A deep dive into Hollywood's early years
Barbara Stanwyck was not only one of classic Hollywood’s most prolific actresses, but also one of its most versatile. Throughout the 1940s and 50s she starred in a number of noir pictures and, despite the heavy conventions of the genre, turned in remarkably different performances in each. In this post I’ll be looking at three of her noir films from the 1940s, and how they demonstrate her unique and chameleon-like talent for the genre.
This post is part of the Noirathon
Directed by James Tinling, Arizona To Broadway is a pre-code romantic crime drama starring James Dunn as prolific conman Smiley Wells, and Joan Bennett as Lynn Martin, who becomes embroiled in his schemes.
This post is part of the Joan Bennett Blogathon hosted by In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood
Rebecca, the classic thriller directed by Alfred Hitchcock, stars Laurence Olivier as the brooding and mysterious Maxim de Winter, and Joan Fontaine as his second wife, haunted and tormented by the lingering presence of the first Mrs de Winter, who seems to haunt every inch of the grand Manderley Hall which the de Winters call home.
This post is part of the Daphne du Maurier blogathon hosted by Pale Writer
Directed by Clarence Brown, Possessed is a romantic drama starring Joan Crawford as Marian Martin, a factory girl determined to make a better life for herself in the big city, and Clark Gable as Mark Whitney, her mentor in high-class living and the object of her affections.
This post is part of the Clark Gable blogathon hosted by Love Letters To Old Hollywood
Directed by Michael Curtiz, Four’s A Crowd is a romantic comedy starring Rosalind Russell as reporter Jean Christy, Errol Flynn as editor-in-chief Robert Lansford, Patric Knowles as the newspaper’s owner Pat Buckley, and Olivia de Havilland as his fiancée Lorri.
This post is part of the Rosalind Russell Blogathon hosted by In The Good Old Days of Classic Hollywood
In 1916, a young girl named Lucille LeSueur cooked meals and scrubbed dishes for her fellow students at St. Agnes Academy, a Catholic boarding school in Kansas City where she was enrolled as a work student in exchange for her board and education. She would grow up to become Joan Crawford, the ultimate movie star, for whom glamour was a way of life.
This post is part of the Joan Crawford: Queen of the Silver Screen Blogathon
Directed by Rouben Mamoulian, Golden Boy is a romantic melodrama set in the cutthroat world of boxing, starring Adolphe Menjou as manager Tom Moody, Barbara Stanwyck as his girlfriend Lorna, and William Holden as talented young violinist Joe Bonaparte, who decides to become a boxer.
This post is part of the 4th Golden Boy Blogathon: A William Holden Celebration, hosted by The Wonderful World of Cinema, The Flapper Dame, and Love Letters to Old Hollywood.
Directed by William Wyler, Jezebel is a melodrama centred around a young woman from New Orleans in 1852 named Julie Marsden, played by Bette Davis, and her brazen and headstrong behaviour which loses her the affections of the man she loves, Preston Dillard, played by Henry Fonda.
This post is part of the Fourth Annual Bette Davis Blogathon hosted by In The Good Old Days Of Classic Hollywood.
Directed by Otto Preminger, this classic film noir stars Gene Tierney as the titular Laura, Clifton Webb as her acerbic mentor Walton Lydecker, Vincent Price as her fiancé Shelby Carpenter, and Dana Andrews as Mark McPherson, the detective investigating her murder.
This post is part of the Mystery Mania Blogathon hosted by Pop Culture Reverie, and contains spoilers for the film.
Directed by Victor Fleming, Bombshell stars Jean Harlow as movie star Lola Burns, Lee Tracy as her studio publicist Space Hanlon, and Franchot Tone as love interest Gifford Middleton
This post is part of The Jean Harlow Blogathon, hosted by Musings of a Classic Film Addict and The Wonderful World of Cinema
