GLENDA FARRELL

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

I just LOVED watching GLENDA yesterday! I barely took any time out to do anything else!

What makes Glenda really great is something I've seen only a few BIG stars do. She takes a moment in each and every movie, whether it's a drama or a comedy, where she lets herself go soft. Her voice drops low, she lowers her eyes, and the soul of the character lets it's innermost fears or thoughts be known. It could be as simple and dreamy as Torchy saying to Barton MacLane "Gee, Steve, wouldn't it be swell to settle down and have a whole passel of kids?" Or it could be the look of fear and shock on her gal reporter's face as she opens the lid of a crate and sees a dead body - it rocks her so much she literally backs across the room - deadly serious. It could be complex, as in The Personality Kid, when Pat O'Brien realizes that she, as his agent (and wife), has made a deal behind his back for him to throw fights for money, and she tries to explain herself and her actions even though she feels enormous guilt. The great actors (Tracy and Powell are two who immediately come to mind) do this almost wordless downward glance. It must come in an unforced, tender manner, as if letting out a secret only they know. I think this is why I like her so much. There's a subtle womanliness under the bombast and fast talking. Whatever motivation that character has, that SOFTNESS, that wistfulness comes forth, hesitatingly, sometimes only for a split second, but unmistakably REAL. Clair Trevor could do it too. take that little moment of revelation and make of it a shining example of good acting. But Farrell had to pick her moments from such slim pickings! How to make your character real in the midst of zaniness, now that's an art! I think Glenda and Clair are almost two sides of the same coin - they make it look easy. Though they worked in different areas, Clair in straight drama and Farrell mostly in comedy, somehow they seem related to me. Maybe it's that they both had an easy answer at the ready, even when their hearts were breaking, and they both were portraying strong women who lacked something in their lives that would make them fully happy. What do you think?

What I can't get over is how BEAUTIFUL Glenda looks in I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, and how cold and vicious she could act. And yet, she had her reasons.... you can see it all over her, this woman wants security at any cost. Her Marie Woods has seen an awful lot of heartache to get to this low point in her life.

My favorite combination of the day? Glenda and Frankie McHugh. In Snowed Under and especially Mystery of the Wax Museum where they play a sparring boss and his star newspaper reporter. This has always been a great favorite of mine, but only recently have I really watched these two together closely. Here are some delightful quotes from them:
Florence: "Hello, light of my life."
Jim: "Well, well, Prussic Acid."
Florence: "As I live and breathe and wear spats, the prince."
Jim: "You been doing experiments with scotch and soda again?"
Florence: Where'd you get that news item, from a little bird?
Jim: "Yeah. Have a pleasant vacation?"
Florence: "Charming, more delightful people crippled."
Florence: "Listen, Joan Gale's body was swiped from the morgue. Have you ever heard of such a thing as a death mask?"
Jim: "I used to be married to one."
Florence: "Then it came to life and divorced you, I know all about that."
When he says to her at the end of the movie, "Aww, Why don't you quit being a sob sister and marry me?" she looks wistfully out the window at the rich college boy who is smitten with her, that she could have at the drop of a hat, then turns back and says to him "You know what? Just to get even with you..... I will." and they kiss. Well THAT'S as close to perfection as you can get. Frank McHugh gets the gal Friday.
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CineMaven
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by CineMaven »

I love your description of GLENDA FARRRELL. . She is quite bombastic. No one's going to be more raucous, or speak more quickly than her. D'ya think she got typecast? Your comparison to her with Claire Trevor was nice too. Never thought of that. You've watched her closely and can distill her moments down to its essence. That takes a lot of viewing, and good writing to describe what you see and put it into words.

* * * *

Boy, if TCM showed "HEAT LIGHTNING" you'd have gotten three for the price of one Glenda Farrell day: Glenda, McHugh and the great Aline MacMahon.
"You build my gallows high, baby."

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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

Oooh. I love Heat Lightning... and you get Ruthie too.
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hbenthow
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

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There's something I have been debating with myself about whether or not to mention here, as I'm not sure whether or not it's against the rules or frowned upon to link to something from one's own website or blog. If it is, please inform me, and I'll remove the links.

I have written two online articles about Glenda Farrell (I published the first on June 30, her birthday, and the second exactly a month later). They are expanded and improved versions of what I posted here on the SSO (actually, I already had the idea to create these articles in mind before I ever posted here on the SSO, but I used my posts here as a rough draft for the articles). I also created a page with the entirety of Joan Blondell's 1936 tribute "My Pal Glenda". Here they are:

Glenda Farrell: Her Life and Legacy

Glenda Farrell: In Her Own Words

My Pal Glenda (By Joan Blondell)
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

Thanks hbenthow!

