What's So Great About......? or The Fault Lies Not in Our Stars

Once upon a time, when I was a very obnoxious teenager with pseudo-intellectual  pretensions, I made my father throw his napkin at me at the dinner table. Dad had come home after a hard day's work as a mechanic and I had come home from a hard day with Shakespeare. As I was rhapsodizing over the macaroni and cheese about the beauty of Shakespeare's words (my Mom was a willing listener), my Father grumbled, "what's so great about Shakespeare? I don't think he was so much." Insufferable little brat that I was, I said something to the effect that "there's nothing wrong with Shakespeare. You just can't appreciate him." Hence the flying napkin.

While I might have not phrased my words in quite the right manner and tone, I still (after all these years) think I was right. Some things and people are just special and our failure to appreciate them does not diminish their greatness. While I got the Shakespeare thing right off the bat, there were a few other generally accepted greats that either (a) it took me some time to appreciate, (b) I am in the process of learning to appreciate, or (c) I give up! I just don't get it.

A: It took me some time, but I am on board

Joan Crawford: Having first encountered her in "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane," it took me quite some time to work backwards through the eyebrows and lipstick until I finally made it to "Mildred Pierce." After that, a fabulous journey through the '40s and '30s and I am now on board the Joan Crawford Star Express. Forgive me, Joan, for not taking the time to find out what your fans always knew - you are magnificent! I'm sorry I ever asked "what's so great about her?"

Rudolph Valentino: It is difficult to assess the appeal of a silent film star unless you are fortunate to see them in a good print with good music. Sadly, my first encounters with Rudy were poor copies shown at the wrong speed with that awful overly dramatic organ music. And then, one night, the sheik stole into my tent via a beautifully restored version of "The Son of the Sheik" with a beautiful score and suddenly, I knew what all the fussing and fainting was about. By the way, he's still in the tent with me!

Vertigo: Being foolish and shallow, I initially couldn't get past Kim Novak's dark hair and eyebrows as Judy Barton. Boy, am I glad I gave this one a second chance. "Vertigo" is now one of my favorite movies. I find it endlessly compelling and - most delicious of all - am never quite satisfied. I still, after watching this movie more times than I can count, have questions. Of course, my biggest question is what took me so long to get on board?

Norma Shearer: I used to think her unattractive. Silly me. That's when I thought all beauty was just super-prettiness, not something more individual. Norma, like all great stars, was like nobody else. Her delivery, her look, even her stance was unique. She is definitely a product of her time and MGM, but I find her glamour, her magnificence and yes, her talent, undeniable. Plus, she has one of my favorite profiles. Long live Norma!




B. I'm on my way, but not there yet

Marlene Dietrich: I confess I was never a big fan of this fabulously individualistic star. There is truly no one like her. However, I tend to be emotionally drawn to people, and Marlene left me a little cold. But she and I have warmed up over the years and I can honestly say I truly appreciate her for all that she was over her long and illustrious career. She was beautiful, elegant and one of a kind. I'm in your camp, Marlene, just not in the front row (yet).

Humphrey Bogart: I get it. He's great. Again, I can name countless films of his that I love, but, emotionally, it was taken a very long time to make this connection. But I am much farther along than I used to be. I acknowledge that he is a great actor and great star. And yes, he is making inroads to my heart. I can't deny him in "Casablanca" and "The African Queen," but it's "The Maltese Falcon" that really gets to me. Bogey was made to play those men in the shadows who nurse a tender heart behind a tough exterior. It took me some time to see the tender heart.

The Wizard of Oz: I have had a love/hate relationship with this movie all of my life. I totally appreciate it, but on some level something has always felt a bit "off" to me. I adore the beginning back and white portion in Kansas, but once they get to Oz, I always get a bit nervous. I would never "dis" this film, but I am still not over the flying monkeys, munchkins, the Halloween lion suit and Glinda in her big hat and prom dress. Judy, Ray Bolger and Jack Haley are just swell. I don't know that I will ever be totally under its spell, but acknowledge this film's greatness and its special place in the hearts of movie lovers of all ages.


C: Still Trying,but not having much success

Marlon Brando: Unfortunately, I still don't get it. I am resigned to being in the minority on this point, but I find him most unpleasant. He may very well be a great actor, but I always get the impression that he is doing me a favor by showing up. Help me get in step with the rest of the world on this one!

Burt Lancaster: Another actor who is loved by millions, but who sets my emotional radar on "suspicious" mode. I appreciate him and can name a score of his films that I admire and enjoy, but I always have a bit of a negative reaction when I see him on screen. I find him overpowering in an uncomfortable way. Maybe it's because he excels at playing characters who make you feel uneasy (I really do love "Sweet Smell of Success") But - I know it's me, not him, so I will keep trying! I think I'll have better success here than with Brando.


And: The Sin of Sins

The Godfather! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, sob, sob, sob, I'm sorry, but I just can't get it. I know it's great. Everyone tells me so. I bow to its enduring place in the pantheon of great films. So, why do I run every time it's on? This probably calls for an intervention of some kind.


