An Unlikely Pair of Look-Alikes

Dawn, I was watching young Martin Sheen tonight in "The Subject Was Roses".  I was struck by the resemblance between Sheen and another, completely different actor!

and, of all people, Rob Schneider

The resemblance was remarkable when you saw Martin Sheen talking and smiling, but I couldn't find a picture of a young Sheen smiling.  What an odd pair of actors to resemble one another.

Getting To Know: Becky.

Over the past couple of years, I feel Beck and I have become good friends.. Becky, has a passion for movies, she also loves to read, mainly classic English literature, she also loves to write on her classic movie blog, Becky loves classical music. That's why she calls herself... ClassicBecky!

Dawn: Who are your top 5 favorite classic movie actor/actresses?

Becky: Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Laurence Olivier, Olivia de Havilland and Spencer Tracy.
















Dawn: Describe why they are your favorite?

Becky: Errol Flynn, A real movie star, dazzling and charismatic obviously, but more talented than he got credit for. He brought a sense of charm and wit to his most famous dashing roles like "Adventures of Robin Hood" and "Captain Blood", and depth of talent in others, particularly The Sun Also Rises" and "Too Much Too Soon".

Bette Davis, In my opinion, the greatest American screen actress. She fought for her career, was not afraid to look unattractive if the part called for it, made her own mold rather than try to fit one, and dominated the industry in her time. Talent - well, just think "Of Human Bondage" "Jezebel", "The Letter", "The Great Lie", "Dark Victory", "Now, Voyager", "The Little Foxes" and "All About Eve".
Laurence Olivier, one of the greats. "Richard III", "Hamlet", "Pride and Prejudice", "Wuthering Heights", "Sleuth", Marathon Man", "Spartacus" - was there anything he couldn't do? He was a giant in movie and theatre.
Olivia deHavilland, Beauty did not stereotype this wonderful actress. She insisted on diversity in her roles and, like Bette, she would willingly diminish her looks or enhance them as the part called for. "Captain Blood", "Gone With the Wind", "In This Our Life", "The Old Maid", "The Snake Pit", and what I think is her best, "The Heiress.
Spencer Tracy, the consummate American actor. From the 30's to the 60's, he dominated the screen in every way, talent, humor, depth and an appeal to everyone. "Captains Courageous", "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde", "Edison the Man", "Father of the Bride", "The Old Man and the Sea", "Judgment at Nuremberg," and what I consider to be his finest role, "Inherit the Wind".
5 Runners-up: James Cagney, Fred Astaire, Edward G. Robinson, Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. (Forgive me, Dawn, I couldn't help myself.)

Dawn: Errol Flynn, with his real-life adventures, lived every man's dream of a full life and maybe found himself typecast. I also loved Bette Davis, for her performances in, crime dramas, period films and romantic comedies. Laurence Olivier, was also known to perform in a wide variety of roles on stage and screen. I will never forget his performance in, "Wuthering Heights". Olivia de Havilland, was one of the most beloved actresses of all time. Spencer Tracy, an amazing actor who performed in 74 films in his career. What movie got you hooked on classic movies?

Becky:I remember distinctly being hooked on classic movies with Errol Flynn's "Captain Blood". Like most American kids of my age, I had seen "The Wizard of Oz" once a year since I was quite little, but it was with "Captain Blood" my real conscious decision for classic movies began.


Dawn: Captain Blood, is also one of my favorite pirate movies. Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland have wonderful on screen chemistry. What is your favorite classic movie?

Becky: "The Red Shoes" with Moira Shearer and Anton Walbrook. I remember my father taking me to a downtown theatre for a revival when I was 13 years old. It has everything I love, high drama, classical music, tour-de-force over-acting, ballet, incredible cinematography - it had a profound effect on me.


Dawn: You wont believe it when I tell you I have not had the opportunity to see the film, The Red Shoes. Who are your top 5 current favorite actors /actress?

Becky: Robert Duvall ("The Great Santini", "Tender Mercies"), Meryl Streep ("Sophie's Choice", "The Devil Wears Prada"), Marisa Tomei ("My Cousin Vinny", "The Wrestler"), Gary Oldman ("Sid and Nancy", "Bram Stoker's Dracula"), and Tom Hanks ("Philadelphia", "Castaway").

Thank you, Becky for taking the time to chat with us. Please check out Becky's blog located on the side bar. :)

Una Merkel - Her Finest Moment

Dawn recently did a piece on Una Merkel, a solid character actress who got her start as a stand-in for Lillian Gish in 1920's Way Down East.  She is famous for her wisecracking blond character in 42nd Street, and is remembered best for such roles.  I wanted to pay homage to one of her performances as a mentally ill mother in 1961's Summer and Smoke, one of the most memorable characters in movies.  She had created the role on Broadway, and brought it to the screen, where her relatively small role shines alongside a stellar cast including Geraldine Page and Laurence Harvey.

Summer and Smoke was a play by Tennessee Williams originally titled Eccentricities of a Nightingale.  It tells the story of a southern spinster named Alma (Page), a shy, nervous daughter of a minister.  Alma is emotionally fragile, unable to handle the realities of life and her feelings.  She is easily embarrassed and fluttery with nerves, physically frail, a sad woman who longs for love but cannot express it or act on it.  She is a character well known to Tennessee Williams fans from his  body of work.  Una Merkel plays a character also often seen in Williams' plays.  She is Alma's mother, Mrs. Winemiller, who could be an older version of Alma, old enough to have become mentally unstable and not to be trusted for normal behavior in public.  One of Alma's unspoken fears is that will end up like her mother, the barely tolerated wife of a harried and intolerant husband and the bane of her child's difficult life.  Mrs. Winemiller mainly lives upstairs, an embarrassment and annoyance to her family. When her behavior becomes erratic enough, she is often ordered upstairs by her husband. She has fits of mania when she talks crazily, screams "Where's the ice cream man? I want the ice cream man!"  When she manages to get out of the house, Mrs. Winemiller is known all over the small town as a sneaky kleptomaniac, mainly pilfering hats from stores.  Alma is often the person who has the agonizing job of apologizing to storekeepers, imploring her mother not to humiliate her with that behavior.

Mrs. Winemiller is crazy, alright, but not too crazy to see through Alma, and mean enough to enjoy baiting her daughter with sudden flashes of sane insight into Alma's nerves and humiliation.  She makes fun of Alma for Alma's deeply felt and hidden love of her hell-raising neighbor (Laurence Harvey).  Mrs. Winemiller sings "Alma's in love, Alma's in love" in front of other people, well aware that her daughter is deeply embarrassed by this revelation.  It is very difficult to play crazy without eliciting laughter, but Una does it with an attitude of dignity and pathos in her cruel insanity in this difficult role.  She is a complex character, and Una uses all of her considerable acting talent to bring a marvelous performance to the movie.

Her performance was noticed, and Una was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work.  Una Merkel rounded out her career with this fine piece of serious acting, light years from her early years as a dithering, wisecracking blond.  Well done, Una.  You have left a piece of genius in movie history.