Q & A with Matthew Kennedy on Joan Blondell & Edmund Goulding

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Synnove
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Post by Synnove »

Matthew Kennedy, I just want to say thank you for visiting this site! Your work about rarely hear of film stars is greatly appreciated. Good luck with future projects!
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Post by silentscreen »

Matthew Kennedy, thank you for taking the time to chat with us! Very gracious of you! The Blondell book is on my wish list. I realize that all works are works of love, but do you have a personal favorite of your books, one that gave you the most personal satisfaction to work on?
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Post by SSO Admins »

Thanks for coming!

My question (actually two) is about Blondell. It seemed like she was onscreen almost non stop before the code, but her roles slowed considerably afterward. To what extent do you think her popularity was tied to the lack of code enforcement.

Also, what were the reasons that she wasn't a bigger star? I find it impossible to watch anyone else while she's onscreen, but she never made it as big as other stars. It seems that her star roles were limited to programmers, while in bigger films she always played second banana.
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Post by moira finnie »

Hi Matthew,
Here's a few questions for you...

Re: Marie Dressler: A Biography
Unfortunately, my ordered copy of your book is still not in (Barnes & Noble, how could you?). Still, I'm curious about the great lady's last movie, Christopher Bean (1933), especially after seeing & enjoying Thelma Ritter's '50s tv version recently. I realize that Marie Dressler was ill when this was made, but is it worth seeking out? Why do you suppose this hasn't been shown on TCM nor, as far as I know, on broadcast tv? Are there copyright issues?

What did Marie Dressler think of MGM's pairing her with other actors, such as Wallace Beery & Polly Moran, who were, IMO, not as accomplished, or to put it another way, as nuanced, as she as a film actor? Did she get along with both of them off-camera or was the rumored dislike of Beery manufactured gossip?

Did it irk Dressler to have L.B. Mayer allegedly ask her not to appear at a rally for Franklin D. Roosevelt in the '32 presidential election?

During her years at Metro, did Marie sort of "go with the flow" of studio dictated life and follow the career path that good fortune brought her? Did she bring properties to the attention of the studio for her to appear in?

Thank you.
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Post by MikeBSG »

Did Warner Brothers want Joan Blondell to change her name? The alternative they had for her was really hideous.

I've always wished that Joan Blondell had had the Jean Harlow part in "The Public Enemy." What did Blondell think of Harlow?
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Post by Matthew Kennedy »

The pleasure is mine.

Because each of these books are about individuals, and I come to believe that I know them well, they feel like my babies. (I wish there as an emoticon for "perverse.") That said, the excitement of researching and writing the first one (Dressler) was unparalled. The art and business of book writing was brand new. Digging through decayed clippings, or staring at a computer screen for hours, isn't a vision of fun for many, but it is for me if a project is truly engaging. And Marie's life was so packed with comedy-drama, I couldn't wait to render it on the page.

Eddie offered another kind of challenge because there is little written on his personal life. His art was off camera, not on, so he felt somewhat opaque. But I liked the effort of trying to understand him very much. And with the Goulding book, there's more detail to the making of his movies, which I relish exploring as a writer.

With Joan, I dealt with living family members for the first time, and their contributions enrich the book more than I can say. Of the three, I think Joan is the best written, but one wants to believe one gets better at what one does each time out, doesn't one?

As to personal satisfaction, it would have to be Joan. The connection to living people, specifically her family, has been so rewarding.

Matthew
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Post by Matthew Kennedy »

Dear MikeBSG and All,
This is so much fun, but I have to get ready for school...I'll get to the longer posts later today (I hope).

Yes, Warner wanted to change her name to Inez Holmes. :shock: !! He had this ready made, sunny, perfect movie star name and he wanted to ditch it for something so dowdy. So glad that didn't happen.

I never came across anything on Blondell's opinions of Harlow. Yes, she could have played that meatier role in Public Enemy. Actually, she could have beautifully played many roles she was NOT given. I mean no disrespect to Colbert, or Lombard, or Dunne, but I can imagine Blondell doing equal justice to some of the A-list movies they made.
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Post by Lzcutter »

Mr. Kennedy,

Thanks for joining us this week at the Oasis.

I have been a big Joan fan ever since I discovered the movies over 35 years ago.

Like you, I watched Here Come the Brides when I was junior high. Later when I went to college one of my best friends was Henry Beckman's youngest son, Stuart. I was lucky enough to get to know Henry and his wife in their twilight years when he still had that twinkle in his eyes.

But I digress. How did Joan come to be cast in Brides? Was she doing a lot of television work back then?
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Question for Matthiew Kennedy

Post by OScott »

Welcome Matthew! And allow me to express my gratitude for your most satisfying biogrpahy on Joan Blondell. While paying homage to her talent and career, you allowed for an intimacy that reminded the reader that stars are human beings.

My quesiton for you is in regard to MGM's The Flame Within (1935). As I am working on a biography on Ann Harding, I am curious as to how much of Goulding's own character is reflected in Harding's role of the psychiatrist? Does her philosphy of letting go of self-interest in order to allow for the "greater ecstasy in doing the right thing" show up in Goulding's personal story? I know his wife passed away just before filming began on The Flame Within. I am curious as to what extent, if any, you think their relationship was reflected in this story.

