'Movie Memories'
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‘MOVIE MEMORIES’ …USA…..1930s….1940s ‘THE GOLDEN AGE’ 1950s….1960s…..UK… SUSAN HAYWARD ISSUE 67 – SPRING 2010 MOVIE MEMORIES MAGAZINE HONORARY MEMBERS DINAH SHERIDAN – DORA BRYAN – DEBBIE REYNOLDS – ROBERT OSBORNE – MURIEL PAVLOW – PEGGY CUMMINS GOOGIE WITHERS – BELLA EMBERG – RENEE ASHERSON – ANNE AUBREY – PATRICIA DAINTON – JULIE HARRIS JANETTE SCOTT – FAITH BROOK – ELAINE SCHREYECK – JOANNA McCALLUM – ANN RUTHERFORD – LIZABETH SCOTT BERNARD CRIBBINS – SUSANNAH YORK – JEAN KENT – BRYAN FORBES – NANETTE NEWMAN – MICHAEL CRAIG Whilst welcoming everyone to the first issue of 2010, it is with much regret and sadness to have to announce the death of one of MVM’s longest serving honorary members – John McCallum. John, along with his wife of 62 years – the delightful Googie Withers and their charming eldest daughter Joanna McCallum, helped to thoroughly enthral and entertain many MVM members at the annual gathering back in September 2007, giving us all an afternoon to remember for a very long time. On that occasion, John kindly signed my copy of his excellent book ‘Life With Googie’ which naturally I will treasure even more now, along with his thoughtful and most gracious letters regarding MVM – and the enjoyment each magazine gave both Googie and himself. Not only a talented actor of the stage and screen, John went into the production side of the business in Australia – especially with the popular TV series ‘Skippy’ in the 1960s, which I remember with affection. John and Googie (pictured here in the 1950s) appeared together many times on the screen – and more so on the stage in a wide variety of successful productions spanning some fifty years. I’m sure all MVM members will join me in sending sincere and heartfelt condolences to Googie, Joanna and all the family, for he will indeed be sorely missed. I would hereby like to dedicate this edition of ‘Movie Memories’ magazine to the memory of John McCallum – a truly fine gentleman. One of the most touching and warm biographies I have read in recent times is ‘Joan Blondell – A Life Between Takes’ by Matthew Kennedy. Joan (pictured here) was exactly like her screen image ‘off-camera’; a very warm, loving and generous lady, always popular with her many friends and co-workers, despite numerous financial, emotional and health problems – especially in later life, as she privately and courageously battled leukaemia which claimed her on Christmas Day 1979 at the age of 73. I always liked Joan – in any film – and she worked continuously for fifty years, making her screen debut in 1930. Of course she will be affectionately recalled for several Warner Brothers’ Busby Berkeley musicals of the 1930s in which her peppy, witty, down-to-earth personality shone through. As she aged, I felt Joan was allowed to expand her range and she was a delight in ‘A Tree Grows In Brooklyn’ (1944) in a supporting role as the worldly Aunt Sissy. This book details her close bonds with her brother and sister (actress Gloria Blondell) and her children and grandchildren, plus her three marriages, including her second, to Dick Powell and her last, to the volatile Mike Todd. Never one to complain, whatever befell her, Joan simply shrugged on got on with things, endearing herself 1 to millions along the way. I highly recommend this fine addition to anyone’s film book library – and it is a long overdue tribute to one of Hollywood’s best loved actresses. (University Press Of Mississippi, 2007 with 300 pages, well illustrated). Incidentally, from this publisher I have almost all the other film star biographies in this growing series, which includes so far, Alice Faye, Dick Haymes, Rosalind Russell, Van Johnson, Zachary Scott and Claudette Colbert (more of which later). As usual, I am saddened to have to report the deaths of so many names from the world of screen and stage lately, including: the Oscar-winning Hollywood leading lady Jennifer Jones (90) pictured here in 1943’s ‘The Song Of Bernadette’ (see page 49); British supporting actor Garfield Morgan (78) – latterly most memorable for the popular TV series ‘The Sweeney’; handsome American actor Dennis Cole (69); the French film director and screenwriter Eric Rohmer (89); British character actress Moyra Fraser (86) best recalled for playing Judi Dench’s sister-in-law in TV’s excellent series ‘As Time Goes By’; Cy Grant (90) a pioneering black actor of British films and television; lovely blonde American leading lady Connie Hines (78) forever remembered for co-starring with Alan Young and the talking horse in the 1960s TV series ‘Mr Ed’ – which I well remember as a child; the prolific British character actress and bit part player Marianne Stone (87) – pictured here, who amazingly appeared in over 200 films since 1948, including several of the ‘Carry On’s’ and was long married to actor/producer Peter Noble until his death in 1997; pretty