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The first and my favorite of the series is: The Thin Man(1934). Directed by W.S. Van Dyke. The story is about a eccentric, thin inventor, named Clyde Wynant, who has disappeared. Nora convinces Nick, to take on the case ...
Thin Man Series, is a very entertaining collection of classic crime films about retired private eye Nick and his wife Nora. Known for their witty banter over cocktails. They are probably one of the most sophisticated couples of romantic comedies.
They live in a beautiful New York City apartment, which over looks Manhattan. Not really wanting to continue in the PI business, they just can not seem to turn down the jobs that come their way. Filmed during the Great Depression, Americans seemed to love the, Thin Man Series..
The first and my favorite of the series is: The Thin Man(1934). Directed by W.S. Van Dyke. The story is about a eccentric, thin inventor, named Clyde Wynant, who has disappeared. Nora convinces Nick, to take on the case because she wants to see how a murder is solved. The dashing Nick, wanting to please Nora, takes the case with the help of their dog Asta and a few martinis. Tripping, over a few corpses along the way. Supporting cast: Maureen O'Sullivan, Minna Gombell, William Henry, and Cesar Romero.
Next.. in the series: After The Thin Man (1936). Another fast-paced, classic full of glamour and plenty of sexy and sophisticated banter. This time the couple, go looking into a blackmail turned murder case. The two have just returned to their California home, where they find Nora's relatives have all come for a visit. Nora's cousin's husband turns up missing. Her wealthy family, are all worried about the scandal of his affair with a nightclub singer, becoming public. Nick and Norah find him, dead and you will never guess who the killer is. Fun Fact: A very young James Stewart makes a brief appearance.
Another Thin Man(1939). This classic film, in the series has a one year old Nickie Jr., keeping his mother Nora, a little too busy to keep up with Dad. The Charleses have been invited to spend the weekend at the Long Island estate of Colonel Burr MacFay, a friend of Nora's father. Who believes that an old business partner Phil Church, is going to kill him. Phil Church, who has just been released after spending ten years behind bars, has been holding a grudge all this time against MacFay and has threatened his life. When MacFay dies, Nick and Nora find themselves on the list of suspects. Fun facts: Virginia Grey plays the Colonel's daughter Lois and Ruth Hussey plays Nicky's nurse.
Shadow Of The Thin Man(1941). Nick and Nora, are off to the races when a jockey is murdered. At first Nick, decided against taking the case, because he wants to spend more time with his family. Unfortunately, he cannot say "no" to New York Athletic Commissioner, who asks him personally to take the case. There are a couple of hilarious scenes. One which takes place on a department-store merry-go-round and a huge fight, started by Asta, at a fancy restaurant. Fun Fact: Famous acting teacher Stella Adler as Claire Porter and young Donna Reed also makes an appearance.
The Thin Man Goes Home (1944). Nick and Nora, travel back to Nick's home town of Sycamore Springs, where his parents criticize what he does for a living. They really wanted him to follow his father's footsteps and become a doctor. When a man drops dead on the front porch, they quickly change there mind.. Fun Facts: Gloria DeHaven, Edward Brophy, Lloyd Corrigan, Leon Ames, and Ann Revere as the eccentric "Crazy Mary."
Last but not least: Song Of The Thin Man(1947). This classic has Nick and Nora looking into the mysterious murder of bandleader Tommy Drake. Gloria Graham sings "You're Not So Easy to Forget," by Herb Magidson and Ben Oakland. Fun Facts: Jayne Meadows, Keenan Wynn, Dean Stockwell, Ralph Morgan, William Bishop and Marie Windsor also makes an appearance.
Myrna Loy (August 2, 1905 ? December 14, 1993). Trained as a dancer, until she was bitten by the acting bug in a few small roles in silent films. She usually performed as a vamp or a Asian woman. Her career improved after she landed the role as, Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934). Her pairing with William Powell resulted in 14 films together, including five, Thin Man films.
