The Philadelphia Story

The Philadelphia Story is a masterpiece of witty one-liners, three great stars performing at their peak and with a great supporting cast.

Divorced socialite Tracy Lord (Katharine Hepburn) is preparing for her second marriage but her first husband, Dexter Haven (Cary Grant) and Macaulay Connor (James Stewart), a cynical tabloid reporter both turn up to make things interesting.

The film earned six Oscar nominations and two wins -- for James Stewart and screenwriter Donald Ogden Stewart.

Marlene Dietrich, Multi Talented Entertainer

A number of stars become known by their Surname or Chrisian name alone. Marlene Dietrich is unique in being universally recognised by the use of either of her names.

She was the first German actress to become a major Hollywood star. After a successful career as a cabaret singer, chorus girl and film actress in 1920s Berlin, she became a World War II frontline entertainer during the 1940s, and finally a topline international stage show performer from the 1950s to the 1970s. In the process she became one of the entertainment icons of the 20th century. The American Film Institute ranked Dietrich No. 9 amongst the Greatest Female Stars of All Time.

Marlene became one of the major female stars of the 1930s, in such films as Song of Songs, The Scarlet Empress, Knight Without Armour and the 1939 Western satire, Destry Rides Again, with James Stewart. A series of disappointments -- The Lady Is Willing, The Spoilers, and Pittsburgh -- followed in the early 1940's, with Dietrich reportedly so disheartened with her work that she considered retirement.

During the early Nazi years, Joseph Goebbels offered to make her "The Queen" of German films if she made movies promoting Hitler, but she consistently refused. Instead, she mounted a series of lengthy tours entertaining wartime troops before returning to films in 1944's Follow the Boys, followed by Kismet.

Her show business career largely ended on September 29, 1975, when, apparently under the influence of drink, she fell and broke her leg during a stage performance in Australia.

She appeared briefly in the film, Just a Gigolo, in 1979, and wrote and contributed to several books during the 1980s.

Dietrich died peacefully of renal failure on May 6, 1992, at the age of 90 in Paris. A service was conducted at La Madeleine in Paris before 3,500 mourners and a crowd of well-wishers outside.

Click Here for Full Biography of Marlene

Gary Cooper, Super Superstar

It is difficult to overstate how big a star Gary Cooper was. For a while he was the highest paid person in the United States. Not the highest paid actor, the highest paid person.

Gary Cooper, (Coop), was one of Hollywood's most popular leading men during a career which spanned 5 decades. He received five Oscar nominations for Best Actor, winning twice. He also received an Honorary Award from the Academy in 1961. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Cooper among the Greatest Male Stars of All Time, ranking at No. 11.
In 1952 an aging, weary looking Cooper assumed what may be his greatest role, that of the embattled marshal abandoned by the townspeople he spent years protecting, in High Noon (1952), a "traditional" Western. He won his second Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance (his first was for Sergeant York in 1941. Alvin York had refused to authorize a movie about his life unless Gary Cooper was the actor who portrayed him). He wasn't present to receive his Academy Award in February 1953. He asked John Wayne to accept it on his behalf.
In April 1961 Coop won a special, career-achievement Academy Award, which was accepted in an emotional speech by his friend James Stewart. A month later he died on May 31, 1961 of lung and prostrate cancer in Los Angeles, California.

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers

Fred Astaire could dance like no one else. Rudolph Nureyev rated him the greatest dancer of the twentieth century, and he is generally acknowledged to have been the most influential dancer in the history of filmed and televised musicals, with only Gene Kelly coming anywhere close to his stylish perfection. His films with Ginger Rogers transformed the movie musical forever, and in them he proved that he wasn't just a dancer -- he was a talented actor and comedian too.
During the 1930's he and Ginger Rogers became the silver screen's most popular dancing duo.
They made a total of nine musicals together at RKO between 1933 and 1939, and though Ginger made several other comedies and solo musicals between her films with Fred, Astaire made only one film without Rogers -- Damsel in Distress (1937) with Joan Fontaine. It was the only film of his career to lose money at the box-office.
The Astaire-Rogers series are among the top films of the 1930s. They include The Gay Divorcee (1934), Roberta (1935), Top Hat (1935), Follow the Fleet (1936), Swing Time (1936), Shall We Dance (1937), and Carefree (1938). Six out of the nine musicals he created became the biggest moneymakers for RKO; all of the films brought a certain prestige and artistry that all studios at the time were looking for.

More Fred Astaire here and here

Roman Holiday, Enchanting Hollywood

Roman Holiday, made in 1953, is a delightful, romantic comedy shot entirely on location in Rome, and produced and directed by one of Hollywood's most eminent directors - William Wyler.

The story was reportedly based on the real-life Italian adventures of British Princess Margaret.

It was the film that introduced Audrey Hepburn to the world and made her an instant star. The Belgian-born actress was totally unknown before Roman Holiday, having acted in only a few bit parts in European films and some minor roles on stage. Audiences everywhere fell in love with her, and she won an Academy Best Actress Award for her performance.

Roman Holiday marked the beginning of Audrey Hepburn as a genuine style icon. Her brunette hair and slim figure gave her a unique gamine look that set her apart from other actresses of her time. Her haircut and clothes in Roman Holiday greatly influenced fashion, and women everywhere began to copy her look.

Roman Holiday full review here

Hollywoods Golden Age
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Howard Hughes, Extraordinary Hollywood

Howard Hughes, one of the world's richest men, died from dehydration, malnutrition and neglect. Even now, a generation after his death, he remains one of Hollywood's most intriguing and perplexing figures.

Hughes lived a quite extraordinary life and died an extraordinary death. X-rays taken at autopsy revealed broken hypodermic needles lodged in his arms, and his six-foot-four frame weighed less than 90lb (41kg). He had been seen by so few people for so long that the Treasury Department had to use fingerprints to identify his body.

Hughes had been a womaniser, a record-breaking aviator, a Hollywood film director, and he was one of the richest men in the world yet he lived the last years of his life in squalor, terrified of germs and of physical contact with other people.

The Life of Howard Hughes

Yankee Doodle Dandy

Yankee Doodle Dandy was made in 1942, a great year for films, and still won 3 Oscars. In 1993, it was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" and in 2006 it was ranked #18 on AFI's 100 Years of Musicals. It is a 'feel good' film, both nostalgic and unashamedly patriotic, released as it was just after the Pearl Harbour attack on the US Fleet.
The film tells the musical rags-to-riches life story and times of early 20th century entertainment legend George M. Cohan, following several generations of his family and showcases several exciting song and dance numbers. It contains a tour de force performance by an high energy James Cagney who shows beyond any doubt that he was not just a gangster-portrayer but also a very fine song and dance man.
As well as being critically well-received, the film was also a major box-office success for Warner Bros. It became the top box-office hit of the year, and Warners' most successful film up to that time.
Biography of James Cagney
Yankee Doodle Dandy