#Ann Sothern Show

[citizenscreen]

Ann Sothern joins Lucille Ball in “Lucy and the Countess,” 1965 episode of “The Lucy Show.”

Good friends and admirers of each other’s talent, Ball described Sothern as “the best comedian in the business, bar none.”

[misterwhirly]

Ann Sothern

1940

[papermoonloveslucy]

THE DESILU DAIRY

Milk!  It does a sitcom good!

The Desilu Dairy is in business providing milk, cream, and yogurt to the Queen of Comedy!  Mooo!

At their Chatsworth Ranch, Lucy and Desi had a dairy cow named the Duchess of Devonshire. Devonshire Cream is a clotted cream dairy product produced from North Devon Cattle in Cornwall and Somerset England.

“The Elves” (1949) ~ Liz (Lucille Ball) and George (Richard Denning) arrive home from vacation to find that someone has been ordering strawberry ice cream from the milkman every day, and the pink trail leads to the doorstep of their new neighbors.

Upon arriving home, the Coopers notice that their porch has been painted white. Upon closer inspection, they realize it isn’t paint - but milk. Their ‘milk card’ has been tampered with to order strawberry ice cream while they were away - yet none is found. During the early part of the twentieth century, dairy products were usually delivered to homes, rather than shopped in a market. The milkman was part of daily life. Housewives would leave notes (or cards, as above) to request items outside their standing delivery order: Milk, eggs, yogurt, butter, and ice cream, were all offered. It was not uncommon to see back porches with milk boxes and or empty bottles ready to be returned to the dairy.  This service has all but disappeared in favor of supermarkets.

“The Sleigh Ride” (1949) ~ Mr. Negley the mailman decides to use his motorcycle to pull the holiday sleigh, but the load proves to much and the milkman’s old horse is pressed into service. Unfortunately, the horse stops at every milk stop on his route. In the days before milk truck delivery, the dairyman in rural America would deliver dairy products by horse and wagon.  

“The Gum Machine” (1949) ~ When George finds the cream for the coffee has soured, he insists Liz tell the milkman about it - stand up for her rights. The milkman arrives, delivers the milk, and then leaves. Liz chickened out. George calls him back to tell him Hogan’s Frolicking Milkmaid Cream was sour. The milkman (Hans Conried) says that Mr. Hogan will take it out on the cow!  He gives them free items instead of losing their business.

MILKMAN: “You see, we can’t afford a radio program!”

“Valentine’s Day” (1949) ~ When Mr. Negley the butcher storms off, Katie the maid (Ruth Perrott) isn’t too bothered. She has a date with the milkman instead! She’s written him a poem which she left it in an empty milk bottle.

I love you, dear, don’t be surprised. Leave two quarts of homogenized!

“The Gossip” (1952) ~ When Lucy overhears a juicy story about Grace Foster running away with the milkman, Ricky bets her she can’t go without gossiping. To win the bet, Lucy enlists the milkman and a jealous Mr. Foster in her scheme. 

MILKMAN: “He’s after me!  All my milk’s gone sour!” 

Bobby Jellison played the milkman, the “cottage cheese Casanova” and “cow juice peddler” (as Bill Foster calls him).

MR. FOSTER: “From now on, we drink goat’s milk!”

“Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (1956) ~ The gang bikes from Italy to France and takes shelter in a barn for the night. For breakfast, the farmer brings them bread and cheese, but the milk must come from the cow!  

Lucille Ball was able to produce one good stream of milk from the cow, but she didn’t think the lights caught the stream enough for it to show on camera. Writer Madelyn Pugh later said, 

"It was the mangiest cow I’d ever seen. I went down to the set, and Lucy said, ‘You wrote it, YOU milk it!’” 

Lucille Ball shared the cover of a March 1960 issue of “The Police Gazette” with a cover story claiming that “Milk Can be the Drink of Death”!

“Together For Christmas” (1962) ~ After trying in vain to share their holiday traditions, Lucy and Viv decide to go back to traveling to their respective relatives for the holidays. Lucy says she left a note for the milkman. 

Until the end of the 1960s or so, most suburban homes had daily milk delivery, which involved leaving milk bottles on the porch (sometimes in a milk box). If a customer did not wish to have milk (or other dairy products) delivered that day - or for a period of days - it was standard procedure to ‘leave a note for the milkman’.

“Lucy Discovers Wayne Newton” (1965) ~ Newton sings an ode to his dairy cow, “Bessie the Heifer,” a 1951 country-western novelty song.

