June 25, 2016

#SOTM - TCM's Star of the Month July 2016 - Olivia de Havilland - A Centennial Celebration



I've always enjoyed the film, radio and television work of Olivia de Havilland. My small tribute site at meredy.com, Olivia de Havilland ~~ One Classy Lady, has been around for many years. For OTR (Old Time Radio) fans, please check out the end of the post which is dedicated to Miss de Havilland's radio performances.

I'm so glad Turner Classic Movies is celebrating her centenary and career by choosing her to be the Star of the Month for July 2016. Her films will be featured every Friday evening and early Saturday morning (EDT).


8:00 p.m.
Raffles (1939)
BW - 1h 12m

A suave thief (David Niven) falls in love again with his high school sweetheart (Olivia de Havilland) and finds temptation and a detective on his trail while visiting her family.

Ernest William Hornung wrote the A. J. Raffles series of short stories about a gentleman thief in late 19th-century London. John Van Druten and Sidney Howard adapted the film's screenplay from Hornung's tales.

Director: Sam Wood
Cast: David Niven, Olivia de Havilland, Dame May Whitty, Dudley Digges, Douglas Walton, E. E. Clive, Lionel Pape, Peter Godfrey, Margaret Seddon, Leyland Hodgson.

9:15 p.m.
Gone with the Wind (1939)
Color - 3h 58m

Epic Civil War drama focuses on the life of petulant southern belle Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh). Starting with her idyllic on a sprawling plantation, the film traces her survival through the tragic history of the South during the Civil War and Reconstruction, and her tangled love affairs with Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) and Rhett Butler (Clark Gable).

Olivia de Havilland was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her performance as Melanie Hamilton Wilkes. She lost to Hattie McDaniel for her portrayal of Mammy.

Directors: Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood
Cast: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, Hattie McDaniel, many more.

1:15 a.m.
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Color - 1h 42m

When King Richard the Lionheart is captured, his scheming brother Prince John (Claude Rains) plots to reach the throne, to the outrage of Sir Robin of Locksley (Errol Flynn), the bandit king of Sherwood Forest. Rounding up his band of men and eventually winning the support of the lovely Maid Marian (Olivia de Havilland), Robin accuses Prince John of treachery and, when the escaped Richard returns covertly to England, joins forces with the king to prevent Prince John from taking the crown.

This was the third film to pair Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland (after Captain Blood and The Charge of the Light Brigade). They would ultimately star together in eight films: Four's a Crowd (1938), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Dodge City (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940), and They Died with Their Boots On (1941). They also appeared in Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943). All the films are being shown on TCM in July 2016.

Directors: Michael Curtiz, William Keighley
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Eugene Pallette, Alan Hale, Sr., Herbert Mundin, Melville Cooper, Una O'Connor, Ian Hunter, Montagu Love, many more.

3:15 a.m.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
Color - 1h 46m

Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) secretly loves the ambitious and courageous Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn), but at the same time she distrusts his desire for power, fearing he will exploit his political influence to her detriment. Though Essex's popularity soars when he returns victorious from a military campaign in Spain, Elizabeth instead chides him for prosecuting an unprofitable war. While the lovers quarrel, Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price) schemes to bring about the downfall of Essex.

The original play, Maxwell Anderson's Elizabeth the Queen, was produced on Broadway in 1930 as a vehicle for Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Sr., Henry Daniell, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, James Stephenson, Nanette Fabray, Ralph Forbes, Robert Warwick, Leo G. Carroll.


5:15 a.m.
Captain Blood (1935)
BW - 1h 59m

In England in the 1600s, Dr. Peter Blood (Errol Flynn) treats the wounds of a man who had been injured in a rebellion against King James II, for which he is convicted of treason and sold into slavery in the Caribbean colony of Port Royal, Jamaica. Despite the kindnesses of his new owner, Arabella Bishop (Olivia de Havilland), Blood and his fellow slaves escape to begin a life of high-seas piracy. But when Captain Blood crosses paths with Arabella again years later, he remembers her compassion.

The film is based on the 1922 novel Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini and features a stirring musical score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Lionel Atwill, Basil Rathbone, Ross Alexander, Guy Kibbee, Henry Stephenson, many more.

7:30 a.m.
Anthony Adverse (1936)
BW - 2h 21m

Based on the novel by Hervey Allen, this expansive drama follows the many adventures of the eponymous hero (Fredric March). Abandoned at a convent by the heartless Don Luis (Claude Rains), Anthony is later mentored by his kind grandfather, John Bonnyfeather (Edmund Gwenn), and falls for the beautiful Angela Giuseppe (Olivia de Havilland). When circumstances separate Anthony and Angela and he embarks on a long journey, he must find his way back to her, no matter what the cost.

The film won four Academy Awards. Gale Sondergaard won the first Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Gaetano Gaudio won for Best Cinematography and Ralph Dawson for Best Film Editing. Best Music (Scoring) was won by the Warner Bros. Studio Music Department, Leo Forbstein, head of department (Score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold).

