Download or read book Memorable Supporting Actors and Actresses from the 1930s to 1950s written by Gary Koca and published by . This book was released on 2020-07-22 with total page 262 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My previous books on Forgotten Movie Stars of the 1930s through 1950s have focused on the leading men and women of that era. While those individuals are pretty much the movie stars that we remember, their films would have gone nowhere without the contributions of supporting actors and actresses who made their movies great. After all, what would Casablanca have been without Claude Rains? The Manchurian Candidate without Angela Lansbury? The leading ladies and leading men could get by with their good looks, charisma, and not always great acting ability. On the other hand, supporting actors and actresses HAD to know how to act. And so, this book is a tribute to some of the greatest supporting actors of the classic film era in Hollywood from the 1930s through 1950s. Again, as in all my books, the people selected are based on my personal preferences. There are some people who probably should be in the book - Beulah Bondi comes to mine - but I just have not seen enough of her films to include her. You, the reader, may agree with some and disagree with others. That is your prerogative. I also never make a claim to have seen every film or actors from that era, but these are just the folks that have appealed to me. For each of these individuals, I have included some biographical information, including how they got their start in films: my favorite films of each individual; and other interesting notes about the person.
Download or read book The Name Below the Title written by Rupert Alistair and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "During the golden age of American cinema, the character actor’s contribution often goes unacknowledged or, though perhaps not forgotten, underappreciated; the unsung heroes. Hollywood studios had large stables of contract and stock players from all walks of life and in all shapes, sizes and ages. This great population of personalities formed the league of character actors. They played the sidekicks and best friends of the stars who headlined the movies in which they appeared. They also portrayed parents, grandparents, oddball relatives, wise-cracking neighbors, smart-aleck store clerks and loveable barkeeps. Lest we forget the sinister side of this society, villains also claimed a stake in this assembly of saints, sinners and every type in between. These colorful personalities were usually one-dimensional, someone to whom the star could confide secrets or vent frustrations. In many cases they carried the same persona over from one film to the next, perfecting their stereotype so that audiences knew what to expect from them in a positive and affectionate way, collecting their beloved favorites over the years. The Name Below the Title features 20 of the best and most fun examples of the Hollywood character actor during Hollywood's most famous era from the 1930s through the 1950s"--Amazon.com.
Download or read book Actresses of a Certain Character written by Axel Nissen and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2007 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Information presented regarding birth, death, film credits and analyzes each player's unique talents, signature roles and career development. Representative range of backgrounds, character types and career experiences including actresses such as Agnes Moorehead, Thelma Ritter, Beulah Bondi, Sara Allgood, and Jessie Ralph, among others. A fascinating tour through Hollywood's big studio era and the lives of its characters"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book The Versatiles written by Arthur Frederick McClure and published by . This book was released on 1970 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Women Who Made Television Funny written by David C. Tucker and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Most of the bright and talented actresses who made America laugh in the 1950s are off the air today, but their pioneering Hollywood careers irrevocably changed the face of television comedy. These smart and sassy women successfully negotiated the hazards of the male-dominated workplace with class and humor, and the work they did in the 1950s is inventive still by today's standards. Unable to fall back on strong language, shock value, or racial and sexual epithets, the female sitcom stars of the 1950s entertained with pure talent and screen savvy. As they did so, they helped to lay the foundation for the development of television comedy. This book pays tribute to 10 prominent television actresses who played lead roles in popular comedy shows of the 1950s. Each chapter covers the works and personalities of one actress: Lucille Ball (I Love Lucy), Gracie Allen (The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show), Eve Arden (Our Miss Brooks), Spring Byington (December Bride), Joan Davis (I Married Joan), Anne Jeffreys (Topper), Donna Reed (The Donna Reed Show), Ann Sothern (Private Secretary and The Ann Sothern Show), Gale Storm (My Little Margie and The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna), and Betty White (Life with Elizabeth). For each star, a career sketch is provided, concentrating primarily on her television work but also noting achievements in other areas. Appendices offer cast and crew lists, a chronology, and an additional biographical sketch of 10 less familiar actresses who deserve recognition.
Download or read book Femme Noir written by Karen Burroughs Hannsberry and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2012-10-26 with total page 1298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Though often thought of as primarily a male vehicle, the film noir offered some of the most complex female roles of any movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Stars such as Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Tierney and Joan Crawford produced some of their finest performances in noir movies, while such lesser known actresses as Peggie Castle, Hope Emerson and Helen Walker made a lasting impression with their roles in the genre. These six women and 43 others who were most frequently featured in films noirs are profiled here, focusing primarily on their work in the genre and its impact on their careers. A filmography of all noir appearances is provided for each actress.