Director W. S. Van Dyke, chose Loy after he meet her at a Hollywood party. He pushed her into a swimming pool to test her reaction and he liked how she handled the situation. Louis B. Mayer, really did not want Loy to play the part because he felt she was more of a dramatic actress.
The Thin Man, became one of the year's biggest hits and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film. Loy, later referred to The Thin Man as the film "that finally made me... after more than 80 films".
With the outbreak of World War II, she walked away from her acting career to work with the Red Cross. She helped run a Naval Auxiliary Canteen and raise money for them. She returned to films with, The Thin Man Goes Home (1945).
Powell's, most famous role was that of Nick Charles, in the six Thin Man films. The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell, to showcase his wonderful speaking voice, his sophisticated charm and his witty sense of humor. He received his first Academy Award nomination for the film, The Thin Man.
A terrific post Dawn. I never get tired of hearing about The Thin Man films or Myrna and William. Thanks for writing such an amazing post. Merry Christmas!
I know you already know this, but for some reason The Thin Man movies just don't do it for me. Not sure why...because I adore Myrna Loy...she's easily in my top 10 favorite actresses. And I really like William Powell. And I think they have fantastic chemistry together.
Even so, though, I've tried 3 of these movies, and I just can't get into them. I know, I know, another of the times I am all alone in the crowd.
I've seen the first 3 movies, and I 3-starred the first one...the next two were 2 stars. Mostly because I found it sometimes confusing, as a whole host of would-be criminals was introduced. The best part was the final 10 minutes when Powell re-enacts the case.
So, there you have it. This brain doesn't do well with too much going on, and so many possible criminals just overwhelms me, I guess.
Interesting, the reasons why you dont like, The Thin Man, trying to figure out who the killer is.. is one of the reasons why I enjoy them.. I also love the banter between Myrna Loy and William Powell. I think they are very cute together.
Dawn, wonderful article about the Thin Man series. I had fun staying up late and watching them! Have to make this short, since posting comments doesn't always take for me right now. Merry Christmas, my good friend! (Hope this shows up!)
Powell's most famous role was that of Nick Charles in six Thin Man films, beginning with The Thin Man in 1934. The role provided a perfect opportunity for Powell to showcase his sophisticated charm and his witty sense of humor, and he received his first Academy Award nomination for The Thin Man. Myrna Loy played his wife, Nora, in each of the Thin Man films. Their partnership was one of Hollywood's most prolific on-screen pairings, with the couple performing in 14 films together. Please click picture to read past reviews.
His breakthrough as a leading man came in 1941, with High Sierra and The Maltese Falcon. The next year, his performance in Casablanca raised him to the peak of his profession and, at the same time, cemented his trademark film persona, that of the hard-boiled cynic who ultimately shows his noble side. Other successes followed, including To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Dark Passage (1947) and Key Largo (1948), with his wife Lauren Bacall; The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948), In a Lonely Place (1950), The African Queen (1951), for which he won his only Academy Award; Sabrina (1954) and The Caine Mutiny (1954). His last movie was The Harder They Fall (1956). During a film career of almost thirty years, he performed in 75 films.
(December 24, 1922 ? January 25, 1990) She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and performed in small roles until her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her era. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Mogambo (1953). Click picture for more info.
(27 December 1901 ? 6 May 1992).Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, directed by Josef von Sternberg, brought her international fame and provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the US. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, cementing her stardom and making her one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Click picture to learn more.
Although he is known today for his performances in Singin' in the Rain and An American in Paris, he was a dominant force in Hollywood musical films from the mid 1940s until this art form fell out of fashion in the late 1950s. His many innovations transformed the Hollywood musical film, and he is credited with almost single-handedly making the ballet form commercially acceptable to film audiences. Click picture to view movie reviews.
