Walter will love you for mentioning the talented Jane Wyman he's a big fan of her! 😁

Indeed I am, there is a very touching but sad photo of Nancy supporting a frail, and unrecognisable 84 year old Jane in 2001, at the funeral of Maureen, the daughter from her marriage to Ronnie. H was already in the advanced stages of Alzheimer's, and would die three years later.

Where you a fan of Kathryn Grayson?

Dean sounds very dignified -long may he reign!

Is Dean Stockwell in good health?

I have only ever seen Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda, in which she won an oscar for. A stunning performance.

Katharyn Grayson was a great talent as well. One of many of MGM's cinema darlings. But by the late 50's, she seemed to have disappeared from movies. But continued with a successful theatre and opera career.

I wasn't crazy about her, a bit too shrill for me, although Kiss Me Kate is my all time favourite musical.

Patricia Morison played her role on stage, and was said to have been incredible. incidentally, Miss Morison will be 101 next week, and gave an interview when she was 98, and it is available on YouTube.

As far as I know Dean is in good health, although I know he had a drink problem when he was in his 20's. Katharine Hepburn gave him a telling off when he turned up late on the set for Long Days Journey into Night, but she was used to drinkers, having put up with Tracy for years, and he was said to be one of the nastiest drunks in Hollywood..

Cautionary tale of silent film star Baby Peggy, whose career was over aged 6 after her parents got greedy:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...-teenager.html

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/new...st-eden-873910

Another star linked to the golden era dies -East of Eden and Cool Hand Luke actor Richard Davalos dies aged 85

Ah, that is sad, he never got the breaks that he deserved, I was far more impressed with him than Dean in East of Eden.

Thanks. I will try and watch a couple of his films over the Easter break.

I do vaguely recall that Oliver Reed died Very suddenly and this was attributed to his wild lifestyle? What would you say was his best film and best leading lady pairing! Was he considered a sex symbol?


There were rumours of great animosity between Nancy and Jane decades before Ronald Reagan died -do you know much about this? ☺

My favourite Oliver Reed film is The Assassination Bureau, he and Diana Rigg are just perfect together. I can really recommend this comedy thriller set in 1910, and Oliver looked so elegant in the costumes of that period. Also in the cast are Telly Savalas, Beryl Reid, and Warren Mitchell, even Jess Conrad makes a brief appearance.

I never heard of animosity between Jane and Nancy, Jane was too much of a pro to discuss her ex or his wife. The only statement that I ever heard from her was when Reagan died when she said, "America has lost a great President."

For my Masters dissertation I'm writing about Katharine Hepburn's star persona. Originally, I was going to do a dissertation about ageing classical Hollywood stars but my supervisor suggested to focus on one star and we both said Hepburn.

I'm not sure how many films I would have to analyse as of yet but would this seem to be a good range? Would have to watch the films first to decide which ones to include, think I might have too many here.

Little Women (just ordered off Amazon)
Sylvia Scarlett
Bringing Up Baby
The Philadelphia Story
Woman of the Year
Adam's Rib
The African Queen
Summertime
Suddenly Last Summer
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
The Lion in Winter
On Golden Pond

I see Walter as the expert here Of course if there are any more that would be really beneficial in assessing her star persona then please suggest some more. From comments on this thread, Morning Glory is not a good film?

Forgive my butting in, you could try Long Day's Journey Into Night from 1962 which is not typical Hepburn and is in the period between Hollywood "star" and Grand Old Lady, when lots of actresses find work hard to come by.

Thanks for that I will do. That's the same year as What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and you can see that with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford being referred to as "two old broads" by the studios.

Very interesting time in Hollywood, particularly in regards to middle aged actresses, quite cruel in some ways.

That is a great selection, but I would certainly recommend Desk Set, the 1957 release in which she was reunited with Spencer Tracy one more time before their final teaming in 1967. This is about two very strong personalities who clash over the computerization of a TV network. It doesn't sound a million laughs but it is a really delightful comedy, with a great supporting cast including Gig Young and Joan Blondell.

