The Best Years of Our Lives

The Best Years of Our Lives
Released Date: June 17, 1947
Director: William Wyler
Actors: Fredric March, Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, Teresa Wright, Virginia Mayo, Cathy O'Donnell, Hoagy Carmichael, and Harold Russell

     I don't usually cry during movies, but this one got me. It is so inspiring. The director wanted a real war hero in this movie and he got Harold Russell. Mr. Russell lost both hands during WWII. He was truly amazing. He won Best Actor in a Supporting Role in 1947 and well deserved it. He also won a special award that same year for his bravery. It was called the Honorary Award, he won it for bringing hope and courage to his fellow veterans through his appearance in The Best Years of Our Lives. This movie actually won 8 Oscars. Best Picture, Best Actor (Fredric March), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Harold Russell), Best Director (William Wyler), and more. This movie is truly great. I would recommend it to anyone, and especially to Americans. This movie also holds great actors. Myrna Loy is one of my personal favorites. She was a great actress. And Teresa Wright, who is very underrated. But she was in some of the best movies I have ever seen. Such as; The Little Foxes, Mrs. Miniver, The Pride of the Yankees, Shadow of a Doubt and this one. These were in her first six movies she ever made. What are the chances of being in five hits in your first six movies? She was also in a movie with Gary Cooper called Casanova Brown which was the movie she made before The Best Years of Our Lives. I hope everyone watches this, I highly recommend it.

     Al Stephenson (Fredric March), Fred Derry (Dana Andrews), and Homer Parrish (Harold Russell) are returning home after serving in WWII. Al is returning home to his wife, Milly (Myrna Loy) and two children, Peggy (Teresa Wright) and Rob (Michael Hall). Fred is returning to his wife Marie (Virginia Mayo). And Homer is returning to his girlfriend, Wilma Cameron (Cathy O'Donnell). The three men share a private plane ride home. And become great friends in that short period of time. Having the same town they lived in common. They even share a taxi home. Dropping off Homer first, who has a hard time hugging Wilma. Then Al, who gets a warm welcome from his wife and two children. And Fred, who goes home to his mother and father, who are happy to have him back but are scared to tell him about his wife who left the nest. The three men meet up later at a bar that Homer's uncle (Hoagy Carmichael) owns. Can Al return back to normal life? Can Fred rekindle his relationship with Marie? And will Homer marry his high school sweetheart? Find out by watching. You can catch it on TCM, or buy the DVD, which is well worth it in my opinion.

 

Cheaper by the Dozen

Cheaper by the Dozen
Released Date: April, 1950
Director: Walter Lang
Actors: Clifton Webb, Myrna Loy, Jeanne Crain, Betty Lynn, Edgar Buchanan, Barbara Bates, Mildred Natwick, and Sara Allgood

     This movie was remade in 2003 with Steve Martin and Bonnie Hunt. The movie is based off of a real family, the Gilbreth family. As you will notice throughout, they have a daughter by the name of Mary. She does not say anything throughout the movie and she is always in the background. The reason being that the real Mary died from an illness as a child. You may also recognize the house that the family moves into (not the house they start the movie in). That house was used in Meet Me in St. Louis. Pretty neat huh? Yeah, I thought so too.

     Frank Bunker Gilbreth (Clifton Webb) and his wife, Mrs. Lilian Gilbreth (Myrna Loy) are raising 11 kids together. They go through a lot of changes in the household. Their eldest daughter Ann (Jeanne Crain) for instance, is a young woman, and has her eyes set on a boy, Lilian becomes pregnant with baby number 12, and all the children, plus the father, get tonsillitis and have to have surgery. The surgery takes place inside their home. A very common thing back in the old days. The family also moves to a new house. Which makes  everyone excited and  nervous all at the same time. This movie is very funny, sweet, charming, smart and packed with a great cast. You may need a tissue, from tears of  sadness,  but also tears of laughter too. One of my favorite parts in this movie is the family all packed in one car, on a road trip!! You can imagine everything that happens on family trips, times 12!  Hope you enjoy this movie, I did.

