I've tried it three or four times I think, last time was toward the end of last year (yeah, I've been working on 30s films for a while so I don't feel oversaturated like I did with the 40s), sadly I still don't feel any real love for it so I very much doubt I ever will.
Citizen's Top 62, 1930s Actors & Actresses
You're a trooper!
My #12 Favorite 30's Actress is
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Jean Harlow
Filmography Biography
Born Harlean Carpenter in Missouri. She married young at only 16 and was divorced by the old age of 18. She moved with her family to California where she changed her name to Jean Harlow and had bit parts in movies. After Howard Hughes cast her in Hell's Angels, she became a mega star, working often in comedies or dramas. During the shooting of Saratoga (1937) she became very ill and died a few days later at the age of 26. MGM studios closed the day of her funeral as a tribute.
Born Harlean Carpenter in Missouri. She married young at only 16 and was divorced by the old age of 18. She moved with her family to California where she changed her name to Jean Harlow and had bit parts in movies. After Howard Hughes cast her in Hell's Angels, she became a mega star, working often in comedies or dramas. During the shooting of Saratoga (1937) she became very ill and died a few days later at the age of 26. MGM studios closed the day of her funeral as a tribute.
Some of my favorite 1930s films of hers are:
Hell's Angels (1930) Howard Hughes epic war film.
Platinum Blonde (1931) a comedy where she plays the titular role.
Red-Headed Woman (1932) a pre-code drama where Jean plays a woman who will use men and do anything to get rich.
Red Dust (1932) With Clark Gable on a rubber plantation.
Dinner at Eight (1933) A multi cast comedy.
China Seas (1935) With Clark Gable in another exotic location.
Wife vs. Secretary (1936) another good comedy.
Libeled Lady (1936) another good comedy with Jean and Clark Gable.
Platinum Blonde (1931) a comedy where she plays the titular role.
Red-Headed Woman (1932) a pre-code drama where Jean plays a woman who will use men and do anything to get rich.
Red Dust (1932) With Clark Gable on a rubber plantation.
Dinner at Eight (1933) A multi cast comedy.
China Seas (1935) With Clark Gable in another exotic location.
Wife vs. Secretary (1936) another good comedy.
Libeled Lady (1936) another good comedy with Jean and Clark Gable.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 07-31-18 at 11:21 PM.
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My #12 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography Biography
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Filmography Biography
One of the many Barrymores! Lionel was the oldest of the three siblings: Ethel Barrymore and John Barrymore (Sr) were both younger. He's also related to John Barrymore Jr and Drew Barrymore. What can I say, he's one colorful actor and livens up any movie he's in.
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:A Free Soul (1931) A pre-code drama also with Norma Shearer.
Grand Hotel (1932) An all star cast in this melodrama, including his brother John.
Dinner at Eight (1933) A wildly funny comedy.
Treasure Island (1934) The classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson
David Copperfield (1935) Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel.
The Little Colonel (1935) with little Shirley Temple who ever one loves.
The Devil-Doll (1935) Stylish sci fi horror and my favorite performance by Lionel.
Captains Courageous (1937) A must see classic.
You Can't Take It with You (1938) The Frank Capra film.
Young Dr. Kildare (1938) Which would spawn a movie series, and later a TV show.
Grand Hotel (1932) An all star cast in this melodrama, including his brother John.
Dinner at Eight (1933) A wildly funny comedy.
Treasure Island (1934) The classic tale by Robert Louis Stevenson
David Copperfield (1935) Based on the classic Charles Dickens novel.
The Little Colonel (1935) with little Shirley Temple who ever one loves.
The Devil-Doll (1935) Stylish sci fi horror and my favorite performance by Lionel.
Captains Courageous (1937) A must see classic.
You Can't Take It with You (1938) The Frank Capra film.
Young Dr. Kildare (1938) Which would spawn a movie series, and later a TV show.
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Love Lionel Barrymore and have seen several of those films you listed, CR. I'm surprised that On Borrowed Time (1939), starring Lionel, didn't make it on your list. Maybe you haven't seen it, or saw it and just didn't like it? If you haven't seen it, it's a great melodrama/fantasy about a man who knows he's terminally ill and when Death ( Sir Cedric Hardwicke, in his personal favorite role) comes around (going by the name of Mr. Brink), Lionel remembers an old wive's tale that if he can get Death to climb up in a tree, he can't come down until the trickster says so. I know that sounds a little silly but it's truly not. Just be ready to have a hanky or several close by as it even made me cry and that's hard to do!
