Olivia de Havilland is “The Heiress”

The Heiress (1949) is an American drama produced and directed by William Wyler and starring Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, and Ralph Richardson. The supporting cast included Miriam Hopkins, Mona Freeman, Selena Royle, and Vanessa Brown.

The film takes place in New York City in 1849 and concerns one Catherine Sloper (de Havilland), a shy young woman, who lives with her wealthy father Dr. Austin Sloper (Richardson). Dr, Sloper and Catherine live in the prestigious Washington Square neighborhood.

When Catherine is introduced to Morris Townsend (Clift) at a ball, she is charmed by the handsome young man. Catherine falls madly in love with Morris. He seems gracious and caring…and loving. However, Catherine’s stern father disapproves of the relationship, concerned that Morris is only interested in Catherine because of her wealth.

Will Catherine and Morris’s relationship thrive or die over her father’s objections?

 

Montgomery Clift, Olivia de Havilland, and Ralph Richardson

William Wyler (1902 - 1981) was an American (born in Mulhouse, Alsace, then part of Germany) film director and producer. He won the Academy Award for Best Direction three times: Mrs. Miniver (1942), The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Ben-Hur (1959). Wyler was nominated 12 times for Best Director, an Academy Award history. Wyler started working in the movie business during the silent era, eventually making a name for himself as a director in the early 1930s. He would go on to direct Wuthering Heights (1939), The Westerner (1940), and The Little Foxes (1941). Actress Bette Davis received three Oscar nominations under Wyler’s direction, winning her second Oscar for her performance in Jezebel (1938). Other popular films directed by Wyler include The Heiress (1949), Roman Holiday (1954), Friendly Persuasion (1956), The Big Country (1958), and Funny Girl 1968).

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).

Montgomery Clift (1920 – 1966) was an American actor. He was a four-time Academy Award nominee for Best Actor. Like Marlon Brando and James Dean, Clift was considered one of the original method actors. Clift got his start on the stage as a young man and starred opposite the likes of Tallulah Bankhead, Frederic March, and Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne. Clift’s first movie role was in Howard Hawks’s Red River (1949), starring opposite John Wayne. He went on to co-star with Olivia de Havilland in William Wyler’s The Heiress (1949). He reached superstar status in the role of George Eastman in the George Stevens production of A Place in the Sun (1951), starring opposite Elizabeth Taylor. Clift would later star in Alfred Hitchcock’s I Confess (1953) and Fred Zinnemann’s From Here to Eternity (1953). Other films followed, including Raintree County (1956), The Young Lions (1958), Lonelyhearts (1958), Suddenly, Last Summer (1959), and Wild River (1960).

Ralph Richardson (1902 – 1983) was an English stage and screen actor. Along with John Gielgud and Laurence Olivier, he dominated the British theatre for most of the 20^th century. Richardson worked in movies in Britain and the United States throughout his long career. Some of his famous films include The Fallen Idol (1948), The Heiress (1949), Long Day’s Journey into Night (1962), Women of Straw (1965), and Doctor Zhivago (1965).

 

Olivia de Haviland and Ralph Richardson

The Heiress trivia

• After seeing The Heiress on the Broadway stage, de Havilland approached William Wyler about directing her in a screen adaptation.
• Wyler became a fan of de Havilland’s acting talent and was annoyed by Clift’s disdain for her performance and for Ralph Richardson’s attempt to scene-steal through improvisation.
• Clift was so disappointed by his performance that he walked out of the premiere.
• Basil Rathbone played Dr. Sloper on the stage and hoped to recreate the role for the film version.
• De Havilland won her second Best Actress Academy Award for her performance.
• Wyler originally wanted Errol Flynn to play Morris.

 

Click HERE to watch the film at the Internet Archive

Click HERE to learn more about the film and preview the discussion questions. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Many consider Olivia de Havilland’s performance as one of the greatest of the 20^th century. Do you agree?
2. When do you think Catherine’s personality began to become imbittered?
3. Montgomery Clift was unhappy with his performance. What did you think? Was he wrong to be unhappy about it?
4. What did you think of Ralph Richardson’s characterization as Dr. Sloper? Do you think he loved Catherine?
5. Do you think Morris was interested in Catherine only for her money?
6. Would Catherine have been happy with Morris if they had married?

