Tag: Hollywood

Dear Reader #206

Dear Reader,

Some book news. Operation Zigzag, Eve’s War Heroines of SOE book one, is #1 on Amazon’s genre charts in America and France 🙂

Clara Bow’s forty-fifth movie was The Fleet’s In produced between June 18 and July 16, 1928, and released on September 15, 1928. Clara played Trixie Deane a “taxi dancer” who performed “The Clara Bow Stomp” with sailors for a dime a song.

Clara was dancing in her private life too, in all-night gin-soaked jazz parties at her Malibu home. She was having a whale of a time. Or so she thought.

Comedian Jack Oakie met Clara at this time. He observed: “(When acting) she could turn even the simplest action into a moving one. The redhead was one of the greatest emotional actresses ever.”

Oakie was right, Clara Bow was a great emotional actresses. The tragedy: I don’t think Clara ever truly appreciated how good she was.

Hedy Lamarr was well cast in Dishonoured Lady (1947) as a hedonist who seeks help from a psychiatrist, then finds herself accused of murder. Hedy was married to one of her co-stars, John Loder, at the time of filming, but they divorced later in the year.

The Hays Office went into meltdown over this movie. They insisted that two love affairs in the script, one in Mexico and the other in New York, might be “overloading” the picture. They also objected to the “night of sordid passion.”

A memo dated April 25, 1946 stated that, despite revisions, the script was unacceptable because of its “gratuitous sex”. Therefore, the “night of sordid passion” was cut from the film.

All suggestions that Hedy’s character, Madeleine, was a murderer, or had even contemplated murder, were also removed from the film. Despite this, the plot remained solid, and the movie deserved a higher level of success.

The William O. Jenkins House, Norma Desmond’s house in Sunset Boulevard (1950). At the time of filming, the house was occupied by one of J. Paul Getty’s (five) former wives. As a condition of rental, she requested that Paramount Studios build her a new swimming pool, which they did, and promptly dropped William Holden’s “corpse” into it.

Favourite Movie Quote of the 20th Century, First Round

Result: 59% v 41%

Result: 80% v 20%

Result: 32% v 68%

Result: 57% v 43%

Result: 82% v 18%

Result: 56% v 44%

Result: 59% v 41%

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

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 38 occasions.

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

Tags Hollywood, Movies, Second World War, Special Operations Executive

Dear Reader

Dear Reader #205

Dear Reader,

Delighted to say that Tula, book one in my Golden Age of Hollywood series, is currently in the top fifty of Amazon’s Psychological Fiction chart 🙂

Amazon informs me that “This is what customers read after reading Tula.”

Naturally, I’m delighted that my Golden Age of Hollywood novel should find a place amongst such august company 🙂

Clara Bow’s forty-fourth movie was Ladies of the Mob produced between April 10 and May 1, 1928, and released on June 30, 1928. Clara played Yvonne in a true story about a lifer in Folsom Prison.

Writer Elinor Glyn and MGM executive Paul Bern recognised that Clara had the potential to become a great serious/tragic actress and that she was better suited to these roles than the frivolous comedies that producer B.P. Schulberg placed her in. Clara too wanted to take on more challenging roles.

Ladies of the Mob offered Clara a chance to display her full acting talent. However, first Schulberg wanted her to act in more money spinners, the frivolous comedies. How could Clara get out of these comedies without breaking her contract?

Clara came up with a solution. For some time, she had been suffering from abdominal pains, diagnosed as appendicitis. She decided that now was the time to have an operation. Clara was not well educated, but she was street smart.

Clara Bow in 1922 the year she filmed Down to the Sea in Ships, regarded by some as her first movie because the five scenes she filmed for Beyond the Rainbow earlier in 1922 were cut from the final print, only to be restored when she became a star. Her billing in Beyond the Rainbow also moved up from ninth to third when she achieved stardom.

Ruth Chatterton (December 24, 1892 – November 24, 1961) in Unfaithful (1931). Ruth was a stage, film, television actress and a novelist. In the 1930s she was also an aviator, one of the few female pilots in the United States at the time, which ties-in with my latest Hollywood novel, Sunshine.

At the 1947 Academy Awards, Joan Fontaine presented the Best Actor Award, Ray Milland presented the Best Actress Award, while Lana Turner presented the “Scoring Awards” 🤔

Favourite Movie Quote of the 20th Century Poll

Result: 67% v 33%

Result: 75% v 25%

Result: 46% v 54%

Result: 87% v 13%

Result: 28% v 72%

Result: 65% v 35%

Result: 83% v 17%

My latest article for the Seaside News, about The 39 Steps, appears on page 40 of the magazine.

