ginnyfan
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Posts posted by ginnyfan
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> {quote:title=finance wrote:}{quote}I hear Cecil County----I think Cecil County Dragway.
I'm actually not that familiar. I live in Carroll County in the central part of the state. I drove past that college a lot last summer because my son worked at a Boy Scout camp up there.
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In my high school and college days Slim Whitman and Roger Whittaker records and tapes were sold on TV (so you don't forget, order before midnight tomorrow!) all the time.
They used to allow COD orders and a terrible prank guys would play on each other would be to order using another's address and see if the guy's parents would pick up the COD and they'd be stuck with a lame record set.
A friend of mine once got stuck with The Best of the Moms and Dads, another group SCTV parodied.
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TODAY IN GINNY we have five birthdays and I only managed to sneak Ginny into one photo.
Ernie Adams (1885) was in over 440 films between 1919 and 1948. He doesn't seem to have a type he was stuck in; he played a little of everything. He was even an expectant father in CASANOVA BROWN, made when he was almost sixty. He played Ed in IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, which mean I now have to pay attention the next time it's on. He was the Passenger Buying Maple Sugar in YOUNG TOM EDISON.
Henry Wadsworth (1897) had a pretty short career. He was Lt. Pettis in WEST POINT OF THE AIR, Tommy in THE THIN MAN (see photo), and Chester Wylie in EVELYN PRENTICE. He was also Smiley in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936.
Playwright Philip Barry (1996) wrote THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, which was later adapted to the screen as a vehicle for Virginia Weidler. At least that's my point of view. He also wrote HOLIDAY, which was made into movies twice in eight years. The second, with Weidler supporting players Hepburn and Grant, is remembered. The first, with Ann Harding and Robert Ames, not so much.
Actor Art Mix (1896) actually inherited his name. Born George Washington Kesterson, he inherited Art Mix from Victor Adamson, who hired Kesterson to be Art Mix after he, who had used to monicker, moved behind the camera. Mix started as a silent hero, then became a professional henchman in westerns as he got older. Between being George and being Art, he appeared in over 200 films in about twenty years. He was a ranch hand in the comic western HENRY GOES ARIZONA.
Wallace Reid Jr. (1917) was the son of actor Wallace Reid (the screen's most perfect lover) and actress/screenwriter/director/producer Dorothy Davenport. He only appeared in twelve films and one of them was as Matt Sullivan in GOLD RUSH MAISIE. He donated his papers to the Dorothy Merrick Library, if anyone wants to dig though them. Viewed by appointment only.
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> {quote:title=Dothery wrote:}{quote}
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> I'm going to drop my favorite name (Milburn Stone)
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OK, since you dropped Milburn Stone and I can't remember if I ever asked you, do you know why the theatre at Cecil College, a two year school in Cecil County MD is named the MILBURN STONE THEATRE? I know that means he probably left them money, but my question is why? I can't find a connection between Mr. Stone and the school and/or area.
Back to George Burns: several of the shorts he and Gracie made were good and showed how inventive he could be. One was simply him explaining where the camera was and telling Gracie if she just talked for a certain amount of time they'd make X number of dollars.
So she did and when the time was up he just cut her off and announced they had made their money. End of short.
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I thought it was clever of TCM to run HOME FROM TNE HILL at midnight ET because it gave them a twofer; a salute to the SOTM and a birthday shout out to William Humphrey who wrote the novel.
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Over the last month, I've probably missed about 120 birthdays of potential TIGers. In case anyone doesn't remember, TIGers are our honorees for TODAY IN GINNY, a silly effort on my part to honor the big and small who were connected to our gal and her career.
So we don't miss even more, let's start the new and improved-actually it's just the same-TODAY IN GINNY for Monday!
Reginald Barlow (1866) was a non-star of stage and screen. He got his start in the business when he was added to his father's minstrel act as a child-I'm picturing Mickey Rooney. Although American, he was also a hero in the Second Boer War while serving for Canada, then served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War and World War I. In later years, he was a member of American Legion Hollywood Post 43, a group that apparently was used as extras quite often in the 1920s and 30s. His connection to Ginny is that he played a German officer in STAMBOUL QUEST. The photo here is of Barlow in my favorite of his roles, that of the outgoing College President in HORSE FEATHERS.
