[Death Takes No Holiday -- The Obituary Thread]

Hindi film icon Dilip Kumar died July 6 at age 98. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/06/world/asia/dilip-kumar-dead.html

[NAME AN ACTOR OR ACTRESS THAT YOU REGARD AS A TRAGIC FIGURE]

There are so many actors/actresses who had tragic lives it would be impossible to name them all. Here are a few that I think of when I hear the phrase 'tragic figure'.....

Rebecca Shaeffer - murdered at age 21 by obsessed fan Robert Bardo 

 

Silent actor Wallace Reid died trying to get off morphine.  

Mabel Normand - Died from TB but her life & career were destroyed by the William Desmond Taylor/Fatty Arbuckle/Courtland S. Dines scandals as well as her drug/alcohol use.

Ramon Novarro - murdered by two hustlers he invited into his home for sex

Heather O'Rourke - dead from cardiac arrest caused by septic shock brought on by intestinal stenosis from a bowel blockage at age 12.

Phil Hartman - murdered at age 49 by his wife, Brynn.

Brandon Lee - died young like his dad (age 28); accidentally shot & killed while filming what would be his break-through film 'The Crow'.

Albert Dekker - suffered a gruesome death! From BuzzFeed: 'In 1968, after going missing for a few days, his fiancé found him naked and kneeling in his bathroom tub. He was bound by chains, and a noose was wrapped around his neck and hung from a curtain rod. Hypodermic needles were stuck in both of his arms, and slurs were written all over his body with red lipstick. The police ruled it a suicide, which the coroner and press rejected. No further investigation was done, and the official ruling was an "accidental death from auto-erotic asphyxiation." No suspects were found.'

Sharon  Tate - she & her unborn child were murdered by the Manson family

Jon-Erik Hexum - The 'Voyagers' star died at age 26 by shooting himself in the head with a blank gun while in between takes. He was playing Russian Roulette but apparently didn't realize how powerful the prop gun was.

[Changing Names]

Here's a bunch from my Pinterest pages......sorry if some have already been named. Some are from the silent film age as well as "talkies".

Alice Faye - Alice Jeane Leppert

Marie Dressler - Leila Marie Koerber

Dolores Del Rio - María de los Dolores Asúnsolo López-Negrete

Esther Ralston - Esther Louise Worth

Marian Marsh - Violet Ethelred Krauth

Claudette Colbert - Emilie (Lily) Claudette Chauchoin

Bessie Love - Juanita Horton

Ginger Rogers - Virginia Katherine McMath

Anna May Wong - Wong Liu Tsong

Alice Terry - Alice Frances Taaffe

Mary Astor - Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke

Edward G. Robinson - Emanuel Goldenberg

Clark Gable - William Clark Gable

Mary Pickford - Gladys Louise Smith

Alice White - Alva Violet White

Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. - Douglas Elton Thomas

Barbara LaMarr - Reatha Dale Watson

Carey Grant - Archibald Leach

Mae Murray - Marie Adrienne Koenig,\

D.W. Griffith - David Wark Griffith

Lupe Velez - María Guadalupe Villalobos Vélez

Jane Russell - Ernestine Jane Geraldine Russell

Marilyn Monroe - Norma Jean Baker (or Mortenson depending on what article your reading)

Greer Garson - Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson

Hedy Lamarr - Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler

Raquel Torres - Paula Marie Osterman

Mary Brian - Louise Byrdie Dantzler

Carole Landis - Frances Lillian Mary Ridste

Mack Sennet - Michael Sinnott

Carmen Miranda - Maria do Carmo Miranda da Cunha

Joan Blondell - Rose Joan Blondell

Dorothy Lamour - Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton

Jane Wyman - Sarah Jane Mayfield

Susan Hayward - Edythe Marrenner

Rudolph Valentino - Rodolfo Alfonso Raffaello Pierre Filibert Guglielmi di Valentina d'Antonguella

