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Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era

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I recently read this volume as well as its companion, Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era, and thoroughly enjoyed both while agreeing with others that the selections may have been biased if executives within the Turner Classic Movies (TCM) organization were involved in the decision as to whom to include and whom to omit. For example, Ann Sheridan (who appears in films shown on TCM) but not Shirley Temple (who doesn't). That said, both volumes offer a Foreword by Robert Osborne and an Introduction by Molly Haskell and have the same reader-friendly format which consists of a brief but adequate bio of the given actress followed by "Style Notes" and "Behind the Scenes" sections. Here are a few brief excerpts.

From the brief bio of Katharine Hepburn: "Her film work kept her a star despite frequent breaks to pursue theatrical projects and care for [Spencer Tracy] as his health declined. She put her salary on the line so he could play opposite her in his last film, Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967). He died 17 days after filming was complete. Katharine won an Oscar for the film, but she said she could never watch it because the memories were too painful."

From the brief bio of Vivien Leigh: "Filming Gone with the Wind was a terrible experience for Vivien. She connected well with the film's first director George Cukor, but he was fired after a few weeks. Victor Fleming, a good friend of Clark Gable's, took over, and Vivien felt like a second-class citizen. Fleming's only direction to her was `Ham it up!' She secretly went to Cukor each Sunday to work on the next week's scenes. One week she accidentally ran into Olivia De Havilland, who was playing Melanie. She was doing the same thing."

From the "Style Notes" of Lauren Bacall: "When she became pregnant in the late 1940s, she designed a maternity wardrobe that was decades ahead of its time: suits and skirts that capitalized on her changing figure rather than concealing it."

From the "Style Notes" of Ava Gardner: "The sultry, appraising gaze that [she] often gives on camera is really a squint - she needed glasses but could not wear them in her pictures."

From the "Style Notes" of Marilyn Monroe: She "didn't wear anything to distract from her curves, so she wore no underwear. Often she was sown into her tight-fitting gowns."

From "Behind the Scenes" of Joan Crawford: She "would go head-to-head with anyone to keep her star status, but she met her match in Bette Davis when the longtime rivals were cast as abusive sisters in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) Bette kicked Joan in the head so hard during a fight scene that she required stitches. When Bette had to drag Joan across a room, Joan loaded her pockets with weights, causing an injury to Bette's back that lasted for days. Baby Jane was a hit and the two were paired again for Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), but after three weeks of the rematch, Joan threw in the towel and quit the film." Olivia De Havilland replaced her.

From "Behind the Scenes" of Audrey Hepburn: "Initially, Gregory Peck turned down the male lead in Roman Holiday (1953) because he didn't want to play second fiddle to an unknown actress. Director William Wyler persuaded him to take the role, yet when Peck realized how wonderful Audrey was going to be in the part, he insisted that the studio give her billing equal to his. They became lifelong friends."

It would be unfair to expect more of this volume than what it was intended to be: An entertaining, often informative discussion of 50 actresses of the studio era, most of whom are "unforgettable." More a quibble than a complaint, I wish those who organized the material in this volume had also identified (preferably in an annotated bibliography) the biography of each actress which is generally regarded as most accurate and comprehensive.

A pretty good casual reference for classic film buffs, with stunning photos, bios, must-see lists with quick sypnoses, and trivia tidbits and quotes. Not the definitive reference TCM would like you to believe it is, nor a prurient gossipfest, but simply a fun addition to a film buff's library.

The big problem here, however, is the book's claim that the 50 ladies selected are the "most unforgettable." You'll read the title, perhaps think to yourself "quite a bold statement," then you'll be in awe when you read some of the names included...Louise Brooks, Lena Horne, Hedy Lamarr, Debbie Reynolds, Ann Sheridan, Esther Williams.

Robert Osborne says in his introduction that the staffmembers who put this together debated passionately over which stars to include, so it is all but obvious that these ladies are personal favorites of some of those behind this project. No offense meant, but these ladies simply have no business being in this book.

I have met many a fellow fan of studio-era films, and no one I've met who ever saw Alice Faye, Patricia Neal, Jean Simmons, Margaret Sullavan, and even Marie Dressler has ever been able to forget seeing their performances. In my opinion, this is a much truer illustration of "unforgettable," and any of these ladies would have made much better choices than the 6 mentioned earlier. And I am still scratching my head over the ommissions of Betty Grable and Shirley Temple.

One could go on arguing forever about "this one should have been chosen instead of this one," but the basic point is that with such a questionable selection of the top 50, for TCM to pretend that this book is definitive is silly.

