We have co-champions for the very first time...Greer Garson and Doris Day

Well I recently had to restart the final match in this year's favorite classic movie actress tourney due to the poll being compromised in what looked like in favor of Doris Day. Well now the same thing has happened again as one of my best and very trustworthy friends told me the poll is allowing her to just vote as many times as she wants and that should not be the case. I set it up as one vote per person per device. So with Greer Garson achieving so many votes in a short period of time, the only fair and just thing to do is declare them both co-champions, which marks the first time that has ever happened. It appears that it was a technical glitch that swung both ways.  I still think this was a marvelous tourney this year despite this unfortunate event happening. I like to thank all the fans that voted and the ones that alerted me of voting issues. And thanks again to John of mythical monkey and Virginie of the wonderful world of cinema in helping me putting on this year's tourney. And congratulations to both Doris Day and Greer  Garson for being this year's co-champions.  Until next year, keep the classics alive!

Poll tampering for the final match

I've seen this many times before when the tallies in a match started zooming up ridiculously fast over a short period of time. Doris Day just registered over 30 votes in less than 5 minutes, which even with word spreading fast that seems highly irregular. So I have no choice but to restart the match. It only takes one person to ruin the fun and excitement of everyone else. So the first poll is now deleted and the new poll is set up below. It will run through Thursday evening as planned. Sorry to all those were honest about voting the right way. 

It's Greer Garson vs Doris Day for all the marbles....

It's been another great tourney and now we have arrived at the final match. 40's era champion Greer Garson vs 50's era champion Doris Day. Some important milestones for both ladies have been achieved this tourney so I wanted to give everyone the stats and achievements that were accomplished. First Greer set a new record for most votes achieved during the first 6 matches with a whopping 1516 votes, shattering the previous mark set by Natalie Wood last year of 1093 votes. And let's not forget about her record setting match with Rosalind Russell which yielded the most votes on any match in tourney history with 1058 votes. Greer also joins the group of women to have competed in back to back final fours. She joins Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn, Myrna Loy, Bette Davis and Natalie Wood. But Bette Davis is still the only woman to appear in back to back championship matches. Go Bette! Meanwhile Doris Day achieved some memorable stats as well. She currently has 24 wins in tourney play, second only to Grace Kelly's 25 and if she wins, Doris will tie Grace in that distinction. And Doris joins the list of actresses to compete in multiple final fours along with Myrna Loy, Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, Bette Davis, Greer Garson, and Audrey Hepburn. Ok here are the numbers that Greer and Doris achieved in this year's tourney

GREER GARSON

40'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney record: 11-5

Number of Final Fours: 2

How she got here:

defeated Esther Williams 74-17

defeated Rita Hayworth 125-34

defeated Katharine Hepburn 362-173

defeated Olivia de Havilland 196-128

defeated Rosalind Russell 601-457

defeated Julie Andrews 158-101

total votes accumulated so far: 1516

What's at stake for her: This marks Greer second consecutive final four appearance and now her first championship match. That proved to be the winning formula for Natalie Wood's win last year, will it work for Greer as well?

VS

DORIS DAY

50'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney record: 24-5

Number of Final Fours: 2

How she got here:

defeated Jane Powell 74-13

defeated Marilyn Monroe 79-36

defeated Debbie Reynolds 65-27

defeated Thelma Ritter 52-37

defeated Deborah Kerr 194-63

defeated Myrna Loy 169-139

total votes accumulated so far: 633

What's at stake for her: This marks Doris first championship match after reaching two Final Fours. If she wins, she would represent the first actress from the 50's era to win. All previous winners have come from the 30's era (three times), the 40's era (once) and the 60's era (once)

The championship match poll can now be voted on and the match will run through Thursday evening at 6pm. Good luck to both women!

Greer Garson to meet Doris Day in the championship match

Both semi-final matches in the 6th Annual Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney started and finished a different way, but the results were pretty much the same. In match one Doris Day jumped out big over Myrna Loy and cruised to a big lead of  nearly 55 votes at one point. But scrappy Myrna fought back today and got within 30 votes before finally losing 169-139. Meanwhile over in the second match, Greer Garson and Julie Andrews had a tight one for the most part, only separated by 15 votes for the most part until Greer finally started pulling away on Wednesday. The result, Greer 158-101 over Julie. So now the stage is set for the championship match between Greer Garson and Doris Day. This will be the first such match for both ladies and one will win the crown as Favorite Classic Movie Actress of 2016. I will write up a pre-match post tomorrow then start the match on Sunday morning. Should be an epic match as both women fanbases have came out strong this year!

