VP19

"A Millionaire For Christy" is a likable, if somewhat flawed, late screwball from 1951 featuring old comedic pro Fred MacMurray and someone you don't associate with comedy -- Eleanor Parker. Her breathy style is very reminiscent of Carole Lombard (who made four movies with MacMurray), and she has good chemistry with Fred. One could imagine this film being made 15 years earlier with Fred and Carole (or two other "screwball" stars of the time). Here's more on the movie: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/352481.html

Here's one of the earliest airchecks extant, Bing Crosby from KHJ in Los Angeles on Sept. 2, 1931. (The program was 15 minutes long, but only eight minutes survive.) You will hear the announcer give the station ID as being in "Los ANG-el-es," and repeats it a few seconds later when reading the sponsoring jeweler's commercial. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N387MQJnImE

Geez, I've been enjoying *Carole & Co. *for a long time now, and I never made the connection to VP19. That's one terrific site you've got there, and it makes me wonder if the *Self-Styled Siren *and the *Noir of the Week *guy are also lurking in these parts somewhere. Thank you; it's been a labor of love now for nearly 4 1/2 years, as I try to blend a historian's perspective with a fan's enthusiasm regarding Lombard, her life and times, and people she knew and worked with.

That's Carole with Russell Birdwell, ace publicist for Selznick International Pictures, during a week in July 1938 when Lombard handled publicity chores for the studio. Learn more about it at http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/17287.html, http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/119764.html and http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/401488.html And remember that at 8 p.m. ET tonight, TCM is showing the restored print of Lombard's 1937 Technicolor comedy "Nothing Sacred," followed by Carole's final film role in Ernst Lubitsch's "To Be Or Not To Be."

In conjunction with the recent thread on film criticism, here are Pauline Kael's assessments of 13 different Carole Lombard movies: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/459570.html For the most part, Kael liked Lombard (no surprise, most critics do). Then again, she also championed the work of Michelle Pfeiffer, whose style is decidedly different from Carole's but who shares her sheer luminosity.

According to another story which appears to be true, the coat Frank Morgan wore as Professor Marvel, which was handpicked from a second-hand clothing rack, once belonged to L. Frank Baum (the author of the Oz series of books). The inside pocket had his name on it. After completion of the film, the coat was presented to Baum's widow who confirmed it was indeed his. It could well be true. Baum lived in Hollywood for several years until his death in 1919, and in fact opened a film production company that adapted his various "Oz" books for the screen; prior to that, "Oz" stories were frequently performed theatrically. He later folded the film company and offered movie rights to his works to Paramount, which refused -- in retrospect, a huge mistake, as the "Oz" franchise could have been to Paramount what the "Harry Potter" books are currently to Warners.

Thanks for clarifying that Marion Davies had nothing to do with the Beatrice Fairfax series. From the description, they appear to be intriguing mid-teens short films, and Hearst's money in a movie project invariably meant good production values.

And remember -- "Nothing Sacred" (8 p.m. Wednesday ET) is a restored print, enabling us to watch the antics of Carole Lombard, Fredric March, et al in the full, glorious Technicolor audiences saw in theaters in 1937. This screwball gem no longer is the prisoner of public domain.

MGM was looking for their platinum blond and they found her in Harlow. Harlow was clearly talented enough to do the job but she wasn't a great actress. To compare her to another blond comedian, Carole Lombard, Lombard did a lot of minor roles for years (e.g. working for Hal Roach), before she got starring projects and thus she was able to grow. Harlow was so hot from the start, box office wise, MGM just keep pushing her into project after project. Just to clarify things: * Lombard never worked for Hal Roach. She gained her comedy experience via Mack Sennett in his late 1920s two-reelers. * Harlow didn't sign with MGM full-time until 1932. She worked at a variety of studios in '30 and '31, including Columbia and a film or two at MGM, but didn't really hit her stride as an actress until becoming a full-time employee of Leo and getting valuable acting training there.