(born 16 October 1925) is an English actress and singer in theatre, television and motion pictures, whose career has spanned eight decades and earned her more performance Tony Awards than any other individual (tied with Julie Harris), with five wins. Her first film appearance was in the film Gaslight (1944) as a conniving maid, for which she received an Academy Award nomination. Among her other films are The Manchurian Candidate (1962), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Anastasia (1997). Please click picture to learn more.
A fantasy film based on the novella by Robert Nathan. The film was directed by William Dieterle and produced by David O. Selznick. It stars Jennifer Jones and Joseph Cotten.
(3 January 1907 ? 10 March 1986) was a Welsh actor and director. His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award?winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945), a sophisticated leading man opposite a corrupt John Wayne in Reap the Wild Wind (1942), the murder-plotting husband in Dial M for Murder (1954), and as Oliver Barrett III in Love Story (1970). Please click picture to learn more.
(January 3, 1897 ? September 22, 1961) . Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often obscured her professional career. Please click picture to learn more.
(January 5, 1917 ? September 10, 2007) was a singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948)
A western film starring Loretta Young, William Holden, and Robert Mitchum. The Norman Foster-helmed film was one of the few to address the role of women in the pioneer west, as well as portray early America's indentured servant trade. It was based on the Howard Fast short story "Rachel". Please click picture for movie review.
(January 6, 1913 ? August 12, 2000) . Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the 1948 best actress Academy Award for her role in the 1947 film The Farmer's Daughter, and received an Oscar nomination for her role in Come to the Stable, in 1949.Please click picture to learn more.
Comedy/drama starring Jack Lemmon, Shirley MacLaine and Fred MacMurray. The film was nominated for ten Academy Awards, and won five, including Best Picture. Click picture to read review.
(born January 14, 1941). Dunaway won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Network (1976) after receiving previous nominations for the critically acclaimed films Bonnie and Clyde (1967) and Chinatown (1974). She has also starred in a variety of other successful films, including The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), The Towering Inferno (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and Mommie Dearest (1981). Click picture to learn more.
A romantic comedy film starring Judy Holliday, notable as the first screen appearance of Jack Lemmon, who was then an aspiring young actor. The film was directed by George Cukor and filmed on location in New York City. Screenwriter Garson Kanin originally intended the script as a vehicle for Danny Kaye, but Kanin's wife, Ruth Gordon, suggested casting Judy Holliday instead. The title was initially A Name for Herself. Please click picture for movie review.
This version of the story was directed by George Cukor and starred Ingrid Bergman, Charles Boyer, Joseph Cotten, and 18-year-old Angela Lansbury in her screen debut.
January 18, 1904 ? November 29, 1986), his was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship. Known for his transatlantic accent, debonair demeanor and "dashing good looks", Grant is considered one of classic Hollywood's definitive leading men. Please click picture for more info.
(born January 19, 1930). An actress and former fashion model with a career spanning six decades. She is primarily known for her roles in two Alfred Hitchcock films, The Birds and Marnie, and her extensive efforts in animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an 80-acre (320,000 m2) wildlife habitat which she founded in 1983. Please click picture to learn more.
(January 20, 1926 ? August 8, 2010) She was best known for her film roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud (1963), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Film noir, directed by Stuart Heisler and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The story had previously been adapted for film in 1935.
Film noir directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Howard Koch is based on the 1927 play of the same name by W. Somerset Maugham, originally filmed in 1929. Click picture to read movie review.
(January 26, 1925 ? September 26, 2008). Was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast. He won numerous awards, including an Academy Award for best actor for his performance in the 1986 Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money. Please click picture to learn more.
Science fiction film directed by Richard Fleischer. Starring Charlton Heston, the film overlays the police procedural and science fiction genres as it depicts the investigation into the murder of a wealthy businessman in a dystopian future suffering from pollution, overpopulation, depleted resources, poverty, dying oceans, and a hot climate due to the greenhouse effect. Much of the population survives on processed food rations, including "soylent green".
All photos used here on N and CF are, to my knowledge, in the public domain. Any photos that are copyrighted, will be removed on request of the owner. Thanks.
