Christmas and Classic Film

The Yuletide has many customs which people in the English speaking world observe. Some, such as the Yule log and decorating houses with greenery, may go back before Northern Europe was converted to Christianity. Other, such as eggnog and Christmas crackers, are of more recent vintage. Among the most recent customs associated with the Yuletide is the annual viewing of movies with holiday themes.

For many families the watching of Yuletide movies is as much a part of the holidays as trimming a Christmas tree or decking the house out in lights. Many of the movies which have become holiday favourites are of rather recent vintage, including A Christmas Story and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. Many more were made decades ago. Indeed, the holidays may be the only time that some people actually watch classic films.

I believe that there is a very good reason for this. While there has probably never been a time when Hollywood did not turn out at least one or two Christmas oriented movies a year, I believe that the Golden Age for Christmas movies started around 1941 and continued until around 1951. Indeed, it seems as if the number of movies considered essential viewing during the holidays were made during this period: Holiday Inn, It's a Wonderful Life, The Bishop's Wife, Miracle on 34th Street, and the Alastair Sim version of A Christmas Carol were all made during this period.

Strangely enough, this cycle towards holiday movies did not begin in November or December as one might have expected it to. If I were to pick an point where this cycle started, it would have been on May 3, 1941. It was on that date that the movie Meet John Doe was released. Fittingly, Meet John Doe was directed by Frank Capra, the man who would many years later be responsible for the most famous holiday movie of them all, It's a Wonderful Life.  Meet John Doe centred on a man in dire need of money (Gary Cooper) who agrees to impersonate an individual who was created by  a reporter (Barbara Stanwyck). Not surprisingly, Meet John Doe has a great deal in common with It's a Wonderful Life. While both films are ultimately uplifting, both films are also very dark and even pessimistic at times. Indeed, suicide attempts play a role in the plots of both movies. Both also have climaxes that take place on Christmas Eve. Sadly, while It's a Wonderful Life is rightfully famous, Meet John Doe is known only to film buffs.

Today the release date of Meet John Doe, May 3, 1941, might seem odd. After all, it would seem as if most movies which touch upon the holidays should be released in November or December, as most holiday movies are today. Here two things must be considered. First, many movies considered Yuletide films today were not initially intended as such. Meet John Doe is one example, its focus primarily being upon John Doe and the movement he inspired, not necessarily the holiday. Another example is Holiday Inn. The classic musical takes place in a space of a year, although it begins and ends at Christmastime. It should not seem so surprising, then, that it was released on August 4, 1942. The number of Fortiesfilms now associated with the holidays that were released at other times is surprising: Christmas Holiday (June 7, 1944), Christmas in Connecticut (August 11, 1945), Miracle on 34th Street (May 2, 1947), and The Lemon Drop Kid (March 1, 1950).

Meet John Doe would not create a rush towards Yuletide movies, although two of the best known Christmas movies would be released in 1942 (neither during the holidays). The Man Who Came to Dinner was released on January 1, 1942, which many even then would have considered the end of the Christmas season during which the movie takes place. The movie centred on irascible radio personality Sheridan Whiteside becoming stranded at an Ohio couple's house after he slips on their walk and injures his hip. Naturally, Whiteside proceeds to turn their lives upside down. The second holiday movie released that year was Holiday Inn. Although now associated with the Yuletide season, Holiday Inn was released in August. This makes more sense when one stops to think that the movie is actually set over the space of year, with sequences dedicated to almost every holiday on the American calendar.

Nineteen forty four would see the release of two more movies. One is the largely forgotten film noir Christmas Holiday, a bleak movie with Deanna Durbin in her first film. The other movie released that year was the classic musical Meet Me in St. Louis. Like Holiday Inn, Meet Me in St. Louis takes place over the course of a several months.Like Holiday Inn, its classic takes place at Christmas. Unlike Holiday Inn, Meet Me with St. Louis was released in time with the holidays, on November 28, 1944.  It introduced the holiday standard "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," performed by Judy Garland.

