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| Two of our stars this year, Lucille Ball & Ann Sothern |
This year was really interesting for me for a couple of reasons. For starters, it was really the first season where I didn't have "stars" at the center, and of course it was our first season with men. As a result, there were actors this year where I was watching a movie where they barely showed up, character actors in Old Hollywood being harder to track their "most significant" roles. As a result, our annual discussion below of "favorite performances" I ended up in some cases having less options.
But I also kind of loved that, as it underlined the main thesis of this year: that television gave these performers an opportunity that movies simply couldn't. Some of these actors had great potential, but the public (or the studio heads) couldn't see it for what it was, and TV brought that talent out in them. Others, quite frankly, needed the banality of television compared to the "make an impact every time" culture of movies because their star personas weren't as curated. We'll be getting back to star culture in 2023 (while they might occasionally take supporting parts depending on our film, all 12 of our stars this year are generally considered to be "leading players"), I won't forget that lesson as I continue to watch the twelve stars we watched this past year in other films in the decades to come. Below, I have created a little list celebrating the best of this year's stars. Thank you so much to everyone who joined us for part or all of this year's season-I'm excited to have you back for season five's "When Cowboys Ruled Hollywood"!:
Favorite Performance from Each Star
January: Lucille Ball-Dance. Girl. Dance.
February: Jack Benny-George Washington Slept Here
March: Eve Arden-Comrade X
April: Ann Sothern-Lady in a Cage
May: Robert Young-They Won't Believe Me
June: Spring Byington-BF's Daughter
July: Loretta Young-Midnight Mary
August: John Payne-Silver Lode
September: Ward Bond-The Wings of Eagles
October: Walter Brennan-Come and Get It
November: Donna Reed-The Last Time I Saw Paris
December: Barbara Stanwyck-Baby Face
5 Favorite Performers (Alphabetical, and based solely on the films we watched as a collective & not on the rest of their careers)
5 Favorite Performances of the Year (Alphabetical)
Lucille Ball, Dance. Girl. Dance.
Barbara Stanwyck, Baby Face
Barbara Stanwyck, The Furies
Ann Sothern, Lady in a Cage
Loretta Young, Midnight Mary
10 Favorite Films of the Year (Alphabetical)
Top 10 Performances of the Year (Not By Our Stars...and Yes, Alphabetical)
Judith Anderson, The Furies
James Caan, Lady in a Cage
Charles Coburn, George Washington Slept Here
Olivia de Havilland, Lady in a Cage
Susan Hayward, They Won't Believe Me
Walter Huston, The Furies
Percy Kilbride, George Washington Slept Here
Edward G. Robinson, The Stranger
John Wayne, Rio Bravo
Orson Welles, The Stranger
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