Tag: Film

Movie Quiz #1

From November 1939. This actress, starring alongside Melvyn Douglas, was noted for her aloof demeanour. However, in this movie she laughed. Can you name her?

Answer at the foot of this post.

Movie News – February 12, 1948

Comedians Bud Abbott and Lou Costello (pictured) announced that they are leaving Hollywood in July for England, to make a picture and appear in vaudeville shows. They will donate half the proceeds to aid English orphans and half to aid Italian orphans.

Movie News – February 13, 1948

Young Widow. “The most publicised woman in Hollywood, Jane Russell, appears in this delightful romantic drama. In one year, the beautiful dark-eyed, dark-haired young actress received more publicity than any other woman in the world.”

With The Outlaw still being suppressed by the censors, Young Widow was Jane Russell’s debut.

Movie News – February 14, 1948

Deadwood Dick film found in a dustbin. Unfortunately, matinée goers did not see the film because it was so badly damaged. Furthermore, the copy found was the only one in Britain.

Movie News – February 15, 1948

Britain is to make a ten reel technicolour film of the Olympic Games, which will be released to the world within ten days of the completion of the event. Hitler’s film unit took six months to complete their 1936 film. The use of colour will enable foreign film goers to identify their compatriots.

Movie News – February 16, 1948

Hollywood studios, which used to spend between £300,000 and £630,000 on feature films are fixing this year’s budgets between £375,000 and £500,000 and hope to reduce costs to between £250,000 and #375,000 by 1949. 

This is a result of restrictions placed on US films by foreign countries, notably Britain.

Movie News – February 17, 1948

“Miss Jean Simmons, the eighteen-year-old film star, and ex-Bevin Boy (selected by ballot to work in the coal mines during the Second World War) Donald Houston from Tonypandy, Wales, Britain’s newest leading screen actor, escaped injury when their car skidded and overturned while on location filming in the Suva-Fiji islands.”

Movie News – February 18, 1948

A representative of J Arthur Rank said that German film exhibitors were queuing up for prints of British films, the most popular being Madonna of the Seven Moons, The Magic Bow, The Overlanders and The Wicked Lady.

In The Wicked Lady, the cast had to endure nine days of retakes to satisfy the American censor. According to the censor, the women’s bodices were cut too low. In terms of historical accuracy, in the original print the bodices were cut just right.

Quiz answer: Greta Garbo

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

For Authors

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Movie News – January 29, 1948

Loretta Young’s comments, featured on 27 January about the British people starving and shivering, were criticised by a British tourist official.

Movie News – January 30, 1948

Films showing this week in British cinemas: You Can’t Have Everything starring Alice Faye, The Falcon in Hollywood starring Tom Conway, and Great Expectations starring John Mills.

Movie News – January 31, 1948

Bette Davis and her husband, William Grant Sherry. The couple divorced in 1950. Maybe Bette’s expression offered a hint of what was to follow…

Movie News – February 1, 1948

A film famine in Britain – no new shows this week.

Movie News – February 2, 1948

Joe E Howard (pictured), the composer of over 500 popular songs, including I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now, was injured when a car struck him while he was crossing a street in Hollywood. While in hospital, recovering from concussion, he sang some of his hits to the nurses, including I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now.

A footnote to this story. Harold Orlob sued Joe E Howard, claiming that he had penned I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now. Orlob won his suit. He sought no compensation, but asked that he should be recognised as the primary composer of the song.

Movie News – February 3, 1948

Beauty Spurns the Films

Miss America of 1947, brunette, beautiful Barbara Jo Walker, has now turned down fifteen offers to go to Hollywood. Barbara explained: “I have my ideals. I want to be the wife of a successful doctor.” Her wish was granted when her sweetheart, John Hummel, received his medical degree.

Footnote: Barbara Jo Walker was the last Miss America to be crowned in her bathing suit; all since 1947 have been crowned in their evening gowns. Her son, Andy Hummel, was a member of the power pop band Big Star.

Movie News – February 4, 1948

“Daughter of Darkness is a Jack the Ripper story in reverse. The heroine seduces then murders husky young men. A startling performance from Siobhan McKenna, who gives this monstrous young woman just the right proportion of chill and seduction. Outrageous nonsense, but never dull.”

*****

A culturally important movie, Storm Center starring Bette Davis was released in 1956. A noir drama directed by Daniel Taradash, the story focused on three controversial subjects – book banning, censorship and McCarthyism. Storm Center was the first overtly anti-McCarthyism film to be produced in Hollywood.

My research for Eve’s War, Heroines of SOE, and my Golden Age of Hollywood novels, has produced the following coincidence: I selected female SOE agents to research and actresses Blacklisted in the 1950s. Most of my selections, including Marsha Hunt, lived well into their nineties. I wasn’t aware of this before selecting them for research. Marsha Hunt actually lived to be 104. A theory: their fighting qualities aided their longevity.

My latest Golden Age of Hollywood article for the Seaside News appears on page 43 of the magazine

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on 40 occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Movie News – January 22, 1948

Did you used to visit Saturday morning film clubs? What did you think of them?

