Happy Birthday, Ladies!

Today is the anniversary of the birth of a couple of stars from Hollywood's Golden Age:

Hayworth.jpg

The sultry Rita Hayworth was born this day in 1918 in Brooklyn.

Arthur.jpg

The perky Jean Arthur was born this day in 1900 in Plattsburgh, NY.

The two starred together with Cary Grant in the 1939 Howard Hawks film Only Angels Have Wings, in which Grant delivered the famous (but now often mangled) line to Hayworth, "You're no good, Judy. And you never were."

Frankly, if I had to choose one, Miss Hayworth certainly had looks, but I think I'd go with Miss Arthur. She had an irresistable liveliness on screen and could be hysterically funny when she wanted to be. (She starred with Grant in another terrific movie, The Talk of the Town, which you really ought to see if you haven't.) I seem to remember reading somewhere that she suffered horrible stage-fright throughout her career, but you certainly wouldn't know it looking at her performances.

Trivia Yips! from Gary:
Before David O. Selznick met Vivien Leigh, Jean Arthur was one of the three finalists to play Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone With The Wind" (along with Joan Bennett and Paulette Goddard).

Posted by: Robert at 01:32 PM

Comments

1 I'll back you up here, Robbo. I was smitten with her going back to the first time I ever saw "Mr. Smith Goes To Washington". Stole the show, I tell ya.

"Kick it up, Diz. Get on his side, fight for him!"

They don't make 'em like her anymore.

Posted by: Gary at October 17, 2007 02:29 PM (PLHs9)

2 She musta been something before electricity . . .

Posted by: The Colossus at October 17, 2007 04:42 PM (ivbbD)

3 Arthur inevitably threw up before each performance, her nerves were so bad. I do think she was wonderful. Hayworth was a looker (and had a nice singing voice, too), but I think she relied a bit too much on her looks and thus her acting fell a bit flat. One actress I've always thought combined incredible beauty with firstrate acting is Kate Hepburn. Carole Lombard is up there, too.

Posted by: Christine at October 21, 2007 03:54 AM (AKRSI)






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