Two Tough Broads: Barbara Stanwyck and Bea Arthur face-off!

Though they were polar-opposites politically, these two stars would have probably been shocked to learn how alike they really were!

No, they weren’t sisters! So, what does one “Golden Girl” have in-common with the star of “Golden Boy”? As it turns out, quite a bit!

An amusing list of comparisons between the two of them, proves that Barbara Stanwyck was the Bea Arthur of her day, and that Bea Arthur, whether unwittingly or not, emulated her own brand of Stanwyck style.

SOME MAJOR THINGS THEY HAD IN COMMON:

• Both their professional first-names begin with the letter ‘B’.


• Both were actresses from NY.


• Both became well-known TV stars (Stanwyck on THE BIG VALLEY and Arthur on MAUDE and later, THE GOLDEN GIRLS).


• Both had two failed marriages.


• Both let themselves go gray with no wish to cover it up.


• Both became mothers through adoption.


• Both adopted son(s) and had no daughters.
  


• Both were famous for their wise-cracks and wit on-screen.


• Both portrayed women who are often thought of as “tough broads”.


• Both had their own kind of deep, rather husky voice.


• Both were known to “swear like a sailor” depending on who they were around and both were famously outspoken.


• Despite being outspoken about causes they believed in, both were intensely private.


• Both came alive on-camera but were rather shy off-camera.
  


• Both rarely ever gave interviews.


• Both were known for being modest about their status and achievements.


• Both requested to have no funeral.

So, with having so much in common, what’s the biggest difference between these two broads? Well, aside from perhaps the most obvious being that Babara was a star while Bea was more of a character actress, the next most obvious thing is probably their politics. Barbara was a dedicated Republican and conservative, while Bea was a loyal Democrat and liberal. Hence, while they were both alike in many ways, put them in a room together, and they would have probably ended up “facing-off”, indeed! But, great entertainers that they were, I can’t help but be amused at the thought!

And hey, they even met each-other at least once!:

Catch Barbara Stanwyck on TCM; visit the website, for a monthly schedule. And, when you run out of Stanwyck movies to watch, check out Bea Arthur’s classic sitcom, “The Golden Girls” which may be seen, weekdays on THE HALLMARK CHANNEL.

New favorite 1930s actress: Constance Bennett!

I found out years ago that liking one movie can lead to liking a new star, which can lead to liking their whole filmography and their co-stars too!

I was never a fan of Constance Bennett, outside of her role in the lighthearted ghost comedy, Topper (1937). But, that’s all changed now, since she’s been the star of the month on Turner classic movies, every Tuesday night in November.

Last night, I saw her in the wonderful murder mystery — comedy, After Office Hours (1935). And now, guess what — I’m a fan of Clark Gable! I’m already looking forward to watching more of his films.

But getting back to After Office Hours, judging by the film reviews, I’ll admit that this movie has generally received lukewarm ratings, get to the fact that people aren’t sure whether to think of it as a comedy, romance, a simple mystery, or a murder case. But I just think of it as madcap combination of all of the above — and it’s great in being so!  

Furthermore, this being the latest of several Constance Bennett films I’ve seen lately, I have come to the glad conclusion that she is my favorite star of the 1930s (sorry, Carole Lombard…it is a close call!). And there are several reasons why: one, she wasn’t ashamed to be a cloths-horse—that is, someone proudly parading around in the latest fashions of the day, setting trends for the movie-going public. Two, the fact that she was a well-known sophisticate — even in her working-woman roles, so well-known, in-fact, that people never doubted her sophistication for a moment, and at one point in her career, she was considered the most sophisticated, well dressed woman in Hollywood. Three, the fact that the biggest bulk of her filmography encompasses the 1930s decade. So, to watch her movies is to literally sit through the entire decade of the 1930s, year by year, observing it from a uniquely decadent standpoint — which makes it a lot of fun. It’s the kind of fun that isn’t found in today’s films, because today’s actresses aren’t so readily identifiable with a certain style of acting or a certain type of film. Because the contract system ceased in the 60s, and because the studios no longer have star makers — people whose sole job it was to make you into a commodity by developing your own unique brand, people have to take pride in other things — such as what good acting skills they have. This is part of why method acting became popular, because actors and actors as her more on their own than ever, and left to their own devices.

With the freedom to choose their own projects, they lost the safety net of guarantees that the studio system brought. Constance Bennett, in all her predictability, was part of that guarantee that fans depended on. When people saw Constance Bennett on the screen, they didn’t expect to be awed or amazed, they didn’t expect to be surprised, they didn’t expect to see a breakout performance, but they expected the guarantee that Constance provided them of a familiar style — one that was her own brand. In other words, actors of today can brag about their method acting skills, while the fans sit at a distance and wonder who these people really are, but actors of yesterday could take pride in the fact that their fans knew who they were, they kept their guarantee, and the fans returned the favor in kind with a virtue that seems to be lacking more and more—- loyalty.

It has been said here in cyberspace that Reese Witherspoon is comparable to Miss Bennett, but, I beg to differ. Even if they did look more alike than they do, Constance was a star of another sort, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the studio era ended.

Constance starred in many fashion films, that is films with thin plots, designed to showcase the glamour of the star specifically for the purpose of furthering the public’s familiarity with that star’s unique style. But, because fashion designers scarcely design especially for a star anymore, that sort of publicity doesn’t exist anymore.

The closest thing we have to a Constance Bennett today is Constance Bennett herself, in all her black-and-white glory. Watch Constance Bennett this coming Tuesday, only on TCM, starting at 8 PM.

Great Performances: Season 25, Episode 6 Musicals Great Musicals: The Arthur Freed Unit at MGM (2 Dec. 1996)

                                      

Tonight on TCM, I saw a positively fabulous documentary on a wonderful film-maker, Mr. Arthur Freed. With such films as “Meet Me In St. Louis” (1944), “Singin’ In The Rain” (1952) and “An American in Paris” (1951), it’s no wonder then, that Joe Pasternak, admiringly referred to his unit as the “royalty” of MGM.

The one part of the documentary that probably summed Freed up the best was this (paraphrased):

“Almost the entire production-team of the Arthur Freed film, Gigi was together in one room, including star, Leslie Caron and director, Vincent Minnelli, and many others. And this lady named Hermione said, “You know, I’ve heard quite a lot about Mr. Freed, but I’m not exactly sure what his talent is. Could you tell me what some of his pluses are?” And, a fella at the table replied, “We’re all here. He brings us together.”

Turner Classic Movies---branding

I never thought I’d fall for branding…maybe I have, maybe I haven’t. But, take it from me, film lovers, Turner Classic Movies: TCMmakes movies better! They’re better, just by being on that channel! ♥ TCM makes me love them more, and they are doing our society a favor, by making fans out  of people who may never have been interested—-people who otherwise no nothing of their history.

TCM understands  the importance of our film heritage.

The charm of the TCM brand

I’m not sure why… but I really don’t like watching black and white movies online (on Netflix, I only want to watch color!) but take those same films and put them on Turner Classic Movies: TCM, and I’ll probably enjoy them immensely. Sometimes, I’m just ridiculous!