The Secret Heart(1946).

The Secret Heart(1946). Directed by Robert Z. Leonard. Cast: Claudette Colbert, Walter Pidgeon and June Allyson.

Lee is engaged to marry Larry Adams, a alcoholic widower with two children, Chase and Penny. While returning home on an ocean liner, she meets and falls in love with Chris Matthews, a friend of Larry's. Even though she loves Chris, she marries Larry, and moves to his farm in Rhode Island. Larry's talent is playing the piano, which he teaches Penny. Over the next two years Lee tries to live with his alcoholism. On evening while Lee is out with Chris, Larry's body found at the bottom of a cliff. He had committed suicide after embezzling money from his clients. Lee moves the family away from the farm, to New York where she takes a job to pay off Larry's debts, and keeps the truth from Penny, wanting to protect her.

Ten years later, a troubled Penny, drops out of school and is always playing the piano. Lee, now concerned goes to see psychiatrist Dr. Rossiger, and the story up to this point is told in flashback: The doctor advises that they move back to the farm for the summer, since that is where Larry died, and he believes that confronting the past will help cure Penny. Chase returns home from the navy and lands a job with Chris, who now owns a shipyard. He introduces Penny to his navy buddy Brandon Reynolds. They all move to the farm, together with Chase's friend Kay Burns, where Chris comes back into Lee's life after a ten-year absence, and Lee realizes that it was Chris she has always loved. Once at the farm, Chase tells Penny the truth, and she becomes despondent. Although, Brandon is interested in Penny, she loves Chris, and is heartbroken when she finds him in Lee's arms. Penny then tries to kill herself by jumping off a cliff, as Larry had done. Will Lee get there in time to prevent it?

This movie is an interesting psychological study of a young girl obsessed with the memory of her dead father.

Fun Fact:

After filming The Secret Heart together, Claudette Colbert and co-star June Allyson became such great friends in real life Colbert became godmother to Allyson's daughter Pamela.

Elizabeth Patterson (November 22, 1875 – January 31, 1966) was a film and television character actress remembered for her portrayal of elderly neighbor Matilda Trumbull on I Love Lucy.

Patterson's acting in college theatricals, began her interest in drama. Her parents sent her to Europe in the hope of discouraging her from the theater, but her determination to become an actress was only reinforced by her experiences attending productions at the Comédie Française.

After returning from Europe, Patterson move to Chicago, where she joined a theatrical troupe, and toured with repertory companies. In 1913, she made her Broadway debut in the play, Everyman. She remained active in New York City theatre through 1954.

In 1926, at the age of 51, Patterson was cast in her first movie, The Boy Friend. She also performed in the films: A Bill of Divorcement, Tarnished Lady, Dinner at Eight, High, Wide, and Handsome, Intruder in the Dust, Remember the Night, No Man of Her Own, The Shocking Miss Pilgrim, Little Women, My Sister Eileen and Pal Joey.

Never married, Patterson lived alone at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel during her thirty five-year movie career.

Executive Suite (1954).

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 .

My Man Godfrey (1957).

My Man Godfrey (1957) . Comedy. June Allyson and David Niven. It is a remake of Gregory La Cava's 1936 comedy of the same name.

Allyson played the role created by Carole Lombard  and Niven played the William Powell role. The plot begins as a scatterbrained heiress, who uses and then hires a man whom she believes to be homeless. She gives him a job as the family's butler. The family's  does not know  their new butler, is actually as wealthy as they are.

The supporting cast included Jessie Royce Landis, Robert Keith and Eva Gabor. It was adapted by Peter Berneis, William Bowers and Everett Freeman, and directed by Henry Koster.

Jessie Royce Landis (November 25, 1896 - February 2, 1972). In the 1950s, she began appearing in movies as a character actress, best known in, To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959), both starring Cary Grant and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. In North by Northwest she played Grant's character's mother, and in To Catch a Thief she played Grace Kelly's mother.

List of Jessie Royce Landis films:
1949 Mr. Belvedere Goes to College
It Happens Every Spring
My Foolish Heart
1955 To Catch a Thief
1956 The Swan
1957 My Man Godfrey
1958 I Married a Woman
1959 North by Northwest (pictured below)
1961 Goodbye Again
1962 Boys' Night Out
1963 Critic's Choice
Gidget Goes to Rome
1970 Airport

Happy Birthday : June Allyson!

June Allyson,was a major MGM star in the 1940s and 1950s. Allyson won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film, To Young to Kiss(1951). Other cast members: Van Johnson, Gig Young, Paula Corday, Kathyrn Givney, Larry Keating and Hans Conried. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard, produced by Sam Zimalist. This movie is about a 22 year-old woman impersonating a 12 year-old, piano prodigy. Cynthia Potter, has wanted only to be a concert pianist. After years of auditions, she finally gets the opportunity to play for New York's biggest impresario. Amazed by her performance, he signs June to a 5-year contract. There's only one problem, he thinks she is 12 year-old Molly, instead of 22 year-old Cynthia. As he prepares her for her first concert at New Symphony Hall, June decides to reveal her true identity.A wonderful film which definitely resembles "The Major and the Minor," but it's not as funny. Still, it's full of music, which makes the movie entertaining. Fun fact: Fifth of six movies that paired June Allyson and Van Johnson.

From 1959–1961, she hosted and starred in her own CBS anthology series, The DuPont Show with June Allyson.

Fun Facts:
Good friend of James Stewart and played his wife in three different films.

Long time friend of Esther Williams.

Was a good friend of Judy Garland. They were both under contract at MGM in the 1940s, and Judy used to give June rides in Judy's car to the studio. In interviews after Garland's passing, Allyson said that she could hardly talk about Garland without getting tears in her eyes because she was such a special lady who didn't have appropriate help available to her in her lifetime.

My June Allyson Halloween movie pick(I did not think I would find one): They Only Kill Their Masters(1972 ). Mystery movie.Cast: James Garner, Katharine Ross,Hal Holbrook, June Allyson, Tom Ewell, Peter Lawford, Edmond O'Brien, and Arthur O'Connell. The film was written by Lane Slate and directed by James Goldstone.

The story begins in a small sleepy town between San Francisco and Los Angeles, where a young woman is killed under mysterious circumstances. Many believe that the victim was killed by her own Doberman Pinscher. The police chief also believes this theory until he learns that the dog had nothing to do with it when he looks deeper into the case. I thought this was a bizarre film. I could not make make too much sense out of what is going on. Although.. Garner is always fun to watch..