So, now you know my dirty little secrets (well, some of them). I'll bet that someone out there just hates "Citizen Kane" (I love) or "Casablanca" (I like)! Care to 'fess up and keep me company?

THAT'S HOT! 10 SEXY PERFORMANCES FOR A STEAMY SUMMER

Yes, it's hot here in my neck of the woods. Words like steamy and sultry and sizzling are bandied about and, while it should make me think of air conditioning, it is making me think of sexy movies (I know, I'm hopeless!). Because they all come rushing into my head like bargain hunters at a one-hour sale at Walmart, I need to put them in some order. Otherwise, I may just pass out from the excitement!

So, in no particular order, here are my top 5 sexy male and female film performances. This list is totally subjective and based upon my feelings today (things change on a daily basis here sometimes).

*** WARNING ***

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN ABOVE-THE-WAIST INTELLECTUAL DISSECTION OF WHAT MAKES THE LIBIDO TICK, MOVE ON!

Women

1. Clara Bow in "Call her Savage"

This poster pretty much says it all: "The throbbing adventures of a woman who unleashed her heart... so revelatory... so courageous in its searching depiction of the secret things in a woman's life that its burning words left a trail of readers breathless and amazed."

Clara is unbelievably sexy in this one, especially when she is horsewhipping Gilbert Roland's "Moonglow" (don't ask) and frolicking - clearly sans undergarments - on the floor with her Great Danes. Just outrageous pre-code stuff.

Clara, just 27, would only make one more film.

2. Rita Hayworth in "Gilda"

If you have never seen this, all I can say is fasten your safety belts. While my lists of top 5 may change ever so slightly depending on mood, this one will never fall out. 

This is one of the sexiest female performances ever committed to film. Rita is beautiful, daring and totally uninhibited. In other words, she is Gilda.

3. Louise Brooks in "Pandora's Box"

The legendary Louise Brooks is so unconsciously sexy as the conscienceless Lulu that it is impossible to take your eyes off of her.

Besides that face, that hair, that attitude, she also had a beautiful back and neck, with which Pabst was apparently fascinated!

4. Ingrid Bergman "Notorious"

I admit that I am a sucker for Hitchcock and Grant and think those 2 could make any woman feel and act sexy. However, for Ingrid, who was plenty sexy enough, this combo just upped the ante.

As the good-bad-girl who dabbles in espionage, she is all woman. Little girls need not apply for this role!

5. Eva Marie Saint "North by Northwest"

This one will never fall off of my list of tops, either. Eva is Hitchcock's sexiest leading lady in this film - bar none. 

Always cool, always a lady (no matter how many men she beds), but sexy down to her tippy-toes, she is a sweetheart underneath it all (not to mention a knock-out in those fabulous Edith Head costumes). She is fearlessly sexy in this film -  alarmingly, but charmingly, so.

Men

1. Rudolph Valentino in "The Son of the Sheik"

Unself-consciously romantic, macho and hot, Valentino lays it all out there for the world to adore.

Who needs subtlety when you look like that, kiss like that and have biceps like that? 


2. William Holden in "Picnic"

Need I say more?

Okay, if you insist. Aside from the fact that Holden was at the peak of his beauty and that the shirt kept coming off at the drop of a hat, when he and Kim Novak started dancing to "Moonglow," which segued into the "Theme from Picnic" there were never 2 more beautiful people on a lantern-lit dance floor.

3. Gene Kelly in "The Pirate"

Gene Kelly is a beautiufl, sexy man. Period.

In this film he gets to showcase his Fairbanksian charm, devastating smile and dangerous edge. His joie de vivre was never more evident as "Mack the Black" and he was never sexier. And that's saying a lot.

4. Laurence Olivier in "Wuthering Heights"

Again - you need more?

Okay, besides being impossibly handsome, earthy and sexy, his heartbreak over Cathy's demise was unutterably romantic. Great actor and great looks - some people get it all!

5. Cary Grant in "An Affair to Remember"

Notice how Cary crept into a few of the women's performances? Well, I can't help it and I really have a hard time just picking one, so I'm going with "An Affair to Remember," even though it is far from my favorite Cary Grant film.

I'm selecting this film because here Cary plays the pursuer. He is usually more the object of desire than the initiator ('though he always finishes up just fine). Here he is is the playboy who really wants Deborah Kerr. And what Cary wants, Cary should get! I can't think of anything sexier than being pursued by Cary Grant.

And finally, I am adding this photo because it looks fine on any day, but on a 104 degree day? I'd love to cool off with Cary, but I have a feeling you'd be able to boil an egg in that water!

Well, I could go on and on and on and on and have left out so many, but I did limit it to 5. Sorry Clark, Greta, Marilyn, Paul, etc.

So, how about you? Who steams up your glasses and sets you heart racing over the long, hot summer?

AIN'T NOTHING LIKE THE REAL THING, BABY

Only the public can make a star. It's the studios who make a system out of it.                  Marilyn Monroe                                        

                                                                                             
Some stars are made by the public and some are the creations of, as Norma Desmond called them, "the masterminds." The Hollywood moguls of old liked to think that they had the power to create a star. Like Professor Henry Higgins, they imagined they could take the most improbable subject and transform him or her into someone the public would embrace.

