Barbara Stanwyck (July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra. She made 85 films in 38 years in Hollywood, before turning to television. Please click here to learn more about Barbara Stanwyck.
Stanwyck was nominated for the Academy Award four times, and won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe. She was the recipient of honorary lifetime awards from the Motion Picture Academy, the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the Golden Globes, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the Screen Actors Guild, has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
1938 - nominated - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" - Stella Dallas 1942 - nominated - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" - Ball of Fire 1945 - nominated - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" - Double Indemnity 1949 - nominated - "Best Actress in a Leading Role" - Sorry, Wrong Number 1982 - won - Honorary Award: "For superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting."
The Bride Walks Out(1936). Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Gene Raymond and Robert Young.
The story begins when fashion model Carolyn agrees to quit her well paying job and live on Michael's small earnings as an engineer. After their wedding ceremony, Carolyn, gets into a argument with Michael. After which, Michael gets into a fight and is arrested. While the couple is in court, Carolyn meets well to do Hugh McKenzie, who falls in love with her at first sight and pays Michael's fine.
Unable to keep up their payments, Carolyn loses the furniture on New Year's Eve and gets drunk with Donovan, the repossesser, and Hugh and Mattie Dodson, Paul's wife.Later, at a New Year's Eve party. When Carolyn and Michael arrive home, they find that Hugh has replaced all of the repossessed furniture. Carolyn, wants to repay Hugh and secretly goes back to work. Will Michael ever find out the truth and walk out on her?
In this charming film, Helen Broderick plays the sarcastic, wiser friend that sticks by the bride when things get tough. Robert Young, character really wants to help out, but instead makes things worse. Ned Sparks character is funny, always muttering things under his breath. This movie makes light of some of those old fashioned sexist ideas, made for a different time.
Helen Broderick (August 11, 1891 – September 25, 1959) was known for her comic roles, as a wisecracking sidekick.
She is best known for her performance in the film, Fifty Million Frenchmen. In the early 1930s, she performed in the films: The Band Wagon, As Thousands Cheer, Fifty Million Frenchmen, the Astaire-Rogers movies Top Hat and Swing Time. The wife of actor Lester Crawford, she was the mother of Academy Award-winning actor Broderick Crawford.
Gambling Lady(1934). Cast: Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea.
The story begins when gambler Mike Lee commits suicide rather than to be come part of a gambling syndicate, headed by Jim Fallin, who wants him to run a crooked game. Charlie Lang, takes up a collection for his daughter, Jennifer Lady Lee, and when he delivers it, he proposes to her. She turns him down and they remain friends.
Lady asks Fallin, if she can play for the syndicate, but insists that she will only play in honest games. Her first job is playing with a Park Avenue businessmen. Later Peter, who had known her father, befriends her. One night, while working, she meets Garry Madison, and finds herself attracted to him. But, soon becomes angry when a club is raided after Garry allowed men he did not know into the club.
After she is bailed out, Garry, still wanting to marry her convinces Lady that he had nothing to do with the raid, and she agrees to meet his father. She is happy when learns that her old friend Peter, is Garry's father. He offers her money if she will agree not to marry his son. Heartbroken, Lady leaves without the money and the two soon marry..
When Sheila Aiken, a friend of Garry, returns from Europe, she plans to prove that Lady is not a good wife for Garry. Lady challenges Sheila to a game and ends by winning her jewelry. Both Sheila and Garry are shocked when Lady keeps the jewelry.
Later Charlie is arrested, and Lady asks Garry for money to post his bail, she pawns Sheila's jewelry. Charlie tells Lady that he has information on the syndicate and plans to blackmail Fallin. Just as Lady is telling Charlie that she cannot see him anymore, Garry walks in and throws him out of the house. After he learns that she pawned Sheila's jewels, Garry follows Charlie to retrieve the pawn ticket.
The next morning, Lady learns that Charlie is dead and that Garry has been accused of the murder. Will she be able to convince the police that the syndicate murdered Charlie.
