JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I suppose I can share Cuddles. I can hear him now, "Gurls.... Gurls..... stop peenching mine cheeks, you are embaaarrrassing me.... " I've always liked *Mary Astor*, but I never paid attention to her acting specifically. She was always so good I didn't think about it. *Act of Violence* shocked me, made me go back and watch her in a more critical way, and say, "Yeahh, she's good. Real good." She always lends a moment of gut wrenching truthfulness, even in the most spongey or saccharin films. In *Cynthia*, it's the time where she and Goerge have their talk, after she lets Cynthia go to the dance.... I love how she gears up for it as he drives up to the house. She has my full sympathy, before she even speaks. I like the seriousness she gives the scene, one which could have been overdone, or silly in the hands of two less skilled performers. George too, gets a little deeper here, and he does a good job. It's something he wasn't allowed much. In the comedy *Midnight*, Mary has these few scenes where she lets the b**chiness drop, and she takes my breath away, every time I watch. The hurt on her face when Francis Lederer walks away with Claudette Colbert....there is so much more to it than just losing a man - it's fear - she is losing her youth. The way she and Barrymore come together at the end, and she tells him she doesn't mind that it's just the two of them, after all.... it's so touching, partly because of their real life relationship years before, and just because Mary's voice is so warm toward him. I've watched her in dramas and those MGM mom roles, and I can't find a fault with her in anything. She's able to dig a little even in the roles where she is a silly divorcee or a mom in a trailer with her kids. I don't know where she found her technique, but she is revealing, rather than putting it on. Even as Brigid, who is almost all put on, at the very end she lets it go for a minute, then goes all cold and blank. The scene in the cabin in *The Great Lie,* when Mary is pregnant, it's so hysterically funny, except there isn't a woman alive who doesn't know exactly how Mary feels. She's great. She never felt she was any good, because she started so young, and never got over that feeling that she didn't know what she was doing... she felt the others had done stage work or had schooling, but she was thrust into the spotlight with no experience and pretty much stayed there. I recommend *Act of Violence*, she's amazing, kind of creepy. She only has a section of the movie, though. She's so darn good, it hurts. She made me stop thinking of Robert Ryan and Van Heflin. She made the movie for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Awwww! My gosh, what sweet stories about Rudy! The great lover in real life, indeed. :x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 I just discovered those Rudy/Natacha anecdotes. He was an old soul, but with the heart of a child. I can picture him on that living room floor being so concentrated and methodical putting the train set together for the optimum magical effect. (and catching cold in the process, oh my heart just goes out to him, lol) LOVE your Astor commentary! It's interesting you mention her also as "creepy" (in ACT OF VIOLENCE) because she could definitely project that with ease. I'm thinking of psycho Robert Wagner's fawning mother in A KISS BEFORE DYING, the rigid school board member in RETURN TO PEYTON PLACE, and the enigmatic Jewel Mayhew in HUSH, HUSH, SWEET CHARLOTTE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I haven't seen any of those movies! Well, *Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte*, but that's a movie that refuses to stay with me. I don't know why, you'd think for shock value at least I'd remember it better... One good thing, when you have a poor memory, movies are always fun to see over again, and jokes are always funny. I can see Rudy sitting there too, as excited as if he were getting the train himself. How nice, and how sad he didn't become a father - though can you imagine how spoiled the kids would be? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Wow, your memory's even worse than mine, LOL Mom of course has an excuse -- she's ninety. I asked her if she saw BOY ON A DOLPHIN. Her response: "Are Alan Ladd and Sophia Loren still alive?" Rudy definitely would have been a loving and overly generous papa, that's for sure. Lots of hugs, kisses, and TOYS! (that he could pretend were solely for the kids) Maybe in another life.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Natacha comes off rather well in many of these recollections, at least, when she wasn't alienating the bulk of Valentino's friends. She and Rudy did seem to have some things in common -- and they both were enthusiastic in their mutual interests. Mary has the briefest appearances in those three films I mentioned, but boy, she makes those characters really memorably chilling. Edited by: Bronxgirl48 on Jul 31, 2011 10:52 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SansFin Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 > Bronxgirl48 speaketh: > You'd think Vilma would have fallen in love with and married sweet Rudy, and people speculate, including myself, that she just might have been able to heal his wounds and provide him with a wonderful life. > >But instead she finds herself attracted to Rod. They marry and stay together for over 40 years. Is it possible she wished to have intensity as well as the pretty face? Perhaps Rudolph Valentino's boyishness was so deep she felt he needed a woman who would mother him and she had no maternal instincts. I have seen in her biography no mention of a child. I know of Mary Astor best in *Midnight* (1939), *And So They Were Married* (1936) and *Palm Beach Story* (1942). I like it very much when an actress can perform with such poise when she is not the center of attention and she is not making the jokes. Perhaps her feeling of inadequacy as an actress helped her performance because it made her not force herself into the foreground in every scene as some actors and actresses do. A sense of modesty must be a valuable asset to any performer if for no other reason than that it is a very rare thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 That's a great point, Sansfin. Mary is one of the best things about *Palm Beach Story.