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Hollywood Yesterday

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You are here: Home / Archives for Rosemary Clooney

Wonderful White Christmas Promotional Picture

December 14, 2021 By Joi

White Christmas Promo Shot

Vera-Ellen, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Bing Crosby

You know it’s truly Christmas when Bing Crosby sings his iconic White Christmas! I listen to it so many times each year, completely enraptured as though it’s the first time I’ve ever heard it. It really stirs your memories and arouses all of your emotions for Christmases long ago as well as the one right in front of you.

I feel as deeply about my favorite classic Christmas movies and specials, certainly including the wonderful 1954 White Christmas. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz and stars Vera-Ellen, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Bing Crosby

You can buy White Christmas on dvd (Amazon link) or watch on Prime Video. This is one of those movies that seems to get even better with time.

Filed Under: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Perfect Movies, Picture of the Day, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen Tagged With: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Elen, White Christmas

White Christmas Promotional Art: Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen

December 8, 2019 By Joi

White Christmas Promotional Picture

Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Vera-Ellen

I love everything about the movie White Christmas (Amazon Link), but if you want to know the one thing that makes this such a magical film… just look at the photo above. The cast is phenomenal and, from the singing to the acting to the laughter to the dancing – Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby, and Vera-Ellen take a wonderful film and make it… well, there’s no other word for it… magical.

Plot: Bob (Bing Crosby) and Phil (Danny Kaye) create a song and dance act following WWII. They become romantically involved with a beautiful sister act Betty (Rosemary Clooney) and Judy (Vera-Ellen) and team up to save a failing Vermont inn.

The costumes, music, dance, and laughs are almost too good to be true in this visually beautiful film. It’s a classic for many reasons!


Filed Under: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Picture of the Day, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen Tagged With: Bing Crosby, Danny Kay, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, White Christmas

White Christmas: One of My Favorite Christmas Movies!

December 4, 2019 By Joi

Promotional Picture for White Christmas

It isn’t difficult to tell what my favorite Christmas films are around Christmas is it? You’ll see them plastered all over the blog as well as Twitter! White Christmas is certainly one of my favorites. You’ll see a lot of people name my other favorites as well – Miracle on 34th Street and It’s a Wonderful Life but few consistently name a few of my more off-the-beaten-path favorites, White Christmas and Christmas in Connecticut.

I think part of the reason is the fact that Miracle and Wonderful Life are the types of films you watch with kids, whereas the other two are more for adults. Having said that, I think most kids would love the singing, dancing, colors, and laughs in White Christmas. I certainly did when I was a kid – and I’ve loved them since.

Nevermind how many Christmases that’s been!

Danny Kaye, Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen are perfectly cast in this colorful and fun musical – they obviously had a wonderful time making this film and the mutual respect comes through the screen.

If you have never seen White Christmas (Amazon Link), I hope you’ll check it out. The cast is outstanding and the entire movie will make you fall head over heels in love with everything about it.

Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen White Christmas

Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen, White Christmas

 

Filed Under: Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Musicals, Picture of the Day, Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, White Christmas Tagged With: Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen, White Christmas

Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby, White Christmas

November 26, 2019 By Joi

Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby White Christmas

Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby White Christmas

Rosemary Clooney wanted the role in White Christmas mostly so that she could perform with Bing Crosby.  Understandable reasoning if there ever was one! These two legends have a beautiful chemistry in this wonderful film – the respect they had for one another is obvious from start to finish.

I wish they’d made many more films together!

Filed Under: Bing Crosby, Musicals, Picture of the Day, Rosemary Clooney, White Christmas Tagged With: Bing Crosby, Rosemary Clooney, White Christmas

How Well Do You Know Rosemary Clooney? 16 Fast Facts About a Multi-Talented Star

May 11, 2019 By Joi

Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour

Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, and Jerry Lewis on The Colgate Comedy Hour

One of my quirkiest regrets (when it comes to Old Hollywood stars) is that so many aren’t remembered as they “should be”  or as they “deserve to be.” Many, especially when they became older, did television and/or commercials and this is how many are remembered by most. If only they had prophetic advisers to tell them to steer clear of commercials. They’re shown so frequently (and right in the comfort of the viewer’s own home!) that the image becomes ingrained.

The only way for us Old Hollywood enthusiasts to counter that is to get more pictures, videos, and information OUT THERE of the stars when they were full of vitality, packed with talent, and beautifully radiant.

When I think about this conundrum, one of the names that always comes to mind is Rosemary Clooney. This actress and singer was very beautiful and talented, and.. could she ever sing?! She absolutely had the voice of an angel.

There’s so much more to her than paper towel commercials!