The cycle towards Christmas movies would kick into high gear in 1945, with three films released that year. Oddly enough, two of them were not released at Yuletide. The Cheaters was a sophisticated comedy released by Republic on July 15, 1945. It featured a couple plotting to steal an inheritance, only to have their plans hindered by a has been actor they take in as an act of Christmas charity. Christmas in Connecticut, regarded by many today as one of the essential Christmas classics, was released on August 11, 1945. The film centred on Forties version of Martha Stewart (played by Barbara Stanwyck), who actually doesn't know how to cook or do housework. Unfortunately, she finds herself in the position of having to cook for Christmas. The movie is easily one of the funniest Christmas films ever released, and Barbara Stanwyck gives her best performance. Strangely enough, the only "Christmas" film released at the Yuletide was the one which had the least to do with the holiday. The Bells of St. Mary's centred on a priest and a nun who try to save their school from being shut down. The only sequence in the film which actually touches on the holidays is the portrayal of a Christmas pageant. It was released on December 6, 1945.

While 1945 saw three different Yuletide movies released, 1946 only saw one significant holiday movie released. That having been said, that film is now considered by many to be the Yuletide movie. Contrary to popular belief, It's a Wonderful Life  was not a colossal flop on its first release; however, it was a major box office disappointment. It's a Wonderful Life cost $3.7 million to make, a high price tag for a movie at the time, particularly an independent. At the box office it ultimately earned only $3.3 million. The film did not even break even. Many today are a bit puzzled as to why what is now considered by many to be the greatest Yuletide movie of all time did not perform better at the box office. One reason that has been put forth by many is that It's a Wonderful Life  is in many ways a very dark, very bleak film. Indeed, it is George's thoughts of suicide that lead directly up to its climax. Following World War II audiences were generally in the mood for much lighter fare. It may well have been that It's a Wonderful Life was simply too dark and too grim for audiences at the time. Another reason that It's a Wonderful Life may have performed poorly at the box office is the timing of its release. While the movie premiered in New York City on December 20, it did not go into wide release until January 7, 1947. By this time most Americans probably were not in the mood for a Christmas movie. While it is only the film's climax that is set at the Yuletide, its climax occupies a good part of the film and tends to be its most memorable sequence. It's a Wonderful Life was then a Yuletide film released a few weeks too late for the holiday.

Of course, the theory that It's a Wonderful Life was simply released at the wrong time may hold no weight given when that other perennial Yuletide favourite was released. Miracle on 34th Street was released on May 2, 1947, about as far from the Christmas season as one could get. This was done at the insistence of Darryl F. Zanuck insisted that more people went to the cinema in the summer, so this would be the best time for the film to be released. 20th Century Fox then struck upon a novel promotional plan in which no reference was made to the fact that Miracle on 34th Street was a Yuletide movie was made or even details of the plot were revealed. Amazingly enough, the film became a hit. Not only did it do a brisk business in the summer of 1947, but it continued to do well right up into the holiday season. For quite some time it was probably the most popular Yuletide movie, until being overtaken by It's a Wonderful Life.

Nineteen forty seven would prove to be a good year for holiday movies. It was on October 31, 1947 that the now largely forgotten dramedy Christmas Eve was released. The film starred Ann Harding as a woman who must find her three, long lost adopted sons to save her fortune from a scheming nephew. It was on December 9 that The Bishop's Wife was released, a film which has become one of the most popular of Yuletide movies. The film was actually a result of the success of RKO's The Bells of St. Mary's. Because of that movie's success, Samuel Goldwyn decided that an inspirational film with a Christmas backdrop would be a sure fire hit. He then optioned the novel The Bishop's Wife by Robert Nathan (author of Portrait of Jennie). Given the failure of the similar fantasy It's a Wonderful Life, there were those who questioned Goldwyn's judgement, but  he moved forward regardless. Worse yet, The Bishop's Wife would prove to be a troubled production, with infighting between Cary Grant and Loretta Young and last minute rewrites. Surprisingly, The Bishop's Wife premiered December 9, 1947 to overall sterling reviews. What is more the film did very well at the box office.It would also pick up five Oscar nominations. It has remained aChristmas favourite ever since.

The cycle towards holiday films appears to have peaked from the period from 1945 to 1947. It was during this period that such classics as Christmas in Connecticut, It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, and The Bishop's Wife all being released during this time. The cycle was hardly over, however, as it would last a few more years. Indeed, 1948 would produce one of the most interesting Yuletide films of all time, John Ford's 3 Godfathers.  The movie was based on Peter Kyne's novelette of the same title, and had already been filmed in 1916, 1929 (by Ford himself, under the title Marked Men), and 1936. Aruguably, Ford's 1948 version would be the quintessential version. Starring John Wayne, the film is essentially a retelling of the story of The Three Wise Men set in the Old West.

