Golden Era Of Hollywood 1941-1943
© Lea Frydman
By this time Hollywood had mastered sound and every other studio bar MGM was experimenting with technicolor.
That year the Los Angeles Country Club still barred actors from membership. Which prompted Groucho Marx quip "Why would I want to join a club that would have me as a member?"
However, actor Randolph Scott believing that having married the du Pont heiress Mariana du Pont Somerville would bring him the pedigree needed, confidently applied for membership. By return post the Country Club reiterated its no-actors, no-Jews, no-Catholics policy via a 3-page letter. "If you've seen any of my picture," Scott replied "you'd realise I'm no actor. His application was promptly accepted.
When David Niven asked Coop "You work with such concentration. How do you do it?" Gary swallowed hard and replied "Con-cen-tra-tion?" as if trying figure out what the word meant. "Bullshit!" I'm just tryin' to remember what the hell I have to say next..."
On his first attempt to enlist James Stewart was rejected for being 10 lbs underweight. After a high calorie diet he was accepted as a private in the US Air Force with a salary cut from 12 thousand a month to $21.00.
1942
While Roosevelt, Stalin and Churchill were negotiating on how to carve up Europe, Gable, Stewart and Fonda did their patriotic duty and went to war - for real!
Mrs Miniver was Best Picture. Greer Garson won Best Actress and James Cagney won Best Actor in Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Another foreign element invaded Hollywood. Charles Boyer, David Niven, Maurice Chevalier and Ronald Colman. The exotic beauties included Heddy Lamarr, Greer Garson and Marlene Dietrich whose lyrical voice with foreign tones opened doors to New York Society. If Fifth Avenue allowed precious few stars entry into their inner sanctum, few toffee-noses mingled with Hollywood stars.
However, tobacco heiress Barbara Hutton had so much money that she could afford to snob the social barrier, by not only mingling but marrying Cary Grant.
1943
As the war raged in Europe and the South Pacific the public's taste for fantasy diminished. The reality of Pearl Harbor and Hilter's wrath made studios hunger to make serious films.
Unexpectedly, Casablanca was Best Picture. Paul Lucas won Best Actor for his spy role in Watch On The Rhine, and Jennifer Jones won Best Actress for The Song of Bernadette.
It was the beginning of the end of the Golden Years of Hollywood... The magical qualities of the studio soundstage (where the environment was completely controlled) made way for locations filming. Studio moguls lost control of their contract players who sought independence and freedom of choice. Contracts were expiring and not being renewed. And films were no longer vehicles for the actor. Television was becoming a real threat and the big stars had out priced themselves and were aging.
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