His career spanned both silent films and talkies, appearing in such films as The Sheik, A Woman of Paris, Morocco, and A Star is Born. He was nominated for an Academy Award for The Front Page in 1931.
Her earliest film roles were uncredited bit parts and it took several years for her career to gain momentum. Her first credited part was in the feature film Dive Bomber (1941), playing the female lead opposite Errol Flynn.
What I loved about Alfred Hitchcock as a director, was his gift for trying out new techniques in the suspense and the thriller genres. And most of all.. I loved his cameo appearances in 39 of his 52 films.
The problem Alice Terry had at the height of her career was that she was the wife of Rex Ingram, and she was doomed to be his leading lady in films that were dominated by their male stars.
In 1907, she was named "Most beautiful woman in America". Nilsson's modeling helped her get a role in the 1911 film Molly Pitcher. Anna's best known films are: Seven Keys to Baldpate (1917), Soldiers of Fortune (1919), The Toll Gate and The Luck of the Irish (both 1920), and The Lotus Eater (1921).
Best known for her performances in films such as The Magnificent Ambersons (1942), The Razor's Edge (1946), All About Eve (1950) and The Ten Commandments (1956).
Her father had an electrical contracting business. He helped Anita get into the movies because he did some lighting work for a studio in Astoria.
Ava was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers (1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953). Click picture to view past movie reviews.
Known during her 60-year career for her versatile and strong screen presence, and a favorite of directors including Cecil B. DeMille, Fritz Lang and Frank Capra. After a short run as a stage actress, she made 85 films in 38 years in Hollywood, before moving on to television.
She was best known for her performances in a range of film genres; from contemporary crime melodramas to historical and period films and occasional comedies, though her greatest successes were her roles in romantic dramas.
Worked mainly in the silent films and early talkie eras. With a small frame and delicate features, she played innocent young girls, flappers and wholesome leading ladies.
Best known for his athletic physique, distinctive smile (which he called "The Grin") and, later, his willingness to play roles that went against his initial "tough guy" image.
Was a comic actor, filmmaker, producer and writer. He was best known for his silent films, in which his trademark was physical comedy with a consistently stoic, deadpan expression, earning him the nickname "The Great Stone Face". Please click picture to learn more about Buster Keaton.
Began her career in films with the help of film director D.W. Griffith alongside other actresses of the mid-1910s, Lillian and Dorothy Gish and Mae Marsh.
A press agent nicknamed her "The Ping Girl" (because "she makes you purr"). Landis performed in many successful films in the early forties, usually as the second female lead.
His popular classic films include The Awful Truth (1937), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), The Philadelphia Story (1940), Suspicion (1941), Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), Notorious (1946), To Catch A Thief (1955), An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959), and Charade (1963).
Chaplin acted in, directed, scripted, produced his own films and was known as one of the most imaginative and influential personalities of the silent-film era.
Gable's most famous role was Rhett Butler in the film, Gone with the Wind(1939). His performance earned him his third nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor; he won for It Happened One Night (1934) and was also nominated for Mutiny on the Bounty (1935).
Career spanned 47 years. He was known for many roles in Hollywood films, among them the title role in The Invisible Man (1933), a corrupt senator in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939), and his best known performance, as Captain Renault in Casablanca (1942).
Claudette gave up on her plans to be a fashion designer to follow a career in acting. She made her first film called, For the Love of Mike(1927) a silent film filmed in Paramount Studios.
Best known for her roles in the films Nightmare Alley (1947), Red River (1948), in which she played John Wayne's character's fiancée, and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956).
She performed leads in B pictures and Westerns, several co-starring with Tom Mix. The movie which defined her as the inventor of the "flapper" look was Flaming Youth (1923).
Was the first Bennett sister to enter the movie bisness, where she performed in New York produced silent movies before a meeting with Samuel Goldwyn, which led to her Hollywood debut in, Cytherea(1924).
