who are your top five actresses

melwalton · Post by **melwalton** » May 24th, 2008, 5:10 pm

Stu
I didn't understand whether you meant acting ability or likeability so I made two lists.

Acting:
Julie Harris
Rosalind Russell
Janet Margolin
Ginger Rogers
Celia Johnson

Favorites:
Jessie Matthews
Dorothy Lee
Cecelia Parker
Janet Margolin
Phillis Calvert

So many. Bette Davis was great in 'Of Human Bondage but I thought close to hysterical sometimes. ... mel

charliechaplinfan · Post by **charliechaplinfan** » May 25th, 2008, 10:59 am

mel......you're not alone about Bette, I find her difficult to get into, I like her in Now Voyager and The Private Live of Elizabeth and Essex but most of her other films I can leave.

My mother hates classic movies unless Bette Davis is in them. As Mother and daughter we've nothing in common.

silentscreen · Post by **silentscreen** » May 25th, 2008, 11:42 am

Alison,

I agree. Bette is an aquired taste. But if you do aquire the taste, you're gung-ho, or at least I am!

charliechaplinfan · Post by **charliechaplinfan** » May 25th, 2008, 1:31 pm

Brenda,

I love your avatar.

I can't quite get into Bette the actress but she surely was a character. To be fair my taste in thirties and early forties movies is more towards the screwball comedies, musicals and thrillers and she didn't make many of them.

silentscreen · Post by **silentscreen** » May 25th, 2008, 3:12 pm

Right, she mostly did drama, but you should see "It's Love I'm After" that she did with Leslie Howard. It's a riot with very witty dialogue and proved that she could do comedy as well.

charliechaplinfan · Post by **charliechaplinfan** » May 26th, 2008, 1:37 pm

silentscreen wrote:Right, she mostly did drama, but you should see "It's Love I'm After" that she did with Leslie Howard. It's a riot with very witty dialogue and proved that she could do comedy as well.

I don't mind being convinced. I'll look out for that title

srowley75 · Post by **srowley75** » July 10th, 2008, 6:35 pm

Again, forgiving the lateness:

1. Bette Davis (The Letter, The Little Foxes, Marked Woman, Now Voyager, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane, All About Eve, The Old Maid, Dark Victory, Jezebel, The Nanny, All This and Heaven Too, Mr. Skeffington, Old Acquaintance, Of Human Bondage)

2. Katharine Hepburn (The Lion in Winter, Adam's Rib, Pat and Mike, Woman of the Year, Bringing Up Baby, Stage Door, The Philadelphia Story, The African Queen, The Rainmaker, Summertime, Desk Set, Long Day's Journey Into Night)

3. Carole Lombard (To Be or Not to Be, Twentieth Century, They Knew What They Wanted, My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred, Made for Each Other, In Name Only, Vigil in the Night)

4. Joan Crawford (Possessed ['47], Mildred Pierce, Grand Hotel, Our Dancing Daughters, Flamingo Road, Strait Jacket, The Damned Don't Cry, Harriet Craig, Queen Bee, Torch Song, Female on the Beach, Humoresque)

5. Barbara Stanwyck (Night Nurse, The Miracle Woman, Baby Face, The Bitter Tea of General Yen, The Furies, Double Indemnity, The Strange Love of Martha Ivers, The File on Thelma Jordon, Walk on the Wild Side, Stella Dallas, The Lady Eve, Ball of Fire)

-Stephen

ChiO · Post by **ChiO** » July 10th, 2008, 6:55 pm

I posted in May:

1. Barbara Stanwyck
2. Joan Bennett
3. Barbara Stanwyck
4. Jean Arthur
5. Barbara Stanwyck

Sometimes spots #3 & 5 will flip-flop.

I watched THE FURIES last night. Stanwyck just took #4 and Jean Arthur moved down a position.

myrnaloyisdope · Post by **myrnaloyisdope** » July 12th, 2008, 2:53 am

Stanwyck has been growing on me more and more, she's incredible.

I need to see me some more Jean Arthur, she's beyond adorable in Easy Living.

inglis · Post by **inglis** » July 27th, 2008, 9:05 pm

Betty Davis
Myna Loy
Audrey Hepburn
Maureen O'Hara
Anne Bancroft

myrnaloyisdope · Post by **myrnaloyisdope** » July 28th, 2008, 10:55 am

A reappraisal on my part:

Original list
1. Katharine Hepburn
2. Myrna Loy
3. Ginger Rogers
4. Marlene Dietrich
5. Gene Tierney

New list
1. Katharine Hepburn...by virtue of her starring in Holiday, Stage Door and Bringing Up Baby all of which are perfect.
2. Myrna Loy...my screennamesake.
3. Joan Blondell...my infatuation with Busby Berkeley is closely tied to my infatuation with her. Plus all her other pre-code films are a lot of fun.
4. Barbara Stanwyck...along with Claudette Colbert the only actress I can think of who can carry a movie singlehandedly regardless of the material
5. Miriam Hopkins...very versatile and probably has the highest ratio of actress to favorite movies that I can think off(at least of her films I've seen), I mean Trouble in Paradise, Design For Living, Temple Drake, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde., all so good.

Rest assured that Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich, and Gene Tierney all hold a special place in my heart. But right now pre-code is king and Joan Blondell is queen.

srowley75 · Post by **srowley75** » July 28th, 2008, 9:12 pm

myrnaloyisdope wrote: 3. Joan Blondell...my infatuation with Busby Berkeley is closely tied to my infatuation with her. Plus all her other pre-code films are a lot of fun.
5. Miriam Hopkins...very versatile and probably has the highest ratio of actress to favorite movies that I can think off(at least of her films I've seen), I mean Trouble in Paradise, Design For Living, Temple Drake, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde., all so good.

I like both of these actresses tremendously, and if I could've listed my top ten, I'm sure they'd have both been mentioned. Blondell's contribution to pre-code cinema certainly can't be underestimated, and though her roles lost some of their snappy, sassy edge after the era drew to a close, she still delivered impressive performances throughout the 1930s and 40s, even after being relegated to supporting roles in films like Nightmare Alley, The Blue Veil and Desk Set. I purchased a rarely seen movie of hers called Three Girls About Town (1941) a while back, and while it wasn't a precoder, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun it was.

If Miriam had toned down her act a bit, I think she might've gone a lot further in Hollywood. My personal favorite of her performances is These Three, which in my opinion should've earned her an Oscar nod (and perhaps the award) faster than the less appealing Becky Sharp. And I think she's a riot in Old Acquaintance, a film that should be more highly regarded than it is. I'd also suggest you track down The Stranger's Return, a smalltown comedy/drama that strikes me as something of a precursor to Theodora Goes Wild.

-Stephen

MichiganJ · Post by **MichiganJ** » July 29th, 2008, 3:54 pm

Late again, but my 2-cents....

Silents:
Mary Pickford
Garbo
Gloria Swanson
Bessie Love
Lillian Gish
Marion Davies

Golden Age Hollywood
Kate Hepburn
Myrna Loy
Barbara Stanwyck
Carole Lombard
Jean Arthur
Theresa Wright

“International”
Jeanne Moreau
Catherine Deneuve
Isabella Adjani
Isabelle Huppert
Ingrid Thulin
Giulietta Masina

“Modern”
Cate Blanchett
Kate Winslet
Juliette Binoche
Jodi Foster
Faye Dunaway
Glenn Close

charliechaplinfan · Post by **charliechaplinfan** » July 29th, 2008, 4:15 pm

Hi MichaganJ, I'm with you all the way down that list apat from Faye Dunaway. I guess you see something there I just can't see

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who are your top five actresses

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