Do you remember Mary Astor? You all must have seen her in "The Maltese Falcon". I had one of those photo books of that film, I think, this was before I bought my first Sony Beta vcr in 1980. Here's another Mary Astor film that I have just discovered:



from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0023151/

The film is unusual enough to make it worth a look, 21 September 2007


Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

You should probably know that I love airplane films--particularly one with vintage planes. So, I have a bias towards this sort of film and some may NOT be excited in seeing the biplanes flying about during the movie (even though many are post-WWI planes when they are supposed to be WWI aircraft).

Richard Dix, Robert Armstrong and Joel McCrea play three buddies who served in the Air Corps during the war. However, now that about a decade has passed, they are forced to make a living working stunt flying for a sadistic film director (Eric Von Stroheim). Eventually, just how evil the director is and the depths of his evil come to light and this leads to a dandy, though grisly, conclusion.

Interestingly, of the three pilots, the least famous and important was McCrea, as he was not yet an established star. The other two (Dix and Armstrong) were big names, though only a short time later they were relegated to "has-been" status. All did a decent job and the film, though a bit tough to believe, was entertaining and was more than just a time-passer.

from http://www.filmnoirphotos.blogspot.com/ ... appy-bir...

Beauty contest winner Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke (renamed by producer Jesse Lasky to Mary Astor in 1920) came to the attention of Hollywood at the age of 14 and played a bit part in The Scarecrow (1920) at age 15. Strictly speaking, Mary Astor was never a star in the accepted sense of her time, but a featured player. This was of her own choosing. Offered starring contracts at various times, she preferred not to shoulder the responsibility of having her name appear above the title of a film. This decision was due largely to a lack of confidence generated by a childhood dominated by demanding parents who looked upon her as a meal ticket. The public with whom she was very popular nevertheless regarded her as a star. Her career lasted an incredible 44 years, during which time she ran the gamut from limpid ingénue to forceful character player.

IIRC, her career was nearly destroyed in the 1920s by a scandal. And then she made a comeback.

What were some of her later roles? I had no idea she kept acting into the 1960s.

Can't think of any later movies off-hand. I remember LIFE magazine had a cover feature on her, one of those "Whatever became of..." articles.

Daphne, please enjoy this list from http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000802/


1960s
1950s
1940s
1930s
1920s
Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964) .... Jewel Mayhew
... aka What Ever Happened to Cousin Charlotte?
Youngblood Hawke (1964) .... Irene Perry
"Ben Casey" .... Dame Clorissa Rose Genet (1 episode, 1963)
- Dispel the Black Cyclone That Shakes the Throne (1963) TV episode .... Dame Clorissa Rose Genet
"Burke's Law" .... Florence Roberts (1 episode, 1963)
... aka "Amos Burke, Secret Agent" (USA: new title)
- Who Killed Cable Roberts? (1963) TV episode .... Florence Roberts
"Dr. Kildare" .... Aunt Frances / ... (2 episodes, 1962-1963)
- Face of Fear (1963) TV episode .... Aunt Frances
- Operation: Lazarus (1962) TV episode .... Martha Lantzinge
"The Defenders" .... Flora Goode (1 episode, 1963)
- Poltergeist (1963) TV episode .... Flora Goode
"Checkmate" .... Esther Brack (1 episode, 1962)
- Brooding Fixation (1962) TV episode .... Esther Brack
Return to Peyton Place (1961) .... Mrs. Roberta Carter
"Rawhide" .... Emma Cardwell (1 episode, 1961)
- Incident Near the Promised Land (1961) TV episode .... Emma Cardwell
"Thriller" .... Rose French (1 episode, 1960)
... aka "Boris Karloff's Thriller"
- Rose's Last Summer (1960) TV episode .... Rose French
"Playhouse 90" .... Eileen Bavister / ... (5 episodes, 1957-1960)
- Journey to the Day (1960) TV episode .... Helen May Whitfield
- Diary of a Nurse (1959) TV episode .... Eileen Bavister
- The Return of Ansel Gibbs (1958) TV episode .... Sylvia
- The Troublemakers (1957) TV episode .... Mattie
- The Ninth Day (1957) TV episode .... Virginia Jackson
"The United States Steel Hour" .... Lydia Chalmers / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1960)
... aka "The U.S. Steel Hour" (USA: alternative title)
- Revolt in Hadley (1960) TV episode .... Lydia Chalmers
- The Women of Hadley (1960) TV episode .... Lydia Chalmers
- The Littlest Enemy (1958) TV episode .... Mrs. Wickens
- The Thief (1955) TV episode .... Isabelle Lagarde