Gregory Peck in “Twelve O’Clock High”

Twelve O’Clock High is an American WW II drama directed by Henry King and starring Gregory Peck. The strong supporting cast includes Hugh Marlowe, Gary Merrill, Millard Mitchell, and Dean Jagger.

Brigadier General Frank Savage (Peck) replaces Colonel Keith Davenport (Merrill), who was accused of being too involved with the men under his command. Savage struggles with some of the same issues that challenged Davenport.

The film, told in flashback, focuses on Savage's leadership in England and how he struggled to bring discipline to the group that he found lacking.

Does this look back change defend  Savage’s leadership?

Gary Merrill and Gregory Peck

Henry King (1886 - 1982) was an American actor and director. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Director, and seven films he directed were nominated for Best Picture, including The Song of Bernadette (1943), where he directed Jennifer Jones to a Best Actress Academy Award. While under contract to Twentieth Century-Fox directed many films starring Tyrone Power and Gregory Peck. Some popular films directed by King include Lloyd's of London (1936), In Old Chicago (1937), Jesse James (1939), Twelve O'Clock High (1949), The Gunfighter (1950), David and Bathsheba (1951), The Sun Also Rises (1957), and The Bravados (1958).

Gregory Peck (1916 – 2002) was one of the biggest stars in Hollywood. He had three Best Actor nominations early in his career for The Keys to the Kingdom (1944), The Yearling (1946), Gentleman’s Agreement (1947), and Twelve O’Clock High (1949). He had non-exclusive contracts with David O. Selznick and Twentieth Century-Fox, which gave him great flexibility in the roles he chose to play. Other classic Peck film roles include Roman Holiday (1953), The Big Country (1958), The Guns of Navarone (1961). He finally won a Best Actor Academy Award for his iconic portrayal of Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mockingbird (1962).

Twelve O’Clock High trivia

• Gregory Peck originally turned the role down. He was convinced to take the role by the director Henry King. Peck would go on to make five more films together. John Wayne was offered the role but turned it down.
• An early Hollywood film to deal with the psychological effects of soldiers at war.
• The film was originally planned to be filmed in color but was filmed in black and white so they could incorporate black and white stock footage.
• The B-17 was intentionally crashed by stunt pilot Paul Mantz. He was paid $4,500 for the stunt.
• Dean Jagger won a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award for his performance.

 

Click HERE to watch the movie on YouTube.

 

Click HERE to join the online discussion on March 31, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. Did you think this was a realistic portrayal of men at war?
2. What did you think of Gregory Peck’s performance?
3. The film has a strong supporting cast. Did any member stand out to you?
4. Dean Jagger won a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for his performance. Was it well deserved in your opinion?

 

Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow in “Bright Victory”

Bright Victory (1951) is an American drama directed by Mark Robson, starring Arthur Kennedy and Peggy Dow. The supporting cast includes Julia (Julie) Adams, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Jim Backus, Richard Egan, and Murray Hamilton, and a young actor named Rock Hudson.

Larry Nevins (Arthur Kennedy) is blinded in North Africa during World War II. He is taken to a hospital in Pennsylvania with other blinded soldiers. At the hospital he learns to deal with his disability and how to interact with the other blind patients.

Going home to visit his parents and fiancée, Larry is confronted with the difficulties he will encounter once he’s discharged from the hospital.

While at the hospital, Larry meets Judy Green, a bank teller who volunteers by socializing with the soldiers, where they strike up an easy friendship. Larry is guarded about their relationship due to his engagement to Chris Paterson (Julie Adams).

What does the future hold for Larry?

Peggy Dow and Arthury Kennedy

Mark Robson (1913 – 1978) was a Canadian-American director, producer, and editor. Robson began his career as a film editor, working on such classic films as Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942) as Robert Wise’s assistant. He was eventually promoted to the head film editor of The Falcon’s Brother (1942). Some of Robson’s films as a director include My Foolish Heart (1949), The Bridges at Toko-Ri (1955), Peyton Place (1957), The Inn of the Sixth Happiness (1958), From the Terrace (1960), Von Ryan’s Express (1965), Valley of the Dolls (1967), and Earthquake (1974).