Entertaining, good acting as always, Barbara Stanwyck is believability wonderful in any role she played. She looked natural playing cards. Her leading men are two of the best: Joel McCrea and Pat O'Brien, both give wonderful performances. You wont want to miss Sir C. Aubrey Smith performance as a kindly gentleman who befriends Stanwyck.
Claire Dodd (December 29, 1908 – November 23, 1973). At the age of 15 she joined the Ziegfeld Follies where she was eventually discovered by Darryl F. Zanuck.
Her films included; Ex-Lady (1933), The Personality Kid (1934), The Glass Key (1935), Three Loves Has Nancy (1938), and The Black Cat (1941). She twice played secretary Della Street to Warren William's Perry Mason, in The Case of the Curious Bride (1935) and The Case of the Velvet Claws (1936). She worked in almost sixty films in twelve years from 1930 to 1942.
Cry Wolf(1947). Mystery. Cast: Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck, based on the novel of the same name by Marjorie Carleton.
The story begins when, Sandra Marshall, learns her husband James Demarest has died, and she tells his uncle, Mark Caldwell, that they were secretly married. Sandra tells Mark, she knows the conditions of Jim's mother's will: Jim's money was to be held in trust until he reached thirty or until he married. She married Jim for his money which she needed to finish her education and was to divorce him 6 months later. He died before the 6 months was up, and now Sandra may inherit two million dollars.
Later, Sandra meets Jim's sister Julie, who is not happy that Mark read a letter addressed to her from Ronnie Manning, the boy she loves. Sandra, is surprised to learn that Jim died of pneumonia and that Mark will not let Julie leave the estate.
That night, Julie runs into Sandra's room, frightened by the sound of screams coming from Mark's laboratory. She, then hears the cries herself. The next morning, Julie tells Mark about the sounds, but does not mention her visit to Sandra's room. Mark, says that he does not believe her.
Sandra later visits Jim's room, where she notices that his pipes and clothes are missing, and Julie becomes upset thinking that her brother might still be alive. When Mark hears this, he locks Julie in her room and tells Sandra to leave her alone.
That night, Sandra eavesdrops on a conversation between Mark and a servant, about the lodge at Three Hills, when she hears a woman's scream. Julie has fallen to her death from her window.
After Julie's funeral, Sandra, is determined to learn the truth, takes a horseback ride to the lodge at Three Hills. Where she finds out that Jim is still alive and he tells her that he will escape and meet her at the house.
Back at the house, Sandra confronts Mark with the fact that Jim is still alive and he tells her that Jim is being kept a prisoner because he killed a man in a fight, a scandal that would have ended the political career of Mark's brother Charles. Jim, now has reached the house and the truth will be known..
I was really looking forward to watching this very suspenseful film, Cry Wolf. Stanwyck, does some very amazing stunts as she rides up and down in a dumbwaiter, rides horses, falls off of a horse, jumps a horse over a fence. Not one of Flynn's best performances, but still very enjoyable. Basehart, is so young he's hard to recognize.
Geraldine Brooks (born October 29, 1925 – June 19, 1977). Geraldine's father was owner-manager of the Brooks theatrical costume concern and her mother, Bianca, was a stylist and designer of costumes. One of her Aunts, was a singer at the Metropolitan Opera and another Aunt was as a showgirl with the Ziegfeld Follies. Her older sister, Gloria, was an actress. Geraldine, who took dancing classes and attended all-girls' Hunter Modeling School and graduated in 1942 from Julia Richman High School, where she was president of the drama club.
Geraldine Stroock, studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the Neighborhood Playhouse and summer stock.
Her debut under her new stage name was in the suspense drama, Cry Wolf, billed third after, Errol Flynn and Barbara Stanwyck. The New York Times critic Bosley Crowther said " The final explanation of the mystery is ridiculous and banal".
