The Lombard Cup Week One (Day 2 Update)

Team Classic continues to dominate over Team Modern as they lead four of the five matches. Steve McQueen is crushing Clint Eastwood 16-5. Spencer Tracy has doubled on Tom Cruise 14-7. Cary Grant leads Johnny Depp 18-4. Clark Gable is just laying waste to Daniel Day-Lewis 18-2. While the only modern era leading match is by Harrison Ford 11-10 over James Cagney. The matches continue today and wraps up on Thursday evening. 

Spencer and Jimmy take a little break in the action to have something to eat...

The FALL SERIES: Judy Garland

Judy in a cute little dress and barefoot..nice combination

Personal Quotes by Jane Wyman

Here are some personal quotes by Jane over the years...supplied by IMDB:

The opportunity for brotherhood presents itself every time you meet a human being.

I guess I just don't have a talent for it, some women just aren't the marrying kind - or anyway, not the permanent marrying kind, and I'm one of them.

[on winning the 1949 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role of Johnny Belinda (1948)]: I won this award for keeping my mouth shut, so I think I'll do it again now.

[Who said in 1964 about growing up in an unhappy, humorless household]: Shyness is not a small problem; it can cripple the whole personality. It crippled mine for many years. As a child, my only solution to the problem of shyness was to hide, to make myself as small and insignificant as possible. All through grade school I was a well-mannered little shadow who never spoke above a whisper.

[on The Lost Weekend (1945)]: It was my biggest chance yet, and I was determined to make the most of it. I was determined to act from the inside out, to disregard all surface effects, and delve into the character of a sturdy woman who endured hardship stoically and who concealed a deeply emotional nature under a frosty, pragmatic exterior. I meditated on the role at great length; I wanted to get to the bottom of this woman's psyche. And in doing so I dredged up all the early hardships and disappointments in my own life, looking constantly for some points of reference that would link our respective inner schemes.

[When asked if she loved television better than film]: The reason I enjoy TV more than pictures now is that I like the pace better. You've got so many hours to do so much, and you have to get it done. I was on The Yearling for eleven and a half months! Sometimes we only did two pages of dialogue in four days.

[In 1984]: Women are like tea bags. You never know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.

[on commenting her newspaper interview in 1981 about her almost 50 year career in films]: I've been through four different cycles in pictures: the brassy blonde, then came the musicals, the high dramas, then the inauguration of television.

[In 1981]: The movies were changing, and the kinds of things that they were offering me I wouldn't look at, much less do. They were sordid. I have spent too many years in my craft, in my own little niche, my own little way, and it didn't matter to me. I didn't want to work anyway.

The Lombard Cup Week One (Day 1 Update)

The Lombard Cup is underway and after one day it is evident Team Classic has come to play. They lead in all five matches but two of those are by a close margin. The blow-outs are Steve McQueen rolling over Clint Eastwood 12-2. Cary Grant taking care of Johnny Depp 12-3. And The King, Clark Gable handily ahead of Daniel Day-Lewis 12-1. The two close matches are Spencer Tracy ahead of Tom Cruise 8-6. And Jimmy Cagney clinging to a one point edge over Harrison Ford 8-7. Day 2 continues today.

Carole with her guy Clark as he is riding to a certain victory...

Breakdown of the first five matches in the Lombard Cup

Here is my take on the first five matches in the Lombard Cup showcasing classic era actors matching up with their modern counterparts. 

Match 1: Steve McQueen vs Clint Eastwood
While Eastwood burst out in the 60's thanks to his man with no name western trilogy and could have easily fit in at the tail end of the classic era, I decided to put him in with the modern era group mainly because his 40 years that period is just amazing. The Dirty Harry films, The Outlaw Josey Wales, Unforgiven, In The Line of Fire, Million Dollar Baby, and Gran Torino. Not that it matters too much as I think Steve McQueen is truly iconic and just will over power Clint in this match.It may be close at first but in the end I think the first match victory will go to Team Classic!

Match 2: Spencer Tracy vs Tom Cruise
If you take away the backlash that Cruise has received over the past few years for his crazy antics this match might be a little closer. Spencer Tracy is one of those beloved Hollywood legends that people love no matter what. I mean his "affair" with Kate Hepburn while still married didn't seem to damper his career or image. Take all that away and you still have a terrific actor in Tracy. One of the golden age's best. And every now and then Cruise will raise his acting level up a notch in films like Born on the Fourth of July and Magnolia. But once again I give the edge to Team Classic in this one.

Match 3: James Cagney vs Harrison Ford
Oh my! This is a huge one. Cagney vs Ford. Cagney is forever remembered as one of Hollywood's toughest tough guys. Stare down anyone in his gangster films of the 30's. And a pretty good actor too. While Ford is one of the biggest modern era stars of all time. I mean he has two of the most iconic film roles ever...Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy and Indiana Jones in four films. I think I will lean toward Ford in this match-up by a hair.