The Philadelphia Story (1959) (TV) .... Margaret Lord
"General Electric Theater" .... Bea Hicks (1 episode, 1959)
... aka "G.E. Theater" (USA: informal short title)
... aka "G.E. True Theater" (USA: new title)
- The Last Dance (1959) TV episode .... Bea Hicks
"Alfred Hitchcock Presents" .... Grace Dolan / ... (2 episodes, 1958-1959)
- The Impossible Dream (1959) TV episode .... Grace Dolan
- Mrs. Herman and Mrs. Fenimore (1958) TV episode .... Mrs. Fenimore
A Stranger in My Arms (1959) .... Mrs. Virgilnie Beasley
... aka And Ride a Tiger (USA)
This Happy Feeling (1958) .... Mrs. Tremaine
"Studio One" .... Harriet Brand / ... (2 episodes, 1954-1958)
... aka "Studio One Summer Theatre" (USA: summer title)
... aka "Studio One in Hollywood" (USA: new title)
... aka "Summer Theatre" (USA: summer title)
... aka "Westinghouse Studio One" (USA)
... aka "Westinghouse Summer Theatre" (USA: summer title)
- The Lonely Stage (1958) TV episode .... Harriet Brand
- Jack Sperling, Forty-six (1954) TV episode .... Ruth Sparling
"U.S. Marshal" .... Amy (1 episode)
- My Sons (????) TV episode .... Amy
The Devil's Hairpin (1957) .... Mrs. Jargin
"Climax!" .... Clarissa Bowman / ... (4 episodes, 1955-1957)
... aka "Climax Mystery Theater" (USA)
- The High Jungle (1957) TV episode .... Clarissa Bowman
- Phone Call for Matthew Quade (1956) TV episode .... Martha
- Nightmare by Day (1956) TV episode .... Ethel Allen
- Wild Stallion (1955) TV episode .... Mrs. Harris
"Lux Video Theatre" .... Mildred Le Brun (2 episodes, 1956-1957)
... aka "Summer Video Theatre" (USA: summer title)
- The Man Who Played God (1957) TV episode .... Mildred Le Brun
- The Star (1956) TV episode
"Zane Grey Theater" .... Sarah Simmons (1 episode, 1957)
... aka "Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater" (USA: complete title)
... aka "The Westerners" (USA: rerun title)
- Black Is for Grief (1957) TV episode .... Sarah Simmons
"Robert Montgomery Presents" .... Norma Desmond (1 episode, 1956)
... aka "Lucky Strike Theater"
... aka "Montgomery's Summer Stock"
... aka "The Robert Montgomery Summer Theater"
- Sunset Boulevard (1956) TV episode .... Norma Desmond
The Power and the Prize (1956) .... Mrs. George Salt
A Kiss Before Dying (1956) .... Mrs. Corliss
"Playwrights '56" .... Georgina (1 episode, 1956)
... aka "Pontiac Playwrights '56" (USA)
... aka "The Playwright Hour"
- You and Me and the Gatepost (1956) TV episode .... Georgina
"Star Stage" .... Nurse (1 episode, 1956)
- I Am Her Nurse (1956) TV episode .... Nurse
"Studio 57" .... Julia Kean (1 episode, 1956)
... aka "Heinz Studio 57" (USA: alternative title)
- A Farewell Appearance (1956) TV episode .... Julia Kean
"Front Row Center" .... Millicent Jordan (1 episode, 1955)
- Dinner at Eight (1955) TV episode .... Millicent Jordan
"The Elgin Hour" .... Madge Draper (1 episode, 1955)
- The $1,000 Window (1955) TV episode .... Madge Draper
"Producers' Showcase" .... Nancy Blake (1 episode, 1955)
- The Women (1955) TV episode .... Nancy Blake
"Kraft Television Theatre" (1 episode, 1955)
... aka "Ponds Theater" (USA: new title)
- The Hickory Limb (1955) TV episode
"The Philco Television Playhouse" (1 episode, 1954)
... aka "Arena Theatre" (USA: new title)
... aka "Repertory Theatre" (USA: new title)
... aka "The Philco-Goodyear Television Playhouse" (USA: new title)
- Run, Girl, Run (1954) TV episode
"The Best of Broadway" .... Margaret Lord (1 episode, 1954)
- The Philadelphia Story (1954) TV episode .... Margaret Lord
"Danger" (1 episode, 1954)
- Circle of Doom (1954) TV episode
"Kraft Television Theatre" (1 episode, 1954)
... aka "Kraft Mystery Theatre" (USA: new title)
... aka "Kraft Theatre" (USA: new title)
- The Missing Years (1954) TV episode