Her second film, Possessed, was released three weeks before Cry Wolf. This time, she was in fourth, behind t Joan Crawford and Van Heflin and Raymond Massey. In her third film, Embraceable You, she co stared with Dane Clark, who played a tough guy who falls in love with the victim of the hit-and-run car accident for which he was responsible. After one more film, The Younger Brothers, she was, again, in fourth place, after Wayne Morris, Janis Paige and Bruce Bennett, Brooks asked for, and received, a release from her studio contract in July 1948. Now a freelancer, she performed with, Fredric March, Edmond O'Brien and Florence Eldridge) dramatic role, An Act of Murder(1948), playing the daughter of March and Eldridge, who were married in real life, and the trouble that the husband, a judge, faces when he thinks about ending the life of his terminally-ill wife.
The next film, gave her one of her best opportunities. In The Reckless Moment(1949), with, James Mason and Joan Bennett, Brooks, aged 24, was cast as Bennett's 17-year-old daughter, whose reckless affair with a older art dealer puts her mother on a collision course with a blackmailer. Her next film, Challenge to Lassie(1940), she performed with, Edmund Gwenn and Donald Crisp who, in this version of the classic story, Greyfriars Bobby, once again performed as elderly Scotsmen. Playing the cemetery caretaker's daughter, she had the only female role of any importance, and was also given a couple of good dramatic scenes.
In mid-1949, Geraldine Brooks accepted an offer from Italian production and distribution companies, Itala Film and Artisti Associati, for roles in two projects to be filmed on location, performing with romantic leading men, Rossano Brazzi and Vittorio Gassman. Similar in tone, both are doom-laden melodramas depicting the tragic price women who went into prostitution in postwar Italy. The first released in the United States three years later as, Streets of Sorrow gave her, for the only time, top billing. Three years later, A. H. Weiler, in his November 1952 New York Times review, said that "Geraldine Brooks, an expatriate American who has emoted in more than one Italian film, gallantly tries to make a wistful and convincing heroine of Maria, the prostitute grasping desperately for a chance at decency". He described the film, however, as "a sad and limp romance, which is trite, slightly lachrymose and largely unedifying".
The second title, Vulcano (later released in the U.S. as Volcano), had an Oscar-nominated (for 1937's The Life of Emile Zola) director, William Dieterle. The adventurous film was filmed off the coast of, Sicily. After returning to Hollywood , Dieterle told The New York Times that "Conditions for shooting a picture could hardly have been more primitive. Except for the mechanical equipment we took with us, we had to construct everything we needed with our own hands." The film takes Brooks back to her familiar role of an innocent taken advantage of by a exploiter of women, played by Brazzi, while her older sister, played by Anna Magnani, returns to the island of, Naples. As in the case of Streets of Sorrow, this production was also censored and released in the United States years after filming. In its June 1953 review, Time magazine noted that although it is "Reminiscent in story and treatment of Stromboli, Volcano is a far better film. Against the island's backdrop, the yarn's primitive passions do not seem particularly excessive or out of place".
The Two Mrs. Carrolls(1947). Noir. Directed by Peter Godfrey and produced by Mark Hellinger, with Jack L. Warner as executive producer, from a screenplay by Thomas Job based on the play by Martin Vale. Cast: Humphrey Bogart, Barbara Stanwyck and Alexis Smith with Nigel Bruce.
While on vacation in Scotland, Sally Morton meets and falls in love with painter Geoffrey Carroll, but is heartbroken when she finds out that he has an invalid wife and a daughter. Back home, Geoffrey come up with a plan to get rid of his wife, using another name, buys poison. Then sends his daughter Beatrice, away to school and takes over the care of his wife.
Two years after the death of Geoffrey's wife, he and Sally have been married a year and live with Bea. Geoffrey's paints a beautiful portrait of his first wife which he calls.. "Death". Things are not going well in his studio and he is not very happy when Charles Pennington, Sally's former fiancee visits with Mrs. Latham and her daughter Cecily, who wants him to paint her portrait.
Geoffrey needs the money to pay Blagdon's blackmail demands, agrees to do the work and begins an affair with Cecily.