Arthur Kennedy (1914 – 1990) was an American film and stage actor. Kennedy had many supporting roles in a variety of film genres. He won the 1949 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman. He was a five-time Academy Award nominee including a Best Actor nod for his performance as a blind WWII veteran in Bright Victory (1951). Kennedy had roles in High Sierra (1941), The Glass Menagerie (1950), Peyton Place (1957), Elmer Gantry (1960), and Lawrence Arabia (1962).

Peggy Dow (1928 - ) is an American philanthropist and former actress whose career in Hollywood was fairly brief (1949 – 1952). While under contract to Universal Studios, Dow appeared in several classic films from Hollywood’s Golden Age. She is probably best known for her role as Nurse Kelly in  Harvey (1950) and as Judy Greene in Bright Victory (1951). Dow graduated from Northwestern University in 1948.

 

Peggy Dow, Richard Egan, James Edwards, Arthur Kennedy

 

Bright Victory trivia

• Ten blind WWII veterans at the hospital appeared as extras.
• Arthur Kennedy wore black contact lenses for the role.
• Jim Backus is wearing a nautical cap in his first scene in the movie, foreshadowing his role in Gilligan’s Island.
• The hospital in the film, Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, opened in 1943 and was one of the largest military hospitals in the United States. It was closed in 1973 and became the site of Valley Forge Christian College, renamed the University of Valley Forge in 2014.
• Phoenixville is home to another famous movie location: The diner from The Blob (1958).

 

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive

Click HERE to join the online discussion on March 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

 

Discussion questions

1. This movie deals with the rehabilitation of disabled veterans—veterans who were blinded during battle in WWII. How does this film compare with other films covering similar ground like The Best Years of Our Lives (1946).
2. Arthur Kennedy’s performance earned him a nomination for Best Actor. Did you think it was well-earned?
3. Was the relationship between Larry (Kennedy) and Judy (Dow) believable? Do you think they had good on-screen chemistry?
4. The supporting cast is strong. Was there one performance that resonated with you?
5. Was there anything in the film that surprised you?

Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, and Kay Francis star in “In Name Only”

In Name Only (1939) stars Carole Lombard and Cary Grant in rare dramatic form in this marital melodrama directed by John Cromwell (Since You Went Away).

Grant is Alec Walker, a man stuck in a loveless marriage with his wife Maida (Kay Francis). Maida married Alec for his money and his social position; she never loved him. One afternoon Alec runs into Julie (Lombard), a commercial artist with a young daughter named Ellen (Peggy Ann Garner). They are instantly attracted to each other, but Maida stands in the way of their happiness.

Lombard, Grant, and Francis mug for this publicity photo for In Name Only.

Although the public loved Lombard and Grant for their comedy performances, both are believable as a couple deeply in love. Will their love survive Maida’s intrigue?

One of the great melodramas of the late-1930s, In Name Only was praised by the critics. Variety said, “In the steering of the story director John Cromwell has made every situation as believable as could be accomplished in order to sustain the dramatic undercurrent, strife and the beleaguered romance which has developed. Cary Grant and Carole Lombard emerge highly impressive.” Frank Nugent of the New York Times called the film “Soap opera par excellence…blessed with a peerless cast.”

Click HERE to watch the movie at the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on March 17, 2025, Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to join the discussion on Zoom.

In Name Only trivia

• Photoplay magazine named Lombard and Grant as the best movie performers for the month of October 1939.
• Katharine Hepburn was supposed to play the female lead and reunite with Grant, but due to the failure of Bringing Up Baby, Lombard was brought on board to replace her.
• The Hollywood Reporter said that Douglas Fairbanks Jr. was set to play the role of Alec.
• Lombard insisted on casting her friend Kay Francis in the role of Maida after Francis was dropped from Warner Bros.
• The home used as the location for the garden party, is the front portico of the old Selznick Studio in Culver City, where Gone with the Wind (1939) was being filmed at the same time as In Name Only.
• This was Peggy Ann Garner’s first credited role.
• In Name Only premiered in New York at the city’s famed Radio City Music Hall on August 4, 1939 where it was held over for several weeks.

Discussion questions

1. What did you think of the acting of Grant and Lombard? Were they convincing
2. Was Lombard right to insist that Kay Francis play the part of Maida? Was Francis convincing as the gold-digging wife?
3. Was the romantic triangle realistic and/or believable?
4. Charles Coburn did a rare dramatic turn as the father of Alec. What did you think of his performance?
5. Was there anything about this film that surprised you?
6. Did In Name Only remind you of any other films?

