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| Two of our legendary Stars of 2020, Sophia Loren & Jayne Mansfield |
It's always fascinating to me to focus on an actor's career, rather than as we typically do in film discussions on a director's. Watching these women, particularly under the guise of "Sex Symbols" was intriguing to me because Hollywood had different attitudes toward these beautiful women as the public began to find their sexuality passé, or eventually, absent. It is kind of heartbreaking to watch someone like a Jayne Mansfield or Raquel Welch, who clearly chose poorly at select moments of their careers & paid the price for it, and fascinating to watch a figure like Sophia Loren or Ann-Margret who was able to rise above their studio-forced persona and eventually gain mainstream critical recognition in their lifetimes.
Every film I watched this year was a movie I was seeing for the very first time, as well, so once again I was blown away by the expanses of Classic Hollywood, rich with westerns and noir and musicals that I'd never been exposed to. Next year we'll do our third and final tour of Classic Hollywood actresses (after that, if we continue the series, we're going to either add men or a more modern element for a fourth season), so we'll continue to mine this well, but before we do that, let's hand out some superlatives for this year's leading ladies.
Favorite Performance from Each Star
January: Jean Harlow-Red Dust
February: Betty Grable-I Wake Up Screaming
March: Lena Horne-Cabin in the Sky
April: Rita Hayworth-Separate Tables
June: Marilyn Monroe-The Misfits
September: Gina Lollobrigida-Come September
October: Nancy Kwan-The World of Suzie Wong
November: Ann-Margret-Carnal Knowledge
December: Raquel Welch-The Three Musketeers
5 Favorite Actresses of the Year (Alphabetical)
Jean Harlow
Rita Hayworth
Sophia Loren
Marilyn Monroe
Lana Turner
5 Favorite Performances of the Year (Alphabetical)
Rita Hayworth, Separate Tables
Sophia Loren, Two Women
Sophia Loren, Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Marilyn Monroe, The Misfits
Lana Turner, The Postman Always Rings Twice
10 Favorite Films of the Year (Alphabetical)
Top 10 Performances of the Year (Not By Our Leading Ladies)
Clark Gable, The Misfits
David Niven, Separate Tables
Eli Wallach, The Misfits
Ethel Waters, Cabin in the Sky
Eve Arden, Cover Girl
Jennifer Jones, Beat the Devil
Juanita Moore, Imitation of Life
Laird Cregar, I Wake Up Screaming
Susan Kohner, Imitation of Life
Thelma Ritter, The Misfits
2 comments:
Thank you for recognizing "Separate Tables", a favorite of mine for many years. Not a misstep in any of the performances. Burt Lancaster was especially well cast and David Niven playing against type was quite a revelation. Rita Hayworth who was never on my must see list for whatever reason, was amazing. She's really unlikeable but you feel sorry for her anyway.
I'm so glad to see Thelma Ritter mentioned. She was wonderful in so many movies - especially as the visiting nurse to James Stewart in "Rear Window" and as the friend of Linda Darnell's family in "A Letter to Three Wives".
And if you've never seen the original 1934 version of "Imitation of Life" with Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers, it's well worth it. Considering the topic and the year it was made, the movie seems pretty remarkable.
I totally agree-I wasn't expecting much from Separate Tables, I'll be honest. I ended with it because it's a big Oscar winner (and I am always trying to finish big Oscar winners), but was blown away by how strong the ensemble was, and how much I genuinely appreciated the cast (particularly Niven & Hayworth, totally against type but well-suited for the parts).
I don't know if you caught it, but we did A Letter to Three Wives last year, and I agree-Ritter is just aces in it, and it's a pity that she never won an Oscar. I think my favorite performance of hers is Pickup on South Street. If you haven't seen it, I'd highly recommend.
Imitation of Life (the 1934 version) is definitely on my list (Colbert really had a bravura year in 1934, didn't she?), but I haven't gotten to it yet. Hopefully a film I can catch in 2021 though-thanks for the recommendation!
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