ASK ALEXA!

[JackFavell]

Thank you so much for your words about Virginia Grey. It really breaks my heart that her career maybe didn't go as far as she would have wished. I always wondered why she didn't become a huge star. She was so beautiful and had a great way with a line. She always seems to be having a great time. That scene from The Women is my absolute favorite in the film because of the voice-over interview clip on TCM. Now that I think about it, that clip is pretty much my favorite of all the ones on TCM aside from the Burt Reynolds/Spencer Tracy interstitial which makes me cry every time I see it. Between you and me, though I now enjoy Crawford (thanks to TCM), I think Virginia runs rings around her in that scene.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

True, Jackie. Thanks for the Virginia Grey anecdotes, Alexa.

[JackFavell]

Alexa, I was just wondering about the Rod Taylor interview on The Time Machine that's been showing in between movies on TCM lately. Did you get to do that interview? Rod seemed such a warm open man, not movie starrish at all. Do you have any info on him or any of his movies?

[Mrs. Osborne]

Happy Monday SSO fans-

I wanted to follow up a bit more on Virginia Grey.

She told us that her dad was in THE GOLD RUSH with Chaplin, and had been a director for Mack Sennett, and at Universal.He died very young and Carl Laemmle gave her mother a job as a film librarian and later as a cutter.

She told us that her casting in UNCLE TOM'S CABIN was not due to her parents being in the business but due to the fact that it was Saturday and Virginia's mom was taking her to the dentist after working at the studio (yes they worked on Saturday then). The producer saw Virginia while he was with Virginia's mom who was filing all of the screen tests for Eva. Her mom said no but the producer said YES and they put a wig on her....

She said she set up a meeting with LB Mayer in the 40's after being past over by other actresses - including ones on loan from Fox and she had been doing "everything that they threw at" her.....she asked for a test for the picture that the Fox actress was doing..anything to show him she could do the part.
That is when he asked how long she had been at Metro and she told him and he said Virginia you have had everything but luck. And that was the end of her contract.

Lastly she said that Ray Heindorf was her brother in law (who knew!?) and she told me "you know your background, honey!" What a compliment.

On Rod Taylor- no I did not do that interview, but one year on TNT (sister channel) they ran a birthday celebration for him and had his age wrong. He faxed his birth certificate to prove he was younger that they were saying he was. VERY FUNNY GUY!

Ok Update on Enchanted Island - we hope to air it March.

That is all for now. gotta get to work on Osborne and Mankiewicz!

Tata.

[JackFavell]

Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy day to follow up with us! It was a pleasure.

[Mrs. Osborne]

Dear Masha

Osborne is a READER. He loves reading and if we air a James Hilton movie for example, RANDOM HARVEST, we both go back and read the original novel to find the differences. We also did that with SUSPICION.

and yes if an author is involved with the making of a picture, I will get his or her bio and see what they thought of the finished product.

Also one last thing on Virginia Grey and I will shut up.
I was reading Jackie Gleason's bio and he dated her!!! WOW. Talk about coincidences.
He said she was a devout Catholic and was not interested in getting married....to him.

Thanks all.
Off to my college this week to make a speech about liberal arts educations and who knew what you could do with a double major in FILM and ENGLISH?

Alexa (aka Mrs. O)

[JackFavell]

Thanks for those tidbits, Alexa! I'm glad to know that Robert Osborne is a reader.

I don't think anyone here will mind at all if you run on about Virginia Grey. Does this mean there might be a Virginia Grey day coming to TCM soon? Or is your interest in her purely personal?

When you research, do you have files of interesting topics for future use on TCM? I can't imagine keeping all this information organized. There would have to be a file for every star, director, cameraman, etc. How do you store your information?

[moira finnie]

Yeah! Please babble away about Virginia Grey anytime. She's a very cool lady in my book too. I would love to know what she thought of directors George Cukor, Douglas Sirk and Budd Boetticher.


Could you please tell us if you interviewed character actress Ann Doran for that fascinating interstitial about Rebel Without a Cause that has been running on TCM? Doran, who could play down-to-earth to hoity-toity characters, had such an incredible career, appearing as a page in Douglas Fairbanks Robin Hood (1922) and in films and tv shows well into the 1980s.

BTW, Ann, who appeared in at least 350 movies and television programs, makes two appearances on TCM tomorrow, Tue., Oct. 8th.

Love Is Better Than Ever (1952) @2pm (ET) directed by Stanley Donen
Rebel Without a Cause (1955) @8pm (ET) directed by Nicholas Ray

[Mrs. Osborne]

Yes, I did interview Ann Doran and she was wonderful

Let me look back at her interview and pull any "tidbits."

Thank you.

[moira finnie]

Thanks, Alexa. I look forward to whatever you find.

[Sue Sue Applegate]

Thank you for your latest comments, Alexa!

[Mrs. Osborne]

Ok SSO fans-

I looked back and Ann Doran was very funny - she loved Michael Curtiz (he gave her a ride home once when her car broke down) and Bill Wellman and of course Frank Capra.
She told me that she estimated that she had been in 500 movies and 1,000 tv shows. WOW.

Also Mary Astor is definitely on for MARCH SOM.

Thanks!

[charlestranberg]

Hello Alexa,
Love TCM and the job all of you do. I was so excited last year when you showed the 1951 version of "A Christmas Carol" and that it will be on TCM again this December 19th! It's my all-time favorite Christmas film. My questions actually pertain to Christmas films. Is there any chance that TCM could acquire the rights to "It's A Wonderful Life" so it is showed on TCM the way it should be--commercial free? and any chance of showing a wonderful British Christmas film called "The Holly & The Ivy" (1952) with Ralph Richardson? Thanks again!

[Mrs. Osborne]

Dear charlestranberg-

IAWL is licensed exclusively to NBC for Christmas and we have tried to license THATI in the past but have been unsuccessful.

Thanks for watching!
we are showing the 1935 Scrooge and 1947's Christmas Eve for the first time in December.