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Barbara Stanwyck, Ronald Reagan. CATTLE QUEEN OF MONTANA

………….In 1972 the then Governor Ronald Reagan, in response to a letter from Barbara Stanwyck biographer Ella Smith , thanked Ms. Smith for letting him comment about “this wonderful gal.”  He described Barbara as “one of the best thought of and most respected performers in all the industry.”

In a letter to the President, Barbara said;

”Ronnie, if I had known during the filming of ‘Cattle Queen’ that you were going to be president of our country, I would have given you  first billing!”

In response, in a handwritten note that sold at auction for $610, the President joked:

”I appreciate your willingness to give me top billing but it might have set me back – ‘RR as……..?”

As always, I am grateful to http://www.starsandletters.blogspot.com for this interesting story.

………..Poster for His Girl Friday by Nikos Bogris.

Makes me wish the film had been in color. And Ralph Bellamy gets first billing!

NEW DVDS:

…………Due out in the U.K. on 20th April, 2020 is a four-film box set from Powerhouse Films,  JOHN FORD AT COLUMBIA 1935-1958.

On Blu-ray for the first time in the U.K., this is a limited edition run of 6,000 units with plenty of extras on each film. The box set is £42.99.

From the charming The Whole Town’s Talking to a typically British film, Gideon’s Day, the quartet shows the master director’s range.

http://www.powerhousefilms.co.uk

……….And from Criterion.com on 19th May,2020 comes DANCE,GIRL,DANCE  (1940), which stars Lucille Ball and Maureen O’Hara and is directed by Dorothy Arzner, the only woman directing in the Hollywood studios in the 1930s and early 1940s.

Blu-Ray price is $31.96 and the dvd is $23.96.

The new cover is by Jody Hewgill. Is that really Maureen on the right?

Lucille Ball

Maureen O’Hara

Lucille and Maureen play chorus girls who have different ambitions in show business. The supporting cast include Louis Hayward, Ralph Bellamy, Maria Ouspenskaya and Edward Brophy ( who has the wonderful character name of “Dwarfy Humblewinger”!

………Interesting to come across these Books of the Films which are quite collectible now. I wonder how many were produced in the classic period.

…………….Coming to Netflix in May,2020 is the new 8 part series , HOLLYWOOD from Ryan Murphy who gave us “Feud, Bette and Joan”  in 2017.

The story of aspiring  actors and filmmakers in post WW2 Hollywood ,  the production is described as “a love letter to the golden age of Tinseltown.”

Stars being portrayed in the series include Loretta Young,Irving Thalberg, Gloria Swanson, George Cukor, Leo McCarey.

KIM NOVAK is 87 today . Forever remembered for what should have been an Oscar winning performance in VERTIGO.

Kim lives in Oregon with her husband of 44 years, veterinarian, Robert Malloy.

Robert Malloy, Kim Novak

Kim more or less left Hollywood in the late 1960s when she was only in her 30s. In an interview with TV Guide magazine, Kim said she was being offered the “same-old, same-old glamour parts that offered little that was interesting in the way of character….my choice was to move away from Hollywood.”

Of VERTIGO, Kim said, “When we made Vertigo, none of us could have imagined it would have such longevity and acclaim.”

The two faces of Madeleine and Judy.

In the same year as the thriller,  Vertigo, Kim and James Stewart were reunited in BELL BOOK AND CANDLE  which I like a lot – great cast including Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs, Elsa Lanchester, Hermione Gingold.

And some unusual title changes in Europe:

MY BRIDE IS SUPERNATURAL!

I FELL IN LOVE WITH A WITCH!

Kim in PAL JOEY.

And her break-through role in  PICNIC.

William Holden, Kim Novak

On February 17th,2020, Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles will be auctioning property and memorabilia from the estate of Loretta Young. The  catalogue can be seen at Julienlive.com

A few samples below.

A collection of nine magazines from the 1930s/40s/50s.

($50 – $100.)

Lovely to think that Loretta kept a leather bound scrapbook given to her by a fan in the late 1930s.

Pages from the scrapbook.

Amazing to see a vintage 1940s bar of Lux toilet soap in its original wrapping !

($100 – $200)

Three signed photos of Loretta.

($50 – $100)

Studio publicity stills.

($300 – $500)

Stills from many  of Loretta’s  films.

$200 – $400)

One of the legends. Rest in peace.

It’s always interesting to find interviews with celebrities. Chuck Schaden, a radio broadcaster spoke to several stars when they were in Chicago, usually for stage appearances .  His show was called Those Were The Days. Most interviews lasted about 20 minutes.
Such a great opportunity but Mr. Schaden was primarily a radio expert, so most questions were radio related even though the stars were famous Hollywood personalities.