Director: Mervyn LeRoy
Cast: Fredric March, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Woods, Anita Louise, Edmund Gwenn, Claude Rains, Louis Hayward, Gale Sondergaard, Akim Tamiroff, Ralph Morgan, Henry O'Neill, Pedro de Cordoba, Alma Lloyd.

10:00 a.m.
The Irish in Us (1935)
BW - 1h 24m

Like any brothers, Danny (James Cagney) and Pat (Pat O'Brien) have had their share of differences. But the sibling rivalry gets pumped up to the next level when lovely Lucille (Olivia de Havilland) comes between them. Pat, a police officer, is planning on marrying Lucille, but only if he can trust Danny to take over the financial support of their mother. But when Danny instead risks it all to be a boxing promoter, and starts romancing Pat's girl, the gloves finally come off.

A modern source notes that publicity for this film focused on the fact that James Cagney did his own boxing.

Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, Olivia de Havilland, Frank McHugh, Allen Jenkins, Mary Gordon, J. Farrell MacDonald, Thomas E. Jackson.

11:30 a.m.
Alibi Ike (1935)
BW - 1h 12m

With his job on the line, Chicago Cubs manager Cap (William Frawley) needs to turn around his lackluster team fastespecially since nothing less than the pennant will keep him employed. Fortunately for Cap, rookie pitcher Frank "Ike" Farrell (Joe E. Brown) has just the talent to pull up the fledgling team. However, Ike always has an excuse or a lie handy for every problemand the real trouble comes when a group of gamblers look to fix the Cubs' games, and Ike is their main target.

Popular major league baseball players make cameo appearances, including Guy Cantrell, Dick Cox, Cedric Durst, Mike Gazella, Wally Hood, Don Hurst, Smead Jolley, Lou Koupal, Bob Meusel, Wally Rehg, and Jim Thorpe.

Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Joe E. Brown, Olivia de Havilland, William Frawley, Ruth Donnelly, Roscoe Karns, Eddie Shubert, Paul Harvey, Joe King, G. Pat Collins, Spencer Charters, Gene Morgan.


8:00 p.m.
In This Our Life (1942)
BW - 1h 37m

In this melodrama, pampered sibling Stanley Timberlake (Bette Davis) is 24 hours away from marrying her lawyer fiancé, Craig Fleming (George Brent), when she absconds with Dr. Peter Kingsmill (Dennis Morgan), the husband of her sister Roy Timberlake (Olivia de Havilland). To clear the way for her sister's marriage to Peter, Roy quickly divorces him, but then starts seeing her sister's former fiancé, Craig. Stanley's true nature begins to reveal itself, forcing Peter to look for a way out.

The screenplay by Howard Koch was based on the 1942 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same title by Ellen Glasgow.

Director: John Huston
Cast: Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, George Brent, Dennis Morgan, Frank Craven, Billie Burke, Charles Coburn, Ernest Anderson, Hattie McDaniel, Lee Patrick, Mary Servoss, Charlotte Fitzroy, William B. Davidson, Edward Fielding, John Hamilton, William Forrest.

9:45 p.m.
They Died with Their Boots On (1941)
BW - 2h 20m

George Armstrong Custer (Errol Flynn) is a rebellious but ambitious soldier, eager to join the Civil War. During the war, Custer has numerous successes to his credit, even though he disobeys orders. After the war concludes, he marries Libby Bacon (Olivia de Havilland) and is assigned to the Dakota Territory. Custer negotiates honestly with the Sioux on land, but due to corruption from others, a battle with Sitting Bull's forces occurs at Little Big Horn.

Louis Zamperini, Olympic athlete and subject of Unbroken, was an extra in this film just before being drafted into the United States Armed Forces during World War II.

Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, Charley Grapewin, Gene Lockhart, Anthony Quinn, George P. Huntley, Jr., Stanley Ridges, John Litel, Walter Hampden, Sydney Greenstreet, Regis Toomey, Hattie McDaniel, Minor Watson, Joseph Crehan.

12:15 a.m.
Santa Fe Trail (1940)
BW - 1h 50m

After graduating from West Point, James Ewell Brown (J. E. B. - Jeb) Stuart (Errol Flynn) and George Custer (Ronald Reagan) are both stationed to Fort Leavenworth in Kansas. Once there, they find that the violent abolitionist John Brown (Raymond Massey) has laid waste to the state, killing anyone who gets in the way of his anti-slavery crusade. While the duo must work together to battle the murderous revolutionary, they also come to blows over their competing love for Kit Carson Holliday (Olivia de Havilland).

The film entered the public domain in 1968 when the copyright wasn't renewed by then-owner United Artists Television.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Raymond Massey, Ronald Reagan, Alan Hale, William Lundigan, Van Heflin, Gene Reynolds, Henry O'Neill, Guinn Williams, Alan Baxter, Moroni Olsen, Erville Alderson.

2:15 a.m.
Dodge City (1939)
Color - 1h 44m

In 1872, Dodge City, Kansas is the epicenter of cattle drives and lawlessness. Run by Jeff Surrett (Bruce Cabot), Dodge City isn't safe for anyone or anything. When Wade Hatton (Errol Flynn) arrives for a cattle drive, he's moved by the violent death of a young boy to take up the post of sheriff and take back the town from Surrett and his cohorts. But first he must contend with the rowdy townsfolk who, having been so long without law, desire to take the law into their own hands.

