Classic Moustaches For Movember Blogathon - In Support Of "Movember"

During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo’s, these men raise vital funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men.

~ The Movember Website

I think this is a really important cause. Several members on my Dad's side of the family have been severely affected by man-cancers, and I'm all for fundraising for it. I think It's very important indeed, and that's why I developed this blogathon.

Ok, so evidently I can't grow a tache for Movember in support of prostate cancer because... I'm a girl. BUT I can blog about moustaches! So I'm hosting a little blogathon in support of Movember, "Classic Moustaches For Movember". Bloggers, gather 'round. All you have to do is post about something to do with moustaches in your own classic-movie-blogging way, and link to the donation page (that one is for the US, but it's easy to find the UK one too) on the Movember website! There are more famous, debonaire classic actors with moustaches than you can fit in one book, let alone one post, so there should be lots to blog about :-)Your post can go up any time before the end of November. I hope this gives everyone time to participate!

Just comment with a link to your blog on this post and I'll add you to the list of blogs participating. Naturally, normal blogathon etiquette applies, so in your post just link back to this one if you don't mind :-), and this blogathon will be going on until the 31st November. It would be cool, no? *twiddles moustache* If you'd like to join, grab one of my badges for it and spread the word! We can have a classic moustache party :-D

My post for the blogathon will go up sometime next week. Happy moustaching!

Blogs Participating:
Dear Mr. Gable
Java's Journey
Frankly, My Dear
In The Mood
Silver Screen Modiste
The Movie Projector
Noir And Chick Flicks
True Classics
Random Ramblings Of A Broadway, Film and TV Fan
Sittin' On A Backyard Fence
Blame Mame

~Bette

Star Of Midnight(1935).

Star of Midnight (1935). Directed by Stephen Roberts. Cast: William Powell, Ginger Rogers, Paul Kelly, Gene Lockhart.

Looking for his girl friend Alice, who has missing for over a year ago, Tim Winthrop goes to New York to ask his friend, criminal lawyer Clay Dalzell, for help. While there, Tim, Clay and Donna Mantin, Clay's fiancee, decide go to the theater, where actress Mary Smith, is performing. Just as the show begins, Clay receives a message to meet gangster Jimmy Kinland, to retrieve the love letters, that Donna, has asked him to pick up for her. He soon discovers the letters are not from Donna, but from a married friend. It is not long after he hears the news that Mary Smith, disappeared during her first act.

Soon after Clay, returns home and is visited by his friend Tim, who tells him that Mary Smith is Alice, and then by newspaper gossip columnist Tommy Tennant, who is shot and killed in Clay's bedroom. The killer throws his gun next to dazed Clay, making it look like he murdered Tommy. The producer of Mary's show and gangster Jimmy Kinland,  both seem to know more than their telling. Clay, is determined to find the killer with the help of Donna and his butler.

This movie is very enjoyable with plenty of humour, intrigue, everything we love about William Powell . Ginger Rogers,  also gives a wonderful performances and seems very natural playing opposite William Powell.

Great On Screen Couples: William Powell & Myrna Loy

This wonderful couple made an astounding 14 films together, making them one of Hollywood's most prolific couples. They first paired up in 1934's Manhattan Melodrama, alongside Clark Gable. Their scenes together showed natural born chemistry and MGM quickly paired them up for the classic film The Thin Man. Their witty banter as fun loving couple Nick and Nora Charles was such a huge hit, they made 5 more sequels over the next 13 years. And it's one of the most beloved film series of all time. You see them progress from recently married to Nora giving birth to Nick Jr to meeting Nick's family and so on. And you cared about them through-out the entire series.

In between The Thin Man films, Powell and Loy would make several other films including Best Picture winner of 1936 The Great Ziegeld, Evelyn Prentice, Love Crazy, Double Wedding and the classic screwball farce Libeled Lady, co-starring Spencer Tracy and Jean Harlow. For their last film together, Loy turned up in a cameo as Powell's wife in the final scene of The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947). For her one day of work, Loy received a brand new cadillac and the final screen pairing of her and Powell was done.