Bessie turns up again in the final recording studio sequence - with all Newton’s other farm animals. 

“Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (1965) ~ On a lunch break at the health farm, Lucy and the Countess realize if they want a drink with lunch, they are going to have to milk a cow. 

To calm Bossie the cow while Lucy milks her, the Countess hums “The Blue Danube”. Lucy punctuates the downbeat with squirts of milk from the cow’s udder.  

“Guess Who Owes Lucy $23.50?” (1968) ~ Van Johnson sings “Happy Birthday to You” to Ethel - the prize dairy cow of a Texas oil tycoon. 

“Lucy the Shopping Expert” (1969) ~ Lucy teaches Kim about getting the best deals in the grocery store. In the dairy aisle, Lucy loses control of the nozzel on a can of whipped cream. 

“Lucy’s Lucky Day” (1971) ~ Lucy goes on a game show named “The Milky Way to Riches” that is sponsored by the Dover Dairy. 

When Mr. Larson the milkman (Billy Sands) rushes in with good news, Lucy teases him by guessing that Elsie the Cow had triplets. Elsie was the cartoon cow mascot of the Bordon Dairy Company from 1936 until it went out of business in the mid-1990s. Larson tells Lucy that she has won Dover Dairy’s customer of the year and will receive a free pint of raspberry apricot yogurt every week for a year.

“Lucy and the 20/20 Vision” (1971) ~ In order to pretend to be surprised by Harry at the door, Lucy acts as if she was putting out the milk bottle. At the time, rural delivery of milk and other dairy products to residential homes was common. In order to ‘recycle’ the milk bottles, homeowners would put the empty bottles on the porch at night, so the milkman could take them away early the next morning. A famous example of this was seen in the closing credits of the primetime cartoon sitcom satire “The Flintstones” (1960-66, inset photo).

“Lucy, the Other Woman” (1972) ~ Lucy's milkman has a crush on her but his angry wife (Totie Fields) thinks Lucy is having an affair with the dairy deliveryman. Herbie Faye plays Lester Butkus the milkman. According to the insignia on his hat, he works for the Cloverleaf Dairy. This means that in the year since “Lucy’s Lucky Day” the Carter family has switched dairies. 

Mr. Butkas brings Lucy a free pint of banana fudge yogurt, adding to his wife’s conviction that he’s sweet as cream over Lucy.   

The Butkus living room. A milkman lives here! 

[hotvintagepoll]

this is a poll for a movie that doesn't exist.

It is vintage times. The powers that be have decided to again remake the classic vampire novel Dracula for the screen. in an amazing show of inter-studio solidarity, Hollywood’s most elite hotties are up for the starring roles. The producers know whoever they cast will greatly impact the genre, quality, and tone of the finished film, so they are turning to their wisest voices for guidance.

you are the new casting director for this star-studded epic. choose your players wisely.

(a few current contestants in Round 6 of the Hot & Vintage Movie Women Tournament have been included because they can afford to take one day off from campaigning to film this scene.)

Previously cast:

Jonathan Harker—Jimmy Stewart

The Old Woman—Martita Hunt

Count Dracula—Gloria Holden

Mina Murray—Setsuko Hara

Lucy Westenra—Judy Garland

[chaoticdesertdweller]

The Rosna Theatre in Norfolk, VA, opened on May 29, 1941, with Ann Sothern in “Maisie Was a Lady”. It was converted for Cinerama on October 18, 1961, and showed 3-strip and then 70mm Cinerama films. In later years, the Rosna Theatre was converted into a church. In November 2023, it was announced that the former theatre would be converted into a gymnasium.

[kwebtv]

TV Guide -  December 1 - 7, 1962

Martin Ingerman (March 9, 1936 – October 21, 2015), known professionally as Marty Ingels.  Actor, comedian, comedy sketch writer and theatrical agent, who is best known as the co-star of the 1960s television series I'm Dickens, He's Fenster.

He guest-starred on the CBS sitcoms Pete and Gladys, The Ann Sothern Show, and Hennesey. He also appeared in one episode of ABC's Bewitched as "Diaper Dan", who plants a microphone bug in Tabitha's rattle so a competing advertising agency can scoop and steal Darrin's ideas. He appeared twice as Sol Pomeroy, an army buddy of the character Rob Petrie, on CBS's The Dick Van Dyke Show. In 1978, Ingels guest starred in Season Two, Episode One of The Love Boat.  (Wikipedia)

John Allen Astin (born March 30, 1930) Stage, film and television actor and director who has appeared in numerous stage, television and film roles. He is best known for starring in The Addams Family (1964–1966), as patriarch Gomez Addams, reprising the role in the television film Halloween with the New Addams Family (1977) and the animated series The Addams Family (1992–1993).