Talmadge appeared in more than 80 films, often in comedies like A Pair of Silk Stockings (1918), Happiness à la Mode (1919), Romance and Arabella (1919), Wedding Bells (1921) and The Primitive Lover (1922).
Andrews' two signature roles came as an obsessed detective in Laura (1944) opposite Gene Tierney, and as a soldier returning home from the war in the Oscar-winning 1946 film The Best Years of Our Lives. He played a crooked cop in Where the Sidewalk Ends (1950), also with Gene Tierney.
Nicknamed the "King of Cool", he was one of the members of the "Rat Pack" and a major star in four areas of show business: concert stage/night clubs, recordings, motion pictures, and television.
Dolores and her sister Helene made their first performances in supporting roles in several films with their father, who was a famous actor at the time. Dolores Costello's earliest performance was in the role of a fairy in A Midsummer Night's Dream(1909).
She was a star of Hollywood films during the silent era and in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Later in life, she became an actress in Mexican films. She was thought to be one of the most beautiful actresses of her time.
He made his film debut in 1935 and by the late 1930s, he had established himself as a leading actor in Hollywood. He appeared in such films as Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), as the title character in The Story of Alexander Graham Bell (1939).
Doris Day playing both comedic and dramatic roles, she became one of America's biggest box-office stars, making 39 movies before retiring in 1968. She has also recorded more than 650 songs.
Childhood friend, actress Mary Pickford, introduced the two Gish sisters to director D.W. Griffith. Their first movie was An Unseen Enemy. Dorothy would go on to star in over 100 films and features over the years.
She performed in George White's Scandals with Joan Crawford and Anita Page for a series of MGM romantic dramas Our Dancing Daughters (1928) and Our Blushing Brides (1930).
One of her most remembered films is Monsieur Beaucaire (1924). Where she starred opposite Rudolph Valentino. She was with Paramount Pictures for the studio's first dramatic, all-talking movie, Intereference, in 1928.
She is best known for her 1913 performance in Rebbecca of Sunnybrook Farm. Her other successful theatrical performances include: Young Wisdom, Tipping The Winner, A Breath of Old Virginia, Mother Carey's Chickens, The Bestsellers, Please Get Married, Kissing Time, A Love Scandal, The Evangelist, Tarnished and Private Lives.
Edward played a wide range of characters, he is best remembered for his roles as a gangster, most notably in his star-making film Little Caesar.
Elizabeth is known for her acting talent and beauty, as well as her Hollywood lifestyle, including many marriages. Taylor is considered one of the great actresses of Hollywood's golden age.
Competitive swimmer and MGM movie star, known for her musical films that featured elaborate performances with swimming and diving. Nicknamed "America's Mermaid".
After she met actress Mary Pickford, who invited Florence to watch the making of a motion picture at the Biograph studio in Manhattan. Given an impromptu bit part, Florence was invited back to Biograph?s studios to participate in another film later that year. She would go on to make several films under the renowned D. W. Griffith, with her first credited film being in the 1909 film The Politician's Love Story.
She met actor Joel McCrea on the set of the film, The Silver Cord (1933). They married on October 20, 1933, after a whirlwind courtship, and remained married until McCrea's death in 1990.
Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became a successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s. His professional career had stalled by the 1950s, but it was reborn in 1954 after he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in From Here to Eternity.
MacMurray worked with some of the greatest actors: Barbara Stanwyck, Humphrey Bogart and Marlene Dietrich. He played opposite Claudette Colbert in seven films, beginning with The Gilded Lily. He co-starred with Katharine Hepburn in Alice Adams and with Carole Lombard in four films, Hands Across the Table, The Princess Comes Across, Swing High, Swing Low and True Confession.
Was best known for his quiet acting style and his stoic emotionally restrained, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made. He performed in more than one hundred films.
George Raft, was best known for his portrayals of gangsters in crime melodramas of the 1930s and 1940s. George Raft, is also known for his role in, Some Like it Hot, Scarface (1932), Bolero (1934), and They Drive by Night (1940).