Later when Sally, becomes ill, Dr. Tuttle believes her symptoms is a bad case of nervous. Geoffrey, begins making plans to send Bea back to boarding school and he has begun to paint a new painting, which he refuses to let Sally near the studio.
Geoffrey then travels to London to meet Blagdon, who has demanded another payment. While he is gone, Sally, who knows about his affair with Cecily, finds Bea packing for school, where she learns that she was also sent to school before her mother died. Sally now suspects that Geoffrey is trying to kill her. Will he succeed with his plans or will Sally out smart him?
The story is very interesting even though it has a few odd moments. A perfect movie, for the Bogart fans, who want to see him in a role that is a little different.
First video of 7.
Nigel Bruce (4 February 1895 – 8 October 1953), was a British character actor on stage and screen. He was best known for his portrayal of Doctor Watson in a series of films and in the radio series The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes). Bruce is also remembered for his roles in the Alfred Hitchcock films Rebecca and Suspicion.
Witness to Murder(1954). Suspense film starring Barbara Stanwyck.
Late one night, while Cheryl Draper, was closing her bedroom window, she sees a man, Albert Richter, strangling a woman across the street. Cheryl phones the police, but before Lt. Lawrence Mathews and Sgt. Eddie Vincent arrive to investigate. Richter, hides the body in an empty apartment next door. After finding nothing, Larry believes that Cheryl may have dreamed it, but.. she knows that she saw the murder. The next day, as she leaves for her job, Cheryl sees Richter loading a large trunk into the back of his car. Later, while watching Richter's apartment, she notices the empty apartment next door. Pretending to be interested in renting the apartment, she asks the manager to show it to her and sees scuff marks on the floor. When she asks to view a furnished apartment, the manager shows her Richter's, where she finds a pair of earrings. When she shows the earrings to Larry, he tells her that Richter reported the earrings stolen. Cheryl , is still at police station when Richter arrives to claim the earrings, and she directly accuses him of the murder, but he denies it. As he leaves, Richter tells Larry that he thinks Cheryl is mentally unbalanced. Now.. will he be able to convince the police that she is crazy?
WITNESS TO MURDER is a good thriller, as an interesting version of the hunted turned hunter.
Gary Merrill (August 2, 1915 – March 5, 1990). His film career began, with films: Twelve O'Clock High (1949) and All About Eve (1950), but he rarely moved beyond supporting roles in his many Westerns, war movies, and medical dramas. He performed from 1954-1956 as Jason Tyler on the NBC crime drama Justice, about lawyers of the Legal Aid Society of New York. Merrill also had recurring roles in, Then Came Bronson with Michael Parks and Young Doctor Kildare.
Merrill's first marriage, to Barbara Leeds in 1941, ended in divorce in 1950. He then married Bette Davis, his co-star from All About Eve, and adopted her daughter Barbara from a previous marriage. He and Davis adopted two more children, but divorced in 1960.
The Mad Miss Manton (1938). Comedy and mystery film starring Barbara Stanwyck playing a socialite Melsa Manton and Henry Fonda as newspaper editor Peter Ames. This was the first of three screen pairings for Stanwyck and Fonda, the others being The Lady Eve and You Belong to Me. Supporting Cast: Sam Levene, Frances Mercer, Stanley Ridges, Whitney Bourne, Vickie Lester, Ann Evers, Catherine O'Quinn, Linda Perry, Eleanor Hansen, Hattie McDaniel, James Burke, Paul Guilfoyle and Penny Singleton
The story begins when, Melsa takes her little dogs for a walk at 3:00 AM, near a subway construction site, where she sees Ronnie Belden run out of a house and drive away. Inside, Melsa finds a diamond brooch and Mr. Lane's dead body. As she runs for help, her cloak falls off with the brooch inside it. When the police arrive, the body, cloak, and brooch are gone. Melsa and her friends are notorious pranksters, so detective, Lieutenant Mike Brent, does nothing to investigate the murder. Ames writes an editorial about Melsa's prank, and she sues him for libel. Melsa and her friends, then decide they must find the murderer on their own in to defend their reputation.
