WHAT A CHARACTER: PATSY KELLY

I think there are not a lot of good roles for women in Hollywood these days. If I think it is bad now, it was even harder for women to get good roles in Hollywood in the 1930s. There were a steady group of wonderful woman characters during that time. In my humble opinion, one of the funniest comedy character actresses was the great Patsy Kelly.

Kelly was born Sarah Veronica Rose Kelly on January 12, 1910 in Brooklyn to Irish immigrants parents John (died 1942) and Delia Kelly (1875-1930). She began her career in vaudeville as a dancer at the age of 12. While in vaudeville, she performed in Frank Fay's act, first in a song-and-dance routine and later as Fay's comic foil.  She remained with Fay for several seasons until Fay eventually dismissed her. Kelly made her Broadway debut in 1928. In 1930 and 1931, she performed for producer Earl Carroll in his popular Sketches and Vanities musicals.

Kelly, like other New York actors, made her screen debut in a Vitaphone short subject filmed there. In 1933 producer Hal Roach hired Kelly to co-star with Thelma Todd in a series of short-subject comedies. (Kelly replaced ZaSu Pitts, who left Roach after a salary dispute). The Todd-Kelly shorts cemented Patsy Kelly's image: a brash, wisecracking woman who frequently punctured the pomposity of other characters. Later entries in the series showcased Kelly's dancing skills. Kelly made 35 shorts with Todd before Todd died in 1935. Lyda Roberti replaced Todd, but died of heart failure in 1938.

After the popularity of shorts began to wane, Kelly moved to full length feature films, often playing working-class character roles in comedies and musicals. One of her memorable roles was as Etta, the cook, in the five Academy Awards-nominated 1938 comedy movie Merrily We Live. By 1943, Kelly's film career had began to decline. She appeared in films for Producers Releasing Corporation, the smallest and cheapest of the movie studios. Her last starring roles were in two PRC comedies, My Son, the Hero and Danger! Women at Work, both released in 1943. Kelly left Hollywood and would not make another film for 17 years.

After leaving Hollywood, Kelly returned to New York City where she worked in radio and did summer stock. She also worked as a personal assistant to Tallulah Bankhead (whom she later claimed she had a sexual relationship with). Kelly returned to the screen in the 1950s with television and sporadic film roles. On television she appeared in guest roles on 26 Men, Kraft Television Theatre, The Man from U.N.C.L.E, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Wild Wild West, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, as well as many unsold pilots. She also made a memorable appearance as Laura-Louise in the film thriller Rosemary's Baby (1968), directed by Roman Polanski, alongside veteran actors Sidney Blackmer, Ruth Gordon, and Maurice Evans.

She returned to Broadway in 1971 in the revival of No, No, Nanette with fellow hoofers Ruby Keeler and Helen Gallagher. Kelly scored a huge success as the wisecracking, tap-dancing maid, and won Broadway's 1971 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her performance in the show. She matched that success the following year when she starred in Irene with Debbie Reynolds, and was again nominated for a Tony.

In 1976, she appeared as the housekeeper Mrs. Schmauss in the film Freaky Friday starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris. Her final movie appearance came in the 1979 Disney comedy The North Avenue Irregulars, also co-starring Harris, along with Cloris Leachman, Edward Herrmann and Karen Valentine. Kelly's last onscreen appearance was a guest spot in a two-part episode of The Love Boat in 1979. In January 1980, Kelly suffered a stroke while in San Francisco which caused her to lose the ability to speak. She was admitted to Englewood Nursing Home in Englewood, New Jersey, on the advice of her old friend Ruby Keeler where she underwent therapy. 

She slowly began recovering from the stroke, when cancer was detected. On September 24, 1981, Kelly died of cancer at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, California. She is buried with her parents, John and Delia Kelly, in Calvary Cemetery in Queens. Patsy Kelly remained quite a character through nearly six decades of entertaining. Not a bad run by Hollywood standards at all...