And for those who are wondering which 50 actresses did make the book, here they are: Jean Arthur, Lauren Bacall, Ingrid Bergman, Clara Bow, Louise Brooks, Claudette Colbert, Joan Crawford, Marion Davies, Bette Davis, Doris Day, Olivia de Havilland, Marlene Dietrich, Irene Dunne, Greta Garbo, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Greer Garson, Lillian Gish, Jean Harlow, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, Audrey Hepburn, Katharine Hepburn, Lena Horne, Grace Kelly, Deborah Kerr, Hedy Lamarr, Vivien Leigh, Carole Lombard, Sophia Loren, Myrna Loy, Shirley Maclaine, Marilyn Monroe, Kim Novak, Maureen O'Hara, Mary Pickford, Debbie Reynolds, Ginger Rogers, Rosalind Russell, Norma Shearer, Ann Sheridan, Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Tierney, Lana Turner, Mae West, Esther Williams, Natalie Wood, and Loretta Young.

This book is wonderful! It really does feature all of the greatest classic actresses - Clara Bow, Norma Shearer, Marion Davies, Myrna Loy, Gene Tierney, Lana Turner, Jean Harlow, Rita Hayworth, Marilyn Monroe, Mary Pickford, Irene Dunne, Joan Crawford, and many more. There are lots of photos and interesting trivia about all the actresses. The book devotes four pages to each actress which includes at least one full page photo. The photos alone are worth the price of the book! There are also complete filmographies for every actress in the back. I would recommend this book to everyone who loves classic actresses.

Judging from the wealth of trivia he shares on the Turner Classic Movies channel, author Robert Osborne is obviously a film historian whose focus is primarily and unapologetically Hollywood's golden era. Molly Haskell has been a feminist film critic of significant stature since her first book in 1973, "From Reverence to Rape: the Treatment of Women in the Movies". Given their unabated interest in the subject, it's no wonder they have come up with a glossy guide to the fifty actresses they feel epitomized the height of glamour and box office appeal when the major studios dominated the business and groomed its stars. For each of the legends, there is a full-page photo (usually an unfamiliar one which is a nice treat), a thumbnail profile and filmography, selected stills from classic roles, and some intriguing trivia ranging from beauty tips to on-the-set drama. It's all superficial but supremely entertaining for movie buffs.

As such lists go, the choices are all laudatory but in some cases debatable. The inclusion of several women - Pickford, Gish, Davis, Hepburn (Kate and Audrey), Garbo, Dietrich, Crawford, Bergman, Garland, Monroe - is inarguable especially for the endurance of their legacies. Others seem to be included more for iconic reasons than for the studio films they actually did, for instance, Louise Brooks (more famous for her two G.W. Pabst films in Germany than anything she did in Hollywood), Marion Davies (her career overshadowed by all things Hearst), Grace Kelly (a brief Hollywood career and then European royalty) and Lena Horne (no great movie roles given the era's pervasive racism).

At the same time, the book serves a great purpose in re-introducing luminous screen personalities who deserve to be resuscitated for a new generation of film viewers - personal favorites like Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Carole Lombard and Rosalind Russell among others. I also like how the editors have chosen a few women who had been previously underestimated and given them a new aura of respectability, for instance, Clara Bow, Doris Day, Kim Novak and Loretta Young. Although I will draw ire for this opinion, I feel some of the selections seem decidedly second-tier for such a vaunted list, namely Ann Sheridan, Esther Williams, Maureen O'Hara and Debbie Reynolds. It's also unclear to me where the demarcation line is drawn as I was surprised to see Shirley MacLaine, Sophia Loren and Natalie Wood included but not, for example, Leslie Caron, Julie Andrews or Jane Fonda.

Of course, any such list will have glaring omissions - Janet Gaynor, Shirley Temple, Margaret Sullavan, Joan Fontaine (though sister Olivia de Havilland is included), Ida Lupino, Alice Faye, Jennifer Jones, Betty Grable, Jane Wyman, Dorothy Dandridge, among others come to mind. I also wish the editors could have included some recognition for foreign actresses of similar stature in the same era, for example, Anna Magnani, Celia Johnson, Jeanne Moreau, Simone Signoret and Setsuko Hara. But this is all part of the fun. The others on the top fifty list, in case you're wondering, are Lauren Bacall, Claudette Colbert, Ava Gardner, Greer Garson, Jean Harlow, Susan Hayward, Rita Hayworth, Deborah Kerr, Hedy Lamarr, Vivien Leigh, Myrna Loy, Ginger Rogers, Norma Shearer, Barbara Stanwyck, Gloria Swanson, Elizabeth Taylor, Gene Tierney, Lana Turner and Mae West.

