Groucho Marx crushes W.C. Fields 14-4 in match play

It seems W.C. Fields was no match for Groucho Marx. This contest was over on day one as Groucho rolled over W.C. 14-4. Which gives Groucho his first win in his first match play. This was also W.C.'s first match play event. Now we wait on the match between Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis to conclude my funny men match play week in honor of CMBA's comedy classics blogaton.

Groucho gets a celebratory hug from Thelma Todd on his recent victory

Classic Stars Match Play #17 - Danny Kaye vs Jerry Lewis

Welcome back to the second match focusing on film comedians this week. As W.C. Fields and Groucho Marx began their battle on Monday, let's get going with Danny Kaye and Jerry Lewis. The match begins today and will run thru Sunday 2 pm EST. Good luck to both gentlemen.

DANNY KAYE

Danny doing his pre-routine match play dance.....

Name: David Daniel Kaminski
Birth Date: January 18, 1913 (Brooklyn, New York City)
Height: 5' 11"
Academy Awards: Honorary Award (1955)
Monties: none so far, but I haven't reached his peak period yet
My favorite Danny film: Wonder Man and The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Match play record: 0-1 (had the unfortunate luck of facing William Holden in the first round of the
50's ear of the favorite classic actor tournament 2011 and got crushed 41-5..ouch)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

JERRY LEWIS

I'm coming for you Danny, my boy...

Name: Joseph Levitch
Birth Date: March 16, 1926 (Newark, New Jersey)
Height: 6'
Academy Awards: Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award (2009)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Jerry film: The Ladies Man (1961)
Match play record: 0-1 (Lost to Robert Redford in the first round of the 60's era of
the favorite classic actor tournament 2011)

Classic Stars Match Play #16 - W.C. Fields vs Groucho Marx..let the fun begin

Since the CMBA is hosting a comedy blogathon this week, which I am contributing to, I might add, I thought it would be cool to have a match tied in with that event. In fact I'm in such a good mood, I think I will have two comedic matches taking place. This is the first one. W.C. against Groucho. The match begins immediately and will end Friday at 5 pm EST. I will start another match on Wednesday.

W.C. FIELDS

Say how does this match play thing work again?

Name: William Claude Dukenfield
Birth Date: January 29, 1880 (Darby, Pennsylvania)
Height: 5' 9"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: 1 nominations (It's a Gift - 1934 )
My favorite W.C. film: It's A Gift
Match Play record: 0-0 (this is W.C.'s first match play)


CLASSIC STAR MATCH PLAY

GROUCHO MARX

Tell W.C. to give me a few minutes..and I'll be right there

Name: Julius Henry Marx
Birth Date: October 2, 1890 (New York City, New York)
Height: 5' 7 1/2"
Academy Awards: Honorary Award (1974)
Monties: none so far....
My favorite Groucho film: A Night at the Opera and Duck Soup
Match play record: 0-0 (this is Groucho's first match play as well)

Jane, I'm going be tied up for the rest of the week so

I need for you to place a few bets for me, my dear..

Ladies, if you will kindly take your seats, me and Groucho

will get this thing going...

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

Bogart defeats Cagney in latest match play 20-12

In a battle of tough guys, Humphrey Bogart defeated James Cagney 20-12 in the latest match play. While Cagney jumped out to an early lead and great fan support, it was Bogie who prevailed in the end. Bogart improves his record to 3-1 while Cagney falls to 2-2. Thanks to all those who voted and a new match will be up and running within a few days.

Bogie in a self-congratulatory moment

Classic Stars Match Play #14 - Bogie vs Cagney...this could get messy

A pair of tough guys look to mix it up for the next match play: Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney. Should be explosive. Both men have a lot in common. Both were born in December in 1899. Both hail from New York. Both have 3 Oscar nominations and 1 win each. Both made a career out of playing tough guys. And both share the same match play record of 2-1. The match begins immediately and runs thru Sunday 5 pm est. Good luck to both gentlemen.