Astin started in theater, making his first Broadway appearance as an understudy in Major Barbara, and also did voice-over work for commercials. His first big break in film came with a small role in West Side Story (1961).

During this period, his talent for also playing comedy was spotted by actor Tony Randall, leading to guest starring roles on the sitcom Dennis the Menace, starring Jay North; The Donna Reed Show; and Harrigan and Son, starring Pat O'Brien, the first carried on CBS and the latter two carried on ABC. In 1961, Astin appeared in the final episode of the ABC police drama The Asphalt Jungle.

During the 1962–63 television season, Astin had his first lead in a television series, the ABC sitcom I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, co-starring with Marty Ingels. Astin played Harry Dickens to Ingels's Arch Fenster, as two trouble-prone carpenters. The series combined witty dialogue with moments of slapstick comedy. I'm Dickens, He's Fenster received critical raves, but was against two high-rated shows, Sing Along with Mitch on NBC and Route 66 on CBS. By the time I'm Dickens, He's Fenster gained a following and started winning its time slot, ABC had already canceled the show. 32 episodes were produced.

Astin is perhaps best known for The Addams Family, a popular sitcom that ran on ABC from 1964 to 1966, based on cartoons created by Charles Addams. 

Astin joined the retooled The Pruitts of Southampton (re-titled The Phyllis Diller Show) for the second half of the 1966–67 season, playing Diller's brother-in-law, Angus Pruitt. He also played the Riddler in the second season of Batman (Frank Gorshin returned for the third and final season.) He played submarine commander Matthew Sherman on the 1970s television series Operation Petticoat. He also made several appearances in the first two seasons of the popular mystery series Murder, She Wrote, as scheming real estate developer (and finally Sheriff) Harry Pierce, who ends up as the murderer in his last episode.  Astin starred in the cult classic TV film Evil Roy Slade (1972).  He had a recurring role on the sitcom Night Court as Buddy, eccentric former mental patient and the father of lead character Harry Stone. Astin played the regular role of Ed LaSalle on the short-lived Mary Tyler Moore sitcom Mary during the 1985–86 television season. He also guest starred on numerous television series, including appearances on Duckman, Homeboys in Outer Space, Jack Palance's ABC circus drama The Greatest Show on Earth, and a 1967 episode of Gunsmoke as Festus Haggen's cousin Henry. (Wikipedia)

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

The Manitou

Graham Masterton’s novel THE MANITOU was hardly great writing, but it had two things going for it: a grimy feel for its New York setting and an attempt to link its plot to Manhattan’s theft from Native peoples (so I guess you won’t find it any Florida public school libraries). Those are both missing from William Girdler’s 1978 film version (streaming on Shudder), which moves the action to San Francisco, where the action keeps stopping for picturesque views of the Golden Gate Bridge. The plot, in which a shaman’s spirit is reborn from a growth on Susan Strasberg’s neck, is defanged because the shaman is now from a tribe that had died out long before white settlers reached the area (so you could show the film in Florida public schools). As a result, he’s just “the other,” a hideous non-white played by little people Felix Silla and Joe Gieb, thereby rendering the film both racist and ableist. It’s clearly just an attempt to work a variation on THE EXORCIST (1973) with effects that can’t approach those of the earlier film. As a fake mentalist who used to date Strasberg, Tony Curtis tries to make the thing work. His early scenes in sessions with older women clients (first Jeanette Nolan and then Lurene Tuttle) have a nice comic rhythm. And even in his later years, he moves with an athlete’s grace. But he can’t conquer the film’s overall tackiness. By the time the shaman emerges from Strasberg’s neck and starts wreaking havoc on a hospital, it’s all just too silly. Curtis and Michael Ansara, as a shaman brought in to fight the evil spirit, have to act scared while wandering through sets that wouldn’t fly in an early video game. When naked Susan Strasberg rises from the seeming dead to join the fray as poorly matted fireballs and lightning bolts fly about, all you can do is laugh. The cast is filled with recognizable names, including Stella Stevens as a medium, Ann Sothern (still beautiful in her sixties and acting up a storm), in one scene as Strasberg’s rich aunt, Paul Mantee as a doctor and Burgess Meredith in a scene-stealing bit as an absent-minded anthropologist.

