Bill Powell as Boldini!

 Beau Geste is not the kind of movie one would consider as a William Powell vehicle.  Of course, in 1926 there was not yet a William Powel vehicle.  He's close.

I like movie heralds, find them entertaining.  The centerfold attempts to tell what the movie is about and who the stars and their roles are.  This herald does just that.  I like the circular inserts for Bill and Noah Beery, eye-catching.  Beery was a super big star at this time and Powell is a rising star.  

The line-up of the heroic characters makes for a great scene.  Starting with Powell on the far left, the other leads are Ralph Forbes, Ronald Colman, Neil Hamilton and Noah Beery.  It does somewhat worry me that Colman is holding his gun pointing upward, more likely to take out Beery than the advancing enemy.  

Note Bill's mustache.  I'm glad he changed over to a smaller version.  

Three Men and a Lady, From Good to Bad to Elegant

 Sometimes a photo will catch my eye, for whatever reason, and provide such enjoyment that I just have to have it ... even if Bob isn't in it!  

Just love the big smile on Audrey Totter's face as she reacts to Edward Arnold's attempt to be the big, bad guy.  I don't know much about Mr. Arnold but have read snip-it's here and there of him being a really nice guy.  It's always refreshing to hear about the good guys in the movie business for a change.

I'm including Mr. Beery primarily because I'm on a diet and the sight of him chewing on a whole chicken with plenty of sides to go with it just set me off.  My stomach actually started to growl.  Aargh ... I need to hurry and finish this post before I lose control. 

                         Wallace Beery in The Bad Man (1941

And for a something completely different:  the amazingly elegant Mr. Colman in a fan card from the 1920s.  Goodness.  Perfection.  

Three Classy Takes of Ms. Russell

Today, June 4th, is Rosalind Russell's birthday.  A big Happy Birthday wish to one classy lady!

                                   Rosalind Russell, mid-1930s

                Ronald Colman and Roz in Under Two Flags (1936)

                           Roz in Take a Letter Darling (1942)

Just Two Blokes on a Boat

Ronald Colman was born February 9, 1891, in Surrey, England.  Besides being an elegant and handsome chap, he had one great voice ... English accent and all.  He was a biggie in the Golden Age of Hollywood, a top movie star and high in the very, very British social circle in Los Angeles.  1937 was a great year for Mr. Colman, starring in The Prisoner of Zenda and Lost Horizon.  Not bad.

      Ronald Colman as King Rudolf in The Prisoner of Zenda (1937)

Meanwhile, I get a chance to use a favorite photo.  It's Mr. Montgomery, our favorite anglophile, yachting with Mr. Colman.  I'm sure Bob was in pig heaven, spending a day at sea on Ronnie's yacht.  There just aren't enough photos of Bob in swimming shorts ...

Why Do Men Age So Well?

A guest post from blog contributor Debbie...

In our youth oriented culture being young is everything. I’m not saying I agree with this, but nowadays it seems especially true in Hollywood and especially true for women. Older actresses have a very hard time finding decent parts, but older actors…….not so much. Men seem to be able to stay leading men well past their 40s and 50s.

This actually was quite true in the early days of Hollywood as well. There were so many men that actually hit their stride as leading men in their late thirties, early forties. Humphrey Bogart, William Powell, Walter Pigeon, Ronald Colman to name a few. Even Fred Astaire, a dancer, continued as leading man material well into his fifties. Clark Gable went to war at 41 and continued his leading man career after the war was over. And then there are the gorgeous Cary Grant and Paul Newman who at 60 could have still played leading men (by 60 Grant had retired, but Newman did after 60.)
 
I hate that saying “Women get old, men get distinguished,“ but I guess in Hollywood at least, it’s true.