Filmed in early Technicolor, it was one of the highest-grossing films of the year.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Ann Sheridan, Bruce Cabot, Alan Hale, Victor Jory, Frank McHugh, John Litel, Henry Travers, Henry O'Neill, William Lundigan, Guinn Williams, Bobs Watson, Gloria Holden, Douglas Fowley, Ward Bond, Clem Bevans.



4:15 a.m.
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
BW - 1h 55m

While stationed in India during the Crimean War, Major Geoffrey Vickers (Errol Flynn) is twice betrayed. His brother, Captain Perry Vickers (Patric Knowles), has swept his fiancée, Elsa (Olivia De Havilland), off her feet. Meanwhile, after Vickers saves the life of Surat Khan (C. Henry Gordon), the rajah launches a massacre in a nearby city and allies himself with the British troops' Russian enemies. Vickers and his Light Brigade respond to this provocation at the historical Battle of Balaklava.

For the filming of the climactic charge, 125 horses were trip-wired. Of those, 25 were killed outright or had to be put down afterward. Some sources claim the figure is higher. Errol Flynn, an accomplished horseman, was outraged. The numerous animal deaths forced Congress to look at animal abuse in film for the first time. Flynn later asserted in his autobiography that it was he who complained to the ASPCA.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Patric Knowles, Henry Stephenson, Nigel Bruce, Donald Crisp, David Niven, C. Henry Gordon, George P. Huntley, Jr., Robert Barrat, Spring Byington, E. E. Clive, J. Carrol Naish.

6:15 a.m.
It's Love I'm After (1937)
BW - 1h 30m

Despite constant bickering on and off stage, Shakespearean actors Basil Underwood (Leslie Howard) and Joyce Arden (Bette Davis) intend to marry after their closing performance in Romeo and Juliet. But following the show, debutante Marcia West (Olivia de Havilland), smitten by Basil's interpretation of Romeo, visits backstage to declare him the perfect man for her. Basil is initially flattered by her attentions, which enrages Joyceuntil they both find Marcia more than they can handle.

The screenplay allows Leslie Howard to draw on his classical background by having his character quote lines from Macbeth, Hamlet, The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet.

Director: Archie Mayo
Cast: Leslie Howard, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Eric Blore, Patric Knowles, George Barbier, Spring Byington, Bonita Granville, Valerie Bergere, E. E. Clive, Irving Bacon.

8:00 a.m.
The Great Garrick (1937)
BW - 1h 29m

Celebrated 18th-century British actor David Garrick (Brian Aherne) receives an invitation from the Comédie-Française in Paris, but they mistakenly hear that he's planning to give them acting lessons. Insulted, the troupe arranges to stay at his inn and put on an outlandish performance to convince him of their acting skills. When Countess Germaine de la Corbe (Olivia de Havilland), who is fleeing an arranged marriage, shows up, Garrick thinks her romantic advances are part of the plot.

The film is based on the play Ladies and Gentlemen by Ernest Vajda.

Director: James Whale
Cast: Brian Aherne, Olivia de Havilland, Edward Everett Horton, Melville Cooper, Lionel Atwill, Luis Alberni, Lana Turner (bit part), Marie Wilson.

9:45 a.m.
Call It a Day (1937)
BW - 1h 30m

An actress, a bachelor and an artist flirt with an Englishman (Ian Hunter), his wife (Frieda Inescort) and their daughter (Olivia de Havilland).

The film is based on the 1935 play Call It a Day by Dodie Smith, known best for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956).

Director: Archie Mayo
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Ian Hunter, Anita Louise, Alice Brady, Roland Young, Frieda Inescort, Bonita Granville, Peggy Wood, Marcia Ralston, Walter Woolf King, Peter Willes, Una O'Connor, Beryl Mercer.


8:00 p.m.
The Snake Pit (1948)
BW - 1h 48m

In this psychological drama, Virginia Cunningham (Olivia de Havilland) is confused upon finding herself in a mental hospital, with no memory of her arrival at the institution. Tormented by delusions and unable to even recognize her husband, Robert (Mark Stevens), she is treated by Dr. Mark Kik (Leo Genn), who is determined to get to the root of her mental illness. As her treatment progresses, flashbacks depict events in Virginia's life that may have contributed to her instability.

Olivia de Havilland was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Jane Wyman won for Johnny Belinda.

The film led to changes in the conditions of mental institutions in the United States. In 1949, Herb Stein of Daily Variety wrote "Wisconsin is the seventh state to institute reforms in its mental hospitals as a result of The Snake Pit.

Director: Anatole Litvak
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn, Celeste Holm, Glenn Langan, Helen Craig, Leif Erickson, Beulah Bondi, Lee Patrick, Howard Freeman, Natalie Schafer, Ruth Donnelly, Katherine Locke, Celia Lovsky, Frank Conroy, Minna Gombell, Betsy Blair.

