1939: A Great Year
Intermezzo
Directed by: Gregory Ratoff
Starring: Ingrid Bergman, Leslie Howard
Though she was one of the great beauties of classic Hollywood, Ingrid Bergman was too good an actress to classify as a glamour girl. She was a multi-dimensional performer who always defied categorization. Already a successful film actress in Sweden, Bergman gave American audiences their first glimpse of her unique appeal when she reprised her role from the original Swedish version of the film.
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Directed by: Frank Capra
Starring: Jean Arthur, Jimmy Stewart, Claude Rains, Edward Arnold, Guy Kibbee,
Thomas Mitchell, Eugene Pallette, Beulah Bondi
The ragged, but endearing voice that nearly ended Jean Arthur's career at the birth of the talkies became one of her greatest assets, as it is clear in her role here as a hardnosed reporter. Though she softens her feelings in the end, the voice reminds us that she will always have enough of an edge to keep her head. Arthur was director Capra's favorite actress; she also worked with him in You Can't Take it With You (1938) and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936).
Ninotchka
Directed by: Ernst Lubitsch
Starring: Greta Garbo, Melvyn Douglas, Ina Claire, Bela Lugosi, Sig Ruman, Felix
Bresart, Alexander Granch
Garbo's last great film had a mood atypical of her usual torrid romantic dramas. Though her laugh in the famous scene was dubbed, she does loosen up for Lubitsch. Seeing her acquit herself so well in this witty comedy it is almost possible to forget the tragedies of self-sacrifice with which she made her name.
Stagecoach
Directed by: John Ford
Starring: John Wayne, Claire Trevor, Andy Devine, John Carradine, Thomas
Mitchell, Louise Platt
The movie that helped solidify Wayne's cowboy image also provided a strong role for young Claire Trevor. In her role as the familiar hooker with a heart of gold, she shows an early aptitude for playing the fallen woman with unseen depths.
The Wizard of Oz
Directed by: Victor Fleming/ George Cukor/ King Vidor
Starring: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie
Burke, Margaret Hamilton
The movie that gave us Judy Garland singing Over the Rainbow is also a great showcase for Billie Burke and Margaret Hamilton, two of the best character actresses in 1930's Hollywood. They each made numerous films, and though their careers are overshadowed by the huge reputation of this film, they probably would have been completely forgotten without it.
The Women
Directed by: George Cukor
Starring: Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosalind Russell, Mary Boland, Paulette
Goddard, Phyllis Povah,
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