Mary Astor

[moira finnie]

There's a great appreciation of Mary Astor this month on the Bright Lights Film Journal by the gifted writer Dan Callahan that begins:

"It's a long, punishing way from the Madonna-like profile that stared adoringly at John Barrymore in Beau Brummel (1924) to the decrepit tart in Act of Violence (1948), and Mary Astor took no trouble to hide what she considered her own personal foolishness on that journey from ingénue to jaded character player. In both of her memoirs, My Story (1959) and A Life in the Movies (1972), Astor made sure to stress the sheer drudgery of most of her film work, how so much of it was a question of "Where do I stand?", answered by, "A little to the right, Mary . . . now come in the door and move just a little bit to your left." Even as a girl in her teens, Astor had the intelligent, sorrowful eyes of a mature woman, and in talkies, her throaty voice made everything she said sound worldly and a touch cynical. In her best work, she hints at the sort of knowledge that can only be acquired through constant exposure to the seamier side of life...the rest of "The Prisoner of Kicks: Mary Astor" is on Bright Lights Film Journal here

[intothenitrate]

Mary Astor has become one of my top screen crushes. When she's on screen, I hardly blink. Like most moderns stumbling into her filmography, I knew her first from the Maltese Falcon. Just before she appears on screen, everyone in the detective agency talks about how this gorgeous client is waiting for an appointment. When she finally walks in, I always think, "Really? Well, if the script says she's hot, OK, she's hot." But she didn't make me lovesick exactly. She's a force of nature in The Great Lie, reserved and bitchy, but not in the way Victorian ladies are reserved and bitchy. The real eye opener for Mary Astor for me was Across the Pacific. She is so playful and frank and unpretentious. That's when she got me.

[jdb1]

Mary Astor has become one of my top screen crushes. When she's on screen, I hardly blink. Like most moderns stumbling into her filmography, I knew her first from the Maltese Falcon. Just before she appears on screen, everyone in the detective agency talks about how this gorgeous client is waiting for an appointment. When she finally walks in, I always think, "Really? Well, if the script says she's hot, OK, she's hot." But she didn't make me lovesick exactly. She's a force of nature in The Great Lie, reserved and bitchy, but not in the way Victorian ladies are reserved and bitchy. The real eye opener for Mary Astor for me was Across the Pacific. She is so playful and frank and unpretentious. That's when she got me.

We have had discussions here about what's wrong with Astor in Huston's TMF, and one of the suggestions is that the chemistry between Bogart and Astor is off. All the more strange, when you see them together in Huston's Across The Pacific, where the two actors sizzle in their scenes together.

I didn't like Astor as much when I was younger, but I get her now, and I love her. I think she was really excellent in The Great Lie, and richly deserved her Oscar. My "best favorite" Astor performances are in Dodsworth and Palm Beach Story. She is down to earth, reassuring and sensible in Dodsworth, and as sexy and hot as a firecracker in PBS, practically pulling Joel McRae's pants off in every scene.

[JackFavell]

I'm a big fan, and one of the few who likes her performance in Maltese Falcon. Her hairstyle could have been better, but ahh, well. The Great Lie is such fun, she is callow and crazy and you have to enjoy it. Dodsworth is amazing. Her performance is sad, loving, and it's the kind of role that should be impossible, or relegated to second string status, but she really makes a wonderful warm third lead in the film.

PBS is fantastic, but contrast it to Act of Violence !!!! That's the last film I saw her in and she blew me away! God, she was good... but put the two together and it really hits you how good an actress she was.

[knitwit45]

Dodsworth is amazing. Her performance is sad, loving, and it's the kind of role that should be impossible, or relegated to second string status, but she really makes a wonderful warm third lead in the film.

After reading the article referenced in Moira's post, it makes her performance even more amazing. I especially love her statement that she was never happier than in the last scene of the movie.

what a woman.

[Professional Tourist]

Dodsworth is available now on Hulu.

[JackFavell]

There's a moment in Midnight that really makes her character for me - I believe that Francis Lederer has just offered to take Claudette Colbert home, and Mary is left standing there, watching her lover and his new obsession leave. Barrymore is behind her, watching her watch them.... the look on her face is heartbreaking. It only lasts an instant, but you have just a moment of seeing the vulnerability of this proud and vindictive woman.

[charliechaplinfan]

Still have to watch Midnight. I've just watched her in Behind Office Doors a lovely precode and also in Other Men's Wives. I loved her in Red Dust, she a delightful contrast to Jean Harlow. I enjoyed her too in The Prisoner of Zenda. She's always very memorable in the films she's in but in the later ones she's rarely the star, she always makes the most of her parts. I keep hoping that Across the Pacific will appear on region 2 before long.

[knitwit45]

Across the Pacific is my favorite of the 2 movies with Mary and Bogie. She is so playful, and funny and sexy in this one, and it seems like some of the dialog is just off the cuff. If I have it Alison, I'll send it!

[knitwit45]

It'll be on it's way tomorrow!

[CineMaven]

Hi there Erika. I just watched your tribute to the great Mary Astor, and it was lovingly put together. I loved the clips, and the delicate music you chose. For me, in all her incarnations (and hairstyles) there's still Something About Mary that sets her apart from the other character leading ladies.

That was lovely!

Sincerely,

CineMaven.

[intothenitrate]

Yes, yes yes! I completely forgot about Dodsworth.. That scene where she's standing on the balcony and Walter Huston is coming back to her on that little boat...makes me want to take back every cynical thing I've ever said about love and romance!

That's funny that you just watched Behind Office Doors, charliechaplinfan. I just bought a bunch of DVDs on sale from Alpha Video, and one of them was BOD. It's so 'pre-codey" and suffers from all the technical limitations of a primitive talkie, but Mary's performance makes it credible and watchable. Despite the not-so-subtle meme that a young woman with a job is fair game for libidinous executives, Mary's character is heroic; she remains relatively virtuous, super-smart, and true to herself. [Why she was so stuck on that meathead of a boss, I'll never know].

I'm going on Amazon and ordering Palm Beach Story right now.

[Erika1712]

Thanks, CineMaven!
I adore Mary. Most especially in Dodsworth. I think she's stunningly beautiful in that movie. But I agree with the poster that said contrast it with Act of Violence. Then watch her in Return to Peyton Place. That truly sent me over and made me fan for life. I should upload it! Not a wonderful picture, but it's a chance to see Mary showing her skills! IMO!

[mrsl]

.
Mary always kind of fell through the cracks for me. I never saw her in anything that made me say," wow, what else has she done", nor have I ever said "oh. . . her again". Dodsworth made me angry because I couldn't believe he could be as blind and unable to change anything that was coming his way. In The Maltese Falcon she was so cold, even in the love making scenes, that I wasn't impressed with her. Finally as Mama in both Meet Me in St. Louis and Little Women, she hit the roles I liked her in. She played a good and loving mom. I just don't see her as a 'girlfriend'' or young 'bride' type. The second half of her career was spent mostly on TV and I do remember her as guest star on a lot of shows of all kinds including westerns like Wagon Train. For me, she was a nice, steady actress you could count on to give a good performance every time.
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