__________________
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
"Miss Jean Louise, Mr. Arthur Radley."
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Love Lionel Barrymore and have seen several of those films you listed, CR. I'm surprised that On Borrowed Time (1939), starring Lionel, didn't make it on your list. Maybe you haven't seen it, or saw it and just didn't like it? If you haven't seen it, it's a great melodrama/fantasy about a man who knows he's terminally ill and when Death ( Sir Cedric Hardwicke, in his personal favorite role) comes around (going by the name of Mr. Brink), Lionel remembers an old wive's tale that if he can get Death to climb up in a tree, he can't come down until the trickster says so. I know that sounds a little silly but it's truly not. Just be ready to have a hanky or several close by as it even made me cry and that's hard to do!
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Jean Harlow
Lionel Barrymore
Seen a few of hers ... Hell's Angels, City Lights, Iron Man, Three Wise Girls, Scarface, Red Headed Woman - some of those are better than others but she generally provides something of interest in them all. I'll hopefully be watching Red Dust soon for the HOF and if I can find some of her later works (they weren't available to me last time I looked) I'll certainly give another one or two of hers a watch.
edit: Watched Red Dust and my reception to her performance was rather mixed, not really liking her initial presence but growing far more fond of her role on her reappearance.
Lionel Barrymore
I've seen both Mata Hari and Grand Hotel recently and he was decent in both, think I almost certainly would have watched Treasure Island when younger but like so many it's so long ago I'd not count it anyway, still reckon I saw Captains Courageous back in the day as well but again can't count it. If I get the opportunity I'll try to give one or the other of those a watch but the one of his I'm really hoping to find somewhere is The Devil-Doll which I don't think I've ever seen but do very much like the look of the brief synopsis
edit: Gave The Devil-Doll a spin - quite a fun offering in which he gives a nice split performance though it has to be said the plot isn't exactly watertight.
Last edited by Chypmunk; 08-20-18 at 08:41 AM.
Jean Harlow
Seen a few of hers ... Hell's Angels, City Lights, Iron Man, Three Wise Girls, Scarface, Red Headed Woman - some of those are better than others but she generally provides something of interest in them all. I'll hopefully be watching Red Dust soon for the HOF and if I can find some of her later works (they weren't available to me last time I looked) I'll certainly give another one or two of hers a watch.Lionel Barrymore
I've seen both Mata Hari and Grand Hotel recently and he was decent in both, think I almost certainly would have watched Treasure Island when younger but like so many it's so long ago I'd not count it anyway, still reckon I saw Captains Courageous back in the day as well but again can't count it. If I get the opportunity I'll try to give one or the other of those a watch but the one of his I'm really hoping to find somewhere is The Devil-Doll which I don't think I've ever seen but do very much like the look of the brief synopsis
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After the Hof is over, if you save those movie links you should be golden with finding most anything you want to see. The Devil-Doll was a top contender for my HoF nom. I love that one, it's so fun.
Just watched The Devil-Doll (thanks to the new resource Ed gave me) and I definitely think you went with the right nom for the HOF - it's a fun enough watch and Barrymore performs well but I think glaring problems with parts of the plot would likely have proved detrimental.
Hey I've an idea, now that you can source movies more easier, I think there were a few movies on this list that you wanted to see but couldn't...maybe now you can find them.
I'm going to try and post again to this list! I swear I ain't giving up
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#11 Favorite 30's Actress is
Joan Blondell
Filmography Biography
Big eyed, blonde and bubbly Joan Blondell was a staple in Warner Brothers movies. She came to the studio from the stage with fellow theater actor James Cagney. Joan mostly did comedies and was usually in supporting roles.
Big eyed, blonde and bubbly Joan Blondell was a staple in Warner Brothers movies. She came to the studio from the stage with fellow theater actor James Cagney. Joan mostly did comedies and was usually in supporting roles.
