Back to Golden Days

When the United States entered World War II, so did Hollywood. Studios began churning out films that emphasized patriotism and a large contingent of male stars sacrificed their careers to join the armed forces. Women at the time were obviously excluded from combat duty, so they used their celebrity status to raise funds or even to work in the underground. Here are five female stars that contributed to war effort.     Myrna Loy (1905-1993) With the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Myrna Loy was one of the many Hollywood celebrities that lent her presence and name to raising money for overseas relief. After the attack on Pearl Harbor forced the U.S. into the war, she joined the Screen Actors Division of the Hollywood Victory Campaign and coordinated talent for hospital tours, bond rallies and camp shows. In April 1943, she took an unpaid full-time job with the American Red Cross as assistant to the director of the Military and Naval Welfare Service for the North Atlantic Are...

In honour of Marlene Dietrich's 116th birthday, which was on Tuesday, this week on «Film Friday» — the last one of 2016 — I bring you one my favourite of her films so far. Directed by Josef von Sternberg, Morocco (1930) tells the story of Amy Jolly (Marlene Dietrich), a disillusioned cabaret singer who becomes attracted to a womanizing Foreign Légionnaire named Tom Brown (Gary Cooper). After one of her shows, Amy arranges a secret rendezvous with Tom in her apartment, but asks him to leave before anything serious happens. As he goes into the street, Tom meets Madame Caesar (Eve Southern), the wife of his adjunct officer (Ullrich Haupt), with whom he has been having an affair. Meanwhile, Amy changes her mind and follows Tom, interrupting his conversation with Madame Caesar, who then hires two street ruffians to attack the singer. Tom manages to seriously wound both, allowing him to flee with Amy.   Marlene Dietrich and Gary Cooper in publicity stills for Morocco . The following da...

Katharine Hepburn, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Marlene Dietrich attending a private screening at the home of Paramount executive Jesse L. Lasky in 1933

MARLENE DIE TRICH (December 27, 1901 — May 6, 1992) The weak are more likely to make the strong weak than the strong are likely to make the weak strong.

To celebrate Judy Garland's 93th birthday, which was on Wednesday, this week on "Film Friday" I bring you one of my favorite films of hers. Oddly enough, it is not a musical. Original release poster Directed by Stanley Kramer, Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) centers on a military tribunal convened in Nuremberg, Germany , in which four German judges and prosecut ors stand accused of crimes against humanity for their involvement in the at rocities committed under the Na zi r egime. During the long weeks of the trial, American judge Dan Haywood (Spencer Tracy) tries to determine whether the German people really understood what Nazi leader Ad olf Hitler stood for . In doing so, he talks with a number of Germans who have different pers pective on the wa r, including the aristocratic Frau Bertholt (Marlene Dietrich), the widow of German general who was executed by the Allies after the earlier trials . The prosecuting attorney, Colonel Tad Lawson (Richard Widmark...