blonde American singer Yvonne King (89) the last surviving member of the famous quartet ‘The King Sisters’. The group (real life sisters) sang with numerous big bands and appeared in several Hollywood films of the 1940s. While mentioning musical performers, Al Alberts, a member of ‘The Four Aces’ has also passed away aged 87. The Four Aces are well remembered for their many recordings, especially the theme for 1954’s ‘Three Coins In A Fountain’. British producer, writer and director Robert S. Baker has died at the age of 92; popular, dark haired, handsome Hollywood leading man from the 1950s onwards who attained even bigger stardom on television, Gene Barry (90) pictured here. Remember ‘Bat Masterson’, ‘Our Miss Brooks’, ‘The Name Of The Game’ and ‘Burke’s Law’ from the 1950s to the 70s? 2 The British supporting actor Donald Pickering (76); talented British dancer and choreographer Wendy Toye, C.B.E (92) who went on to become one of the first women directors of stage and screen in Britain; the lovely Hollywood singing star Kathryn Grayson (88) shown here with Howard Keel - who co-starred with her in three films. Under contract to MGM during its glorious 1940s heyday, I’ll always remember an emotional Kathryn singing ‘After The Ball’ in the 1951 musical ‘Show Boat’ to her screen Papa, – Joe E. Brown. Tall, dark and handsome American leading man Pernell Roberts (pictured below) has died at the age of 81. Despite appearing in numerous films, he really made his name in the popular long-running TV series ‘Bonanza’ in the 1960s (alongside the late Dan Blocker, Lorne Greene and Michael Landon), before starring in his own series ‘Trapper John, M.D’ in the 1980s; the diminutive (only 4’3”) American supporting actress Zelda Rubinstein (76) latterly best recalled for the ‘Poltergeist’ series of movies; two Hollywood character actors Val Avery (85) and Dan Barton (88); minor American actress often in ‘B’ westerns – Beatrice Gray (98) and veteran Hollywood supporting actor Arnold Stang (91) also remembered for his many radio roles and voice characterisations. Last but of course not least, the British film industry has taken a severe battering, not only with the aforementioned death of MVM honorary John McCallum A.O, CBE (91) but also with the sad loss of Richard Todd OBE (90), the lovely Jean Simmons a few days before her 81st birthday; Ian Carmichael OBE (89) and Lionel Jeffries (83). See page 50. These greatly talented stars have all given us movie buffs an array of wonderful films over so many years and, like all those remembered here, they will indeed be sorely missed! On a brighter note, I was delighted to learn how the two-time Oscar winning star Luise Rainer recently celebrated her 100th birthday with a wonderful party at London’s Arts Club. The German born Miss Rainer has resided in London now for many years. One of the guests, Sir Ian McKellen, reported how “Luise entered the reception for some forty friends on her daughter’s arm, wearing a gold trouser suit and trademark Juliet cap (shown here), her smile as enchanting as it was in ‘The Great Ziegfeld’ back in 1936”. Of course everyone knows how Luise won the Best Actress Oscar for this film – and did the same thing the following year for ‘The Good Earth’ in which she portrayed a Chinese woman. Her screen career petered out just as quickly as it had begun – after only a handful of other films, which included ‘The Emperor’s Candlesticks’ (1938), ‘The Toy Wife’ (1938), ‘The Great Waltz’ (1938), ‘Dramatic School’ (1939) and ‘Hostages’ in 1943. She didn’t approve of the Hollywood lifestyle and studio ‘rules’, subsequently falling out with studio head Louis B. Mayer – and terminating her contract. After 3 a small handful of TV appearances, Luise was lured out of retirement to appear in the 1997 film ‘The Gambler’ – gaining good notices. Her only child, daughter Francesca (63) is from her second marriage to publisher Robert Knittel (who died in 1989 after 44 years of marriage). Her first husband (divorced) was the notable playwright Clifford Odets. Longevity may be genetic but Luise Rainer has stayed young through walking regularly - and apparently being genuinely interested in everyone she meets, especially the men! Pictured here with Melvyn Douglas and Robert Young in ‘The Toy Wife’, I’d just like to say ‘Congratulations – and Many Happy Returns, Miss Rainer!’ I was amazed to learn how the famous singing group ‘The Sons Of The Pioneers’ have recently celebrated their 75th anniversary in the business. The original group was founded in 1934 by an aspiring cowboy singer named Leonard Slye – who would later become ‘King of the Cowboys’ after changing his name to Roy Rogers! This popular five-man singing group would eventually go on to appear in countless films, many of them with their founder Roy Rogers, along with his ‘sidekick’ George ‘Gabby’ Hayes and Roy’s lovely wife and ‘Queen of the West’ – Dale Evans.