Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland shine in “The Proud Rebel”

The Proud Rebel (1958) is an American western directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Alan Ladd and Olivia de Havilland. Others in the case include Dean Jagger, Cecil Kellaway, Harry Dean Stanton (billed as Dean Stanton), and David Ladd.

John Chandler (Alan Ladd), a former Confederate soldier travels to Illinois in the hope that a doctor there can cure his mute son (David Ladd). Although he’s left his military service behind him, some of the Illinois townsfolk hold it against him. A couple of toughs set him up for arrest which puts him in contact with Linnett a woman farmer (de Havilland) who is up against the Burleighs who want her land.

Linnett helps Chandler get out of jail under the condition that he help her on her farm. With Chandler’s help, Linnett’s farm is more appealing to the bullying Burleighs.

Will Chandler help Linnett keep her farm and will David get his speech back?

Olivia de Havilland, David Ladd, and Alan Ladd

Michael Curtiz (1886 -1962) was a Hungarian-American film director who worked during Hollywood’s Golden age, directing some of the best loved classics from that era including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Casablanca (1942), and Mildred Pierce (1945). He directed James Cagney and Joan Crawford to Best Actor/Actress Oscar wins; he put Doris Day and John Garfield on the screen for the first time, making them major movie stars in the process. He’s also responsible for the pairing of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, one of Hollywood’s most famous screen teams. Other films directed by Curtiz include Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Sea Wolf (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), Life with Father (1947), and White Christmas (1954).

Alan Ladd (1913 – 1964) was an American actor and film producer. Before Ladd made in big in movies, he had a successful career on the radio. After numerous bit parts at just about every Hollywood studio, Paramount signed him to a long-term contract and crafted roles that propelled him to superstardom. Ladd established himself in films noir like This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Other important films include Two Years Before the Mast (1946) and The Great Gatsby (1949). Ladd also established himself in the western genre starring in Whispering Smith (1948) and one of the most famous westerns of all time, George Stevens’s Shane (1953). George Stevens offered the role of Jett Rink in Giant (1956) but Ladd turned it down because it wasn’t the lead. Ladd’s last film was in a supporting role in The Carpetbaggers (1964).

Olivia de Havilland (1916 – 2020) was a British-American actress and two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner. De Havilland’s career spanned more than five decades. She was one of the leading actresses of the 1940s and was the last major surviving star from Hollywood’s Golden Age. Some of de Havilland’s classic films include The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), Gone with the Wind (1939), Hold Back the Dawn (1941), To Each His Own (1946), The Snake Pit (1948), and The Heiress (1949).

The Proud Rebel trivia

• Alan Ladd, according to Olivia de Havilland, was leery of the reputation of Michael Curtiz to be tough on actors.
• Olivia de Havilland was basically retired and living Paris, France, when director Curtiz talked her into taking the role of Linnett.
• Adolphe Menjou was originally cast in the film but had to withdraw due to an injury to his leg.
• Production was halted when Curtiz had an emergency appendectomy.
• David Ladd received introducing credit even though he had appeared with his father in The Big Land (1957).
• The Ladd and de Havilland families became lifelong friends because of this film.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion on August 12, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. This was an unusual film for Alan Ladd. What did you think of his performance?
2. What did you think of Olivia de Havilland’s independent woman? Was her characterization believable?
3. Young David Ladd played the mute boy. Was his performance successful? Was he believable as the son of Alan Ladd’s character?
4. The film is filled with great character actors; do you have a favorite?
5. What was the film’s theme?

 

 

Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid have a date with fate in “Casablanca”

Casablanca, the 1942 classic directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid is the third film to be shown in this continuing monthly series. Winner of three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Casablanca has become part of the American consciousness, its dialogue (“Here's looking at you kid.”) part of our lexicon.

Just another movie?

What started as just another movie during Hollywood’s golden age became an instant classic. It made  Bogart a credible leading man and pushed him out of the shadows of fellow contract players James Cagney, George Raft, and Edward G. Robinson. In only her fourth American film, Bergman became a superstar and one of the most popular movie actresses of the 1940s. For Hungarian-born director Curtiz, Casablanca was his only Best Director win in a career that spanned more than four decades.