It would be 1949 that would see the release of one of the better remembered Yuletide films. Holiday Affair was a romantic comedy set during the holidays, released by RKO. The film featured a young Janet Leigh as a widower who finds herself torn between two men--reliable but somewhat dull Wendell Corey and starry eyed dreamer Robert Mitchum (in one of this few comedic roles). Not only is the film exceedingly funny (especially a scene with Harry Morgan in a an early film appearance), but it is one of the few romantic comedies in which both rivals for the ladies' hand are genuinely nice guys! Sadly, it bombed at the box office. Part of this may be due to the fact that it went into wide release on December 24, Christmas Eve, so that it could not take advantage of the whole holiday season. Until Holiday Affair, Robert Mitchum had primarily starred in gritty films noir, not exactly an actor who comes to mind as a romantic comedic lead (although he is great in thre role). Worse yet, it was only in 1948 that Mitchum was arrested for possession of marijuana, an absolutely scandalous charge at the time. Regardless, Holiday Affair has become something of a cult film through repeated showings on television.


Nineteen fifty saw the release of another unique holiday movie. The Great Rupert starred Jimmy Durante and Terry Moore It was produced by George Pal and centred around a dancing squirrel who helps two poor families .The stop motion animated squirrel was extremely realistic for the time, so much so that many asked Pal where he had gotten a trained squirrel! Of course, here it must be pointed out that George Pal was the man behind the stop motion Puppetoon shorts. Strangely enough, despite its holiday theme, The Great Rupert was released on March 1, 1950 (reportedly, it had been shot in 1948). The film is historic as George Pal's first feature film. Sadly, it has been largely forgotten today. Indeed, it was later released under the less imaginative title A Christmas Wish.

It would be in 1951 that another well known holiday film would be released in March. The Lemon Drop Kid, starring Bob Hope, was released on March 8, 1951. The film was based on the story by Damon Runyan, previously released in 1934. In the film Hope played The Lemon Drop Kid, a New York con man who must make $10,000 by Christmas Eve or face the wrath of gangster Moose Moran (Fred Clark). Although released in March, The Lemon Drop Kid is blatantly a holiday film. Not only is it set during the Yuletide, but it introduced the holiday standard "Silver Bells."

It was later in the year that a film that has come to be regarded as a Christmas classic was released. Titled Scrooge and released on October 31, 1951 in the United Kingdom, it was titled A Christmas Carol for United States audiences and released on November 28 of that year. It has become regarded as perhaps the best adaptation of Dickens' tale. Scrooge or A Christmas Carol received favourable reviews and did moderately well at the box office, but it would ultimately be repeated showings on television that would lead to it being regarded not only as a Yuletide classic, but the best version of A Christmas Carol ever filmed. Indeed, for many Alastair Sim is the man who best portrayed Ebeneezer Scrooge.

Arguably, the cycle towards Yuletide films ended in 1951. The studios did continue to churn out holiday movies (White Christmas was released in 1954, while We're No Angels was released in 1955); however, the fact remains that the studios did not produce holiday movies in the quantities they had in the post-war years, nor did they produce nearly as many classics. Indeed, it is notable that in many polls of favourite Christmas films, at least two and sometimes more movies date back to the period from 1942 to 1951. For example in a recent Marist poll, It's a Wonderful Life ranked #1 as American's favourite Yuletide film, while Miracle on 34th Street ranked #3. If the poll had been a top ten instead of a top five, even more films from the period may have ranked.

Of course, the question remains as to why the period from 1942 to 1951 produced so many Yuletide movies and so many of them classics. After all, at no point in its history has Hollywood probably gone without producing at least one Christmas themed movie a year. At the same time it seems curious that while many holiday films are forgotten in a few years (who remembers the 1985 film Santa Claus the Movie?), the period from 1942 to 1951 produced many films that are remembered to this day. The reason that so many Yuletide classics were produced during this period may quite simply be World War II. While the war was underway there can be no doubt that many sought comfort in the sort of Christmas they had before the war. It is for this reason that movies like Holiday Inn and Meet Me in St. Louis were probably produced. After the war, there can be little doubt that soldiers returning home wanted a return to normalcy, including the kind of Yuletide they remembered from their childhoods. It must be pointed out that the post war years not only saw a boom in Christmas movies, but in Christmas, period. Several classic Christmas songs were released during the era, including "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer," "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!," "Sleigh Ride," and many others. The sale of Christmas lights soared in sales. It is then little wonder that so many Christmas movies were released during this period.