Gilbert wanting to be an actor landed is his first job working as an extra. He picked his screen name by combining the names of his favorite actors, John Gilbet and Ruth Roland. He was often cast in the "Latin Lover" role.
Ginger Rogers, made a total of 73 films, and is best known for her role as Fred Astaire's romantic interest and dancing partner in a series of ten Hollywood musical films. She also achieved success in a variety of film roles, and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Kitty Foyle (1940).
His career spanned over seven decades. Despite his versatility, Ford was best known for playing ordinary men in unusual circumstances.
Grahame often performed in film noir pictures as a tarnished beauty with sex appeal. She received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress for Crossfire(1947).
Kelly made three movies with Alfred Hitchcock : Dial M for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief. Grace Kelly was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for The Country Girl.
He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor five times, four of which came in his first five years of film acting: for The Keys of the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman's Agreement (1947), and Twelve O'Clock High (1949).
Greta Garbo, was a Swedish actress best for her work during Hollywood's silent film period and also part of Golden Age. She performed in 27 movies and has become one of the most popular Hollywood stars.
Harold Lloyd ranks as one of the most popular and influential film comedians of the silent film era. Lloyd made nearly 200 comedy films, both silent and "talkies," between 1914 and 1947. He is best known for his "Glasses Character", and was perfectly in tune with 1920s.
Hedy made her first American film in, Algiers (1938). This was followed a year later by Lady of the Tropics (1939). Next she performed in the film, White Cargo (1942).
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall made four films together. To Have and Have Not (1944), based on the Hemingway novel. (1946)The Big Sleep. Bogart played private detective Philip Marlow in the film. (1947), Dark Passage. Their last film together was (1948) Key Largo.
He starred in more than 60 films including Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, Mister Roberts (for which he won the 1955 Best Supporting Actor Academy Award), Days of Wine and Roses, The Great Race, Irma la Douce, The Odd Couple, Save the Tiger (for which he won the 1973 Best Actor Academy Award), The Out-of-Towners, The China Syndrome, Missing, Glengarry Glen Ross, Grumpy Old Men and Grumpier Old Men.
Throughout his seven decades in Hollywood, Stewart cultivated a versatile career and recognized screen image in such classics as Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, The Philadelphia Story, Harvey, It's a Wonderful Life, Rear Window, Rope, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo.
Hughes lent out the actress to RKO to star in many films, including Dick Tracy (1945), Out of the Past(1947), They Won't Believe Me (1947), The Big Steal (1949), You're in the Navy Now (1951), The Prisoner of Zenda (1952), Run for the Sun (1956), and The Man of a Thousand Faces (1957).
Harlow and Gable worked well together and co-starred in a total of six films. She was also paired multiple times with Spencer Tracy and William Powell.
The actress began in a stage stock company with her uncle in St. Louis. Novak's career went into the sound film where she performed in 115 movies.
In 1940, Russell was signed to a seven-year contract with Howard Hughes and made her first movie, The Outlaw (1943), a story about Billy the Kid that went to great lengths to show her figure.
Was a singer, dancer, and character actress of film and television. She began her film career in the 1930s, and was a prolific performer for two decades. She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Johnny Belinda (1948), and later achieved success during the 1980s for her leading role in the television series Falcon Crest.
Shearer showed talent agent Lew Wasserman a photograph she had seen of Leigh while vacationing at Sugar Bowl, the ski resort where the girl's parents worked. Shearer said that "that smile made it the most fascinating face I had seen in years.
Bennett performed in more than 70 films from silent movies into the sound era. She is best known for her film noir femme fatale performance in, The Woman in the Window (1944) and Scarlet Street (1945).
Crawford often played hardworking young women who find romance and financial success. These "rags-to-riches" stories were well-received by Depression-era audiences and were popular with women.
Mc Crea's career spanned 50 years and performances in over 90 films. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933, after they met while filming The Silver Cord.