This book, from Turner Classic Movies publishing, is very concise overview of 50 of the screen's leading ladies. Some choices are without question, obvious, like Rita Hayworth, Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford. Some choices are odd (Debbie Reynolds??) However, each lady gets two pages of representation, with amusing anecdotes about their lives and careers. I have been a lifelong fan of Golden Age Hollywood, and I found out a few things I never knew, like Hedy Lamaar co-writing a patent for a radio signal scrambler that was used during WWII (her first husband was an electronics expert)
This book is great for those who are just learning about this era and the women who made it fascinating. I would also recommend this for those who are big fans, like me, and think they know it all about old Hollywood. This book will surprise and delight you.
Quality of the book is superb, it is in a trade paperback format so it is easy to browse. Great for the short attention span crowd as well as true Hollywood scholars.

Claudette Colbert,Greer Garson,Myrna Loy,Ann Sheridan,and THE MOST UNFORGETTABE LEADING LADY, MAUREEN O'HARA are just five of the 50 actresses profiled,in this paperback book,written by TCM host Robert Osbourne,with an introduction by Molly Haskell.One may question the selections made by Mr.Osbourne,but when I discovered that MAUREEN and Ann Sheridan were included,I knew I had to have this book.Each actress is profiled witha 4 page spread,including a full page photo,another page deals with the actresses essential films,as determinded by Osbourne,there will be some quibbles here,another page includes a brief semi-bio,and the fourth concludes with notes,quotes,and style.For any old film buff this is a good addition to your library.John Springers" "They Had Faces Then", from about 25 years ago is also a must have.If I have any problems,with the book,is that it doesn't have enough text or pictures,especially color photos.

I enjoyed "Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era," but was shocked not to have featured several actresses that were part of the studio system. I understand not all actresses can be included, but some actresses were unjustly omitted. Studio-era leading ladies Deanna Durbin (Universal), Jennifer Jones (Fox), Luise Rainer (MGM) and Shirley Temple (Fox) were not even mentioned. How about Mary Astor, Anne Baxter, Leslie Caron, Ruth Chatterton, Jeanne Crain, Dorothy Dandridge, Marie Dressler, Alice Faye, Joan Fontaine, Janet Gaynor (Oscar's first Best Actress), Betty Grable, Helen Hayes, Judy Holliday, Miriam Hopkins, Veronica Lake, Janet Leigh, Ida Lupino, Anna Magnani, Patricia Neal, Merle Oberon, Geraldine Page, Eleanor Parker, Eva Marie Saint, Simone Signoret, Jean Simmons, Margaret Sullavan, Claire Trevor, Shelley Winters, Joanne Woodward, Teresa Wright and Jane Wyman. There are many omissions. I sincerely hope Robert Osborne, Molly Haskell and TCM include them, among others I omitted, in a second edition.

The beautiful star glamour portraits alone are reason enough to buy this book! I may need another copy handy to add to my collection! HHHhhhmmmmmmmmmm.... ;)

This book was so much fun to read, and I tore through it so quickly that I will now move on to the partner book, "Leading Men, the Fifty Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era." The book's format consists of short chapters, each focusing on individual actresses. Biographical information, career information, background, anecdotes/facts and a variety of photographs about each woman is included. It's the kind of book that you will find yourself picking back up again and again - it is easy to fit in a quick chapter or two and learn a little more about your favorite actresses, even if you have a busy schedule. The back of the book lists all of the filmography for each actress, which is useful and interesting. Well-researched with an excellent collection of photography.

Don't let the fact that it's a paperback deter you - this book actually qualifies for a display spot on any coffee-table. It's printed on heavy cover stock paper with varnishes and metallic ink - gorgeous photos and nice typography. This is not a flimsy paperback, it has body, weight and style. A great addition to any book collection, especially for classic film fans.

I received this book as a Christmas gift. I already own its companion, Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. The book is nicely put together, with stunning pictures and interesting facts about each of the actresses. There are, of course, a few ladies, that I feel, should have been included in the place of others. I don't understand why Shirley MacLaine was included. She's a good actress, I just don't really consider her as being part of the studio era. I also thought that Joan Fontaine should have been included. I suppose everyone has their favorites to dispute. Overall, the list is accurate & complete.