10 Things You May Not Know About Ida Lupino

Ida Lupino (1918 – 1995) was a London-born actress and director; she became an American citizen in 1948. As a contract player at Warner Brothers, Lupino starred opposite some of their top male stars, including Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, and John Garfield. In the late 1940s she embarked on a career as a director and independent filmmaker.

Ida Lupino, Raoul Walsh, and Humphrey Bogart on the set of High Sierra

1. Her parents both had theatrical backgrounds; her father’s family’s theatrical roots date back to the Italian Renaissance.

2. She was signed to a five-year contract with Paramount Pictures in 1933 where she was dubbed “the English Jean Harlow.”

3. Wanting to be more than just a pretty face, Lupino begged director William A. Wellman to test her for the role of Bessie Broke in The Light That Failed (1939).

4. She next played the femme fatale role in They Drive by Night (1940) where she stole the picture from such established stars as George Raft, Ann Sheridan, and Humphrey Bogart.

Beautiful color studio publicity photo of Ida Lupino

5. In 1941 she starred in three movies: The Sea Wolf costarring Edward G. Robinson and John Garfield, Out of the Fog costarring with Garfield again, and Ladies in Retirement costarring with her then husband, Louis Hayward.

6. During her years as a film director, she was a pioneer of product placement to help with financing.

7. She directed dozens of television episodes for popular series, during the 1950s and 1960s, including The Donna Reed Show, 77 Sunset Strip, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun Will Travel, Thriller, The Fugitive, Dr. Kildare, The Twilight Zone, and Bewitched. She is the only woman to have directed an episode of the original Twilight Zone and star in one as well.

8. Lupino learned about directing and other behind-the-scenes aspects of filmmaking while she was on suspension at Warner Brothers. When an actor under studio contract turned down a movie role, they were put on suspension. They received no salary during the time the movie they refused to act in was in production. Instead of sitting at home, Lupino visited movie sets and befriended directors like Raoul Walsh and Don Siegel.

Ida Lupino (third from left) on the set of The Trouble With Angels with Rosalind Russell (second from left)

9. She won the National Board of Review award for Best Actress in 1941 (High Sierra and Ladies in Retirement) and 1942 (Moontide) and a New York Film Critics Circle Award in 1943 (The Hard Way), but she was never nominated for an Academy Award.

10. Her last directing job was for the 1966 comedy The Trouble With Angels starring Rosalind Russell and Haley Mills.

Memorial Day: Remember those who lost their lives in service to our country

Lana Turner, Deanna Durbin, and Marlene Dietrich greet Sgt Carl Bell,
the millionth serviceman to enter  the Hollywood Canteen

Screening of "Ladies in Retirement" at Daystar Center June 6

“Classic Movie Man’s Favorite” Series: Ladies in Retirement
Where: Daystar Center, 1550 S. State Street
When: June 6, 2017
Time: 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by Stephen Reginald

Ladies in Retirement (1941) was a hit on the Broadway stage with Flora Robson in the lead role. Director Charles Vidor brought it to the screen with an impressive cast headed by Ida Lupino. 

The story concerns Ellen Creed (Lupino) who is the paid companion to the wealthy Leonora Fiske (Isobel Elsom). When Ellen’s mentally challenged sisters (Elsa Lancaster and Edith Barrett) are kicked out of their London apartment, Ellen, with Leonora’s permission, invites them to stay with her for a “visit.” It doesn’t take long for things to go terribly wrong as Ellen’s batty older sisters disrupt the tranquility of Leonora’s home. Leonora reaches the end of her patience and orders Ellen’s sisters and Ellen herself to leave. With no income to take care of herself and her sisters, Ellen comes up with a desperate and diabolical plan.

The New York Times praised the film in its November 7, 1941 review. It said the film was “…beautifully photographed and tautly played, especially it’s central role…Give [Ida] Lupino the largest measure of credit, for her role is the clue to the suspense…she is none the less the thin ribbon of intensity that makes the film hair-raising.”

Elsa Lancaster, Ida Lupino, Edith Barrett

The impressive cast also includes Louis Hayward (Lupino’s husband at the time) as cousin Albert and Evelyn Keyes as Lucy the maid.

Happy Mother's Day!

Doris Day and son Terry Melcher

Looking for some great classic movies featuring some famous movie mom’s? Click here for some great suggestions for Mother’s Day movie viewing.

10 Things You May Not Know About Joel McCrea

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was one of the most underrated stars from Hollwyood’s Golden Age, in my opinion. Unfairly labeled as the poor man’s Gary Cooper, McCrea was a talented actor in his own right. Here are some things about McCrea that you may not know.

1. Joel McCrea was Cecil B. DeMille’s paperboy.

I wonder if Cecil B. DeMille was a good tipper.

2. As a high school student he worked as a stunt double for silent movie cowboys William S. Hart and Tom Mix.

3. He was the first actor to play “Dr. Kildare” on the screen in Internes Can’t Take Money (1937).

McCrea was the first actor to portray Dr. Kildare.

4. When Gary Cooper turned down the part of the hero in Foreign Correspondent (1940), McCrea got one of his best known roles in the iconic Alfred Hitchcock thriller.

5. Writer-director Preston Sturges wrote Sullivan’s Travels (1941) and The Palm Beach Story (1942) with McCrea in mind for the male leads.

6. He starred in six films with Barbara Stanwyck; their first film together was the pre-Code Gambling Lady (1934).

7. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933; they were married for 57 years (his death).

McCrea and Dee were considered one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood.

8. He and his wife had three sons: David, Peter, and Jody.

9. Due to his shrewd financial and real-estate investments, he was a multi-millionaire by the end of the 1940s.

10. McCrea was inducted into the Western Performers Hall of Fame in 1968.