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Living Legends: Remaining Stars of the Studio System
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Living Legends: Remaining Stars of the Studio System
The passing of Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011) and Farley Granger (1925 – 2011) along with Jane Russell (1921 – 2011) a couple months ago got me to thinking about the fabled Studio System with all its glories and abuses. And how it represented a golden age in movie making and in our movie going as well.
Studios with names like Paramount, Warner Brothers, Universal, RKO Radio Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Columbia Pictures, United Artists and the Rolls Royce of them all MGM. Those names along with their famous logos were as familiar to us as Cocoa Cola or The White House.
I was a kid when that era was coming to an end but didn’t realize it although many people were talking and writing about it. I guess like countless others I didn’t believe it. Because the system with its publicity machines, star making techniques, fan magazines and glamorous premieres seemed so firmly a part of our lives and culture that like certain mountain ranges we somehow thought that it would be here forever.
Those thoughts set me to thinking about the people from that era who are still around. The ones who lived and worked in that legendary system at sometime in their careers. People whose lives and experiences along with their talent and memories could fill all the floors of several museums. Most have written biographies but that’s not enough. We need to collect and permanently house their memorabilia along with their reminisces someplace where they can be kept and preserved for us and future generations to study, investigate and peruse.
Some years ago a British producer told me that he considered Jazz music and The Hollywood Film Industry to be the United States two greatest art forms. I wholly agree. The System and the golden age it ushered in are gone. But we still have a fair number of individuals who worked and contributed to that golden time still with us. And even though their memories of that period aren’t always golden it still was a magical time that deserves to be remembered and treasured because we will never see its like again.
Some of the big names that provide us with a direct link to that bygone era include MGM stars: Mickey Rooney (91), Jane Powell (82), Debbie Reynolds (79), Vic Damone (82), Ann Blyth (82), Leslie Caron (78), Gloria DeHaven (86), Marge Champion (92), Deanna Durbin (89) and Esther Williams (89). Then there are the Academy Award winning sisters Olivia DeHavilland ((95) and Joan Fontaine (94). Exotic Turhan Bey (87), eternally sexy Joan Collins (76), seductive Louis Jourdan (90),Viking tough guy Kirk Douglas (85),the redheads Maureen O’Hara (91), Arlene Dahl (81) and Rhonda Fleming (86). Then there’s the ever youthful Tab Hunter (78), dancer Mitzi Gaynor (78), actor turned Ambassador John Gavin (79), child actor turned Ambassador the iconic Shirley Temple, actress turned nun and two time Elvis co-star Delores Hart (72). Oscar winners Cliff Robertson (87), Shirley Jones (75), Celeste Holm (90), and George Chakiris (75). Actress turned animal rescue activist Tippi Hedren (81) and a whole slew of Studio staples who were wonderful performers in their own right. They include: Martha Hyer (85), Steve Forrest (85), Angie Dickinson (78), Nancy Davis Reagan (88), Debra Paget (77), Brad Dillman (79),Coleen Gray (87),Mona Freeman (84), Nanatte Frabray (89), Robert Wagner (81),Kathryn Grant Crosby (76),Julie Adams (88), Barbara Hale (88) Stuart Whitman (83) Diane Baker (73), Dina Merrill (85), Polly Bergen (79), Ben Cooper (77) and Carol Baker (78). Then there are the ones who started young; Dean Stockwell (75), Russ Tamblyn (76),Richard Beymer (71), Claude Jarman Jr. (75) and Carleton Carpenter (83).
Others that I sometimes forget whose careers started with the studio system or worked in it from time to time are; Clint Eastwood (79),Sidney Poitier (84), James Arness (86),Pat Boone (75),Zsa Zsa Gabor (92),Ruby Dee (84),Sean Connery (79),Mike Conners (84), Harry Belafonte (83), Robert Evans (80) who later became a studio executive and dancer turned innovative director Stanley Donen (85).
I’m sure there are others that I’m forgetting. For that I apologize and encourage you to please let me know about it so that I can correct the oversight.
Every profession has its heroes and heroines. For me and for the way they enriched my life with their talent, their personalities, their grace, along with their beauty and personal charm they will always be heroes from that legendary period of the Studio System.
-GE.
