Since 2003, August on Turner Classic Movies has meant a 31 day parade of stars, each day filled with the films of a different star, each star honored for 24-hours of what is known and celebrated as "Summer Under the Stars."
This year, many received a day of their own for the first time. I was surprised to discover that Charles Laughton, Montgomery Clift and Ronald Colman hadn't been featured before. I wasn't at all surprised but was infinitely thrilled to find that Jean Gabin, icon of the French cinema, was to be honored for the first time.
Just over a year ago, as Turner Classic Movies prepared to honor silent screen legend John Gilbert with a day of his own for the first time during “Summer under the Stars” 2010, I interviewed Leatrice Gilbert Fountain, daughter of the actor and his second wife, silent screen star Leatrice Joy. Leatrice Fountain and I had become acquainted several months earlier and it seemed a perfect idea to publish a discussion of her father’s career on the same day TCM fêted him.
It began long ago, the succession of beautiful blonde actresses who combined feminine refinement and sex appeal in a way that director Alfred Hitchcock could not resist depicting onscreen many times. Over the course of his career, Hitchcock honed this character type to a fine point and his final blonde stars were scrupulously stylized to evoke a very specific image.
Shadow of a Doubt (1943) was Alfred Hitchcock’s fifth American film and the first in which he believed he'd truly depicted America. His “first draft” attempt at this had been Saboteur (1942), but Hitchcock hadn’t gotten the cast he wanted, he felt the script was weak and that he’d been rushed into the project.
This is my entry in the "Loving Lucy Blogathon" hosted by True Classics...for more, click here.
"Ewwww!"
One reason I love Lucy is that my mom always reminded me very much of her. Both were smart, attractive and there was more than occasionally something they kept from 'the man of the house' (how I remember the phrase, "don't tell your father"). Mom was talented, ambitious, determined and funny, like Lucy. There were times, in certain situations, that she would imitate Lucy's famous "Ewwww!" take. But mom was what was then called a "housewife," a homemaker extraordinaire and PTA queen - Lucy was the greatest comedienne television has yet known.
As has often been noted, Lucille Ball was in Hollywood for years before she broke out on TV. She'd been tagged "Queen of B-Movies," which is something, but clearly not enough for an actress who'd shared the screen with the likes of Tracy and Hepburn, Astaire and Rogers, The Marx Bros., Bob Hope and Henry Fonda. Her popular radio series, "My Favorite Husband" (CBS, 1948 - 1951) was the stepping stone that led to Lucy's television super-stardom on "I Love Lucy," which debuted on CBS TV in October 1951.
I've always been especially fond of the Lucy episodes from seasons 4 and 5, beginning in February 1955, when the Ricardos and Mertzes traveled to Hollywood. These shows included cameos by various stars (including John Wayne, Richard Widmark, Van Johnson and Harpo Marx) and industry legends (Hedda Hopper, Dore Schary) along with the usual Lucy hi-jinks. But I think some of my affection for these shows is also tied to the fact that Lucy and her gang had come to Southern California, my own home ground.
I don't know how many times I've seen this Lucy sketch with William Holden (Season 4, Episode 17, "L.A., at Last," first aired February 7, 1955), but it still makes me laugh out loud. It's my favorite Lucy routine of them all and one of her two or three very best. The lunacy begins when Bill Holden, whom Lucy has already accosted and made a scene over at the Brown Derby restaurant, arrives at the Ricardo's hotel room with Ricky. Lucy improvises...
Not long ago I watched the amusing Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949), in which Lucy and Holden co-starred. He hadn't yet collaborated with Billy Wilder, a teaming that would launch the actor's great film stardom, and Lucy was still a year or two from her move to TV. I have to think that the two must've relished working together in this 1955 sitcom classic, two former B-stars now both firmly ensconced on the A List, and having a great time of it.
Turner Classic Movies Schedule of Lucille Ball Films, August 6, 2011 6:00 am Eastern/3:00 Pacific, Du Barry Was a Lady (1943) 8:00 am Eastern/5:00 Pacific, Panama Lady (1939) 9:30 am Eastern/6:30 Pacific, Without Love (1945) 11:30 am Eastern/8:30 Pacific, Miss Grant Takes Richmond (1949) 1:00 pm Eastern/10:00 am Pacific, The Fuller Brush Girl (1950) 2:30 pm Eastern/11:30 am Pacific, The Long, Long Trailer (1954) 4:30 pm Eastern/1:30 Pacific, Best Foot Forward (1943) 6:15 pm Eastern/3:15 Pacific, Dance, Girl, Dance (1940) 8:00 pm Eastern/5:00 Pacific, Stage Door (1937) 9:45 pm Eastern/6:45 Pacific, The Big Street (1942) 11:30 pm Eastern/8:30 Pacific, Easy to Wed (1946) 1:30 am Eastern/10:30 pm Pacific, Lured (1947) 3:15 am Eastern/12:15 Pacific,The Affairs of Annabel (1938) 4:30 am Eastern/1:30 Pacific, Annabel Takes a Tour (1938)
Shadow of a Doubt, Wallace Ford, Edna May Wonacott, Macdonald Carey
Early in 2010 I was doing some research for a post on Alfred Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt and in the process came upon an interesting piece by one of TCM's MovieMorlock bloggers, Medusa. Entitled "My Favorite Book Worm or: Where in the World is Edna May Wonacott?", it focused on the child actress who portrayed Ann Newton in Shadow of a Doubt. I was inspired to locate and contact Edna (now Edna Green) and asked her if she'd like to be interviewed. She agreed, and our conversation evolved into a blog that first appeared at The Classic Film & TV Cafe on her 78th birthday in February 2010, was later published as a Sunday feature in The Yuma Sun and, later still, as an article in Films of the Golden Age. Here is a lightly edited, updated version:
Edna May was nine years old and living with her family in Santa Rosa, California, when she caught the eye of director Alfred Hitchcock while he was in town preparing to make Shadow of a Doubt (1943). The director cast her in the role of Ann Newton, younger sister of the protagonist, Charlie Newton (Teresa Wright) and niece of the villain, Charles Oakley (Joseph Cotten). Edna May made quite a splash in the part and appeared in small roles in other films over the next few years.
In celebration of Alfred Hitchcock's 112th birthday on August 13, Reel Life is giving away a DVD of one of his great masterpieces, Shadow of a Doubt (1943). The giveaway will be in the form of a random drawing to be held on the 13th at noon Pacific Time. To enter, send an email to ladyevesidwich@gmail.com and include your name and mailing address (U.S. residents only, please).
In addition to the DVD, the winner will also receive an 8 x 10 photograph (shown below) personally autographed to them by Edna May Wonacott (Green), who portrayed younger sister Ann Newton in Shadow of a Doubt.
Update: The drawing has been held and Jeff in Ohio is the winner. Thanks to all who participated! The Lady Eve