Powell and Loy made 13 of their 14 films for MGM and one for Universal. Their 13 films at MGM are a record a screen team making major studio pictures. And they set the standard for fun loving married couples that would grace the big and small screens for years to come. Powell himself tried different variations of Nick Charles with other actresses such as Ginger Rogers in Star Of Midnight (1935) and Jean Arthur in The Ex-Mrs. Bradford (1936). And while those are two good films with solid leading women, they are no Thin Man and no Myrna Loy. It just shows that the chemistry Powell and Loy had together was amazing. And it's no slam toward Rogers or Arthur. I mean Ginger and Fred would dance circles around Powell and Loy in a musical because that was their strength. And Jean was positively sensational when paired with Jimmy Stewart. Anyway, I would rank Powell and Loy as my 2nd favorite screen couple of all time, right behind Irene Dunne and Cary Grant. Good company to be in.

Libeled Lady(1936).

Libeled Lady(1936). Comedy. Cast: Jean Harlow, William Powell (who were romantically involved at the time), Myrna Loy and Spencer Tracy. The movie was written by George Oppenheimer, Howard Emmett Rogers, Wallace Sullivan and Maurine Dallas Watkins, and directed by Jack Conway.

Libeled Lady was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The film was remade in 1946 as Easy to Wed with Esther Williams, Van Johnson, and Lucille Ball.

Wealthy Connie Allenbury is falsely accused of breaking up a marriage and sues the New York Evening Star newspaper for libel. Warren Haggerty, the chief editor, turns to reporter and ladies man Bill Chandler for help.



Bill comes up with a plan, to be alone with Connie when his "wife" shows up, the suit will have to be dropped. Bill is not really married, so Warren has his neglected fiancee, Gladys Benton, play the part, which she is not to happy about.

Bill returns to America from England on the same ocean liner as Connie and her father J. B.. He pays some men to pose as reporters and harass Connie at the dock, so that he can "rescue" her. Connie believes that he is just a fortune hunter after her money, but Bill quickly wins her trust.

The plan falls apart when Connie and Bill actually fall in love. They get married, but Gladys interrupts their honeymoon to reclaim her husband. Bill reveals that he found out that Gladys' Mexican divorce wasn't valid, but then Gladys tops him. She got a second divorce and she and Bill are really man and wife. Will Connie and Bill manage to convince Gladys that she's really in love with Warren?

I always love to see a performance of Powell and Loy together, they really seem to enjoy each others company. Tracy, is wonderful as always. There are many amusing character actors, in this film. The film offers humor and gorgeous sets and costumes. Harlow, also gave a wonderful zany performance in this film.

Fun Facts:

Lionel Barrymore was originally cast as Mr. Allenbury while Rosalind Russell was originally considered to play Connie Allenbury.

Harlow wanted to play Connie Allenbury, so that her character and Powell's would wind up together. MGM insisted, however, that the film be another William Powell-Myrna Loy movie, as they originally intended. Harlow had already signed on to do the film but had to settle for the role of Gladys Benton.  As Gladys, top-billed Harlow got to play a wedding scene with Powell. During filming, Harlow changed her legal name.

The fifth of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

Walter Connolly (April 8, 1887 – May 28, 1940), who performed in almost fifty films between 1914 and 1939. His first film performance came in two silent films, The Marked Woman (1914) and A Soldier's Oath (1915), and a talkie in 1930, Many Happy Returns, but his Hollywood film career really began in 1932, when he performed in four films. His trademark role was that of a business tycoon or newspaperman, often as the father of the female lead character, as in It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, Broadway Bill (1934), supporting Warner Baxter and Myrna Loy; and Libeled Lady (1936) with William Powell and Loy again. Other notable roles included the worthless uncle of Paul Muni's character in, The Good Earth (1937) and one of the two con men encountered by Mickey Rooney's, Huckleberry Finn in, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1939). Connolly was particularly memorable as General Yen's American advisor in, The Bitter Tea of General Yen.

