As promised, it's time to talk about the 1930's, a decade jam packed full of exceptionally talented actors, actresses, producers, directors and of course the films themselves. I'd like to start my mini series by focussing on some of the female stars of the 1930's.
The 1930's was an era where we had the most abundant choice of stars to choose from. Women such as Myrna Loy, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, Katharine Hepburn, Hattie McDaniel, Vivien Leigh and more all had such amazing range that was used to great effect in every single genre you can think of. Jean Harlow for example, I love her for the fact she could be a great dramatic actress AND have great comic timing in films such as Red Dust, Libeled Lady, Dinner For Eight, Red Headed Woman and more.
Carole Lombard wasn't called The Queen Of Screwball Comedy for no reason. She was able to showcase her amazing gift for comedy perfectly, My Man Godfrey is quite possibly one of the finest comedy films in which she shows her flair for comedy. She did really well in dramatic roles too.
I'd like to speak about Hattie McDaniel, this woman was an absolute diamond and shone in every film she starred in, and she went through so much prejudice in her life too, as well as many other black men and women in the 1930's. Her performance as Mammy in 1939's Gone With The Wind was one of the standout performances of that year if not the decade, she absolutely deserved her Academy Award for her performance. What she did not deserve was to be made to feel like an outcast by being seated at the back of the venue where the awards ceremony took place. Anyway, Hattie will always be a favourite of mine, may she rest in peace.
Myrna Loy, an amazing star and so wonderful as Nora Charles in the Thin Man series with friend and co-star William Powell and furry co-star Asta (real name Skippy). She also appeared in films outside of the Thin Man series such as The Great Ziegfeld (also with Powell) and The Rains Came with Tyrone Power.
Other actresses who deserve recognition here are Marlene Dietrich, Deanna Durbin, Bette Davis (who I will write about in a later blog post), Ginger Rogers (another star who I will write about soon), Anna May Wong, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Lupe Velez and lesser known stars such as Marian Marsh, Gladys Cooper, Nina Mae McKinney, Glenda Farrell and lots more. They all were extremely talented and I only wish I was able to speak about them all in greater depth!
Next week, I will be focussing on the actors of the 1930's, a mixture of the 'biggies' and the lesser known stars. I hope you've enjoyed reading this blog and will be back next week!
Photo of Bette Davis, credit to Harper's Bazaar/Pinterest.
Thanks for your comments but don’t omit actresses like Kay Francis, Fay Wray, Barbara Stanwyck, Miriam Hopkins, Sylvia Sidney, Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer and many more who represent the talent and glamour of the 30’s.