HUMPHREY BOGART

Bogie means business

Name: Humphrey DeForest Bogart
Birth Date: December 25, 1899 (New York City, USA)
Height: 5' 8"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: The African Queen - 1951)
Monties: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: To Have And Have Not - 1944)
My favorite Bogart film: The Big Sleep (1946)
Match Play record: 2-1 (beat Gene Kelly and Henry Fonda before losing to Jimmy Stewart in the
40's era of the favorite classic actor tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

JAMES CAGNEY

As does Cagney...

Name: James Francis Cagney
Birth date: July 17, 1899 (New York City, USA)
Height: 5' 6 1/2"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win (Best Actor: Yankee Doodle Dandy - 1942)
Monties: 2 nominations, 0 wins so far (Angels with Dirty Faces-1938 and Yankee Doodle Dandy-1942)
My favorite Cagney film: White Heat
Match Play record: 2-1 (beat Rudolph Valentino and Fred Astaire before losing to Clark Gable in the  30's era of the favorite classic actor tournament)

Ava is victorious over Hedy in a battle of classic film beauties...

Ava Gardner led Hedy Lamarr from the word go and never looked back. Final tally: Ava 20, Hedy 11. Ava improves her match play record to 2-1 while Hedy falls to an unbelievable 0-2. Thanks to everyone who voted and I will have a new match up within a few days.

Ava was playing tennis when informed of her victory

Classic Stars Match Play #13 - HEDY LAMARR vs AVA GARDNER

I'm back to kickstart the new year with a new match play. And I've chosen two women who both carried the title The Most Beautiful Woman in Hollywood at one time or another...Hedy Lamarr and Ava Gardner. Who was more beautiful? Who was more talented? Who has the better resume in films? This argument could go on for decades so in the meantime I figured a little match play was in order to see where both women stood...on All Good Things that is. The match begins today and will run thru next Sunday. Good luck to both women. And I will personally be present as to make sure that this match is kept clean and drama free. It's the least I could do.

HEDY LAMARR

Ummm Hedy...you don't need that whip, it's not that kind of match!

Name: Hedwig Eva Marie Kiesler
Birth Date: November 9, 1914 (Vienna, Austria-Hungary)
Height: 5' 7"
Academy Awards: none
Monties: 1 nomination so far (Experiment Perilous - 1944)
My favorite Hedy film: I know it's regarded as campy today but I love Hedy in White Cargo (1942).
Match Play record: 0-1 (lost to Rita Hayworth in the first round of the 40's era of the Favorite Classic Actress Tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

AVA GARDNER

Ava..you have a match now. You're going make it or you're gonna stay and fish?

Name: Ava Lavinia Gardner
Birth Date: December 24, 1922 (Grabtown, North Carolina...love that name!)
Height: 5' 6"
Academy Awards: One nomination (Best Actress for 1953's Mogambo)
Monties: None so far...but I haven't reached her peak era yet
My favorite Ava film: The Night Of The Iguana

Match Play record: 1-1 (beat Jane Russell but then lost to Grace Kelly (her Mogambo co-star) in the 50's era of the Favorite Classic Actress Tournament

Ladies...the stage is all yours!

Joan Crawford gets some satisfaction on Norma Shearer with a thorough victory in match play

The ladies had a face off with Joan easily winning the match...

Remember when Crystal Allen (Crawford) stole Mary Haines (Shearer) husband in the 1939 film The Women, only to eventually lose him back to Mary. Well Joanie gets a little measure of satisfaction as she dominates Shearer 14-3 in match play. It marks Joan's first match play win and gives her a 1-2 record while Shearer drops to 1-2. Thanks to all those who voted and a new match will be up soon.

Classic Stars Match Play #12 - Norma Shearer vs Joan Crawford (a rematch of The Women...oh, boy!)