Download or read book Leading Ladies written by Andrea Cornell Sarvady and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2006-03-30 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains photographs and profiles that examine the lives and careers of fifty actresses of the studio era who empowered women, each with an annotated list of films, style notes, behind-the-scene facts, trivia, and a list of awards and nominations.
Download or read book The Stars of Hollywood Remembered written by J.G. Ellrod and published by McFarland. This book was released on 1997-07-15 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Don Ameche, Eve Arden, George Burns, Bette Davis, Greer Garson, Rex Harrison, Lilli Palmer, George Raft, Ginger Rogers, Barbara Stanwyck, Orson Welles, Cornel Wilde--these are among the stars who graced the silver screen in Hollywood's Golden Age. Biographies and filmographies of these actors and actresses and 70 others who had passed from the scene by September 1996 are presented in this reference work. The biographical section focuses on how they came to be involved with whom they shared the screen. The filmography lists all the films in which they appeared, along with the studio and the year of release.
Download or read book 100 Favorite Classic Hollywood Films from the 1930s 40s and 50s written by Gary Koca and published by . This book was released on 2019-07-26 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In two past books that I have written, I focused on Forgotten Stars of the 1930s through the 1950s; that is stars who were pretty big movie stars in their time but that most people today would not be familiar with unless they were fans of classic Hollywood films of that era. I have also written books on great Western stars and on good and bad science fiction movies of the 1950s. In this book, however, I am concentrating on my favorite 100 movies of the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. I have focused on American films only, with a few British films included also. (I am not an expert on foreign language films, so there are none in here.) Please note that this means that they are MY favorite films, not the BEST films of those three decades. For example, Citizen Kane (along with Casablanca) are generally regarded as the best two American films of the classic era. However, while I like Citizen Kane, it is just not one of my favorite films, and I'm not really sure why. Perhaps I never thought it really justified its ranking, so I dropped it from my list altogether. The same thing would apply to Vertigo, although I have two other Hitchcock films in the list. I will also admit that I am partial to certain genres of films, in particular the following: -Westerns-Film noir-Monster movies-Horror movies -Mysteries, particular those of Alfred Hitchcock-Swashbucklers-musicals
Download or read book Actresses of a Certain Character written by Axel Nissen and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2011-06-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz --all were unforgettable characters who played an integral part in some of Hollywood's most memorable productions. For over three decades, from the 1930s to the 1950s, character actresses who brought such roles to life were one of Hollywood's great but little acknowledged assets. Often lured from Broadway yet billed fifth or sixth (if at all), these talented ladies received little acclaim for their roles in film industry productions. Still, what they lacked in promotion and perhaps adulation they made up for in longevity. While a screen star's career was generally limited by age and physical appearance, character actresses often worked well into their seventies, eighties or even nineties. Signed to contracts by major studios just like the stars they supported on screen, character actresses made hundreds of films over their careers. From the early days of sound film through the end of the studio era, this volume documents in detail the lives and careers of two score of Hollywood's most talented character actresses. It presents information regarding birth, death, film credits and prizes and analyzes each player's unique talents, signature roles and overall career development. Forty individual profiles are provided from a representative range of backgrounds, character types and career experiences. These include actresses such as Marjorie Main, Agnes Moorehead, Thelma Ritter, Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Lucile Watson, Sara Allgood, Lee Patrick and Jessie Ralph, among others. A fascinating tour through Hollywood's big studio era and the lives of its characters.
