It is sad news, but what a good age. Think I only saw him in "And Then There Were None" - very handsome and if Walter is any judge - very blessed

By the way, Walter (and everyone else, of course, Annie Oakley starring Barbara Stanwyck is on BBC2 Sat 10 Sep at 06.10am.

Walter - I have never seen it, is it worth watching?

David, I have seen and own all 87 of her films, I have loved her for 70 years, but I LOATHE Annie Oakley. She just didn't have the fire, or what I can't only describe as the "piss and vinegar" which she put into her later Westerns. In fact it is definitely in my top five of her worst films. I have the DVD as one of five in a boxed set on Barbara, and I have never even opened it.

By all means watch it, as you have never seen it, in fact I will be interested to hear what you think of it.

As for me, I am counting the hours until 9.30 tomorrow evening on the SKY Arts channel, and "Discovering Barbara Stanwyck".

I watched Annie Oakley a few months ago. Not a movie I would loathe or love. I guess Walter's expectations were higher for the leading lady's performance.

https://youtu.be/orZq8TvuOMg

Here's a nice little video tribute montage style to Hugh O'Brian with clips of his various onscreen work.

Can't reiterate enough how handsome he is

Thanks for that Hilda, they just don't make them like that anymore. I loved the way he moved, so graceful, yet totally masculine. He should have been a bigger star.

I will have to take a look at Marilyn's There's No Business Like Show Business again, He got eighth billing, but I can't remember him in it.

That's the perfect description of him and many of the higher calibre male stars of the golden era -graceful but masculine.

I feel also that directors and creative people back in that era intuitively understood and valued that combination and how to draw it out of a performer.

I hope the SKY ARTS Barbara Stanwyck programme doesn't disappointed you tomorrow as I know how you loathe inaccuracies and I think I will sense your ire and frustration aftershocks here if your displeased!

Unfortunately It doesn't look like I will be able to watch it as I lost the battle for control of the TV remote tomorrow and we don't have a catch up facility on our sky package

If you are not able to record it this evening, it is repeated tomorrow evening at 7.pm.

The one good thing about this series is that each programme is repeated several times.

Be assured that you will get a full report of just what I thought about the programme, and just how accurate it is right after it has finished.

I don't have SKY so can't watch it myself, but hope you enjoy the programme later Walter. Looking forward to reading your review.

I am sorry that you will miss it Dan. I promise you detailed review, hopefully a positive one.

Walter

Enjoy your show tonight

I won't watch tonight but will watch on Catch-up at the weekend

Thanks David, I am counting the minutes, and I don't know how you can bear to wait for the weekend. I admire your self control.

This will be the third documentary on Barbara, the first was "Fire and Desire" in 1991, although not shown on TV here till 1994. It was introduced by Sally Field who was very enthusiastic, and raved about her. Maybe she had first hand information from Jock Mahoney, her late stepfather, who helped Barbara with her stunt work on some of her 50's Westerns.

The second documentary was "Straight Down the Line" 1997. that title is of course a line used by both Barbara and Fed MacMurray in Double Indemnity. I expect that there will be a lot about that film in this evenings programme. I'm just hoping that there might be some photo's shown that I gave never seen, although as I have over 20.000, I very much doubt that.

Well, it was a wonderful tribute, a few sllly mistakes, she was two years old when her mother died not four, and she didn't get her professional name from her co stars, she got it from am old Broadway poster. There were some missing. film clips, Lady of Burlesque, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, and My Reputation, but it was a worthy tribute, and I felt quite emotional at the end.

Glad you enjoyed the programme Walter, I have downloaded it from Catch Up and will watch tonight with a nice glass of Pinot Noir.

I got through a whole bottle of J.P. Chenet Roset' - I usually have one glass in the evening, but the programme affected me so much I just guzzled one glass after another. No wonder I felt emotional afterwards.

I do hope that you enjoy it, I am sure that you will, and I expect that all of the wonderful clips will whet your appetite to catch up on the films of Barbara that you haven't yet seen.