This is one of those films where Barbara steals every scene, this is a good film to watch. Although Hattie, (before her Gone With The Wind day's)plays the sassy maid for comic relief, who gives her a run for her money..
Double Indemnity(1944). Noir, directed by Billy Wilder, co-written by Wilder and Raymond Chandler, and produced by Buddy DeSylva and Joseph Sistrom. Cast: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and Edward G. Robinson.
This film noir is one of best murder mysteries of all time. The story begins when Walter Neff, a insurance salesman, returns to his office late one night after he has been shot. He sits down at his desk and begins dictating a memo for his boss Barton Keyes. The dictation tells how Neff, meets Phyllis Dietrichson at her home to renew a car insurance policy for her husband. Phyllis, asks how she could take out a policy on her husband's life without his knowing it. Neff, realizes she is up to no good. Neff's, libido quickly takes over and he agrees that together, they will kill her husband. Neff comes up with a plan in which Phyllis's husband will die an accidental death. The couple carry out their plan. Investigator Keyes, has a nagging feeling that Dietrichson and a accomplice must be behind the husband's death.
Fred Murray and Edward G. Robinson give perfect performances, but... it is Barbara Stanwyck, who really makes the film with her talent to exploit men.
The Strange Love of Martha Ivers(1946). Film noir. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck, Van Heflin, Lizabeth Scott and Kirk Douglas in his film debut. The movie is based on the short story "Love Lies Bleeding" by playwright John Patrick.
The story begins, One rainy night, when Martha Ivers, a young girl wanting to get out from under her rich, domineering aunt's thumb, is caught trying to run away with her friend, Sam Masterson. Later that night, Sam comes back looking for her, but hides when he hears her aunt hitting the cat with her cane. When Martha comes to the rescue of her cat, she accidentally kills her aunt. Walter O'Neil, the son of Martha's tutor, sees the whole thing. Martha lies about the accident to Mr. O'Neil, and Walter backs her up. Although, Mr. O'Neil, believes he knows what really happened, but tells the police, that some one must have broken in to the house. He then moves into the mansion. Years later, he blackmails her into marrying his son by forcing her to testify against an innocent man.
Eighteen years later, Walter has become the district attorney. Walter loves her, but she doesn't love him. Sam, now a drifter and gambler, stops in the small town by chance when he has a car accident and has to wait for it to be repaired.
While waiting he meets Toni, who has just been released from jail. She is later picked up for violating her probation. Sam goes to see Walter, to see if he can get her released. Walter believes that Sam has returned with blackmail in mind. Instead.. Walter and Marta, pull Sam into a tangled web of lies.
I enjoyed the film for two reasons, the performance of Barbara Stanwyck, doing what she does best, playing a ruthless woman, who will do anything to get what she wants and the debut of Kirk Douglas.
Lizabeth Scott (born September 29, 1922). Scott movie debut was in the film, You Came Along (1945).
Paramount called Scott "The Threat," in order to create an onscreen persona for her similar to Lauren Bacall or Veronica Lake. Scott's smoky sensuality and husky voice was perfect for film noir genre and, beginning with, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers (1946), the studio cast her in a series of noir films. Film historian Eddie Muller has noted that no other actress has appeared in so many noir movies.
The dark blond actress was initially compared to Bacall because of a slight resemblance and a similar voice, even more so after she starred with Humphrey Bogart, in the noir, Dead Reckoning (1947).
She also starred in, Desert Fury(1947) and later was paired with Lancaster, Corey and Kirk Douglas in, I Walk Alone (1948). She also starred in the film, Too Late for Tears(1949). After completing the film, Loving You (1957), Elvis Presley's second movie, Scott retired from the screen.