Uh-oh, here comes a match that screams catfight! Norma Shearer vs Joan Crawford. Remember they shared the screen for the 1939 classic film, The Women, as Shearer played Mary Haines who lost her husband to Crystal Allen (played by Crawford). Mary would eventually win her husband back from Crystal but it made for a fabulous movie. Well, here's the unofficial rematch. Only this time, no man is at stake. Just a match play. Joan has yet to win a match in 2 tries while Norma is 1-1. So this should be a very interesting match. The match begins immediately and runs through Sunday 3 pm EST. Good luck to both women!

NORMA SHEARER

Name: Edith Norma Shearer
Birth Date: August 10, 1902 (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Height: 5 '1"
Academy Awards: 5 nominations, 1 win - The Divorcee (1930)
Monties: 1 nomination, 0 win (The Divorcee)
My favorite Norma film: The Women, of course
Match play record: 1-1 (beat Marion Davies but then lost to Claudette Colbert in the
30's era of favorite actress tournament)

CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY 

                                                                        JOAN CRAWFORD

Name: Lucille Fay LeSueur
Birth Date: March 23, 1905 (San Antonio, Texas)
Height: 5' 5"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win: Best Actress - Mildred Pierce  (1945)
Monties: 2 nominations, 2 wins: Best Supporting Actress - Grand Hotel (1932)
and The Women (1939)
My favorite Joan film: The Women
Match Play record: 0-2 (come on Joan, time for a win)



Robert Redford soundly defeats Warren Beatty 14-2

In a battle of the heartthrobs, it was golden boy Robert Redford easily beating bad boy Warren Beatty 14-2. This match was over on day one when Redford jumped out to an 8-0 lead and never looked back. Redford improves his record to 2-1 while Beatty, competing in his first match play goes to 0-1. I hope to have a new match up and running by tomorrow.  And Natalie Wood came by to personally congratulate Robert on his victory in the pic below.

See I told ya, Bobby...you had it in the bag the whole time. Now let's go celebrate your victory!

Classic Stars Match Play #11 - Warren Beatty vs Robert Redford

The classic stars match play for this week features two actors who broke through in the 1960's and had long successful careers acting, then even more success as directors. This week I give you Warren Beatty and Robert Redford. Beatty came on the scene in the late 50's on television. Specifically on the TV show, The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis. But it was in films, where he made his mark. His first film out of the box was Splendor in The Grass with Natalie Wood. And he was off and running. A few more films before he scored a major hit with Bonnie and Clyde in 1968. He had big hits during the 70's including Shampoo and Heaven Can Wait, scoring Oscar nods for writing and acting, respectively. He cut his teeth on co-directing Heaven Can Wait with Buck Henry. That set the stage for him to solo direct his 1981 masterpiece Reds, which earned him an Oscar for Best Director.

Robert Redford would follow a similar path. Getting his start on TV in 1960 with bits on Maverick, Playhouse 90, Twilight Zone, Perry Mason and other popular shows.  His first major movie happened to also star Natalie Wood, Inside Daisy Clover. The pair would reunite the following year in This Property Is Condemned. But Redford would cement his stardom when he paired with Paul Newman in a pair of films. The first was Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (1969), one of the most successful westerns ever made. Their next outing would be the even bigger smash hit, The Sting (1973). Redford would turn his attention to directing in the 80's and his first film, Ordinary People (1980) brought him a Best Director Oscar, one year before Beatty would pick his Oscar up for Reds. Redford would also start The Sundance Film Institute, where independent filmmakers could come and make their own kind of films, away from the big studios.

So here we have two golden boys from Hollywood that went on to become highly respected film-makers.
The match begins immediately and will run through Sunday 5 pm EST. Good luck to both gentlemen.

