1936: William Powell's Stellar Year, & Other Actor's Years.

[Nathan Dodge]

I can't think of another actor or actress who had as good a year in terms of excellent films released in a single year. In 1936, William Powell was in the following films:

The Great Ziegfeld- Best Picture for 1936.

Libeled Lady- Powell steals every scene he's in, and we're talking about a movie which co-starred Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow,and Spencer Tracy.

My Man Godfrey- On the short list of classic Screwball Comedies.

After the Thin Man- One of the best sequels ever made.

The Ex-Mrs. Bradford- The minor film he did that year, but this comedy co-starring the wonderful Jean Arthur has many fun moments.

Can anyone think of any performers who had a year like Powell did in 1936?

Not from 1936, but a great pic of Kay Francis, Powell, and Carole Lombard in The Ladies Man:

 

[The Wolf]

I laugh when Jay Leno (or some such) will say to Jude Law (or some such) "Wow,you have three movies coming out this year. How do you manage?" lol One movie will have been made over a year ago but has lots of post-production and another movie will be a smaller part. Plus the actor is in his prime of youth.
William Powell regularly made three movies a year. In 1936 William Powell was 44 years old and really hitting his stride.

Sincerely,
The Wolf

 

[Hondo]

Thats talent, Look at all the babes he had in the 1930's. William Powell was extraordinary person as well as an actor, his last film role “Mr. Roberts” got me interested in his earlier work, not many (if any at all) can call their own shots, call it a career, quit.
Heck from “Mr. Roberts” is where I learned about Scotch and Coke.
I favorite drink.lol

 

[dhermann1]

Love, love, love William Powell. One of my all time top role models. Had a real Wm Powell mustache for a couple of shows a couple of years ago, and I'm very tempted to grow it back again. Coolness, suaveness, urbanity personified.

 

[scotrace]

Powell is a role model for me as well. After reading two bios (both were rotten books - an opening for a good author to tackle a great subject), his natural urbanity, charm and intelligence is as impressive off screen as on. An amazing man and my all time favorite actor.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Powell is a role model for me as well. After reading two bios (both were rotten books - an opening for a good author to tackle a great subject), his natural urbanity, charm and intelligence is as impressive off screen as on. An amazing man and my all time favorite actor.

For me, William Powell has been the most rewarding of my classic film star "discoveries" since I began obsessing over the Golden Age about ten years ago. Powell was the reason I dived into the 1930s era, a time I had been pretty indifferent to, as I thought everything "began" in the 1940s. Powell was a guy who wasn't "conventionally" handsome but looked great in a suit, had a fantastic speaking voice, and *drum roll please* was married to Carole Lombard and engaged to Jean Harlow! And he was such a great guy that the former, his ex-wife no less, still loved working with him!

Don't even get me started on movie stars who are in need of biographies! Aaargh!

EDIT: Here are some other actors who had stellar years:

Bette Davis was in "Dark Victory," "Juarez," "The Old Maid" and "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" in 1939.

Barbara Stanwyck was in "Ball of Fire," "The Lady Eve," and "Meet John Doe" in 1941.

Richard Widmark was in "Panic in the Streets," "Night and The City" and "No Way Out" in 1950.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Cary Grant in 1940 appeared in the following films:

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
MY FAVORITE WIFE
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

Pretty impressive year...Stellar!

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Henry Fonda had a stellar year in 1939:

JESSE JAMES
YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
DRUMS ALON THE MOHAWK


Amazing!

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Henry Fonda had a stellar year in 1939:

JESSE JAMES
YOUNG MR. LINCOLN
THE STORY OF ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL
DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK

In 1940, Cary Grant appeared in the following films:

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
MY FAVORITE WIFE
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

Pretty impressive year...Stellar!

Although not in the Golden Era, 1971 saw Clint Eastwood in:

DIRTY HARRY
THE BEGUILED
PLAY MISTY FOR ME

 

[Nathan Dodge]

1934: Claudette Colbert appeared in
IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT
CLEOPATRA
IMITATION OF LIFE

and something called FOUR FRIGHTENED PEOPLE...

 

[SamMarlowPI]

Powell and Loy had the best on-screen chemistry in film history...imo...

 

[Nathan Dodge]

By no means a star, RKO contract player Steve Brodie appeared in a Film Noir tripleheader in 1947:

OUT OF THE PAST ("A dame with a rod's like a guy with a knittin' needle.")
CROSSFIRE

and played the lead in DESPERATE.

Brodie was a fine character actor and he has no shortage of Noir credentials, including a personal favorite of mine, ARMORED CAR ROBBERY (1950).

 

[Tomasso]

In 1940, Cary Grant appeared in the following films:

HIS GIRL FRIDAY
MY FAVORITE WIFE
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY

Pretty impressive year...Stellar!

I recall a quote by one of Hollywood's biggest leading men lamenting that, "Every script I get has Cary Grant's fingerprints on it." lol Many of his rejects turned out to be career roles for many of his peers. Hitchcock said, given his druthers, he would have chosen Grant to star in ALL of his films.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

In 1933, Ginger Rogers appeared in:

42nd Street
Gold Diggers of 1933
Flying Down To Rio

Ginger, while a cutie in these, still has her baby fat and her teeth aren't capped yet. All three of these movies are pre-Code delights, what with the scantily-clad beauties and the risqué songs ("Young and Healthy" from 42nd Street is great!)

 

[Slim Portly]

Great thread. I've just added My Man Godfrey to my Netflix que, yet another classic that I have somehow managed to miss.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

1941: Gary Cooper appeared in:

Ball of Fire
Sergeant York (Best Actor Oscar)
Meet John Doe
--------------------

Not too shabby...

 

[Nathan Dodge]

To be fair, Myrna Loy's 1936 was pretty impressive, too, seeing as she worked with William Powell all the durned time:


After the Thin Man
Libeled Lady
The Great Ziegfeld
Wife vs. Secretary

 

[Mike in Seattle]

Great thread. I've just added My Man Godfrey to my Netflix que, yet another classic that I have somehow managed to miss.

My Man Godfrey is public domain, so you can go various sites and download it for free. Here's one. There was another better site using BitTorrents - I'll poke around some more - that had loads of great old movie - the Mr. Moto series, Kennel Murder Case (William Powell pre-Thin Man), My Favorite Brunette, The Women, The Man Who Knew Too Much (original with Peter Lorre). They've got versions for downloading and putting on your iPod (lower quality which doesn't matter on a tiny screen) or for viewing on your computer.

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Not the Golden Age, but still...

1972- Robert Redford appeared in:

Jeremiah Johnson
The Candidate
The Hot Rock

 

[Nathan Dodge]

Get well, soon Paul...

1958: Paul Newman:

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
The Left Handed Gun
The Long, Hot Summer

EDIT: Man, my typing skills are taking a hit today... "Get well, soon Paul???")