Indeed, that World War II may have triggered the Christmas boom may be reflected in the fact that the war plays a role in the plots of some of the films.The war plays a role in the plots of Christmas in Connecticut, Christmas Eve, and It's a Wonderful Life. World War II is at least acknowledged in some of the other films. It is in times of trouble that people often turn to that which is familiar and comfortable for reassurance. Christmas could well be the holiday that is most familiar and most comfortable for many Americans.

The importance of the period from around 1941 to 1951 to film history and the history of Christmas as celebrated in the United States can be seen in two films released less than a year apart. References to It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street are prolific in Anglo-American pop culture, so much so that they can probably never be reliably counted. Both films have been remade and parodied a number of times. While other films from the cycle have not been referenced in pop culture nearly as many times, nor remade or parodied as many times, they too have had a significant impact on pop culture. Indeed, the best selling single of all time came from Holiday Inn.

Beyond their impact on pop culture, however, the holiday films from 1941 to 1951 could have another, greater impact. As I mentioned earlier, these Yuletide classics are among the only classic films many people watch on a regular basis. After all, every years these films fill television screens, shown on everything from local stations to cable stations to broadcast networks. For many people It's a Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, or Holiday Inn may well be their first introduction to classic film. While many, perhaps most people, might not move onto other classic films, there are perhaps many who do. These Yuletide classics then serve as a means of creating more classic film buffs. While I cannot say that it was It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street that turned me into a classic film fan, they were among the earliest classic films I saw.

It would seem that the films from the cycle towards holiday movies in the Forties then serve more than one purpose. At their most basic level, they serve as a form of continuity from one Christmas to the next, a reminder of Yuletides past. In this way they bring together families and help encourage the spirit of the holiday. On another level they also serve to introduce people who might never have watched a classic film to do so. While many might not become classic film fans, there are perhaps many who do. Regardless, it would seem that no other period has ever produced as many classic Yuletide films as the years between 1941 and 1951.

White Christmas (the song, not the movie)

Even decades after its release, one song remains the best selling single of all time. It is not a song by Elvis Presley. It's not even a song by The Beatles. It is a song originally performed by Bing Crosby and written by Irving Berlin. Its title is "White Christmas."

It was in 1938 that Twentieth Century Fox produced Alexander's Ragtime Band, a musical which drew inspiration from three three different Irving Berlin songs. Paramount decided that it wanted to do a similar film. Fortunately for Paramount, Irving Berlin had an idea that had been floating around his head since he had written "Easter Parade" for his 1933 production As Thousands Cheer. Quite simply, Berlin wanted to write a play about American holidays. The play never came to be, even after Berlin and playwright Moss Hart made plans for just such a show to be titled Stars on My Shoulder. Berlin later mentioned the idea to director Mark Sandrich. The result was the movie Holiday Inn, the movie which would introduce "White Christmas" to the world.

Precisely when "White Christmas" was written has been a matter of question. Generally, it has been assumed that the song was written specifically for the movie Holiday Inn. This is a very reasonable assumption. The sheet music for "White Christmas" bears a copyright date of 1942. It would also seem unusual for Irving Berlin to have sat on a song for some time before introducing it to the public, particularly a song which would become the biggest hit of his career. That having been said, it was in 1960 news report that Irving Berlin stated the song had been written in 1938. This resulted in some controversy, as it would have then been ineligible for the Oscar it won for Best Music, Original Song (to qualify, a song must be an original composition written for a specific film). This seems unlikely, as all other information (including the copyright date) points to the song having been written for Holiday Inn. It seems quite possible that Berlin may have confused the release dates of Alexander's Ragtime Band (released in 1938) and Holiday Inn (released in 1942).

While there has been a little question over when the song was written, there is not really any question over the  circumstances in which it was written. Irving Berlin, Belarussian who grew up in New York, found himself longing for he snowy Christmases of his youth. He then wrote a song in which an individual in Beverly Hills finds himself yearning for the cold and snow of his childhood, a white Christmas. Indeed. the opening verse of the song began make reference to the shining sun and green grass of Beverly Hills. This opening verse would be cut from the song as performed in Holiday Inn and in Bing Crosby's original recording of the song. For that reason it is still rarely heard today.