The Final Four is now underway...

Ladies and gentlemen this year's Final Four in the Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney is now underway. These two matches will run through Friday evening with the winners going on to the championship match on Saturday. Here are the four women who made it to the big dance.
Stats:
Myrna Loy and Greer Garson are back for their 2nd consecutive Final Four. The only other actresses do that are Grace Kelly, Natalie Wood, and Audrey Hepburn.

Doris Day 23 tourney wins are the second most in tourney history. Only Grace Kelly has won more matches with 25.

After having bad tourney history in the first 4 tourneys, Greer Garson and Julie Andrews seem to have righted the ship. Greer was winless in her first 4 tourneys and Julie was 2-2. But since then the pair have both gone 10-5, which sets up for an intriguing match.

Greer Garson and Myrna Loy have something in common: they both lost to eventual winner Natalie Wood in last year's final four. Loy lost 323-173 while Greer lost 543-318. Natalie's fans were out in force that year.

Greer Garson is currently in 2nd place in tourney history with 1358 votes. She sits behind Natalie Wood's all-time high of 1416 votes but it looks like Greer is going to shatter that mark easily!

Greer, Myrna and Doris are all repeat final four finalists, while this marks Julie Andrews first final four appearance.

MYRNA LOY

30'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney record: 21-5

Number of final fours: 2

VS

DORIS DAY

50'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney record: 23-5

Number of final fours: 2

GREER GARSON 

40'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney Record: 10-5

Number of final fours: 2

VS

JULIE ANDREWS

60'S ERA CHAMPION

Tourney Record: 10-5

Number of Final Fours: 1

We have our Final Four in this year's Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney

Well only one match is officially over but the other three matches are pretty much done too
as the leads are insurmountable in the 2 hours left. First that epic match in the 40's era
bracket came to a close with Greer Garson pulling away from Rosalind Russell 601-457. Both actresses fanbases came out big time in support of their ladies through blogland, facebook, twitter, etc. This means Greer will be in consecutive final fours after going winless in the first
four tourneys she competed in. Talk about turnaround. She joins Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Bette Davis and Natalie Wood in that distinction. 

Oh wait add Myrna Loy to that list as well. Myrna is rolling over Margaret Lockwood in the 30's era bracket by the count of 152-33. Meanwhile in the 50's era looks like Doris Day will be making her 2nd final four appearance after throttling Deborah Kerr 194-63. And finally in the 60's era, looks like Julie Andrews will be going to the big dance for the very first time after her dominating win over Shirley MacLaine 113-60. So to break it down for you Greer and Myrna are two of the four pre-tourney top seeds to make it to the final four. Doris Day returns to the final four for the second time while this will  be Julie's first time. I will have the final four matches taking place here on my blog starting tomorrow. And I will do a complete post about their records and stats tonight.

GREER GARSON 601-457 over ROSALIND RUSSELL
MYRNA LOY 152-33 over MARGARET LOCKWOOD
DORIS DAY 194-63 over DEBORAH KERR
JULIE ANDREWS 113-60 over SHIRLEY MACLAINE

The Final Four Matches are now underway...

Here are the two matches that have just begun....you can vote on the sidebar to the right.
Matches will run through Saturday afternoon! Good luck ladies! Please note that the records associated with each actress is their total wins/losses over the course of five tourneys. And that the seeds of the actresses are their overall ranking in their respective eras.

MATCH 1

#3 MYRNA LOY (15-4) 

Myrna's 1st Final Four appearance

VS

#1 AUDREY HEPBURN (18-5)

Audrey's 2nd Final Four appearance

*************

MATCH 2

#2 NATALIE WOOD (21-5)

Natalie's 3rd Final Four appearance

VS

#6 GREER GARSON (5-4)

