rosebette

Actually, I found the book on Amazon. I have the hardcover version because that matches the picture. It's called "Mabel" and it's by Betty Fussell. It's selling used for $126. Guess I better search those boxes in my basement! I think my dad picked it up in a remainder bin for me at least 20 years ago! Wonder if it can be downloaded to a Kindle for those who want to read it but not pay the steep price for the hardcover.

There's a very entertaining fiction book, "Cast of Killers" that is now back in print about the Mabel Normand scandal in the 20s and how director King Vidor solved it. I had a biography of Mabel Normand that my father had given me many years ago, but can't find it. It's probably in a box in my basement somewhere -- I have books I haven't unpacked from 3 moves ago! I looked in Amazon, and the one they have is definitely not the same book, so it's probably out of print.

TomJH really knows his stuff and I believe was one of the regular bloggers on the Errol and Olivia site. I highly recommend that site, as well as the Errol and Olivia biography by Robert Matzen for more information on both those stars. I also believe Errol was vastly underrated. I just saw "Escape Me Never" on On Demand and I thought he was rather good in it -- hardly worth considering shooting oneself over! Audiences just wanted one okind of Flynn. I think Errol underrated himself -- he had a wonderful way with dialogue, and his underplaying a scene was such a gift. As to his later roles, such as "Too Much, Too Soon," I can barely watch them for the sadness....

That's the photo, Sprocket Man. Thanks for posting it! BTW, there are some home movies from The Adventures of Robin Hood on youtube that have shots with Basil and Olivia together, where he has his arm around her or is smiling. Looks like Errol wasn't the only one who had a crush on her on that movie set! Yes, my dad was a great guy and gave me his love for classic films.

There's a delightful candid of Basil Rathbone kissing Olivia's hand in The Adventures of Robin Hood. It's posted on the basilrathbone.net site. I don't have the technical wherewithal to post it, but it's really a wonderful spontaneous moment if you want to check it out. Olivia was my Dad's teen-age crush. I would bring movie books to the nursing home in his last months, and of all the stars, he would say, "You know who I want to look at." Then, when he would see the pictures, he would say, "She was even more beautiful than that." Then, he went on to be an English teacher and thought The Heiress was one of the best adaptations of a classic novel and of course, her performance, the best of any actress. Sadly, my just passed away at 86 this year; she has outlived him by 10 years, and probably will outlive us all.

Petulia was delightful, and if you hear the original Broadway cast album from the 40s, her voice is very similar to the female lead. I liked the male lead, Don Francke, too. But the real scene stealer was Fred. "When the Idle Poor Become the Idle Rich" was a show-stopper. His face may have looked 70, but he still moved like a dream. I'm in my early 50s, and my knees already feel it when I jump off a step. Fred in rags still looks like he stepped out of the poor man's GQ. And that guy could still put over a song. While some of the film dragged and Steele was annoying, it was worth it for Fred. Although I must admit, there is a nice bit between Steele and Fred on the dock where Steele talks about being in love, and they end up reciting the a pastiche of the words of "Night and Day" and other famous Cole Porter tunes associated with Fred, which was kind of fun.

Yeah! Pictures are back. Although I wish I had something nicer to look at than Slim Pickens....

I'll be the dissenter in this thread because I watched some of the Ross Alexander films and was not especially impressed. I thought he was good "second lead" material. In "China Clipper," he barely registers, while Bogart, who was not anywhere near a major star, seems to be a force in every scene; you can see where he was headed. I'm most familiar with Alexander's work in "Midsummer Night's Dream," and feel that both he and Dick Powell were rather cloying in that, while little Olivia deHavilland was a force to be reckoned with. My favorite Alexander role -- Jeremy Pitt in "Captain Blood," when Flynn is tending his wounds and he despairs of esaping the island. Good for a second-in-command or best friend role, but not much beyond. I wonder if he would have been remembered if not for the mystery and tragedy surrounding his death.

As an advocate of Cooper over Wayne, I would say that the one part I think he was miscast in was The Fountainhead. I could see John Wayne in that role, and it certainly fits his political and screen persona. What I think audiences might not accept is Wayne in the "rape" scene; Cooper is believable in the scenes with Patricia Neal because of their natural chemistry. Yet, we did see Wayne exhibit a cruel side in some roles, such as Red River and The Searchers. Cooper's actions with HUAC and Carl Foreman are more of "The Friendly Persuasion" variety than the Howard Roark type!