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

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 38 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 🙂

Tags Books, Hollywood, Movies, Writing

Dear Reader

Dear Reader #204

Dear Reader,

Yesterday, we published Operation Butterfly, book eleven in my Eve’s War Heroines of SOE series. I’m pleased to say that the book is doing well on Amazon’s genre charts.

Clara Bow’s forty-third movie was Red Hair produced between December 13, 1927 and January 9, 1928, and released on March 10, 1928. Clara played Bubbles McCoy. Sadly, the film is now considered lost. The opening sequence was filmed in two-strip Technicolor, and that sequence survives.

For the movie, Clara’s hair was bleached then dyed with henna to make it redder than ever.

Red Hair was a success. Indeed, in terms of box office the only movies that could compete with a new Clara Bow movie were previous Clara Bow movies.

At this juncture, Clara parted company with producer B.P. Schulberg, the man who had boosted or blighted her career, depending on your point of view.

An incident during the making of Red Hair affected the lives of every female star. Clara was ‘different’ in many respects, including the fact that she menstruated twice a month. She was scheduled to shoot a swimming scene (producers and directors loved placing Clara in water), but she informed the assistant director, Fred Fleck, that she couldn’t. Shooting had to be suspended. Fleck informed Schulberg and Schulberg fired him.

Word reached Clara and she played hell. She said the delay in shooting was not Fleck’s fault and that if Schulberg was going to fire anyone he should fire her. Schulberg reinstated Fleck and, of course, he did not fire Clara.

This incident was typical of the way Clara stood up for the people around her. However, from that moment on every assistant director was informed of the menstrual cycle of every major star.

Favourite Movie Quote of the 20th Century Poll

Result: 29% v 71%

Result: 52% v 48%

Result: 42% v 58%

Result: 79% v 21%

Result: 66% v 34%

Result: 14% v 86%

Result: 26% v 74%

Result: 46% v 54%

Result: 15% v 85%

You can read more on my Timeline https://hannah-howe.com/timeline/2023-july-24-30/

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

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 38 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 🙂

Tags Hollywood, Movies, Quotes, Second World War

Dear Reader

Dear Reader #203

Dear Reader,

A five-star review for Tula.

Tula’s story is hard to put down, I read the book in one sitting, This is an engrossing story of a young woman’s childhood of neglect and rejection. Refusing to give up her dream of being a silent screen actress, she navigates her way through a difficult childhood. When Tula does break into stardom, her past continues to haunt her. Tula’s broken spirit and soul threaten everything she worked so hard to achieve. This beautifully crafted story is one of the best books I read this year.

Clara Bow’s forty-second movie was Get Your Man, produced between September 16 and October 13, 1927, and released on December 10, 1927. Clara played Nancy Worthington, a young woman out to ‘get her man’. Photoplay said of Clara’s performance: “Clara continues to charm and fascinate.”

Even though Clara’s movies were the highest grossing in the business, she only received $1,500 a week from Paramount, in comparison to other actresses who received $6,000 a week. Paramount regarded Clara as stupid and docile, and intended to keep her that way because she was easier to control.

Clara was poorly educated, but she was feisty and far from docile. A studio with foresight and compassion would have nurtured Clara. Instead, they sought to exploit her, and suffered in the long run. When it comes to stupid, big business often claims the gold medal.

At this stage Clara split with director Victor Fleming, a man twice her age, 44 to 22, but a stable influence in her life. He wanted stability, while she was still high on the idea of having fun.

Clara’s thinking at that time: “Marriage ain’t woman’s only job no more. A girl who’s worked hard and earned her place ain’t gonna be satisfied as a wife. I know this. I wouldn’t give up my work for marriage. I think a modern girl’s capable of keepin’ a job and a husband.”

Mastodon 1970s Mega Movie Poll, Quarter-Finals

Monty Python’s Life of Brian 71% v 29% All the President’s Men

The Godfather 58% v 42% Jaws

Semi-Finals

Monty Python’s Life of Brian 50% v 50% Monty Python and the Holy Grail*

*Won on tie-break

The Godfather 43% v 57% Star Wars

Final

Monty Python and the Holy Grail 48% v 52% Star Wars

Social media https://toot.wales/@HannahHowe

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 38 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 🙂