Dear Bettyjoan, There is a noble tradition of curmudgeons in classic Hollywood, isn't there? In addition to Greenstreet and Rains, there's Eugene Pallette, Frank Morgan, Thomas Mitchell, and Charles Coburn. Old Hollywood was so great at making art out of characters. Perhaps the actors felt typecast,...

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 ...

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....

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 ar...

Hi Bettyjoan, I'm afraid I agree with you about many of today's stars. I try not to get too curmudgeonly about it. Oh yes, I certainly do have some pre-code Blondells to recommend! Her first starring role is in Blonde Crazy (1931) with James Cagney. The sparks really fly between the two of them. Unf...

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 vol...

Hi Joe, I neglected to cover your question about Joan's favorite movies. She loved The King and the Chorus Girl (1937), A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945), and Lizzie (1957). There are others that turned out well for her, such as Nightmare Alley (1947) and Desk Set (1957). For some of the rest of us, w...

I'm fairly certain that Tillie is in the public domain, so no studio is likely to champion it for restoration. It's a real shame, because as you point out, it is an extremely important movie historically. If it's not in the Film Registry, it should be. Marie wrote fondly of making Tillie, and she wo...

Hi Joe, Thanks - it's great to be here among such well-informed cineastes! Gosh - so many questions! It doesn't seem that Marie was the funny woman off screen that she was on. Not that she didn't hold court at parties and leave guests in stitches. She did. But during her vaudeville days, she once sa...

Hi CoffeeDan, I believe it was part of his principles of good filmmaking. Goulding was the unshowiest of directors. For him, everything and everyone, including the director, was in service to the actors rendering believable emotions. (That's quite a trick, considering the far-fetched plots of, for e...

[quote="moirafinnie"]Welcome to our May Guest Star Matthew Kennedy , the author of "Marie Dressler: A Biography" (McFarland), "Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory" (Univ. of Wisconsin Press) & "Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes" (Univ. of Mississippi Press). ...