Yes, Morning Glory is truly awful, and the worst choice for a Best Actress Oscar until Liz Taylor was awarded hers for Butterfield 8, (or not dying in the London Clinic).

Will check Desk Set out too, sounds really good! I've been reading about Mary of Scotland, what's your opinion of that film? Was poorly received in 1936 and another box office failure for Hepburn. Seems an interesting film.

Ha, I don't rate Elizabeth Taylor as an actress either. Hey ho.

Mary of Scotland was one of the films responsible for Hepburn being labelled Box Office Poison in the 1930's. I'm not surprised either, a heavy, boring film which neither she or Fredric March could save.

Hi Walter, I'm in Canada at the moment and tomorrow morning TCM, (USA) are showing My Reputation from 1946. Is this one of Barbara's films that you would recommend?

I LOVE My Reputation, and after watching it again recently, I can honestly say that it is my favourite of all her performances after The Lady Eve.

This was the first film that I saw Barbara in exactly 70 years ago, and although only nine years old I was totally smitten, and have been ever since.

She gives a sensitive and moving performance as a young widow with two sons, trying to cope with life after her husbands premature death. I am not giving the plot away as the film opens the morning after her husband's funeral

She was beautifully photographed, and looked stunning in her Edith Head wardrobe. The film also has one of the most beautiful Max Steiner scores that I have ever heard.

I won't say anymore about it, except that the final scene at the railway station is a real tearjerker, and I just hope that you love it as much as I do.

Thanks Walter, I'm looking forward to watching it now although it was made the year before I was born.

I watched Kate's All About Me documentary (which is included on The Philadelphia Story DVD as a bonus feature, fabulous documentary) and it had a clip from Mary of Scotland. I won't be buying it on DVD suffice to say, although I'm now intrigued by Morning Glory. And is Stage Door any good?

Quick question Walter, was Stella Dallas ever released on DVD in this country? Can't find a region 2 version of it anywhere. It's a film I'd love to see.

I LOVE Stage Door, everyone is excellent, even Ginger Rogers, who I have never cared for. Constance Collier is hilarious, as is Eve Arden, who spends the whole film with a live cat slung around her shoulders like a fur wrap.

Stella Dallas has never been released in the UK, I still have the video tape from when I recorded it off Channel 4 in 1982.

Well I'll definitely order that film then. Haha intriguing description! Got a pretty good idea of the films I'll discuss

Terrible that Stella Dallas has never been released here, it's available in America but only in region 1. Damn.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ger-lover.html

No idea if true but it's certainly a provocative claim that Dean and Brando had an s+m style master slave relationship.

Thank you.

Oliver Reed -I do wonder what his even greater potential would have been if he hadn't have been such a hellraiser?

Also read and heard a few things on the late Nancy Reagan this past week as obviously she was much discussed at her passing.
I heard a clip on a radio 4 obituary show were Nancy said in a clip that Katherine Hepburn had tried to dissuade her from a Hollywood career and warned her of the pitfalls as only a lucky few became big stars or even just stars.
Also that in 1996 Nancy was offered an acting role that she was keen on but unwilling to take on because she was caring for her husband Ronald with his battle through Alzheimer's, the role was then offered to Doris Day who turned it down and it eventually went to Debbie Reynolds but I can't remember what the role was off the top of my head!

It's nice to hear that the rumours of animosity between Nancy and Jane were overblown.
I do feel she was quite different to Nancy though as one of the things I read was that the secret service protected all of the Reagan family and all of his kids, and when they were protecting or guarding Maureen Reagan in particular that the secret service guys met her mother Jane Wyman regularly and that she was a favourite of theirs! She was very grounded and always making them meals snacks and drinks and was quite jokey were as Nancy was always one much more for formality and arms length in a way even after Reagan left office (their protected for life)
Not that one approach is necessarily better than the other but it's an interesting contrast.