Alexis Smith

[moira finnie]

Today is the birthday of Alexis Smith (1921-1993), an actress whose supporting work in films of the forties that I have seen since childhood made her an enduring, polished presence in scads of beloved Warner Brothers movies. Her very real abilities as a dramatic actress of that period (and later) made her films far richer--though only recently have I begun to appreciate her skill as an actor, (why was she always playing "Miss Frosty" I now wonder?). TCM has assembled a day's worth of her movies from this period. If you would like to read a unique insight into her character and her career, Jacqueline Lynch at Another Old Movie Blog has written an exceptional post about her on- and off-screen friendship with Errol Flynn.

Below you can see the complete schedule with links to more about each film. (All times shown are ET). If you miss any of these when they air, the good news is that most of them are on DVD. Do you have a favorite Alexis Smith movie?

6:00 AM
The Smiling Ghost (1941)

7:15 AM
Dive Bomber (1941)

9:30 AM
The Constant Nymph (1943)

11:30 AM
The Horn Blows At Midnight (1945)

1:00 PM
Conflict (1945)

2:30 PM
Of Human Bondage (1946)

4:30 PM
Stallion Road (1947)

6:15 PM
Montana (1950)

[mongoII]

Thanks, Moira. Nice to read about actress Alexis Smith, who is seldom mentioned on the boards.
I always adored her. Also that is a great blog with her and Errol Flynn. Touching.

[charliechaplinfan]

It is a lovely blog and such a nice clip from Montana. I like Alexis Smith but so far I haven't had chance to discover her as more than Errol's leading lady or as the other woman in The Constant Nymph, not a complimentary part but played by Alexis she retained a dignity, it's a great performance. I'm hoping someone will give me the heads up as to which other movies to watch to see her at her best.

[Rita Hayworth]

The only Alexis Smith movie that I seen is Dive Bomber ... I did not see it yesterday ... but it was good movie to watch and one of those rare color (came out in 1941) World War II films of both Errol Flynn and Fred MacMurray starred in. I did not know that Alexis Smith was in this movie ... but the performances of both Flynn and MacMurray kind of took that away from her.

She is a good actress ... and I have many friends in Vancouver B.C. adore her.

[Jacqueline T. Lynch]

Thanks for the kind words on my blog post about Alexis Smith and Errol Flynn. Nice place you've got here.

[moira finnie]

Hi Jacqueline! It's great to see you posting here as well as on your blog. (see the link in Jacqueline's signature line for a link). We all try to have fun and learn more about classic movies here. We are pretty light-hearted, though serious and thorough discussions often break out here on a range of topics (including, shockingly) non-classic movies and news of the day. Please feel free to look the place over and post wherever you would like. If you need any help any one of our members and mods are always eager to be of assistance.

[Jacqueline T. Lynch]

Thanks, Moira. I'll just leave my coat on the bed with the others in the back bedroom and help myself to nachos. Oh, yeah, and speaking of Randolph Scott...or, uh, what were we talking about?

[CineMaven]

Hi there Jacqueline. Those coats on the bed are mink and sable and you can hand yours over to Thelma Ritter. She'll watch over everything. I was surprised to read of Errol's love for Alexis. I guess I always thought that Olivia had an exclusive lock on his heart. Great article: ( “ 'Dive Bomber' (1941) is a pretty, pretty movie." ) Ha!!

Welcome to the Oasis.

[Uncle Stevie]

Alexis Smith was always my secret beauty. Secret because she always looked more mature than most other actresses and I did not want anyone to think I was in love with my Mother. I thought Aexis was georgous in a beautiful way and not a sexy way. I loved her in "Night And Day" and "Rhapsody In Blue". Did you know that Alexis Smith did a ton of TV shows and Movies? She did 73 titles in all for both movies and TV. I am a big fan.

[Jacqueline T. Lynch]

Thanks CineMaven. I love your comment about Thelma Ritter taking the coats. That's perfect. Thanks for the mention on my "Dive Bomber" piece. My gosh, that really was a pretty, pretty movie. Like a basket of pastel Easter eggs, only with plane crashes in it.

Uncle Stevie, I know just what you mean about Alexis Smith's allure. I've read more than one film critic/historian refer to her screen presence as showing character and depth as well as beauty, which I suppose is the maturity that shines through. I did another post months ago on what fascinates me most about her career -- the fact that Warner Bros. didn't seem to know what to do with a tall girl. It's here: http://anotheroldmovieblog.blogspot.com ... smith.html.

Her Broadway smash at 50 years old rejuvenated her career in an astounding way. If one had the acting chops and was willing to work her tail off, Broadway could really do that. It did the same for Angela Lansbury, of course, and others.

[charliechaplinfan]

Nice to see you here Jacqueline, I post in facebook as Victoralice I watched your tribute there.

I would love to watch her in Dive Bomber and Montana, she's a great screen partner for Errol Flynn and I do struggle to see why Charles Boyer would leave her for Joan Fontaine in The Constant Nymph, she looks far more fun.

[Jacqueline T. Lynch]

Thank you, CharlieChaplinFan. I agree, she was splendid in "Constant Nymph". She credited Edmund Goulding as being one of the directors from whom she learned the most. I hope you can see "Dive Bomber" and "Montana" sometime, though her role in the former is very brief.

You had earlier wanted to know what other films of hers to watch. I like "The Turning Point" very much with William Holden, which I understand is due for a DVD release later this year. She's an intelligent aide to a district attorney, well-born and ladylike but down to earth, who helps newspaperman Holden ferret out a crime that hits too close to home.

"The Sleeping Tiger" is a British-made film with Dirk Bogarde. She has a stronger role here, the wife of a psychiatrist whose self discipline cracks to reveal a bitterly unhappy woman when she is caught in a romantic triangle. Lots of melodrama here and emotional breakdowns. I think she has the most screen time in this film than any other she did.

Two other films of that era of the 1950s show her only briefly as a minor player, but they have good scenes. One, the comedy "The Happy Feeling" starring Debbie Reynolds (with another small role taken by Mary Astor), and the Paul Newman soap opera "The Philadelphians", where Alexis plays the gentle, frustrated trophy wife of a much older man. In both these films, she is more mature as a person and an actress, and you see terrific subtlety in her work. As always, she displays that marvelous personal magnetism that makes her the one to watch in any scene. These two films represented her last work on screen for many years.

All four of these films, incidentally, were made after her Warner Bros. contracted ended. You get the sense she was testing her wings.

[Rita Hayworth]

Jacqueline ... I'm glad you are another fan of the "Constant Nymph" ... it is nice to know that. Welcome ... I enjoyed reading your posts here.

[Jacqueline T. Lynch]

Thank you, KingMe. This seems like a very nice group, only I think Thelma Ritter is walking off with my sable coat.

"The Constant Nymph" is surely an extraordinary film, good performances all around. Joan Fontaine was terrific as the spirited young girl. As I've written elsewhere, one of my favorite illusions in this film is the fact that Alexis Smith was actuallly some four years younger than Joan Fontaine. In the movie, of course, Smith is Fontaine's guardian, an older sophisticated woman to Fontaine's teenager. Their wonderful acting, and obviously the great difference in height between them, make us believe the illusion.