MY FIVE FAVORITE BING CROSBY MOVIES NOT ON DVD

With new mammoth Universal box release of some twenty Bing Crosby movies on DVD in late 2014, you would think that the loyal allegiance of Bing Crosby fans would be clamoring to buy the expensive and yet seemingly extensive collection of Bing films. However, I do not think it will be the case, because all of these films have already been issued on DVD – sometimes for the fifth and sixth time. It got me thinking of the countless Bing Crosby movies that have never seen the light of day. Here are five films that in my opinion deserve to be released:

1. THE BIG BROADCAST (1932)
It is really shocking that this early musical is not on DVD yet. It was never even been issued on video. It not only was Bing’s first feature film for Paramount Studios, but it also had a huge cast of radio superstars in addition to Bing like: George Burns, Gracie Allen, Kate Smith, The Boswell Sisters, and The Mills Brothers just to name a few. Bing gets so sing some great standards as well like: “Please”, “Here Lies Love”, and “Dinah”. The old days of radio may seem outdated these days, but it is fun to see how the most important medium of 1932 worked.

2. THE STAR MAKER (1939)
This forgotten film was Bing’s first movie where he played a character based on a real person. Bing played entertainer Gus Edwards (1879-1945). Edwards did not want his life made into a movie, so they changed Bing’s name in the movie to Larry Earl. The movie did not really touch upon the songwriting ability of Gus Edwards but more about his work as a child show producer. Bing sings some great vintage numbers like “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now” and “School Days” as well as singing some new songs like “An Apple For The Teacher” and “Still The Blue Birds Sing”. Again, it amazes me that such a cheerful and fun movie has not even been released on video, let alone DVD.

3. DIXIE (1943)
I do not think the film Dixie will ever see the light of day because of how racist blackface is viewed as. It is an outdated and sort of embarrassing genre of entertainment, but I believe it is a part of American history no matter how it is perceived now. Bing again played a real person, songwriter Dan Emmett (1815-1904) who wrote the popular song “Dixie”. This film was important because it was Bing’s first movie in color, and the story is actually pretty good. Aside from Bing trying to make it as a song writer and performer he had an interesting love triangle with Marjorie Reynolds and Dorothy Lamour. A nicely remastered version of this Technicolor film would be great to see.


4. MR. MUSIC (1950)
Of the five Bing films I put on this list, Mr. Music is the only film that was released on video. So it is a shame it is not on DVD. The movie is not great, and unfortunately the songs are not that memorable either, but Bing was in great voice. The film is the charming story of a lazy songwriter (another songwriting role) who is facing financial ruin if he does not start writing again. The cast included guest appearances by Groucho Marx, Peggy Lee, and Dorothy Kirsten to name a few. Bing and Kirsten duet on “Accidents Will Happen”, which is a sleeper favorite of mine, and Bing is great on the number “And You’ll Be Home”. The movie was no Holiday Inn, but it is a breezy fun movie in my opinion.

5. MAN ON FIRE (1957)
Man On Fire was one of the four films Bing made at MGM Studios. The other three were Going Hollywood (1933), High Society (1956), and That’s Entertainment (1974). This 1957 film is distinctive because it was one of the few movies Bing did not sing it. The film is a tense drama about a husband divorcing his wife and fighting for the custody of his only son. Many people do not like this dramatic side of Bing Crosby’s movie career, but I enjoy the film. TCM plays the movie from time to time, but it has yet to be released on DVD. Viewing this movie even makes me wish Bing would have done more dramas.


All five of these films are worthy to be released on DVD. Maybe in time they will be. Fortunately I have been able to get bootleg copies of all five movies, but again they deserve an official studio release…

RIP: ROD TAYLOR

Acclaimed Australian actor Rod Taylor has died in Los Angeles aged 84. Taylor, who was famous for his role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 horror movie The Birds, is believed to have died of natural causes at his home.

He was also known for performances in The Time Machine and The Train Robbers and more recently played Winston Churchill in Quentin Tarantino's Inglourious Basterds.