[lifes-commotion]

Ann Sothern

[waynelvslcy]

Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball. 'The Lucy Show' "My Fair Lucy" aired January 8, 1965.

[papermoon4]

“The Lucy Show” ~ Season 3

A handy dandy guide to helping you find your favorite episode blogs here at Papermoon Loves Lucy. Click on the hyperlinks to be taken directly to that episode’s trivia, background, and bloopers!

“Lucy and the Good Skate” (S3;E1) ~ September 21, 1964

“Lucy and the Plumber” (S3;E2) ~ September 28, 1964

“Lucy and the Winter Sports” (S3;E3) ~ October 5, 1964

“Lucy Gets Amnesia” (S3;E4) ~ October 12, 1964

“Lucy and the Great Bank Robbery” (S3;E5) ~ October 19, 1964

“Lucy, the Camp Cook” (S3;E6) ~ October 25, 1964

“Lucy, the Meter Maid” (S3;E7) ~ November 2, 1964

“Lucy Makes a Pinch” (S3;E8) ~ November 9, 1964

“Lucy Becomes a Father” (S3;E9) ~ November 16, 1964

“Lucy’s Contact Lenses” (S3;E10) ~ November 23, 1964

“Lucy Gets Her Maid” (S3;E11) ~ November 30, 1964

“Lucy Gets the Bird” (S3;E12) ~ December 7, 1964

“Lucy, the Coin Collector” (S3;E13) ~ December 14, 1964

“Lucy and the Missing Stamp” (S3;E14) ~ December 21, 1964

“Lucy Meets Danny Kaye” (S3;E15) ~ December 28, 1964

“Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (S3;E16) ~ January 11, 1965

“Lucy Goes to Vegas” (S3;E17) ~ January 18, 1965

“Lucy and the Monsters” (S3;E18) ~ January 25, 1965

“Lucy and the Countess” (S3;E19) ~ February 1, 1965

“My Fair Lucy” (S3;E20) ~ February 8, 1965

“Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (S3;E21) ~ February 15, 1965

“Lucy and the Old Mansion” (S3;E22) ~ March 1, 1965

“Lucy and Arthur Godfrey” (S3;E23) ~March 8, 1965

“Lucy and the Beauty Doctor” (S3;E24) ~ March 22, 1965

“Lucy the Stockholder” (S3;E25) ~ March 29, 1965

“Lucy the Disc Jockey” (S3;E26) ~ April 12, 1965

SEASON SUMMARY

Regular Cast: Lucille Ball (Lucy Carmichael), Vivian Vance (Vivian Bagley), Gale Gordon (Theodore J. Mooney), Jimmy Garrett (Jerry Carmichael), Ralph Hart (Sherman Bagley), Candy Moore (Chris Carmichael)

Recurring Characters: Keith Andes (Bill King), Ann Sothern (Rosie Harrigan, the Countess Frambois), Carole Cook (Mrs. Valance)

Guest Cast playing Characters: Jack Benny, Bob Hope, Fifi D’Orsay, Max Showalter, Sid Gould, Havey Korman, Madge Blake, Parley Baer, Joe Mell, Kathleen Freeman, Norma Varden, Mabel Albertson, Herb Vigran, Gary Morton, Louis A. Nicoletti, Reta Shaw, Norman Leavitt, Pat Harrington Jr. 

Guest Cast playing Themselves: Danny Kaye, Arthur Godfrey, Dick Patterson

Live Animal Cast: Bear (Brownie), Cockatiel (Greenback), Cow (Bossie), Horse (Fury), Mouse (”Lucy and the Monsters”), Whippet (”My Fair Lucy”)

There were 26 new episodes

Episodes Written by Bob Weiskopf, Bob Schiller, Garry Marshall, Jerry Belson, Milt Josefsberg, Bob O’Brien, Ray Singer, Dick Chevillat, Leonard Gersche, Vic McLeod, Iz Ellinson, Fred S. Fox, Bob O’Hallaren, David Braverman, Bob Marcus

All episodes Directed by Jack Donohue

All episodes filmed in color, but originally aired by CBS in black and white

Filmed at Stage 21, Desilu Studios, Hollywood

Total Binge Hours: 13 hours (with commercials)

Papermoon’s Full Moon Pick: “My Fair Lucy” (E20)

Papermoon’s Half Moon Pick: “Lucy and the Ceramic Cat” (E16)

Season 2 was #8 in the ratings (down from #6) with a 26.6 share (down from 28.1). This was the lowest rated season of the series. 