London born Flora Finch (1867) appeared in just shy of 300 films. Most of her success was in the silent era when teamed with actor John Bunny, a guy she apparently hated. In 1917 she made a series of "Flora" shorts, such as FLORA, THE DRESS MAKER and FLORA, THE INTERNATIONAL SPY. Her final role was as "Woman Window Tapper" in THE WOMEN. You'll get several chances to see Flora in action this summer, but ginnyfan isn't bitter.
Russell Simpson (1877) was kind enough to appear in one of our TIG teasers this weekend. With 240 titles on IMDb, he built up an impressive run of sheriffs and judges. Most known for playing Pa Joad in THE GRAPES OF WRATH, he appeared in two films with Virginia Weidler. He was Bascomb Rogers in GIRL OF THE OZARKS and the Village Marshal in MAID OF SALEM.
C. Henry Gordon (1884) played bad guys. Lots of bad guys. His biggest role was probably as the murderous Surat Khan in THE CHARGE OF THE LIGHT BRIGADE. He, too, hit Ginnydom twice; playing Ali Bey in STAMBOUL QUEST (see photo) and Gordoni in THE BIG BROADCAST of 1936. I'm guessing that Gordoni wasn't quite as murderous as Surat Khan.
GB Stern (1890) was a British author. One of her novels, The Ugly Dachshund was later a Walt Disney hit. LONG LOST FATHER was based on one of her novels. I wonder if Ginny's role of Girl on Pier appeared in the book?
Frank Sully (1908) was a Policeman at Parade in THE GREAT MAN VOTES. Best known to you serious movie fans as Noah in THE GRAPES OF WRATH, he's best known to ginnyfan as Sgt. Matthews in the BOSTON **** series of films. Regularly employed in the 1930s and 40s, he became even busier on 1950s television.
Our Oscar winner today is editor Ralph E. Winters (1908). He won two of them. One for KING SOLOMON'S MINES and the other for BEN HUR. He somehow got passed over for his work on THE AFFAIRS OF MARTHA. I'm sure it was simply an oversight.
Now the correction. After I posted this to Facebook, VWRS member Danny asked if I found a Ginny-Ralph Bellamy connection and I had not. I was wrong.
I just double checked and Ginny was an uncredited "Little Girl" in the Warner Baxter film, SURRENDER in 1931. She was only four. This was at Fox and after the MOBY DICK incident, so the story that she didn't work after MOBY until AFTER TONIGHT in 1933 is also a publicist's fiction. Ralph Bellamy was Captain Ebbing in the film and like most of his work as a young man, he is the "other man".
Officially, this film is Virginia's debut.
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I can't remember when I first saw the 1931 version of Falcon, it was either when TNT first started and was all movies or when TCM first started. In either case, they were still running it under its alternate title of DANGEROUS FEMALE back then.
I really think its pretty good. I always like Ricardo Cortez, and Una Merkel is a plus. And it was a rare chance for Thelma Todd to show up in a serious film.
If they just didn't have that jailhouse wrap up scene...
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I wanted to compare last summer's Weidler movie offerings with this year's.
Last year, right when I was starting my Facebook page, TCM started what I called "TCM's SUMMER OF GINNY!!!" (All Rights Reserved). TCM didn't officially acknowledge this huge event, they made me promote it all by myself. So I did. Constantly. To many people's annoyance.
Anyway, there is a small amount of difference between last year's SOG schedule and this year's.
2012 SUMMER OF GINNY!!! Schedule
July 3-This Time For Keeps 2:15PM (ET)
July 27-Bad Little Angel 12:30PM (ET)
July 27-I'll Wait for You 3:30PM (ET)
Aug. 6-The Outcasts of Poker Flat 6:00AM (ET)
Aug. 30-The Lone Wolf Spy Hunt 2:40AM (ET)
Sept. 6-The Affairs of Martha 6:30AM (ET)
Sept. 11-Too Hot to Handle 3:15PM (ET)
2013 (whisper) summer of ginny (/whisper) schedule
July 13-The Women
July 31-The Women
Aug 4-The Women
Aug 25-Too Hot To Handle (Ginny has about three minutes of screen time.)
So last year she had one true lead, one supporting role where her subplot was better than the main plot, four strong supporting roles including a pivotal one in OOPF, and TOO HOT TO HANDLE's cameo. Admittedly, I got lucky in that just the right number of Ginny's co-stars-including a dog-got honored last year to result in such a busy schedule.
This year's schedule is so bad it makes me want to lock the bathroom door and cry...