Irving Berlin had no doubt that "White Christmas" would be a hit. In fact, the story goes that when he dictated the song to his secretary, he told her, "Grab your pen and take down this song. I just wrote the best song I've ever written — heck, I just wrote the best song that anybody's ever written!" Strangely enough, only one other person at the time had any faith in the song besides Berlin--Bing Crosby. He told Berlin, "You don't have to worry about this one, Irving." Strangely enough, the original script to Holiday Inn called for "White Christmas" to be performed only once, and then by Marjorie Reynolds (actually dubbed by Martha Mears). In the original script, Reynolds would be in California, longing for the winter in Connecticut, and would sing the song. It was perhaps because of Berlin's faith in the song that "White Christmas" is performed much earlier in the song, by Bing Crosby, as his character is about to open Holiday Inn. As to Bing Crosby, his faith in the song is best demonstrated by the fact that he performed it on the radio show Kraft Music Hall, on December 25, 1941, a full eight months before Holiday Inn was released.

"White Christmas" was originally recorded at Decca on May 29, 1941. Bing Crosby's usual music conductor John Scott Trotter, who worked on that session, recalled, there was a bit of controversy at the session. Irving Berlin wanted to include the first verse, the one about Beverly Hills, in the commercial recording of the song. Decca founder and head Jack Kapp disagreed with Berlin. Berlin thought the first verse was very poetic and moving. Kapp maintained that it had nothing to do with the song as performed in the movie. As history shows, Kapp won out in the end. As a result, even to this day, the first verse of the song is rarely performed.

Despite its status as a holiday favourite, Holiday Inn premiered on August 4, 1942 in New York City. The consensus had long been that "Be Careful, It's My Heart," performed in the movie's Valentine's Day sequence, would be the big hit of the movie. And for a time it was. As the year moved closer to December, however, "White Christmas" began to pick up steam. In 1942 the song would spend eleven weeks at the top of the Billboard charts. It would also give Bing Crosby his first hit on Billboard's Harlem Hit Parade, where it stayed for three weeks. Bing Crosby's version of the song would hit the Billboard charts twenty different times before Billboard created a separate holiday chart. In fact, by 1947 the song's original master had become so damaged by repeated pressings, that on March 18, 1947, Crosby had to re-record the song. Every effort was made to duplicate the original recording, although there are subtle differences.

"White Christmas" not only became the biggest hit of Bing Crosby's career, but the biggest selling single of all time. According to most sources, it has sold in excess of 50 million copies. According to Guiness World Records when all versions of the song are counted, it has sold over 100 million copies. As might be expected, "White Christmas" became one of Crosby's singature tunes. He performed it again in the 1946 movie Blue Skies. It would later provide the basis for the 1954 movie White Christmas. The movie had been planned to reunite the leads of Holiday Inn, Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, but Astaire turned the project down. Ultimately, Danny Kaye would be Crosby's co-star on the movie.

Over the years "White Christmas" has been covered many, many times. Among the most famous is a version released by The Drifters in 1954. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and returned to the chart two more times. It was The Drifters' first hit on the Hot 100 chart, the first of 33 more. It has also been covered by Darlene Love, Otis Redding, Nat King Cole, and even such artists as The Flaming Lips and Twisted Sister.

"White Christmas" remains the best selling song of all time. The reason for such success is simple. The song is a mixture of melancholy and nostalgia, a longing for one's home and the way things once were. It is a sentiment with which many around the world can identify. Indeed, much of the reason for its initial success may have been due to its release during World War II. In the holiday season of 1942, the Armed Forces Network found itself deluged with requests for the song from those serving overseas in the military. Whether it is the greatest holiday song of all time might be debatable, but it is arguably the most successful one of all time.

"Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)"

Note:  For those of you who are wondering, I am aware that actress Brittany Murphy has passed away. It is also the Yuletide, however, and I would like to do some holiday oriented post. I will then eulogise Miss Murphy after December 25.

As anyone who has read this blog regularly in the past already knows, my favourite Yuletide song is "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)," originally performed by Darlene Love.  The song was written by Phil Spector, Jeff Barry, and Ellie Greenwich, and was the only original on the classic 1963 album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector (the other songs being covers of old holiday standards). The song was originally meant for Ronnie Spector, but it seems that she could not project the amount of emotion the song needed. It was then Darlene Love who sang the song on the album, it has since become her signature song.

