Walter your penchant and gift for detail on all that is golden Hollywood is absolutely breathtaking?I think youd have made a brilliant hollywood historian type of pundit who always gets wheeled out to talk about,anything real Hollywood when the occasion required it.

Barbaras trademark hair was beautiful and I say sincerly that its prominence played a not insignificant role in making that hair colour prestigious respectable and "groovy" if thats the right word for older women.

Im having a senior moment here and Im trying to recall the name of a gay american actor who died aged 43 from a heart attack who was a close pal of Elizabeth Taylor and starred with her in a famous kissing scene?Its right on the tip of my tongue.

Who on the hollywood social scene would you say was Hollywoods biggest erm I dont wanna use the traditional expression incase it offends but a woman (and here Im talking about hollywood actresses) who adores and seeks out the company of gay men and has a huge representation of gay men in their friendship or social circle .Elizabeth Taylor arguably was one of these types of women but who would you say were the bigger or biggest of these in Hollywood do you know?
Also Judy Garland aside who of the big hollywood divas would you say had the most support in the gay community or the "biggest" gay fanbase in that era?

Montgomery Clift?

Thanks for the movie recommendations Walter - I'm looking forward to them!

Thats the one!Thank you for helping me overcome my senior moment!

Thanks so much for those kind words, both you and Pandora's genuine interest in old Hollywood has been a real joy for me, and I can ramble on as long as you want me to.

I guess that the word you are thinking of is "fag hag" and I don't think that anyone will be offended by what is usually an affectionate term.

Most of the great ladies had their gay circle, both Barbara and Joan had Cesar Romero
as a regular escort in the 1950's. Cesar who used to be referred to rather quaintly as "confirmed bachelor" was handsome, distinguished, and a wonderful dancer, and all the ladies just loved him. Ironically, Cesar was known to all of his friends as "Butch".

One of Joan's best friends was Billy Haines who was a big star at MGM when she first went there in 1925. They appeared in several films together, but Billy refused to conform, and would not give up his boy friend to please the studio. So Louis Mayer made sure his contract would not be renewed. Undaunted, and with Joan's help, Billy became one of the most successful interior decorators in Hollywood. He stayed with his lover until he died, and Joan described their union as "Hollywood's most successful marriage,"

Bette of course had an enormous gay following, and she was well aware of it too.
She once said that she felt extremely flattered because gay people were usually known to have excellent taste. I am sure that all these ladies appreciated their gay fans, and they also knew that most of the great Hollywood designers, and many of the directors in Hollywood were gay as well. So I am sure that they usually felt quite relaxed and comfortable around gays.

Your very welcome

Yes that was the term I was looking for but I wasnt sure if it was a term acceptable for forum use!
Hollywood sounds like such a gay place and very orientated towards gays in most aspects!Apart from the publicly in the closet angle Hollywood sounds like a total dream for gay men-gay heaven on earth!
I do admire the small number of actors today whove felt able to come out of the closet fully.

To what extent would you say that the success of hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s -but more the latter was a product or consequence /domino effect of the 2 world wars and their impact on american society?Did the 2 world wars create the climate dynamic and possibilities of hollywoods golden era-Ie they played a big part in enabling nurturing and releasing this wonderful era of film?

I don't think it was a coincidence that Hollywood's Golden Age was at it's peak at the time of the Great Depression and the Second World War. I know that the highlight of my childhood was our weekly visit to "the Pictures," which was what we called them in those days. Like everyone else during the war we were very poor, but I don't think that we ever missed a week to our local Picture Palace. It was an escape from the bombing for a couple of hours, and more fun than sitting in a musty shelter.

The 1940's was also the decade of "The Woman's Picture" all of our favourite ladies were at their peak, turning out one Classic after another. One reason for this was of course with their men away at War most women wanted to see romance on the screen, and that was why such Classics as Now Voyager, Random Harvest, Rebecca, and many others were all so popular at that time, and are still remembered with such affection by Film Buffs.

1946 was the greatest year at the Box Office, and after that there was a slow deterioration, coinciding with the start of TV in the USA.

Thanks for the information Walter - it seems common sense now I think about it that the romance genre blossomed during the war, but I didn't realise until you said. I think the cinema/history link is so fascinating. I love the whole early to mid 20th century period, in film, literature and history. I'm hoping to explore it in detail academically at some point.

