Amazing list!!!

Sadly, in the two months since I compiled that list we have already lost four of the names on there, Eli Wallach, Elaine Stritch, James Garner, and Richard Attenborough. Not forgetting Lauren Bacall, who was also mentioned earlier in this thread

http://www.vanityfair.com/vf-hollywo...honorary-oscar

Two from your list Walter confirmed to get honorary oscars -Harry Belafonte and screen goddess Maureen OHara

And Martha Hyer

Yes part of life i guess. I was in LA when eleanor parker passed away. Someone put some flowers on her star. It was so sad. So sad. Even if she was 91.

A couple of younger actresses have left us:

Marilyn Burns (1949-2014), the survivor of the 1974 Texas Chainsaw Massacre.

Madeleine Collinson (1952-2014), the evil one of Hammer's Twins of Evil.

So sad There does seem to be more hollywood/celebrity deaths this year.

Did she have much of a career as an adult actor?Do you rate her?

I rated her very highly, she stole every scene she was in in Meet Me in St Louis, even from Judy. Sadly, unlike Natalie Wood and Liz Taylor she didn't manage the transition from child star to teenager. She starred in Glory, a poor film for RKO in 1956, and then supported Sophia Loren in Heller in Pink Tights. Since then it has been mostly guest star roles in TV series like Murder She Wrote.

Thanks for the reply.I love the world of old Hollywood.

http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/...view/id/262340

Oh btw just incase you didnt know Patricia Wymore actress (starred in a Doris Day film) and widow of Hollywood legend Errol Flynn died earlier this year believed to be 87.

Yes, I did know, Errol Flynn's daughter Rory has been staying with a friend of mine in Monte Carlo, she didn't like her step mother.

Nice interview with Margaret O'Brien here:

http://nitratediva.wordpress.com/201...-obrien-tcmff/

Thanks for that, great interview, just wish that it had been longer.

Now that sounds intriguing Walter!I had a feeling you might have another real life link to hollywood with your wonderful encyclopedia of knowledge .Write a book please!

Are you a fan off Lillian Gish?I believe Bette Davis clashed badly with her in her last film in 1987.

No link to Hollywood, apart from being a film extra for five years, and that was mostly TV. I met my friend in Monte Carlo online, he used to be the American Consul for Geneva, and has met quite a few celebrities through his job before retiring. That is how he put me in touch with Petula Clark and I ended up sending her a copy of her film Dance Hall which she hadn't seen for more than 50 years. I received a lovely personally signed photo by return post. He usually comes to the UK every year, and last year took me to tea at the Savoy. I have an open invitation to visit him in Monte Carlo, but I loathe travelling, and have seen all the countries that I ever wanted to visit.

Several people have told me that I should write a book about Barbara Stanwyck, and I probably know more about her career than anyone, but I have read enough bad books on her, and I have no wish to add to the list. I may know a lot of facts, and have written articles, but a book is quite a different matter. Victoria Wilson, who wrote the latest biography, spent 15 years writing volume one, which only goes up till 1940, and that was a big disappointment.

As for Lilian Gish, well, she was even before my time, although I loved her in the brilliant Night of the Hunter. Bette clashed with everyone in her last years. She said that Lilian should know all about close up's, "because she invented them." She seemed very bitter and jealous, silly, when you consider what a great career she had.

I see that we have now had over 10.000 viewers, who would have guessed that our insignificant little thread would have gone on for so long!

Wow Walter a film extra for 5 years!!Im impressed and a little bit jealous.I bet seeing so much from the perspective of behind the scenes on set has really informed and enriched your perspective on the whole world of film.

For dome reason Walter Ive mistyped and my reply has got entangled with an edited edition of your last post which I quoted above ^

The main impression that I got from behind the scenes was just how tedious film making is, and how could I have possibly have thought of it as a glamorous profession for all those years. I certainly don't envy any of the stars, who really do work incredibly long hours, and also have to study their lines for the following day. From what I have seen and heard, TV is much tougher to work on than film, because they work so much faster, it is certainly not a career that I envy.

I just noticed that, so I will answer your other query.

The only actress that I can think of who was more bitter than Bette was Virginia Mayo, although she wasn't in the same class. I never considered her a star, and I doubt that anyone other than avid film buff's have even heard of her.

She wrote a really embittered autobiography which I have only read excerpts online, I certainly wouldn't have bought it. She bitched about almost every star that she ever encountered, naturally all bigger than her. She was particularly venomous about Barbara, describing her as, "the ugliest, most flat chested actress ever to become a major star."

She also said that Barbara tried to steal her husband Michael O'Shea when they were filming Lady of Burlesque in 1943. I think she must have been drunk when she wrote this, as the film was finished before she even met O'Shea. Also, Barbara was married to the handsome heart throb Robert Taylor at the time, and the kindest way to describe O' Shea was "homely".

I think that the main reason for her hating Barbara was that in 1948 she appeared opposite Danny Kaye in A Song is Born, an inferior remake of Barbara's Ball of Fire.
It was directed by Howard Hawks who had also directed the original. He insisted that Mayo watch Barbara's performance over and over again, maybe in the hope that some of her magic might rub off. This certainly didn't happen, and Hawks made it quite clear to Mayo that her performance was inferior in every way to Barbara's Oscar Nominated memorable performance as stripper, Sugarpuss O'Shea.

I have some happy memories, and many of frustration of my five years as a Film Extra, the highlight being my two appearances in The Bill, filmed at Deerpark Studios, Wimbledon. My best role was as a rapist, the twist was that I raped a young policeman in a drugs den. As my character escaped I thought that I might get asked back to face retribution, but I never was, so I am still on the run.
My second appearance was quite brief, just in the background sweeping out a cell.