With the exception of 2007 (during the writers' strike), Darlene Love has performed the song every year from 1997 to 2008 on Late Night with David Letterman and later The Late Show with David Letterman.  It has since been covered by such diverse artists as U2, Death Cab for Cutie, and Dion. It was also used in the opening credits of  the movie Gremlins.

This is a clip from Darlene Love's 2005 performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.



And here is a clip of U2 performing their version.

Dan O'Bannon Passes On

Dan O'Bannon, the screenwriter who wrote the screenplays for Dark Star, Alien, and Total Recall, passed Thursday at the age of 63. He had suffered from Crohn's disease for thirty years.

Dan O'Bannon was born on September 30, 1946 in St. Louis. He majored in fine art at Washington University in St. Louis, then attended MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Illinois. In 1970 he graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in film. It was while he was at USC that he met John Carpenter. Together they collaborated on a forty minute short entitled Dark Star in 1970. Together they expanded the short into the feature film Dark Star, released in 1974, with Carpenter directing and O'Bannon performing duties from scripting to editing. Although Dark Star bombed at the box office, it has come to be regarded as a cult classic. O'Bannon was part of the special effects team on Star Wars, working as a computer animator. He was set to supervise the special effects on an adaptation of Dune to be directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky, but the project fell through. It was in the wake of this failed project that he wrote the screenplay for Alien. Unlike Dark Star, Alien proved to be a hit at the box office.

O'Bannon wrote two of the segments for the animated feature Heavy Metal. He also wrote the screenplay for Blue Thunder with Don Jakoby, and voiced his displeasure when the script was extensively rewritten. In 1985 Dan O'Bannon directed his first film, the cult horror comedy Return of the Living Dead, for which he also wrote the screenplay. From the Eighties into the Nineties he wrote the screenplays for Lifeforce, the 1986 remake of Invaders from Mars, Total Recall (with Ronald Shusett and Gary Goldman), Screamers, and Bleeders. In 1992 he directed The Resurrected, based on H. P. Lovecraft's The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. At the time of his death he was working on a script entitled The Pain Clinic.

Dan O'Bannon was among the most talented screenwriters of the past forty years. Working almost solely in the genres of science fiction and horror throughout his career, he scripted movies that were intelligent, thought provoking, and could be interpreted on multiple levels. He also had a knack for knowing what audiences would enjoy. His film Alien would produce an entire franchise, one that lasts to this day. The Return of the Living Dead would not only become a cult film, but would produce four sequels. Dan O'Bannon was one of those rare talents who could create entertainment that was not only intelligent, but would also prove to be popular.

Godspeed Jennifer Jones

Oscar winning actress Jennifer Jones passed yesterday at the age of 90. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in The Song of Bernadette and was nominated four other times.

Jennifer Jones was born Phylis Isley in Tulsa, Oklahoma on March 2, 1919. Her parents operated and were stars of the Isley Stock Co., a tent show which travelled the Midwest. While still in school she became interested in acting. She attended Monte Cassino Junior College in Tulsa, Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City.

As Phyllis Isley she appeared in the John Wayne B Western New Frontier in 1939, as well as Dick Tracy's G-Men. Achieving little success in Hollywood, she returned to New York City where she worked part time as a model for the Powers Agency. Eventually she tested for David O. Selznick, who groomed her for stardom and gave her a new name--"Jennifer Jones." She was cast in the lead role of Selznick's production The Song of Bernadette. Not only was she nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in the film, but she also won. From the Forties into the Fifties, Jennifer Jones was at the peak of her career. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for four more films: Since You Went Away, Love Letters, Duel in the Sun, and Love is a Many Splendoured Thing. She also made such films as Portrait of Jennie, Madame Bovary, Beat the Devil, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, and A Farewell to Arms. 

Sadly, it was in the Sixties that Jennifer Jones career went into decline. In the Sixties she made only three films. She made only one in the Seventies, her last film appearance in The Towering Inferno.

While Jennifer Jones did not make a huge number of movies when compared to other actors, Despite this, she had a career which many actors would envy. It was not simply that she was nominated for a total of eight Oscars, but she appeared in some truly classic films. The Song of Bernadette, Portrait of Jennie, and Beat the Devil, among other movies, will remembered for years. While her career may have been shorter than other actors, Jennifer Jones had talent far exceeding most other actors as well. She will not be forgotten.