10:00 p.m.
The Heiress (1949)
BW - 1h 56m

Catherine Sloper (Olivia de Havilland), a young woman who stands to inherit her father's large fortune, falls in love when she meets Morris (Montgomery Clift), who gives her the love and affection her father doesn't, and which she desperately needs. Catherine's father (Ralph Richardson), believing Morris is only after the money, tells Catherine she will be disinherited if she marries him. Morris' true intentions are put to the test when he finds out about the amended will.

After seeing The Heiress on Broadway, Olivia de Havilland approached William Wyler about directing her in a screen adaptation of the play. She won her second Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Catherine.

The film was written by Augustus and Ruth Goetz, adapted from their 1947 play The Heiress. The play was suggested by the 1880 novel Washington Square by Henry James.

The Broadway cast: Wendy Hiller as Catherine Sloper, Basil Rathbone as Dr. Austin Sloper, Peter Cookson as Morris Townsend, and Patricia Collinge as Lavinia Penniman.

Director: William Wyler
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Montgomery Clift, Ralph Richardson, Miriam Hopkins, Vanessa Brown, Betty Linley, Ray Collins, Mona Freeman, Selena Royle, Paul Lees, Harry Antrim, Russ Conway, David Thursby.

12:15 a.m.
To Each His Own (1946)
BW - 2h 2m

During a night watch in London, middle-aged American Jody Norris (Olivia de Havilland) meets the brisk but kind Lord Desham (Roland Culver). Later, Jody recalls her youth when she fell in love with a pilot and bore his illegitimate child after his death in the war. Jody tried to arrange to adopt her own child, but the boy ended up with her best friend, and Jody's efforts to regain custody were fruitless. Years later, when Jody's son arrives in London as an American pilot, Desham provides help.

This was Olivia de Havilland's first film role in three years. She was suspended by Warner Brothers when she filed suit against the studio on August 23, 1943, and was officially fired by the studio after she won her suit by unanimous decision on December 8, 1944. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Josephine "Jody" Norris.

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Mary Anderson, Roland Culver, John Lund, Phillip Terry, Bill Goodwin, Virginia Welles, Victoria Horne, Griff Barnett.

2:30 a.m.
Devotion (1946)
BW - 1h 47m

As sisters Emily (Ida Lupino), Charlotte (Olivia de Havilland) and Anne Brontë (Nancy Coleman) all work on their novels, they each face their own series of tragedies. Both Charlotte and Anne fall in love with handsome Arthur Nicholls (Paul Henreid), and Emily struggles to keep their troubled brother, Branwell (Arthur Kennedy), away from the bottle so he can focus on his painting. While happiness eludes them, all three sisters use their personal heartache as inspiration for their writing.

Devotion was filmed between November 11, 1942 and mid-February 1943, but its screening was delayed until April 5, 1946 at the Strand Theater in Manhattan, due to a lawsuit by Olivia de Havilland against Warner Brothers. De Havilland successfully sued her studio to terminate her contract without providing the studio an extra six months to make up for her time on suspension. It proved a landmark case for the industry.

Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Cast: Ida Lupino, Paul Henreid, Olivia de Havilland, Sydney Greenstreet, Nancy Coleman, Arthur Kennedy, Dame May Whitty, Victor Francen, Montagu Love, Ethel Griffies, Edmund Breon, Odette Myrtil, Doris Lloyd, Marie De Becker, Eily Malyon.



4:30 a.m.
Wings of the Navy (1939)
BW - 1h 29m

Two brothers (George Brent, John Payne) train as Navy pilots, go to Honolulu and romance the same girl (Olivia de Havilland).

Wings of the Navy was filmed on location at the Naval Air Station on North Island in San Diego, California, and the Naval Air Station at Pensacola, Florida and was dedicated to the U.S. Naval Aviation Service.

Director: Lloyd Bacon
Cast: George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, John Payne, Frank McHugh, John Litel, Victor Jory, Henry O'Neill, John Ridgely, Regis Toomey, Jonathan Hale, Pierre Watkin.

6:15 a.m.
Hard to Get (1938)
BW - 1h 22m

Maggie Richards (Olivia de Havilland) is a spoiled brat who, having forgotten her purse, thinks she can buy gas simply by mentioning her wealthy father (Charles Winninger). But gas station employee Bill Davis (Dick Powell) isn't having it, and makes her work to pay off her debt at the pump. Determined to get revenge, Maggie deceives Bill into thinking that her father might help finance Bill's dream of building a motel, knowing full well that he will get thrown out on his ear.

"You Must Have Been a Beautiful Baby" (Harry Warren and Johnny Mercer) played during the opening and closing credits, sung by Dick Powell.

"Sonny Boy" (Ray Henderson, Buddy G. DeSylva, and Lew Brown) played by the band at Atwater's and sung by Dick Powell in blackface. (I detest blackface performances.)

Director: Ray Enright
Cast: Dick Powell, Olivia de Havilland, Charles Winninger, Allen Jenkins, Bonita Granville, Melville Cooper, Isabel Jeans, Grady Sutton, Thurston Hall, John Ridgely, Penny Singleton, Granville Bates, Jack Mower.