Barbara Stanwyck - Ruby Catherine Stevens

Jean Harlow - Harlean Harlow Carpenter

Helen Twelvetrees - Helen Marie Jurgens

John Gilbert - John Cecil Pringle

Alla Nazimova - Marem-Ides Leventon

Linda Darnell - Monetta Eloyse Darnell

Conrad Veidt - Hans Walter Conrad Veidt

Mary Carlisle - Gwendolyn Witter

Janet Gaynor - Laura Augusta Gainor

ZaSu Pitts - Eliza Susan Pitts

Mary Miles Minter - Juliet Reilly

John Wayne - Marion Michael Morrison

Anita Page - Anita Evelyn Pomares

Sylvia Sydney - Sophia Kosow

Loretta Young - Gretchen Michaela Young

Merle Oberon - Estelle Merle O'Brien Thompson

Nita Naldi - Mary Dooley

Vilma Banky -  Koncsics Vilma

Dorothy Sebastian - Stella Dorothy Sabiston

Lon Chaney Sr. - Leonidas Frank Chaney

Maureen O'Hara - Maureen FitzSimons

Pola Negri - Apolonia Chalupec

John Barrymore - John Sidney Blythe

Theda Bara - Theodosia Burr Goodman

Lana Turner - Julia Jean Turner

Renee Adoree - Jeanne de la Fonte

Virginia Bruce - Helen Virginia Briggs

Ann Harding - Dorothy Walton Gatley

Myrna Loy - Myrna Adele Williams

Toby Wing  - Martha Virginia Wing

Ramon Novarro - Jose Ramón Gil Samaniego

Kay Francis - Katherine Edwina Gibbs

Carole Lombard- Jane Alice Peters

Bebe Daniels - Phyllis Virginia Daniels

Ann Miller - Johnnie Lucille Collier

Joan Crawford - Lucille Fay LeSueur

Veronica Lake  - Constance Frances Marie Ockelman

 

[Actor Or Actress You Would Have Loved To Have Kissed]

 

Another one I would love to kiss....Rudolph Valentino!

[Actor Or Actress You Would Have Loved To Have Kissed]

 

Errol Flynn

 

[Dame Olivia turns 104 -- a tribute]

On 7/1/2020 at 1:09 AM, sewhite2000 said:

Thanks for some small insights into her relationship with Fontaine. Other than everyone always saying the two sisters were rivals, this is by far the most info I've ever read anywhere about how they felt about one another. I also liked very much seeing some photos of the two of them together.

No mention at all of her personal life otherwise, however. Typically, I don't care too much about these things, but I can't help but wonder if she ever married and/or had children or if she's a lesbian. Not my business if she doesn't want to share such things

Olivia was married twice and had two children. Her son, Benjamin Goodrich, died in 1991 at age 42. Her daughter, Gisèle Galante (born in 1956) is still living and the two are very close.

Joan was married & divorced 4 times and had 1 adopted daughter. The two were estranged.

[Bollywood star Irrfan Khan - Slumdog Millionaire, Jurassic World, Life of Pi - dead at 53]

6 hours ago, TikiSoo said:

Any relation to Shah Rukh Khan?

No, they're not related. Khan is a very common Muslim last name. Salman Khan, SRK, Irrfan, Amir, etc. none of them are related.

[The EYES have it!]

Rudolph Valentino - His eyes were always so intense & expressive even in candid photos

 

 

Conrad Veidt - Another actors whose eyes expressed every emotion.

 

 

Buster Keaton - Old Stone Face had amazing eyes.

 

 

Errol Flynn -  He always had a mischievous (& slightly dangerous) twinkle in his eyes. You knew he was up to no good but you couldn't help but love him for it.  Towards the end of his life that twinkle was gone & there was only sadness.

 

[The EYES have it!]

Carole Lombard

 

 

Joan Crawford

 

 

Gloria Swanson

 

 

 

 

 

 

[WHO IS YOUR MOVIE IDOL???]

I have so many!

The ladies I love.......

Clara Bow, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Joan Blondell, Rita Hayworth, Claudette Colbert, Mabel Normand, Barbara Stanwyck, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Ida Lupino, Marie Dressler, Myrna Loy, Lillian Gish, & ZaSu Pitts

The men.....

William Powell, John Barrymore (before his alcoholism got the best of him), Lionel Barrymore, Rudolph Valentino, Errol Flynn, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Lon Chaney, Sr., James Cagney, Edward G. Robinson, Conrad Veight, Clark Gable, & Guy Kibbe

[Which Hollywood stars smoked the most cigs???]

On 1/9/2020 at 9:38 AM, Roy Cronin said:

 A lifelong heavy smoker, Betty Grable died of lung cancer.  At 3 packs a day though, she was not at the Bette Davis level.  She died nearly broke after being a millionaire at one point in her career, and with no health insurance, worked as long as she could after her diagnosis to pay the medical bills.

 

Harry James (her husband of over 20 years) was a gambling addict & introduced the bad habit (as well as smoking & drinking which she didn't do until she hooked up with James)to Betty. That's where all of her money went - to pay off debts incurred at the horse races. He was also an alcoholic & was very jealous of her success....their marriage was a dumpster fire.

[Which Hollywood stars smoked the most cigs???]

Errol Flynn & Tyrone Power supposedly smoked 4-5 packs per day.

[A Forgotten Valentino Film]

This is one of my favorite Valentino films. I think it shows that he did have range & had he not died so young, would have proven himself to be more than just a heart-throb. He also had a knack for comedy which you can see in "The Eagle" & in some of his very early work.

[What are your unpopular opinions on Classic Hollywood?]

A few of my unpopular opinions........