Executive Suite(1954). Drama. Cast: William Holden, Barbara Stanwyck, Fredric March, and Walter Pidgeon. Directed by Robert Wise and produced by John Houseman from a screenplay by Ernest Lehman based on the novel of the same name by Cameron Hawley. The cinematography was by George J. Folsey and the costume design by Helen Rose. It is one of the few Hollywood films that does not have music.
The story begins when Avery Bullard, president of the Tredway Corporation, dies at a important time for the company. The board of directors must now vote for his replacement. First in line is, Loren Shaw, who is more concerned with the profits than the company. He has the backing of one of the shareholders, Julia Tredway, who was in love with Bullard before he died. Board member George Caswell, offers his support in return for certain favors.
The only real person qualified for the position is, Vice President of Design, Don Walling, who is not to sure he wants the job. He would rather spend his time developing new products. Walling is supported by Treasurer Frederick Alderson. Jesse Grimm, is opposed to Walling for reasons of his own, while Walt Dudley is being blackmailed by Shaw, who caught him having an affair.
Will Walling, win over the board of directors and become the new president of the Tredway Corporation?
A couple of the stand out performaces in the film for me are: Shelley Winters, who plays the part as Douglas' girlfriend who wishes he had more of a backbone. Barbara Stanwyck, also has a memorable scene with William Holden, when the sparks begin to fly. I thought the film looked very realistic with the wonderful shots of, Manhattan. What the film has to say about big business, I think may hold true even today.
Fun Facts:
Producer John Houseman wanted Henry Fonda for the role of McDonald Walling. Fonda turned him down to star in a Broadway musical that never reached the stage.
The entire story takes place during the 24 hour period from Friday afternoon, June 19 1953 to Saturday afternoon, June 20 1953.
Shelley Winters (August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006), her career spanned over fifty years until her death in 2006. Two-time Academy Award winner, Winters is probably most remembered for her roles in A Place in the Sun, The Big Knife, Lolita, The Night of the Hunter, Alfie, and The Poseidon Adventure.
Shelley was a cousin of actor Tony Curtis, she suggested that he try acting, and was helpful in getting him started in the theater when he got out of the Navy after WWII.
Winters originally broke into Hollywood as "the Blonde Bombshell", but quickly tired of the role's limitations. She washed off her makeup and played against type in the film, A Place in the Sun. It was her performance in A Place in the Sun (1951), that first brought a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Shelley soon became popular as a character actress. She studied in the Hollywood Studio Club and in the late 40s, she shared the same apartment with, Marilyn Monroe.
Her first movie was, What a Woman! (1943). Winters first achieved stardom with her breakout performance in the film, A Double Life(1948). After which she landed leading roles in the films, The Great Gatsby (1949) and Winchester 73 (1950).
Another one of her best known films was, Night of the Hunter(1955), with Robert Mitchum and Lillian Gish. She won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for, The Diary of Anne Frank (1960), and another award, in the same category, for A Patch of Blue in(1966).
Notable later roles include: Lolita,Alfie, Harper, The Poseidon Adventure, Belle Rosen (for which she received her final Oscar nomination) and in, Next Stop, Greenwich Village (1976).
Winters suffered with her weight later in life, frequently stating that it was a marketing tool, since there were plenty of normal-weight older actresses but fewer overweight ones and her weight would help her to find work .
William Holden, was so grateful to Barbara Stanwyck for her insistence on casting him in the film, Golden Boy (1939), his first big role, he sent her flowers every year on the anniversary of the first day of the filming.
Thirty-nine years later, when Holden and Stanwyck were joint presenters at the Academy Awards, he interrupted their reading of a nominee list to publicly thank her for saving his career.
Golden Boy(1939) Video: part 1 of 12.
Golden Boy(1939). Drama film based on the Clifford Odets play of the same name. It features William Holden in the role that made him a star: a promising violinist who wants to be a boxer. Barbara Stanwyck plays his love interest. The supporting cast: Lee J. Cobb and Adolphe Menjou.