7:45 a.m.
Gold Is Where You Find It (1938)
Color - 1h 34m

Mining expert Jared Whitney (George Brent) is courting Serena (Olivia de Havilland), but her father, farmer Col. Ferris (Claude Rains), views Jared as a symbol of the new mining techniques that damage the land and disapproves of him. As Jared goes to work for a devious mining company run by rival members of the Ferris family, Serena begins to sour on him. But when Jared learns that his employer's recklessness led to a man's death, he sees why the elder Ferris resists some new mining companies.

The film is lifted out of the ordinary by its early use of the newly perfected 3-strip Technicolor process, its big-budget director and cast, and its musical score by Max Steiner.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, Claude Rains, Margaret Lindsay, John Litel, Marcia Ralston, Barton MacLane, Tim Holt, Sidney Toler, Henry O'Neill, Willie Best, Robert McWade, George Hayes, Russell Simpson, Harry Davenport, Clarence Kolb, Moroni Olsen, Walter Rodgers.

9:30 a.m.
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
BW - 2h 22m

In this classic screen adaptation of Shakespeare's fantastical play, the royal wedding plans of Theseus, the duke of Athens (Ian Hunter) and Hippolyta overlap with the antics of forest fairies, led by Oberon and Titania, and a ragtag troupe of actors. Meanwhile, young lovers, including Lysander (Dick Powell) and Hermia (Olivia de Havilland), deceive each other in amusing ways, and magic adds a mischievous element to this enchanted romantic comedy.

Olivia de Havilland originally played the role of Hermia in Max Reinhardt's Hollywood Bowl stage production of the play. Although the cast of the stage play was mostly replaced by Warner Brothers contract players, de Havilland and Mickey Rooney were chosen to reprise their original roles.

Directors: Max Reinhardt, William Dieterle
Cast: Ian Hunter, Verree Teasdale, Hobart Cavanaugh, Dick Powell, Ross Alexander, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Muir, Grant Mitchell, Frank McHugh, Dewey Robinson, James Cagney, Joe E. Brown, Hugh Herbert, Otis Harlan, Arthur Treacher, Victor Jory, Anita Louise, Nini Theilade, Mickey Rooney, Katherine Frey, Helen Westcott, Fred Sale, Billy Barty.


8:00 p.m.
My Cousin Rachel (1952)
BW - 1h 38m

When Philip Ashley's (Richard Burton) wealthy cousin, Ambrose (John Sutton), dies suddenly, his suspicions drift to Ambrose's new and icy wife, Rachel (Olivia de Havilland), who stands to benefit greatly from his cousin's death. When Ashley is introduced to Rachel at Ambrose's funeral, however, his fears are immediately laid to rest: how could such a beautiful young woman possibly be a murderer? But when the estate is left to Ashley, he begins to fear for his life.

The film received four Academy Award nominations: Best Art Direction, Black and White (Lyle Wheeler, John DeCuir, Walter M. Scott), Best Cinematography, Black and White (Joseph LaShelle), Best Costume Design, Black and White (Charles LeMaire, Dorothy Jeakins), Best Supporting Actor (Richard Burton).

Richard Burton won the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer – Male. Olivia de Havilland was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama.

Director: Henry Koster
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Richard Burton, Audrey Dalton, Ronald Squire, George Dolenz, John Sutton, Tudor Owen, J. M. Kerrigan, Margaret Brewster, Alma Lawton, Ola Lorraine, Kathleen Mason, Earl Robie, Argentina Brunetti, Mario Siletti.

9:45 p.m.
The Proud Rebel (1958)
Color - 1h 43m

Confederate veteran John Chandler (Alan Ladd) returns from defeat in war to find his home razed, his wife dead and his young son, David (David Ladd), traumatized and rendered mute. Desperate to cure the boy, Chandler takes David to a small town in Illinois where he hopes to find a doctor. But, soon after the pair arrives, Chandler finds himself framed for assaultand forced to choose between serving hard time and working for struggling local farmer Linnett Moore (Olivia de Havilland).

The film was based on a 1947 short story by James Edward Grant. Grant famously collaborated with John Wayne on twelve projects.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Alan Ladd, Olivia de Havilland, Dean Jagger, David Ladd, Cecil Kellaway, Harry Dean Stanton, Tom Pittman, Henry Hull, Eli Mintz, John Carradine, James Westerfield, Percy Helton, Dan White, Mary Wickes, King as Lance, David's dog.

11:45 p.m.
The Ambassador's Daughter (1956)
Color - 1h 43m

Senator Cartwright (Adolphe Menjou) and his wife (Myrna Loy) arrive in Paris as the guests of Ambassador Fiske (Edward Arnold). Cartwright has a plan to restrict the city from American soldiers on leave due to their boorish behavior. Fiske's daughter, Joan (Olivia de Havilland), tries to prove that Cartwright is wrong about the soldiers by going on a date with one named Danny (John Forsythe). Although Joan does not reveal her plan, Danny acts like a gentleman, and she starts to fall for him.

Christian Dior was the film's costume designer. It was prominent character actor Minor Watson's last film.

