Ronald Colman ~ A Double Life

 Ronald Colman won the Best Actor Academy Award for his performance in Double Life, an honor long overdue and most deserved.

Popular stage actor Tony John (Colman) is best-known for his droll and witty performances in drawing-room comedies. He is frequently co-starred with his former wife Brita (Signe Hasso) – the two still care for each other but Tony’s complete involvement in his roles had put an end to their marriage. When he is in a light comedic role he is a pleasure to be around, but if he is involved in a drama he is impossible to live with. As Brita tells it, “We were engaged during Oscar Wilde, broke it off during Ronin, we married during Kaufmann and Hart and were divorced during Chekhov.” When asked why he and Brita don’t marry again, since they have remained so close,Tony replies with a smile, “We love each other too much for that.”

Tony opts to take on the biggest challenge of his career – Shakespeare’s Othello, and Brita  agrees to be his Desdemona – against her better judgement. As Tony prepares for the difficult role he meets an admiring waitress (Shelley Winters) and enters into a brief liaison with her. As he becomes further immersed in the Othello character he begins to suspect that Brita is having an affair with their press agent, Bill (Edmund O’Brien).

As Tony becomes increasingly surly and jealous, lashing out at those around him, Bill begins to form his own suspicions; when the waitress is found strangled in her rooms, the press agent starts to believe whatis almost too horrible to contemplate.

Bill tries to convince Brita that Tony is becoming seriously dangerous, but she believes she can help her husband by continuing to appear with him on stage. Her role as Tony’s Desdemona could prove to be her last….

Colman’s performance is riveting – he portrays an essentially good man who is losing touch with reality, desperately aware of what is happening to him but powerless to stop it, and panicked by what it could mean to those he loves.

To see the Colman we are accustomed to – suave, elegant and gentle – succumb to such demons is truly disturbing – it is also viewing cinematic acting at its best.

Ronald Charles Colman was born on February 9, 1891 in Richmond, Surrey, England. He was the fifth of six children born to Charles and Marjory Fraser Colman (three daughters and three sons; the oldest son dying at age 5). Producers began to notice Colman in the small acting parts he was able to get – they found in him a young actor with striking good looks, a rich voice and a dignity that was rare in one so young. He worked with stage greats Gladys Cooper and Gerald DuMaurier, gaining invaluable experience. Acting lifted his spirits and cut through his natural reserve, making him more extroverted; as he put it, “One can be someone else, in another, more dramatic, more beautiful world.”

Colman’s first film work came in 1917. He was invited to do a two-reel comedy ‘The Live Wire’ – the set was an old house, the budget was negligible, and Colman doubled as the leading character and prop man. For the next three years, he would divide his time between stage and rather primitive British film efforts. Colman liked the extra income film work provided, but still felt his future lay on the stage.

In 1919, after a brief courtship, he married an actress named Thelma Raye . The marriage was in trouble almost from the beginning – Raye, a somewhat domineering young woman, made the mistake of taking her husband’s gentleness as malleability – her attempts at control were not a success. The two separated in 1923 but were not divorced until 1934. Unfortunately, Thelma was not the type to let go easily, and she would continue to plague Colman for many years. This dreadful experience greatly contributed to Colman’s pronounced reticence regarding relationships.

By the time she had known him for three years, Benita Hume had become convinced that her constant companion did not appear to be interested in marriage.  She left California on a New York-bound train. She made it as far as Albuquerque, New Mexico where she received a telegram: “Come home and let’s get married.” No signature was needed.

The two were married at a ranch in San Ysidro, California in September 1938 – the new Mrs. Colman would later remark, “Imagine! I not only have that beautiful man, but that voice!” Theirs was a happy marriage, lasting for 20 years.

In 1948 Colman starred in his last major motion picture, A Double Life. Departing somewhat from his gentlemanly screen persona, Colman gave a stunning performance as an actor tormented by mental demons – and won the year’s Best Actor Academy Award.

