Movie Trivia

[Princess of Tap]

Hint #1--The director also helmed maybe the strangest western of the 1950's.

 

Edgy director Nicholas Ray directed pretty boy Robert Taylor and Dancer Cyd Charisse in Party Girl, a MGM film near the end of both of their contracts.

[film lover 293]

Princess--Correct on all counts.

 

Your thread.

[film lover 293]

Princess of Tap???

[film lover 293]

Princess of Tap. It's your thread.

[Terrence1]

Princess, do you still want this?

[Princess of Tap]

This prolific and well-known character actor started out as a silent movie director.

He became a familiar face in the thirties and forties, supporting many top movie stars, and winning the Supporting Actor Academy Award himself.

In addition to his acting and directing, he also served as business liaison for the movie industry in relationship to studio financial/ banking investments.

When you identify this actor, please also list one of the films he directed, the film he won the Academy Award for and a film he appeared in which was one of your favorites.

 

[MilesArcher]

That would be Donald Crisp.  One of the films he directed was "Don Q, Son Of Zorro" with Douglas Fairbanks.  He won his Oscar for "How Green Was My Valley".  He was in "Lassie Come Home", as well as three other Lassie movies.  He also played Liz Taylor's father in "National Velvet".

  

[Princess of Tap]

Miles,

 Donald Crisp was the real article on the screen and even more multi-talented off screen.

Growing up, I always Associated him with MGM because of National Velvet and Lassie- - but looking through his credits he worked indiscriminately between MGM, Warner Brothers, and RKO. It's simply amazing when you see the support that he gave the top female actresses at that time like  Kay Francis, Katharine Hepburn, and Bette Davis.

My favorite portrayal for him is the stern, but loving, grandfather in The Uninvited, who eventually gives his life for his beloved granddaughter Gail Russell.

 

Miles, It's all yours--

[MilesArcher]

Thanks.  Here's one that I just heard a few days ago.  Who was the only former U.S. president who has never been portrayed in a theatrical movie?  I have no proof of this.  It's something that I heard recently on the radio.

[KarmaGirl]

Wild guess--John Tyler

 

[MilesArcher]

Sorry, not Tyler.  This was a twentieth century president.

[MilesArcher]

He was president sometime before FDR.

[Princess of Tap]

Warren Harding?

[MilesArcher]

Yes, Warren G. Harding is the answer.   Good work, Princess.  It's your turn now.

[Princess of Tap]

Miles, thanks-- but it was a good guess because I didn't think anybody wanted to touch Warren G Harding with a ten-foot pole. LOL

 

NEXT: This legendary actress' penultimate movie was a sad melodrama about an accomplished professional  woman who unfortunately falls in love with an unhappily married man, whose wife is rather vindictive.

Hint: The tone of this movie was a departure for the starring actress.

 

 When you identify this movie, please also identify the starring actress, her male co-star and the actress who played the vindictive wife.

[Terrence1]

This sounds like it could be "Back Street" with Susan Hayward, John Gavin, and Vera Miles.

[Princess of Tap]

 if you read the entire question, you will note that I said the movie was a departure for the actress.

Susan Hayward had, for the most part, played roles and was quite famous for characters who were physically and or emotionally tortured in some manner. Dramatic angst was this actress' calling card.

In this question we're looking for a legendary actress whose career was predominately made up of roles which were not dramatic.

[lavenderblue19]

2 hours ago, Princess of Tap said:

 if you read the entire question, you will note that I said the movie was a departure for the actress.

Susan Hayward had, for the most part, played roles and was quite famous for characters who were physically and or emotionally tortured in some manner. Dramatic angst was this actress' calling card.

In this question we're looking for a legendary actress whose career was predominately made up of roles which were not dramatic.

Sounds like IN NAME ONLY. Carole Lombard would be the actress that was known for comedies rather than dramas, Cary Grant played the husband of Kay Francis, the wife who refused to divorce him. Love this film. Kay usually played kinder woman than the witch she portrays in IN NAME ONLY, but  obviously Carole is the the actress your question is about ????

[Princess of Tap]

Yes,  Lav-- Well Done!

I had wanted to see this film for over 30 years and I finally got to see it last year on TCM. It wasn't quite the way I imagined it would be, but still I was totally fascinated by Carole's dramatic ability. I believe, if she had lived, she would have gone into more dramatic roles, as screwball comedies went by the wayside.

And John Cromwell, who directed Bette Davis's dramatic breakout role in Of Human Bondage, showed Carole to  good advantage.

 

Lav, Your turn--

[lavenderblue19]

Thanks Princess 

An important plot element to the story of this film, is that it takes place during a very hot summer.The characters are sweating and uncomfortable. In reality, the film was shot during a freezing cold winter. Film ?

 

[lavenderblue19]

The film takes place in Manhattan

[Azure]

Just a guess -- The Seven Year Itch?

[lavenderblue19]

Sorry Azure, that's a very good guess, this is a noir

[lavenderblue19]

Film is based on a story written by a famous and prolific writer of mystery novels and stories. This film is a noir. Many of his works have been made into films, we've some of these on TCM. 

[MilesArcher]

Could it be "The Window" with Bobby Driscoll as a young boy who witnesses a murder, but no one will believe him?