Director: Norman Krasna
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, John Forsythe, Myrna Loy, Adolphe Menjou, Tommy Noonan, Francis Lederer, Edward Arnold, Minor Watson.

1:45 a.m.
Hold Back the Dawn (1941)
BW - 1h 56m

Impressionable teacher Emmy (Olivia de Havilland) is swept off her feet when she meets Georges (Charles Boyer) in a Mexican border town. Unaware that Georges is a gigolo looking for a woman who will unwittingly help him get a green card, Emmy marries him after only a few days. While carrying out the charade, Georges begins to fall for Emmy, angering his girlfriend, Anita (Paulette Goddard). As his scheme is jeopardized, Georges learns keeping Emmy may be more important than his green card.

The film was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Olivia de Havilland), Best Adapted Screenplay (Charles Brackett, Billy Wilder), Best Art Direction, Black and White (Hans Dreier, Robert Usher, Sam Comer), Best Cinematography, Black and White (Leo Tover), and Best Score of a Dramatic Picture (Victor Young).

Public attention was focused on the Best Actress race between sibling rivals Joan Fontaine in Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion and Olivia de Havilland for Hold Back the Dawn. Fontaine’s victory was the only time an actress won for a performance in an Alfred Hitchcock film.

Director: Mitchell Leisen
Cast: Charles Boyer, Olivia de Havilland, Paulette Goddard, Victor Francen, Walter Abel, Curt Bois, Rosemary DeCamp, Eric Feldary, Nestor Paiva, Eva Puig, Micheline Cheirel, Madeleine LeBeau, Billy Lee, Mikhail Rasumny, Charles Arnt, Arthur Loft, Mitchell Leisen, Kitty Kelly.



4:00 a.m.
The Strawberry Blonde (1941)
BW - 1h 37m

At the turn of the century, dentist Biff Grimes (James Cagney) recalls his association with politician Hugo Barnstead (Jack Carson). The men meet over their romantic rivalry for striking strawberry blonde Virginia Brush (Rita Hayworth). Despite Biff's efforts, Virginia pushes her friend, nurse and women's rights advocate Amy Lind (Olivia de Havilland), on him and elopes with Hugo. After Biff and Amy fall in love, Biff join Hugo's firm, only to learn that his rival is still a double dealer.

The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and features songs such as "The Band Played On," "Bill Bailey," "Meet Me in St. Louis," "Wait Till The Sun Shines, Nellie," and "Love Me and the World Is Mine."

Director: Raoul Walsh
Cast: James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Rita Hayworth, Alan Hale, Jack Carson, George Tobias, Una O'Connor, George Reeves, Lucile Fairbanks.

6:00 a.m.
My Love Came Back (1940)
BW - 1h 25m

A New York student violinist (Olivia de Havilland) falls in love with her anonymous benefactor's (Charles Winninger) business manager (Jeffrey Lynn).

The film is notable for Heinz Eric Roemheld's musical direction and Ray Heindorf's unique swing orchestral arrangements of classical pieces.

Director: Curtis Bernhardt
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn, Eddie Albert, Jane Wyman, Charles Winninger, Spring Byington, Grant Mitchell, William T. Orr, Ann Gillis, S. Z. Sakall, Charles Trowbridge, Mabel Taliaferro, William B. Davidson, Nanette Vallon, Sidney Bracey.

7:30 a.m.
Thank Your Lucky Stars (1943)
BW - 2h 4m

Dr. Schlenna (S.Z. Sakall) and Farnsworth (Edward Everett Horton) are attempting to put together a wartime charity show with an ensemble of stars, but must indulge the hubris of singer Eddie Cantor (Eddie Cantor) in order to gain the participation of Dinah Shore (Dinah Shore). Meanwhile, Eddie Cantor look-alike Joe Simpson (also Cantor) drives a tour bus, taking tourists to various Hollywood locations. When the producers discover his singing talents, he offers them a solution to their problems.

The stars donated their salaries to the Hollywood Canteen, which was founded by John Garfield and Bette Davis, who appear in the film.

Director: David Butler
Cast: Eddie Cantor, Joan Leslie, Dennis Morgan, Edward Everett Horton, S.Z. Sakall.
Cameo appearances: Humphrey Bogart, Jack Carson, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Ruth Donnelly, Errol Flynn, John Garfield, Alan Hale, Sr., Mark Hellinger, Noble Johnson, Ida Lupino, Mike Mazurki, Hattie McDaniel, Ann Sheridan, Alexis Smith, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, George Tobias, Doodles Weaver, Don Wilson, Spike Jones and His City Slickers.

9:45 a.m.
Four's a Crowd (1938)
BW - 1h 32m

Reporter Jean Christy (Rosalind Russell) convinces publicity man Bob Lansford (Errol Flynn) to buy the failing paper she writes for from owner Pat Buckley (Patric Knowles). Initially reluctant, Bob agrees to Jean's plan when he learns Pat is engaged to Lorri Dillingwell (Olivia de Havilland), whose wealthy grandfather he hopes to snag as a client. Bob soon runs a critical story on Lorri's grandfather in a scheme to later "save" the man, making Jean wonder if she did the right thing.

