You were quite right to do so, I was all ready to open a new thread on her until I saw yours.

It really is depressing to realise that all the stars of the Golden Age will probably be gone in the next five years.

It will then fall to the fandom largely to keep the flame alive but at least we have online tools to help us.

Going back to what you said about Lana Turner who would you say were the worst divas in the worst possible sense-not the complimentary sense!

First of all I have to say that I am a big fan of Lana, diva or not, to me she was the epitome of what a glamorous movie star was all about, and she gave some great performances too, especially in The Bad and the Beautiful and Madame X.

Bette Davis could certainly be a diva, especially if she had a weak director who let her walk all over him. Bacall could also be difficult, but it is easy to forgive when the diva has a great talent. I can't honestly think of anyone else.

I have read that they dimmed the lights on Broadway for Robin Williams, but haven't heard that they did the same for Bacall. It would be unforgiveable if they didn't, she starred in two hit musicals, and won the Best Actress Tony award for "Applause."

I really hope Broadway does honour Ms Bacall she deserves it.Lauren Bacall has however being trending on twitter for 2 days with many people commenting that while Ms Bacall wasnt the last golen era star left it seemed to many like a watershed moment,the end of an era and started lots of chatter on old hollywood.That in itself is interesting and positive.

Am I right in thinking that Ms Bacall did a well received ensemble piece on Broadway called waiting in the wings about life facing mortality in old age in about 1999?

Just read on Reuters News that Broadway is diming its lights for Lauren Bacall

That is great news, I am really pleased, especially for her family.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014...all-dies-at-89

Nice thoughtful obituary of Lauren Bacall in The Guardian.

Walter Did you ever use to watch any of the face to face series interviews on the BBC some of iconic/big old hollywood stars.

I can remember it in the early 1960's, and saw Tony Hancock, Adam Faith, and Gilbert Harding.

I am sorry that I missed Claire Bloom, the only one that I can remember seeing in the later series was Lauren Bacall, and I am glad that I recorded it. I always tried to record her interviews because she was so intelligent and artistic. I have her chatting with Parkinson, Michael Aspel, Clive James, Paul O' Grady, and even Dame Edna Everage

I know he also interviewed Kirk Douglas.Whether one is a fan of Ms Bacall as an actress or not one cannot help but be mesmerised by her in interview, her intelligence,wit and natural gift for being a raconteur is entrancing.

Some people I dont think Ive asked you about is Sidney Poitier and Marlon Brando?Were you a fan and do you think Brando is overated?

I have said here earlier that I thought Brando was very overated, OK in his early years, I liked him in Streetcar, and Julius Caeser. I thought that he became a very lazy, self indulgent actor, and almost a caricature of his younger self.

I much preferred Paul Newman, who had an incredible career, and he also seemed a much more likeable guy.

I have liked Sidney Poitier in a few films, but can't say that he has ever been a favourite.

I loved Paul Newman in The towering inferno-There cant be many of the films cast left now?

I must confess to having had a bit of a crush on Steve McQueen who died far too young.

My favourite films of Paul are Sweet Bird of Youth with the fabulous Geraldine Page, in which they recreated their Broadway roles. Also two little known films, Until They Sail with Jean Simmons and Joan Fontaine, and From the Terrace with Joanne Woodward.

I notice that I didn't reply to your message about Waiting in the Wings.

This is a Noel Coward play that opened in London at the Duke of York Theatre in August 1960, starring Dame Sybil Thorndike and Mary Clare. I have read the play and I really wish that I had gone to see it. It is set in a retirement home for elderly actresses and features the two main characters who had loved the same man in their youth.
Sadly, the critics didn't like it, this was the time when kitchen sink drama's were all the rage, and Coward was looked upon as dated He would have a resurgence just a few years later when Hay Fever had a successful run at The Old Vic, and thankfully I saw that brilliant production starring Dame Edith Evans, Maggie Smith, Lynn Redgrave, and Derek Jacobi.


It opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Broadway in December 1999, with Bacall in the Dame Sybil role. and Rosemary Harris the Mary Clare role. It transferred to the Eugene O'Neil Theatre in February and closed in May 2000 after 186 performances.

Sorry for the delayed reply.
Did you enjoy any of Pauls latter work like Road to Perdition in which he starred with Tom Hanks?

I really wish that I had of seen Lauren Bacall on stage,makes me sad that its just not possible nowAlthough I can imagine Id enjoy most Noel Coward plays as their normally well cast.
Have you seen any of Mae Wests early films?Not sure how legendary she is classed as being?
Currently trying to pick which DVD to watch this weekend,Joan Crawfords Humourseque or Bette Davis Now Voyager!

I watched Road to Perdition for Paul, and thought that he was excellent, but didn't really care for the film, and I cannot stand Hanks.

I have a boxed set of Mae West's films, they are part of the "Screen Goddess Collection" which are still available at Amazon. All of her hit films are included, She Done Him Wrong, I'm No Angel, Belle of the Nineties, Klondike Annie, My Little Chickadee, and The Heat is On. Well worth buying!