Download or read book Hollywood s Most Famous Silent Film Actresses written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2016-10-31 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures *Includes the actresses' quotes about their lives and films *Includes online resources and a bibliography for further reading At the end of the 20th century, the American Film Institute compiled a list of the 25 greatest actors and actresses in Hollywood over the past 100 years, but only a select few worked all the way back in the silent era of films, before "talkies" revolutionized the industry at the end of the 1920s. Among them was Mary Pickford, who was ranked 24th but was arguably the most influential actress when it came to creating the career template for all actresses who followed, from name changes to salary. Like many actresses of the early 20th century, "Little Mary" got her start by acting on the stage, and she eventually made it to Broadway. By the time she had finished her run there, she had caught the eye of film director D.W. Griffith, who would go on to make Birth of a Nation and was working for the Biograph at the time. Over the next several years, Pickford became the most famous actress in the industry, with only Charlie Chaplin rivaling her in popularity, to the extent that one film reviewer wrote she was "the best known woman who has ever lived, the woman who was known to more people and loved by more people than any other woman that has been in all history." Of all the great movie stars, there may be none more enigmatic than Greta Garbo, who remains internationally famous despite the fact her life and career raise more questions than answers. How did a Swedish actress with very little film acting experience in her native land arrive in the United States and achieve instant stardom? Most actresses had to wait years before they were offered starring roles in major films, yet Garbo was ushered to the front of the line and perched atop the MGM pantheon at a time in which it was the studio par excellence. How was she able to transition from silent films to "talkies" so fluidly, giving many of her most decorated performances during the 1930s? While stars like Charlie Chaplin never recovered from cinema's transition to synchronized sound, Garbo flourished, which is made all the more amazing by the fact she had a foreign accent that could easily have alienated American audiences and threatened her career. Finally, and perhaps most mystifyingly of all, why would Garbo retire in 1941, at just 36 years of age and two years removed from Ninotchka, arguably her most acclaimed film? At the same time, for as famous as Greta Garbo is as an actress, her films are not remembered so positively, if they are remembered at all. While Garbo herself was nominated on three occasions for the Academy Award for Best Actress, only one film of hers, Grand Hotel (1932), was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. For the most part, Garbo acted in films that were seemingly well beneath her, which was certainly the case with her films from the silent era. It goes without saying that the most enduring image of Gloria Swanson is the famous shot of her in Sunset Boulevard (1950), head tilted backward, stating, "Alright, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close up." Indeed, for many, the very mention of "Gloria Swanson" conjures the name of "Norma Desmond," her character in Sunset Boulevard, directed by Billy Wilder. That the shot of Desmond requesting her close-up remains indelibly imprinted in the minds of so many speaks in large part to the power of Sunset Boulevard, one of the most revered films of its times and the most famous film of Gloria Swanson's career. By dint of her performance in the film, Swanson has become almost synonymous with Hollywood's silent era. In many respects,
Download or read book Famous Actresses of the Day in America written by Lewis Clinton Strang and published by . This book was released on 1899 with total page 400 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is obviously impossible, in writing of persons so prominently before the public as the women considered in this book, to secure any great amount of new matter regarding the chief incidents of their lives, and the author wishes frankly to acknowledge himself a compiler and editor in so far as biographical details are concerned. The facts were gathered from various contemporaneous publications, and in some instances, from the actresses themselves. Accuracy has been the aim, but sometimes it has appeared, after a careful sifting of ambiguous and contradictory statements, that a well-considered guess was the only apparent solution of the problem. In so far as criticism is concerned the opinions expressed, except where credit is given, are the author's own, and he has endeavored to be just with kindness, and still to preserve a proper sense of proportion. In preparing the list of the actresses it was necessary to exclude from it many worthy of notice. A numerical limit had to be fixed, and in the process of selection the preference was given to those whose work during the last season was especially notable. The arrangement of the book is purely mechanical, and comparisons, which are usually foolish, and always valueless, are purposely avoided. - Preface.
Download or read book Faces of Women and Aging written by Ellen Cole and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-06-03 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the diverse ways aging women attempt to deal with the universal challenges of loss, sickness, and death along with the problems of being old women in a society that values women mainly as sexual partners or producers of children. Old women are often seen as poor, powerless, and pitiful in our sexist and youth-oriented society. The truth is that women age much more successfully than do men and they are increasingly in the majority as our population ages. These truths and others are presented in Faces of Women and Aging--a collection written by women, a number of whom are themselves older women who bring their unique life experiences and personalities to the topic. This uplifting book emphasizes that middle and old age are merely stages of growth and development, not just seasons of loss and decline as the end approaches. A wealth of topics are covered in Faces of Women and Aging that broaden the reader’s awareness of the problems of women and aging including: how to maintain self-esteem in the face of sexism, ageism, and severe illness the problems of being single or divorced in the later years the problems of maintaining a good body image for older women in a society which values the young and the beautiful the additional difficulties of minority women, specifically lesbians and native American women increased dependency brought on by illness and loss of partners Faces of Women and Aging combines personal narratives that serve as reminders of the human beings behind statistics and case studies with theoretical observations which help therapists assist older women cope with the daily hardships as well as the more catastrophic problems of aging.
