The Dames Of Holywood's Golden Age

In the Era of Bette Davis & Lauren Bacall, Acting was a Sublime Art

Sep 11, 2008

Forget the remake of The Women. Once upon a time, Hollywood churned out movies where actresses played characters who weren't afraid of toeing the PC line.

There once was a time when actresses were offered gemstone roles where their characters were allowed to be both funny and beautiful, allowed to have a sense of humor that was equal to their sense of style. During this era of pillbox hats and travel martini sets, Hollywood released films that make today's 'women-ensemble' movies seem watered down. The highlighted films below are the much-needed antidotes.

Doe-eyed Susan Bradley, (Judy Garland), is a mail-ordered bride heading west to start a new life. On the train, she meets a group of young woman who are going to open a Harvey House that will double as a restaurant and lodgings for those traveling through town. When Susan's 'husband-to-be' turns out to be the last type of man she wants to marry, she becomes a Harvey Girl. Before long, the 'clean living' establishment starts stealing customers from the local brothel, infuriating the prostitutes. Led by the brothel's madam, (played by a stunningly statuesque Angela Landsbury), it becomes an Old West turf war that includes a girl fight full of hair pulling. While the good girls vs. bad girls smack down gets resolved, keep an eye out for a young Cyd Charisse. Her solo dance is a taste of what is to come.

It's a flawless premise: Three models rent a posh apartment in New York City and decide to combine their female talents to nab millionaires. Starring Lauren Bacall as Schatze Page, (the brains of the operation), Betty Grable as Loco Dempsey, (the plucky optimist), and Marilyn Monroe as Pola Debevoise (the dim-witted bombshell), this is a prequel to the Sex and the City crowd. While their schemes are at once devious and clever, some of the best comedic moments are courtesy of Palo (Monroe: Completely nearsighted, she refuses to wear glasses, adhering to the acerbic Dorothy Parker rule that, "Men don't make passes at girls who wear glasses". Though the girls stumble along the way to moneyed matrimony, the movie ends, in typical fifties optimism, with all three wedding the unexpected man of their dreams.

It's a line destined to live in infamy. When Margo Channing (Bette Davis), finally wises up to Eve Harrington's duplicitous nature (played by Anne Baxter); she realizes that Eve has been hiding behind a meek demeanor in order to usurp Margo as Broadway's luminary. When Margo's friends, sensing her anger at a party that is a pivotal point in the movie, ask her what is upsetting her. In lieu of an answer, she downs her martini, keeps her cigarette perched between her fingers and walks away. As an afterthought, she whips back around and announces: "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night". This story of betrayal and what it takes to reach the top is timeless, with nearly every line scintillating with irony. Baxter's almost mousy character brilliantly clashes against Davis's Medusa-like ferocity, proving that, good or bad, everyone likes a female protagonist who has gumption, wit and a determination to go out on her terms.

The copyright of the article The Dames Of Holywood's Golden Age in Classic Film Comedies is owned by Erin Haley. Permission to republish The Dames Of Holywood's Golden Age in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Sep 29, 2008 7:56 AM

Guest :

I love all 3 films, especially "All About Eve" which remains one of the wittiest scripts ever written. I can't think of any film that rivals the vitriol that is spewed by every one of its principal players. Maybe the time has passed when audiences can appreciate such humor. And instead cursing and bathroom humor pases for dialogue which is an insult to the audience who deserve better. Hail to Margo Channing and company and long may they live.