Connolly mostly played supporting roles, but starred occasionally, as Nero Wolfe in The League of Frightened Men (1937), 5th Ave Girl(1939), opposite Ginger Rogers and as the title character in, The Great Victor Herbert (1939), his last film.

My Man Godfrey(1936).

My Man Godfrey (1936). Comedy. Directed by Gregory LaCava. It was adapted from the novel 1101 Park Avenue by Eric Hatch and Morrie Ryskind, with uncredited contributions by Gregory La Cava. Cast: William Powell, Carole Lombard, Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Eugene Pallette, Mischa Auer and Alan Mowbray. The 1957 remake starred June Allyson and David Niven.

The story is about two New York socialites Cornelia and Irene Bullock, both on a scavenger hunt to find a "forgotten man". At the city dump they find a down on his luck, Godfrey Parke. Insulted by Cornelia handing him five dollars, Godfrey pushes her to the ground. But, he is charmed by her sister Irene and decides to play along. Godfrey does not care for attitude of their friends and says it is a pleasure to return home to his friends. Irene not wanting him to go back to where she found him, hires Godfrey as the families butler.

During a tea party one of the guests, Tommy Gray, recognizes Godfrey as an old college mate. In order to keep his past a secret, Tommy claims Godfrey was his valet and is married with five children. Irene, is heartbroken and out of spite, suddenly announces her engagement to Charlie Van Rumple.

Meanwhile, when everything she does to make Godfrey's life miserable falls short, Cornelia sneaks into his room and plants her pearl necklace under his mattress. She then calls the police to report her "missing" jewelry. To Cornelia's surprise, the pearls are not where she planted them. Mr. Bullock realizes his daughter has made up the whole thing and sees the policemen out. Godfrey, takes it upon himself to help the Bullock family, even with everything they put him through.

The actors are wonderful. William Powell, plays the the straight man very well. Carole Lombard, also gives a wonderful performance. Gail Patrick, plays the part perfectly as Lombard's conniving sister. Eugene Pallette is great as their father. Alice Brady, steals the show as the mother. Look for cameos by Franklin Pangborn and Grady Sutton.

Video: Full Movie.


Fun Facts:

Jane Wyman has an uncredited part.

William Powell suggested his ex-wife 'Carole Lombard' for the leading role with the explanation that his real life romance with Lombard had been much the same as it was for the characters of Godfrey and Irene.

Alice Brady (November 2, 1892 – October 28, 1939). Her father, William A. Brady, was an important theatrical producer, and her mother was Rose Marie Rene who died in 1896 when little Alice was four. Alice first went on the stage when she was 14 and got her first job on Broadway in 1911 at the age of 18, in a show her father was associated with. She continued to perform there for the next 22 years. In 1931 she appeared in the premiere of, Mourning Becomes Electra. Her step mother was the Broadway star Grace George (1879–1961). Her half-brother was William A. Brady Jr, the son of her father, Grace George.

Brady's father moved into movie production and presentation in 1913, with his World Film Corporation, and Brady soon followed along after him, making her first silent feature appearance in, As Ye Sow (1914). She appeared in 53 films in the next 10 years.

In 1923, she stopped appearing in films to concentrate on stage acting, and did not appear on the screen again until 1933, when she made the film, When Ladies Meet, her first talking picture. From then on she worked frequently until her death, making another 25 films in seven years. Her final film was, Young Mr. Lincoln (1939).

Brady was married to actor James Crane from 1919 to 1922, when they divorced. They co-starred in three silent films together His Bridal Night(1919), Sinners(1920) and A Dark Lantern(1920).

The Thin Man(1934).

The Thin Man(1934). Cast: William Powell and Myrna Loy. Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, the film was directed by W.S. Van Dyke from a script by Albert Hackett and Frances Goodrich the screenplay was based on the mystery novel, The Thin Man by Dashiell Hammett, based on his relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman. Also performing in the film: Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, Minna Gombell, Cesar Romero and Porter Hall.

