When asked my favorite male & female stars of Hollywood's 1st golden age, I have no problem in announcing Barbara Stanwyck as my actress choice. She was born Ruby Catherine Stevens. She had an unusual beauty & distinctive husky voice & was an extremely versatile actor, easily moving between, melodrama, thrillers, westerns & comedies. The buzz was that she was wonderful to work with, professional, fun on the set, & never acted like the star that she was. She was nominated for 4 Oscars, but never won. In 1982 Stanwyck was awarded an honorary Oscar for "superlative creativity & unique contribution to the art of screen acting". Later in her career Stanwyck found work in television, starring in the series The Big Valley & the mini-series The Thorn Birds ( kissing Richard Chamberlain!). She was most likely gay or bisexual. Stanwyck left a legacy of 93 films including 1 of my top 10 of all time- Ball Of Fire with my male choice for best of the golden age- Gary Cooper.
"Career is too pompous a word.
It was a job, and I have always felt privileged to be paid for what I love doing."
Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath. She was a very versatile hoofer/singer/actress on stage & screen. She worked in dramas, musicals & comedies. Rogers won an Oscar for playing a girl from the wrong side of the tracks in Kitty Foyle & was the #1 Hollywood star of 1942. She was married 5 times. Rogers was most assuredly not gay & she was a radical right wing Republican, a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a Christian Scientist & a vocal supporter of the Hollywood blacklist. She was a sublime performer... I can't bring myself to dislike her TOO much.
"Hollywood is like an empty wastebasket."
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