Barbara Stanwyck and William Holden, reunited for the film, Executive Suite (1954). Drama. A film about power in a corporation in trouble. It was directed by Robert Wise. Based on the novel of the same name by Cameron Hawley. The cinematography was by George J. Folsey. It is one of the few Hollywood films with no musical score.
The Locked Door(1929). Drama film featuring Barbara Stanwyck in her second film appearance, first starring role, and first talking picture. It was based on the play The Sign on the Door by Channing Pollock. Other cast members: Rod La Rocque, William "Stage" Boyd, and Betty Bronson.
Frank Devereaux, takes Ann Carter, his father's secretary, to a floating party and locks her in a private dining room. The club is raided, and their picture is taken by a news photographer. Anne leaves her job and gets another with Lawrence Reagan, whom she marries and lives happily until Devereaux begins to visit her sister in law, Helen. Reagan is informed by Dixon that Devereaux ruined his home and during an argument between Reagan and Devereaux, the latter is accidentally shot. Ann, who is found locked in the room with the body, confesses to the crime then Reagan admits his guilt. Will Devereaux, reveal the actual circumstance?
BARBARA STANWYCK was never too fond of her first talkie and it's easy to see why. But, it is fun to see Barbara in one of her first performances.
Betty Bronson (November 17, 1906 – October 19, 1971), began her film career at age of sixteen with a small part in the film, Anna Ascends. At seventeen, she had an interview with J. M. Barrie, author of, Peter Pan. This film role had been sought by both Gloria Swanson and Mary Pickford, but Bronson won the role. She starred with Mary Brian (Wendy Darling) and Esther Ralston (Mrs Darling) the three of them became very close friends for the rest of their lives. She had a major role in the 1925 silent film adaptation of, Ben-Hur. In 1926, she starred in another Barrie story, A Kiss for Cinderella. Her first sound film was in, The Singing Fool (1928) and she also starred in the follow-up film, Sonny Boy (1929). She was the leading lady opposite Jack Benny in the romantic drama, The Medicine Man (1930). Bronson continued film roles until 1933 when she married Ludwig Lauerhass. She did not appear in films again until, Yodelin' Kid from Pine Ridge (1937), starring Gene Autry. She resumed acting in the 1960s appearing in episode television roles and feature films. Her last film role was an uncredited part in the television biopic, Evel Knievel (1971).
Just wanted to post some photos of Babs, since she is my classic movie goddess of the month, and me and Dawn decided to cross her over into our shared blogs.
The Bitter Tea of General Yen is a pre-Code 1933 film, directed by Frank Capra based on the novel by Grace Zaring Stone. Cast: Barbara Stanwyck and Nils Asther. The film was the first to play at the Radio City Music Hall upon its opening in January, 1933. Even though the General Yen, is played by a white actor in yellow face, it was one of the first movies ever to deal with interracial attraction.
While Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, missionaries in Shanghai, prepare their home for the wedding of their friends missionary Dr. Robert Strike and Megan Davis. They receive news of the out break of the civil war and they decide to postpone the wedding, so that Strike can rescue the orphans. Megan waits in the car while Bob asks General Yen, a Chinese warlord, to give him a safe passage. Yen, does not support Bob's missionary ideals and gives him a worthless piece of paper. When Megan and Bob reach the burning orphanage, the soldiers steal their car as they are leaving with the children. They reach the train station, but in the confusion, Bob and Megan are both knocked unconscious and are separated. Megan regains consciousness in the private train of Yen where she meets, Mah-Li. They soon arrive at Yen's summer palace, where Jones, Yen's American financial advisor, is waiting to tell Yen that he has the six million dollars, hidden in a boxcar. Yen, who is fascinated by Megan, tells her it is unsafe to send her back to Shanghai. Soon, Megan's own attraction to Yen is revealed to her in a dream.
It becomes obvious that Mah-Li is betraying Yen with Captain Li, one of his soldiers. Yen arrests Mah-Li for being a spy. Megan offers to answer for Mah-Li's actions if her life is spared. Yen knows that Mah-Li will not change, but, for the growing love for Megan, he agrees. Mah-Li does betray him, and he is ruined. Megan's world shatters around her.