* she is very very funny, but she is like counterpoint to the main characters, breezing in and breezing out, laughing and talking, putting a bit of emphasis at the right moment, then drifting away. Maybe it's her greatest asset that she could work WITH other actors, rather than taking the limelight all for herself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineMaven Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Jackaaaaaaay, I read your post on Mary Astor. I :x it! GABLE and ASTOR in "RED DUST" (1932) JACK FAVELL writes: "I've always liked Mary Astor, but I never paid attention to her acting specifically.... She always lends a moment of gut wrenching truthfulness, even in the most spongey or saccharin films. I've watched her in dramas and those MGM mom roles, and I can't find a fault with her in any thing. She's able to dig a little even in the roles where she is a silly divorcee or a mom in a trailer with her kids. I don't know where she found her technique, but she is revealing, rather than putting it on..." GABLE and ASTOR in "ANY NUMBER CAN PLAY" (1949) Oh Jackaaaaaaaay. What a beautiful beautiful paean to MARY ASTOR. You've highlighted her qualities so skillfully and lovingly. I've seen Astor in many things, including the films Bronxgirl cited. But I don't think I've ever truly really seen Astor until your post. You've convince me, Mary Astor should be one of TCM's SUTS next year (if she hasn't benn already). She's underrated. I would almost say she's downright unjustly neglected. http://forums.tcm.com/thread.jspa?messageID=8545479#8545479 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 That was wonderful, Mava! I love your choices for photos, here and in the Brunettes thread. You can really see that there is always something going on in Mary Astor's eyes. She was completely invested in her characters, which is more than some more famous actresses can do. Thanks for writing your own tribute to Mary, she deserves to be re-descovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpuO0oAjjBU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CineMaven Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 DICK FORAN ALERT!!! DICK FORAN ALERT!!! Be on the look out for Dick Foran appearing with Bette Davis in "THE PETRIFIED FOREST" this Wednesday, August 3rd, 2011. That is all!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 I prefer the French and Saunders version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC to the actual movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 LOL Does Dick sing "My Little Buckeroo" to Duke Mantee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 OMG, hahahahahaha!!!! And this was done three years before the film! I think I heard Fruit Loops mentioned as one of the favorite things, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 SansFin, great comments about Mary Astor. I hadn't known Vilma was childless. Banky was content to give up film and become a housewife with Rod (I'm still trying to "figure out" his face, lol), Your speculation on her feelings about Rudy makes sense to me, although he did have a strong, protective male European side to him. But the boyish enthusiasms would probably have driven her crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Isn't that hysterical? Makes me wonder if Julie was remembered from this skit when she got the role... did they pull all copies when the movie came out? - NO MAKING FUN OF TSOM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 John Hoyt is following me around. Last week I barely knew who he was. Now I have seen him three times in the last 3 days. Make it stop! The worst part is, this morning he played a three armed space alien on The Twilight Zone... it wasn't a stretch. HE"S FREAKING ME OUT! Edited by: JackFavell on Aug 1, 2011 7:23 PM Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 I understand Julie had a wicked sense of humor (and a reputation for salty language that belied her squaky-clean Hollywood image) so maybe she just thought it all too funny, and not embarrassing in the least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I was thinking of the studio pulling it, not Julie... I can't imagine her being uptight about it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 You poor kid, I understand completely. You'll probably be hearing the phone ring with no one ever on the other line, and then music blaring from a jukebox, even if you don't have one. Although a four handed man could be useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 You know exactly what I mean! Ha! Can I get a different head, please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronxgirl48 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JackFavell Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Whew. Thanks, that's so much better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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