Carol Lombard (which was the original spelling, anyway) No, it wasn't, though several biographers have stated it as such. Okay, technically she began life as Jane Alice Peters, which is the name she was known as when she made a brief appearance in the 1921 film "A Perfect Crime." But when she began her career in earnest a few years later, she took the name "Carole Lombard" -- and I have proof. What may be her first notice as an actress in print, in the Los Angeles Times in early 1925, lists her as "Carole." That was her professional name for several years (although Mack Sennett briefly had her first name spelled "Carolle" in ads), but when she moved to Pathe in late 1928, the studio changed her first name to the simpler "Carol." That's how it remained until the latter part of 1930, when she went back to "Carole" for good. Here are several entries that show Times articles from the '20s: http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/394176.html http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/394306.html http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/394588.html http://carole-and-co.livejournal.com/395046.html

Agree with all the other posters. This is the kind of movie that you want to introduce to someone who is not into classic film, because it will blow their socks off. I fully concur. Wonderfully written and acted (has Aline MacMahon, a splendid character actress, ever been more alluring?), with incredible texture and atmosphere. One of the many movies that made 1932 arguably the peak year of the pre-Code era.

Am watching it now. One of the most romantic movies ever made.

"Interference" (1929), Paramount's first talkie, which introduced William Powell's mellifluous voice to the moviegoing world, and "The Smiling Lieutenant" (1931), arguably Ernst Lubitsch's sauciest film.

Never heard the Crosby analogy to Robert Williams. Have heard him analogized to Cagney and Gable, two stars who also were moving up the ladder in 1931.

I can see where you're coming from, but TCM is doing two nights a week on the topic, and I doubt it could truly fit any more. And I'd rather have two films from each of 18 actresses than four films from nine (whom do you leave out?). Virtually all of the 18 have been or will be honored by TCM in other capacities, so it's not as if they won't show up again.

A quick informal calculation indicates that, just from these responses, the winner is............Carole Lombard. ....Who woulda thunk it? If you know anything about what Lombard was like, or how highly she was regarded by her peers during her regrettably brief lifetime (in other words, this affection wasn't merely a posthumous feeling), it wouldn't be that surprising a response. Carole was beautiful, intelligent, funny, athletic, sexy and generous -- a woman ahead of her time in many ways. True, millions of women were probably jealous of Lombard for successfully wooing Clark Gable, but truth be told, millions of men were jealous of Gable for successfully wooing her.

Libeled Lady His Girl Friday My Man Godfrey Citizen Kane Show People Girl Shy A Hard Day's Night The Girl Can't Help It Twentieth Century One Way Passage

Nothing against Madeline, whose talent was splendid and is still missed, but a one-day (birthday?) tribute might be more appropriate, as she had relatively few starring film vehicles of her own. If we ever got to the point where we're going to give a SOTM to actresses from that era ('70s, '80s), then the honor should go to Goldie Hawn, a much bigger star than Kahn ever was (with far many more lead roles).

I thought the "incredible effect" was making Joan Crawford seem like a solid comedic actress. (Apologies to Joan, who had considerable acting talent and deserves to be remembered as more than a bad biopic punchline, but comedy was never her strong suit.)

I work with a batch of folks in their 20s (I'm 56), and if TCM has something coming up that they might seem interested in (e.g., "Battle of the Blondes"), I'll let them know about it. Sometimes they actually heed my suggestions and watch. I'm sure that in December, I'll be raving about William Powell as star of the month...though Powell's urbane style today might seem completely alien to twentysomethings.

Don't forget a blonde Myrna Loy in a few films, notably "Love Me Tonight" (though I'm pretty sure hers was a wig and not dyed).

There are so many...but I'll limit myself to 10, all of whom made a film before 1970: Carole Lombard Cyd Charisse Julie Newmar Goldie Hawn Myrna Loy Ginger Rogers Joan Blondell Marlene Dietrich Marilyn Monroe Loretta Young (1930s)

"Back in the day"...almost sounds like we had to trod a mile and a half in the snow home from school, made some hot chocolate and watched the latest offering from TCM ("Oh, wow, another Wheeler & Woolsey movie!").

Interesting to see that Ginger Rogers was not included among the 18 blondes this month, especially since most of her triumphs came while wearing that shade of hair.

I'm so sick of the "V" word around Monroe -- she was a talented, likable actress with good comedic skills, but she increasingly appears locked to her time. Someone like Carole Lombard has more to say to today's women than Marilyn does; Monroe was a victim, Lombard a victor.