Movie News – January 23, 1948

In a fire sequence for Secret Beyond the Door, Michael Redgrave refused to have a double. In the escape scene, blinded by smoke, the star hit the wrong window and ran into glass instead of the sugar product used for such occasions. While having his wounds treated, Redgrave said, “That’s the first British blood split in America since 1812!”

Movie News – January 24, 1948

Coming soon, Raymond Chandler’s The Lady in the Lake starring Robert Montgomery, Lloyd Nolan, Tom Tully and Audrey Totter (pictured), one of the fastest-rising stars in Hollywood. “She provides romance and excitement in a district and positive manner that sets her apart from the usual young screen player”.

The movie was unusual in that it was filmed in a first person, point of view style, with Marlowe only seen in reflections and when he directly addresses the audience.

Movie News – January 25, 1948

Patricia Roc (pictured) tells how new film faces are found.

“If an actress shows promise, the publicity department take her over. They decide on the best personality angle to project through stills and write-ups. Her rise to fame has begun. The real work begins with the starlet’s first big part. She is coached both on and off the set. She learns how to handle autograph sessions and buy clothes. She is given a reasonable contract.”

Movie News – January 26, 1948

Ex-Actress Sues Surgeon

Dr Franklyn Thorpe, Hollywood surgeon and former husband of actress Mary Astor, has filed an answer in the Los Angles Supreme Court denying charges made by former actress Anne Nagel (pictured) that she had been sterilised in an operation he performed in 1936.

He admitted performing an appendectomy with her specific consent, but denied other allegations in her $350,000 damage suit.

Movie News – January 27, 1948

Loretta Young’s Aid Britain Campaign

Loretta Young was a divisive figure in the Hollywood community. On the one hand, she presented herself as pious, and devoted a lot of her time to charity work, while on the other hand, aspects of her personal life and political views raised eyebrows. To some people she was known as “Attila the Nun”.

Movie News – January 28, 1948

An advertisement for Gay Red lipstick. The advertisement failed to mention that Mrs Alan Ladd was Sue Carol born Evelyn Jean Lederer, October 30, 1906 – February 4, 1982). After a spell as an actress, Sue became an agent. The fourth of her four marriages was to Alan Ladd, previously a client. The marriage lasted until his death in 1964.

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on 40 occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂

Movie News – January 8, 1948

Deanna Durbin, twenty-five-year-old film star, parted company with Felix Jackson, her forty-five-year-old film-producer second husband. The couple divorced in 1949.

After the divorce, Deanna Durbin was inundated with film and stage offers including a Broadway role as Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady. However, she rejected them all, packed her bags and set off for France where, in 1950, she married producer-director Charles Henri David. The couple moved to a farmhouse near Paris and remained together for forty-nine years.

Movie News – January 9, 1948

Showing in British cinemas, Hedy Lamarr and John Loder in Dishonoured Lady, aka Sins of Madeleine, a noir drama. Lamarr and Loder were married when they made the film, but they divorced later in the year.

Movie News – January 10, 1948

Hollywood Ten Plead Not Guilty

Ten Hollywood writers and producers (not named in this report), accused of refusing to tell the House Committee on un-American activities whether they were members of the Communist Party, pleaded not guilty and were ordered to stand trial separately beginning on February 9th.

Movie News – January 11, 1948

Secrets in Their Contracts

Ingrid Bergman uses an onion to produce tears in weepie scenes.

Bing Crosby wears a wig.

Peter Lawford agreed not to marry within the next three years.

The studios provide Greer Garson, Bette Davis and Joan Crawford with a maid, and a “first class drawing room” whenever they film on location.

Hedy Lamarr has a clause that states that “she must wear her own underwear, unless such underwear is to be filmed, then it will be provided by the producer.” She must also return all the dresses she wears in her films to the studio.

Movie News – January 12, 1948

Bangs are back in fashion. In unrelated news, Margaret Lockwood was mobbed in Glasgow. A large crowd gathered at Glasgow Central Station to cheer and present her with flowers on day one of her three-day visit. The crowd was so large that Miss Lockwood required a police escort and took ten minutes to travel the short distance from the railway station to the Central Station Hotel.

Movie News – January 13, 1948

Recommended by June Allyson and nine out of ten movie stars, the Lux massage technique “brings quick new loveliness”.

Movie News – January 14, 1948

Gene Autry receives more fan mail than any other star in Hollywood, over 100,000 letters a month. Most stars average “only” 30,000 letters a month. Autry has a private post office in Hollywood where five clerks handle his mail. He can expect more letters due to the release of his latest film, The Last Roundup.

Book News

Ten years after publication, I’m delighted to say that Sam’s Song is once again #1 on the Amazon Private Investigator charts.

As ever, thank you for your interest and support.

Hannah xxx

For Authors

#1 for value with 565,000 readers, The Fussy Librarian has helped my books to reach #1 on 40 occasions.

A special offer from my publisher and the Fussy Librarian. https://authors.thefussylibrarian.com/?ref=goylake

Don’t forget to use the code goylake20 to claim your discount 🙂