Ajoining The Bill set was Family Affairs, in which I also appeared in on two occasions, the second with the lovely, late Kate O'Mara.

My first experience as an Extra was at an RAF camp for a TV film starring Christopher Plummer called Night Flight. This took two days to film, and when I watched it on the BBC some time later, I discovered that I had ended up on the cutting room floor. This also happened in Jack and the Beanstalk at Elstree with Richard Attenborough and Matthew Modine.

I really thought my big break had come when I was played a skinhead hustler who is propositioned on the Embankment by M.P, Christopher Cazenove. I even had a line of dialogue, when he approached me and made the proposition I had to say very menacingly, "In your dreams!" I also had a long walk along the Embankment, which had the camera following me on a track as I approached the bushes where the M.P. was loitering. This was filmed several times until they got it right, and we were finally finished at 3.30 am. I then had to walk to Victoria and wait until 6.30 for my first train to Kent. I was thrilled to see that the DVD of this film was available, and more than a little disappointed when I discovered that the whole scene had been cut out.

I remember spending two days in a boxing ring as an MC in London's Burning, where I had to announce the boxers. When it was shown I must have been on screen for all of three seconds. It was always especially frustrating the next day when someone would say accusingly, "Saw you on TV last night, you weren't in it much were you?"

I didn't care for Elstree, we had to pay for our lunch in the canteen, while on The Bill it was all free, and we sat with the stars.

I was thrilled when I was in Holby City, as that was the very last appearance by the late, great Richard Todd.

My last experience was in the series, The Last Detective in 2005. They started filming around noon, and we were still there at 11pm. I can't recall just how many times that I had to walk through a market carrying a carpet over my shoulder. I do remember that I just caught my last train home, and that was when I decided that I had had enough.

I knew some people who were with a lot of agencies and made a good living from it, but I was too lazy, and just not dedicated, but it was fun while it lasted.

Wow I hadnt realised Id been chatting with a mini superstarSeriously Im impressed and very curious.I adored Kate OMara and was sad to hear of her recent passing.May I ask what she was like as a person and to work with?I cant imagine Kate not getting on brilliantly in the company of gay men.I know I should have asked about Christopher Plummee who has much more stature but Kate has massive appeal for me

Any regrets at not pursuing it furthur or upon reflection do you feel you made the right decision?
I had no idea Virginnia Mayo had been so acid tongued about all her costars.Its a shame because I think when you go too far in that direction you lose your dignity.

Are you familar with a b movie actress called Constance Moore?My Nan seemed to like her but she said she was never a big star.You know much about her at all if anything please?

Kate seemed sweet, she gave me a nice smile and thanked me when I opened the door for her. I never exactly worked with her, although I was in the same scene, she knocked on a door, and I walked by on the other side of the road.

I can't say that I have any regrets about packing up the Extra work. I hated travelling to London, and I got to the stage that I was turning down jobs because I just couldn't be bothered. Maybe if I had started younger I may have felt differently, but I don't have any regrets, and I know that I made the right decision.

I thought that I knew just about every major and minor name in films from the 1930's onwards, but I must confess that I had to Google Constance Moore. I vaguely knew the name, but looking through her list of films I find that I have not seen a single one, although to be honest, most of them seem to have been second features, so I'm afraid I really say anymore about her.

Im shocked to have found a movie name you didnt know!!

Im glad you at least gave that kind of work a shot,Its given you many golden unique memories

In terms of Hollywood which studio would you say was the studio that most actors preffered to work for and when the studio system effectively ended would you say that many actors missed the security that such a system arguably gave some actors?I seem to recall reading that some big name actors think the end of the old studio system was a mistake and not really the liberation some actors thought or said it would be?

Good question. Bette Davis spent most of her 18 years at Warner Brothers battling with Jack Warner, yet looking back years later she said that the studio system was the best, and only way to build a long and lasting career. She also said that there were acting stars and non acting stars, in other words, the personality stars, and both were important. Some personality stars eventually learned to act, I am think particularly of Lana Turner, Linda Darnell, and of course Marilyn.

Some stars like Cary Grant and Barbara Stanwyck were never tied to one studio for very long. They both had multi studio contracts which made them very wealthy, but as I have mentioned before they were both overlooked at Oscar time without a major studio to back them up with publicity campaigns.

MGM was looked upon as the major studio, they promoted glamour, and they always boasted of having, "More Stars than in Heaven." Stars like Joan Crawford, Van Johnson, Ann Miller and Cyd Charisse always said that their years at MGM were the best years of their lives. They often felt lost when they left the studio, because MGM was like a family, they were cosseted and protected, and it must have been scary to have been out in the world on their own.

Bette Davis described working at Warners as more like a factory, but she did say that they were the best 18 years of her life.

James Mason once said that he preferred working at 20th Century Fox rather than MGM, he said that it had a friendlier, and more family like atmosphere.

My favourite studio has always been Paramount, probably because some of my all time favourite films were made there.

Very sorry for the delayed reply and thank you for your detailed reply.

I had a feeling that the end of the studio system wasnt upon hindsight an umambigous liberation of actors as its sometimes presented.Pros and cons,double edged sword I guess.

May I ask what your favourite 5 Paramount films are and was Paramount a favourite of Barbaras?

I should imagine that Paramount was a favourite studio of Barbara's, five of her films for that studio are definitely in my top ten of all her 88 films.

1. The Lady Eve - 1941

2. The File on Thelma Jordon - 1949

3. The Furies - 1950

4. Remember the Night - 1940

5. No Man of Her Own - 1950

Off the top of my head, other favourite Paramount films are Sunset Boulevard, Come Back Little Sheba, Stalag 17, Rear Window, and Midnight.