She won the 1948 Miss Burbank contest and was offered a screen test by Warner Bros. the day after her win. She initially entered the contest because everyone who entered received a silk scarf, blouse and free lunch.
She is one of the few actresses to have danced with both Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly in the movies, other actresses that have also done this include Judy Garland, Cyd Charisse, Vera-Ellen, Rita Hayworth, and Leslie Caron.
In 1969, she followed Doris Day and some of her contemporaries in launching a TV sitcom bearing her name. When the debut episode included an advertisement for cigarettes, a direct violation of one of her contractual stipulations, she made such a fuss about it that NBC ended up cancelling the series.
She is an avid collector of movie memorabilia.
She resides in Los Angeles next door to her daughter Carrie.
the cast: Frances McDormand (Miss Guinivere Pettigrew); Amy Adams (Delysia Lafosse); Ciaran Hinds (Joe Bloomfield); Lee Pace (Michael Pardue); Shirley Henderson (Edythe DuBarry)
the plot: When Guinevere Pettigrew, a middle-aged London governess, finds herself dismissed from yet another job, an attempt to gain new employment catapults her into the glamorous world and dizzying social whirl of American actress and singer, Delysia Lafosse.
don't miss: how Michael ended up in jail.
listen for: "Well, will you doggone marry me or will you doggone not?"
count: how many morsels of food Miss Pettigrew eats during the course of the movie.
did you know: Winifred Watson's book was published the fall of 1938 and it became a smash hit. Plans were in the works for a Hollywood film version starring Billie Burke as Miss Pettigrew, but the start of WWII brought those plans to a halt. The publisher re-released the book in 2000 which lead to it being "found" again by Hollywood after 60+ years.
extra bonus points: if you can name the movie series that starred both Ciaran Hinds and Shirley Henderson.
also listen for: "Four's a Crowd"'s a wonderful movie. Who were you?" "The crowd."
the cast: Denzel Washington (Gray Grantham); Julia Roberts (Darby Shaw); Sam Shepard (Thomas Callahan); Robert Culp (President); Stanley Tucci (Khamel); John Lithgow (Smith Keen); Hume Cronyn (Justice Rosenberg)
the plot: Two Supreme Court Justices have been assassinated. One law student has stumbled upon the truth. An investigative journalist wants her story. Everybody else wants her dead.
watch for: the very talented Stanley Tucci as Khamel. I *much* prefer him as Muerte/Morty in Undercover Blues (which, incidentally, came out the same year) but this definitely shows his versatility.
check out: the subtle reference to Jimmy Carter addressing the nation in a cardigan during the height of the fuel shortages in the 1970s.
did you know: John Grisham wrote the part of Darby Shaw with Julia Roberts in mind. Roberts read the book once it was finished and agreed to the role without even seeing a script.
listen for: "Any of those signs got my name on 'em?" "Quite a few." "What do they say?" "The usual: Death to Rosenberg, Retire Rosenberg, Cut off the oxygen." [laughs]"That's my favorite."
extra bonus points: if you know how many times Victor Mattiece, the main villain, appears in the film.
disclaimer: there are brief episodes of violence, but listen to the music and you'll be able to figure out when to close your eyes.
the cast: Judy Garland (Jane Falbury); Gene Kelly (Joe Ross); Eddie Bracken (Orville Wingait); Gloria DeHaven (Abigail Falbury); Marjorie Main (Esme); Phil Silvers (Herb Blake); Ray Collins (Jasper G. Wingait)
the plot: As a favor to her actress sister Abigail, New England farmer Jane Falbury allows a group of actors use her barn as a theater for their play. In return, the cast and crew have to help her with the farm chores. During rehearsals, Jane finds herself falling for the show's director, Joe Ross, who also happens to be engaged to the show's leading lady-- Abigail.
don't miss: Gene Kelly's "newspaper dance".
check out: "You, Wonderful You" is also a pretty good number - kinda sweet.
count: how many pieces/parts make up Jane's tractor.
listen for: "That actor! She's in love with that actor!"
did you know: On one particular day of fiming, Judy Garland was said to be "not in a fit state to work" so Gene Kelly feigned a fall so that she would be able to take the day off.
the cast: Jeff Bridges (Charles Howard); Chris Cooper (Tom Smith); Tobey Maguire (Red Pollard); Elizabeth Banks (Marcela Howard); Gary Stevens (George Woolf)
the plot: In the early 1930s, four disparate lives come together to create one of racing history’s greatest legends. Charles Howard, a self-made millionaire, copes with the accidental death of his young son by immersing himself in racing. He hires Tom Smith, a seemingly washed-up race horse trainer unable to adapt to a modern world. While scouting for new horses, Smith spots Seabiscuit, a small, gangly colt who, despite being the grandson of the legendary champion, Man O’ War, has descended to the lowest ranks of the claiming race circuit. Smith sees potential in the horse and convinces a skeptical Howard to buy him, but the defiant and temperamental Seabiscuit refuses to let anyone ride him until Red Pollard, a down-on-his-luck jockey, wanders into the Howard Stable.
check out: Tick Tock McGlaughlin's witticisms, including "No more match races for this little horse because frankly they're all out of matches. Who's he gonna race? Pegasus? I pity these horses."
listen for: "The first time he saw Seabiscuit, the colt was walking through the fog at five in the morning. Smith would say later that the horse looked right through him. As if to say, "What the hell are you looking at? Who do you think you are?" He was a small horse, barely fifteen hands. He was hurting too. There was a limp in his walk, a wheezing when he breathed. Smith didn't pay attention to that. He was looking the horse in the eye."
watch for: a statue of a horse by the paddock in the scenes filmed at the Santa Anita racetrack. The statue is a memorial to Seabiscuit that exists at Santa Anita. Another statue stands approximately 100 yards away - a tribute to George Woolf, Gary Stevens' character in the film.
did you know: the movie sold over 5.5 million copies on DVD, which is the highest ever for a dramatic movie. (I did my part to add to that statistic.)
also listen for: "Well he is fast." "Yeah... in every direction."
extra bonus points: if you know who narrated the movie, and why he is famous.
disclaimer: you can skip the scene in the brothel - only thing you need to know is that Red has lost peripheral vision in one eye.
I'm a collector of 1940s-60s just-about-anything, I have enough old snapshots to wallpaper a small house, and I'm saving my pennies so that one day I can have my very own roller rink.
Some of the images are from screenshots I've made and some have been collected from several years of net trolling. If one of them is yours and you would like to be credited, please let me know and I'll take care of it!
