Showing posts with label L'amour - l'amour. Show all posts
Showing posts with label L'amour - l'amour. Show all posts

Saturday, 25 August 2012

Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe (5)

Here we are.. it's the new issue of my mini series Seven - minus one - days of.. ..Marilyn Monroe



As I promised - here is my list of favourite leading men of Marilyn Monroe - with my favourite partner of hers as the last one named in this list.. I have not yet seen all of her films so some men might just be missing here - others I simply do not like too much.. - the higher the ranking the closer these actors are in my favour.. I had a hard time to decide:

~ this post is also part of my series: L'amour - l'amour.. ~

The honourably mentioned: Jack Lemmon in SOME LIKE IT HOT (USA, 1959) and Don Murray in BUS STOP (USA, 1956) - like them both.. but still... Well.. Don Murray almost made it to the list - I can confess that..


11. Okay.. there actually might have been a top ranking for Robert Mitchum who was her partner in RIVER OF NO RETURN (USA, 1954).. I really like him very much and I think they were great together.. - but still there is one scene in this film which really puts me off.. I am not ok with men forcing women. Period. I love the fact that Robert Mitchum actually knew her before she became Marilyn Monroe since he was a co-worker and friend of her husband James Dougherty when she was "plain" brunette Norma Jean.. But still.. I cannot get over that scene - so (although his character besides that in this film is adorable..) he has to stand back - he only made it to the list because he IS Robert Mitchum.

~ I love this picture of Marilyn Monroe and Robert Mitchum ~


10. Laurence Olivier.. I love THE PRINCE AND THE SHOWGIRL (UK/USA, 1957) - and though they might have been not too easy together I think they are one of the most funny film couples ever..

~ yes.. I am simply in love with that dress.. ~


9. Also I liked Donald O'Connor as her partner in THERE'S NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOWBUSINESS. I think he was very likeable..

~ another costume I just adore.. ~


8. After that I pick Richard Widmark who was her leading man in DON'T BOTHER TO KNOCK. I like his performance in that film very much..



7. George Sanders - they worked together in ALL ABOUT EVE (USA, 1950).. Highly attractive man, very witty and a bit dangerous.. What more can I say?



6. and 5. Though they might not play first fiddle in MISFITS (USA, 1961) Montgomery Clift and Eli Wallach are for sure some of my favourite actors to star with Marilyn Monroe. Actually I cannot get over Roslyn going for Clark Gable instead of Eli Wallach - or well.. Montgomery Clift.. (Though I would have chosen Eli Wallach - or... Montgomery Clift?? .. Mr. Wallach's character is rather nasty and unfair at one point in this film.. - but after all we all have those weak moments.. ... I would really be in trouble here..)




4. I like Joseph Cotten very, very much and he and Marilyn Monroe were great together in one of my favourite films of her: NIAGARA (USA, 1953) - so of course he ranks pretty high in this list..

~ this yawn is for sure not related to the fact she is sitting next to Joseph Cotten..  ~


3. Tom Ewell in THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH (USA, 1955) - just because he is so unbelievable funny.. I love this man..

~ Love that dress.. apparently Tom Ewell does, too.. ~

2. Louis Calhern who was "her man" in ASPHALT JUNGLE (USA, 1950). I really adore him - and find him quite attractive.. He is one of my top favourite actors - so this is not actually a surprise..



1. My favourite leading man is an actor who is actually one of my highest ranked top favourite actors.. I think he is one of the most handsome and talented you can find.. He worked four times with Marilyn Monroe - though they were not always a couple - and actually were not even in a scene together in one of those films - though they were in the same episode of this episode movie - of course I am talking about the fabulous David Wayne



As for the actor I would have loved to see staring with Marilyn Monroe - that would have been another of my altime favourites: Marlon Brando. I am sure they would have been divine together - she so very female and he so very, very male.. Well.. I can dream about that.. At least they had this long going love affair.. And I just love the idea of them being kind of a couple..


Thank you very much for your visit!

Yours

Irene

Friday, 22 June 2012

L'amour - l'amour.. ..Clara and Cosmo Topper




In case you are one of my facebook friends you will be aware that I did kind of a "Topper-thon" the last few days watching all three TOPPER films: TOPPER (1937), TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (1938) and TOPPER RETURNS (1941).

