wouldbestar

I started this topic on the wrong forum but can't delete it. It's on the "anything good on?" thread on the Your Favorites forum.

I thought of another connection seeing the photos of Vivien Leigh and Joel McCrea with wife Frances Dee. Frances screen tested to play Scarlet O'Hara in Gone With the Wind and I thought from that and her role in Wells Fargo that she would have been quite good as Scarlet. I'm not knocking Vivien but this claim that there were no American actresses who could have done the part is nonsense.

The English actress Margaret Wycherly gives a particularly fine performance as Mother York, a Tennessee countrywoman, in Sergeant York. Her performance is one of my favorite supporting performances. She was nominated for an Oscar. And a few years later she was a totally different kind of mother, Mrs. Jarrett, in White Heat. I think she got an Oscar nomination for that as well, if not she should have. What a talented lady!

Jean "Of course I can talk, don't everbody" Hagen in Singin' in the Rain. Mildred Dunnock in Peyton Place. True grace under pressure. Ona Munson in Gone With the Wind. Belle's unspoken love for Rhett is so obvious and heartbreaking. Why didn't he open his eyes and see what was in front of him? I agree the Catherine Burns mention. The role spoke for so many of us who weren't beauty queens even if it was a tragic one. Thelma Ritter-the patron saint of supporting actresses. Her final scene in POSS chokes me up every time. Supporting players are/were the backbone of films and TV. They get/got to really act in a variety of roles rather than get pigeonholed in a specific image as stars often are/were. My mom, trying to discourage my ambitions, told me once that if I ever went into acting my looks wouldn't get me past character parts. I wish she'd been right because if I had been any good that would have been a great deal and left me with a lot to take pride in.

I rarely darken the door of a theater anymore but will for this. As a co-worker used to say 'I'd bet money on that" that it beats any of the new stuff coming out today.

This is my sister's birthday as well. Nice to see she's in such great company. Loved the photo of Barbara Bel Gddes. Despite the many "Plain Jane" roles she got stuck with she definitely was not. That woman would not have to had used a buggy whip to talk Jock into marriage as Miss Ellie always claimed on Dallas.

I've said before that Elsa was an attractive woman in her youth but that "glamour shot" of Hope Emerson blows me away. This is Matron Harper of Caged? Thank you for this treat.

TopBilled: Thank you for the Paula Raymond inclusion to the thread. I went to the interview and found so much info on other actresses, movies and TV shows that I've been on the computer since then. What a belated birthday present! This is the kind of thing I love, real stories without the sensational stuff. Thanks a lot!

Bansi4: Thank you for the Birthday wishes. My day did go quite well. This reunion with Mom went much better than others have. I came back Friday with an eye problem that started clearing up as soon as I arrived so I'm guessing that it was something in the air up there. Jacksonville is only 230 miles from Tampa so it's weird. This was the first thread I went to after I plugged in the computer and as usual I found a wealth of great photos and info to catch up on. Even with my then-bleary vision they were all first rate. It's good to know I always have the Thread to come back to.

I saw the mini-obit in my morning paper but it did not say this man was Ben's father and he has so many relatives that you can't place them all. I hope the family and he takes comfort in the fact that this was a long life full of contributions to the industry they all love and to his country. This is what being American is supposed to be about. As for Ben's marrying the mother of his child, better late than not at all. So many men today just hit and run wanting the pleasure but not the responsibility. Here's hoping this is one Hollywood marriage that beats the odds for them and the little girl.

I had just gotten one of those periotic "updates" loaded onto my computer and thought this might be the problem. I also contacted TCM to see if something I wrote had offended somebody. I was on the phone to Netscape to see if they could help when the Board thankfully came back up. I agree that there should have been a notice on the TCM home page telling us it was them and not us. It should also be easier to get through to TCM by phone or e-mail.

Mongo: I'm glad you had a great birthday. For some reason I couldn't get through to the Board this week-end; when I tried it kept coming up that the "account was suspended". It just came back up a few minutes ago so my best wishes are a bit belated. I'll be up in Jacksonville, where it all started, when mine comes up Wednesday. Hope I can say the same thing you did when it's over.

Thank you for the explanation. I, too, thought I had accidentally deleted my taping of the Van Buren cartoons when the McCay ones ran again. I'm glad to know I wasn't that dumb. Loved the two I saw.

The lovely lady with the black hair so long she could sit on it! That was how I first saw her on a Matinee Theater episode back in the mid-50s. I caught many of her TV performances throughout the years and always knew that at least one cast member knew her craft. What a legacy she left in all the acting departments! RIP, Dear Lady.

I didn't wish anybody a "happy" Yom Kippur because it's not a day of celebration but reflection, repentance, forgiveness and renewal. As I understand it, it's to Jews what Good Friday is to Christians. From what I've read at sundown the fast ends and everybody gets to dive into various noodle cakes and other kosher treats. I hope it ends up a great day for those of you observing it but of course if you are you won't read this until later.

Oh, my stars, has my birth month ever gotten off to a great start! Can't wait to see who comes in the next 29 days. (I'm at the middle on the 15th).