Michael Curtiz (1886 -1962) was a Hungarian-American film director who worked during Hollywood’s Golden age, directing some of the best loved classics from that era including The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) Casablanca (1942), and Mildred Pierce (1945). He directed James Cagney and Joan Crawford to Best Actor/Actress Oscar wins; he put Doris Day and John Garfield on the screen for the first time, making them major movie stars in the process. He’s also responsible for the pairing of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland, one of Hollywood’s most famous screen teams. Other films directed by Curtiz include Angels with Dirty Faces (1938), The Sea Wolf (1941), Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942),  Life with Father (1947), and White Christmas (1954).

Humphrey Bogart (1899 – 1957) was an American film and stage actor. He is one of the most famous and popular movie stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Nicknamed Bogie, the actor toiled in supporting roles in both A and B pictures for a decade before his breakout role as Roy Earle in High Sierra (1941). Many more film roles followed including The Maltese Falcon (1941), Casablanca (1942), Key Largo (1948), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948). His career continued with good roles in films like In a Lonely Place (1950), The Caine Mutiny (1954), and Sabrina (1954) co-starring William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. Bogart died from cancer in 1957.

Ingrid Bergman (1915 – 1982) was a Swedish actress who became an international star upon her Hollywood debut in Intermezzo (1939). Few actresses were as popular as Bergman during the 1940s. In fact, she was the number two box office draw (after Bing Crosby) in 1946. She starred opposite Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca (1942), For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943) opposite Gary Cooper, Gaslight (1944) for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award. She starred opposite newcomer Gregory Peck in Spellbound (1945) which was her first collaboration with director Alfred Hitchcock. Bergman would go on to win another Best Actress Academy Award for Anastasia (1956) and a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

Paul Henreid (1909 - 1992) was an Austrian-British-American actor, producer, writer, and director. Henreid is probably best known for two films released in 1942: Casablanca and Now, Voyager. Henreid was under contract with Warner Bros. where he was a popular leading man starring opposite the studio's top actresses including Bette Davis, Ida Lupino, and Eleanor Parker. After he left Warner Bros. Henreid made a series of adventure films. He later directed films and television shows like Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Maverick, and The Big Valley.

Casablanca trivia

• Many of the actors playing Nazis were German Jews who escaped Nazi Germany.
• The tears in the eyes of the extras singing “La Marseillaise” were real; many of them had escaped Nazi occupied Europe.
• Stars Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid didn’t want to make Casablanca. Bogart and Bergman were unhappy with a script that wasn’t completed before filming, and Henreid who had a big success starring opposite Bette Davis in Now, Voyager (1942) didn’t want to be the second male lead.
• Bergman was desperate to play Maria in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). Bergman got the role and a Best Actress nod. Bergman thought this would be the role that moviegoers would remember her for. Even though the film was a bigger box office hit than Casablanca, it hasn’t the reputation of that classic.
• The movie was filmed entirely on the Warner Bros. sound stages and backlot.

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the discussion on December 18, 2023, 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. What is the basic plot of Casablanca? What is the central conflict? How is this conflict established?
2. What is the tone of the film? How is that tone established? What are some of the major themes of this film?
3. What role does music play? How do the attitudes of jazz fit into Rick’s club, and what we know about his character?
4. How are the characters framed in the film? What “tricks” does the director use to introduce characters, reveal their motives, or present their conflicts? How is this explored through lighting and camera angles?
5. What make this film timeless?

 

William Powell is Philo Vance in "The Kennel Murder Case"

The Kennel Murder Case (1933) is an American pre-Code murder-mystery film directed by Michael Curtiz, and starring William Powell and Mary Astor. Powell plays detective Philo Vance, a sophisticated sleuth, one year before he would play another sophisticated sleuth in The Thin Man. The supporting cast includes, Eugene Pallette, Ralph Morgan, Etienne Girardot, and Helen Vinson.

Philo Vance’s dog is entered into the Long Island Kennel Club’s dog show comes up short—he doesn’t make it to the finals. This disappoints fellow competitor Archer Coe (Robert Barrat) who was hoping to celebrate a victory over Vance. The next day, Coe is found dead, locked inside his bedroom.