Fun Fact: The sets for this film were reused for Columbia's One Night of Love (1934).
In my opinion excellent performances of both Nils Asther and Barbara Stanwyck. Nils Asther, a matinee idol during silent days, found it difficult to find good roles in talking pictures, because of his exotic looks. But, with BITTER TEA he found the role of a lifetime. His performance as General is very believable. Barbara Stanwyck, also gives a wonderful performance with the emotions of Asther Yen a missionary captive.
Toshia Mori (January 1, 1912 – November 26, 1995), began her film career in silent films. In Mr. Wu (1927) she was credited as Toshia Ichioka. In Streets of Shanghai (1927), she was credited as Toshiye Ichioka. In The Man Without a Face she was also credited as Toshiye Ichioka. Finally, she entered the sound era as Toshia Mori. She played Miss Ling, in The Hatchet Man (1932). In the same year, she played "Butterfly", in the Roar of the Dragon. She maybe best known for her performance in, The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933), playing a role which was first scheduled for Anna May Wong. She also performed in the films: The Painted Veil (1934), starring Greta Garbo, In Chinatown Squad (1935), Charlie Chan at the Circus (1936), she was credited as Shia Jung. Charlie Chan on Broadway (1937). This time she was credited as Tashia Mori. In Port of Hate (1939). Again, credited as Shia Jung. After her film career ended, she worked as a researcher for Robert Ripley short films, Ripley's Believe It or Not.
Internes Can't Take Money (1937). Cast:Barbara Stanwyck and Joel McCrea. McCrea portrayed Dr. Kildare in the character's first screen performance. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer continued the Dr. Kildare series with Lew Ayres as Kildare and Laraine Day as a nurse in love with Kildare, similar to Stanwyck's role in this film.
Exhausted from searching for her lost child and beaten down by two years in jail, widow Janet Haley faints at Mountview General Hospital, where Intern Dr. Jimmie Kildare treats her burns. Later at the bar where Jimmie is having a beer, Janet asks gangster Dan Innes to help her find her kidnapped daughter. Innes demands $1,000 for the information, but Janet is unable to pay. When gangster boss Hanlon collapses at the bar from a knife wound, Jimmie saves Hanlon's life with Janet's help.
The next morning, when Janet goes to find out more information about her daughter from Innes, he propositions her, but she refuses him. To make things worse, she is fired from her job because of tardiness. Later, Jimmie goes to check up on Janet because she did not show up for her follow-up appointment. He first stops at the bar, where the bartender gives him $1,000 from Hanlon for saving his life. Janet tries to steal the money, but Jimmie catches her and, disappointed, leaves. With nowhere else to go Janet decides to take up with Innes.
Jimmie returns the money to Hanlon, explaining that "interns cant take money" for their services. Wanting to repay Jimmie, will Hanlon and his men be able to find Innes and Janet, before they leave town and will Janet be reunited with her long-lost daughter?
Barbara Stanwyck, was very believable playing the desperate mother. Joel McCrea's performance as a doctor, was also very believable. They had wonderful on screen chemistry. I find it amazing that Barabra Stanwyck seems to have on screen chemistry with all her leading men.
Lloyd Nolan (August 11, 1902 – September 27, 1985), was relegated to B movies for the most part. He costarred with actresses: Mae West, Dorothy McGuire, and the former Metropolitan Opera soprano, Gladys Swarthout. Under contract to Paramount and 20th Century Fox studios, he performed in roles in the late 30s and early-to-mid 40s and performed as the lead character of the "Michael Shayne" detective series. Oddly, the first screen version of Raymond Chandler's novel The High Window was transformed in 1942 from a Philip Marlowe adventure into part of the Michael Shayne series starring Nolan as Shayne.
His most famous films include: Atlantic Adventure, Ebb Tide, Wells Fargo, Every Day's A Holiday, Bataan, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Peyton Place, The House on 92nd Street and The Street with No Name.