I think modern audiences prefer Wayne over Cooper because his movies are shown more and because Wayne became an iconic image for "American values." However, I believe Cooper is the superior actor. Cooper could say volumes without a line of dialogue and underplay a scene brilliantly. Watch the scene in "Mr. Deeds" after desperate man accuses Deeds of using his money frivolously while others are starving -- Cooper is absolutely silent, and yet we know everything that's going on in his head. Or the scene where he starts eating a sandwich in front of the hungry people he's giving a handout to, and then stops mid-bite. His expressions in Meet John Doe could move one to tears. High Noon is a portrait of both nobility and desperation. I always tear up at the end of Love in the Afternoon -- Cooper's age only adds to the desperation and vulnerability of a mature playboy grasping at real love. I think Wayne's range was far more limited than Cooper's. There is often a sense of underlying moral struggle in Cooper's work -- Seargeant York (how can a pacifist become a war hero?) and High Noon are both good examples of this. The Searchers is the closest that Wayne comes to that kind of depth. I wonder if audiences today are so used to action heroes that they can't appreciate the quiet intensity of a more complex type of hero.

My beloved dad, who just passed away this year, loved Errol Flynn movies. His own dad took him to see The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dodge City. He loved cowboy movies, too, but preferred Cooper to Wayne. He also had a weakness for "B" cowboy flicks. His favorite studio was Warner Brothers, which he saw as the "Working man's studio," and he enjoyed Cagney and Bogart. Although he was a WII vet, he was not overly fond of war movies, and actually preferred the musicals that were made during the war. I remember him tearing up during a Judy Garland movie; he said that those movies made the boys think of home. He did think "The Best Years of Their Lives" was the best movie about the aftermath. I wonder how many men who were in the war actually enjoyed war movies.

> {quote:title=Arturo wrote:}{quote}I would definitely say that NOTHING HAPPENS in The Razor's Edge the novel(la)/overlong short story, but things do happen in the movie (although nowhere near enough to validate the 2 hour plus running time.) In fact, that's where the movie tends to go really wrong with the added subplot of Webb and Tierney's characters plotting to destroy Anne Baxter by turning her back into a lush. That does not happen in the book and it does not really click with me in the film- seems like a retread of something Waldo Lydecker and Tierney's character from Leave Her to Heaven would do...In fact, after her massive success in Heaven, Tierney was often given B****-goddess type roles of cold women who do awful things to get the man they want, as if Gene Freakin' Tierney had ANY trouble snagging a man ever > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Actually, Webb's character has nothing to do wih trying to turn Anne Baxter back into a lush; it's all Tierney. He merely raves about the wine (or whatever it was they were drinking), and that's what gives Gene the idea. Clifton would have been opposed to this scheme had he known, since he despised Power and didn't want him and Tierney to reunite. > > Edited by: Arturo on Mar 24, 2012 11:17 AM > I just read the book while traveling, and I have to disagree with you about the subploot about Tierney/Isabel plotting to bring about Sophie/Baxter's downfall not being in the book. In the book both Sophie and Isabel give their version of the story about Sophie being left with the liqueur in Isabel's apartment, and it's clear that from Isabel's version that it was deliberate. Also, it's clear the Isabel sexually desires Larry/Power intensely and will do anything to get him back (she actually has an **** just while watching his forearm as he drives a car). Maugham is a complex and subtle writer, and you have to read carefully and between the lines. If you're used to Stephen King and Dan Brown, you'll miss some of the implications in the book. A great deal happens, but you have to an attentive reader to catch it.

Jack Nicolson... I think he's actually ugly and a bit obnoxious. I couldn't understand how he became a star. Also, Dustin Hoffman, although I think he's a terrific actor, he's really an ugly little guy! Bogart was not a handsome man, nor was Cagney, but both of them had incredible screen presence.

> {quote:title=mongo wrote:}{quote}http://s592.photobucket.com/albums/tt8/MovieJoe/silver/bronze/Platinum/?action=view&current=000aaaaaaaaaaaaaef.jpg > Errol Flynn and wife Lili Damita out on the town Looks like Errol's spotted someone gorgeous, and maybe Lili's is catching him at it!