What or who killed Coe? Was it suicide or murder? Philo Vance is determined to find out.

The Kennel Murder Case trivia

• Asta, the dog in The Thin Man series has an uncredited role as a terrier in a cage in the Kennel Club scene.
• This was Powell’s last time playing Philo Vance. He would move from Warner Bros. to M-G-M the next year.
• Philo Vance movies were made at Paramount, Warner Bros., and M-G-M.
• The watch the movie on YouTube, click the link below.

 

To join the discussion on May 15, 2023, 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

To watch the movie on YouTube, click on the link below.

Discussion questions

1. Do you see any similarities between Powell’s characterization of Philo Vance and Nick Charles?
2. Any differences between Philo Vance and Nick Charles?
3. What did you think of Mary Astor’s characterization?
4. Do you think Powell an Astor had good screen chemistry?
5. Is murder-mystery the best way to describe this film? Would you categorize it another way?
6. Did you have a favorite character actor?

John Garfield reaches “The Breaking Point”

The Breaking Point (1950) is an American crime drama directed by Michael Curtiz and starring John Garfield and Patricia Neal. The excellent supporting cast includes Phyllis Thaxter and Juano Hernandez.

John Garfield plays Harry Morgan, a sports-fishing boat captain whose business is not going very well. In an effort to keep his business afloat (no pun intended) and to support his wife and two young daughters, he hooks up with a shady lawyer named Duncan (Wallace Ford). Duncan gets him involved with human smuggling and before he knows it, he’s involved with more criminal activity.

Harry’s life Lucy, (Phyllis Thaxter) begs him to give up the boat and start over with a new job with her father and move away from California. Harry refuses his wife’s plea and instead, risks losing his family, and the respect of his partner Wesley Park (Juano Hernandez).

Will Harry come to his senses or will his fear of failure distort his judgment and destroy his chance at happiness.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

 

To join our discussion on September 6, 2021, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with an invitation to the meetup and a link to the meeting on Zoom.

The Breaking Point trivia

• Michael Curtiz directed three films in 1950, two of them starred Patricia Neal. The other film was Bright Leaf which also starred Gary Cooper and Lauren Bacall.
• Actress Phyllis Thaxter dyed her hair blond for the film, opting not to wear a wing.
• Wallace Ford (Duncan) had a long career in Hollywood going back to the days of the silents and working as late as 1965 in A Patch of Blue.
• Juano Hernandez made this film after starring in Intruder in the Dust at M-G-M.

Why watch this film?

• This was John Garfield’s second-to-last film role and the one he was most proud of.
• It’s a much grittier version of Howard Hawks’s To Have and Have Not (1944) starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
• The film features some great supporting performances including those by Phyllis Thaxter (a standout) and Juano Hernandez.
• The film features the Warner Bros. A-Team with director Michael Curtiz, cinematographer Ted D. McCord, music by Max Steiner, and producer Jerry Wald.
• New York Times curmudgeon Bosley Crowther said the film had “All of the character, color and cynicism of Mr. Hemingway’s lean and hungry tale are wrapped up in this realistic picture, and John Garfield is tops in the principal role...”

John Garfield and Phyllis Thaxter

Discussion questions:

1. Noir or not? Does this film fit with your understanding of what makes a movie a film noir?
2. What did you think of the on-screen relationship between John Garfield and Phyllis Thaxter and Garfield and Patricia Neal?
3. Was Patricia Neal’s role necessary? What did her characterization add to the plot?
4. Did the friendship/business partnership between Garfield and Juano Hernandez surprise you?
5. Was the film title fitting?
6. The film had a brutal ending; was it the ending you expected?

 

2018 Turner Classic Film Festival (#TCMFF) Day 1

It’s hard to believe that the 2018 TCM Film Festival is over. My anticipation builds as soon as the weather turns chilly here in Chicago. Dreaming about the film festival and warm days and nights in Los Angeles helps me get through the winter. Plus it’s great reconnecting with friends from all over the country and the world.