William Powell

     William Horatio Powell was born on July 29, 1892 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and died on March 5, 1984 in Palm Springs, California. In his lifetime he he worked with many actresses, but his most famous pairing was Myrna Loy. Together they played Nick and Nora Charles of the Thin Man series and did a lot of cute comedies and a few dramas together. He was married three times. In 1931 he married Carole Lombard but they divorced in 1933. They remained friends until her death in 1942. Mr Powell lost another love of his life, his fiance at the time of her death, Jean Harlow. Who died in 1937. His last marriage was with Diana Lewis in 1940, who he stayed married to till his death. He was a great actor and a great friend to many other actors. I would highly recommend any of his films, but my favorites are the ones he did with Myrna Loy. And that means all of them, Thin Man and all of their other films together.

Wife Vs. Secretary

Wife Vs. Secretary
Released Date: February 28, 1936
Director: Clarence Brown
Actors: Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Myrna Loy, May Robson, George Barbier, James Stewart, Hobart Cavanaugh, Tom Dugan, Gilbert Emery, Majorie Gateson, and Gloria Holden

     Could you imagine seeing James Stewart's name after the title? Me too! I was shocked. This movie may not have him in every scene, but he plays a very important part. I still loved every minute of this movie! This picture is one of many Clark Gable and Jean Harlow films, but they do not play each others significant other. That's Myrna Loy and James Stewart's roles.

     Van (Clark Gable) is a laid back, fun guy. With a great job, and even greater title. The movie starts off with Van at home and having breakfast with his wife, Linda (Myrna Loy). It is their third wedding anniversary and Linda is planning a great dinner for the two of them. With friends as well, a party if you will. Van goes to work and we see that he has a great relationship with his secretary, Whitey (Jean Harlow). Linda does not seem jealous or mad that her husband is so needy with his secretary, and Linda doesn't seem to need any reason to be jealous. Until Linda goes to his work with her mother in law. Mimi (May Robson) is Van's mother, and Linda's mother in law, she tells Linda after they leave, that she should tell Van to get rid of his secretary. But Linda is against it. But you can tell that Linda is starting to think and worry. Van loves his wife very much and Whitey has a boyfriend that she wants to marry. But when Linda wants to away with Van, he declines taking her, and when Linda finds out later that Whitey meets him there for business, all hell breaks loose. Will that break up Van and Linda's perfect marriage? Will Whitey and Dave (James Stewart) break up? I would highly recommend this gem. It is a great movie with a great cast.

Hitler's Blacklist

Adolf Hitler had a blacklist during WWII of actors and actresses that made movies or statements against his power. Movies that I have seen that would make a Hitler Blacklist are:

"Once Upon A Honeymoon" with Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers.

"The Mortal Storm" with James Stewart, Margaret Sullivan and Robert Young.

"The Best Years of Our Lives" with Dana Andrews, Myrna Loy, and Teresa Wright.

"Lifeboat" with Tallulah Bankhead, John Hodiak, Hume Cronyn and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

These movies made Hitler mad and got a lot of these well loved actors on the Blacklist of the worlds most hated criminal. James Stewart was always a war hero, but to think of such a list and to think that he was on it, makes him so much more of a hero. Both on screen and off. <3

Myrna Loy and Ginger Rogers

I have been reading a lot on Myrna Loy and Ginger Rogers lately. And I must say that the two of them are amazing women. Did you know that Myrna Loy was the first to complain about how in every movie, a black man/woman are always cast as maids or servants? She walked into her studio and said "why not put on a suit and tie and allow them to walk into an office?" I must say, that is amazing considering that most people never complained to the big boss back in the day. :)

I was impressed to read that for Ginger Rogers, she did not cave into social activity and drink, or smoke much for that matter. Even though that the parties always included a cloud of smoke and glasses of alcohol  she was not a fan of either, and always declined the drink and smoke. However, she did pick up smoking for two years (she wrote in her biography) which she was not proud of that, but does admit with pride that she quit.

Evelyn Prentice

Evelyn Prentice
Released Date: November 9, 1934
Director: William K. Howard
Actors: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Una Merkel, Rosalind Russell, Isabel Jewell, Harvey Stephens, Edward Brophy, and Henry Wadsworth

     I was very shocked to learn that the very funny, also very young Rosalind Russell appears in this movie. This is her film debut, which showed the world a great actress. This also happens to be William Powell and Myrna Loy's third movie together, out of fourteen. Most of the movies that Powell and Loy do together are comedies, this movie shows us that the pair can also be serious, and as dramatic as this film is, it shows that the two have great range. Myrna Loy is still so cool in this picture, and of course, Powell is still so laid back, the chemistry is still there, but also emotion.