Still, always a treat to hear the stars who seemed happy to talk about their careers.

Cesar Romero

Cesar Romero (in 1972) had happy memories of Hollywood:

“They were wonderful days. You worked all the time. The studios made their stars.

I was never a leading man, I played a lot of foreigners – Frenchmen, Italians. I did about 8 Cisco  Kid movies – we made them in three weeks.

Marion Davies used to give the most magnificent parties. – and Basil Rathbone was a great host at his parties.

       Carole Lombard was a wonderful girl.

We did 39 episodes of “Passport to Danger” on television.

       I loved playing The Joker on “Batman.”

Nowadays I have a clothing line – “C.R.Apparel” – sports jackets, suits.”

Cesar said that his first film was The Thin Man. He had a one year contract with MGM. He then spent 3 years at Universal and 15 years at Fox.

KIRK ALYN, the first Superman, was interviewed in 1979 when he was 69. 

Kirk Alyn

The original Superman in the 1948 serial, Kirk started in show business as a tap dancer! He appeared the Gershwin musical “Of Thee I Sing” for two years. He appeared with the Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman orchestras.

He was in a radio soap, “Portia Faces Life”, and came to Hollywood in  1940, staying with his friend Red Skelton whom  he had met in vaudeville.

Born John Feggo Jr., Kirk was married to Virginia O’Brien from 1942 to 1955.

Kirk Alyn

JOSEPH COTTEN.

Joseph Cotten was in Chicago  in 1971 and appearing in “The Marriage Go-Round” at Chicago’s Drury Lane Theatre.

Joseph Cotten

“I figured out I’d been on 3,000 radio shows! I made 600 episodes of a drama with Martha Scott.

Hitch and I were loaned out by Selznick to Universal for “Shadow of a Doubt”. I had a long and happy association with David Selznick.”

Joseph  recalled being  in “The Philadelphia Story” in 1940.

“In the summer break Katharine Hepburn went off to Hollywood to film “Philadelphia Story” and I did  my first film, “Citizen Kane.”  We went back to New York and went on tour  with Philadelphia Story.”

Joseph Cotten, Katharine Hepburn

Joseph Cotten in the role Cary Grant played in the film version, Van Heflin in the role played by James Stewart.

Joseph mentioned narrating all of the splendid Hollywood and The Stars television series, saying that it played all over the world .

Another example of a wasted opportunity, with Mr. Cotten willing and able to talk more about his films.

Joseph Cotten  and his wife, Patricia Medina.

AGNES MOOREHEAD.

Agnes Moorehead

Interviewed in 1971, it was instantly obvious why Agnes Moorehead did so much radio – she had a wonderful, clear speaking voice.

“In the 1930s, I averaged five radio shows a day. I was called ‘the girl baritone’ at the time of crystal sets.

I was the first ‘Margot Lane’ on THE SHADOW.

SORRY WRONG NUMBER was written for me by Lucille Fletcher. It’s a harrowing story but kind of fun to do – it’s a tour de force. I did it 18 times  on the air, then made a recording with Decca. I also did about 17 mins of it on my one-woman show.

I didn’t do the movie! It wasn’t like the show – it didn’t run true to form.”

Agnes Moorehead, Orson Welles.

“Joe Cotten, Orson Welles and I founded the Mercury Theatre. I was with Orson Welles for 17 years – a great privilege.”

There was no mention of the Hollywood  stars she worked with – Bogart , Edward G. Robinson etc. Or her stage roles.

THE KILLERS……………REVENGER OF THE UNDERWORLD

(The killers, William Conrad and  Charles McGraw in shadow!)

THE KILLERS…………….PORTS (not sure about this translation.)

Conrad and McGraw taking over the screen.

THE KILLERS……….THE KILLER  (only one?)

Now Conrad and McGraw are centre stage.

VICE SQUAD…………CHIEF OF POLICE B  (Not sure what the ‘B’ is for. Solid depiction of Edward G. Robinson, but not Paulette Goddard.

VICE SQUAD………..VICE BRIGADE.

Edward G. plays a police chief but this poster has him chewing on a cigar and holding a gun , making him look like a gangster.

The film was called The Girl In Room 17 in the U.K – a title which makes more sense than Vice Squad.

VICE SQUAD………….CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION 

EACH DAWN I DIE………..AT EACH DAWN I DIE.  (The other translation is I DIE EVERY DAY)

KING OF THE UNDERWORLD……….Same title.

”Acorralado” means “Cornered”.

PRESENTING LILY MARS………….THEATRICAL PASSION.

Strange change!

THE TALK OF THE TOWN……….THREE AGAINST ALL

Cant think what’s wrong with original title.

Good art work in all these posters, but the foreign titles can be odd!