Again, thanks for being here this week!
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Re: Hi Mr. Kennedy, thank you for joining us!

Post by charliechaplinfan »

Matthew Kennedy wrote:Hi Shonna,
I actually don't have anyone in mind at present for a biography, but I'm open to suggestions! I'm not a great idea person. Wish I could say I've got a storehouse of subjects to write about, but I don't. I am working on a new book, however, which is not a biography. I have to be on low volume as to the exact topic, but it's about musicals.

Matthew
If it's about musicals please count me, I know you can't say more but please can you come back at a later date and tell us more.

Thanks for filling me in in regards to Charlie and Marie. I think they were such a good pairing. It's a pity Chaplin didn't make Monsieur Verdoux years earlier as Marie would have been brilliant as one of his wifes (although she might have stolen the show)

I'm becoming more fimiliar with Joan BLondell as I watch more and more movies. Everything that I've seen her in also has James Cagney. I've read an interview with Cagney were he said that Warners was like a treadmill, you didn't really get to know who you were working with (this particular comment was about Ruby Keeler). James Cagney and Joan Blondell had such good chemistry together on screen. James Cagney is such a strong performer on screen that some can be overshone I never find this with his pairings with Joan. Did they enjoy working together?
Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself - Charlie Chaplin
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Post by jdb1 »

Welcome to the SSO boards, Matthew Kennedy. I recently read your excellent book on Joan Blondell and enjoyed it very much. I'd like to follow up on jondaris' question: your description of Blondell's work schedule at Warners sounds hellish. I can understand that, especially in the 1930s, work was work and people were glad to get it. But -- I wondered as I read about it -- were there other actors at the studio at that time whose workload was quite as heavy as Blondell's? And where was an agent to protect her interests?

How much of this rigor do you think was economic necessity, and how much may have been driven by Blondell's ego? In her heyday, was she such a "big" star, and perhaps the passage of time has dulled the memory? Do you think working was more important to her than was stardom? My impression from your book was that although she appears to have been a very nice woman, she had plenty of ambition and drive and didn't mind the attention and adulation one bit.

As for your next book, may I suggest as a subject my new favorite classic actress, with whom I became acquainted thanks to TCM: Mae Clarke. Not a major star, but a fascinating woman who led a fascinating, and sometimes harrowing, life. Actually, whether it's a good thing or not, Clarke's life story is the sort that's quite in vogue right now.

Thank you very much. Judith
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Post by silentscreen »

Good suggestion Judith! I'm not sure if anyone has written about him or not, but another suggestion for a bio would be precode actor Phillips Holmes. I remember him from "Night Court" with Anita Page and "Dinner at Eight." He had a brief and fascinating life, never made it as a major star, and died in a freak accident. Sounds like something that would sell. 8)
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Phillips Holmes

Post by bettyjoan »

Hi Silentscreen:

Per Phillips Holmes, wasn't he in a long-time romantic entanglement with the bizarre Lillian Holman? I think she wore him down and then seduced his actor brother, whom she later married. Phillips died young and tragically, proportedly broken down by Ms. Holman's unholy ministrations and then when his brother came back from the war she demeaned him and drove him to drink and an early grave. Ms. Holman led a sordid life and I believe she died mysteriously too.

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Post by Matthew Kennedy »

Dear Lynn and All,
First of all, l apologize for not being on site for almost 24 hours. I've been dealing with a term paper deadline, and I can't stay long this morning. But I'll be back this afternoon for a decent chunk of time to offer some thoughts on all these good questions and comments.

I had heard that Mr. Beckman (who played Clancey, the salty sea captain on Here Come the Brides), was still alive. He and Joan were apparently friends on the set, and I attempted to reach him, but no luck. Do you know more about him that you might share?

Joan came about the role of Lottie by a good old fashioned audition and screen test. The producers were thrilled to get her; she alone had name recognition among the cast. (The teen idol ascension of Bobby Sherman was still in the future.) There was an actress cast as Lottie before Joan, then let go, but out of respect to her, I was not given her name.

Joan was a familiar face on television from the early 1950s to her death in 1979. Check out her tv credit list in the back of the book - it's quite impressive. It looks like she guest starred on just about everything.

Matthew
Lzcutter wrote:Mr. Kennedy,

Thanks for joining us this week at the Oasis.

I have been a big Joan fan ever since I discovered the movies over 35 years ago.

Like you, I watched Here Come the Brides when I was junior high. Later when I went to college one of my best friends was Henry Beckman's youngest son, Stuart. I was lucky enough to get to know Henry and his wife in their twilight years when he still had that twinkle in his eyes.

But I digress. How did Joan come to be cast in Brides? Was she doing a lot of television work back then?
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Post by knitwit45 »

Matthew, we are honored to have you here, and any time spent with us is wonderful. I , too,am a Joan fan, and Marie Dressler films are always a sure bet to be entertaining. I don't have any questions, just wanted to chime in and say thanks for being here.

Nancy
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