Tags: 20th Century Fox, actor turned Ambassador John Gavin (79), actress turned nun and two time Elvis co-star Delores Hart (72, and George Chakiris (75), Angie Dickinson (78), Ann Blyth (82), Arlene Dahl (81) and Rhonda Fleming (86). Then there’s the ever youthful Tab Hunter (78), Barbara Hale (88) Stuart Whitman (83) Diane Baker (73), Ben Cooper (77) and Carol Baker (78, Brad Dillman (79), Celeste Holm (90), child actor turned Ambassador the iconic Shirley Temple, Claude Jarman Jr. (75) and Carleton Carpenter (83, Cliff Robertson (87), Clint Eastwood (79), Coleen Gray (87), Columbia Pictures, dancer Mitzi Gaynor (78), Dean Stockwell (75), Deanna Durbin (89) and Esther Williams (89). Then there are the Academy Award winning sisters Olivia DeHavilland ((95) and Joan Fontaine (94). Exotic Turhan Bey (87), Debbie Reynolds (79), Debra Paget (77), Dina Merrill (85), Elizabeth Taylor, eternally sexy Joan Collins (76), Farley Granger, Gloria DeHaven (86), Harry Belafonte (83), James Arness (86), Jane Powell (82), Jane Russell, Julie Adams (88), Kathryn Grant Crosby (76), Leslie Caron (78), Marge Champion (92), Martha Hyer (85), Mickey Rooney (91), Mike Conners (84), Mona Freeman (84), Nanatte Frabray (89), Nancy Davis Reagan (88), Paramount, Pat Boone (75), Polly Bergen (79), Richard Beymer (71), RKO Radio Pictures, Robert Evans (80), Robert Wagner (81), Ruby Dee (84), Russ Tamblyn (76), Sean Connery (79), seductive Louis Jourdan (90), Shirley Jones (75), Sidney Poitier (84), Steve Forrest (85), the redheads Maureen O’Hara (91), Tippi Hedren, United Artists, Universal, Vic Damone (82), Viking tough guy Kirk Douglas (85), Warner Brothers, Zsa Zsa Gabor (92)
Desert Island Movies #1
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Desert Island Movie#1
There is a game I used to enjoy playing by myself that I’d like to share with you although I haven’t played it in a long, long time. Maybe it’s because I’m older and have less imagination than I had before. But anyway, here goes.
It’s the old “Desert Island” thing. They used to play it with books way back then when reading was a more popular pastime. The question was; “If you were stranded on a desert island forever and ever which 10 books would you want to have with you?”…Now the same question substituting the word movies for the word books. This question is not as easy as it sounds if you’re going to play the game seriously because it requires that you review in your mind all the movies that you’ve seen then narrow the list down for a variety of reasons. And none of these reasons can have anything to do with critical acclaim, awards won or the film’s designation as a classic or a piece of cinematic shit. It only has to do with you and how you emotionally, more than intellectually react to the film in question. But let us not completely discount the intellectual aspect because that counts for something too. Just don’t give it too much weight.
It’s been so long since I’ve played this game that I’m finding it difficult to get started again. But I’ll take a stab at it.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Howard Hawks-1953).
To my rational mind this is a stupid, somewhat harmless musical expertly made but without the grace notes and sublime pleasures of an MGM-Freed Unit creation. But the women! Oh my God, the women, the women, the women. By that I mean Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell. Russell and Monroe, Monroe and Russell and Russell and Monroe. Were there ever two more beautiful, sexy and seemingly available women presented so lavishly, so lovingly and so abundantly on the screen? To my eyes and mind no, never. Over the years when asked about this film I always describe it as the most heterosexual musical I’ve ever seen. And that it has the healthy potency of a good strip show. Every time I look at this film I fantasize and dream, dream and fantasize about so many possibilities that it makes my head spin. And when it comes to the ladies who would I choose If I had to? In my mind it’s always a photo finish with Russell winning by a very slim margin. But then I look at the “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” number and I’m not so sure anymore. But then Russell’s court room spoof of the same number stops me in my tracks and I’m confused once again. Another knockout moment is the “When Love goes Wrong” number. I think of those two kids with the women and how close they were to magic and didn’t, couldn’t realize it. I didn’t when I first saw the film so why should they? In fact when I think about it I was about the same age as they were. But then as the years went by the film keeps coming back and taking me in its arms. Or am I the one who’s doing the embracing? Either way we have each other and will never let go.
So there you have it, the first of my desert island movies. There will be nine more as the weeks go by. But play along with me. Send me a list of your desert island ten. Why should I have all the fun?
-GE.
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