The Colmans lived quietly on their San Ysidro ranch property during the last years of Colman’s life. Always prone to lung ailments, Colman contracted pneumonia and died peacefully in his sleep on May 19, 1958, his wife at his side. He was buried at Santa Barbara Cemetery, Santa Barbara, CA.
 

Loretta Young ~ Farmer’s Daughter

She was born in Salt Lake City, Utah as Gretchen Young (she took the name Michaela at confirmation) she moved with her family to Hollywood when she was three years old. Loretta and her sisters Polly Ann Young and Elizabeth Jane Young (screen name Sally Blane) worked as child actresses, of whom Loretta was the most successful. Young’s first role was at age 3 in the silent film The Primrose Ring.

She was billed as “Gretchen Young” in the 1917 film, Sirens of the Sea. It wasn’t until 1928 that she was first billed as “Loretta Young”, in The Whip Woman. In 1930, Young, then 17, eloped with 26-year-old actor Grant Withers and married him in Yuma, Arizona. The marriage was annulled the next year, just as their second movie together (ironically titled Too Young to Marry) was released.

While Loretta was working on a picture called The Perfect Marriage, Dore Schary visited her on the set.

Schary, a former writer and producer at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, was now the production chief of Vanguard Pictures, run by David Selznick, Myron’s brother. Selznick wished to do The Farmer’s Daughter as his next project, a movie about a Swedish-born girl who works as a maid for a United States congressman, and eventually becomes a congresswoman herself.

The starring role had been offered to Ingrid Bergman, a genuine Swede, but she had turned it down. Several other starlets had been considered as well, including the skater Sonia Henie, also from Sweden.

But Dore Schary had been certain that Loretta was right for the role. As they spoke on the set, Loretta expressed doubts about her ability to master a Swedish accent. Schary had a solution; hire Ruth Roberts as a voice coach. Ruth was Swedish, and had helped Ingrid Bergman lose her Swedish accent.

“We always said Ruth took away Ingrid’s accent, and gave it to me,” Loretta used to quip. Loretta agreed to do Farmer’s Daughter. The role of “Katie” was such a departure from the glamorous women she usually portrayed, it would be a great challenge.

Filming began, and Ruth Roberts proved even more valuable than expected, Loretta said. “We’d do a scene, the director would yell, ‘Cut!,’ I’d think it was fine, but Ruth would stop, and whisper to me: ‘Go a little deeper, say this word softly.’

I’d ask for another take, follow her directions on these small touches, and we were all surprised at how well they worked. If Ruth had been a man in this era, she could have been a director, and a superb one, at that.”

The Farmer’s Daughter was released in spring, 1947, to wide acclaim. Moviegoers loved it and so did the critics. In 1947 Loretta was nominated and won the Best Actress Award for her role in The Farmer’s Daughter is a 1947 movie that tells the story of a farmgirl in an unnamed U.S. state (seemingly similar to Minnesota) who ends up working as a maid for a Congressman and his politically-connected mother.

Loretta made a few more movies, and then moved to television, and is probably best known for her show, The Loretta Young Show.

In 1935, Young had an affair with Clark Gable, who was married at the time, while on location for The Call of the Wild. During their relationship, Young became pregnant. Due to the moral codes placed on the film industry Young covered up her pregnancy in order to avoid damaging her career (as well as Gable’s). Returning from a long “vacation” (during which she secretly gave birth to her daughter), Young announced that she had adopted the little girl. The child was raised as “Judy Lewis” after taking the name of Young’s second husband, producer Tom Lewis. According to Lewis’s autobiography Uncommon Knowledge, Lewis was made fun of because of the ears that she received from her father, Clark Gable. Over the years she had heard rumors and secretly knew that Clark Gable was her biological father, but it was not until 1958 when Judy’s future husband Joseph Tinney told her that “everybody” knew the rumors that she really began to suspect. It was not until a few years later, after becoming a mother herself, that she finally got the nerve to ask her mother, who, after promptly vomiting, admitted to her that Clark Gable was her father and the she was “a mortal sin.”