When Dorothy Wynant shares with her father that she plans to marry, he takes off on a business trip, promising to return in time for her wedding. When Wynant does not return, Dorothy becomes worried. When Mimi goes to see, Wynant's mistress, she finds her dead, holding Wynant's watch chain.

Soon, Retired detective Nick Charles and his wife Nora are on the case. Wynant quickly becomes the prime suspect, but his daughter Dorothy does not believe he did it. She convinces Nick to take the case. Between very charmingly funny dialog, the couple tries to piece things together.

Fun Fact: The second of fourteen films pairing William Powell and Myrna Loy.

The Thin Man is a fast paced, stylish film. If you are interested in period fashions you will want to view this film. William Powell and Myrna Loy have amazing on screen chemistry.

 

Skippy aka Asta (born 1931 or 1932; retired 1939) was a Wire-Haired Fox Terrier. He is best known as "Asta" in the comedy The Thin Man, starring William Powell and Myrna Loy. Skippy's name was changed to Asta after the first, Thin Man film was released.

Other Films starring Skippy:

The Thin Man (1934)
The Big Broadcast of 1936 (1935)
The Lottery Lover (1935)
It's a Small World (1935)
The Daring Young Man
Sea Racketeers (1937)
The Awful Truth (1937)
Bringing Up Baby (1938)
I Am the Law (1938)
Topper Takes a Trip (1939)

Manhattan Melodrama(1934)

Manhattan Melodrama(1934). Director: W. S. Van Dyke. Cast: Clark Gable, William Powell, Myrna Loy, Leo Carrillo, Nat Pendleton, and Isabel Jewell. The movie also provided one of the earliest film roles for Mickey Rooney, who played the Gable character as a child. This is the first of 14 pairings of Myrna Loy and William Powell and the first of three movies they would make together in 1934.

Blackie Gallagher and Jim Wade lose their parents when the General Slocum sinks in New York harbor, and are rescued by Father Joe. A kind man, Poppa Rosen takes the boys in, but a few years later he is trampled by police horses used to break up a riot against the Russian Leon Trotsky.

Years later, Blackie runs a gambling club while Jim has been elected district attorney. Blackie looks up to Jim, even though they are on opposite sides of the law. Blackie's mistress Eleanor tries to convince Blackie to stop gambling and settle down with her. Knowing that he will not change his ways, she decides to marry Jim.

After gambler Manny Arnold is shot, Spud, accidentally left Jim's coat at the scene of the crime, Blackie has Spud bring an exact duplicate that he has had his tailor make to Jim. Soon Jim runs for governor, but his assistant, Richard Snow, tries to pressure him by indicating that the Arnold case makes Jim look like he is mixed up with murderers. The story takes off when Jim has to make the heartbreaking desicion of having to decide whether his friend should live or die. This is one of my favorite Powell performances and Gable's performance is wonderful as the bad guy we all root for.




Isabel Jewell, was a Broadway actress who achieved immediate success in, Up Pops the Devil (1930) and Blessed Event (1932). She was brought to Hollywood for the film version of the latter. Jewell performed in many supporting roles in the early 1930s. She played gangster's women in films, Manhattan Melodrama (1934) and Marked Woman (1937). She also performed well as a seamstress sentenced to death in, A Tale of Two Cities (1935). Her most significant role was as the prostitute Gloria Stone in Lost Horizon (1937). Jewell's films included Gone with the Wind (1939) in the role of "that white trash, Emmy Slattery", Northwest Passage (1940), High Sierra (1941), and The Leopard Man (1943). By the end of her career, Jewell had performed in more than one hundred films, between 1930 and 1971. She also performed in radio dramas in the 1950s, including This is Your FBI. Isabel Jewell played opposite Edie Sedgwick in her biographical/drama CIAO, Manhattan. Her final film was the "B" movie Sweet Kill (1973).