William Powell and Carole Lombard in “My Man Godfrey”.

My Man Godfrey (1936) is an American screwball comedy directed by Gregory La Cava and starring William Powell and Carole Lombard. The film is based on a short novel, 1101 Park Avenue by Eric S. Hatch. My Man Godfrey is considered one of the best screwball comedies of all time. In 1999, the film was deemed “culturally significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.

Carole Lombard and William Powell

During the Great Depression, two socialite sisters, Cornelia and Irene Bullock (Gail Patrick and Carole Lombard respectively) are competing in a charity scavenger hunt and need to find a “forgotten man.” They come across a man living in a New York City dump, but Cornelia gets to him first. She offers Godfrey Smith (William Powell) $5 if he will come play along and help her win the scavenger hunt. Godfrey finds Cornelia’s attitude annoying and backs her up into an ash pile. Irene who has been watching the whole episode ends up speaking with Godfrey who finds her to be kind, but a little bit crazy, and decides to help her. Irene drives the two of them to the Waldorf-Ritz Hotel where she presents Godfrey as her forgotten man. Irene wins the scavenger hunt and is so grateful that she offers Godfrey a job as a butler in her family’s home. Little does Godfrey realize that the Bullock family is quite eccentric and hasn’t been able to keep a butler for more than a few days. 

Gregory La Cava (1892 – 1952) was an American film director best known for several landmark films from the 1930s including My Man Godfrey and Stage Door (1937). La Cava was born in Pennsylvania and studied at the Art Institute of Chicago. La Cava directed many of the top stars during his heyday including Irene Dunne, Helen Hayes, Constance Bennett, Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, Joel McCrea, Melvin Douglas, and Katharine Hepburn. LaCava directed Ginger Rogers in three films in three years: Stage Door, Fifth Avenue Girl (1939), and Primrose Path (1940).

William Powell (1892 – 1984) was an American actor who was most famous for the Thin Man series in which he co-starred with Myrna Loy. Loy and Powell made 14 films together. Powell was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor three times: The Thin Man (1934), My Many Godfrey (1936), and Life With Father (1947). Powell was under contract to Paramount, Warner Bros., and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer where he had his greatest success. Some of Powell’s popular films include Manhattan Melodrama (1934), The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Libeled Lady (1936), The Last of Mrs. Cheney (1937), Love Crazy (1941), Life with Father (1947), The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947), Dancing in the Dark (1949), How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), and Mister Roberts (1955).

Clark Gable and Carole Lombard on their wedding day

Carole Lombard (1908 – 1942) was an American film actress who gained great fame starring in screwball comedies. So popular was she as a comedic actress that Life magazine dubbed her “The Screwball Girl.” He got her start in silent films as a child and progressed to more important roles when a car accident almost ended her career. Glass from the car’s windshield cut up her face leaving her with a small scar. She eventually hit the big time in 1934 with her breakout performance in Twentieth Century co-starring John Barrymore. The film directed by Howard Hawks (a distant cousin of Lombard’s) lead to better roles and eventually superstardom. In Lombard’s short career, she appeared in several iconic films including My Man Godfrey, Nothing Sacred (1937), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (1941) directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and To Be or Not to Be (1942). At the height of her career, Lombard died in a plane crash while returning from a bond tour. At the time of her death, she was married to Clark Gable. Together they were one of Hollywood’s original power couples.

The excellent supporting cast includes Alice Brady, Gail Patrick, Jean Dixon, Eugene Pallette, Alan Mowbray, Mischa Auer, and Franklin Pangborn. 

My Man Godfrey trivia:

• It was the first movie to be nominated in all four acting categories.
• Marion Davies, Constance Bennett, and Miriam Hopkins were all considered for the role of Irene.
• William Powell and Carole Lombard were once husband and wife and had been divorced for three years when they made the film.
• Jane Wyman has an uncredited role standing in the crowd at the Waldorf-Ritz Hotel.
• Gail Patrick (Cornelia) played Irene’s (Lombard) older sister, but in reality, she was almost three years younger.