Greer's 1st Final Four appearance

The FINAL FOUR is now set

The Elite Eight round is now complete and we have our finalists for this year's final four! In the 30's era, it was Myrna Loy defeating Jean Arthur 57-39, marking Myrna's first trip to a final four. In the 40's era, it was red hot Greer Garson staging a late rally to overtake Rosalind Russell and win 89-71. That gives Greer her 5th win this tourney, as previously she had no wins prior from the first four tourneys. In the 50's era, it was a rematch from last year between Audrey Hepburn and Doris Day with the same results as Audrey defeated Doris 35-20. Only difference was last year it ended on Doris Day's birthday. And finally in the 60's era, it was Natalie Wood crushing Shirley MacLaine 140-29, sending Natalie back to the final four for a 3rd time. So the match-ups in the final four as tradition states will be the 30's era winner vs the 50's era winner which is Myrna Loy vs Audrey Hepburn. And the 40's era winner vs the 60's era winner, Greer Garson vs Natalie Wood. Audrey is the only  #1 seed to make it to final four. And Audrey is only the 4th actress to be in consecutive final fours. She joins Bette Davis, Grace Kelly and Natalie Wood in that distinction. The other three # 1 seeds were Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland and Elizabeth Taylor that failed in their bid to reach the final four.Greer is the long shot, ranked #6. Matches will begin tomorrow morning and take place here on All Good Things. 

The Elite Eight Round

We have now made it to round 5 of the 2015 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney, aka The Elite Eight. This round will decide which of the eight actresses will move on to the final four. Here are the matches that will be taking place in each era. Click on the link under each photo to go to the site to cast your vote:

30'S ERA FINAL MATCH

30's era finale

40'S ERA FINAL MATCH

40's era finale

50'S ERA FINAL MATCH

 50's Era Finale

60'S ERA FINAL MATCH

60's era finale

Matches will run through Saturday afternoon!

Sweet Sixteen (Round 4) matches are now underway

Things get really interesting now that the Sweet Sixteen Round in the 2015 Favorite Classic Movie Actress Tourney is underway. Here are the two matches taking place right here on All Good Things.

 First up is the Song and Dance bracket winner Judy Garland

taking on European Lovelies winner Greer Garson

Then in the next match, the Femme Fatales bracket winner Gene Tierney

takes on the Box-Office Queen winner Rosalind Russell

These matches can be found on the sidebar to the right and will

run through Saturday afternoon.

Click on the link below to go vote on the other eras matches as well:

the 30's era

the 50's era

the 60's era

Some key matches to start March Madness

Just wanted to spotlight some matches that I think will be very competitive when the tourney starts tomorrow. I chosen a few from each era. Let's begin in the 30's era. First up:

1930'S ERA

No. 4 Claudette Colbert takes on no. 5 Joan Crawford in what should be a pivotal match. Both actresses are a combined 9-4 over the past two tourneys. It is a doozy of a first round match. And both women have strong fanbases. This one could go either way.

No. 3 Marlene Dietrich battles no. 6 Ann Dvorak who is making her tourney debut. Marlene has been up and down in the past tourneys with a 2-2 record. I would not be surprised if Ann pulls off an upset here.

1940'S ERA

How about this one for a first round match-up: Katharine Hepburn vs Olivia de Havilland. Both actresses have won a few matches in tourney play but have never made it pass the sweet sixteen. And it's safe to say one will be going home early again.

And here's another top notch match involving no. 3 Ingrid Bergman vs no. 6 Greer Garson. Even though Greer is 0-3 in tourney/match play she won't remain winless for too much longer. But Ingrid Bergman has one of the best winning records at 7-3. Should be a good match.

1950'S ERA

Over in the 50's era come a battle between two leading ladies of Hitchcock films..No 4 Janet Leigh and no. 5 Kim Novak. Might turn into a suspenseful clash.

And in the singers/dancer category, no. 3 Cyd Charisse faces off against no. 6 Dorothy Dandridge.
A heavenly match if there ever was one.

1960'S ERA

In a battle between Westside Story co-stars, top reigning 60's era champion Natalie Wood, who has made the final four in both previous tourneys squares off against Rita Moreno.

And one match that I am looking forward to is Faye Dunaway taking on first timer Paula Prentiss. I feel like Paula could be this year's Cinderella.


So get ready for some fun and excitement as the tourney starts tomorrow.

2013 Favorite Movie Actress Tournament Banners

Here are some banners I made for the upcoming tourney. I chose an actress representing each era, so there are four banners to choose from. Grab them and spread the word that the ladies are coming back for more excitement.

