Old Hollywood Actresses: adore, avoid, hit or miss
I need to do more of these thought experiments…….
As tagged by @halfwaythruthedark​ and somewhat bothered by @ideallaedi​… a list of Old Hollywood actresses that I can’t get over, those that I just can’t stand their guts for substantiated or unsubstantiated reasons, and those that I don’t feel as strongly about (in alphabetical order for each section):
Spunky, tough as nails, and in too many movies that bring a smile to my face: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and The More the Merrier. People are a little turned off by her voice, but hey I don’t mind at all. And then she ended her career with Shane. A complete 180, but it proved she could do drama, too.
What she was able to do with career despite all that abuse that was thrown at her… it amazes and inspires me. A gifted singer, with a voice that matured early on and is so inimitable. Also in a lot of fun musicals.
Funny and sexy as hell in Ball of Fire, dangerous and sexy as hell in Double Indemnity. Tear-jerkingly tragic in Stella Dallas. My mom apparently likes her in The Thorn Birds, but I haven’t seen it yet.  Just… UGH.
I knew virtually nothing about her until I saw Laura… and when I did… GOOD GOSH.
I just… never understood her. I mean, it’s great to see her in so much light comedies. But Lombard has never, ever clicked for me. All probably because I’m not as big a fan of To Be or Not to Be that many other Old Hollywood-knowledgeable folks are.
Vertigo did it in for me, as well as The Man with the Golden Arm. I’d rather not, thanks.
A wonderful, wonderful actress. Do not get me wrong on that. But for some reasons I just can’t stand any role that she has played. The only movie that I’ve seen of hers that I cared for her character was The Poseidon Adventure… and that’s a film where a lot of viewers are annoyed by her (claiming that she talks too much… I didn’t mind, though).
HIT/MISS or SLIGHTLY LESS ADORED
The caricature that is Dietrich is just too damn strong for me to parse through sometimes. It’s not the sultriness of her characters, it’s just something else for me. I think it’s because all too often she is given the exotified, come-and-get-me-boys kind of role and it gets tiresome for me after a while.
Probably a surprise to some of you, given my undying devotion to My Fair Lady. I also really like Roman Holiday. Here’s the thing: I actually have a love-hate relationship with Breakfast at Tiffany’s. She gets the character correct, but the film is such a terrible adaptation of the novella that I can’t distinguish between my hatred side with how much I like her performance sometimes.
Beautiful lady, but her acting is inconsistent for me and - Miranda, you already said it - she only really shows up when Hitchcock has got her for a Hitchcock Girl role. Not Bond Girl, Hitchcock girl. And, of course, they’re always blondes.
Again, big surprise for some of you. I love Anna May Wong. I love what she represents, and I think she’s one of the most gifted Asian-American actors ever. But it’s difficult to say how much I care for her when she took on the most cringeworthy, Dragon Lady roles that Hollywood tossed at her. It’s not her fault, I know, but too much can be too much for me sometimes.
I thought too hard and long about all this because I don’t think I’ve seen enough to actually truly hate an Old Hollywood actress (contemporary actresses and actors are different stories). That takes too much energy I don’t have!