Young died at 87 from ovarian cancer at the Santa Monica, California home of her half-sister, Georgiana Montalban, and was interred in the family plot in the Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Young has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame — one for motion pictures, at 6104 Hollywood Blvd, and another for television, at 6141 Hollywood Blvd.

Great Expectations ~ A Bridesmaid

This English films adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel was the best ever placed on film.  Even though this great novel has been played numerous times and numerous versions, Director David Lean and Cinematographer Guy Green created Great Expectations in a way that even Dicken’s would have been mezmerized.

Nominated for not only best picture, Great Expectations was nominated in four other categories winning two; Cinematography and Art/Set Decoration. Not only was this film well put together, the actors Anthony Wager as Pip; Martita Hunt as Mrs. Haversham; and a bright young Alec Guinness in his film debut as Pip’s jovial London roommate Herbert Pocket were all wonderful.

Even though this film did not win the Best Picture Oscar it has went down in movie history as one of greatest films ever, they just don’t make them like this anymore.

As a runner-up, Great Expectations was one of the very best.

Celeste Holm ~ Supporting Actress

Today Celeste Holm is 90 years old, but in 1947 she was 30 years old and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in only her third film, Gentleman’s Agreement.  Probably better known for her role in All About Eve in 1950, Celeste made her career playing the friend or confidant to the leading lady.  In her role of Anne in Elia Kazan’s Gentleman’s Agreement won critical acclaim throughout the industry. She would go on to be nominated twice more in 1949 for her role in Come to the Stable and in 1950 in All About Eve.Holm’s first professional theatrical role was in a production of Hamlet starring Leslie Howard, and she quickly rose to prominence with her portrayal of Ado Annie in the original Broadway production of Oklahoma! in 1943.

After she starred in the Broadway production of Bloomer Girl, 20th Century Fox signed Holm to a movie contract in 1946, and in her first two years as a film actress Holm cemented herself immediately as a formidable performer, especially when she won an Oscar and Golden Globe for best supporting actress in Gentleman’s Agreement. After her famous performance in All About Eve, however, Holm realized she preferred live theater to movie work, and took on very few film roles over the following decade.

On her 85th Birthday, Celeste married her 5th husband, Opera Singer, Frank Basile.

finally…The Best Picture of 2007

But before we get to that… we have to have a commercial.

Martin gets to announce Best Director: Joel and Ethan Coen, No Country for Old Men…I win again!!

DENZEL!!  Announcing the 80th Best Picture: No Country for Old Men

So how did I do? Seven out of Nine Predictions.  Not bad!!  If I would have just got those Actress awards right, but I don’t think anyone expected those..

Great show tonight as usual.  Best dressed, Helen Mirren and Colin Farrell!!

Worst dressed, Cate Blanchett and Daniel Day-Lewis, he looked very unkept, more so than Johnny Depp.  Will Johnny Depp ever win an Oscar?  Maybe next year.

Well three and half hours, it’s over.

Goodnight.

Going on Three Hours…

Amy Adams, does she have a differant dress on?  Original Score: ATONEMENT.  First award of the night.

Tom Hanks. Mr. Smartass last year, can he rectify himself? Best Documentary Short Subject: FREEHELD. Jon was right, why is Tom Hanks there, the nominees and winnder were announced from Bagdad.  Tom left the stage?  Oh no he went to the other side. Documentary Feature: Taxi to the Dark Side.  These awards should have been announced earlier in the night.

Harrison Ford, the ultimate man’s man! Original Screenplay: Diablo Cody Juno, look at that tattoo on her arm!  She was an exotic dancer, and now an Oscar winner.  there is hope for me!!