Some of my favorite 1930s films of hers are:
Millie (1931)
Night Nurse (1931)
Make Me a Star (1932)
Three on a Match (1932)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Havana Widows (1933)
Dames (1934)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Night Nurse (1931)
Make Me a Star (1932)
Three on a Match (1932)
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
Footlight Parade (1933)
Havana Widows (1933)
Dames (1934)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
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My #11 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography Biography
Three on a Match (1932) With Joan Blondell and Bette Davis, this is a crime drama with a shocker ending. A good pre-code film.
The Petrified Forest (1936) This is the film that put Bogart on the map with his portral of Duke Mantee, reportedly based on bank robber John Dillinger.
Bullets or Ballots (1936) A crime drama with Joan Blondell.
Marked Woman (1937) A crime drama with Bette Davis.
Kid Galahad (1937) Yet another crime drama with Bette Davis, this is one of my favorites.
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1937) A black comedy about a doctor gone to crime.
The Oklahoma Kid (1939) Because you got to see Bogie in a western!
Dark Victory (1939) The tear jerker with Bette Davis
The Roaring Twenties (1939) The look back at the 20s.
The Return of Doctor X (1939) Bogie as a blood drinking mad scientist. The film that just about ruined his career. It's not good but worth a watch!
Filmography Biography
If this was my ALL time favorite list of actors, Bogie would be right up there at the very top. But this is a list of my favorite actors based on their work in the 30s and Bogart didn't make a big name for himself until the early 40s.
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:Three on a Match (1932) With Joan Blondell and Bette Davis, this is a crime drama with a shocker ending. A good pre-code film.
The Petrified Forest (1936) This is the film that put Bogart on the map with his portral of Duke Mantee, reportedly based on bank robber John Dillinger.
Bullets or Ballots (1936) A crime drama with Joan Blondell.
Marked Woman (1937) A crime drama with Bette Davis.
Kid Galahad (1937) Yet another crime drama with Bette Davis, this is one of my favorites.
The Amazing Dr. Clitterhouse (1937) A black comedy about a doctor gone to crime.
The Oklahoma Kid (1939) Because you got to see Bogie in a western!
Dark Victory (1939) The tear jerker with Bette Davis
The Roaring Twenties (1939) The look back at the 20s.
The Return of Doctor X (1939) Bogie as a blood drinking mad scientist. The film that just about ruined his career. It's not good but worth a watch!
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Joan Blondell
Humphrey Bogart
Thus far of her 30s works I've only seen her in Millie and Stand-In (liked both), hoping to get around to The Public Enemy and Night Nurse if I can find them the fillums and time before the countdown deadline.
edit: Watched Bullets Or Ballots and she puts in a decent shift as a supporting role in what is a fairly predictable but nice enough watch. Also gave Miss Pinkerton a view, it's not that good a film but she does help male it watchable and even enjoyable here and there.
Humphrey Bogart
I've seen The Petrified Forest, Stand-In and The Roaring Twenties (all good to one degree or another), Midnight is waiting for a watch at some point and if I can find Dead End, Angels With Dirty Faces and Bullets Or Ballots (also has Joan Blondell in) I hope to try and fit those in too.
edit: Gave Bullets Or Ballots an outing, it's a decent enough watch in which he gives his typically enjoyable performance as a 'hoodlum'.
Last edited by Chypmunk; 08-17-18 at 07:09 AM.
A BIG Thanks to those who've looked at my top 1930s Actors & Actresses Countdown.
I'm finally up to the top 10 and so I'm going to do all of 1-10 right now, starting with the actors. So stay tuned.
The show begins...
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My #10 Favorite 1930's Actor is
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) The pre-code classic horror tale of repressed sexual desires.
Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
The Sign of the Cross (1932) Big Cecil B. DeMille epic of ancient Rome and the influx of Christianity
Design for Living (1933) Really smart film by Ernst Lubitsch and based on Noel Coward's play.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Shocking for the time undercurrent of sexual incestuous attraction.
Anna Karenina (1935) Based on the classic Tolstoy tale.
A Star Is Born (1937) Not a musical, but a William Wellman drama about the dark side of stardom in Hollywood
Nothing Sacred (1937) Another great William Wellman film.
Fredric March
FilmographyOne of the truly great actors of the theater and silver screen.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) The pre-code classic horror tale of repressed sexual desires.