The veteran actor passed away surrounded by his family, The Associated Press said, citing The Birds co-star Tippi Hedren.

"Rod was a great pal to me and a real strength. We were very, very good friends," said 84-year-old Hedren.

"He was one of the most fun people I have ever met, thoughtful and classy, there was everything good in that man."

Born in Sydney, Taylor made a variety of film and television appearances in the 1950s.  But his big break in Hollywood came with his starring role in director George Pal's The Time Machine in 1960.

He went on to make dozens of films including lending his voice to Disney's animated 101 Dalmatians. He appeared with Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton in The V.I.P.s, which was released the same year as The Birds, in which he portrayed Hedren's love interest Mitch Brenner.

Taylor also played opposite Jane Fonda in Sunday in New York and John Wayne in The Train Robbers.

Taylor had retired from acting when Tarantino offered him the Inglourious Basterds role, which he initially declined, suggesting Tarantino should cast Albert Finney instead.

He had long voiced reluctance at playing the kind of roles which earned him the biggest fame.

"Pretending to still be the tough man of action isn't dignified for me anymore," he said in a 1987 interview.

"There comes a time when you're over the hill and there are plenty of great looking younger actors who can take your place."

Taylor's daughter Felicia, a former CNN news correspondent, said in a statement: "My dad loved his work. Being an actor was his passion, calling it an honourable art and something we couldn't live without."

"He once said: 'I am a poor student sitting at the feet of giants, yearning for their wisdom and begging for lessons that might one day make me a complete artist,'" she added, cited by People.

The actor is survived by his third wife Carol Kikumura, whom he married in 1980, and his daughter...

PHOTOS OF THE DAY: SMOKIN' CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD

The world knows now that smoking cigarettes is not the healthiest thing you can do for your body. However, back in the days of classic Hollywood, almost everyone smoked. Yes, it is a nasty habit, but classic Hollywood made it look good. Just look at some of these pics of the stars lighting up...

JANE GREER (1924-2001)

BURT LANCASTER (1913-1994)

JUDY GARLAND (1922-1969) and FRANK SINATRA (1915-1998)

PAUL NEWMAN (1925-2008)

BETTE DAVIS (1908-1989)

NATALIE WOOD (1938-1981)

HISTORY OF A SONG: SPRINGTIME FOR HITLER

One of my favorite directors all time is Mel Brooks. I have loved almost everything he did. He not only made great comedies, but some of the songs from his comedies I just can't get out of my head. One of those songs was "Springtime For Hitler".

Springtime For Hitler" is the title song of a play subtitled A Gay Romp With Eva And Adolf At Berchtesgaden. The play itself does not actually exist but appears in the 1968 comedy The Producers which was written and directed by Mel Brooks, who is by his own admission a great fan of bad taste.The leading characters of The Producers are accountant Leo Bloom who is played by Gene Wilder, and Max Bialystock who is played by Zero Mostel. The two decide to raise money for and put on a musical which will flop badly, as a tax dodge. To this extent they seek out the worst play ever written, hire the worst director, the worst actors in New York and open on Broadway. They raise two million dollars for the play, which costs a mere hundred thousand, and when it sinks they disappear to South America with the balance. At least that is the plan, but just as satire sometimes misses the mark, so do people read things into plays, songs, etc that isn't really there.

The musical is interpreted by the public as a broadside at the Third Reich, and is a massive success, leaving them with the problem of paying dividends to their expectant investors. Brooks turned the film into a smash Broadway hit, and it was remade on film in 2005. The talented Gary Beach played Hitler and got to sing "Springtime For Hitler" on Broadway and in the 2005 film remake...

BORN ON THIS DAY: MARION DAVIES

Marion Davies is remembered mostly for being the mistress of paper tycoon William Randolph Hearst and reportedly she got many of her roles in Hollywood from her connection to Hearst. However, she made some really enjoyable films in the 1920s and 1930s. One of the first movies I saw her in was an early Bing Crosby film Going Hollywood(1933). Davies even attempted to sing in that movie opus.

