Greer Garson, A Mature Hollywood Debutante

Greer Garson was one of the most popular actresses in Hollywood during the 1940’s and holds the record, with Betty Davis, of consecutive Academy Award nominations for Best Actress. She received five nominations between 1941 and 1945 including winning in 1942 for her performance in the title role of ‘Mrs Miniver', her best known movie.

She was famous for her grace, her elegant acting and refined, well-modulated way of delivering her lines. Such was her regal bearing and popularity that she became known as the Queen of Hollywood.

Greer is unusual by Hollywood standards in that she started in the acting and movie business relatively late in life. Before her move to Hollywood in 1939 this English born actress had gained a university degree from King’s College, London, had gone on to post-graduate studies in France and had been married to and separated from her childhood sweetheart. She also worked full time in an advertising agency before she ever went on stage.

She was in her late twenties when she began to appear in amateur productions and realised that she had a genuine aptitude for acting. After making her professional debut, aged 28 in 1932 she quickly rose to the top echelon of British actresses including working with Laurence Olivier.

In 1937, after being seen onstage by Louis B. Mayer, who was visiting London, she was given a contract by MGM and the following year, accompanied by her mother, the 34 year old Greer moved to Hollywood. She was not the traditional teenage beauty queen, but the following year she took Hollywood and the world by storm with her acclaimed performance in ‘Goodbye Mr Chips’ for which she received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. A major Hollywood career had begun.

For movre information visit the Greer Garson biography page and the 'Mrs Miniver' page on Hollywood's Golden Age. See also the Mrs Miniver Oscar page on Hollywood Oscars.com

Lauren Bacall, Evergreen Hollywood

Lauren Bacall was one of the top movie actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age. She is perhaps best remembered for her partnership with Humphrey Bogart but her stardom did not end when Bogart died. In her own right she was one of the most important players in post war Hollywood particularly in the film noir genre, and she is ranked by the American Film Institute at number 20 in their listings of Hollywood actress legends. As late as 1996 she received an Academy nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her wonderful performance in 'The Mirror Has Two Faces' and in 2009 she received an Honorary Academy Award at the inaugural Governors Awards.

She first came to the fore as a young beauty on the cover of 'Harper's Bazaar' magazine and she was given a screen test by film director Howard Hawks which resulted in a seven-year contract with Warners Bros. At only 19 years old she starred opposite established superstar Humphrey Bogart in the thriller 'To Have and Have Not' in 1944. She became an instant heroine to many with her sexy banter with Bogart: "You do know how to whistle."

She became even more famous when she and Bogart began an affair and eventually married in 1945. He was 45 years old and Bacall 25 years his junior. She and Bogart made a series of highly successful films together: 'The Big Sleep' in 1946, 'The Dark Passage' in 1947 and 'Key Largo' in 1948. When Bogart died from cancer in 1957, Bacall continued her acting career, becoming as well known for her stage roles as for her screen performances.

She won a Tony Award for her performance in 'Applause' (1970-1972),and again for 'Woman of the Year' (1981-1983). Lauren has never stopped working and is still a force to be reckoned with. She appeared in 'The Limit' in 2004, 'These Foolish Things' in 2006 and 'Wide Blue Yonder' in 2010. She is still very much in demand. Long may it remain so.

Read More about Lauren Bacall

Joseph L. Mankiewicz, Director of Brilliance

Joe Mankiewicz

There are few Hollywood directors with a better artistic reputation than Joseph L. Mankiewicz. He was a brilliant scriptwriter and producer before becoming one of the most skilful and successful directors in movie history. After learning his trade in the 1930’s and 1940’s, working with some of the most influential directors of the time, such as George Cukor, Fritz Lang and Frank Borsage.

When Mankewiecz began directing movies himself, all his latent potential rose to the surface and he showed himself to be a movie genius. He began quietly enough in 1944 when he co-wrote and produced ‘The Keys of the Kingdom’ which included a supporting role by his wife, Rose Stradler, and 2 years later he directed, on his own, ‘Dragonwyck’, which was not a success, but which taught him many lessons about handling actors.

For the next few years Mankiewicz’s genius flowered as he reached a peak of artistic maturity in 1950 and 1951, when he achieved the considerable feat of winning in consecutive years the Oscar for Best Screenplay and Best Director for ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ and ‘All About Eve’. ‘A Letter to Three Wives’ concerns a single letter sent to three different women informing them that a woman has run off with one of their husbands. The plot is detailed and intricate and Mankiewicz shows great skill in his handling of the actors and actresses. 'All About Eve’ won the Academy Award for Best Picture as well as Best Director and Best Screenplay and was a massive triumph for Mankiewicz. It has been described as the finest movie ever made which is quite an accolade, and it certainly fizzes with sparkling wit, brilliant characterisation and wonderful acting from the fine cast, including Bette Davis, Anne Baxter, George Sanders and a young Marilyn Monroe.

This was the high point of his career and it is difficult to see how he could have improved on his work. He continued to make wonderful, high quality movies including a smash hit adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Julius Caesar' in 1953 with Marlon Brando as Marc Antony and 'The Barefoot Contessa' in 1954. To show his versatility he directed a ground-breaking musical in 1955, 'Guys and Dolls' with Brando again and Frank Sinatra. Mankiewicz continued working until 1972 when he received an Oscar nomination for Best Director for his final film 'Sleuth'.

After this Mankiewicz retired and lived quietly with his second wife in New York, refusing all attempts to coax him back to work. He died in 1993, age 82, in Bedford, New York.
Read more about Joe Mankiewicz at Hollywood's Golden Age.com

Mankiewicz and first wife, Rose Stradler accept the Screenplay Oscar for 'A Letter to Three Wives'

Mankiewicz and Bette Davis accept their Oscars for 'All About Eve'

More about the masterpiece 'All About Eve'.

The Bandwagon-Happy Hollywood

‘The Bandwagon’ is a wonderfully happy movie with a top class cast. As well as Fred Astaire, it stars Nanette Fabray, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant and Jack Buchanan, all seasoned, proven perfomers and all ideally suited to blend expertly with the sizzling, brilliant dancing of the master, Astaire.

The music of ‘The Bandwagon’ is brilliant. The song “That’s Entertainment” has become a standard and the ballet sequence ‘Dancing in the Dark’ with Astaire and Cyd Charisse is part of cinema’s folklore. Another high spot is the “Shine on Your Shoes” number which Fred does with real life shoe shine Leroy Daniels.

The movie is given an added edge by the “near to the knuckle” casting. For instance the main character, Tony Hunter, is an aging dancer making a comeback- uncannily similar to …well…Fred Astaire himself. The film’s song writing couple, Lester and Lily Marion were based on the actual songwriters of the movie – Comden and Green. Cyd Charisse’s character is based on the French ballerina Zizi Jeanmaire and Jack Buchanan’s Jeffrey Cordova character is an amalgam of real life movie personalities, Orson Welles, José Ferrer and George S. Kaufman.

‘The Bandwagon’ is a rare delight, a musical masterpiece- I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Read more at Hollywood's Golden Age