"Errol and Olivia" by Robert Matzen. He explores both their careers and their relationship. It has loads of great pictures, especially some wonderful candids.

I never thought Tierney was much of an actress either. I think her best performances in Leave Her to Heaven and The Razor's Edge are due to her beauty and a certain natural coolness in her personality. She's perfect for Laura because it's all about looking at that beautiful face, but we never really learn much about the woman behind it, which gives the character that mystery. Watch her in Belle Starr -- she's gorgeous and just awful, kind of a bad Scarlett O'Hara clone. She's also pretty terrible in Dragonwyck. I love watching her for purely aesthetic reasons -- her bone structure and coloring are exquisite. I think Victor Mature is better than folks give him credit for. He's excellent in My Darling Clementine and very funny in After the Fox with Peter Sellers.

> {quote:title=wouldbestar wrote:}{quote}Did anybody besides me first think that was Meryl Streep, not Irene Dunne, before reading the caption? Now that I've looked at it closer I see that it's not but the resemblance, and the fact they are both brilliant actresses, is uncanny. And like Meryl, she is good at accents and has a gift with comedy and drama. Also, like Meryl, I'd watch Irene in almost anything because she brought a unique intelligence and presence to all her roles.

> {quote:title=wouldbestar wrote:}{quote}Did anybody besides me first think that was Meryl Streep, not Irene Dunne, before reading the caption? Now that I've looked at it closer I see that it's not but the resemblance, and the fact they are both brilliant actresses, is uncanny. And like Meryl, she is good at accents and has a gift with comedy and drama. Also, like Meryl, I'd watch Irene in almost anything because she brought a unique intelligence and presence to all her roles.

So strange to see the award winners in what we consider "street clothes" when now all the attention is on what the people on the Red Carpet are wearing.

So strange to see the award winners in what we consider "street clothes" when now all the attention is on what the people on the Red Carpet are wearing.

If I had those stamps, I don't think I'd use them. They're beautiful!

I love Irene Dunne in "The Awful Truth," and never tire of this movie. Despite the fact that Grant and Dunne seem to be independently wealthy without working, I think they behave convincingly as a married couple who are well aware of the other's faults. The two actors play off each other with a great naturalness. Of course, Dunne clearly gets the better of him -- the scene where she pretends to be his sister is priceless! I don't think she didn't get the Oscar because of her politics; Jimmy Stewart, John Wayne, and others were also conservatives. I think she was simply underrated, and frankly, her performances hold up much better than more well-known stars because she is so unaffected. Her timing's also perfect, probably because she was also a great singer.

My vote is Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes. While the British series with Jeremy Brett had more authentic Victorian flavor, I thought sometimes his performance was a bit mannered and over the top. Also, Basil looks the part. I just watched some of the Universal films in a DVD set I got for Christmas, and those shots of him with the dressing gown and the violin, even the shape of his head and profile are exactly like the illustrations in the original stories. Basil also has an undercurrent of sexiness when he plays scenes with women, even as Sherlock, which is rather appealing and surprising, since one thinks of him in the stories as rather asexual. On another note, I find Nigel Bruce's performances hammy and not true to the character of Watson at all. Maybe Bas as Sherlock and Jude Law as Watson -- there's an idea to contemplate! Runner up -- Humphrey Bogart as either Sam Spade or Philip Marlowe. No one can handle great dialogue from those hard-boiled writers like Chandler and Hammett the way Bogie can.

I thought The Artist was a delightful film, kind of a Singin' in the Rain, except the Gene Kelly goes downhill, rather than gets a fresh career from sound. The lead actor actually reminds me a bit of Kelly, but in the drunk scenes, he also reminds me of Frederic March -- in A Star is Born, of course. I, too, am really sick of CGI and movies that are just endless action with no script, or remakes, or sequels. However, after seeing Hugo, I'm convinced Hugo is the best picture and both says something about film, and yet also does many wonderful things visually, the only 3D film I've seen that really uses that technique in an artistic, rather than a gimmicky way. The entire cast of Hugo is also excellent, from Ben Kingsley to funny Sasha Cohen to the little boy who plays Hugo..

Why do I think that it's not hair that everyone's looking at?