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So IT'S NO WONDER I'M SKINNY:THE VIRGINIA WEIDLER STORY produced and directed by Jodie Foster isn't a real film???
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> {quote:title=helenbaby wrote:}{quote}Why not? It's outside-the-box thinking like this that distinguishes this channel from every other movie channel.
We need more of this kind of thing, not less.
Who knows, maybe TCM will eventually honor every "Virginia" who ever worked in Hollywood?
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My search led to a letter to June Lockhart, who played Virginia's older sister in ALL THIS AND HEAVEN TOO.
Imagine my surprise Thursday afternoon when I picked up the phone and the voice on the other end said, "Hi Pete, this is June Lockhart."
I fear my post about her might be a bit too long for this forum, so I'm going to ask that you go to the blog I just posted at the Classic Film Union to read the details.
http://fan.tcm.com/_A-Call-From-June-Lockhart/blog/6533630/66470.html
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> {quote:title=deadendkid wrote:}{quote}Yes! It was Jerry. Would you know if he's still out there?
I'm afraid I don't. My only source on the story was his mother's 2007 obituary, so I know he was still around then.
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Thanks for the information, MN. The doll scene gets raves from the NYTimes reviewer. Both those films sound like they were perfect vehicles for Weidler and it's a pity I can't see her at her best, not that the later work was shabby or anything.
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Memorial Day got me looking into Virginia's USO work once more. She made camp visits, appeared on Army radio broadcasts, did what small things she could.
I contacted Art Williams, a man who is building the historical record for Camp Reynolds in Mercer County PA concerning a visit Ginny made there with June Preisser in August 1943.
In addition to the information I requested, which I'll post later, he also sent the movie listing for the post for the week of September 9, 1943.
How many of these have you seen?
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LADDIE and FRECKLES, both from 1935 and both based on Gene Stratton-Porter novels. I understand there is a rights problem so I doubt I'll ever be able to see them.
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Thank you. I appreciate the feedback.
Jimmy bothers me because we remember the stars who came back and have forgotten a pretty successful working actor who gave the ultimate.
I'm going to assume that you were in touch with Jerry. Jimmy Jr. apparently died before his mother did according to her 2007 obituary.
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> {quote:title=Dargo2 wrote:}{quote}Wow, ginnyfan. I'd say if anyone ever epitomized John Milton's famous words, "They also serve who only stand and wait", it certainly would have been Jean here.
Certainly. I never thought I'd find a story like that. It just so happens that someone wrote a lovely and complete obituary for Jean and the entire story was there.
BTW, she was apparently a fairly accomplished singer. There is a Heidt CD available which clearly mentioned that she's featured on the cover.
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I was researching the story of child actor Jimmy Butler for a Memorial Day tribute at the Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society and I came up with a really odd story no one would believe if you put it on television. If you haven't looked at the Weidler thread today, Jimmy was a child actor who was killed in France during the final months of World War II.
As a 19 year old, Jimmy met and married a 17 year old singer for Horace Heidt named Jean Fahrney. Farhney, who had been with Heidt since she was 14, quit the band to raise a family. They had two sons, Jimmy and Jerry.
Jimmy Sr. went off to war and, as I mentioned, was killed in action. Jean was left behind with a three year old and a six month old. A few years later, she met and married David Armstrong, a West Point graduate. They had a son and when that son was six months old, David was sent to Korea. Two weeks later, he was listed MIA and 3 and 1/2 years later declared dead. She married a third time, and completed her family with yet another son.
Jean third husband, Robert Flanagan, also predeceased her, but I presume through natural causes. Jean herself died of Parkinson's disease in 2007.
So in addition to Jimmy Butler, we also remember David Armstrong as well as Jean L. Flanagan, the woman who was wife to both and endured more than any loved one should have to.
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On Memorial Day, the Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society remembers child actor Jimmy Butler. Jimmy appeared in two films with Ginny, MRS. WIGGS OF THE CABBAGE PATCH and LADDIE.
He died in battle in France on February 18, 1945, two days short of his 24th birthday.
