the quote below) that reaffirm my suspicions:

“She was a nice person, but a real movie star. She even brought her own music to the set [of Susan and God (1940)]–a whole entourage, a violinist and a pianist to play her favorite songs, to get her into the proper mood for the scenes.” ~ Fredric March

Some people read things like this and decide they like an actor or actress a “little less” because of it. Not me! I read that Joan Crawford brought in live musicians to set her mood and I fall even further under her spell.

Fredric March co-starred with Joan Crawford in the 1940 comedy-drama Susan and God. The movie also starred Rita Hayworth, Ruth Hussey, Nigel Bruce, John Carroll, Bruce Cabot, Rita Quigley, and Rose Hobart. After reading Fredric March’s quote, I’m eager to watch the movie all over again!

You can find Susan and God on dvd (Amazon link).

Rita Hayworth Gilda Promotional Pictures (Always a Stunning Idea!)

May 1, 2021 By Joi

Rita Hayworth, Gilda

There are many (lucky for us!) Rita Hayworth promotional pictures from her iconic role as the title character in Gilda. Gilda (1946) was directed by Charles Vidor and stars Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. It’s a legendary film, mostly due to the fact that Rita Hayworth is so remarkably well…. she was so remarkably Rita!

However, when (if?) you get past her ridiculous beauty, you will find this to be a wonderfully-directed, exceptionally well-acted, and very well-written movie. It’s one of my favorites. It’s also the movie that introduced me to Glenn Ford and made him such a favorite.

It’s funny, a lot of the Gilda Promotional pictures of Rita Hayworth are sultry and gorgeous (like the one below), but for some reason, the photo above is my favorite. It, to me, is more representative of the person lovely Rita actually was.

Rita Hayworth

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, Fire Down Below Promotional Pictures

April 28, 2021 By Joi

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, Fire Down Below

April 24, 2021 By Joi

Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum star in the 1957 adventure drama Fire Down Below, directed by Robert Parrish. Lemmon and Mitchum play boat owners whose friendship is greatly threatened by a beautiful woman who (oh so naturally) catches their eye and their hearts.

Gee wonder what actress plays that role??

Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum are each extraordinary actors and outstanding in every film they ever made. Seeing three movie legends sharing the screen is a real joy.

You can find the Fire Down Below dvd on Amazon (link to Amazon). I need this one for my Rita Hayworth collection, so I need to practice what I preach and go buy a copy, myself! You can also find Fire Down Below on Prime Video (Amazon link).

The Strawberry Blonde: Movies Do NOT Come Any More Perfect Than This One

November 15, 2020 By Joi

Rita Hayworth, James Cagney, and Olivia de Havilland

One of the cutest, most enjoyable, best-written, all around BEST movies ever made starred three of Old Hollywood’s brightest stars: Rita Hayworth, Olivia de Havilland, and James Cagney. The Strawberry Blonde (1941, directed by Raoul Walsh) is one of the handful of films I call a “perfect movie.”

There is absolutely nothing that would keep this film from being called flawless. Many movies come close to perfect… as in thisclose… but they have one or more “throwaway” scenes or “filler” storylines. There is no scenes – not a single one – in The Strawberry Blonde that is a throwaway scene. Not a one.

How remarkable is that?!

Most of us know that, even with our very favorite films, there is a scene or more where… by gosh, if you need more salt on your popcorn, wait for that particular throwaway scene and make your run to the kitchen. The Strawberry Blonde has no such scene from the moment it begins to the moment it (perfectly) ends.

Flawless. Perfect.

Some movies fall short of perfection because of a kink in the casting. Again, that certainly isn’t the case with The Strawberry Blonde.

(Continued Below the legends…)

Rita Hayworth and James Cagney

Rita Hayworth and James Cagney are perfectly wonderful in their roles (as they were in every role they ever stepped into), but… and this is coming from Rita Hayworth’s biggest fan… this film gets its magic from Olivia de Havilland and her mesmerizing portrayal of Amy Lind. The character is written so wonderfully – she’s ahead of her time, feisty, fiery, daring, unique, and deliciously original.

Who in the world could play her other than an actress who was all of those things as well?! Olivia de Havilland was as perfect of a fit in the role of Amy Lind as anyone has ever been fit for a role. She knocked it out of the park and seemed to relish the role.