Out of interest, I know how much the glamour and class seems to have been lost in modern cinema, but are there any actors/actresses at the moment who embody any of the characteristics of the old Hollywood stars? Angelina Jolie is the only one I can think of who comes close for me, but even that's stretching it a bit!

In my youth I would sometimes got to the cinema seven days a week, occasionally even twice in one day. Now I don't even go once a year, which I guess answers your question.

I have ever seen Angelia Jolie, and having read about her, have no interest in seeing her. The only actresses who get me into my local cinema these days are Maggie Smith and Meryl Streep.

I also feel that there may be an aspect of when theres something akin to an existential crisis-that can be felt at the level of individuals and countries when it felt like we were on the brink like there was during World War Two that the effect of that is a concentration of minds and an increase in creativity as a result of the crisis?I think this too may be a factor in why this era was SO very magical.

In terms of the best year 1946 what would you then say were the top 5-6 films of 1946 the best year?

Here are the Top Box Office Films for 1946

Song of the South - Disney

The Best Years of Our Lives -- Goldwyn

Duel in the Sun - Selznick

The Postman Always Rings Twice - MGM

Blue Skies - Paramount

The Yearling - MGM

The Razors Edge - Fox

Notorious - RKO

Till the Clouds Roll By - MGM

Road to Utopia - Paramount

MGM was still the most powerful and productive studio with Louis B Mayer in charge. He may have been a tyrant, but he knew just what sort of entertainment that audiences wanted.

This all changed when Mayer was ousted by Dore Schary who preferred "message" pictures like The Next Voice You Hear and The Red Badge of Courage, both colossal flops. He only lasted five years and was replaced by Benny Thau in 1956, but by then the studio system was coming to an end, and so was the Golden Age of Hollywood.

From what Ive heard a lot of the golden era movie moguls were quite eccentric ,unedifying or highly unusual people.Howard Hughes is one example that springs to mind-Didnt he obesses over certain leading ladies and then cultivate their career?I dont know much about Jack Warner though .
The battle for supremacy between different moguls myst have seemed like "dualing monarchs" .

Yes, the highly eccentric Hughes was obsessed with many leading ladies, but was responsible for at least two of them, Jean Harlow and Jane Russell becoming Stars.

Bette Davis said that she knew just how to infuriate Jack Warner when she went into his office to discuss her dissatisfaction with her career and the roles she was getting.
She always wore dark glasses and always called him Mr Warner, when she knew he liked to be called Jack.

But as she said, these moguls could be foul mouthed, and with little taste, yet they took chances on someone like her, who didn't look like Star material at the beginning, but they knew how to build stars, and above all, they were passionate about the movie business.

Wasnt it Katherine Hepburn who Cate Blanchett played in Howard Hughes biopic The Aviator-one of the women Howard Hughes was besotted with?

Yeah Ive heard a few golden age stars say that one of the benefits of the studio system was that they knew how to gradually build a career.Im so glad they took a chance on Bette Davis,I cant imagine cinema if they didnt!

Yes, for me the only good thing about The Aviator was Cate Blanchett's performance.

Bette admitted that she fought the studio system, with their rigid rules, their suspension's if you refused a role, with the time of the suspension being added on to the seven year contract. Yet on reflection, looking back years later she admitted that it was the studio system that was responsible for building the solid career's of the legendary Stars of the Golden Age of the cinema.

Geniune question Walter but Im not sure youll have an answer as such.Are you aware of any actresses who had their careers thwarted as they rejected the obessional attendion of one of the doting moguls or of any successful hollywood actress from this era revealing years later that a mogul tried unsuccesfully to ruin their career?

I am sure that there were many actresses who got roles for accommodating studio heads, and probably just as many who lost roles for spurning the randy moguls.

Darryl Zanuck, the powerful head of 20th Century Fox kept a solid gold replica of his penis on his desk.

He had several mistresses who he tried to turn into stars, including Juliette Greco and Bella Darvi, but the public did not take to either of them.

Joan Collins said that she lost the role of Cleopatra to Liz Taylor because she turned down Zanuck's proposition. She ran out of his office, and later said, "I wish that I had kicked him in the balls!"

Shocked at what youve just said about movie mogul Mr Zanuck Was he the most tyranical of them all?

