The Silver Screen Oasis

^ Oh, good choices! I love all of those guys. Especially Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Can't wait to find out who you pick for the other two. Are you gonna count my William Powell too?

pktrekgirl wrote:^ Oh, good choices! I love all of those guys. Especially Clark Gable and Spencer Tracy. Can't wait to find out who you pick for the other two. Are you gonna count my William Powell too?

Hello, dahlink---you READ MY MIND. Of course the ooooh, so suave and perfect Mr. P. is included and I couldn't live with myself if I left him off. It's deciding who's on fifth that's got me stymied: I have to choose betwixt Yul Brynner, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart. Bogie is the best actor of the three, but I'm so pixilated over Frankie and Yul that I can't bring myself to desert them. Decisions! Decisions!

Final Two favorites (in addition to Gable, Tracy & Montgomery):

William Powell - Powell raises the bar in so many ways: in talent and ability to move so smoothly from drama to the airiest of comedy; in terms of personal style---he was a man of impeccable taste in manner and appearance; and in trying at all times and ways to behave as a gentleman. All these things come thru each performance, and for the countless hours of pleasure that has brought me, I'm indebted to him.

Favorite films: My Man Godrey, The Thin Man movies, Manhattan Melodrama, One Way Passage, Jewell Robert, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid, Life with Father

Errol Flynn: PK said already the best things about him; I gave him a top five slot because I was too torn between Sinatra, Brynner, Bogie and even a few others. By default, but hardly less deserving, I must include the man who surprised me the most by his talent on screen, his depth off-screen.

Favorite films: Captain Blood, The Sea Hawk, The Sun Also Rises, That Forsythe Woman, Gentleman Jim, Dodge City, The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Adventures of Don Juan and Too Much, Too Soon.

^ YAY!!!

I love 5th place!

I mean, I love 4th place too...but you surprised me with 5th place!

I was rooting for Bogie...and ended up with Errol.



It's hard to pick 5, isn't it? I mean, I could easily have put Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy in my list as well. And Gregory Peck and Ronald Colman are up there too. My top 3 are pretty well nailed down...but I could have weaseled out of putting Chaplin in there and given 4th spot to someone else, because Chaplin was WAY more than just an actor. However, it wouldn't have mattered. Too many deserving candidates.

great Jeeeehosaphat!!! I can't believe I completely forgot Mitchum. I knew there was someone I was leaving off and it was big, bad Bob. Shame, shame on me. I'm so glad you brought him aboard, Holmsey, because baby, I care!!!

P.S. Because I am a direct descendant of Pandora, can you please share who your "top 5" western actors would be?

Miss G

pktrekgirl wrote:^ YAY!!!

I love 5th place!

I mean, I love 4th place too...but you surprised me with 5th place!

I was rooting for Bogie...and ended up with Errol.



It's hard to pick 5, isn't it? I mean, I could easily have put Clark Gable or Spencer Tracy in my list as well. And Gregory Peck and Ronald Colman are up there too. My top 3 are pretty well nailed down...but I could have weaseled out of putting Chaplin in there and given 4th spot to someone else, because Chaplin was WAY more than just an actor. However, it wouldn't have mattered. Too many deserving candidates.

I thought I'd surprise you with #5! And it was hard, plus I just realized I forgot all about Robert Mitchum. He probably would have fought it out with Frankie and Errol to be included, if I had my thinking cap on. You see? I just keep coming up with more favorites.

^ Oh...I know.

Maybe I should have made these threads 'top 10' instead of 'top 5'. But I wonder even if *that* would have made a difference.

I'd get 10 on a list and go..."Well, what about Joel McCrea? Or Melvyn Douglas? I love Melvyn Douglas!! I need 11!!!!"

It's never-ending, I think.

I mean, look at this -

Gary Cooper
Errol Flynn
Rudolph Valentino
Charlie Chaplin
William Powell

Humphrey Bogart
Clark Gable
Gregory Peck
Ronald Colman
Spencer Tracy

So...whadaya do with Montgomery Clift? Or Joel McCrea? Or Melvyn Douglas? Or Charles Boyer? Or Cary Grant? Or good grief, JAMES CAGNEY??????? Who I positively *adore*???