Any Number Can Play (1949) .... Ada
Little Women (1949) .... Marmee
Act of Violence (1948) .... Pat
Cass Timberlane (1947) .... Queenie Havock
... aka Sinclair Lewis' Cass Timberlane (USA: promotional title)
Cynthia (1947) .... Louise Bishop
... aka Cynthia: The Rich, Full Life
... aka The Rich Full Life (UK)
Desert Fury (1947) .... Fritzi Haller
Fiesta (1947) .... Señora Morales
Claudia and David (1946) .... Elizabeth Van Doren
Blonde Fever (1944) .... Delilah Donay
Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) .... Mrs. Anna Smith
Thousands Cheer (1943) .... Hyllary Jones
Young Ideas (1943) .... Josephine 'Jo' Evans
The Palm Beach Story (1942) .... The Princess Centimillia
Across the Pacific (1942) .... Alberta Marlow
The Maltese Falcon (1941) .... Brigid O'Shaughnessy
The Great Lie (1941) .... Sandra Kovak
Brigham Young (1940) .... Mary Ann Young
... aka Brigham Young: Frontiersman (UK) (USA: promotional title)
Turnabout (1940) .... Marion Manning


Midnight (1939) .... Helene Flammarion
Listen, Darling (1938) .... Mrs. Dorothy 'Dottie' Wingate
Woman Against Woman (1938) .... Cynthia Holland
There's Always a Woman (1938) .... Lola Fraser
Paradise for Three (1938) .... Mrs. Irene Mallebre
... aka Romance for Three (UK)
No Time to Marry (1938) .... Kay McGowan
The Hurricane (1937) .... Mme. DeLaage
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937) .... Antoinette de Mauban
Lady from Nowhere (1936) .... Polly
Dodsworth (1936) .... Mrs. Edith Cortright
Trapped by Television (1936) .... Barbara 'Bobby' Blake
... aka Caught by Television (UK)
And So They Were Married (1936) .... Edith Farnham
The Murder of Dr. Harrigan (1936) .... Lillian Cooper
Man of Iron (1935) .... Vida
Page Miss Glory (1935) .... Gladys Russell
Dinky (1935) .... Mrs. Martha Daniels
Straight from the Heart (1935) .... Marian Henshaw
Red Hot Tires (1935) .... Patricia Sanford
... aka Racing Luck (UK)
I Am a Thief (1934) .... Odette Mauclair
The Case of the Howling Dog (1934) .... Bessie Foley
The Man with Two Faces (1934) .... Jessica Wells
Return of the Terror (1934) .... Olga Morgan
Upperworld (1934) .... Mrs. Hettie Stream
Easy to Love (1934) .... Charlotte Hopkins
Convention City (1933) .... Arlene Dale
The World Changes (1933) .... Virginia 'Ginny' Clafflin Nordholm
The Kennel Murder Case (1933) .... Hilda Lake
Jennie Gerhardt (1933) .... Letty Pace
The Little Giant (1933) .... Ruth Wayburn
Red Dust (1932) .... Barbara Willis
A Successful Calamity (1932) .... Emmy 'Sweetie' Wilton
Those We Love (1932) .... May Ballard
The Lost Squadron (1932) .... Follette Marsh
Men of Chance (1931) .... Marthe Preston Silk
Smart Woman (1931) .... Mrs. Nancy Gibson
White Shoulders (1931) .... Norma Selbee
The Sin Ship (1931) .... Frisco Kitty
Behind Office Doors (1931) .... Mary Linden
Other Men's Women (1931) .... Lily Kulper
... aka The Steel Highway
The Royal Bed (1931) .... Princess Anne
... aka The Queen's Husband (UK)
The Lash (1930) .... Dona Rosita Garcia
... aka Adiós (USA: Spanish title)
Holiday (1930) .... Julia Seton
Ladies Love Brutes (1930) .... Mimi Howell
The Runaway Bride (1930) .... Mary Gray, AKA Sally Fairchild