Good on Joan Collins shes always struck me as someone who has very firm red lines morally and a healthy sense of self respect.
Do you know if shes still part of the LA Social scene and has a home there?

Are you a fan of Shirley Maclaine?

Joan has homes in London, New York, Los Angeles and the South of France, and describes her life as that of a gypsy.

Yes, I am a fan of Shirley Maclaine, and saw her at the London Palladium in the 1970's.

She did seem out of place in Downton Abbey, and I didn't like "Mrs Winterbourne," the remake that she did of Barbara's Classic Noir, "No Man of Her Own."

She was obviously a big fan of Barbara's, because she made a beautiful speech at her AFI Tribute in 1987, this is what she said:

"Miss Stanwyck, during my years as a chorus girl I was in the back line, dancing sometimes around refrigerators to make a living. I would go to the movies, and I would sit in the dark, and I would watch you grace the screen. I would remember that I had read that you were a "Keep Kool Kutie", and that you had been the third light to the left in a human chandelier. That gave me courage, and you have shed light for me for 40 years."

Barbara looked very pleased and touched by this genuine tribute from a fellow former chorus girl.

I forgot to answer your question. I would say that Harry Cohn, the head of Columbia Pictures was maybe the most tyrannical mogul of them all. He was also the last of the really powerful studio heads after the departure of Mayer and Zanuck.

Cohn was known for his autocratic and intimidating management style. One Columbia employee called him, "an absolute monarch as Hollywood ever knew," and said that he ran the studio like a private police state. It was said that he had listening devices on all sound stages, and could tune in on any conversation on the set. He would then boom in over a loudspeaker if anything displeased him. He wasn't known as "King Cohn" for nothing.

One of the stars that he really respected was Roz Russell, not only because she had class, intelligence, and was a lady, but because she could always beat him when it came to discussions about money.

It was rumoured that he demanded sex from many actresses in exchange for employment, but he realised that he had met his match when he propositioned Joan Crawford. When he made a move on her after she signed a three picture contact in the 1950's she said, "Keep it in your pants Harry, I'm having lunch with your wife and sons tomorrow.!" :

There is a famous quote from comedian Red Skelton when he commented on the enormous turn out for Cohn's funeral. "It proves what Harry always said, "Give the public what they want, and they'll come every time!"

The majority of those of those who attended the funeral were said to have done so just to confirm that the old bastard really was dead.

Thats good to know that Barbara helped inspire a younger generation of stars.Are you aware of any other younger actresses that praised Barbara or cited her as a key influence?
I adore Joan Collins-I recall reading snippets from one of her earlier biographies were she said Raquel.Welch in her late 40s was sitting on movie producers,financiers,bigwigs laps at an Oscar evening party/event clearly in the hope of personal advancement and was NEVER allowed to be on the guestlist to this party in future years ever again!
Love Joan-shes very showbizzy but doesnt seem false in her personality.

Harry Cohn sounds like a nightmare-the era of the big hollywood giant moguls was certainly a mixed blessing!
I cant imagine Joan Crawford Bette Davis or Barbara Stanwyck ever giving in to the casting couch or pressure to sleep with someone for career gain ,they seem too strong,gutsy and no nonsense.

When did Harry die btw?
Im aware you have a big dvd collection but do you collect movie posters,specifically from the golden era?Are reprints availiable to purchase do you know?

Linda Evans said that Barbara taught her everything when she played her daughter in the TV series, The Big Valley. She said that watched Barbara treat every member of the crew with kindness and consideration, and they in turn worshipped her. Another important lesson that she learned was to always be on time, and to know her lines. When Linda's mother died Barbara went to her and said that although she could never replace her mother, she hoped that she would look upon her as her mother from then on.

I have no idea about the price of posters today, I have had mine for more than thirty years. I have a five foot high framed poster of Barbara's "Ball of Fire," another from "The Furies", and a third from "Cattle Queen of Montana" which probably has added value as it is signed by Ronald Reagan.

Harry Cohn died in February 1958 aged just 66. It's a scary thought that I am old than all of those old tyrants, including Cecil B de Mille, and Louis B Mayer.

Im sure age wise Walter youll well outnumber and outlast the number of years they chalked up!

Do you collect any other film memorabila?

Barbara sounds very maternal in an understated way?Is her only son still alive do you know?

