Me and Shirley Jones...another year, another birthday

I post about me and Shirley Jones sharing a birthday every year. I love Shirley as she is one of my favorite actresses. It's cool that we share the same birthday. Anyway, hope everyone has an awesome day as well!

Happy Birthday Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

Less than a year since the great Elizabeth Taylor has passed. A truly amazing actress and all around iconic woman. Happy Birthday Elizabeth! And instead of the usual glamorous or sultry photo, I chose this delightful pic of Elizabeth playing with a water gun.

Some birthday treats from Jack Lemmon and Lana Turner

About set to watch some movies in honor of two stars who have birthdays today. Jack Lemmon and Lana Turner. Up first will be Jack Lemmon in a funny if very sexist 60's comedy, Under The Yum Yum Tree. He plays a lecherous landlord named Hogan who rents out units to luscious young women at half price.  And then tries to make a move on them. He meets his match in Robin Austin (played by Carol Lynley). I haven't seen this movie in years but remembering liking it. Has a super supporting cast in Edie Adams (yay!), Dean Jones, Paul Lynde, and Imogen Coca. It fits in with all those sex comedies of the 60's like Sunday In New York, Barefoot In The Park, Don't Make Waves, Sex and the Single Girl and others.

Next up will be Lana in Who's Got The Action?, another comedy from the 60's. Paired with Dean Martin as a married couple who must deal with Dino's gambling problem. Solution..Lana as Melanie Flood becomes his mysterious bookie and hopes that her husband will lose enough money to call it quits. The opposite happens as Steve (Dean's character) gets on a lucky streak. A funny movie with a solid supporting cast, including Eddie Albert, Nita Talbot, and Walter Matthau. 

I know Jack and Lana did better movies, but I am in the mood for some mindless comedies. And these seem to fit the bill.


Happy Birthday Jack and Lana!

Happy Birthday Lana Turner! (1921 - 1995)

Happy Birthday Lana!

Lana is one of my ten favorite actresses of all time. My fave films of hers are Imitation of Life, Peyton Place, The Postman Always Rings Twice, The Bad and the Beautiful, Ziegfeld Girl just to name a few.

Birthday Roll Call: January 31st

Today marks birthdays for several notable actresses. So time for a birthday roll call.

JEAN SIMMONS (Jan 31, 1929 - Jan 22, 2010)

Notable films: Black Narcissus, Elmer Gantry, Spartacus, Guys and Dolls, The Grass Is Greener



SUZANNE PLESHETTE (Jan 31, 1937 - Jan 19, 2008)

Notable work: The Birds, Nevada Smith, The Bob Newhart Show, 40 Pounds of Trouble



TALLULAH BANKHEAD (Jan 31, 1902 - December 12, 1968)

Notable work: Lifeboat, A Royal Scandal, Tarnished Lady, My Sin, Devil and the Deep



DANIELA BIANCHI (Jan 31, 1942 - present)

Notable work: From Russia With Love, Always on Sunday, The Last Chance)



JOANNE DRU (Jan 31, 1922 - September 10, 1996)

Notable work: Red River, She Wore A Yellow Ribbon, All The King's Men

Happy Birthday Joan Leslie (1925 - present)

Actress Joan Leslie celebrates her 87th birthday today. The underrated actress is one of our classic film stars that is still alive today. So a really big Happy Birthday to Joan. Star of such films as Yankee Doodle Dandy, High Sierra,  Sergeant York and Cinderella Jones.

Joan doing a little dance in celebration of her birthday

Happy Birthday Dorothy Provine (1935 - 2010)

The beautiful and funny Dorothy

Happy Birthday to Dorothy Provine, one of the most underrated actresses of all time. And quite the comedienne. She appeared in such films as It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Great Race, Good Neighbor Sam, Who's Minding The Mint? and That Darn Cat. Happy Birthday Dorothy!

With Romy Schneider in Good Neighbor Sam (1964)

Dorothy with Hayley Mills and Dean Jones in That Darn Cat (1965)

With Ethel Merman and Milton Berle in It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963)

The colorful Dorothy

Cary Grant all week long at Monty's in honor of his birthday!

Everyone knows that Cary Grant is my favorite actor of all time. Today is his birthday which makes this a very special day. TCM is showing several of his movies today as they normally do. I will be at work but once I get home I plan to have a little Cary-thon myself. On tap will be His Girl Friday and Bringing Up Baby, two of my favorite films ever. As a matter of fact I will continue with a Cary film each night for the rest of the week. Let's see...I can watch Arsenic & Old Lace, My Favorite Wife, The Bachelor & The Bobby-Soxer, The Philadelphia Story, and In Name Only (with Carole Lombard, my favorite actress). Should be a great week..

Happy Birthday Kay Francis (1905 - 1968)

Happy Birthday to one of the best actresses of all time..Kay Francis. She dominated the 30's with tons of great films. Let me run off a few for you: The Virtuous Sin, Raffles, Trouble in Paradise, Jewel Robbery, I Found Stella Parish, Comet Over Broadway, King of the Underworld and my fave In Name Only, co-starring Cary Grant and Carole Lombard. Happy Birthday Kay!