WARREN BEATTY

Name: Henry Warren Beatty
Birth Date: March 30, 1937 (Richmond, Virginia)
Height: 6' 2"
Academy awards: 6 nominations, 1 win: Best Director - Reds (1981)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Beatty film: Bonnie & Clyde
Match play record: 0-0, this is Warren's first match


CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

ROBERT REDFORD

Name: Charles Robert Redford, Jr.
Birth Date: August 18, 1936 (Santa Monica, California)
Height: 5' 9"
Academy Awards: 3 nominations, 1 win: Best Director - Ordinary People (1980)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Redford film: Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid
Match Play Record: 1-1

The Natalie Wood factor

Carole gets back to her winning ways with a 20-10 victory over Jean Arthur

 The last match play Carole Lombard was in was the 30's era final match against Irene Dunne. She lost. Well Carole rebounds to notch her 4th win by defeating Jean Arthur 20-10. It was a match of screwball divas with Carole coming out on top. Congratulations to both women for being good sports and to all those who stopped by to vote. I will have a new match up in a few days.

Carole can hardly contain herself after her victory over Jean Arthur...as Fred MacMurray is there to join in

on the celebration

Classic Stars Match Play #10 - Carole Lombard vs Jean Arthur

Well my favorite actress Carole Lombard returns to match play to take on Jean Arthur, who is appearing for the first time. It was a major oversight on my part that Jean was not a part of my favorite classic actress tournament earlier this year. I'm anxious to see this matchup of these two women who are hailed as screwball comedy queens. Carole who rocked in such films as Twentieth Century, Nothing Sacred, My Man Godfrey and To Be Or Not To Be. While Jean was hilarious in Easy Living, The Devil And Miss Jones, You Can't Take It With You and The More The Merrier. So this should be a great match. The match begins immediately and runs through Sunday 5 pm EST.

CAROLE LOMBARD

Looks like Carole is brushing up on her

competition with a little reading

Name: Jane Alice Peters
Birth Date: October 6, 1908 (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
Height: 5' 2"
Academy Awards: only one nomination for My Man Godfrey...are you kidding me?
Monties: 4 nominations, 1 win - Best Actress (My Man Godfrey - 1936)
My favorite Carole film: Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Match Play record: 3-1 (beat Ginger Rogers, Marlene Dietrich and Myrna Loy before losing to Irene Dunne 58-43 in the 30's era of the favorite classic actress tournament)


CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

JEAN ARTHUR

Jean prepares for her match by taking in some minature golf

Name: Gladys Georgianna Greene
Birth Date: October 17, 1900 (Plattsburgh, New York)
Height: 5' 3"
Academy Awards: another shocker..only 1 nomination (The More The Merrier)
Monties: 2 nominations, 1 win - Best Actress (You Can't Take It With You - 1937)
Match Play record: 0-0..this is Jean's first match

Fredric March edges past Spencer Tracy 12-11 in a close match play

Fredric March defeated Spencer Tracy 12-11 in a very close and exciting match play. I kind of expected this one to be tight. So March evens his match play record to 1-1 while Spencer falls to 0-2 which is kind of unbelievable. Thanks to everyone who voted and expect a new match within the next few days.

Classic Stars Match Play # 9 - Fredric March vs Spencer Tracy

Sorry to be running late with a new match play but I've been under the weather these past few days. But I'm getting better and ready with a new match. These two distinguished gentlemen have a lot in common..Fredric and Spencer. Both have won two Best Actor Oscars during their film careers. They both starred in different Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde adaptations. And in the twilight of their careers, they paired up in the film Inherit The Wind. And both hail from the great state of Wisconsin. I know I like both actors and several of their note-worthy films. This might be one of the closest matches ever here on All Good Things. I do not expect a blow-out like the last few matches I have put together. So this match begins immediately and will run through Sunday 7 pm EST. Good luck to both men and Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