Merrily We Go to Hell (1932)
The Sign of the Cross (1932) Big Cecil B. DeMille epic of ancient Rome and the influx of Christianity
Design for Living (1933) Really smart film by Ernst Lubitsch and based on Noel Coward's play.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Shocking for the time undercurrent of sexual incestuous attraction.
Anna Karenina (1935) Based on the classic Tolstoy tale.
A Star Is Born (1937) Not a musical, but a William Wellman drama about the dark side of stardom in Hollywood
Nothing Sacred (1937) Another great William Wellman film.
Last edited by Citizen Rules; 08-22-18 at 02:04 PM.
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My #9 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
Filmography
*If it wasn't for Fred Astaire I wouldn't be here at MoFo, it's a long story, but it's true!
So thanks Fred!
So thanks Fred!
The Gay Divorcee (1934)
Roberta (1935)
Top Hat (1935)
Follow the Fleet (1936)
Swing Time (1936)
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
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Roberta (1935)
Top Hat (1935)
Follow the Fleet (1936)
Swing Time (1936)
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle (1939)
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Last edited by Citizen Rules; 08-22-18 at 02:03 PM.
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My #8 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography
One of the first 'pop action stars' in Hollywood. Women loved him and men wanted to be like him...Errol always looked like he was having a blast!
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
In the Wake of the Bounty (1933)
Captain Blood (1935)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Four's a Crowd (1938) A change for Errol's action adventure roots, here he's in a romantic-comedy.
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Dodge City (1939)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)Paired with Bette Davis in this bio historical drama.
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Filmography
One of the first 'pop action stars' in Hollywood. Women loved him and men wanted to be like him...Errol always looked like he was having a blast!
In the Wake of the Bounty (1933)
Captain Blood (1935)
The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936)
The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Four's a Crowd (1938) A change for Errol's action adventure roots, here he's in a romantic-comedy.
The Dawn Patrol (1938)
Dodge City (1939)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)Paired with Bette Davis in this bio historical drama.
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My #7 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography
Roguish! That's Clark Gable, one of the biggest stars to come out of Hollywood.
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
A Free Soul (1931)
Night Nurse (1931)
Possessed (1931)
Red Dust (1932)
Dancing Lady (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
China Seas (1935)
Call of the Wild (1935)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
San Francisco (1936)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
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Filmography
Roguish! That's Clark Gable, one of the biggest stars to come out of Hollywood.
A Free Soul (1931)
Night Nurse (1931)
Possessed (1931)
Red Dust (1932)
Dancing Lady (1933)
It Happened One Night (1934)
China Seas (1935)
Call of the Wild (1935)
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Wife vs. Secretary (1936)
San Francisco (1936)
Gone with the Wind (1939)
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My #6 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography
Sometimes he's creepy, sometimes a bit weepy, but Laughton will never put you to sleepy.
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
The Old Dark House (1932) A pre-code horror film heavy on atmosphere.
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Island of Lost Souls (1932) Another pre-code film with a disturbing theme.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Even more creepy than his horror films.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Sidewalks of London (1938)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
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Filmography
Sometimes he's creepy, sometimes a bit weepy, but Laughton will never put you to sleepy.
The Old Dark House (1932) A pre-code horror film heavy on atmosphere.
The Sign of the Cross (1932)
Island of Lost Souls (1932) Another pre-code film with a disturbing theme.
The Barretts of Wimpole Street (1934) Even more creepy than his horror films.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Sidewalks of London (1938)
The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939)
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My #5 Favorite 1930's Actor is
Filmography
Robinson is so much more than just the gangster image that people associate with him today. He could be sentimental, he could do comedy well, and of course be icy tough.
These are some of my favorites of his 1930s movies:
Little Caesar (1931)
Smart Money (1931)
Five Star Final (1931)
Barbary Coast (1935)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Kid Galahad (1937)
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Filmography
Robinson is so much more than just the gangster image that people associate with him today. He could be sentimental, he could do comedy well, and of course be icy tough.
Little Caesar (1931)
Smart Money (1931)
Five Star Final (1931)
Barbary Coast (1935)
Bullets or Ballots (1936)
Kid Galahad (1937)
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