All Good Things welcomes Teresa Wright

Just a little welcome for the soon to be classic movie goddess of the month, Teresa Wright. One of the best actresses to ever grace the silver screen. I had hoped to have her on last year but I had to push her back a few months. And I promise her and all my readers I will not short change her one bit, what with this little thing of a tournament going on. I will post pics, reviews, trivia and the usual assorted goodies. And judging by the pics below, I am not the only one welcoming Teresa to All Good Things. So sit back and relax everyone as the month of March belongs to Teresa.

Awww Gary, you didn't have to come by to see me! But I'm glad you did!

And then after your visit here Teresa, me and you can go out shopping.

And a spot of tea. Won't that be nice?

Tea Anyone: Greer Garson

The always lovely Greer taking a moment to enjoy some tea...or it may be coffee..not for sure

Olivia edges Greer in the latest match play 17-12

Olivia is quite jubilant her recent victory

Two fabulous actresses had a terrific match play but in the end it was Olivia de Havilland defeating Greer Garson 17-12. Olivia ups her record to 2-1 while Greer falls to an unbelievable 0-2. But I figure Greer will win a match eventually. She is too good and much loved by so many fans. I will have a new match up in a few days. And it will tie it with CMBA's blogathon they are having this week. I will pit two funny men against each other. Stay tuned...

After her defeat, Greer decides to listen to some music...

 My love of classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

Classic Stars Match Play #15 - Olivia de Havilland vs Greer Garson...I couldn't have chosen two more nicer people than these women..

For the next match play comes a pair of wonderful actresses: Olivia de Havilland and Greer Garson. Both did not fare well in the favorite classic actress tournament last year but they are both favorites of mine. So I don't know who I will be choosing yet. Will have to think on this one for a bit. The match begins immediately and will run through Sunday noon EST. Good luck to both women and thanks in advance for all those that plan to vote.

OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND

"No matter the outcome, I aim to have fun"...says Olivia

Name: Olivia Mary de Havilland
Birth Date: July 1, 1916 (Tokyo, Japan)
Height: 5' 4"
Academy awards: 5 nominations, 2 wins (Best Actress: To Each His Own - 1946  and The
Heiress - 1950)
Monties: 3 nominations, 1 win so far (Best Supporting Actress: The Strawberry Blonde - 1941)
My favorite Olivia film: The Adventures of Robin Hood and Dodge City, a tie
Match Play record: 1-1 (beat Lana Turner before losing to Ingrid Bergman in the 40's era of
the 2010 favorite classic actress tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

GREER GARSON

"Same here Olivia! Afterwards let's do lunch ok?"

Name: Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson
Birth Date: September 29, 1904 (London, England, UK)
Height: 5' 6"
Academy awards: 7 nominations, 1 win (Best Actress: Mrs. Miniver - 1943)
Monties: 1 nomination, 1 win so far (Best Actress: Mrs. Miniver - 1943)
My favorite Greer film: Mrs. Miniver
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Gene Tierney in the 40's era of the favorite actress tournament)

Judging by the comments from these two women, this might be the most cordial and friendliest
match ever!

My love for classic movies is beyond measure

Monty

A Shout Out to BRITISH BEAUTIES

My friend Alicia Garbo on Facebook created this wonderful page called British Beauties. Dedicated to all the fabulous women born in the U.K. The page just hit 100 fans and I told her I would mention it here on All Good Things. Here are Alicia's own words to describe British Beauties. 

This Page is in celebration of British Beauty in all it's forms. This is kind of a response page to all the people that seem to like 'Knocking' the way British women look, etc. True there are Beautiful women the world over, but Britain has it's fair share of beautiful women to offer too, which is evident in the picture albums of this group. Please stop by to check out this very cool page. The current star for the week is singer Dusty Springfield. Here's the link: British Beauties


This group incorporates ALL the women of the United King...dom from England to Northern Ireland to Wales to Scotland and those who have been born in the UK but maybe have Parents from elsewhere in the world. We are also celebrating beauty from the past and present.

This is NOT a racist group so please take any racial slurs, etc elsewhere!

This is also NOT a group trying to protest that British women are the most beautiful women in the world, because that country does not exist, beautiful and ugly women are spread out the world over wherever they are from. Beauty isn't always skin deep either.