The only hint of a problem is that we are supposed to believe that Amy isn’t quite as attractive as Rita Hayworth’s Virginia (The Strawberry Blonde). Poppycock! Olivia de Havilland was as beautiful as anyone. Yes, EVEN Rita Hayworth.

The Strawberry Blonde is also perfectly directed – as in every scene, every “extra,” every line, every expression. Raoul Walsh was an extraordinary director and this was one of his greatest accomplishments.

In spite of loving Rita Hayworth as much as any star has ever been loved by anyone, I only fairly recently saw The Strawberry Blonde. I think I, ridiculously, kept putting it off because I didn’t think it’d be too good. Seriously, I looked at the costumes and I looked at James Cagney who seemed to me (THEN…not NOW!) to be out of place and I thought, “I’ll save this one for another time.” I had zero idea it would be as hilarious, colorful, and wonderful as it is.

Halfway through the third scene, I told myself, “Girl, you were a perfect twit to wait this long to see this one!”

If you’ve never seen The Strawberry Blonde… please, whatever you do, don’t be a twit like me and put if off another day. It is outstanding.

You can watch The Strawberry Blonde on Prime Video or add to your private collection and buy the dvd on Amazon!

The Strawberry Blonde

Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum: Fire Down Below

October 24, 2020 By Joi

Robert Mitchum, Rita Hayworth, and Jack Lemmon

Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum are wonderful in the 1957 adventure drama Fire Down Below, Lemmon and Mitchum play boat friends who both fall under the spell of beautiful and mysterious Irena – given that she’s played by Rita Hayworth, let’s face it, they never stood a chance!

Jack Lemmon and Rita Hayworth

Rita Hayworth, Jack Lemmon, and Robert Mitchum are each outstanding in this film. Then again, weren’t they perfection in everything they ever did?!

Answer: Oh YES!

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).

Robert Mitchum and Rita Hayworth

BOTD in 1918, The Beautiful and Talented Rita Hayworth…

October 17, 2020 By Joi

Fred Astaire and Rita Hayworth, You Were Never Lovelier

Rita Hayworth has been one of my absolute favorite actresses for as long as I can remember. I remember being very, very young and walking through the living room and saw what looked like a princess from one of my storybooks come to life. I sat and watched her with my mom. While I’d give just about anything to be able to sit and watch anything with my mom again, some things haven’t changed – I still think of Rita as a fairytale princess that came to life – if only for a brief time, before leaving us.

The first Rita Hayworth film I saw (the one I watched with my mom) was You Were Never Lovelier (1942) and, to this day, I don’t know why Gilda is so much more popular than this one. Granted, Gilda is an extraordinary movie… but so is You Were Never Lovelier.

Truth be told, though, I am absolutely wild about just about every Rita Hayworth movie. The Lady from Shanghai and The Loves of Carmen aren’t high on my list, but Rita’s in them… and that’s good enough for me!

If you’ve never seen You Were Never Lovelier (link to the dvd on Amazon), I hope you’ll find it and watch it soon. If you HAVE seen it, watch it again! Each time I do, I love it even more.

Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford, Gilda Promotional Pictures

October 14, 2020 By Joi

Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth

Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth absolutely burned up the screen in Gilda! The iconic 1946 film was directed by Charles Vidor and it is, quite frankly, one of the best films ever made. There’s just something about it that defines “movie magic” – of course, a lot of that has to do with its stars Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford. The two talented stars were close and remained life-long friends (he was even one of her pallbearers when she died, at the age of 68).

You can buy Gilda on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.

Rita Hayworth, Gilda

Rita Hayworth: A Rarely Seen Gilda Promotional Picture

October 3, 2020 By Joi

Rita Hayworth, Gilda

Most of the Gilda promotional pictures and screenshots we see of Rita in circulation are the ones where she is wearing a black dress or the knock-out two piece white dress. For some reason, this particular photo isn’t shown as often… which is a shame, because WOW!

I’m pretty sure this particular actress was incapable of taking a bad photo – or even an average one, for that matter.

The only frustrating thing about her uncommon beauty is that you have to somehow get past that to truly appreciate how talented she was! She was one of the best dancers in all of old Hollywood and, quite frankly, one of its best actresses as well. She could do drama, film-noir, comedy, and musicals, and do them all superbly.

In case you couldn’t tell – I’m a huge, huge, HUGE fan.

If you haven’t watched many of her films, I hope you’ll make a point to see more soon. She truly was remarkable.

You can buy Gilda on dvd (Amazon link) or watch the movie on Prime Video.