Match 4: Cary Grant vs Johnny Depp
That I was able to pick these two names out of separate baskets so randomly I think shows that this was a match of destiny. Cary Grant against Johnny Depp. You couldn't ask for a bigger marquee match-up than this. And while Cary is universally loved...he practically ran away with my favorite classic actor tourney two years ago, Depp has a huge fanbase as well. I like Depp but I love Grant so this will be a no brainer for me. For some people, it might be a very hard decision to make.

Match 5: Clark Gable vs Daniel Day-Lewis
The King takes on Daniel in what I think Gable will win. I mean we're talking Rhett 'freakin' Butler here folks. No Slight on Lewis who is a phenomenal actor but I think this is a wrap for Clark. I can practically here Carole over there chanting his name.












By the way the matches have started this morning...I couldn't wait to get going. 

Lombard Cup Week One Matches

So we begin with the first five matches pairing a classic era actor (20's-60's) against a modern era actor (70's-current) to see which era of actors is more loved. One vote per person and the first week matches will run through Thursday evening. I will tally up the votes and see which actor won their respective match. The winner receives a full point while a tie nets half a point for both competitors. Just like in golf's ryder cup. So here are the breakdowns on the first five matches. Take it away Carole Lombard, who is presiding over this event in honor of naming the cup after her.

MATCH 1:

STEVE MCQUEEN  (BULLITT, THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN)

VS

CLINT EASTWOOD (DIRTY HARRY, UNFORGIVEN, IN THE LINE OF FIRE)

MATCH 2:

SPENCER TRACY (LIBELED LADY, ADAM'S RIB, FATHER OF THE BRIDE)

VS

TOM CRUISE (TOP GUN, A FEW GOOD MEN, BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY)

MATCH 3:

JAMES CAGNEY (WHITE HEAT, PUBLIC ENEMY, ROARING TWENTIES)

VS

HARRISON FORD (STAR WARS, INDIANA JONES, THE FUGITIVE)

MATCH 4:

CARY GRANT (HIS GIRL FRIDAY, BRINGING UP BABY, NOTORIOUS)

VS

JOHNNY DEPP (PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN, WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE)

MATCH 5:

CLARK GABLE (GONE WITH THE WIND, THE MISFITS)

VS

DANIEL DAY-LEWIS (IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, MY LEFT FOOT)

Now a word from Carole.....

Good luck gentlemen....this will be most difficult in

choosing between eras because each of you has 

a distinct style all your own. But should be fun

to see how it unfolds.

The Lombard Cup: Selection Saturday

This morning I made my selections for the pairings of the 20 matches between classic era and modern era actors. You may be wondering how I chose the pairings. Wonder no more. The pics below show the baskets which I pulled names from at random to make this truly a tourney of chance. Just depends on what actor from the classic era will face a modern era actor. The inspire basket held the classic era actors while the scarecrow basket contained the modern era actors. Funny thing about the inspire basket is that I picked it up at Michael's Arts and Crafts because we needed a new one to hold our mail and letters and such. Well this one looked nice and it cost $12 bucks but was on sale and cost $8. But while standing in the check out line which took forever, a great thing happened. The cashier scanned the barcode and it came up 1 cent. She blared it out on the speaker...We have a one center! The manager came up and verified and I was like whoa, this only cost me one cent? Wow! What a nice surprise. Anyway on with the matches, and please note that each week will feature five matches a week. Each winner gets one point for their respective team and a tie will net half a point for each competitor. I will tally up the points at the end of the month to declare which era racked up the most wins and points. The first five matches begin tomorrow evening and will run through Thursday evening. And this was really fun picking the matches as it was like picking blindly and not having a set ranking to go by. Really cool. Oh and I had to had another match just so things would not end in a tie. They still may but at least there is a better chance with 21 matches instead of 20 that it won't. Thanks to my friend and fellow blogger Patti for mentioning the fact that there was no Sean Connery. As much as I wanted to include him in this year's Cup I went with another of Patti's faves, Montgomery Clift. He will face modern era actor Robert Duvall in the bonus match. But if this turns out to be an annual event then I will drop some actors from this year's competition and include new ones for next year.