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on March 3, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an email with an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Questions for discussion:

1. Is there a serious message amidst all the comedy? If yes, what is it?
2. What do you think motivated Godfrey to get back on his feet?
3. Did you have a favorite supporting character?
4. Did Lombard and Powell have believable screen chemistry?
5. Why do you think the film has remained a classic 85 years after its initial release?

Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake in Preston Sturges’s “Sullivan’s Travels”

Sullivan’s Travels (1942) is a satirical look at life in Hollywood as only director Preston Sturges could tell it. It centers around successful movie director John L. Sullivan (Joel McCrea) and his quest to learn more about life so he can film the deadly serious novel O Brother Where Art Thou?

Sullivan’s previous films were profitable comedies, but the director yearns for more. He wants to be taken seriously like Frank Capra.

To learn about life, Sullivan disguises himself as a hobo. Along the way, he meets a disillusioned young actress (Veronica Lake) who convinces him to take her on his quest. Together they experience many adventures where they discover that a bit of laughter goes a long way in tough times.

But then the movie world is suddenly turned upside down when Sullivan goes missing. Where is John L. Sullivan?

Sullivan’s Travels features the great Sturges stock company, featuring William Demarest, Robert Greig, Eric Blore, Esther Howard, and Franklin Pangborn.

Veronica Lake and Joel McCrea

Preston Sturges (1898 - 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. Sturges was one of the first film directors to direct his screenplays, opening the door for Billy Wilder and Joseph L. Mankiewicz to do the same. Sturges was a successful playwright, Hollywood screenwriter, and script doctor. As a writer-director, Sturges had an amazing output of films in five years, all considered classics today. These films include The Great McGinty (1940), Christmas in July (1940), The Lady Eve (1941), Sullivan's Travels (1941), The Palm Beach Story (1942), Hail the Conquering Hero (1944), and The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). After leaving Paramount Pictures in a dispute with upper management, Sturges's career declined and he never produced anything close to the quality of his earlier successes. Despite this decline, Sturges is considered one of the greatest talents to come out of Hollywood.

Joel McCrea (1905 – 1990) was an American movie star who appeared in over 100 films. During his almost-five-decades career, McCrea worked with some of the top directors in Hollywood including Alfred Hitchcock (Foreign Correspondent 1940), Preston Sturges (Sullivan’s Travels 1941, The Palm Beach Story 1942), and George Stevens (The More the Merrier 1943). McCrea worked opposite some of the top leading actresses of the day including Miriam Hopkins, Irene Dunne, Veronica Lake, Claudette Colbert, and Barbara Stanwyck with whom he made six films. He was the first actor to play Dr. Kildare in the film Internes Can’t Take Money (1937) costarring Stanwyck. McCrea married actress Frances Dee in 1933. The two were married until McCrea died in 1990.

Veronica Lake (1922 - 1973) was an American film, stage, and television actress. She was a popular star of film noirs, often paired with Alan Ladd in the 1940s. She was also famous for her peek-a-boo hairstyle. Her home studio, Paramount, dubbed her the peek-a-boo girl. Women and girls all over the world copied her hair-over-one-eye hairstyle. Lake became an overnight sensation with her role in I Wanted Wings (1940). During the height of her career, Lake was making $4,500 a week. Some of her popular films include Sullivan’s Travels (1941),  This Gun for Hire (1942), The Glass Key (1942), So Proudly We Hail! (1943), and The Blue Dahlia (1946). Lake’s career declined due to her struggle with alcoholism. She died from cirrhosis of the liver in 1973. She was 50 years old.

Sullivan’s Travels trivia

• Veronica Lake was six months pregnant when she signed on for this film. Costume designer Edith Head designed a wardrobe to hide this fact. Production was from June 12 to July 22, 1941, and her daughter Elaine Detlie was born on August 21, 1941.
• Sturges wanted to use a clip from a Charlie Chaplin film in the church scene but Chaplin refused permission.
• Sturges wrote the film with Joel McCrea in mind. He never considered anyone else for the role.
• Anthony Mann was Preston Sturges’s assistant.

Click HERE to watch the film at the Internet Archive.