By George, I really did it!

Once they hit upon a winning formula, their instinct was to mass-produce like a factory. It usually didn't work. Copycat stars rarely step out of the shadows of the originals, but once in a while, one is individual enough to stake a claim of their very own.

Here a just a few of the originals and their imitators:

The Original: Charlie Chaplin

Chaplin's enormous popularity spawned quite a few imitators, including:

The Copies: Billy West

West's greatest fame lied in his uncanny impersonations of Charlie.  Other than that, the rest of his career is merely a footnote.

Harold Lloyd

Yes, even the great Harold Lloyd started out as a copycat as "Lonesome Luke", a clear Chaplin rip-off. This always made Lloyd uncomfortable, and it wasn't until he hit upon his "glasses" character that his own genius was allowed to flourish (thank goodness!).

The Original: Rudolph Valentino

Valentino's popularity spawned a slew of exotic lovers, but none could touch the original.

The Copies: Ricardo Cortez

Ricardo (born Jacob Krantz) was totally manufactured star who managed to survive the Valentino craze and go on to have a respectable career in films before ditching them for a lucrative career on Wall Street.

Antonio Moreno

Best remembered as having "it" alongside Clara Bow, Moreno had a long, if unspectacular career. 

Ramon Novarro

A copy with real staying power and star quality, Novarro inherited the mantel of "Latin Lover" after the death of Valentino. He had a long career and a legion of fans.

The Original: Mary Pickford

Mary Pickford was the most popular woman in the world during the peak of her stardom. While many tried to copy her, no one could come close.

The Copy: Mary Miles Minter

Mary Miles Minter gave Pickford a run for her money for a short while, but a lack of fire, real talent and her role in the William Desmond Taylor murder mystery put an end to her career.

The Original: Pola Negri

Pola was the original foreign exotic.

The Copy: Greta Garbo

Although Garbo was originally placed in Pola-like roles, she proved to be too much of an original. Before long, stars and studios were emulating Garbo, but by then she had established herself as beyond duplication.

The Original: Marlene Dietrich

They should have known better - you don't copy this!

The Copy: Anna Sten

Known as "Goldwyn's Folly," the beautiful Miss Sten was brought by Goldwyn to Hollywood as his studio version of the foreign exotic. Unfortunately for both, Miss Sten did not click with the public.

The Original: Ronald Colman

The perfect, cultured and romantic Englishman. This was such a popular "type" that many were needed to fill the role!

The Copy: Brian Aherne

Brian Aherne was a very respectable "second choice" Colman (he was awarded the starring role in "A Tale of Two Cities," but it was taken away from him when his friend Colman became available). 

The Original: Errol Flynn

Looks alone did not define his appeal. Although others tried, Flynn's looks, talent, charisma and charm were a hard package to duplicate.

The Copy: Patric Knowles

Signed because of his resemblance to Errol, Patric never made it into the leading man category. Really, a passing resemblance, at best.

The Original: Freddie Bartholomew

This precocious little British boy was a huge star for a time.

The Copy: Roddy McDowell

Another case where the copy had more staying power than the original. While Freddie was usually an upper-crust kind of  kid, Roddy was blue collar. And when Freddie grew up and went on to other things, Roddy stayed with us forever.

The Originals: Hope & Crosby

This stellar crooner and comic combination was a hit with the public. 

The Copies: Morgan & Carson

Warner Bothers tried to duplicate the success of the "Road" pictures with the "Two Guys" series featuring crooner Morgan and comic Carson ("Two Guys From Texas," "Two Guys From Milwaukee," - you get the picture), but the chemistry between Bob and Bing could not be manufactured.

The Original: Marilyn Monroe

The one, the only. To this day, she is copied endlessly, but never duplicated.

The Copies: Jayne Mansfield

Mamie Van Doren

Sheree North

All three ladies were blonde, beautiful and talented. Some were more successful than others, but none came close to MM.

The Original: Grace Kelly

Cool, blonde, beautiful, talented, but with a warmth that set her apart.

The Copies: Dina Merrill

Talented and beautiful, for sure, but so cool she was chilly.

Tippi Hedren

Cool and lovely, but no Grace (sorry, Hitch).

The Original: Sophia Loren

This Italian sex-goddess inspired many copies, but Sophia had more than sexy going for her.

The Copy: Gina Lollobrigida

Turns out, Gina had more to offer than the Italian sex-bomb roles she was offered and turned to photojournalism for a second and rewarding career.

The Original: Robert Redford

This male blonde beauty look was all the rage in the '60s, but try as they might, Redford had that certain something that could not be duplicated.

The Copy: Nick Nolte

Hard to believe now, isn't it?

If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then these originals should be blushing! As for those "masterminds" who think you can mass-produce a star - back to the drawing board. 






For more fun movie facts and fantasy, check out "Flesh and Fantasy" by Penny Stallings and Howard Mandelbaum (I confess to being a bit of a copycat myself!). It's a very fun book!