My Top Twenty Actors

For quite some time, or so I have been told, there was a tag going around in which individuals were asked to name their top twenty actors. The lovely Kate Gabrielle recently posted her list on her blog Silents and Talkies and left the tag open to anyone who "want to jump on the bandwagon." Back in March, Millie posted her list of her top twenty actors on her blog, ClassicForever and asked anyone who hadn't been tagged to consider themselves tagged. Since I have apparently been tagged twice, I thought I would go ahead and present you with my list of my twenty favourite actors of all time. Here I must say I limited the list to movie stars, excluding such actors as Patrick McGoohan, Patrick Macnee, and Ricardo Montalban, whose fame primarily stems from television.

Note: For those of you who are wondering, I intend to eulogise the great Jennifer Jones, who died today at the age of 90, tomorrow. I am rather tired from work at the moment and I want to be in shape to give her the eulogy she so richly deserves.

1. Steve McQueen

Favourite Roles: The Magnificent Seven, The Great Escape, Bullitt

2. Sir Christopher Lee

Favourite Roles: Dracula (1958), The Wicker Man

3. Toshiro Mifune

Favourite Roles: Seven Samurai, The Samurai Trilogy

4. Marcello Mastroianni

Favourite Roles: La Dolce Vita, 8 1/2

5. Boris Karloff

Favourite Roles: Bride of Frankenstein, The Black Cat

6. Humphrey Bogart

Favourite Roles: The Maltese Falcon, Casablanca, The Big Sleep

7. Terence Stamp

Favourite Roles: The Collector, Superman II

8. Clark Gable

Favourite Roles: It Happened One Night, Gone with the Wind

9. Jack Lemmon

Favourite Roles: The Apartment, How to Murder Your Wife

10. Cary Grant

Favourite Roles: Arsenic and Old Lace, North by Northwest

11. Gary Cooper

Favourite Roles: Meet John Doe, High Noon

12. Errol Flynn

Favourite Roles: The Adventures of Robin Hood, The Sea Hawk

13. Gene Kelly

Favourite Roles: An American in Paris, Singin' in the Rain (sorry, girls, I just had to use a picture of him with Cyd...)

14. Randolph Scott

Favourite Roles: The Last of the Mohicans, Ride the High Country

15. Sir Dirk Bogarde

Favourite Roles: Hot Enough for June, The Mind Benders, The "Doctor" Series

16. Jimmy Stewart

Favourite Roles: It's a Wonderful Life, Harvey

17. Leslie Howard

Favourite Roles: The Scarlet Pimpernel, Pygmalion

18. Tyrone Power

Favourite Roles: The Mark of Zorro, The Black Swan

19. Vincent Price

Favourite Roles: Laura, The Abominable Dr. Phibes

20. John Wayne

Favourite Roles: McClintock!, True Grit

Here I must state that absolutely no bias played a role in my choices. It is entirely a coincidence that two of the actors are named "Terence" and two are from Missouri.... If you haven't done this list yet, then consider yourself tagged.

Lillie Langtry

Almost since the advent of film, motion pictures have propelled actors into dizzying heights of fame. Stars from eighty years ago are still remembered today, even though their last films may have been made in the Twenties. Among the most famous actresses in history, however, only made one movie. Her fame rested entirely on her work on stage, the many paintings and photographs of her, as well as her sometimes scandalous private life. She was Lillie Langtry, the "Jersey Lily."

Lillie was born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton in Jersey, Channel Islands on October 13, 1853. Her father was Reverend William Corbet le Breton, the Dean of Jersey. Her mother, Emile, was well known for her beauty. Lillie was the only daughter in a household full of six brothers. As a result she was very much a tomboy, riding horses bareback and joining in with her brothers in their shenanigans. It also instilled in her an independent streak she maintained for her whole life. Indeed, she proved far too much for her French governess to handle and as a result was educated by her brothers' tutor. She was nicknamed "Lillie," short for Emilie, while still young. By her teens she was already acknowledged as the most beautiful girl in Jersey.

It was in 1874 that she married Irish landowner Edward Langtry, the brother in law of her brother William. She eventually persuaded Langtry to take her to London. It was when the couple was invited to the home of one of her father's friends, the 7th Viscount Ranelagh, that her beauty was first noticed in London. Before the end of the evening artist Frank Miles had already sketched her; the sketches would appear on a series of very popular postcards. Her intelligence and beauty earned Lillie invitations to many other soirées and parties. She soon became the toast of London.