Marion Davies was born on this day - January 3rd - in 1897. Davies was born in Brooklyn, the youngest of five children born to Bernard J. Douras (1857–1935), a lawyer and judge in New York City; and Rose Reilly (1867–1928). Her elder siblings included Rose, Reine, and Ethel. A brother, Charles, drowned at the age of 15 in 1906. His name was subsequently given to Davies' favorite nephew, screenwriter Charles Lederer, the son of Davies' sister Reine Davies. The Douras family lived near Prospect Park in Brooklyn. The sisters changed their surname to Davies, which one of them spotted on a real-estate agent's sign in the neighborhood. Even at a time when New York was the melting pot for new immigrants, having a British surname greatly helped one's prospects – the name Davies has Welsh origins. Educated in a New York convent, Davies left school to pursue a career. She worked as a model and posed for illustrators Harrison Fisher and Howard Chandler Christy. In 1916, Davies was signed on as a Ziegfeld girl in the Ziegfeld Follies.

After making her screen debut in 1916, modelling gowns by Lady Duff-Gordon in a fashion newsreel, she appeared in her first feature film in the 1917 Runaway Romany. Davies wrote the film, which was directed by her brother-in-law, prominent Broadway producer George W. Lederer. The following year she starred in three films – The Burden of Proof, Beatrice Fairfax, and Cecilia of the Pink Roses. Playing mainly light comic roles, she quickly became a film personality appearing with major male stars, making a small fortune, which enabled her to provide financial assistance for her family and friends.

In 1918, Hearst started the movie studio Cosmopolitan Productions to promote Davies' career and also moved her with her mother and sisters into an elegant Manhattan townhouse at the corner of Riverside Drive and W. 105th Street. Cecilia of the Pink Roses in 1918 was her first film backed by Hearst. She was on her way to being the most infamously advertised actress in the world. During the next ten years she appeared in 29 films, an average of almost three films a year.  She remained devoted to William Randolph Hearst, and as the years went on her movie career vanished more and more. In Hearst's declining years, Davies provided financial as well as emotional support until his death in 1951. She married for the first time eleven weeks after his death, a marriage which lasted until Davies died of stomach cancer in 1961 at the age of 64...

RIP: DONNA DOUGLAS

Donna Douglas, who played voluptuous tomboy daughter Elly May Clampett on the 1960s TV series "The Beverly Hillbillies," has died. She was 81.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana, TV station WAFB, a CNN affiliate, reported that Douglas died Friday morning. Douglas lived in Zachary, Louisiana. Her assistant, Jeffrey Dalrymple, confirmed her passing to CNN.

Douglas spent nine years as Elly May, one of the main characters of the hugely popular "Beverly Hillbillies." The series concerned a poor Ozark family who stumbled upon an oil fortune and then moved to the Southern California bastion of wealth, where their rural ways often clashed with the local swells -- particularly Margaret Drysdale, the wife of the man who ran the bank where the Clampetts kept their money.

In some ways, Douglas -- who was born Dorothy Smith -- was a natural for the role. She was from a small town, Pride, Louisiana, and was a genuine tomboy. A beauty queen, she moved to New York in the late '50s and attracted attention as a model and for her appearances as Perry Como's "Letters Girl." She had some small roles in films and bigger ones on TV series, including a memorable "Twilight Zone" episode, "Eye of the Beholder."

But it was "The Beverly Hillbillies" that made her a star. At its peak in the early '60s, the show was the most popular on television, drawing stratospheric ratings seldom equaled by episodic television, despite criticism from reviewers who disliked its broad humor. In fact, a number of 1964 episodes still rank among the most-watched TV shows (non-Super Bowl division) of all time.

However, Douglas found it hard to break away from Elly May. Her only starring movie role was in "Frankie and Johnny," a 1966 Elvis Presley vehicle. She and the King did become friendly, bonding over a shared interest in spiritual subjects, according to a website dedicated to Presley's female co-stars.

Douglas was married twice and is survived by a son, Danny Bourgeois...