John Barrymore is mostly known for his roles in movies like Grand Hotel (1932), Dinner at Eight (1933), Twentieth Century (1934), and Don Juan (1926).
John Gilbert, actor and a major star of the silent film era. Known as "the great lover", he rivaled even Rudolph Valentino as a box office draw.
John Payne (May 28, 1912 ? December 6, 1989) was an American film actor who is mainly remembered as a singer in 20th Century Fox musical films, as well as his leading roles in Miracle on 34th Street and the NBC western television series, The Restless Gun.
Hepburn holds the record for the most Best Actress Oscar wins with four, out of 12 nominations. Hepburn won an Emmy Award in 1976 for her lead role in Love Among the Ruins, and was nominated for four other Emmys, two Tony Awards and eight Golden Globes.
Douglas made seven films over the decades with Burt Lancaster, I Walk Alone (1948), Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957), The Devil's Disciple (1959), The List of Adrian Messenger (1963), Seven Days in May (1964), Victory at Entebbe (1976) and Tough Guys (1986).
She is best known for her performance in the classic 1958 film Vertigo. Novak retired from acting in 1991 and has since become an accomplished artist of oil paintings.
Turner's discovery at a Hollywood drug store is a show-business legend. As a sixteen-year-old student at Hollywood High School Turner skipped a typing class and bought a Coke at the Top Hat Cafe located on the southeast corner of Sunset Boulevard and McCadden Place (not Schwab's Pharmacy), where she was spotted by William R. Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter.
During the 1920s she appeared in more than sixty films. Among her early film appearances were Big Town Round-Up (1921), with cowboy star Tom Mix, and the serials Perils of the Yukon (1922) and Around the World in Eighteen Days (1923).
In 1956, Hanson, along with actress Inga Tidblad (who played Mary Tyrone) also became the first two actors to receive The Eugene O'Neill Award; today known as Sweden's most prestigious theatre award and presented annually to the country's most outstanding stage actors.
She rose to fame with co-starring roles opposite Tyrone Power in adventure films and established a main character career after her role in, Forever Amber (1947). She is also known for her performance in, Unfaithfully Yours (1948) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949).
Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She won the 1948 best actress Academy Award for her role in the 1947 film The Farmer's Daughter.
Ball began acting in the 1930s, becoming both a radio actress and B-movie star in the 1940s, and then a television star during the 1950s. She was still making films in the 1960s and 1970s.
Her early film appearances were minor, but her performances in The Asphalt Jungle and All About Eve (both 1950) were well received. By 1953, Monroe had progressed to leading roles. Her "dumb blonde" persona was used to comedic effect in such films as Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) and The Seven Year Itch (1955).
Davies is best remembered for her relationship with newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst, as her high-profile social life often hurt her professional career.
Mary Astor, is most remembered for her role in The Maltese Falcon (1941). Astor began her movie career as a teenager in the silent movies of the early 1920s. She made a successful transition to talkies.
Known as "America's Sweetheart," "Little Mary" and "The girl with the curls," she was one of the Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood and a significant figure in the development of film acting.
She went to New York to become a ballet dancer, but performed on Broadway and vaudeville instead. After ten years on the stage as a successful actress, she joined Paramount in 1930 and became one of Hollywood's top-ranking stars.
Myrna Loy, was first noticed by Rudolph Valentino, when he went to Henery Waxman studio. Valentino, was looking for a leading lady for the film, Cobra. She tested for the role, but lost out to Gertrude Olmstead.
Was one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood during the "Roaring Twenties. She often performed in the role of the "femme fatale".
Her early films cast her as the girl-next-door but after her 1930 film The Divorcee, she played sexually liberated women in sophisticated contemporary comedies and dramas, as well as several historical and period films.
She won the Academy Award for Best Actress in 1946 and 1949. She is the elder sister of actress Joan Fontaine. Along with her sister, de Havilland is one of the last surviving leading ladies from Hollywood of the 1930s.