This year’s festival began for me on Thursday, April 26. Flying out of Chicago’s Midway airport in the morning and arriving in LA four hours later…in the morning! After leaving the airport and heading for the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel where fellow classic movie fans gather in the Blossom Room—the room where the very first Academy Awards ceremony was held in 1929—to hang out and chat, celebrity watch, and watch everyone arrive. After the couple of hours of meeting and greeting, it’s check in time at the Air B & B; this year barely a block away from the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. Score!

After checking in, it’s back to the Hollywood Roosevelt for the hardest movie trivia game ever, “So You Think You Know Movies,” hosted by Bruce Goldstein, repertory program director of New York’s Film Forum. I think my knowledge of classic movies is pretty good, but every year, this event just crushes me. We assembled a good team, but we came up extremely short.

As usual I opted for the Classic Pass, which doesn’t include the red carpet presentation movie (this year Mel Brooks’s The Producers). The bump in price has never seemed worth it and there are plenty of movies to choose from while the celebrities mingle with ordinary folk on the red carpet at the Chinese Theater. The first movie I saw was To Have And Have Not (1944) directed by Howard Hawks. I’ve seen bits and pieces of this film over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it from beginning to end. The film that introduced Lauren Bacall to film audiences starred Humphrey Bogart who would end up marrying his 19-year-old leading lady the next year. The 35MM print provided by Warner Bros. Classics looked great on the big screen at the Egyptian Theatre and was the perfect movie to start my 2018 TCMFF.

The next movie on my agenda was The Sea Wolf (1941) directed by Michael Curtiz, starring Edward G. Robinson, Ida Lupino, and John Garfield. The supporting cast includes Gene Lockhart, Alexander Knox, and Barry Fitzgerald. Besides being a fan of all three stars, this movie went through a restoration. In 1947, Warner Brothers paired The Sea Wolf with The Sea Hawk (1940) on a double bill. In order to get more screenings in, Warners cut 14 minutes from The Sea Wolf. Those 14 minutes were thought lost forever until a 35MM nitrate print was discovered at the Museum of Modern Art. What we saw at the Chinese Multiplex House # 6 was a beautiful digital restoration that looked brand new. The performances of Robinson, Lupino, and Garfield are extraordinary. Robinson’s performance is especially good; it’s hard to believe he was never nominated for a competitive Oscar—neither was Lupio; Garfield was nominated twice: Best Supporting Actor in Four Daughters (1938) and Best Actor in Body and Soul (1947). By the time The Sea Wolf ended, it was nearly 11:30 p.m. (1:30 p.m. Chicago time!). Time to get some shuteye and plan on what movie to see Friday morning. Here are my three choices: The Merry Widow (1934), Strangers on a Train (1951), and Intruder in the Dust (1949). Which movie would you pick?

“Mildred Pierce”: 4th Film in “High Heels and Fedoras” series at Daystar Center May 14, 2013

Tuesday, May 14, 2013
6:30 p.m.
The Venue 1550 at the Daystar Center
1550 S. State Street


Mildred Pierce was a critical and financial hit when released in 1945. It resurrected the career of screen legend, Joan Crawford, who many had written off as a has-been. The movie was a showcase for some new talent too, but it was Crawford’s film and she commands the screen in every scene she’s in.

The straightforward narrative in the James M. Cain novel was changed for the film version. Mildred’s story is told in flashback, a popular film noir convention that works really well and adds to the movie’s texture. The film itself is put together very nicely with the Warner Brothers A-Team pulling out all the stops. Cinematographer Ernest “Ernie” Haller’s black and white photography is beautifully atmospheric. The angles, the contrasts, are seamless and help advance the story without getting in the way. The score by Max Steiner is lush without being overwhelming, at least not overwhelming as far as Steiner scores go (They’re all kind of overwhelming, actually). Legendary makeup artist Perc Westore makes Crawford’s transition from waitress/working mom into successful/sophisticated businesswomen seem natural and believable. Much of Crawford’s look in this film, and for the rest of the decade, is due in great part to the costuming of Milo Anderson. Last but not least, director Michael Curtiz assembled all the pieces together to form a perfect whole, but Curtiz wasn’t at all set on working with Crawford.