Just finished watching Discovering Barbara Stanwyck which was a wonderful tribute as Walter has already stated. Reminded me how brilliant she was in The Lady Eve, Ball Of Fire and Stella Dallas. I know that Stella Dallas is not one of Walter's favourites but that final scene when she conveys all that emotion without dialogue is just wonderful.

I had never watched The Thornbirds but that scene with Richard Chamberlain was astonishing.

One of the talking heads pronounced her name as Stannick, I assume that the W is always used.

By the way I did not consume as much wine as Walter while watching the programme.

So glad that you enjoyed it. DO try and watch The Thorn Birds, her last great speech is unforgettable, and I think it was that which won her the Best Actress Emmy for the third time, she just breaks your heart.

I loved the fact that the men all thought that she was very sexy, and watching Baby Face 83 years later, you can see why..

Several British critics refer to her as Stanick, it has always irritated me, but it seems that the name is English, and that is how it is pronounced here.

Incidentally, that dumb blonde got it all wrong about how she got her stage name. She didn't get it from fellow actors. Her first stage producer Willard Mack didn't feel that Ruby Stevens was dignified enough for his new dramatic actress. So he looked at at an old playbill which had the headline, "Jane Stanwyck in Barbara Frietchie" and juggled the first and last names around until he came up with the ideal name for his new young star. They also got it wrong about all of the children going into foster homes, the three older girls were all grown up when Barbara was born, and at least one of them was married.

I can forgive them for those mistakes, because they were so complimentary about her, and said what all film buffs know, that she was the greatest actress to never win a. Best Actress Oscar.

Although apparently no one has ever discovered an actress (or anyone else) called "Jane Stanwyck", let alone one who played Barbara Frietchie.

http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/...d.php?t=266655

Facinating reading, I have a filmed interview of Barbara telling the story of how she got her stage name. I can't imagine why she would make it up, but I guess we will never know.

Delighted you seem to have enjoyed the Barbara Stanwyck tribute! So what would you give it out of ten?


I need you to help me please Walter with my latest crush from Hollywood's golden era!

Guy Madison -very much dreamy heartthrob looks

What can you tell me about him please including anything anecdotal or juicy! 😘

I give it 8 our of 10, 8 for their obvious admiration and respect, but two points off for not checking their facts. They said that all five children were fostered when their mother died. In fact the three older girls were all grown up when Barbara was born, one was already married, and the other a chorus girl. One of them described her first hit film Ladies of Leisure, as a comedy, not so, it had some funny moments, but it was a serious drama. She and Bob Taylor never owned a ranch together, they owned ajoining ranches. She co owned hers with her agent Zeppo Marx, and it was called "Marwyck"

Hilda, I am surprised that you didn't insist on watching it, how often do tributes like this come along, why couldn't you have recorded it, and what could have been more important ? Please don't tell me that it was football.

Anyway, it is repeated several times next week, so hopefully you may get a chance to watch it. Here are the dates: Monday 8.pm, Tuesday 5.am, and 2.pm, and Wednesday 9.am. They are also showing Discovering Gregory Peck 9.30pm Thursday, and 7.30pm Friday.

I was raving about Guy Madison to you in the very early days of this thread. There is plenty about him in the excellent book on Henry Willson, "The Man Who Discovered Rock Hudson"

In 1942, a 22 year old beautiful, blonde sailor, Robert Ozell Mosely was visiting Hollywood when he was discovered" by Willson, a talent scout at David O' Selnick's newly formed Vanguard studios. He was known for finding handsome young men, and giving them unusual new names like Race Gentry, Rory Calhoun and Rock Hudson. Mosely got off pretty lightly when he was re christened Guy Madison and immediately put in the very successful tearjerker, Since You Went Away, starring Claudette Colbert, Jennifer Jones, Joseph Cotton, and former child star ,Shirley Temple, now an irritating brattish teenager. Following the films release the studio was bombarded with thousands of fan letters wanting to know about the beautiful blonde sailor. In 1946 Guy was signed by RKO Studios and began appearing in light comedies and drama's. In 1951 he was signed for the TV series Wild Bill Hickock, and it ran for seven successful years.