FREDRIC MARCH

Name: Ernest Frederick McIntyre Bickel
Date of birth: August 31, 1897 (Racine, Wisconsin)
Height: 5' 10"
Academy Awards: 5 nominations, 2 wins: Best Actor - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) and
Best Actor - The Best Years Of Our Lives (1946)
Monties: 1 nomination, 0 win so far
My favorite Fredric film: The Best Years of Our Lives
Match play record: 0-1 (lost to Charlie Chaplin in the 30's era of Favorite Classic Actor
Tournament)


CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

SPENCER TRACY

Name: Spencer Bonaventure Tracy
Date of Birth: April 5th, 1900 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
Height: 5' 9"
Academy Awards: 9 nominations, 2 wins: Best Actor - Captains Courageous (1937) and
Best Actor - Boys Town (1938)
Monties: 2 nominations, 0 wins so far
My favorite Spencer film: Libeled Lady
Match Play record: 0-1 (lost to Robert Montgomery in the 40's era of Favorite Classic Actor
Tournament)

And look who showed up to root on Spence..none other than Loretta Young!

And looks like Coop is here to support his pal Fredric...

Claudette Colbert defeats Loretta Young 20-7 in match play

Claudette beams after her match play victory

Claudette thrashed Loretta 20-7 to notch her third match play win and now has a 3-1 record. This was Loretta's first match play and is now 0-1. I did expect a much closer match but Claudette's fans came out in big numbers. Expect a new match up within a few days. Thanks to everyone who came by and voted.

ALL GOOD THINGS in December

Made it through another year as we hit the month of December on All Good Things. I have to say 2011 was a great year for All Good Things, what with all the tournaments and frequent guests stopping by. Meeting new friends. I plan to write all about 2011 in a yearly review in January. But for now let’s talk December. My guest will be Clara from Via Margutta 51, who is a big Audrey Hepburn fan. Which works out great because Audrey is my classic movie goddess for the month. I love it when things work out in such a good way. I will continue with my match play series which seems to be enjoyed by lots of people. I will have at least 4 matches scheduled including one that Ms. Hepburn will be involved in. Also expect some reviews of classic holiday movies such as Holiday Affair and Christmas In Connecticut. Oh and I will do a special post about the top 12 Classic Stars of the year, here on All Good Things. Kind of akin to Entertainment Weekly’s Top 12 Entertainers of The Year. My selections will be based on frequent posts about the chosen 12. So odds are Cary Grant and Carole Lombard will make the cut. And if I have time, I will do another fictional interview with a classic movie icon. The only hint I will give is that it is an actor, who broke out in the 50's with some incredible films and performances that decade. But he got his start in the late 30's. So that will round out the year for me on All Good Things as I get ready for 2012.

Classic Stars Match Play #8 - Claudette 'The Gilded Lily' Colbert vs Loretta 'The Farmer's Daughter' Young

The next match play features two of the greatest classic actresses of all time...Claudette Colbert and Loretta Young. Both had long running careers and both won Oscars for Best Actresses. I think they are evenly matched and this should be a thrilling match. Voting begins immediately and runs through Sunday 2 pm EST. Good luck to both women. I know I will have to think on this one a little before I vote.

LORETTA YOUNG

Name: Gretchen Michaela Young
Birth Date: January 6, 1913 (Salt Lake City, Utah)
Height: 5 '6"
Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win (Best Actress - The Farmer's Daughter)
Monties: none so far
My favorite Loretta film: The Bishop's Wife
Match Play record: this is Loretta's first match


CLASSIC STARS MATCH PLAY

CLAUDETTE COLBERT

Name: Emilie Claudette Chauchoin
Birth Date: September 13, 1903 (Saint-Mande, Seine, France)
Height: 5 '4 1/2"
Academy Awards: 2 nominations, 1 win (Best Actress - It Happened One Night)
Monties: 2 nominations, 0 wins so far
My favorite Claudette film: a tie between It Happened One Night and The Palm Beach Story
Match Play record: 2-1 (beat Louise Brooks and Norma Shearer before losing to Irene Dunne in
the favorite classic actress tournament)