See? No point in making it 10 cus ya end up with the same dilemma.

pktrekgirl wrote:^ Oh...I know.

Maybe I should have made these threads 'top 10' instead of 'top 5'. But I wonder even if *that* would have made a difference.

I'd get 10 on a list and go..."Well, what about Joel McCrea? Or Melvyn Douglas? I love Melvyn Douglas!! I need 11!!!!"

It's never-ending, I think.

I mean, look at this -

Gary Cooper
Errol Flynn
Rudolph Valentino
Charlie Chaplin
William Powell

Humphrey Bogart
Clark Gable
Gregory Peck
Ronald Colman
Spencer Tracy

So...whadaya do with Montgomery Clift? Or Joel McCrea? Or Melvyn Douglas? Or Charles Boyer? Or Cary Grant? Or good grief, JAMES CAGNEY??????? Who I positively *adore*???

See? No point in making it 10 cus ya end up with the same dilemma.

You said it! I always finish my list then ONE MORE pops up that I forgot!! Hee!

SHolmes wrote: Gary Cooper
William Boyd (Hopalong Cassidy)
Roy Rogers
John Wayne
Clayton Moore (the Lone Ranger)

Others such as
James Stewart,
Robert Mitchum
Gregory Peck
Henry Fonda
Clark Gable
Kirk Douglas
etc. were great cowboys but they were also known for so much more. So I don't always place them in the "cowboy" catagory.

I'm not as familiar with Hop-Along, The Lone Ranger (though I did watch the serial on television once) or even Roy Rogers' movies, but they are definitely legendary aren't they? I'm sure they all must be in that "western heritage museum" as honorees. For what it is worth, here are my top five western actors (though many be stars of other genres):

Gary Cooper
John Wayne
Walter Brennan
James Stewart
Robert Mitchum

It was hard to leave off Alan Ladd for Shane's sake, and Henry Fonda as well as of course, Randy Scott and Joel McRea, but like PKgirl said, it's tough to choose!!

Leo McKern, James Mason, Albert Finney, Spencer Tracey and Robert Mitchum - to begin with.

My husband likes: George Brent, William Powell, William Holden, Warner Baxter and Zachery Scott ( I love Mr. Scott too.)

Well here's my top 5 classic Hollywood actors:

1. Cary Grant - I adore this man, he's versatile, cool, handsome, funny, charming. I could gush forever about him.

2. Henry Fonda - The quintessential everyman.

3. Kirk Douglas - I've seen about 10 of his movies now, and I have no idea if he can act, but I love his intensity, and when he raises his voice you listen. He pretty much perfected to smarmy conman who comes around in the end. He's Charlton Heston without the self-righteousness.

4. Jimmy Stewart - Similar to Fonda in that you always end up routing for him. I love how he can say the craziest stuff and somehow you just accept it: ie the moonbeams speech in It's a Wonderful Life and most of his dialogue in Rope.

5. Joseph Cotten - I was watching Gaslight and my dad noticed Joseph Cotten, and he told me how people used to tell him he looked like Joe Cotten. So now every time I watch a Joseph Cotten film, I keep picturing my dad.

1 Charlie Chaplin

2 Cary Grant

3 Gene Kelly

4 Clark Gable

5 Jean Gabin

I think! It's always subject to change

1. James Stewart

2. Humphrey Bogart

3. Robert Mitchum

4. Robert Ryan

5. (tie) Sterling Hayden & Timothy Carey (Dewey -- you know that the latter blew James Dean right off the screen in EAST OF EDEN, don't you? )

So many Honorable Mentions: Lon Chaney, Sr., Elisha Cook, Jr., Whit Bissell, Charles Chaplin, Richard Widmark, Orson Welles, John Cassavetes, Gene Evans, Lee Marvin, Richard Conte, James Dean, Claude Rains, Peter Lorre, Cary Grant, Arch Hall, Jr.....