The opening credits changed again, introducing the kaleidoscope title sequence using clips of previous episodes. 

Season 3 was released on DVD on November 30, 2010

[citizenscreen]

Ann Sothern and Lucille Ball on “The Lucy Show,” 1964 episode 'My Fair Lucy'

[papermoonloveslucy]

TOUR DE LUCY!

Lucy & Cycling

Pedal Power!  When not motorized or on foot power, Lucy biked!  Here’s a look at bikes, trikes, and other likes. 

Ben Mankiewicz’s podcast relates that Lucille Ball, as a young Hollywood hopeful, biked to work. 

Broadway Thru a Keyhole (1933) ~  A bevy of costumed chorines - including an uncredited Lucille Ball, Susan Fleming and Ann Sothern - wheel around a giant nightclub stage to the tune of “When You Were a Girl on a Scooter (And I Was the Boy on the Bike)”. This was Lucille Ball’s second film. It also featured Charles Lane and Walter Winchell. 

Palm Springs Weekend (1942) ~ An RKO short in which newlyweds Lucy and Desi rent a tandem bike to tour Palm Canyon, stopping to take snapshots. 

“The Lost Pilot” (1951) ~ Pepito the Clown (Pepito Perez) was a good friend of Desi Arnaz. In the long-unaired pilot episode for “I Love Lucy” Pepito rides the world’s smallest bicycle, a routine that was part of his stage act.  

“The Audition” (1951) ~ When the unaired pilot’s script was recycled into the regular series, Pepito was replaced by Buffo the Clown (Pat Moran) who injures himself trying to do a handstand on the handlebars of a (full-sized) bicycle. Resting at the Ricardo’s apartment, he tries the stunt again and careens through the kitchen door. His replacement is Lucy as ‘The Professor’, although she doesn’t ride the bike! 

“Lucy’s Show-Biz Swan Song” (1952) ~ When the episode was running short, Desi Arnaz invited Pepito to do some of his act from the unaired pilot, including the world’s smallest bicycle routine.  

The tiny bike (one of two) is six inches wide by ten inches high, manufactured by Anderson, Melbourne, Australia, in 1928. It was at one time entered into Ripley’s Believe It or Not. Pepito was in Australia in 1928 for an extended vaudeville tour, and he must have ordered this bicycle at that time. It is now one of the artifacts in the Lucy-Desi Museum’s collection. A special case was been constructed to exhibit it.

“Lucy Fakes Illness” (1953) ~ To convince Ricky she is going through her second childhood, Lucy rides a tricycle through the living room! 

“The Ricardo’s Change Apartments” (1953) ~ Lucy fills the apartment to the brim with toys and baby items to convince Ricky they need a bigger apartment. Among the explosion of tot props is a tricycle and a bicycle! 

“Bon Voyage” (1956) ~ A bicycle is Lucy’s undoing when boarding the S.S. Constitution for Europe. Saying one last farewell to Little Ricky on the dock, her skirt gets caught in the chain of a messenger bike, delaying her timely boarding. She even tries to board with the bicycle!

“Lucy’s Bicycle Trip” (1956) ~ When leaving Italy for France, Lucy has her heart set on biking across the border, but meets some resistance from Ricky and the Mertzes. 

LUCY: “You wouldn’t climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You wouldn’t ride the ski lift in Switzerland. You won’t swim in the Mediterranean and now you don’t want to bicycle along the Italian Riviera.”

The bicycles used in the episode were provided by Arnold Schwinn and Company in return for a screen credit.

“The I Love Lucy Christmas Show” (1956) ~ Little Ricky gets a new bike for Christmas! 

“Lucy is a Kangaroo for a Day” (1962) ~ To buy her son a new bicycle for his birthday, Lucy takes a job at a law office - until things ‘unravel’.  Her knit dress becomes entangled in the spokes of the bicycle and unravels, causing her to have to wear a kangaroo costume to complete the job. 

A carefree Jerry (Jimmy Garrett) rides his new bicycle through the living room! 

A receipt from a Hollywood bicycle shop for the purchase of a bicycle basket and bike rack. Dated December 22, 1962, it was signed by Lucy. It is not known if the items turned up on screen or in what show / episode. 