The Woman from Hell (1929) .... Dee Renaud
New Year's Eve (1929) .... Marjorie Ware
Romance of the Underworld (1928) .... Judith Andrews
... aka Romance and Bright Lights
Dry Martini (1928) .... Elizabeth Quimby
Heart to Heart (1928) .... Princess Delatorre/Ellen Guthrie
Three-Ring Marriage (1928) .... Anna
Dressed to Kill (1928) .... Jeanne
Sailors' Wives (1928) .... Carol Trent
No Place to Go (1927) .... Sally Montgomery
The Rough Riders (1927) .... Dolly
... aka The Trumpet Calls (USA)
Rose of the Golden West (1927) .... Elena
Two Arabian Knights (1927) .... Mirza
The Sunset Derby (1927) .... Molly Gibson
The Sea Tiger (1927) .... Amy Cortissos
Forever After (1926) .... Jennie Clayton
Don Juan (1926) .... Adriana della Varnese
The Wise Guy (1926) .... Mary
... aka Into the Night (UK)
... aka Wise Guy (USA)
High Steppers (1926) .... Audrey Nye
Scarlet Saint (1925) .... Fidele Tridon
The Pace That Thrills (1925) .... Doris
Don Q Son of Zorro (1925) .... Dolores de Muro
Playing with Souls (1925) .... Margo
Enticement (1925) .... Leonore Bewlay
Oh, Doctor! (1925) .... Dolores Hicks
Inez from Hollywood (1924) .... Fay Bartholdi
... aka The Good Bad Girl
The Price of a Party (1924) .... Alice Barrows
Unguarded Women (1924) .... Helen Castle
The Fighting American (1924) .... Mary O'Mallory
Beau Brummel (1924) .... Lady Margery Alvanley
The Fighting Coward (1924) .... Lucy
To the Ladies (1923) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Woman-Proof (1923) .... Violet Lynwood
The Marriage Maker (1923) .... Vivian Hope-Clarke
Puritan Passions (1923) .... Rachel
The Bright Shawl (1923) .... Narcissa Escobar
Success (1923) .... Rose Randolph
Second Fiddle (1923) .... Polly Crawford
The Rapids (1922) (uncredited) .... Elsie Worden
The Man Who Played God (1922) .... Young Woman
Hope (1922) .... Hope
John Smith (1922) .... Irene Mason
The Young Painter (1922)
The Angelus (1922) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Wings of the Border (1921)
The Beggar Maid (1921) (uncredited) .... Peasant Girl/Beggar Maid
My Lady o' the Pines (1921) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Sentimental Tommy (1921) (scenes deleted)
Brother of the Bear (1921) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
The Bashful Suitor (1921) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Bullets or Ballots (1921) (uncredited) .... Bit Part

Thanks for the list! Looks like she was very active on TV in the 1950s. I did not recall having seen her in "Meet Me In St. Louis."

from http://www.ihousephilly.org/campbette.htm

Thursday, August 7 at 8pm

Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte

dir. Robert Aldrich, US, 1964, 133 mins, video, b/w

A proper Southern lady kills her fiance. Or did she? Almost forty years later, Charlotte Hollis (Bette Davis) lives in a crumbling house slated for demolition. Driven nearly insane by the memory of the horrific crime, the taunting of neighborhood children and shunning by their parents, Charlotte calls on Cousin Miriam (Olivia de Havilland) to help fight keep the ancestral home. But Miriam is next in line to inherit the Hollis estate and is not above adding to Charlotte�s fears.

I liked her in Philadelphia Story, Red Dust, and Holiday. She wasn't the main character in any of those, but she always played the supporting roles well.