Back to Golden Days

Clark Gable is undoubtedly one of the most iconic actors of the Classic Hollywood era. With or without moustache, he captivated audiences as a leading man for three decades, and continued to do so even after his death. From his Oscar-winning role in It Happened One Night (1934) to his dashing Rhett Butler in Gone with the Wind (1939) and his aging cowboy in The Misfits (1961), he established himself as «The King of Hollywood.» But like every self-made king, he had to fight a few battles in order to win the throne.   Clark Gable is often referred to as «The King of Hollywood.» William Clark Gable was born on February 1, 1901, in the small coal-mining town of Cadiz, Ohio. His father was William Henry «Will» Gable, a tall and good-looking oil-driller and wildcatter, with a reputation as a womanizer and a boozer. His mother was Adeline «Addie» Hershelman, a striking dark-eyed brunette plagued by a mysterious illness. Both Will and Addie's ancestors had migrated from Germany to Amer...

This week on «Film Friday» I am celebrating Warren Beatty's 80th birthday, which is next Thursday, by telling you a little bit about the film that made him a star. Incidentally, 2017 also marks the 50th anniversary of this film's original release.   Directed by Arthur Penn, Bonnie and Clyde (1967) begins in the middle of the Depression with a meeting between Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty) and Bonnie Parker (Faye Dunaway), whose car he tries to steal. Bonnie, who is bored by her job as a waitress, is deeply intrigued by Clyde and decides to take up with him by becoming his partner in crime. At first, the duo's amateur efforts are not very lucrative, but their crime spree shifts into high gear once they partner up with a dim-witted gas station attendant named C.W. Moss (Michael J. Pollard), Clyde's older brother Buck (Gene Hackman) and his shrill wife Blanche (Estelle Parsons), a preacher's daughter.   Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty as Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow....

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's «Golden Boy,» also known as Van Johnson, was born Charles Van Dell Johnson on August 25, 1916 in Newport, Rhode Island. He was the only child of Loretta (neé Snyder), a housewife from a Pennsylvania Dutch background, and Charles E. Johnson, a plumber and later real-estate salesman of Swedish descent. From the beginning, the free-spirited Loretta felt miserable in her marriage to Charles, a tough-minded, pragmatic man who valued thrift over material comfort. The arrival of a son merely added more pressure to the young couple's dismal relationship, and ultimately drove Loretta to alcoholism. When Van was only three years old, Loretta abandoned the family and fled to Brooklyn, New York in pursuit of a livelier and more fulfilled existence. Van would not see her mother again until he was in his late teens. Commenting on his parents' divorce years later, Van said, «I was too young to comprehend it then and today I deliberately don't try.»   LEFT: Van J...

This week has been so incredibly hectic that I did not have time to post my usual "Film Friday" article on schedule. As a result, we are having instead a "Film Sunday," in which I am celebrating Robert Redford's 80th birthday, which was on Thursday, by telling you a little bit about one of the films that he is most widely associated with. Directed by George Roy Hill, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) tells the story of notorious bank robber Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), the leader of the Hole in the Wall Gang, and his loyal companion, the Sundance Kid (Robert Redford). As they return to they hideout in Hole-in-the-Wall, Wyoming, they discover that the rest of the gang, annoyed at Butch's long absences, have selected Harvey Logan (Ted Cassidy) as their new leader. Butch contests this decision, leading Harvey to challenge him to a fight, which Butch quickly wins by distracting his opponent. Still, Butch embraces Harvey's idea to rob the Union Paci...