“Together for Christmas” (1962) ~ Combining their family holiday traditions, Lucy holds her favorite ornament, a Santa on a three-wheeled bike. Viv’s expression betrays her feelings about the ornament. 

“Bob Hope’s Leading Ladies” (1966) ~ In the special, Lucy makes her grand entrance riding a large tricycle with her chauffeur (Jerry Colonna) on the back. 

“Lucy in London” (1966) ~ Lucy and singer / songwriter Anthony Newley tour London town on a tandem bicycle. 

Yours, Mine and Ours (1968) ~ In the film, Helen (Lucille Ball) and Frank (Henry Fonda) are the parents of 19 kids!  On Christmas morning, more than a couple of them get bicycles. 

“Lucy Helps Craig Get a Drivers License” (1969) ~ Lucy tags along on Craig’s road test. Needless to say the back seat driver frustrates and angers the instructor (Jack Gilford). When he learns that her license has expired, he says that after he's through with her she'll be lucky to drive a tricycle in Griffith Park!

“Lucy and Wally Cox” (1970) ~ Wally and Lucy are security guards at a toy warehouse that is robbed at gunpoint. There is a tricycle on the shelf behind the robbers (Gil Perkins and X Brands).  

“Lucy and Lawrence Welk” (1970) ~ Lucy sends her visiting friend Viv on the  Universal Studios tour, where she is excited to have seen Doris Day’s bicycle!  All this is reported by Viv and neither Day nor her bicycle appear on screen. In real life, Doris Day was an avid bike rider. She rode to the studio on many occasions and pedaled around Beverly Hills until the police finally told her they couldn’t guarantee her safety.  

Mame (1974) ~ Auntie Mame (Lucy) and her nephew Patrick (Kirby Furlong) bike through central park in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical.  

EXERCISE BIKES

“The Charm School” (1954) ~ At Phoebe Emerson’s salon, Lucy and Ethel work out on stationary bikes. If you don’t remember this moment, it is because it was cut before broadcast. The press photos, however, survive. 

“Lucy and the Countess Lose Weight” (1965) ~ At a health farm managed by Mr. Mooney, Lucy and Rosie (Ann Sothern) pedal away the pounds! 

“Happy Anniversary and Goodbye” (1974) ~ Norma and Fay (Nanette Fabray) keep fit for their husbands in Ball’s first post-series TV special. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a masseur. 

SONG CYCLE

“Lucy and the Generation Gap” (1969) ~ Includes the song “Daisy Bell” aka “Bicycle Built for Two” written in 1892 by British songwriter Harry Dacre.  

The song is heard again in “Lucy’s Lucky Day” (1971). 

You’ll look sweet Upon the seat Of a bicycle built for two!

CALL ME MR. BIKE

“Tennessee Ernie Hangs On” (1954) ~ featured Richard Reeves as Ernie’s old pal Lester Bike, host of “Milliken’s Chicken Mash Hour”.  “Lucy Saves Milton Berle” (1964) ~ featured Milton Frome as Jerry Bike, Berle’s agent. The agent’s name is never spoken aloud, but is listed in the end credits. 

A Lucille Ball impersonator takes a carefree trike ride at Disney Studios. [photo by Lori Mundy].  

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Ann Sothern (A Letter to 3 Wives, The Blue Gardenia)_ Another unsung comedienne of the 30s and 40s, not enough people know about Ann Sothern. She was, along with her bestie Lucille Ball, originally a Goldwyn gal, but was soon a featured star in pictures. She even headlined a series of films, the Maisie movies. And though she was known for her comedies, but I fell in love with her after her dramatic role in A Letter to 3 Wives. I also absolutely love her in the noir murder mystery The Blue Gardenia. She was absolutely stunning, and I am always excited to find a movie of hers to watch. She's high on my list of "Why don't more people talk about her?" actresses

Ingrid Bergman (Gaslight, Casablanca, Notorious)—Where do I even begin with Ingrid Bergman? I fell in love with her with her astounding performance in the 1956 version of Anastasia -- the best Anastasia movie in large part due to her wonderful and touching performance. She's got this amazing, fascinating intensity to her in whatever role she's in. She commits 100%, and she's got this light in whatever she's in that's stunning. She's utterly convincing no matter what she plays, from an amnesiac possible lost princess, from a nun, from a woman taking her revenge on the town that wronged her, to light romantic comedy. She's never missed in any role I've seen her in! Also she became quite the MILF.