The fourth film pairing of Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Warner Brothers borrowed Rosalind Russell from M-G-M for the film.

Director: Michael Curtiz
Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, Patric Knowles, Walter Connolly, Hugh Herbert, Melville Cooper, Franklin Pangborn, Herman Bing, Margaret Hamilton, Joseph Crehan, Joe Cunningham, Gloria Blondell, Carole Landis.


8:00 p.m.
The Fifth Musketeer (1979)
Color - 1h 43m

A somewhat older D'Artagnan and company help Louis XIV's twin (Beau Bridges) swashbuckle his way to the throne.

Olivia de Havilland makes a cameo appearance as the Queen Mother. This was de Havilland's final theatrical film.

Director: Ken Annakin
Cast: Beau Bridges, Sylvia Kristel, Ursula Andress, Cornel Wilde, Ian McShane, Lloyd Bridges, José Ferrer, Alan Hale, Jr., Olivia de Havilland, Rex Harrison, Helmut Dantine, Patrick Pinney.

10:00 p.m.
The Swarm (1978)
Color - 1h 56m

Scientist Dr. Bradford Crane (Michael Caine) and General Thaddeus Slater (Richard Widmark) join forces to fight an almost invisible enemy threatening America; killer bees that have deadly venom and attack without reason. Disaster movie-master Irwin Allen's film contains spectacular special effects, including a train crash caused by the eponymous swarm.

The film was a notorious box office bomb upon its release in 1978, barely making it two weeks in theaters.

Believe it or not, it was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Paul Zastupnevich).

The Swarm was Fred MacMurray's final film. Wonder why?

The movie is notable for a "Scream Moan" by veteran actress Olivia de Havilland who screams a moan when she sees dead children outside her window. Watch below:


Director: Irwin Allen
Cast: Michael Caine, Katharine Ross, Richard Widmark, Richard Chamberlain, Olivia de Havilland, Ben Johnson, Lee Grant, José Ferrer, Patty Duke, Slim Pickens, Bradford Dillman, Fred MacMurray, Henry Fonda, Cameron Mitchell, Christian Juttner, Morgan Paull, Alejandro Rey, Don "Red" Barry.

12:15 a.m.
Light in the Piazza (1962)
Color - 1h 42m

Meg Johnson (Olivia de Havilland) is very protective of her daughter, Clara (Yvette Mimieux), a gorgeous young woman who suffers from a mental disability. While on vacation in Italy, Clara meets the dashing Fabrizio Naccarelli (George Hamilton), who is immediately smitten with her and doesn't initially grasp the extent of her developmental handicap. Though Meg is wary of letting Clara fall into a romance with Fabrizio, she realizes that he may be able to give the girl a better life.

The film is notable for its extensive location shooting in Florence and Rome by the award-winning cinematographer Otto Heller.

Director: Guy Green
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Rossano Brazzi, Yvette Mimieux, George Hamilton, Nancy Nevinson, Isabel Dean, Moultrie Kelsall, Barry Sullivan.

2:15 a.m.
Libel (1959)
BW - 1h 40m

An English nobleman's (Dirk Bogarde) wife (Olivia de Havilland) has him sue a Canadian (Paul Massie) who has called him an impostor.

The film's screenplay was written by Anatole de Grunwald and Karl Tunberg from a 1935 play of the same name by Edward Wooll.

Director: Anthony Asquith
Cast: Dirk Bogarde, Olivia de Havilland, Paul Massie, Robert Morley, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Anthony Dawson, Richard Wattis, Martin Miller, Richard Dimbleby.

4:00 a.m.
The Male Animal (1942)
BW - 1h 41m

On the weekend of the big football game at a large Midwestern university, English professor Tommy Turner (Henry Fonda) unexpectedly gets embroiled in a free-speech controversy. When a trustee (Eugene Pallette) learns that Tommy intends to read a letter by convicted anarchist Bartolomeo Vanzetti in class, he threatens the professor's job. Meanwhile, Tommy's unhappy wife (Olivia de Havilland) is wooed by her visiting college boyfriend, ex-football star Joe Ferguson (Jack Carson).

The film was based on a hit 1940 Broadway play of the same name written by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent. The screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery, Julius J. Epstein, and Philip G. Epstein, based on Thurber and Nugent's play. The film was also directed by Elliott Nugent.

Cast: Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland, Joan Leslie, Jack Carson, Eugene Pallette, Herbert Anderson, Hattie McDaniel, Ivan Simpson, Don DeFore, Jean Ames, Minna Phillips, Regina Wallace, Frank Mayo, William B. Davidson, Bobby Barnes.



6:00 a.m.
Government Girl (1943)
BW - 1h 34m

At the height of World War II, auto engineer Ed Browne (Sonny Tufts) is called to Washington, D.C. from Detroit to head a new experimental aircraft project. A screwball misunderstanding at his hotel introduces him to brassy Smokey Allard (Olivia de Havilland), who turns out to be his new secretary. Despite her engagement to scheming Senate aide Dana McGuire (Jess Barker), Smokey and Ed fall for each other against a backdrop of corporate intrigue and wartime espionage.