Greta Garbo was way overrated

So are Lauren Bacall, Elizabeth Taylor, Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando, Vivien Leigh, Sophia Loren, Marlene Dietrich, Paulette Goddard, Humphrey Bogart, Grace Kelly, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, & Audrey Hepburn

Louise Brooks was beautiful & an amazing fashion icon but not a good actress (or writer)

Hedy Lamarr was beautiful (my goodness was she a stunner!) but she wasn't a good actress either

Same with Lana Turner

Charlie Chaplin was a genius but I still would rather watch Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, & Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle any day (they were geniuses too!)

Joan Crawford was a better actress than Bette Davis (I still love Bette but I just feel Joan was better)

Norma Shearer was a terrible actress & only got the parts she did because of Irving Thalberg

I agree with  MG about Spencer Tracy

I always knew Joan Blondell was underrated but after watching so many of her movies this month, she should have been a much bigger star than she was

 

 

[The Beefcake Thread Part Deux]

21 hours ago, Polly of the Precodes said:

Buster Keaton. Seriously, I swooned the first time I saw him shirtless in one of his silent films.

 

Both Buster & Harold Lloyd had incredible bodies. They had to be in shape to do all of the crazy things they did!

 

[The Beefcake Thread Part Deux]

Some of my picks.....

 

John Barrymore (before his alcoholism destroyed him)

 

 

Rudolph Valentino

 

 

James Cagney

 

 

Tyrone Power

 

 

Errol Flynn

 

[What Decade in Classic Hollywood (20s-60s) do you like least?]

My least fave - late 50s & 60s.

[Side profiles]

Here are a few of my favorites.......

The Great Profile Himself - John Barrymore (I know he's already been posted but i absolutely LOVE John Barrymore so I'm posting him again!)

 

 

Buster Keaton had an amazing profile too....

 

 

Rudolf Valentino

 

 

The beautiful Myrna Loy

 

 

and Joan Crawford

 

[Noir Alley]

I loved this movie!! I originally watched it because I love Joan Blondell (and will watch anything with her in it) but I feel it was one of the best roles Tyrone Power ever got to play. Zanuck really didn't want Power to to this picture because he feared it would hurt his matinee idol image and the studio didn't promote it very well. What a shame because it is a great film.

[Dancing Lady -- What A Mess!]

I am so glad someone else feels that Joan Crawford was a horrible dancer! I know that she always talked about how she started out as a dancer before her film career but she was terrible. I think that *she* thought she was a good dancer & that was part of the problem. I also agree about Ruby Keeler - terrible dancer!

[Overrated talents ?]

Linda Christian is one that comes to mind. Very pretty lady but not very talented, IMO.

Annabella - see Linda Christian. Both were married to Tyrone Power but Annabella actually started her acting career before Tyrone Power started his.

Lauren Bacall - another beauty but not someone I felt could truly act. She was okay with Bogart but that's it.

Sonja Henie - Never should have been allowed to 'act'. Great skater, terrible actress.

Simone Simon - I can only tolerate her in Cat People. Terrible actress.

Gene Raymond - To me, he was just plain boring.

I'll probably think of more later......

[GARBO]

On 4/3/2019 at 10:28 AM, Sepiatone said:

Yeah.  And in GARBO'S case, not a fan here.  So.....

Been hitting the DVD library! 

Sepiatone

I'm not a fan either but I do love John Gilbert so I'm happy about seeing the films they did together.

[John Barrymore Don Juan vs Errol Flynn Don Juan: Which did you prefer?]

22 minutes ago, TomJH said:

Actually, in Barrymore's case, I think we did see what he could accomplish as an actor before his drinking got him by the throat and he slowly evolved into a comic self caricature.

Think of the versatility that the Great Profile demonstrated on screen: horror and Grand Guignol (Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Svengali), swashbuckling romance (Don Juan, Beloved Rogue), romantic leads (Grand Hotel, Arsene Lupin), straight drama (Councillor at Law, Bill of Divorcement), screwball comedy (20th Century).

That is a remarkable acting range, with Barrymore impressive in all of them.

I do agree that we did get to see some of his amazing talent. I just wish we could have seen him at his full potential. If he was that amazing when he was drinking, just think how amazing he would have been if he never started drinking at all.

[Errol Flynn tribute?]

I wish they would. I love Errol Flynn!!!!

 

[John Barrymore Don Juan vs Errol Flynn Don Juan: Which did you prefer?]

I love both because I love John Barrymore & I love Errol Flynn. Both films are enjoyable but to me they are so different from each other than I can't really compare them.

Barrymore's is dark, more serious, more melodramatic, & a silent film. JB has to do all of his acting with his face, eyes, mannerisms, etc. Barrymore's voice was amazing but, at that time, we weren't able to hear it just yet.

Flynn's is fun, energetic, and in technicolor. EF has dialogue along with his mannerism & his beautiful speaking voice doesn't hurt either.

These two actors had so much in common & led such tragic lives. I don't think we really got to see their true talent because their inner demons destroyed them & their careers. We only got a glimpse of what could have been.