This is round 2 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Ann Sothern:

She was so beautiful and had great comedic timing!

Ingrid Bergman:

God, she's fantastic. She's both beautiful and a compelling actor who's more than capable of putting the whole movie on her shoulders if necessary. It's worth noting that while her beauty is conventional, she was seen as refreshingly "natural" with more eyebrows and less makeup than many other leading ladies of the time. She's well known for her role in Casablanca, but in Notorious, Spellbound, (both available on archive.org ) and Gaslight (1944) she shows how immensely capable she is.

I mean...she's Ingrid Bergman. I feel like that should be enough, you know? She's physically beautiful (her eyes!) but watching her is like a transcendent experience. Her voice, her expressions... beautiful woman, beautiful actor.

I'm a gay man but even I understand her appeal. I'll watch any movie she shows up in. Gorgeous woman.

Just try and watch her movies without sighing wistfully, then get back to me!

Choosing 1-3 movies where Bergman was at her hottest was agony because, of course, she was always at her hottest. Not just because she was beautiful but because she was absolutely willing to go up against the bs women in Hollywood were constantly dealing with. When exiled from Hollywood for having an affair with Roberto Rossellini, not only did she refuse to apologize at any point, but she went on to say that Hollywood's films had grown stagnant and boring to her. Though she said she appreciated her time working there, she wanted to try new, different techniques (hence starring in Italian neorealist films, working on stage, and acting under directors like Ingmar Bergman). She was not afraid to chase after her artistic ideals and go outside the box regardless of what society had to say about it. From her first movie to her last she killed it. There's so much more to say about Bergman's career and life, but I've already written five million words so I'll stop at that.

One of the most incredible actors I've ever seen on film. Her facial expressions are so intricate and poignant that I cannot look away. I'm either ace or straight, but damn she made me question that.

SEVEN TIME OSCAR NOMINEE QUEEN. Girl also PULLED, having affairs with famously hot men Gary Cooper and Gregory Peck IN ADDITION to her three marriages...sexy

She has a very natural beauty to her, and she's from Sweden!

She left Hollywood and only became more beautiful. You could drown in her eyes. She can look innocent AND like she's seen it all. She is effortlessly elegant. She's played Joan of Arc (automatically hot) AND was in the movie that coined gaslight as a term. And where would we be without that!

She was known for being a breath of fresh air on the movie scene at the time with her windswept hair, dreamy smile and soulful eyes. I have loved her in every movie I have seen her in - she was just magnetic!

Where do I even start. There's a neighborly quality to this beautiful, talented actress that makes her hotness one of a kind and her looks impossible to forget

With a career spanning five decades, Bergman is often regarded as one of the most influential screen figures in cinematic history. Known for her naturally luminous beauty, Bergman spoke five languages – Swedish, English, German, Italian and French – and acted in each.

She's hot, don't get me wrong, but I've always found her very approachable, like she could easily be a member of my friend group

A lot of the time hotness in a movie is just about words and framing. "You're the most beautiful person here" [vaseline lens] well I sure hope so because that's who you cast. But when, in Casablanca, they call Ingrid Bergman the most beautiful woman in the world... they were not fucking lying. And such a dynamite actor too!! I'd only seen Casablanca up until last year, and there she's confined to love interest. But in Gaslight she was maybe one of the most incredible actors I've ever seen!!!! Goddddd shes so fucking hot and cool.

[tcm]

From War to Pandemic, We Salute Our Medical Heroes By Kim Luperi

“War is not only a man’s business,” the French documentary WOMEN AT WAR 1939-1945 (2015) cautions. “Nevertheless, men always forget, once wars are over, women’s key role in conflicts.” Women participated in WWII in ways that changed history and inspired future cultural and social movements: Keeping the home fires burning, working in factories, piloting planes, going undercover as spies, coordinating the resistance, caring for injured soldiers. TCM’s September spotlight “Honoring Our Medical Heroes” celebrates the incredible contributions medical personnel made during wartime. Re-visiting CRY ‘HAVOC’ (’43) recently reminded me of the astonishing valor women displayed on the front lines during WWII, and I couldn’t help but notice subtle parallels to those on the front lines fighting against the coronavirus pandemic today.