Patricia Neal, was best known for her roles as World War II widow Helen Benson in The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951), wealthy matron Emily Eustace Failenson in Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961), and middle-aged housekeeper Alma Brown in Hud (1963), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress.
Best known for her performance in the film, Gun Crazy, playing a trigger-happy femme fatale who robs banks with her husband played by John Dall.
Ramon, is second cousin of the Mexican actresses Dolores del Río and Andrea Palma, he began his career in films in 1917 playing bit parts, he also had to supplement his income by working as a singing waiter.
In 1945, he was cast as Lt. Walker in Story of G.I. Joe (1945) and received an Oscar nomination as Best Supporting Actor. He quickly became an icon of 1940s film noir, though equally performed well in westerns and romantic dramas.
His screen career ran from 1929 to 1985, and he is best remembered for his Academy Award?winning portrayal of an alcoholic writer in The Lost Weekend (1945) and as Oliver Barrett III in the 1970 film, Love Story.
She acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most beautiful and glamorous actresses of her day.
Film actress and dancer who became famous in the 1940s not only as one of the era's top stars, but also as a great sex symbol. Rita, is best known for her performance in the film, Gilda (1946).
Robert Montgomery, was most often paired with glamorous Norma Shearer. They co-starred in five films between 1929 and 1934; their best teaming were "The Divorcee" (1930) and "Private Lives" (1931).
In spite of having a "tier B" status, he co-starred with some of the studio's most illustrious actresses such as Margaret Sullavan, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford.
Known as the "Latin Lover", he was one of the most popular international stars of the 1920s, and one of the most recognized stars of the silent film era.
She performed with Constance Bennett and Joan Crawford in the film Sally, Irene and Mary (1925), directed by Edmund Goulding, which brought her instant, but short-lived, fame.
Tracy's reputation for versatility and naturalness are based on the twenty years (1935?1955) he acted at Metro Goldwyn Mayer and for the subsequent dozen years when he was an independent actor. Yet the twenty-five films he made prior to his move to MGM are notable in that they demonstrate the range and diversity of characters he would continue to deliver through his post-Fox career (and which would earn him two Academy Awards and nine nominations).
During her career she performed in 119 films although many of these were short films, and was sometimes publicized as "The Ice Cream Blonde."
Curtis loved to paint and since the early 1980s, it became his second career. In 2007, his painting The Red Table was on display in the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan. His paintings can also be seen at the Tony Vanderploeg Gallery in Carmel, California.
Ty performed in dozens of films from the 1930s to the 1950s, often in swashbuckler roles or romantic leads such as in The Mark of Zorro, Blood and Sand, The Black Swan, Prince of Foxes, The Black Rose, and Captain from Castile.
Una Merkel, looked alot like actress Lillian Gish, which started her acting career as a stand-in for Gish in 1920's Way Down East and in 1928's The Wind.
Gained popularity for starring in films such as The Searchers, The Wrong Man, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and Psycho and Psycho II.
During the early 1940s, Lake was considered one of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood. She became best known for onscreen pairings with actor Alan Ladd.
Viola performed in over 100 films. More than 50 years after her retirement she performed in the documentary Hollywood (1980), talking about her career as a silent film star during the 1920s.
Won two Best Actress Academy Awards for playing "southern belles": Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939) and Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire (1951).
Pidgeon made a number of silent movies in the 1920s, where he soon became a star. With the arrival of talkies, he was fortunate enough to have a wonderful singing voice, so he moved on to musicals.
His career took off when Billy Wilder cast him to star as the down-at-the-heels screenwriter Joe Gillis who is taken in by faded silent-screen star Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson) in Sunset Boulevard, for which Holden earned his first Best Actor Oscar nomination.
A major star at MGM, he was paired with Myrna Loy in fourteen films, including the popular Thin Man series in which Powell and Loy played Nick and Nora Charles. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times, for The Thin Man (1934), My Man Godfrey (1936) and Life with Father (1947).