Hello Bogie, I’m guessing that you are comparing Kay’s roles in such films as I Loved a Woman (1933) in which she played an enterprising and successful opera singer (with a number of male lovers) vs. Another Dawn (1937) where she is guilt-ridden over her quasi-extra-marital affair with Errol Flynn. ...

Dearest Ann, I suspect what translated on screen between Colman and Kay was a reflection of some off-screen affair. Kay, a very passionate woman, was usually ‘willing’ when it came to a man she was attracted to. As I mentioned to Brenda, Kay found ‘Ronnie’ “exciting!” When Colman and his pal William...

Hi Brenda, You will get your chance to see more of Kay Francis in September --- she’ll be TCM’s designated ‘Star of the Month.’ You must have seen Cynara , which is among her best. I would also be on the lookout for: One Way Passage , Trouble in Paradise , House on 56th Street , Give Me Your Heart ,...

Well, I have my ‘Paradise Cocktail’ in hand Moira, and am ready to ‘cyber-cruise’ on the SSO. 8) I would wager that the fading legend Kay Francis experienced was not so unusual. Many of her contemporaries experienced a similar fate. I remember around 1960, getting home from junior high, turning on t...

Myrna did refer to her "yellowface" role in 13 Women as a "racist concoction." Myrna Loy: Being and Becoming c.1987

Kudos to Helen Westley by all means. She definitely epitomized and "preserved" the ornery old bitty who could melt into a puddle of love at the right moment. If you get a chance -- see her in Splendor (1935). Westley is quite frightening as the mother who encourages her daughter-in-law to ...

The 1951 version was re-released to theatres in the early 60's. Musicals were at a dearth at that time, so I was thrilled to get to see it. I thought Keel and Grayson, in delicious technicolor, made a handsome pair. In 1969, when I was in college, San Francisco's Palace of Legion of Honor revived th...

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 researching Ann Harding, I would very much appreciate getting a copy of The Conquerors. That film, along with Girl of The Golden West are the only two I am missing. I'm especially intrigued after reading these comments. The reviews from 1932-33 claimed the film paled in comparison to Cimarro...

CharlieChaplinFan Chaplin, Keaton and Gene Kelly films are a Universal language. Your five-year-old is lucky! My youngest sister became a Barbara Stanwyck fan through my inundating her with classic films. My partner, who knew little about pre-1960 Hollywood before I met him 9 years ago -- is now smi...

I was willingly indoctrinated by both my parents. We went to the movies absolutely every weekend while I was growing up (1950-65). That's one hell-of-a-lot of movies. :D My mother never missed a Doris Day film. She always talked about how she and her friends in high school used to drive to Salt Lake...