For those who do not know the films - it is merely about Cosmo Topper (Roland Young) who is a bank director and whose very low-key life is troubled by ghosts: 



In the first film TOPPER (1937) it's Constance Bennett (one of my favourite actresses) and Cary Grant as Marion and George Kerby - a recently passed away couple - who try to add a little more excitement to Cosmo Topper's life. (This one is my least favourite of the three films to be honest..)



In the second film TOPPER TAKES A TRIP (1938) Marion (Constance Bennett) returns to help Cosmo Topper to save his marriage since his wife Clara (my beloved Billie Burke) is filing for divorce and courted by playboy Alexander D'Arcy (another one I like very much..). In this one as in the first film Alan Mowbray is the faithful butler to Cosmo and Clara Topper.. Also this film has an adorable ghost dog - who is played by no other than Asta of THIN MEN fame.. 



The third film TOPPER RETURNS (1941) has Topper mixed up with the murder of a young lady (one of my alltime favourites: Joan Blondell) he just met and who returns as a ghost to solve the crime - of course together with Cosmo Topper.. An amazing cast in this film.. It has e.g. George Zucco, Carole Landis and Patsy Kelly!! (yes, some actors who I adore..) In this film the great Eddie Anderson is the chauffeur to the Toppers.. and H.B. Warner is in it, too.. 

I used to say that I love the third film the most - but after re-watching I really cannot tell which of the last two films I like more - I simply love them both..

So - now that you know about the TOPPER films - who is my beloved couple??

It is of course:

Clara (Billie Burke) and Cosmo Topper (Roland Young)



They do not have a starting romance since they are married for about twenty years - but I do love this couple who has of course some troubles - mainly caused by Clara's obedience to her women's club and the first ladies of the town (through the films there are among others e.g. Hedda Hopper and Verree Teasdale..) and Cosmo's frequent trouble with ghosts.. 

Clara is kind of naĆÆve  - and of course Billie Burke could play a part like that like no one other could - but she is also sweet-natured and she loves her husband Cosmo with all her heart - though her heart would prefer if her husband wasn't acting so strangely..

~oh.. shush! Don't tell his wife what you just saw! ~
Clara would love to have a perfect marriage with a high prestige - while Cosmo just want to have a calm and peaceful, happy live - which is of course a bit hard to manage when frequently ghosts are either trying to help you or are needing your help.. 

And though he has a soft spot for Marion Kerby (Constance Bennett - and who could blame him for that?) he always stays true to his wife. I really appreciate that - though I actually will not judge couples who can not manage to have such a "long breath".. I think most important is respect for each other - no matter if you are staying together for twenty days or twenty years - and I also think this does not only apply for love attachments but for every relation ship - I might say for every aspect in life. 

Clara and Cosmo might not be perfect in this - but they are at least trying their best. And that's all one can ask for - isn't it?

~ Eddie Anderson, Roland Young and Billie Burke ~

Of course it is nice to follow a young couple in films finding their love - but I for one enjoy seeing a couple which is devoted to each other over two decades. And: who would match as fine as Billie Burke and Roland Young do? Truth is that I watch the first film merely because of their scenes together.


~  Publicity still with Joan Blondell, Roland Young, Carole Landis, Billie Burke
- or: four actors I really adore! ~


Thank you all for listening! 

And in case you have found love: try to keep hold of it!

Irene

Saturday, 5 May 2012

L'amour - l'amour.. ..Kitty Trimble & Quentin Ladd


This is a new series on this blog featuring my favourite film couples - real or fictitious (incl. just for publicity). I decided instead of doing themed months – which gave me a feeling of being limited and by that made me feel miserable and not in the mood to write anymore – to do several new series. That way I hope this blog won’t become a nuisance to you either.

Of course we'll need an icon for that series: 


~ nice, hm? ~


So here it is – one of my favourite film couples ever:

Kitty Trimble (Lucille Ball) and Quentin Ladd (Keenan Wynn) from WITHOUT LOVE (USA, 1945) 


For those who do not know the film - or do not remember it well:






Kitty and Quentin might not have the biggest part in this film - still it's my favourite.. 

They need some time to find each other because Edwina Collins (the great Patricia Morison - I love her!!) is off and on engaged to Quentin  - but apparently it's more a question of prestige than of love.. 

But in the end - well.. Kitty and Quentin made it into this series as a happy couple.. (At times I actually like couples to become happy.. I am not a fulltime malicious spinster..)

~ awww..
I want a Keenan Wynn, too!! ~

I know the film is more about Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy – but for me it’ll be always the story of how Quentin and Kitty became lovers..

Thank you all for listening!

Have a lovely weekend!

Yours 

Irene