I am writing this in two parts because it has taken me so long to compose it, and on previous occasions I have lost the whole lot. I don't know whether it is this site or my lap top.

Guy Madison married Paramount actress Gail Russell in 1949, but even then she had a drink problem. They divorced in 1954, and Gail was found dead in her apartment in 1961.. She died of liver damage and malnutrition, she was just 36.

Willson loved to be seen around town accompanied by his two favourite discoveries at that time, Guy and Rory Calhoun (aka Francis Timothy McCowan). He liked to dress them in pin striped suits matching his own. The pair made a striking couple, one blonde, nd the other, very dark. The two guys became very good friends, but Willson didn't realise just how close until one evening when he was driving around the Hollywood Hills. On this particular April night Los Angeles was experiencing one of it's rare storms. The rain was pelting down as Willson approached Rory's house. He recognised Guys Jaguar parked in the driveway. As he got loser he could see the car rocking backwards and forwards, as if it was caught in an earthquake. The

Guy Madison married Paramount actress Gail Russell in 1949, but even then she had a drink problem. They divorced in 1954, and Gail was found dead in her apartment in 1961.. She died of liver damage and malnutrition, she was just 36.

Willson loved to be seen around town accompanied by his two favourite discoveries at that time, Guy and Rory Calhoun (aka Francis Timothy McCowan). He liked to dress them in pin striped suits matching his own. The pair made a striking couple, one blonde, nd the other, very dark. The two guys became very good friends, but Willson didn't realise just how close until one evening when he was driving around the Hollywood Hills. On this particular April night Los Angeles was experiencing one of it's rare storms. The rain was pelting down as Willson approached Rory's house. He recognised Guys Jaguar parked in the driveway. As he got loser he could see the car rocking backwards and forwards, as if it was caught in an earthquake. The

Guy Madison married Paramount actress Gail Russell in 1949, but even then she had a drink problem. They divorced in 1954, and Gail was found dead in her apartment in 1961.. She died of liver damage and malnutrition, she was just 36.

Willson loved to be seen around town accompanied by his two favourite discoveries at that time, Guy and Rory Calhoun (aka Francis Timothy McCowan). He liked to dress them in pin striped suits matching his own. The pair made a striking couple, one blonde, nd the other, very dark. The two guys became very good friends, but Willson didn't realise just how close until one evening when he was driving around the Hollywood Hills. On this particular April night Los Angeles was experiencing one of it's rare storms. The rain was pelting down as Willson approached Rory's house. He recognised Guys Jaguar parked in the driveway. As he got loser he could see the car rocking backwards and forwards, as if it was caught in an earthquake. The

Sorry about the triplicate posts, as I said, I am having problems with my posts, the page keeps freezing, and I have to close down and start again. Is anyone else having problems?

Anyway, to continue, the lightning provided ample special effects that showed that Rory was screwing Guy.
Willson felt betrayed, as Rory had told him, "I never do it with men!."
Guy said that his storm tossed dalliance with Rory was "just a momentary lapse."

Willson didn't believe him as he said that Rory was hung like a horse, and Guy seemed to be accommodating him without any trouble at all. But Guy insisted that it was his first time.

Well, you did ask for some juicy anecdotes.

Walter thank you SO much for your brilliant efforts!

I'm grateful but also now I'm rather sexually flustered and excited as you've basically told me that one of my favourite golden era Hollywood crushes was likely gay or at least bisexual.
It makes fantasing about him in my mind so much easier and hotter!

That was definitely the kind of juicy I was secretly hoping for! 😘

I do feel a little bit like all my Christmas's have come at once!

Thanks for the Barbara Stanwyck date's I think I will be watching on Tuesday!