MATCH 1: STEVE MCQUEEN vs CLINT EASTWOOD (Clint could have easily been chosen for
the 60's era but since his career achieved even greater heights later on, I decided he would best fit
on the modern era team)
MATCH 2: SPENCER TRACY vs TOM CRUISE
MATCH 3: JAMES CAGNEY vs HARRISON FORD
MATCH 4: CARY GRANT vs JOHNNY DEPP 
MATCH 5: CLARK GABLE vs DANIEL DAY-LEWIS
MATCH 6: JOHN WAYNE vs ROBERT DOWNEY, JR
MATCH 7: HUMPHREY BOGART vs AL PACINO
MATCH 8: SIDNEY POITIER vs RUSSELL CROWE
MATCH 9: GREGORY PECK vs LIAM NEESON
MATCH 10: BURT LANCASTER vs GEORGE CLOONEY
MATCH 11: GARY COOPER vs GARY OLDMAN
MATCH 12: JACK LEMMON vs LEONARDO DICAPRIO
MATCH 13: KIRK DOUGLAS vs CHRISTOPHER WALKEN
MATCH 14: WILLIAM HOLDEN vs ROBERT DENIRO
MATCH 15: WILLIAM POWELL vs SAMUEL L. JACKSON
MATCH 16: PAUL NEWMAN vs MICHAEL DOUGLAS
MATCH 17: ERROL FLYNN vs TOM HANKS
MATCH 18: JAMES STEWART vs JACK NICHOLSON
MATCH 19: CHARLIE CHAPLIN vs MORGAN FREEMAN
MATCH 20: MARLON BRANDO vs DENZEL WASHINGTON
MATCH 21: MONTGOMERY CLIFT vs ROBERT DUVALL

Pulling Gregory Peck out of the basket...

I have to say some of these matches should be very, very exciting. Grant vs Depp. Bogie against Pacino. Holden vs DeNiro. Stewart vs Nicholson. Brando vs Washington. Oh my! I will post the first five matches in a post later on this evening with some stats and trivia. Can't wait for this thing to get started. 

And here's our mistress of ceremony Carole Lombard,

who I so named the cup after....

hold your horses Carole, voting doesn't start

until tomorrow!

Some facts about Jane Wyman

Here are some facts and trivia about Jane courtesy of IMDB:

Born: Sarah Jane Mayfield
January 5th, 1917 (St. Joseph, Missouri)
Died: September 10th, 2007 (age 90) in Palm Springs, CA (complications from arthritis and diabetes)

Her name changed to "Jane Faulks" when she was unofficially "adopted" by the Faulks family, middle-aged neighbors of her single mother. Moved to So. California with Mrs. Faulks when she was widowed in 1928

Several sources have given her date of birth as January 4, 1914, which would mean she was one of the first (and one of the very few) actresses to make herself older. She is a serious convert to Roman Catholicism, attending Mass with good friend Loretta Young.

Holds the record for the longest screen kiss, with Regis Toomey in You're In The Army Now (1941), at 3 minutes and 5 seconds.

Before she was a successful actress, she was once a switchboard operator.

Has 2 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She attended Lafayette High School in St. Joseph, Missouri.

She dropped out of Lafayette High School, during her freshman year, and took on odd jobs such as a waitress and manicurist.

She had 10 hobbies: landscape painting, golfing, dancing, collecting CDs, listening to music, playing piano, singing, philanthropy, reading and politics.

The first actress ever to have lots of name changes. After she took the name of Sarah Jane Fulks, she dropped her first name and used Jane, as her middle name, hence, she legally changed her name to Jane Durrell, however, she was asked to change her last name to Wyman, the same last name as her adoptive siblings - her mother had first been married to a Dr. Weymann.

Was a chorus girl before being a successful actress.

Her father, Manning Jefferies Mayfield, died when she was only 5.

In 1991, she received the Golda Meir Award from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Israel.

Fred Karger	(11 March 1961 - 9 March 1965) (divorced)
Fred Karger	(1 November 1952 - 7 December 1954) (divorced)
Ronald Reagan	(26 January 1940 - 28 June 1948) (divorced) 3 children
Myron Futterman	(29 June 1937 - 5 December 1938) (divorced)
Ernest Eugene Wyman	(8 April 1933 - ?) (divorced)

My love of classic films is beyond measure

Monty

The Fall Series: SUZANNE PLESHETTE

Suzanne with a polka dot outfit and matching hair bow!

Presenting this month's classic movie goddess...JANE WYMAN

Say hello to Jane Wyman, November's classic movie goddess. Jane is one of my top 25 classic movie actresses of all time. And like so many other stars I first remember seeing her in the twilight of her career. On Friday nights on CBS back in the early 80's as family patriarch Angela Channing on the long running soaper Falcon Crest. I didn't realize until much later that Jane began her career back in the 30's. And I have been watching her older movies ever since then. She had a great flair for comedy as evident in The Doughgirls (1944), Princess O'Rourke (1943), You're In The Army Now (1941), Larceny, Inc (1942) among others. Of course most people know her from the highly regarded classics like The Lost Weekend (1945), The Yearling (1946) and her Oscar winning turn in Johnny Belinda (1948). So this month it will all be about Jane. Reviews, facts, pics, and all related stuff to this wonderful actress!. Hope everyone can stop by every now and then this month to spend a little time with me and Jane.