The Silver Screen Oasis

I totally agree, Nancy. He was wonderful in "The Shop Around the Corner", among others.

My favorite Felix Bressart roles are his comically poignant spear carrier aching to play Shylock just once in To Be or Not to Be (1941). His longing to deliver the lines, "Hath a Jew not eyes?" is both sad and funny, but instead his equable character said in the course of the pointed humor in the film that "a laugh line is nothing to sneeze at." I also loved him as the hapless magician/dog trainer in It All Came True (1940).


This chilling observation is from Blood and Banquets: A Berlin Social Diary by Bella Fromm, a collection of her comments when she lived in the higher echelons of the "thousand year reich" (despite her own non-Aryan status). Fromm was a social columnist in the 1930s in Berlin, until she fled the country, publishing this book in the U.S. in 1943.:

"Hitler is inordinately fond of motion pictures. He spends many hours night in his private movie room. It takes two or three full-length pictures a night to satisfy him. Once after seeing a picture in which Felix Bressart appeared, the Fuehrer said: 'This fellow is wonderful. A pity he is a Jew."

Fortunately for Bressart, he emigrated in 1938, and found employment among his many fans and former co-workers already ensconced in Hollywood, from Lubitsch to Pasternak and Wilder.

Good stuff once again, Moira.

Birthday boy Desi Arnaz with his best girl Lucille Ball sharing a few sodas

A tall drink of water drinking a cup of coffee

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

WALLY CASSELL is 96 today


BOBBY DRISCOLL (1937 - 1968)


GIA SCALA (1934 - 1972)


CATHY DOWNS (1924 - 1976)


DIANA BARRYMORE (1921 - 1960)


CHARLOTTE HENRY (1914 - 1980)


JEAN HARLOW (1911 - 1937) 100 years


HAROLD J. STONE (1911 - 2005) 100 years


CANADA LEE (1907 - 1952)


MAYO METHOT (1904 - 1951)


EDNA BEST (1900 - 1974)


EDMUND LOWE (1890 - 1971)

That pic of Ms. Scala really should have a caption that reads:
"Chocolate? Stockings? Real American cigarettes?"

Dead End Kid Billy Halop plays a prank on director Michael Curtiz on the set of "Angels with Dirty Faces"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

PAULA PRENTISS is 73 today


MARTHA O'DRISCOLL (1922 - 1998)


JOAN GREENWOOD (1921 - 1987)


JOHN GARFIELD (1913 - 1952)


PEARL WHITE (1889 - 1938)


RAFAELA OTTIANO (1888 - 1942)

Joe, I read somewhere (back in my "youth") that Billy Halop was fond of terrorizing line producers, co-stars & direction staff with the roughness of his "humor", and that his supreme prank was actually pantsing Humphrey Bogart in front of fellow cast members, but that he didn't exactly get away with it, as James Cagney lost no time in physically rousting him for the stunt, cuffing him around and managing to embarrass & cower him in front of his peers.
Any of that true, do you know, or is it just cool-sounding Hollywood apocrypha?

Your on target. Klondike. Most of the other 'kids' were in on the pranks especially Leo Gorcey. Our man Cagney was indeed hands off...the 'kids' knew better. The 'kids' let Ann Sheridan slide though, since they adored her.

OFF THE WALL

TOMMY RETTIG


RITA HAYWORTH & FRED ASTAIRE


FRANK SINATRA

Wow . . looks like Frankie was wearing more makeup there than wifey Ava ever did!
Please tell me it was for a circus role . . ?!

Klondike, I believe Sinatra was on the set of the clinker "The Kissing Bandit".