Rosemary Clooney

Rosemary Clooney Trivia:

  • Rosemary was born and raised in Maysville, Kentucky – she was one of five children.
  • The street in Maysville – where her parents lived when she was born – was renamed in her honor.
  •  Rosemary and her sister Betty sang at their grandfather’s mayoral election campaigns, which he won three times.
  • Her big break came in in 1954 when she starred in White Christmas Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Vera-Ellen.
  • She and then-husband José Ferrer had five children between 1955 and 1960. The marriage was a very tempestuous one and is cited for the cause of her nervous breakdown in 1968. She recovered and returned to work in 1976.
  • George Clooney is her nephew (he’s the son of Rosemary’s brother Nick Clooney).
  • Rosemary’s son, Gabriel is married to singer Debby Boone.
  • Once Rosemary was performing with singer/pianist Michael Feinstein at the Hollywood Bowl. Before taking the stage, they were both noticeably nervous. Expecting Rosemary to give him words of strength and encouragement, Michael Feinstein was shocked when she told him, “Don’t think this ever gets any easier!“
  • One of her more interesting quotes (and she had a lot of them!) was: “In the final analysis, it’s true that fame is unimportant. No matter how great a man is, the size of his funeral usually depends on the weather.”
  • She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording in Hollywood, California.
  • She performed annually at the “Rosemary Clooney Music Festival” in her hometown of Maysville, Kentucky.
  • Beginning in 1980, Rosemary called Augusta, Kentucky home. What a peaceful retreat it must have been from her busy showbiz days!
  • On October 1st, 2005, her Augusta, Kentucky home was partially transformed into a celebration of her life, The Rosemary Clooney House – a non-profit foundation headed by former Kentucky Lt. Gov Dr. Steve Henry and his wife, former Miss America and Augusta native, Heather French Henry.
  • After Rosemary Clooney’s death, her children bought the home from the Henrys.
  • The Rosemary Clooney House has the largest collection of White Christmas memorabilia in the world.
  • Rosemary Clooney is buried at St. Patrick’s Cemetery near her mother and grandmother in Maysville, Ky.

Below, Rosemary Clooney sings “Hey There.”

Be prepared to become obsessed with this beautiful voice.


Filed Under: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Rosemary Clooney Tagged With: Rosemary Clooney

16 Fast Facts About Vera-Ellen

December 11, 2017 By Joi

Vera-Ellen

Adorable Vera-Ellen

Getting to Know Vera-Ellen:

  • Vera-Ellen (an only child )was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1921.
  • Her nickname was “Bunny.”
  • Vera was painfully shy as a child and, by nine, had developed health problems.
  • Went to the same Cincinnati ballroom dance studio as a child as Doris Day. Their parents even carpooled together to the dance studio.
  • When asked about causing a sensation when she wore a form-fitting gold lame sheath to the Oscars in 1958, Vera-Ellen perfectly replied, “Why not? It’s the way Oscar dresses.”
  • She was a Radio City Rockette (and one of the youngest) but was fired after two weeks because she showed too much individuality on stage.
  • The beautiful star silently battled anorexia before doctors even understood the condition, let alone how to treat it.
  • Vera-Ellen co-starred with Donald O’Connor in Call Me Madam (1953). One of her all-time personal favorite dances was in this film. She and the wonderful O’Connor danced to  “Something to Dance About,” choreographed by the renowned Robert Alton.
  • When studios (sadly) began making fewer musicals (in the 1950s), Vera-Ellen began to fade from the public eye.
  • One of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire AND Gene Kelly onscreen. Other actresses that are in this exclusive little club include Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Debbie Reynolds, and Leslie Caron.
  • Fred Astaire said about her, “She was a real accomplished dancer, that girl. Ballet, tap dancing, anything you wanted to do.“
  • During the filming of White Christmas, the costumes were made to cover Vera-Ellen’s neck because, due to anorexia, it appeared much older than her face.
  • Once said, “Fred Astaire will never say, though he’s always asked, which of his dancing ladies was his favorite partner. If you ask me, he preferred the solo turns.”
  •  The beloved classic White Christmas (1954) is the movie Vera-Ellen is most remembered for.  Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Rosemary Clooney were her costars in this iconic Christmas film.
  • Vera-Ellen apparently was a bit of a bookworm as a child! In her own words, “I was called a bookish child. Mother sent me to a ballet teacher in Cincinnati when I was nine years old. I guess I was an awkward child and the family wanted me to be graceful. When I found out I liked to dance and people seemed to like to watch me, I was determined to go places.”
  • She enjoys a lasting legacy as one of Hollywood’s finest dancing stars from Musicals’ cherished glory days.

 


Filed Under: Getting to Know..., Vera-Ellen Tagged With: Rosemary Clooney, Vera-Ellen

Welcome to Hollywood Yesterday!