Barbara is also included in the Screen Goddess Collection, and not a duff film among them, The Bitter Tea of General Yen, The Miracle Woman, Golden Boy, The Lady Eve, Double Indemnity, and All I Desire. They come in a presentation box, with a booklet on each stars's career.

I have two boxed set on Joan Crawford, they are both called "The Joan Crawford Collection" and are really first class. The first collection contains, Humoresque, Possessed, (which has an extra. "Possessed: The Quintessential Film Noir) The Damned Don't Cry, (also contains an Extra, "The Crawford Formula - Real and Reel)
The Women, and Mildred Pierce, which also contains a great Documentary, "Joan Crawford: The Ultimate Movie Star"

The other collection contains some earlier Crawford films, Sadie McKee, Strange Cargo, A Woman's Face, Flamingo Road, and her first Technicolor film, Torch Song.

There are also some great Extra's, Gable and Crawford, Crawford at Warner's, Tough Baby, Torch Song, Plus two radio versions of A Woman's Face, one with Bette Davis, the other with Ida Lupino.

Two great bargains for any Crawford fan!

As for Now Voyager, along with All About Eve they are my two favourite Bette films, and come right after The Lady Eve as my three favourite films of all time.

I think I can see myself being transported to classical golden era hollywood boxset heaven in the near future!

Do you know if theres any such boxsets for Ms Bacall,either Ms Hepburn or Joan Fontaine?

Are you a major viewer of TCM Channel?

Which would you say was Katherine Hepburns best film?I havent seen her in Guess Whos coming to dinner but Im told its one of her best performances.

Sadly there aren't any box sets on Bacall or Joan Fontaine, and the companies seem to have stopped releasing them in the past few years. There are two boxed sets on Hepburn, The Tracy and Hepburn Signature Collection, and The Katharine Hepburn Collection.

I am very lucky to have three box sets of Barbara's films, and four of both her TV series.

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is excellent, and incidentally, the very first film that I ever video taped from TV 36 years ago. The Lion in Winter is also marvellous but my favourite Hepburn film has always been Desk Set, with Spencer Tracy

I have TCM but hardly ever watch it, because it us just a pathetic, pale imitation of its American counterpart.

The USA have weekly seasons on different stars, with Film Historian Robert Osborne discussing the history of the films and the stars. Last Christmas they showed FIFTY FIVE of Barbara's films from the early 30's, 40's, and '50's, and all new digitally remastered prints. I was very fortunate that one of the members of my group sent me several of the films, which I had, but not in such good condition as those new prints.

I don't understand why our TCM is so inferior, When I first got Sky in 1993 it was called TNT, that was when it was owned by Ted Turner, and it was fabulous.

The first night that I got it they had an all night season called "Major Barbara" which started at 7pm and was on all night until 5am the following morning, showing some of Barbara's rare 1930's films. They also used to show original trailers, I only wish that I had recorded more of the films that I thought would continue to be shown indefinitely.
Eventually TNT changed to TCM and became the travesty that it is today. Now most evening programmes seem to consist of b Westerns, and The Ed Sullivan Show.

Thats immensely frustrating and as you say theres no obvious reason for ours to be inferior especially as the british like to think of themselves as more cultured than the americans.I would literally kill for a channel like the american version

I cant recall if he was on your list Walter but Leslie Phillips http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ping-trip.html. Has had a stroke aged 90 while on a bus in London.Hes definitely a big name of that era in the UK.Wishing him well.

PS I actually ended up watching Bette Davis The Letter from 1940,quite enjoyable as a devious madam who has the ultimate revenge visited upon her.

Very sad to hear about Leslie Phillips, I did leave him off my list of surviving actors, but he has always been a favourite, and I hope that he is on the mend.

The Letter has never been a great favourite of mine, although Bette's performance is certainly better than fellow Oscar nominee Ginger Rogers who won for the truly awful Kitty Foyle. I would have awarded the Best Actress Oscar that year to Joan Fontaine for Rebecca, who won the following year for Suspicion, which wasn't as good.

Sadly its been announced that Richard Attenborough has died aged 90-another one from the list of those remaining from the golden era of film.

Yes, very sad, but not unexpected.

He was one of the first stars that I saw at a Film Garden Party in 1948 when he was just 25.

Rebecca was definitely the superior performance ,that I do agree with.Do you think Joan would have fitted in on Falcon Crest?Am I right in thinking Ms Bacall was offered a role in Falcons Crest?

I think All about Eve is probably my favourite Bette Davis film,that camp film producded some brilliant one liners

I think that both Joan and Lauren would have improved any series, they were both articulate, highly intelligent ladies Although I never heard about Bacall being offered a role in Falcon Crest.

Looks like they negotiated with her but talks fell through.

Can you recall the name of an actress who played Judy Garlands kid sister in a film and apparently is still with us?

I guess that you are thinking of Margaret O'Brien, who played her sister Tootie in Meet Me in St Louis. Yes, she is still very much alive at 77, the same age as me.