Happy Birthday Jane Wyman (1917 - 2007)

Happy Birthday to Jane Wyman, currently one of my top 20 favorite classic actresses of all time. Best known for such films as The Lost Weekend, Johnny Belinda (Best Actress Oscar), The Yearling, Miracle in the Rain and lots more. And let's not forget her memorable turn as family matriach Angela Channing on the long running nighttime soap Falcon Crest during the 80's. Below are some pics of the wonderful Jane!

Happy Birthday Barbara Rush (1927 - present)

 Barbara is so excited about her birthday she had to call me and tell me.....

Happy Birthday to actress Barbara Rush. Known for such films as The Young Philadelphians, Robin and The Seven Hoods,When Worlds Collide, It Came From Outer Space, and Magnificent Obsession (the 1954 remake). And tons of TV series later on in her career such as Peyton Place, Marcus Welby, The Mod Squad, Fantasy Island, Medical Center, The Streets of San Francisco and others. First marriage was to actor Jeffrey Hunter. Happy Birthday Barbara!

Happy Birthday John Cromwell (1887 - 1979)...a magnificent director

Happy Birthday to John Cromwell, one of the greatest directors that ever lived. Just let me read off some of his films that he made during his 30 year tenure: Of Human Bondage (1934), The Prisoner of Zenda (1937), Made For Each Other (1939), In Name Only (1939), Since You Went Away (1944), The Enchanted Cottage (1945), Dead Reckoning (1947), and his last film in 1961 called A Matter Of Morals. He worked with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood: Carole Lombard, Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Irene Dunne, Bette Davis, Ronald Colman, and Claudette Colbert. Happy Birthday Mr. Cromwell.

Happy Birthday Ruth Roman (1922 - 1999)

Happy Birthday to one of the most underrated actresses ever...Ruth Roman. She starred in such films as Strangers on A Train, The Far Country, Always Leave Them Laughing and Good Sam. And tons of work on such TV series like Dr. Kildare, I SPY, The Girl From UNCLE, Mannix, Marcus Welby, and Gunsmoke. Happy Birthday Ruth!

Ruth with Gary Cooper in DALLAS (1950)

TCM honors Irene Dunne today with a slew of her films celebrating her birthday

My second favorite actress of all time, Irene Dunne is being honored on TCM with 8 of her films today. It is Irene's birthday and TCM pulls out all the stops. Beginning at 6:45 am EST with the western Cimarron. Followed by Thirteen Women, Ann Vickers, No Other Woman, The Age Of Innocence, Stingaree, My Favorite Wife and I Remember Mama. Pretty good selections. You may wonder where Penny Serenade is...well it was on yesterday morning. Regardless this is an impressive line-up and I will be able to catch I Remember Mama. I've only seen that film once and it's been at least 10 years when I last saw it. Can't wait to see it again. So Happy Birthday Irene! And I hope classic movie lovers will get to see at least one of her films today.

Pull up a chair and watch some of Irene's best movies today on TCM

Happy Birthday Lee Remick (1935 - 1991)

Almost missed that it was Lee Remick's birthday. My friend and co-blogger Irene reminded me that it was. So Happy Birthday Lee! She starred in such classic films like Anatomy of a Murder, Days Of Wine and Roses, The Omen, Experiment in Terror and The Detective.

Happy Birthday Frank Sinatra (1915 - 1998)

Happy Birthday to Frank Sinatra aka Ol Blue Eyes and The Chairman of The Board. A terrific singer and wonderful actor. Happy Birthday Frank!

Here's Frank hanging with his pal Dino..

1949: The Year Of Virginia Mayo

Tomorrow is actress Virginia Mayo's birthday. And TCM is honoring her with several of her movies. What makes this day stand out is the number of films they are showing. Eight films. Five of which come from 1949. She actually made six films that year which is truly amazing. Things begin at 6 am EST with Red Light, co-starring George Raft and Raymond Burr. Followed by the Jimmy Cagney classic White Heat at 7:30. Next up is the suspense film Flaxy Martin at 9:30. Followed by the light comedy The Girl From Jones Beach with Ronald Reagan. Always Leave Them Laughing bows at 12:30 co-starring Milton Berle, which wraps up the 1949 portion of Ms. Mayo films. The remaining three films from different years are all musicals including the musical Painting The Clouds With Sunshine from 1951; She's Back On Broadway from 1953 and She's Working Her Working Through College with Ronald Reagan again. So Virginia will be well represented for her birthday tomorrow thanks to TCM.

Happy Birthday Gloria Grahame! (1923 - 1981)

Happy Birthday to Gloria Grahame, who had to be one of the sexiest actresses to ever come out of Hollywood. But let's not forget, this lady could also act. She did win an Oscar for The Bad and the Beautiful, remember. Other known films include It's A Wonderful Life, The Big Heat, In A Lonely Place and Oklahoma!

Happy Birthday Louise Brooks! (1906 - 1985)

Forever remembered as Lulu from Pandora's Box (1929), let's all say Happy Birthday to Louise Brooks!

Happy Birthday GRACE KELLY! (1929 - 1982)

Happy Birthday to one of Classic Hollywood's leading ladies...Grace Kelly. The beautiful actress who left Hollywood to marry Prince Rainier made a mark with several outstanding films. Such as Rear Window, To Catch A Thief, High Noon and her Academy Award winning role in The Country Girl. Grace is one of my favorite actresses and I do a weekly series about her called If It's Tuesday, Then It Must Be Grace Kelly. Happy Birthday Grace!