The Silver Screen Oasis

Well, PT, I have never known anyone to be so ardently fond of Agnes. It does my heart good to find that out. I have always liked her and thought her not only to be a STRONG addition to any film, but also an unsung heroine. Finally, here is someone who adores her, good for you!

Now, as for Judy, well, I have been a BIG fan for years. I happen to think she was beautiful, and I know how insecure she was around the others. In fact, in Ziegfeld Girl, Paul Kelly pulls her out of the line up telling her, "You're no glamour girl," or something to that effect. That wasn't very nice. It made her out to be the talented one, but not a beauty.

Here are a couple of pics you might like that showcase her loveliness:





Looking forward to more.

I think Judy was lovely when she was younger. In Me and My Girl with Gene Kelly she was as beautiful as Lana and Hedy. Judy didn't age too well in films like A Star is Born she does look older than her actual age but the amount of talent she had, well that bowled everyone over.

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And what do we all think of yesterday's press announcement that Anne Hathaway will play Garland in a new biopic?

I'm still adding question marks to my HUH???????????????? . . . . . .

Hi Judith,

Add my "HUH" to yours....

Didn't Judy Davis already do this and receive an Emmy for it?? Why try to outdo perfection; you'll only fall flat on your face...
I say just rerelease several of Garland's movies onto TV and be done with it...

Larry

Anne Hathaway as Garland What will they think of next.

I love the pictures. The young Judy looks so fresh, dewy and untainted, yet the older Judy has more vulnerability and different appeal. She was beautiful, beauty with a defined personality which I'm not sure that 'classic' beauties like Hedy Lamarr had.

I've been a fan these actresses' aging process. I think Lauren Bacall STILL has this stately, almost other-worldly 'compelling-ness' that forces my eyes to watch her. There were a few photos of an older Veronica Lake, a little broader, but still absolutely gorgeous. And while hardly anyone nominated Agnes Moorehead for top beauty, those pix of her reveal a most wonderful-to-watch woman. Her personality - like Telulah and Gloria Swanson - still make me want to watch them, wherever I find 'em.

Jane Greer's photos make me think of June Allyson, that almost sad-eyed beauty with a harsher edge perhaps due to Jane's darker, more contrasting colors.

I wonder how many actors are hired merely as "Looks Like Twins Or Siblings" so studios could plug one 'kind of looker' for another.

June Allyson? She wished she had half the sex appeal of Jane. Plus, Jane's features are beautiful, June was just a cutie.

And, to answer your question, many actors were hired or had their appearance changed as look-a-likes to compete with other studios. A few I can think of off the top of my head are Brian Aherne for Ronald Coleman, Ricardo Cortez for Valentino, Dietrich for Garbo (although they didn't really look alike), and Lizabeth Scott for Lauren Bacall. And, then there were the make overs. The most obvious was Joan Bennett for Hedy Lamarr, but there was a time when Alice Faye looked exactly like Jean Harlow.

Great pics of Garland, PT.

Sorry, but I hope this doesn't ruin poor Anne's career. She'd do better to try for Audrey.
B

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Re: Anne Hathaway as Judy G. Anne is as cute as a button, and a really lovely girl to boot, but she is still years away from doing the biography of anyone yet. Also, whoever said it, you're correct about Judy Davis, she was almost like watching Judy herself in some spots.

Anne

I have to admit a bit of trepidation towards Anne H. doing Judy G, and maybe the "still a distance from doing bio's" is the basis for my fears. I have really enjoyed some of Anne's films, but I'm not sure about HER. Put her in a wrong role, and this could be injurious, I suspect. I think she'd be better off doing her own characters rather than taking on someone with such a mixed bag of personal issues and accomplishments.

Of course, if they're going to do ANY Young Judy G scenes, then they've gotta pluck some young thang outta the crowd.

Best o' luck, Anne. I think you're gonna need it.

Very nice photos of Garson, but I still cannot warm to her. In most of these, as on the screen, she has the look of someone who is smelling something bad, and trying not to be obvious about it. It makes her look condescending, and I don't think she's all that grande a dame to wear condescending well.

jdb1 wrote: she has the look of someone who is smelling something bad, and trying not to be obvious about it.

AMAZING!
Judith, that is exactly what I was thinking as I perused those great Garson pix, and then spent the past hour or so ruminating how to express that in a less-than-off-putting manner.
Trust the Brooklyn Gal to git 'er dun !
But before I get chalked into the wrong box here, let me declare that I have always found Greer Garson to be an undeniably beautiful woman, unfortunately one who always feels (to me) as if any situation she finds herself in just insufferably strains her patience.

No gainsaying from me, Klonny, regarding Garson's looks; it's a lovely face. However, I think one of the things that has kept me from going out of my way to see her in a movie is the impression that she's trying just a little too hard to be elegant -- the effort shows, and it should not have, if it came naturally to her.

I remember how surprised I was the first time I saw Random Harvest where, at the beginning of the film, she is youthful, energetic and cute. Didn't know she could do it, and to me, it suited her. Mrs. Miniver is one of my least favorite films. I just can't stand her in it; she's so self-consciously and bogusly noble. [Is "bogusly" word?]