Zachary Scott, Joan Crawford, and Ann Blyth

According to Crawford, Curtiz wanted Barbara Stanwyck to play Mildred. He didn’t want to work with a “difficult” has-been. In order to change Curtiz’s mind, Crawford submitted to a screen test. This was unheard of for an established star, but so determined was Crawford to snag the role that she consented. Crawford’s screen test impressed Curtiz enough that he agreed to direct her. And for Crawford, a new career was born at Warners.

Mildred Pierce was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress. Crawford’s Best Actress Award was the only win, put it propelled her back to the top of the heap, giving fellow Warner contract-player, Bette Davis a run for her money. Ironically, Davis’s career was on a downward arch while Crawford was starring in some critical and commercially successful melodramas. After Mildred Pierce, Crawford starred in Humoresque (1946), Possessed (1947), Daisy Kenyon (1947), and Flamingo Road (1949). Possessed brought her a second Best Actress nomination.

Mildred Pierce isn’t considered a true film noir movie, by some critics. But it sure feels like film noir to this movie fan.

To purchase tickets for the May 14 screening, click here. Tickets are $5 per person general admission $3 for students and seniors. Tickets may also be purchased at the door. To stay on top of film events like this, join the Chicago Film Club Meetup.

To download a flyer to post in your building or office, click here.


The Venue 1550 is located at 1550 S. State St. in the Daystar Center. The Daystar Center offers a variety of educational, artistic and cultural activities, including classes for children that teach practical life skills like social aptitude, creativity and cultural awareness in fun ways; classes for adults that give space for self-reflection and improvement; room rentals for many different-sized groups in several multipurpose rooms. For more information, call 312.674.0001 or visit their Web site.

Classic Films Stars Etched in Wood

Kantor includes mini biographies of his woodcut
subjects on his blog.

Artist and writer Loren Kantor creates woodcuts of classic Hollywood film stars. Kantor worked in the movie industry for 15 years and has written for TV and worked as an assistant director.

A few years ago, Kantor’s wife bought him a woodcutting set for his birthday. After viewing some online tutorials, Kantor started working in wood. It was slow going at first and he considers his early pieces fairly primitive compared with his work today.

Kantor’s favorite movie genre is Film Noir. Some of his favorite directors include Billy Wilder, John Houston, and Michael Curtiz. Kantor is currently working on a series of woodcuts that include carved images of Orson Welles, Billy Wilder, Robert Mitchum, and Richard Widmark.

For a comprehensive look at Kantor’s woodcuts, visit his blog.

Remembering Irene Dunne in “I Remember Mama”

In 1948, Irene Dunne was a very youthful looking 50-year-old actress. When she made I Remember Mama, Dunne was fitted with padding to make her appear overweight and makeup was applied to make her look older. It’s hard to believe that Dunne wasn’t the first choice for Marta Hanson because her performance as the matriarch of a clan of Norwegian Americans is one of the great screen characterizations of all time.

I Still Want To Be Left Alone
Before Dunne signed on to the project, the property had been bought with hopes of coaxing Greta Garbo out of retirement. Garbo had also turned down Alfred Hickcock around the same time she was being considered for I Remember Mama. Hickcock wanted Garbo to play a murderess in The Paradine Case (1948). She supposedly said “No murderesses, no mamas” and remained in retirement. Marlene Dietrich expressed interest in the role, but producers didn’t think she had enough warmth to portray the character effectively. When Dunne was onboard, everything fell into place.

Director, George Stevens

George Stevens at the Helm
I Remember Mama was director George Stevens’s first major production since The More The Merrier (1943). Having served overseas during World War II, observing and filming the liberation of several Nazi death camps, Stevens wanted to return to a simpler time. Stevens was one of the top directors of his day. He directed Gunga Din (1939), Penny Serenade (1941), and Woman of the Year (1942).