Leading lady Olivia de Havilland absolutely hated the role. She had not wanted to do the picture in the first place, but was forced into it by an arrangement whereby Warner Bros. loaned her services to David O. Selznick, who turned her over to RKO.

Director: Dudley Nichols
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Sonny Tufts, Anne Shirley, Jess Barker, James Dunn, Paul Stewart, Agnes Moorehead, Harry Davenport, Una O'Connor, Sig Ruman.

7:45 a.m.
Princess O'Rourke (1943)
BW - 1h 34m

Princess Maria (Olivia de Havilland) and her uncle (Charles Coburn) are in Washington, D.C., where it is hoped she will meet a suitable man to marry. After a number of misfires on the romance front, Maria flies to San Francisco, sedating herself beforehand to combat her fear of flying. Still asleep when the plane sets down, Maria is taken in by the pilot, Eddie (Robert Cummings). When Maria wakes up and meets Edward, sparks flybut her royal lineage could complicate matters.

Although conceived as a vehicle for de Havilland, Princess O'Rourke turned out to be a troubled project that led to the de Havilland Law, that changed the status of contracts in the U.S. film industry. Filmed in 1942, the release was held up for one year due to legal issues that resulted from the production.

Director: Norman Krasna
Cast: Olivia de Havilland, Robert Cummings, Charles Coburn, Jack Carson, Jane Wyman, Harry Davenport, Gladys Cooper, Minor Watson, Nan Wynn, Curt Bois, Julie Bishop, Ray Walker.

Olivia de Havilland on the Radio


Academy Award (Theater)

"Hold Back the Dawn" - July 31, 1946 - Olivia de Havilland, Jean Pierre Aumont

"Cheers for Miss Bishop" - November 6, 1946 - Olivia de Havilland
       
Lux Radio Theatre

"Saturday's Children" - October 26, 1936 - Robert Taylor, Olivia de Havilland

"Captain Blood" - February 22, 1937 - Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Basil Rathbone, Donald Crisp, Henry Stephenson, Herbert Marshall

"Under Two Flags" - May 24, 1937 - Herbert Marshall, Olivia de Havilland, Lupe Velez, Lionel Atwill
           
"Green Light" - January 31, 1938 - Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, C. Aubrey Smith

"The Scarlet Pimpernel" - December 12, 1938 - Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland

"Vigil in the Night" - May 27, 1940 - Olivia de Havilland, Herbert Marshall

"Wings of the Navy" - October 7, 1940 - George Brent, Olivia de Havilland, John Payne

"Appointment for Love" - May 1, 1944 - Olivia de Havilland, Paul Lukas

"Suspicion" - September 18, 1944 - William Powell, Olivia de Havilland
       
"Tender Comrade" - January 22, 1945 - Olivia de Havilland, June Duprez, Dennis O'Keefe

"Guest Wife" - December 10, 1945 - Olivia de Havilland, Don Ameche, Dick Foran

"And Now Tomorrow" - June 10, 1946 - Olivia de Havilland, John Lund

"Cluny Brown" - January 27, 1947 - Olivia de Havilland, Charles Boyer

"The Snake Pit" - April 10, 1950 - Olivia de Havilland, Mark Stevens, Leo Genn

"The Corn Is Green" - June 12, 1950 - Olivia de Havilland, Richard Basehart

"The Heiress" - September 11, 1950 - Olivia de Havilland, Louis Calhern, Van Heflin

"My Cousin Rachel" - September 7, 1953 - Olivia de Havilland, Ron Randell

Screen Directors Playhouse

"The Dark Mirror" - March 31, 1950 - Star: Olivia de Havilland Director: Robert Siodmak

The Screen Guild Theater

"Three Days March" - February 12, 1939 - Olivia de Havilland, William Bakewell, Clarence Derwent, Akim Tamiroff, Spencer Tracy
       
"Next Time We Live" - February 18, 1940 - James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Jeffrey Lynn

"My Love Came Back" - March 16, 1941 - Olivia de Havilland, Robert Young, Charles Winninger

"The Strawberry Blonde" - October 5, 1941 - James Cagney, Olivia de Havilland, Jack Carson

"The Male Animal" - December 28, 1942 - Olivia de Havilland, Joel McCrea, Jack Carson

"Remember the Day" - November 15, 1943 - Olivia de Havilland, Walter Pidgeon

"The Cowboy and the Lady" - April 29, 1946 - Olivia de Havilland, Gregory Peck, Patsy Moran

"Kitty Foyle" - March 3, 1947 - Olivia de Havilland, Henry Fonda, William Lundigan
       
Suspense

"Voyage Through Darkness" - September 7, 1944 - Olivia de Havilland, Reginald Gardner

1 comment:

said...

Girl, you've got many skills! I loved the banner (and I agree with "too many fans to count"), and also the header for each day of scheduled Olivia marathons. Great post!
Don't forget to read my contribution to the blogathon! :)
Cheers!
Le
http://www.criticaretro.blogspot.com