Did you enjoy Glenda's day? Did you have any favorites? Do you have any particular traits about Glenda that you especially like that you want to share here?
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hbenthow
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by hbenthow »

JackFavell wrote:Thanks hbenthow!

Did you enjoy Glenda's day?
Unfortunately, I don't have TCM, so I wasn't able to see it. I wish I did, as they showed two of her movies that I haven't been able to find elsewhere (The Personality Kid and Kansas City Princess).
Did you have any favorites?


Well, out of those that they showed yesterday that I have seen before, Mystery of the Wax Museum, Smart Blonde, Torchy Runs for Mayor, and The Talk of the Town.
Do you have any particular traits about Glenda that you especially like that you want to share here?
One is her energy. She had such an certain energetic nature that just putting her in a scene almost automatically made that scene more interesting. Even in movies like The Talk of the Town, where she only has a small part, when the movie's over, you remember her just as much as the main characters. There are even some scenes where she's in the background, watching other characters talk in the foreground, and her facial reactions steal the scene from the people talking in the foreground. There's just never a dull moment when she's on screen.

Another is her naturalness. Joan Blondell explained it thusly:
Glenda is, at all times, very natural. She isn’t one bit camera-conscious. Doesn’t know a good angle from a bad one and works just as hard with her back to the camera as facing it. Her movements are always quick, her speech spontaneous. When she goes into a scene she never follows the script to the sacrifice of her naturalness. She acts just as she would if the same situation arose in her every-day life. In other words, she suits the part to her personality instead of trying to suit her personality to the script.
One great thing about her naturalness is that it makes the audience feel closer to her characters. I think there is also, as you pointed out, a certain vulnerability here and there in her performances. It's hard to explain, but there's something there that makes you feel almost like you're actually meeting her characters - not just watching them.
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

That was so well put, hbenthow. Yes, I feel that, that I am meeting her character, not just watching. That's good.
RedRiver
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by RedRiver »

I can see the Farrell/Trevor comparison. Both play women who have been knocked around, and are the tougher for it. If there's a difference, it's that Claire's troubles are the result of uncontrollable circumstances. I'm not sure our Glenda doesn't create a little trouble!

Gotta love the internet. I don't think I've ever met a Glenda Farrell fan in the real world!
Last edited by RedRiver on August 31st, 2013, 3:45 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

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Great point, red! Glenda isn't above starting a little trouble to get what she wants. But then again, Clair.... hmmm. Not sure she isn't the same way. :D
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moira finnie
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by moira finnie »

I thought that many of our members might be interested in this very well researched profile of Glenda Farrell posted by Cliff Alperti on his site, Immortal Ephemera. Please click on the link below to see the full blog:

http://immortalephemera.com/42693/glenda-farrell/
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hbenthow
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

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Thank you for posting that. It's an excellent article.
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

Thanks, Moira!
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CineMaven
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by CineMaven »

Well folks, hot off the presses, you read it here first:
[color=#FF0000]Scott_Nollen[/color] wrote:...As to further projects, I've really been able to tackle all my "dream subjects" over the past 35 years. THREE BAD MEN is the last "epic" I plan to write. Producing such a book really is a formidable task! I do have a new book that will become available this Spring from Midnight Marquee Press: the first-ever book on actress Glenda Farrell and her career in film, TV and on the stage. Writing this book was a breath of fresh air and a true pleasure after toiling, off and on, on the Ford-Wayne-Bond project over three decades! I'm glad I finally managed to write THREE BAD MEN, and I am so pleased that so many readers and film buffs are enjoying it...
Yippeeeeeee!
"You build my gallows high, baby."

http://www.megramsey.com
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JackFavell
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by JackFavell »

I just read that! :D :D :D :D

Now we do the dance of joy!

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moira finnie
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Re: GLENDA FARRELL

Post by moira finnie »

Scott Nollen reports that he is currently working on the proofs of his book on "Glenda Farrell: Hollywood's Hard-Boiled Dame" and hopes to be publishing this long-anticipated bio with Midnight Marquee Publishing asap. Be of good cheer, Glenda fans! She could wind up under your Christmas tree yet.
Avatar: Frank McHugh (1898-1981)

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