     Evelyn Prentice (Myrna Loy) is married to a well respected lawyer, John Prentice (William Powell). The two have a daughter together Dorothy Prentice (Cora Sue Collins), and are going through a rough patch. She feels neglected, due to her husband being away at work a lot. Evelyn Prentice becomes involved with a poet and playwright, but whom also has a very jealous girlfriend. But Evelyn does this after finding out that her husband has been taking out his beautiful client. But when Evelyn becomes possibly responsible for a murder, will that end the marriage between Mr. and Mrs. Prentice? Did Evelyn actually murder someone or was it all a misunderstanding? Find out by watching this movie, from TCM Spotlight entertainment. The film collection can be in your hands.

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House

Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Released Date: June 4, 1948
Director: H.C. Potter
Actors: Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, Melvyn Douglas, Reginald Denny, Sharyn Moffett, Connie Marshall, Louise Beavers, Ian Wolfe, Harry Shannon, Tito Vuolo, Nestor Paiva, Jason Robards Sr., Lurene Tuttle, and Lex Barker

     My apologies, it has been a long time since my last blog. And I was really starting to missing it.
     I have been watching the lovely Myrna Loy in a whole bunch of movies this week, and last. I have enjoyed every minute with her and her wonderful costars. I have loved her pairing with William Powell, but I must say that she works well with just about anyone. And you can say the same about Cary Grant. I have also been reading two books about the two main actors. One about Cary Grant and one about Myrna Loy. Grant said that Loy had a very mild temper. And only showed anger when she got a line wrong during filming. He said that she would walk about the room saying "Oh Shucks" because cussing was not in her vocabulary. Myrna Loy is a great roll model and one that deserves recognition. I would truly recommend any movie with Loy or Grant in them but they are wonderful together as well. Check out this film and also another one called The Bachelor and the Bobbysoxer. 

     Mr. and Mrs. Blandings live in a tiny apartment with their two children. Jim Blandings (Cary Grant) wakes up every morning with his wife Muriel (Myrna Loy). They get ready for the day at the same time. And in their tiny apartment, they share a bathroom between the four Blandings. It has been the same struggle for fifteen years, to go about and get ready while everyone else does the same. Jim's best friend, Bill Cole (Melvyn Douglas) comes over to let Muriel know the price to fix up the place. After all they need more space. While Jim is at work, he discovers that it would be cheaper to go ahead and just buy a new house instead of fixing up the old apartment. So off to Connecticut they go. They find a fixer upper that Mr. Blandings is ready to fix. Everyone is saying to just go ahead and start from scratch. Thousands of dollars later, the house is ready to be lived in. However, their are thousands of problems along the way. Both funny and real issues that need to worked out before they turn their house into a home. Jealousy, money issues, pipe issues, flooding, door jams, missing windows. But can a couple survive all of the bickering? Take a chance, take a look at Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. 

     

The Thin Man

The Thin Man
Released Date: May 25, 1934
Director: W.S. Van Dyke
Actors: William Powell, Myrna Loy, Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Porter Hall, and Henry Wadsworth

     This movies said Genre is everything. Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery and Romance. This is the first Thin Man from the Thin Man series. And it brings alive one of America's favorite married couple, well on screen married couple. William Powell and Myrna Loy. If you don't believe me, ask your grandparents. The Thin Man series includes Powell and Loy, also later on the great James Stewart, a dog (terrier), and humor tagged with crime. The movies have a certain appeal to them and make them very fun to watch. I love the comedy and the fact that they are fast too. Kind of Punk Rock in movie making. Well old movie making.

     We follow the use to be detective Nick (William Powell) and his wife Nora (Myrna Loy) as they solve a crime, along with their dog, Asta (Skippy). They solve the crime because first off, Nora has never seen her husband in action, but that the case is involving an old friend. Watch too as Nick punches his wife in order to keep her from getting shot at. We also have the fun of watching them celebrate Christmas together, and Nick is given a gun which he shoots all of the balloons on their Christmas tree and then shoot their window out. The dog is also rather afraid during the film do to the gun shots. Check out this film and trust me, you'll be going back for more, and I mean the rest of the series.