Three Hours and finally Best Actor

Helen Mirren presenting in the best dress of the night…the Best Actor for 2007: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood, goes into the elite group as a two time winner.  Was there any question? Do you think his earrings could get any bigger?

Commercials. Stop the Madness!

Penelope Cruz, Foreign Film: The Counterfieters.

Patrick Dempsey! WHEW!!!! and who is that singing the 5th nominated song? Is he not hot!?

And then they bring out John Travolta…revolting. He has NOT aged well. Best Original Song: Falling Slowly from Once.  Wow, three Enchanted songs nominated and they don’t win?  Sheesh! I wonder if that is an upset?

Okay we are going into 2 1/2 hours and now we get more commercials than is needed.  Come on get to the AWARDS!!!

Ugly Cameron Diaz, could she have strutted any more, and she can not even talk correctly.  Could she have not fixed her hair?

My bet is on There Will Be Blood…Best Cinematography: There Will Be Blood

Hillary Swank, saying goodbye.  Who did we know died, who did we not know that died. Where was Brad Renfro?  Did he not count? Come on or was it just Academy nominated artists? Maybe I misunderstood.  Ingmar Bergman I think received the most applause.

OMG! More commercials!

Beautiful, Amazing, Beautiful, Stunning and Old

Colin Farrell is a beautiful man, and presenting the 4th nominated song…

Jack Nicholson, Amazing man, star and actor, loving the Best Picture montage.!!

Renee Zellweger, she looks beautiful as ever. Film Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum, didn’t we see this already?

Nicole Kidman, absolutely stunning. She doesn’t look pregnant? Honorary Oscar: 92 year old Production Designer, Robert Boyle. An amazing artist and amazing that he is still working at 92!!  He looks better than Cameron Diaz! He don’t sound old either. He referred to Hitch, wow he worked with Alfred Hitchcock!

And we are at two hours!

An Hour and a Half Later…Another Shock!

Kristen Chenoweth!  Captivating.  And a great voice.

Dame Judi Dench and Halle Berry…no it’s not.  I’d rather have Judi Dench and Halle Berry…Best Sound Editing: The Bourne Ultimatum.Per Hallberg, check out his earring! Think he might, just might be gay? Best Sound Mixing: The Bourne Ultimatum. Didn’t we just see this?  Okay get those two guys off the stage, Seth Rogen is getting old.

10:15 p.m. Forest Whitaker is on the stage, Best Actress…hold your breath!! Marion Cotillard La Vie en Rose.  Wow another shock, not as big as Tilda’s win, but almost.  Cate Blanchett gets nothing.  But she did look extremely happy for Marion.  Julie Christie should have won this, and I think she thought so too.  She was somewhat hesitant about applauding. So far the biggest upset of the night.  It’s either that one or the fact Halle Berry wasn’t an actual presenter.

Great Show and 1st Shock of the Night!

It’s a great show thus far, loving the flashbacks to the prior winners years ago…

Alan Arkin, last years suprise winner in Little Miss Sunshine. Best Supporting Actress: Tilda Swinton!!!  That was a shock, Oh my God! did you see her face? Did anyone see Cate’s face?  I didn’t see that coming but great shock, she is deserving!  Well so much for my perfect score.  I bet there were people in Vegas that lost a hell of a lot of money on that announcement!

Jessica Alba gives the boring awards, I understand why, you have to have someone absolutely beautiful to give out those awards, so that it will not be as boring.  Congrats to the winners and to the Academy for choosing Ms. Alba.

Josh Brolin and James McAvoy on stage together at the same time…ummmmmmm.  BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: Coen Brothers for No Country for Old Men.  I win another one!!

President Sid… I didn’t catch his last name.  Does it matter? I have to admit that was the best way that I have seen the way the ballots are tabulated presented ever.

Mylie Cyrus again????  PLEASE!!  Stop this crazy mess, announcing the 3rd nominee for Best song.