She also became very popular as an artist's model. In 1878 Sir John Everett Millais painted her portrait, entitled A Jersey Lily (even though in the painting Lillie is actually holding a Guernsey lily, as no Jersey lilies were available). She also sat for architect and artist Sir Edward Poynter and appeared in works by painter and designer Sir Edward Burne-Jones. Talk of Lillie's already legendary beauty eventually reached the ears of Albert Edward the Prince of Wales. In 1877 the Prince arranged a dinner party at home to which Lillie was invited. Lillie was seated beside the Prince, while Edward Langtry was seated at the other end of the table. Like many men of the time, Prince Albert was enchanted by Lillie. It was not long before she became his mistress. So enamoured of Lillie was the Prince, that he even started work on the Red House (now the Langtry Manor Hotel) in Bournemouth, Dorsetas their own private love nest. He even let Lillie design it. The affair would not last, and ended in 1880. Reasons given for the end of Lillie's affair with the Prince of Wales vary. According to one report, Lillie incurred the Prince's ire when she wore the same outfit as him to a fancy dress party and Lillie, headstrong as ever, refused to apologise. Other reports claim that Lillie's place in Prince Albert's heart had been taken by actress Sarah Bernhardt, who had arrived in London in 1879. Regardless, the affair was over by 1880.

It was that same year that it became apparent that Edward Langtry was deep in debt, although it is unclear if he was actually bankrupt. Regardless, Lillie soon realised she needed a means of supporting herself. With only a few options open to women at the time, Lillie entered the theatre at the suggestion of Oscar Wilde. It was iin December 1881 that she made her debut in the play She Stoops to Conquer. Although reviews of Lillie's acting were often mixed at best, it brought her even more fame. Indeed, such was Lillie's fame that she became of the first actresses, perhaps the first, to make commercial endorsements. Lillie endorsed products ranging from Pears soap to American Eagle tobacco.

It was in 1885 that Lillie Langtry toured with her own company, becoming famous in the United States as she was in the United Kingdom. Men were just as enchanted with her in the States as they had been in Britain. Among her fans was Judge Roy Bean. Not only did he name his saloon "the Jersey Lily" in her honour, but he also named the town of Langtry, Texas in her honour as well. After the judge's death, Lillie would visit the town named for her. It was in 1887 that Lillie became an American citizen. A year later she divorced Edward Langtry. In the States she would become involved in both a winery and thoroughbred horse racing. She would return to the London stage in 1897. In 1901 she retired from the stage, only to appear on vaudeville later. In 1916 she made her only film appearance.

Lillie Langtry died in Monaco on February 12, 1929 at the age of 75. She was buried in the graveyard of the church where her father had been rector, St. Saviour's Church in Jersey.

Lillie would ultimately prove to have the greatest influence on pop culture of any actress of her era. It is widely believe that the character of Irene Adler, the one person to best Sherlock Holmes, was based on her. She has appeared as a character in several movies, including The Westerner (1940), The Trials of Oscar Wilde, and The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (where she was played by Ava Gardner). She has also appeared on television programmes, including episodes of Edward the Seventh and Oscar. In 1978 London Weekend Television dramatised her life in the mini-series Lillie. She also appeared as a character in the Western novel Slocum and the Jersey Lily by Jake Logan and the Victorian novel Death at Epsom Downs by Robin Paige.

It also seems fairly clear that the song "Pictures of Lily" by The Who was written for her. In the book Lyrics by Rikki Rooksby, Pete Townshend claimed that the song was inspired by a postcard of an old Vaudeville star he referred to as Lily Bayliss, that a girlfriend had hung on his wall. That having been said, there was no Vaudeville star named Lily Bayliss, only theatre manager Lilian Bayliss, whose looks would not be likely to inspire a song about pin up pictures. It seems more more likely that the "Lily" of the song is Lillie Langtry, particularly given the lyric "She's been dead since 1929." Certainly, the young man of the song would not be the first to become enamoured by pictures of Lillie.

Lillie Langtry is still well known today, when many actresses of her time are forgotten. She pioneered celebrity commercial endorsements, and was a woman who made her own way at a time when few women did. Celebrated for her beauty, she created the sort of hysteria that only a few movie stars and rock stars would later. That she did so is a tribute not simply to her beauty, but her intelligence and independence as well.