On a different note Are you a fan of Alfred Hitchcock and who would you say were his best AND favourite leading ladies?Cant recall films name but Helen Mirren starred in a film last year as Mrs Hitchcock?Have you seen it?

I did collect photo's and memorabilia on Barbara from the age of ten, but eventually gave them to a friend because I had visions of me in very old age surrounded by yellowing scrapbooks, a sort of modern day Miss Haversham, from Faversham!

Anyway, I am still collecting, but all my memorabilia is now in my group, and I have more photo's in there now than in the 40 years that I collected before I went online, the grand total is now 16.249.

My spare bedroom has all my signed and framed photo's of Barbara on the walls, you can see that in the group photo albums.

Sadly Barbara never did have a close relationship with her adopted son Dion, and they didn't see each other again after he went in the army in 1952, he died May 17th 2006 aged 74.

I am a big Hitchcock fan, my favourites of all his films are Stage Fright, Rebecca, Rear Window, and Strangers on a Train. Two of his favourite leading ladies Bergman and Kelly, were not favourites of mine. Annoyingly, he wanted Barbara and Gary Cooper for Saboteur and Foreign Correspondent, but they were both too busy at that time.
I particularly love Stage Fright because it starred two of my favourite actresses, Marlene Dietrich and Jane Wyman, plus Dame Sybil Thorndike, Alastair Sim, and Joyce Grenfell.

I saw the Hitchcock film, and although I love Helen Mirren, she was far too young and glamorous to play the frankly plain and homely Alma Reville.

Are there any must haves youd like for your memorabilia collection that for whatever reason you havent been able to get hold off?

Arr thats so sad for Barbara it must have been a source of deep personal sadness to her.

Barbara would have been perfect for Hitchcock she had film noir stamped all over her-The What ifs are truly endless and fascinating.

Now Sybil Thorndike is somebody I dont know much about but her name seems very familiar?Did she ever win an oscar and was she a major player in Hollywood?

I would love to have a video of Barbara when she attended the London premiere of her film "The Other Love" at the Empire, Leicester Square in March 1947. It was said to be the biggest London premiere since before the war, yet I only have three photo's of her at the event.

I have 45 Pathe newsreels covering many premiere's from that time, so maybe it doesn't exist. I would be surprised if it wasn't filmed because I know that lots of stars attended, including Anna Neagle who introduced Barbara to the audience on stage, as well as many MP's, including the Speaker of the House of Commons. I do have a marvellous film of Barbara and husband Robert Taylor being interviewed on the Queen Elizabeth when it docked at Southampton, and that can be seen on YouTube. I have photo's of them at the BBC where they were interviewed for the privileged few who owned a TV in those early post war days. The premiere as also broadcast live on the radio, but as I was not quite ten years old at the time I don't recall anything about it.

Dame Sybil Thorndike was one of the Great Ladies of the English Theatre, and a real Class Act. George Bernard Shaw wrote St Joan especially for her, and she was considered to be one of the greatest British actresses of the 20th Century. She was also the first British actress to have her face on a postage stamp.

She was also an extremely kind lady, when the newly knighted Sir John Gielgud was arrested for cottaging in 1953 he contemplated suicide. He was working in a play with Dame Sybil at that time, and was terrified of being booed by the audience. Dame Sybil gave him a big kiss saying, "Johnny, you are a silly buggar, now hold my hand when we walk on stage, they wouldn't dare boo me." They walked on stage to a thunderous roar of approval from the audience.

She was also one of the few people who was nice to Marilyn when they were filming The Prince and the Showgirl. Olivier was particularly unsympathetic. Dame Sybil told him not to be so unkind to her. "She is working in a strange country with people she doesn't know, but that girl knows more about acting in front of a camera than the rest of us put together,"

She went on to praise Marilyn to anyone who asked, and you can see a brief clip on YouTube headed, "Dame Sybil defends Marilyn." There is also a marvellous clip of when their two characters meet in the film, and it really is funny. If you like Marilyn and have never seen the film, I thoroughly recommend it. It is still my favourite of all her performances.

She died in June 1976 at the grand old age of 93, and her ashes are buried in Westminster Abbey.

The eccentric Tallullah Bankhead once entertained Dame Sybil, and was so overcome that she blurted out, "What will you have to drink you Fu###ng old miracle?" and Dame Sybil without turning a hair replied, "How kind dear, I'll have a small sherry!"

Now that is what I call real Class!