Thanks so much for posting the link to that sublime video Manderley. I urge everyone to click on the link to watch two professional's at the peak of their perfection.

I always preferred Eleanor to Ginger Rogers, for me, she was more likeable, genuine, and a much better dancer.

Why on earth did Glenn Ford screw around so much when he had such a lovely wife at home?

As Paul Newman used to say about his wife Joanne Woodward, why would I go out for hamburger when I have prime steak at home.

Thank you your very welcome! Please keep posting! 👍


Glad you enjoy it and hope you continue to do so!


Many Thanks again Walter -I think we've both hit upon a brilliant collaboration here and unintentionally created a home and safe haven for all fans of Hollywood's golden era as well as a springboard towards nurturing others to become new fans!

Long may we reign -I see no reason why we can't keep the show on the road for a long time yet!

I hadn't realised Jane Russell had a drink problem although I was aware of her heartbreak over infertility. Was Jane one of the Hollywood stars who became a patient at the Betty Ford clinic?

Reading between the lines one sad thing with regards to Jane in her latter years is that I think she was a lifetime friend of Liza Minnelli (not sure if that means Jane and Judy Garland were friends?) and attended Lizas wedding to David Gest in 2002.
However as we all know that marriage ended VERY acrimoniously and I seem to recall that something Jane said in a magazine interview implied that she was put in a position of taking sides or choose to take sides and she choose David and by implication her lifelong friendship with Liza was the Casualty. I find that very sad and given my own views or ideas (and of course nobody knows the full facts) of what happened within the marriage I think it was sad for Liza too.

Anyway random question time -id John Wayne have an children and wad he well liked amongst his peers and film work colleagues?

I have never read anything about Jane attending the Betty Ford Clinic, I know that she was very religious, so maybe that helped her.

At the time of his death John Wayne was the patriarch of a large family. He was married three times, and had SEVEN children, and 21 grandchildren. He had four from his first wife, and one of them Patrick was quite a heart throb in the 1950's and in several of his fathers films, starting with an uncredited role in Rio Grande, followed by The Quiet Man, The Conqueror, The Searches, The Alamo, The Commancheros, Donovan's Reef, McLintock, and The Green Berets. At 76, he has outlived his father by four years.

John Wayne's eldest son Michael was a producer and actor and died in 2003 aged 68.

His second marriage was childless, but he had three more children with his third wife who was 22 years younger than him.

In his last years he separated from his third wife and lived with his secretary Pat Stacy.

As a long time avid reader, and lover of classic film, i just wanted to say well done to all involved in this enlightening and brilliant thread, the number of views Is phenomenal. Please keep posting!

Thank such for your kind words, every feedback, or even criticism is very welcome, and if you have any questions I will be happy to answer them if I can.

Thanks for that. It is a shame they never reconciled in later years. I do agree that her son was blameless when a child. I sometimes think a lot of Hollywood adoptions were just for show purposes. Also, wasn't there some controversy once about an unmarried actress who adopted a child and it turned out to be really hers? I think Clark Gable might have been the father.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Stack

On this day May 14th in 2003 Golden era Hollywood actor Robert Stack died aged 84.

He starred in a great many films and worked pretty much up until his final months.

Amongst his films were "A date with Judy" alongside Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Powell, Carmen Miranda and Wallace Beery, "The Tarnished angels" which also starred Rock Hudson, Jack Carson and Dorothy Malone who's still with us.
Military themed film "House of bamboo" alongside Robert Ryan and camp classic "Written on the wind" alongside Lauren Bacall and Dorothy Malone again. He certainly worked with quite a few big female names of the era but I wonder if there's any connection to Barbara Stanwyck that can be found by Walter /Ray?!

Thanks for the information about John Wayne Ray -would I be right in assuming that John Waynes family didn't bad mouth him or write a hatchet job book about him after he died?

That was the saintly Loretta Young, who went on about her faith so much that you got the impression that God was a close personal friend.