The Most Perfect Picture in Years
Based on the play by John Van Druten, which was based on the short story, Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes, it recounts the trials and tribulations of the Hanson family in the San Francisco of the 1910s. For her role, Dunne studied with a dialogue coach to get her accent just right. Supposedly, she stayed in character while she was filming, speaking to friends and family in her newly acquired Norwegian accent. On screen, Dunne is completely lost in her characterization. There is no artifice or anything untrue in her portrayal of Marta. In his New York Times review, Bosley Crowther said this about Dunne’s performance: “As Mama, the wheelhorse of the family, Irene Dunne does a beautiful job, in a blonde, braided wig and in dresses which actually appear to be worn. Handling with equal facility an accent and a troubled look, Miss Dunne has the strength and vitality, yet the softness, that the role requires.” Michael Curtiz, the Academy Award winning director of Casablanca said I Remember Mama was “…the most perfect picture in years…”

Last Great Role

Philip Dorn, Barbara Bel Geddes, Steve Brown, and Dunne

For this, her last great screen role, Dunne received her fifth Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The film was nominated for four more awards, but was shut out in every category.The Best Actress race of 1949 was a competitive one. The other actresses in the running included Ingrid Bergman in Joan of Arc, Olivia de Haviland in The Snake Pit, Barbara Stanwyck in Sorry Wrong Number, and eventual winner, Jane Wyman in Johnny Belinda.

Lasting Legacy
Dunne would end her career without that coveted Oscar, but she left us with an extraordinary film legacy as a testament to her unique talents.

It's a tie!

Barbara Stanwyck and Katharine Hepburn win movie star poll

Of the six actresses (Joan Crawford, Bette Davis, Stanwyck, Hepburn, Carole Lombard, and Claudette Colbert), Stanwyck and Hepburn each received 30% of the vote. Davis received 15%; Lombard and Colbert both received 10%; and Crawford received 5% of the vote.

Oscar champ

Hepburn is the Academy Award champ, winning four competitive Oscars in the Best Actress category. Stanwyck never won a competitive Oscar but was nominated for Best Actress four times, the last time in 1949 for Sorry Wrong Number. But the role that Stanwyck is most remembered for today is her portrayal of the ultimate femme fatale, Phyllis Dietrichson In Double Indemnity.

Davis is "Dangerous"

Bette Davis won two competitive Oscars and was nominated a total of 11 times for Best Actress (the first was a write-in nomination for Of Human Bondage). The award she won for Dangerous in 1935 was considered by many to be a consolation prize for losing the year before (Of Human Bondage was released in 1934).

Lombard and Colbert one-time neighbors

Before Carole Lombard married Clark Gable, she lived next door to Claudette Colbert. At the time, both were top stars at Paramount studios, often competing for the same roles. Colbert excelled at both comedy and drama but received her only Best Actress award for It Happened One Night, costarring Lombard's future husband, Gable. Ironically, Lombard was offered the role of Ellen Andrews but was committed to making a movie with George Raft. Lombard never won an Academy Award and was only nominated once for her breakout role as Irene Bullock in My Man Godfrey. At the time of her death in 1942, Lombard was the highest-paid actress in Hollywood with a bright future ahead of her. It's impossible to know what awards might have come her way had she lived.

Crawford: The movie star's movie star

By all accounts, Joan Crawford loved being a movie star. For years, she answered her own fan mail and autographed her own photographs for distribution, when a lot of other stars allowed others to forge their signatures. A major movie star since the silent picture days, Crawford remained a major force in Hollywood until the early 1960s. She won her only Academy Award for her performance as a self-sacrificing mother in Mildred Pierce, a role that was supposed to go to Barbara Stanwyck. Director, Michael Curtiz didn't want to work with Crawford. Desperate for the role, Crawford agreed to a screen test, which was unheard of for a star of Crawford's caliber, but it won Curtiz over.

Who’s your favorite?
Did the poll overlook your favorite movie actress from Hollywood's golden age? Who would you have included, voted for?

"Casablanca" An American Film Classic

An American film classic

Casablanca, the 1942 classic directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, and Paul Henreid is the third film to be shown in this continuing monthly series. Winner or three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Casablanca has become part of the American consciousness, its dialogue ("Here's looking at you kid.") part of our lexicon.

Just another movie?

What started out as just another movie during Hollywood's golden age, turned into an instant classic. It made  Bogart a credible leading man, and pushed him out of the shadows of fellow contract players James Cagney, George Raft, and Edward G. Robinson. Bergman in only her fourth American film, became a superstar and one of the most popular movie actresses of the 1940s. For Hungarian-born director Curtiz, Casablanca was his only Best Director win in a career that spanned more than four decades.

Click here to see the original movie trailer.