Download or read book Glamour in a Golden Age written by Adrienne L. McLean and published by Rutgers University Press. This book was released on 2010-12-16 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer, Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo, William Powell and Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, and Gary Cooper-Glamour in a Golden Age presents original essays from eminent film scholars that analyze movie stars of the 1930s against the background of contemporary American cultural history. Stardom is approached as an effect of, and influence on, the particular historical and industrial contexts that enabled these actors and actresses to be discovered, featured in films, publicized, and to become recognized and admired-sometimes even notorious-parts of the cultural landscape. Using archival and popular material, including fan and mass market magazines, other promotional and publicity material, and of course films themselves, contributors also discuss other artists who were incredibly popular at the time, among them Ann Harding, Ruth Chatterton, Nancy Carroll, Kay Francis, and Constance Bennett.
Download or read book Hollywood written by Jill Tietjen and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-04-26 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The year was 1896, the woman was Alice Guy-Blaché, and the film was The Cabbage Fairy. It was less than a minute long. Guy-Blaché, the first female director, made hundreds of movies during her career. Thousands of women with passion and commitment to storytelling followed in her footsteps. Working in all aspects of the movie industry, they collaborated with others to create memorable images on the screen. This book pays tribute to the spirit, ambition, grit and talent of these filmmakers and artists. With more than 1200 women featured in the book, you will find names that everyone knows and loves—the movie legends. But you will also discover hundreds and hundreds of women whose names are unknown to you: actresses, directors, stuntwomen, screenwriters, composers, animators, editors, producers, cinematographers and on and on. Stunning photographs capture and document the women who worked their magic in the movie business. Perfect for anyone who enjoys the movies, this photo-treasury of women and film is not to be missed.
Download or read book Famous Actors Actresses and Their Homes written by Gustav Kobbé and published by . This book was released on 1903 with total page 388 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Shirley Temple Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney written by Charles River Charles River Editors and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2018-01-20 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *Includes pictures. *Includes the child stars' quotes about their own lives and careers. *Includes bibliographies for further reading. Shirley Temple remains the most famous child star of all time, but even this designation fails to reflect the magnitude of her popularity during the era in which she worked. While it is true that she was not the first child actor to reach Hollywood fame, she was the first - and to this day, perhaps the only - star who rose to the very pinnacle of the Hollywood elite before she even turned 10 years old. For this reason, it is no exaggeration to view Shirley as the progenitor for all of the child actors that succeeded her. Moreover, her cultural importance constitutes an even more important barometer through which to measure her overall significance. Not only was Shirley a film star, but she had a monumental impact on a generation of children who grew up during the Great Depression, with her plucky optimism emotionally uplifting an American public struggling both financially and emotionally. She was not only a young actress but also a brand name, someone who offered fathers and mothers hope for their children to achieve the same success as the famous child star. Yet, for all of Shirley Temple's fame, it is no doubt surprising to many that her actual films received scant critical acclaim. Her films were never mentioned on critical "best of" lists, nor did they regularly appear on the list of nominees for the Academy Awards. In many ways, Judy Garland's rise to fame seems almost predestined. Not only was she a national sensation at a young age, but her parents and sisters were all vaudeville entertainers. On top of that, Garland's parents owned and operated a movie theater, making it all the easier to draw the conclusion that singing and acting were simply professions which she was born into by virtue of her pedigree. Judy's early childhood quickly demonstrated that she had a gifted voice that developed well beyond its years and seemingly did not require any formal training in order to achieve success; her first performance before a public audience came when she was still a toddler, and she would continue to act up until her death, never pausing for more than a few months at a time. That Garland was able to secure starring roles almost immediately after signing a contract with MGM in 1935 only corroborates the belief that Garland was practically born with the ability to succeed in show business and the motion picture industry. Of course, Garland might be known today based more on her demise than anything else, and there's no denying that one of the most fascinating (and tragic) aspects of her life story is the manner in which her downward spiral occurred with the same rapid progression as her meteoric ascent. Garland died in 1969 at the age of 47, but she had lost control over her life years earlier and was actually fortunate to live as long as she did. Alongside Shirley Temple and Judy Garland, with whom he acted in a series of films, Mickey Rooney was one of America's most beloved child stars during the 1930s. Rooney had already made his mark in A Family Affair (1937), but he was the face of the incredibly successful Andy Hardy series, which produced several box office hits and featured Rooney in 13 movies, several alongside Judy Garland, who shot to fame as a teen in The Wizard of Oz. At the same time, the fact that the peak of his success came when he was so young has helped obscure the fact that he has acted in 10 different decades. Rooney is one of the only actors still alive who worked in the silent film era, yet he recently appeared in 2012's Last Will and Embezzlement. In the process, Rooney has been awarded a Juvenile Academy Award, an Honorary Academy Award, two Golden Globes and an Emmy Award.