As women we should appreciate the differences in each-other and celebrate them, beauty does not come in one form or way, but billions of different ways. I hope you enjoy this group!See More

THE MONTIES: 1942 (MRS. MINIVER takes center stage)

Sorry for the long delay in presenting my next Monties, but here we go with the year 1942 when a certain woman named Mrs. Miniver made a lot of noise.

BEST FILM:

TO BE OR NOT TO BE
THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
IN THIS OUR LIFE
THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER
MRS. MINIVER - WINNER
THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
BAMBI
THE PALM BEACH STORY
KINGS ROW
HOLIDAY INN

I remembering seeing Mrs. Miniver for the first time when I was about 18 and was immediately amazed by it. Superb direction by William Wyler and a star making turn by Greer Garson, who had quite the year with this film and Random Harvest, which I confess I have yet to see.

BEST DIRECTOR:

ERNST LUBITSCH - TO BE OR NOT TO BE
WILLIAM WYLER - MRS. MINIVER (WINNER)
PRESTON STURGES - THE PALM BEACH STORY
SAM WOOD - THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
JOHN HUSTON - IN THIS OUR LIFE

Like I said William Wyler did an excellent job directing Mrs. Miniver and picks up his second Montie. He received a Montie previously for the 1936 film These Three.

BEST ACTOR:

GARY COOPER - THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (WINNER)
MONTY WOOLLEY - THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER
JAMES CAGNEY - YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
WALTER PIDGEON - MRS. MINIVER
CARY GRANT - THE TALK OF THE TOWN

Now Gary Cooper is not one of my favorite top actors but I will be the first to admit he gave a wonderful performance as baseball legend Lou Gehrig. It was a heartfelt and natural performance that should have landed him an Oscar. Well Coop, here's a Montie from me, you deserve it.

BEST ACTRESS:

CAROLE LOMBARD - TO BE OR NOT TO BE
GREER GARSON - MRS. MINIVER (WINNER)
TERESA WRIGHT - THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES
CLAUDETTE COLBERT - THE PALM BEACH STORY
SIMONE SIMON - CAT PEOPLE

This was one of the hardest decisions I had to make yet for my Monties. While my girl Carole Lombard gave another excellent comedic performance in To Be Or Not To Be, and then following her tragic death in that fateful plane crash, I could see my self leaning toward a sentimental nod for Carole. But Greer Garson was just too good in Mrs. Miniver. As the strong-willed and determined Mrs. Miniver, Greer gave the best performance of her career. There was no way she was not picking up this Montie. And I give a heartfelt nod to Carole.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Easy Cary...you can't win all the Monties...

RUDY VALLEE - THE PALM BEACH STORY
RONALD COLMAN - THE TALK OF THE TOWN (WINNER)
ROBERT CUMMINGS - KINGS ROW
WALTER HUSTON - YANKEE DOODLE DANDY

A superb performance by the debonair Ronald Colman as Professor Michael Lightcap who ideals are put to the test. Colman shares the screen with heavyweights Cary Grant and Jean Arthur but I think he more than holds his own and gives the best performance of the three. That's saying a lot coming from this die hard Cary Grant fan.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Oh really, I just won a Montie? That is just wonderful!

TERESA WRIGHT - MRS. MINIVER (WINNER)
ANN SHERIDAN - THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER
AGNES MOOREHEAD - THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS
MARY ASTOR - THE PALM BEACH STORY
DIANA LYNN - THE MAJOR AND THE MINOR

And so begins my crush on Teresa Wright with her outstanding performance in Mrs. Miniver. I always have said Teresa played the sweetest and most understanding characters in film, and this was one of her best. I said earlier what a year Greer had in 1942, well Teresa had a pretty good year as well. She gave another stellar performance in The Pride of the Yankees. I expect she may pick up a few more Monties when it is all said and done.

So the final tally has Mrs. Miniver nearly sweeping the Monties by picking up four awards: Film, Director, Actress, and Supporting Actress. Gary Cooper notches his first Montie while Ronald Colman does the same.

Next up: 1943

Happy Birthday Greer Garson (1904 - 1996)

Happy Birthday to Greer Garson.The actress starred in such classic films as Mrs. Miniver (winning a Best Actress Oscar), Random Harvest, Goodbye Mr. Chips, Madame Curie, among others. Happy Birthday Greer!