CRY ‘HAVOC’ follows a troop of female refugees – including Pat (Ann Sothern), Grace (Joan Blondell), Connie (Ella Raines) and Luisita (Philippine-born Fely Franquelli) – who volunteer as aides at an Army field hospital in Bataan in the days before the Allies surrendered to the Japanese. Led by two officers, Captain Alice Marsh (Fay Bainter) and Lieutenant Mary Smith (Margaret Sullavan), the diverse group are thrust into peril as they tend to wounded soldiers in a treacherous environment with dwindling supplies. With Japanese troops advancing, their character and courage are tested as their fate lies in the balance.

CRY ‘HAVOC’ was based on Allan R. Kenward’s play showing “life of a nurse at its very worst,” Variety commented during the film’s September 1942 opening in Hollywood. Two weeks later, MGM snatched up the screen rights for $20,000. The film adaptation bears strong evidence of its stage origins, particularly in its setting, as it takes place mostly underground in the women’s barracks; however, the actresses’ resilient performances effectively convey the anxiety, agony and horror nurses in the Philippines endured and the bravery they demonstrated in the face of extreme adversity.

In addition to the character deletion of an undercover Nazi spy from the movie version, the play also differed in its darker ending: The Japanese take the nurses captive and a barrage of gunfire erupts offstage, confirming their fate. I imagine that resolution was much too bleak for the screen, especially as the military still needed nurses to enlist in 1943, so CRY ‘HAVOC’ fades to black after the women’s detainment, leaving their ending up in the air. Considering the action takes place on Bataan, these final frames reminded me of the Angels of Bataan, the group of almost 80 US nurses who became Japanese prisoners of war in 1942. Not only did each of those nurses survive the three years they were interred in prison camps, but they banded together to valiantly continue supplying medical care to those held captive with them as they faced starvation and illness themselves.

More than 59,000 women served as nurses during WWII, working closer to the front lines than any other women in uniform. According to Judith A. Bellafaire’s brochure “The Army Nurse Corps in World War II,” their expertise and perseverance resulted in an extremely low number of post-injury soldier deaths despite some hospitals treating five times as many patients as they had capacity for. In the Philippines specifically, where CRY ‘HAVOC’ was set, nurses faced hazardous conditions (open air hospitals, kamikaze attacks, malnutrition), environmental factors (an intense tropical climate, water shortages) and disease (malaria, dysentery, dengue fever). Yet, like the volunteers in the movie who were given the option of leaving, many fought through the hardship, treating the sick and wounded as well as they could despite the circumstances.

The characters in the movie who put their lives in harm’s way to care for others reminded me of the sacrifices many are making today. The impetus for fellow aide Flo (Marsha Hunt) recruiting the volunteers in CRY ‘HAVOC’ was straightforward: The few nurses there are overworked and desperately need help. (Nor do they possess adequate medical provisions to treat a never-ending flow of wounded soldiers, but the volunteers couldn’t solve that issue.) This situation echoes the tragic reality of overtaxed doctors and nurses today who are tirelessly fighting a novel coronavirus with insufficient supplies as patients fill ICUs.

I was also struck by the similarity in seeing civilians step up and contribute on the front lines, a place most of them never thought they’d be; in CRY ‘HAVOC’, women with scant medical knowledge provide life-saving care on the battlefield, and this year, essential workers – from grocery clerks to postal workers and everyone in between – continue to show up and put their health at risk to ensure that life can continue as a pandemic rages. While the background situations may differ, these parallels provide an important reminder to recognize and applaud the sacrifices of those who serve for the greater good of humanity – in any capacity.

[leber66-blog]

[kwebtv]

Character Actor

Harold Joseph Archambault (September 29, 1936 – May 7, 2007) Known professionally as Arch Whiting.   Television actor known for playing the role of "Sparks" in the American science fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. 

He began his career in the 1950s, where Whiting worked as a production assistant on the variety television program The Ed Sullivan Show. Whiting had studied acting under the name Sandford Meisner. In 1959, he appeared in the television series Paradise Kid, in which Whiting said that, "it was a flop". He continued his career, mainly appearing on television, as his credits includes Not for Hire, The Ann Sothern Show, It’s a Man’s World, The Fugitive, Mannix, Land of the Giants, The F.B.I., Star Trek: The Original Series, Joe Forrester, Cannon, Garrison's Gorillas, Run for Your Life, Barnaby Jones and The Bold Ones: The Lawyers.

Later in his career, Whiting co-starred in the science fiction television series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, where he played the role of the radio engineer "Sparks". He was hired by creator, Irwin Allen. Whiting then starred in the new NBC television series Run, Joe, Run, where he played the role of "Sgt. William Corey".  (Wikipedia)