She and Gable got very close whole filming Call of the Wild, and she ended up pregnant. She realised that if her fans found out that it would be the end of her career, and she wouldn't have an abortion because as a Catholic that would be a sin. So she took an extended "Vacation" to the UK, and then home to California to give birth in a house that she owned in Venice, California. He daughter was born in 1935, and was name Judith, after Saint Jude, who was the patron saint of (among other things) difficult situations.

Three weeks later Young returned to work, and the child was transferred to an orphanage. Around 18 months later Loretta told gossip columnist Louella Parson's that she had adopted a baby girl, and she kept up this pretence until she told her official biographer that Judy was in fact her biological child, and the long dead Gable was the father.

There is a great story about Loretta having a swear box on the set, , and anyone her cursed had to put a dollar in it. One day her good friend Barbara was working on another set at the studio dropped by to say hello, and during their conversation happened to say "damn". The saintly Missy Young raised her eyebrows, saying "Tut, Tut Barbara, that will cost you one dollar." Barbara opened her purse, shoved a note in the box saying, "Here's five dollars Loretta, NOW GO FU## YOURSELF!"

http://www.elleuk.com/now-trending/R...e-Joan-Collins

Always find her fascinating

Fabulous story.

Indeed.

Take a look at @ClassicalCinema's Tweet: https://twitter.com/ClassicalCinema/...848539648?s=09

18 years ago today Frank Sinatra the legend of music and film died aged 82.

It doesn't seem possible it was that long ago.

Sometimes when I can't get to sleep, instead of counting sheep, I count the number of stars that were a big part of my childhood and youth who I have outlived, and it's getting longer. So here are the first that come to mind in roughly the order of when they died, with their ages.

Walter Huston - 66. Carmen Miranda - 46. Louis Calhern - 61. Bela Lugosi - 73. Humphrey Bogart - 57. Oliver Hardy - 65. Jack Buchanan - 66. Robert Donat - 53. Tyrone Power - 44. Mario Lanza - 38. Errol Flynn - 50. Margaret Sullavan - 50. Paul Douglas - 52. Clark Gable - 59. Gary Cooper - 60. Marilyn Monroe - 36. Jack Carson - 52. Dick Powell - 58. Sabu - 39. Alan Ladd - 50. Peter Lorre - 59. Harpo Marx - 75. William Bendix - 58. Stan Laurel - 74. Linda Darnell - 41. Judy Holliday - 43. Dorothy Dandridge - 42. Herbert Marshall - 75. Buster Keaton - 70. Montgomery Clift - 45. Clifton Webb - 76. Ann Sheridan - 51. Claude Rains - 77. Spencer Tracy - 67 . Vivien Leigh - 53. Jayne Mansfield - 34. Basil Rathbone 75. Tallulah Bankhead - 66. Thelma Ritter - 66. Judy Garland - 47. Sonja Henie - 57. Robert Taylor - 57. Eric Portman - 68. Frances Farmer - 56. Bebe Daniels - 70. Audie Murphy - 46. Van Heflin - 62. That takes us up to 1971.

In case this hasn't already been mentioned in the preceding 61 pages (!), I stumbled across a podcast which may have some episodes of interest to people following this thread:

http://www.youmustrememberthispodcast.com/listen/

Follow the links to the archive. There are numerous stories described as relating to the forgotten or secret history of Hollywood.

Thanks very much for that, I have heard it before, but other members may be interested to hear about the Stanwyck/Taylor marriage, even if the woman discussing it does have an irritating, nails down a blackboard voice.

The last surviving cast member of Casablanca, Madeleine Lebeau, has died aged 92. I only watched it yesterday morning for an essay I'm working on, feels spooky! But sad she has died, what an age.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36295621

I remember clearly all the vast news coverage at the time of Sinatras death so it makes feel a bit old too given how quickly time has flown by!
So which stars from the year you were born are still with us and who has passed away?

A little snippet I came across in another place that I think you will like.

Paul Newman was adored and well thought of in a handful of restaurants in Hollywood /California that he frequently gave his patronage /custom too. Whenever he arrived he would ask the staff or manager to establish which customers in that night were celebrating a birthday or something else very special like a milestone wedding anniversary and then he'd have them send over a bottle of champagne or the restaurants best house wine over to their table as a gift with his compliments. It was a lovely thoughtful gesture that made a lot of people feel very special and I wanted to share that sweet anecdote.