I don't know if he covered this in the episodes of TSOTJ I missed but in A History of Britain Sharma told us that the yellow star on clothing forced on Jews did not originate with the Nazis but with one of the medieval English kings. Later he ordered all Jews out of Britain. The only way out was by ship and some ship captains forced them out on sandbars or low-lying islands where they drowned at high tide. I found this amazing as the British were the staunchest of the European anti-Nazi nations despite their abdicated king possibly collaborating with Germany. I watched Driving Miss Daisy today and found this another take on the Jewish experience on film. Here Daisy is a Southern Jew of 1948-1976 Atlanta who proudly clings to her beliefs despite a frightening incident with some Alabama State Troopers and the bombing of her temple. Her son and his wife are the opposite, laid-back amiable JINOs who put up Christmas decorations and host holiday parties so they can blend in with the upper-crust Gentiles they so desperately want to be a part of. Strangely, Daisy is in turn prejudiced against Blacks until over a thirty year timespan she slowly forms a friendship with her driver whom she helps learn to read and shares the Alabama incident. This was the Oscar winner for 1989 and it's still good.

If you want to pursue this topic further Simon Sharma produced a three part series on the history of Judism that ran on PBS last night. I desperately wanted to watch but only made hour one as I was spent from several very active days; what I saw was very enlightening. I am hoping to get a DVD of it as it explains the topic from their perspective. I wish it had been one before this month's films began as it might have added to Dr. Goldman's views.

I taped Three on a Match and finally watched it yesterday. I liked more than disliked it despite its script flaws. By that I mean lack of a shootout at the end-AB was right about that being needed-as well as no confrontation between Frank and Mary about what he's learned about her past from Mike. I got a kick out of the fact that teen-age tramp "Mary" is the one who ends up as the upstanding wife and mother while "Vivian", the "girl most likely to succeed" ends up the aimless cheat and druggie before dying to save her son. Joan Blondell and Ann Dvorak are wonderful in these roles; it's too bad than Bette Davis's "Ruth" hasn't really that much to do as she's very natural here rather than the over-the-top hoyden she later became. Ironically, her real name was Ruth Elizabeth Davis. I'd never seen Lyle Talbot this young before and now know why he was such a star back then. He was quite handsome and magnetic on screen even as a sleezeball. I even liked Warren William as he wasn't as pompous here as in some of his other roles. I believed that Mary came to love his "Frank". I thought that Bogart did not become a film actor until five years later. Here, too, he was more understated than he would be later on. All those future lead and supporting stars in one film of only an hour! And they probably weren't even trying.

The last hour of Ben Hur always gets me in tears largely because of Miklos Rozsa's score. Rather than a mournful dirge at the death of Jesus he gives us a bright, upbeat melody that combined with the rain/blood mix watering the dry land explains more than any sermon what we Christians believe about why it all took place. Juda's change from revengeful to forgiving man before he learns his family has been healed is the near-perfect ending. Yes, I know, there's no Resurrection scene but I guess they were trying to reach all audiences and we know how to add our own.

I found one of her beauty books at a time when I was starting over with a small budget. In it she stated that she always wore skin-toned shoes as they made her look taller than she really was. The fashion dictates then always insisted that shoes should match the clothing. I noticed that some ice skaters covered their white shoes with nude tights and it worked for them so I tired it. I don't know if my legs looked better but it did save me money by my only having a few pairs rather than a closet full of different colors. I always liked her work as well; she could look so ladylike then, oh my, did the sparks fly. RIP, Dear Lady.

When I saw this movie as a child of seven I thought that all the children-Black and White-were slaves and didn't think anything about it. It was like Christians being Baptist, Catholic or Methodist. When I used the term "white slave" in describing the movie to my mother you can imagine her reaction; it would be years before I learned what the term meant in the modern world. I want to see this movie so I can appreciate or deride it as an adult. My memories of it are warm like the episodes of Amos & Andy I saw at that same time; today I might understand why film and series are deemed offensive by some. I would probably cringe at parts, as I do with Gone With the Wind, and enjoy those that are worthy to be. What I really object to is a company as plastic as Disney not giving me the chance. That why I buy none of their products or patronize their "Empire to the North".

I'd want to be called an actress because it includes the whole of me; that ress is something to be proud of. I might not always be in the business but I'd always be female and actor would deny that part of me that never changes. This PC stuff can be taken too far at times. Actually it should be up to the woman as to what she wishes to be called; another might think I'm all wet.

Let's not leave out Tender Mercies which came out only a few years later and won Robert Duvall an Oscar. He also wrote many of the songs used in the film. This is one time when Loretta or Sissy would have been an improvement over Betty Buckley who can act but her "singing" was worse than chalk on a blackboard. Another choice for a double feature would be George Straight's Gone Country - I think that's the title - with Leslie Ann Warren. Your Cheatin' Heart has good acting and music but a rather fictionalized story of Hank Williams's life. Hollywood seems to have done right by country music.

TopBilled wrote: The one very good thing about this film is the shared screen time between Babs and Duke. It makes a person wish they had done other films together-- they could have been magnificent in a western. And I certainly think she could have done Hepburn's role in ROOSTER COGBURN with ease. I read a biography of Stanwyck that described a time when Wayne was supposed to go hunting with Robert Taylor but she did not want him to go. She raised hell and let her Brooklyn street language loose on the hunting party. Wayne was angry and made known his equally salty opinion of her. That might explain why they never worked together other than Baby Face. Both were still growing as actors then but might have made a good team later on when they'd developed their talent.