Edited by: ginnyfan on May 27, 2013 7:44 PM
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8My VWRS co-manager (and my personal choice to co-host The Essentials) Danny Miller recently visited the Academy library and came up with a few finds. Here's what he posted:
Here's Ginny at the age of one with her mother, Margaret, who was very involved (obviously) with her children's careers. From an early press release: This mother who has trained Virginia and her five other children until they have become known in Hollywood as screendom's most successful large acting family has developed an entire philosophy of teaching children to act. "If you do more than briefly discuss a part with a child, you give them your own adult idea of the part," the mother declared. "A child's whole charm is her naturalness. When this is trained out of them, the child becomes merely a mimic of its grownup teacher--and what is generally called 'cute enough to be killed.' I have found that children have more sense than we parents usually give them credit for. It is usually our own stupidity if a child does not understand us. We take too much for granted in working with a child. You must assume that they know nothing that you know--that you must start from rock-firm foundation in teaching them anything. All I do with Virginia is talk with her. I ask her opinion of a little girl such as she is to play, as we did with Europena in 'Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch.' First, I have her tell about little girls she knows like the character. Then I give her my opinion and philosophy of such a little girl. Children have so much more imagination than a grownup that they can almost visualize their screen character from a story told them. Once I have gotten Virginia to see this little girl in her mind's eye, I have finished my job." Go, Margaret! I wonder if the "cute enough to be killed" comment was a veiled reference to anyone we know...
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It's housekeeping time. I've decided to restart TODAY IN GINNY effective June 17. My son will be out of school and, with doctor's clearance, off on his summer job. That also gives me one entire month of TIGs (May 18-June 16) to salute next year.
TIG will continue after we pass the year mark, but it will change to an undetermined format which isn't quite so labor intensive for me.
Even more importantly, it will lessen the strain on my staff. The dedicated one, the daydreaming one, the one who selects the photos, even the hair twirling, goofy one will all benefit from the change.
The only one I'm not sure about is the kid in the mailroom with the yo-yo...
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In lieu of TIG today, here is a photo that's a little different.
It's a candid shot, the only one I've seen. I'm guessing the date to be 1941 or early pre-makeover 1942.
Can anyone identify the building?
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Hi CS,
I don't know much about your problem with text, but if you are using the "rich text" tab at the top of the message block try using "plain text". Or the other way if you use the "plain text" now. This site also seems to react very differently with different browsers.
BTW, I sent you a PM...
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I was forced to suspend TIG for a time due to a family emergency. It will restart soon.
Last week, I emailed actress Marilyn Knowlden about her own career and asked if she knew Virginia Weidler. IMDb shows them as having been in two films together (but not together, as they had no common scenes). We have since figured out that Marilyn wasn't in one of them, MEN WITH WINGS, due to a scheduling conflict. She was replaced by TWO actresses-Joan Leslie and her older sister, Mary Brodel. She did appear in ALL THIS A HEAVEN TOO, but not at the same time as Virginia.
Here is Marilyn's very gracious reply to my email:
Dear Pete: Your letter made me happy for several reasons. As an 87-year-old woman, it's certainly nice to have someone interested in my childhood career in Hollywood.
I'm delighted that you have founded the Virginia Weidler Remembrance Society. I remember her being so cute in "Mrs. Wiggs of the Cabbage Patch." I went on many interviews with Virginia. Unlike the other girls with their curls and frills, Virginia always wore pigtails, plus a very simple dress! I wasn't real close friends with her, but I was as close to her as to other youngsters like myself (or Susanne Ransom) who free-lanced, never being under contract to any one studio. I remember the two of us attending Freddy Bartholomew's birthday party. Do you have the photograph of that occasion? I own a copy. (ginnyfan note: I asked to see it. No reply yet.)
Glad you solved the mystery regarding "Men With Wings." Some time ago I actually contacted IMDB, telling them that I didn't think I was in that film, but they assured me in no uncertain terms that I was the one who was mistaken! (ginnyfan note: I sent her a copy of an article explaining the MEN WITH WINGS cast changes)
As to the clipping mentioning my being on the honor roll at Mills College, yes that's so. Thanks to my record at Beverly Hills High School, I received a full scholarship at Mills, predicated on my continuing to get good grades.
As to your mentioning my website MarilynKnowlden.com and my 442-page book, "Little Girl in Big Pictures," all I can say is "Thanks." Publishers nowadays can't give you much help. And keep up the good work!
Edited by: ginnyfan on May 20, 2013 6:39 PM
Guns, Girls and Gangsters--A NIght of Groovy Mamie Flix this Thursday!!!
in General Discussions
Posted
I must admit that I look at this and say, "Gee, I can't get TCM to devote on single daytime lineup to Virginia Weidler, but this is classic film?"
I saw GGG the last time it ran. I'm a big Gerald Mohr fan!