Ann Sheridan, It All Came True

Ann Sheridan
My name is Joi (“Joy”) and I created Hollywood Yesterday as my personal tribute to Old Hollywood. It’s my effort to help keep the stars from Old Hollywood, Classic Television, and Old Radio Shows alive and shining forever. Old Hollywood was positively magical and I see no reason for the magic to ever die.

Be warned, I am (by nature) overtly positive, I never take anything too seriously, I say extraordinary so often you’d think I invented the word, and I overuse exclamation points to distraction. I’m perpetually over-caffeinated.. we’ll blame that.

Read more about Hollywood Yesterday (and see my personal favorites) here!

Old Hollywood Actresses

Lena Horne, Meet Me in Las Vegas

See the Old Hollywood Actresses page for the index of Classic Hollywood Actresses and Classic TV Actresses.

Old Hollywood Actors

Henry Fonda, Behind the Scenes The Grapes of Wrath

See the Old Hollywood Actors page for the index of Old Hollywood and Classic TV actors.

Old Hollywood Book Reviews

Ann Dvorak: Hollywood's Forgotten Rebel by Christina Rice

I love reading old Hollywood biographies and memoirs as much as I love watching classic movies, and that’s truly saying something!

To see my Old Hollywood book reviews, please see the index listed here: Book Reviews.

Pictures of the Day

Maureen O'Hara, The Parent Trap

Maureen O’Hara

The Old Hollywood & Classic TV Pictures of the Day are published as regularly as possible. If I miss a few days, please just know that the husband, daughters, sons-in-law, grandbabies, and/or my cats were demanding my attention. I’ll be honest, nothing comes before any of them! Not even Maureen O’Hara or Henry Fonda.

Priorities, y’all.

Movie Collections on Amazon

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Recent Posts

  • Happy Heavenly Birthday to the Extraordinary Donna Reed
  • Nat King Cole and Ruby Dee, St. Louis Blues (1958)
  • The Spider Woman (1943): Basil Rathbone, Nigel Bruce, Gale Sondergaard, and Dennis Hoey
  • Rest in Peace, Beautiful Gina Lollobrigida
  • Beautiful Rhonda Fleming in a Stunning Promotional Photo for The Golden Hawk (1952)
  • The Wonderful Paul Henreid was BOTD in 1908
  • Judy Garland Behind the Scenes of Presenting Lily Mars
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Movie Night, ANY Night…

John Wayne, Robert Mitchum, and Arthur Hunnicutt in El Dorado
Have movie night ANY night with Prime Video on Amazon:  Prime Video (Amazon link)

Thank You for Visiting!

Paulette Goddard and Charlie Chaplin, Modern Times
Thank you so much for visiting Hollywood Yesterday! You truly HONOR me with your presence. ~ Joi (“Joy”)

Olivia de Havilland

Olivia de Havilland, The Adventures of Robin Hood

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?? 

Barbara Stanwyck Quotes

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!

Old Hollywood Movies

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire Top Hat Cheek to Cheek

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

Classic Hollywood Books & Biographies (Reviews)

Maureen O'Hara's Autobiography 'Tis Herself

‘Tis Herself by Maureen O’Hara
I Know Where I'm Going (Katharine Hepburn Biography) and Princess

I Know Where I’m Going: Katharine Hepburn

 

Debbie Reynolds Unsinkable
Unsinkable: A Memoir by Debbie Reynolds

 

Ginger Rogers Autobiography - Ginger: My Story

Ginger by Ginger Rogers
Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball

Love, Lucy by Lucille Ball
Vitagraph by Andrew A. Erish
Vitagraph by Andrew A. Erish
More Old Hollywood Book Reviews!

Dorothy Dandridge

Dorothy Dandridge Carmen Jones Poster

Getting to Know the Gorgeous and Talented Dorothy Dandridge

My Lucy Obsession

Lucille Ball

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…

Legalities…

Aside from pictures of books I review, I do not claim to have taken any of the pictures on this website, nor do I own the pictures – the ones of the stars or the affiliate (product) pictures.  Other, far more talented photographers than me have the credit for the beautiful photos you see. If you would like credit for a photograph or would like one removed, please e-mail me (joitsigers@gmail.com).

Movie posters and promotional photos are used in the belief that they qualify for the Fair Use law. Fair use is a doctrine in the law of the United States that permits limited use of copyrighted material without having to first acquire permission from the copyright holder. Fair use is one of the limitations to copyright intended to balance the interests of copyright holders with the public interest in the wider distribution and use of creative works by allowing as a defense to copyright infringement claims certain limited uses that might otherwise be considered infringement.

When you click through an affiliate (product, book, dvds..) link, I earn a small portion of the money you spend IF you purchase anything. This does not cost you any extra money, of course. This is how I am able to work from home and support my cats! – Joi (“Joy”)

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