The Unjustly Neglected

[moira finnie]

Here's a spot to rave or remind us of some of those actors and actresses you wish you knew more about. They may not be stars, but they show up in dozens of movies and never seem to have gotten their due. If you have a candidate for this thread, just post a comment and/or a photo and we'll see where it goes from here, okay? Who have you noticed in old movies without being able to find out much about them?

[knitwit45]

My famous (??) lady in blue, seen clearly at 3:32 in the video. She's to the right of the screen, wearing a blue hat with red ribbon. She gives up her seat to Tom Drake at the end.. It is NOT Helen Gilbert (listed as 'girl on trolley') my lady in blue was in the chorus line of a lot of MGM musicals, but never listed....
[youtube][/youtube]

[JackFavell]

I still look for her, Knitty! Haven't found a thing... but I am going to find out one day.

[moira finnie]

Well, Knitty, she's sure famous around here.

I sure wish we could get someone to go look at the production records for this film at UCLA or USC or the Margaret Herrick Library and find out who the heck it was. Failing that, I'll keep looking for more info when I can. Anyone else have a clue about this one or any other people you would like to know more about?

[knitwit45]

Well, Knitty, she's sure famous around here.

I know, I know , but since we've gathered new members into the folds, I always live in hope that someone will say, "well, SURE!!! I know who that is"
I was really hoping Moraldo would have a chance to ask RO or Margaret O'Brien. I sent her a letter several years ago, never heard a thing back.

[JackFavell]

My new love, Joseph Calleia never seems to get mentioned much, but he does have a fairly decent bio at IMDB. Certainly, he is more well known than our mystery lady, Nan!

You can look at trailers for films and his name will be four or five down in the credits, only once in a while they will show his face. Considering how long his career was, there is surprisingly little info about him. Here is what I've found:

He was born Giuseppe or Joseph Maria Spurrin-Calleja on the island of Malta, right between Tunisia, Africa and the southern tip of Italy. The people are descended from warriors. Blessed with a good singing voice, the teenaged Calleia organized a boys' harmonica band, and sang in cafe's and music halls starting in 1914, the beginning of WWI. Calleia would travel through all the war torn cities of Europe, entertaining people who probably needed some relief from the fighting. Apparently he also composed songs, but no mention of any titles is ever made.

He was itching to make something more of himself, so after traveling to Paris and London as a singer, he made his way to New York in 1926 to become an actor. He appeared in 5 or 6 plays, all of them incredibly successful... Broadway, which had a long run from 1926 to 1928. It's cast was rounded out by Lee Tracy, Paul Porcasi and Millard Mitchell. He appeared in The Last Mile with Hollywood hopeful Spencer Tracy; did double duty in Grand Hotel playing a chauffeur, but also stage managing (no easy job, I imagine). The Front Page starred Lee Tracy, but Calleia worked with other great character actors Osgood Perkins, Edouardo Cianelli, Georges Barbier, and Allen Jenkins as well.

Finally, he landed in Hollywood. By 1935, he was getting some decent roles as gangsters and ethnic types, with a little something extra to offer, in my opinion. He tried writing, and came up with a screenplay for the film Robin Hood of El Dorado. He was married to Eleonore Vassallo in 1929 and stayed married to her all his life. He traveled to Malta often and is still very popular there - a commemorative stamp was released in 1997, and a bust of Calleia was erected to honor his memory in 2005.

[JackFavell]

I unjusrtly neglected to mention that Brando was not Francis Ford Coppola's first choice to play The Godfather..... can you guess who it was?

Joseph Calleia. Unfortunately (in my opinion), he turned it down, even though Coppola begged him more than once to come back to Hollywood from Malta to play the part. Though not known at the time, ill health made it impossible for him to accept.

[Ann Harding]

Just one little aside. There is a Maltese tenor nowadays called Joseph Calleja who has made a name for himself in the field of opera. It must be a very common name in Malta!