I was born one week before George Sixth's Coronation 1937.

Celebrities born that year include Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman, Jane Fonda, Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Hopkins, Dustin Hoffman, Warren Beatty, Dyan Cannon, Una Stubbs, Sally Kellerman, Loretta Swit. Steven Berkoff, Tom Courtney, Shirley Eaton, Edward Fox, Margaret O'Brien, Shirley Bassey, Susan Hampshire, and Barbara Windsor,

Deceased: Suzanne Pleshette, James MacArthur, Peter Cook, Sandy Dennis, Anna Massey, and Ingrid Pitt,

I love the story about Paul Newman, but it doesn't surprise me, lovely man, wonderful actor, and I love his salad dressing too.

A couple more to add to your list -American child actor Bobby Driscoll who died aged 31 and novelist and sister of Hollywood legend Joan Collins -Jackie Collins.

The hugely talented film director Ridley Scott was also born in 1937.
Did any of the stars you listed have a tenuous but real link connection to Barbara Stanwyck? Say Jack Nicholson in any way?

Yes indeed, 23 year old Jack Nicholson appeared in "The Mink Coat", the very first episode of The Barbara Stanwyck Show. Sadly, this is one of the missing episodes, but it could well turn up one day.

Jane Fonda hosted Barbara's very last public appearance, when she received the industry's greatest honour, the AFI Life Achievement Award in 1987. Jane said that she was luckier than many of the audience because she had known her since she was a little girl. She said she remembered Barbara dangling her on her knee, and calling her "Lady Jane." She said that her father talked about the friend who was like no one else he had ever met, and he admitted that he had fallen in love with her when they starred together in The Lady Eve.

Another reason why they should have had one last teaming in On Golden Pond.

Incredibly, we have had over 1000 viewers in just over three days.

Hello all.

I watched a film on Saturday "Portrait in Black" it was on the Drama channel, came across it by chance, otherwise I would have given you all a heads up. It starred Lana Turner and was very Douglas Kirk -esque lol. To be honest it wasn't great lol. Lana just seemed to swan about in sequins looking anguished. I loved Madam X and Imitation of Life but I don't think Lana was great in this!! She was a star but does anyone think she was a good actress?

However, the reason for the post - as usual there is a Barbara Stanwyck connection lol. I read on Wiki that the film was based on a stage play and when it was adapted for radio it starred Barbara Stanwyck!!

Walter - I bet you could have told me this anyway, lol.

Hi David,

I actually meant to mention that Portrait in Black was being shown, but it slipped my mind. It wasn't a very good film, although By Love Possessed is much worse, but for me, even bad Lana is better than no Lana.

Yes, I do think that she was a good actress, I believe that she proved that in Madame X, that last scene with her son always has me in tears.

Wikipedia is notorious for their mistakes, and they are wrong about Portrait in Black, Barbara never did the radio version of that, they are probably confusing it with Sorry, Wrong Number.

Walter - thank you. And here was me hoping to impress you, lol. I guess I should really always double check my facts before I post.

PS Just read the Loretta Young story and Barbara's retort! That is a great story

It wasn't your fault David, just don't believe everything you read on Wikipedia.

Yes, that was a great story, Barbara was known for her salty language, but then most of the great ladies of Hollywood could curse like sailors.

Burt Reynolds mentioned in his biography that Bette Davis approached him at a party saying, "I see that CU#T Crawford has finally died." Burt whispered to her that a well known Hollywood gossip columnist was eavesdropping, and to be careful what she said. Bette thought for moment, and then said in a very loud voice, "But she was always on the set on time!"

Burt Reynolds mentioned in his biography that Bette Davis approached him at a party saying, "I see that CU#T Crawford has finally died." Burt whispered to her that a well known Hollywood gossip columnist was eavesdropping, and to be careful what she said. Bette thought for moment, and then said in a very loud voice, "But she was always on the set on time!"

Oh to have lived in Hollywood when all the greats were around