LEGENDS OF THE PAST

THE GREATEST ACTORS                   article by:  James Thomas Fridas

This is my first update if you read the previous post there were numerous legends that you may know if solet me know your favorite legend and I will add them to future posts, my next post will be Western Stars and legends that will amaze you!

There are scores of actors however the greatest were Legends in their day and there will never be another era that will produce Legends like these known as the Golden Age of Hollywood!

MGM lead the way with the biggest roll call of actors and actresses, then there was Republic, Paramount Studios rivaled MGM, smaller studios included Warner,  RKO, United Artists, Columbia and Universal.

Studios treated their stars like gods, so did the American public, they adored their hero's of the silver screen, that is when actors were in the public eye almost daily!  The media followed them like hound dogs, plus there were the Hollywood beat reporters

Starting with the best there was the King of Western Drama John Wayne, Gregory Peck may have been the greatest his roll in MacArthur will be forever a great motion picture, then there was Clark Gable he starred in the Greatest money making motion picture of all time Gone With The Wind.

I will offer many male and female actors, comedians and other entertainers from days gone by which will include Lucille Ball, Gracie Allen, Minnie Pearl, the immortal Joan Rivers many knew her, but the fact remains many I list from days gone by may not be known by today's so called in crowd.

Women who were immortal Ava Gardner, Ester Williams,  Olivia De Haviland,  Katherine Hepburn,  Loretta Young,  Carol Lombard, Audrie Hepburn, Natalie Woods, Marilyn Monroe, Rita Hayworth, Doris Day and the immortal Ingrid Bergman!

More women on the immortal legends list Betty Grable, Sid "incredible legs" Charisse, Debbie Reynolds,  Grace Kelly, Kim Kovak, Elizabet Taylor, Dorothy Dandridge, Betty Davis,  Vivian Leigh,  Judy Garland, Joan Fontaine, Joan Crawford,  Maureen O'Hara, Merna Loy, Deborah Kerr,  Marlene Dietrich, Susan Hayward, Ida Lapino.

One of the most beautiful Mexican actresses of the day was the incomparable Dolores Del Rio, she was a beauty true beauty of her day, then there was the incomparable Marian Anderson.

In 1957 the late great Red Skelton lost his son from drowning, he went into a shell and looked like he would never perform ever again until the late great Bob Hope went to his home and dragged him back onto the stage as they were friends and that was an incredible thing.  When Red Skelton went on the college circuit students said they had seen a new comber comic!   Really!!??

Does this begin to make sense as to what many today will never see unless Hollywood makes an effort to introduce the world and Americans of today to the great performers of the past!!!!  A true legend in his day was the late Brian Donlevy

The list goes on and on one of the all time greats was John Wayne, then there was Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Tyrone Powers was superb without a doubt, Henry Fonda, Clark Gable, Jeffery Hunter.
There are dozens of male and female performers that the world today does not recognize, here we will list all that are immortal in the world of acting, these were the legends of Hollywood in their own day.

Can you remember Burt Lancaster in From Here To Eternity?  How about the late great Robert Mitchum, James Cagney, Van Johnson, Frank Sinatra, Montgomery Clift, Ernie Borgnine, and the incredible Charleston Heston!

Then there was the immortal Tony Curtis, Jack Lemon,  William Holden, Dean Martin,  Jack Benny, Perry Como,  Phil Silvers, Audie Murphy,  Bing Crosby and the legendary and immortal "Gene and his smiling Irish eyes Kelly"!

There were screen sirens such as Humphrey Bogard and Lauren Bacall,  Fred Astaire and Ginger Rodgers,  Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Jimmy Dean & Natalie Woods!

Milton Beryl, James Stewart, Gary Cooper, Edward G. Robinson,  Glenn Ford 2nd only to John Wayne in westerns almost 200 movies!   Cary Grant,  Vincent Price, Nat King Cole,  Bob Hope, Paul Newman, the great Opera Singer Mario Lanza!!!

More legends included Telly Savales, Allan Ladd, David Niven, Gilbert Roland, Loren Green, Micheal Landon, Forrest Tucker and Randolf Scott, William Holden.

The list of legendary performers would not be complete without the following, the zany comical Charley Callas, Steve Allen, Johnny Carson,  Jonathon Winters, Jackie Gleason, and Dean Martin.

Teams included Rowan & Martin, Abbott & Costello, The Three Stooges,  Laurel & Hardy, and the radio duo Amos & Andy!   There were other notoriously famous teams we will address them in other posts, next post will address all the famous western stars from the silent era to the 70's and there were a dozen score of them!!

We will add the next segment of performers in part two of Hollywood Legends of the Silver Screen, so watch for part two!!
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Copyright © 2013 [JAMES THOMAS FRIDAS]. All Rights Reserved.