[stuart.uk]

Here's a British point of view, some of whom are stars in the UK, but not globally

Sylvia Sims

Brenda De Banzie, a character actress, who was great in the lead in Hobson's Choice

Joan Sims, an versatile actress, who could play glamour, plain and even elderly when still relatively young

Hannah Gordon, Scot's actress from Upstairs Downstairs. When young played James Mason's daughter in film Spring And Port Wine

Alison Steadman

Liz Frazer

Bill Owen, John Mills sidekick in The Way To The Stars and Compo in Last Of The Summer Wine

Lynda Bellingham

Amanda Redman the star of New Tricks, worthy of global stardom

Renee Astherson, Robert Donat's still living widow and John Mills romantic interest in Way To The Stars

Renee Houston, Scots actress who did Two Thousand Women and A Town Like Alice

Barbara Dickson, a Scottish all-round entertainer, who began as a folk singer, became a pop star and West End star, playing Mrs. Johnson in Blood Brothers. Had a duet no 1 with Elaine Paige I Know Him So Well. Back doing her first love flok singing

Stephanie Cole, who played Pierce Brosman's aunt in Grey Owl. Also is Martin Clune's aunt in Doc Martin, currently in Coronation Street. While still young, played a prim and proper middle aged woman in Open All Hours. Also in POW film Tenko and sit com Waiting For God

Denis Waterman, John Thaw's equal in Sweeny and a bodyguard in Minder, now in New Tricks. Co-starred with Richard Harris in UK western Man In The Wilderness

George Cole, young Scrooge to Alistair Sim.

Sir David Jason, along with John Thaw IMO the best British actors, on UK tv

Corin Redgrave and his daughter Gemma

Ivor Dean, Claude Teal in The Saint

Gillian Kearney who played June in 2002 remake of The Forsythe Saga

Suzanne Llyod, a lovely Candian actress who did Zorro and Bonanza. Also was in several Roger Moore Saints, an Avengers and was leading lady to Morcambe And Wise in movie The Reviera Touch. Though Canadian, I think of her as an adopted Brit as she spent about 10 working yrs in the UK.

Jill Gascoine, Alfred Molina's wife, who was a big U.K tv star in the 80s, but not much heard of recently

Duncan McRae and Jean Anderson, who played a married couple in The Kidnappers. He also did Tunes Of Glory and she starred in UK soap The Brothers

[JackFavell]

Renee Asherson is still living? Wow.

[stuart.uk]

Renee's 96 not out and still counting

[MissGoddess]

I'm sometimes intrigued by Rochelle Hudson


and Linden Travers, who almost looks like her British counterpart



I'm not sure I can say either is unjustly neglected. They were so-so actresses but I always notice them when they appear in a movie. Rochelle was in several Fox films with Shirley Temple and Will Rogers. Linden's most famous movie is probably Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.

[charliechaplinfan]

You should love Algiers Wendy. I think he's an interesting actor, looking at his credits on the imdb he's been in lots of films, I realise I've just watched him in the Cross of Lorraine.

[Rita Hayworth]

Suzanne Llyod, a lovely Candian actress who did Zorro and Bonanza. Also was in several Roger Moore Saints, an Avengers and was leading lady to Morcambe And Wise in movie The Reviera Touch. Though Canadian, I think of her as an adopted Brit as she spent about 10 working yrs in the UK.

Stuart,
When I was visiting California, back in mid-1960's ... I was a big fan (and still is) of Disney's ZORRO series starring Guy Williams as ZORRO ... she was in that series and I have both Williams and Lloyd autograph on this photo below. They made a surprise appearance at Disneyland ... can't remember the dates ... but came away a memory of seeing both Williams and Lloyd.

Sample Photo that I had autographed by both stars

[stuart.uk]

One lesser known actress I liked was Mrs. Die Hard, Bonnie Bedelia. Mind you I think I have a soft spot for her as she played the first Mrs. Joe Cartright, Alice, in the acclaimed Bonanza two-parter Forever, oppisite Michael Landon. Barbara Anderson was Joe's second wife in Bonanza The Next Generation, but Landon didn't appear

Rosemarry DeCamp

Mildred Natwick