Click HERE to join the online discussion on February 24, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join us on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What did you make of Sturges’s critique of Hollywood? Do you think there was any truth in his satire?
2. This was Veronica Lake’s first big starring role. Was she up to the task? Many studio heads didn’t think she was right for the role.
3. The film is filled with great dialogue. Was there a line from the movie that was, particularly memorable or funny?
4.  Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake supposedly didn’t get along. Did that show in their performances?
5. The film has many character actors that Sturges used in many of his movies. Do you have a favorite? 

Charles Boyer and Ingrid Bergman star in “Gaslight”

Gaslight (1944) is an American psychological thriller set in 19th-century London. The film was directed by George Cukor and stars Charles Boyer, Ingrid Bergman, and Joseph Cotten. The film features Dame May Whitty, and Angela Lansbury in her feature film debut.

Alice Alquist, a world-famous opera singer is murdered in her home in Victorian London. Her niece Paula (Bergman) is sent to Italy to study opera like her aunt, but unfortunately, she doesn’t have her aunt’s talent. When she reaches adulthood, she falls in love with her accompanist Gregory Anton (Boyer). They marry after a two-week romance and settle in her late aunt’s townhouse. Paula has a hard time living in the home where everything reminds her of that terrible murder. While moving her aunt’s furnishings into the attic, Paula discovers a letter from a man named Sergis Bauer. When Gregory sees the letter he becomes enraged, but then apologizes.

Is Gregory hiding something from Paula? If so, what does it mean?

 

Ingrid Bergman and Charles Boyer

George Cukor (1899 – 1983) was an American director. He was famous for directing comedies and literary adaptations of classics like Little Women (1933) and David Copperfield (1935). He was famously fired from directing Gone with the Wind (1939), but that incident didn’t mar an impressive directorial career that included The Philadelphia Story (1940), Gaslight (1944), and Born Yesterday (1950). Cukor won an Academy Award as Best Director for My Fair Lady (1964).

Charles Boyer (1899 - 1978) was a French-American stage and film actor. Boyer was nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award four times. He became a major movie star in the late 1930s in films like The Garden of Allah (1936), Algiers (1938), and Love Affair (1939). He starred as the evil husband of Ingrid Bergman in Gaslight (1944). Boyer starred opposite most of the top female stars of the period including Claudette Colbert, Marlene Dietrich, Irene Dunne, Jean Arthur, Greta Garbo, Bette Davis, Joan Fontaine, Katharine Hepburn, and Olivia de Havilland. As he grew older, Boyer played supporting roles in film and also starred on Broadway in Kind Sir (1953 - 1954) and The Marriage-Go-Round (1958 - 1960).

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, and 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 win another Best Actress Academy Award for Anastasia (1956) and a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Murder on the Orient Express (1974).

Joseph Cotten (1905 - 1994) was an American film, stage, radio, and television actor. Cotten achieved fame on Broadway in the original stage productions of The Philadelphia Story and Sabrina Fair.  He became famous worldwide after appearing in Citizen Kane (1941) and The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). As one of the most popular leading men of the 1940s, Cotten starred in Shadow of a Doubt (1943), Gaslight (1943), Duel in the Sun (1946), and The Third Man (1949). Cotten alternated between work on stage and film into the late-1950s. Cotten also appeared on television guest starring in The Name of the Game, Cimarron Strip, and Ironside. Cotten’s last film role was in 1981.

 

Angela Lansbury and Ingrid Bergman

Gaslight trivia

• M-G-M tried to get the film negatives of the 1940 British version destroyed.
• Ingrid Bergman studied mental patients to help with her characterization of Paula.
• Angela Lansbury turned 18 during the production of the film. The cast and crew held a birthday party for her.
• Bergman was initially concerned that she wouldn’t be able to portray a fragile character like Paula.
• Boyer’s son and only child was born during production.
• In her autobiography, Bergman said that Boyer was the most intelligent actor she ever worked with and one of the nicest.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on the Internet Archive

Click HERE to join the online discussion on Monday, February 17, 2025, 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. The film is described today as a psychological thriller. Does that description work for you? Would you categorize it differently?
2. What did you think of Bergman’s performance?
3. Charles Boyer was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in this film (he lost to Bing Crosby). What did you think of his performance?
4. Angela Lansbury had never acted before her role as the maid, Nancy. What did you think of her performance?
5. Joseph Cotten is hardly ever mentioned when this film is discussed. Is his a thankless role?