This is just a quick post, today. I will have my usual new "monthly" post, this Friday, so please check back at the end of the week for that. In the meantime, I thought I would share a few personal items from my collection.
With the passing of Hollywood legend, Olivia de Havilland, just last week, I was reminded that I had once written to the star. Beginning in high school, I became sort of an "autograph collector"....or at least, attempted to collect them when I had a chance. I even had an autograph book. Years later, I wrote to quite a few celebrities, and acquired a fairly large collection of signed photographs. Olivia de Havilland was one of the people whom I wrote to. She was living in France at that time, and I sent her the following two photos.
This first publicity photo (circa 1939), is from Gone With The Wind, a film for which she was nominated for an Academy Award, for best supporting actress. (She lost to Hattie McDaniels, for her supporting role in the same film.)
I believe this next photo is from the late forties, around the same time that she won an Academy Award for her leading role in, The Heiress.
After mailing these photos overseas, quite some time passed. Eventually they were returned, unsigned, along with the following letter:
As far as I know, she never did publish a complete autobiography about her life. She did write a book back in the sixties, about what it was like marrying a Frenchman, moving to France, and having to adapt to the French customs. Maybe she was still working on her complete autobiography, all these years later.
Now, I will give equal time to Miss de Havilland's sister, Joan Fontaine (Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland). They were just a little over a year apart in age, and Miss Fontaine went on to become just as big of a star, as her older sister. Joan Fontaine passed away in 2013, but about 10 years earlier, she had graciously autographed these photos for me.
In this first photo, she is posing with Cary Grant, in a publicity shot for the Alfred Hitchcock film, Suspicion. The film was released in 1941, and she won the Academy Award for her leading role, the following year.
One year earlier, Joan Fontaine had appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's first American film, Rebecca, and was nominated for an Academy Award in the title role. Here she is pictured with Dame Judith Anderson, who played Mrs. Danvers, the "obsessive" housekeeper.
I hope some of you enjoyed these photos. I have shared some Disney-related autographed photos in the past (Annette Funicello, Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and Haley Mills), but it had been a while. I may post some more photos from my collection in the future, if anyone out there is interested.
And once again, please come back this Friday for my "regularly scheduled" monthly post. Thank you!
.jpg)
.jpg)
14 comments:
I never was a huge fan of Olivia de Havilland, but I thought she was best in films where she was paired with Errol Flynn. They acted so effortlessly together. From "Captain Blood" and "Charge of the Light Brigade" to "The Adventures of Robin Hood" and "They Died with Their Boots On" she was great.
Like Joan Crawford and Clark Gable, I believe that Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn made eight films together with my favorite being "The Adventures of Robin Hood". She's still my favorite Maid Marion on film.
Her most iconic role as Melanie Daniels in "Gone with the Wind" was probably my least favorite. Her character grated on me.
Joan Fontaine I actually enjoyed more as an actress and her films I found more enjoyable to watch overall. From "Gunga Din" and "The Women" to Alfred Hitchcock's "Rebecca" and "Suspicion" I thought she was great. One of my favorite guilty pleasures is watching her in the Hammer Productions film "The Witches".
Joan Fontaine was also in one of my favorite episodes from "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" television series titled "The Paragon". Both her and Gary Merrill were excellent in that episode.
Oliva de Havilland was the last surviving legend from the golden age of Hollywood. Now she is gone and and there are no more living Hollywood legends.
I enjoyed this post very much. I do hope you do more of this kind of post with your autograph collection. I love old Hollywood.
Ken, Olivia isn't one of those stars, where I have had to see every single one of her movies. But I have liked the films that I have seen her in. I especially liked her in "The Heiress," and that is one of the two films, for which she won an Oscar. Montgomery Cliff and the rest of the cast all gave excellent performances, as well.
I loved Joan Fontaine in "The Women" and "Rebecca" is one of my favorite Hitchcock films. I did not know that she was in an episode of "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour." I will have to try and check that out!
I'm glad you enjoyed this post! I think I will do more posts like this, but I might post them the same way as this one......sort of a mini-post, prior to the main post, later in the week.
TokyoMagic! I love the 1930s and 1940s stars and movies the best - so I really enjoyed this post. Please share more of your collection (and stories) with us!
Sue
Sue, I love the movies from the 30s and 40s the best, too! I will definitely share some more signed items from my collection!
I'm with you guys. I don't know what I'd do with TCM. Would love to see more of your collection. It isn't my area of collecting but I've got a nice Yul Brynner and a great Billy Barty.
Dug out one of my favorite old flicks 'On Borrowed Time' the other day. Just wonderful. Lionel Barrymore, Cedric Hardwicke and a wonderful cast.
Thanks Tokyo.
That's without TCM.
Dr. Goat, I stopped collecting in this area/category, years ago. I guess when it comes to collecting, I go through different "phases." And unfortunately, I got rid of my cable TV a few years back, so with it went TCM. I do still love the old films and I am still able to catch some classic movies in other places.
Are your "Yul Brynner" and "Billy Barty," photographs? Autographs? Autographed photographs? I saw Yul Brynner on stage in a revival of "The King and I," at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. He was in his sixties, but was still incredible in that same role that he had originated, three decades earlier. He passed away very shortly after that.
They are signed photographs. The Brynner one is a Magnificent Seven, and Billy is holding on to a stage light. If I remember right he wrote "Best to Helen, Billy Barty". Just a great image of a cool guy.
Wow, I'll bet seeing Yul on stage was a treat. Great memory.
Thanks Tokyo
Chris, sorry I am so late to your two recent posts. Hey, you got a signed letter from Olivia, that’s pretty incredible! I never knew why Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland did not seem to get along, it seems so sad that two sisters could not see eye to eye, even with decades passing. How many autographs do you think you have in your collection?
Major, no problem! My newest post has only been up for three days. And this post only went up four days before that! I always appreciate you checking in and leaving comments, whenever that is! Thanks!
That feud between the two sisters is kind of strange. According to Wikipedia (which we know is ALWAYS right!), some of their "issues" might go all the way back to when they were children. There certainly shouldn't have been any professional jealousy between them, since they both became big stars and both won Oscars for their work. But who knows what was really going on in their private relationships with one another.
I have never sat down and counted the number of autographs that I have. I should do that! If I had to take a guess right now, I'd say maybe fifty to sixty? The next time I get some out to scan for a post, I will count them! The sad thing is, so many of the people who's autographs I have acquired, have since passed away (Shirley Temple, Jimmy Stewart, Ginger Rogers, Robert Young, Gene Kelly, Maureen O'Hara, Janet Leigh, Roy Rogers, Bob Hope, Jane Russell, Dorothy Lamour, Esther Williams, and many others).
Tokyo, you have the best stuff.
I learned about a Cary Grant Hitchcock I have never seen.
I love old movies, much more than new ones, but i don't have the depth of knowledge or experience of others here. It's still fun to read about!
JG
JG, I love old movies more than newer ones, too! And "Suspicion" is a really good one, but "North By Northwest" and "Notorious" are tied as my favorite Hitchcock/Cary Grant films!
“Notorious” is one of my all time favorites!!
Sur
Sue, not Sur. ;)
Post a Comment