Happy Birthday: Loretta Young.

Loretta Young (January 6, 1913 – August 12, 2000). Made the transition from child actor to one of Hollywood's leading ladies of the 1930s and 1940s, making close to 100 films with directors such as: Frank Capra, Cecil B. DeMille and Orson Welles and talented leading men like: Cary Grant, Clark Gable and Tyrone Power. She won an Oscar for her role in, The Farmer's Daughter and was one of the first female stars to earn a six-figure salary.

My Favorite Loretta Young Movies are:

Along Came Jones(1945). Gary Copper, Lorettea Young, William Demarest and Dan Duryea.

The movie was adapted by Nunnally Johnson, from the novel Useless Cowboy, by Alan Le May. Directed by Stuart Heisler. When wounded during a stage robbery, masked bandit Monte Jarrad, drops a rifle engraved with his name.

Having only the robber's name, the sheriff of the small town of, Payneville offers a $1,000 reward for his arrest. When Melody Jones rides into town with the initials "MJ" carved into his saddle, everyone believes him to be Monte.

Mild-mannered Melody enjoys the attention and begins to swagger like a gunslinger until Cherry De Longpre, warns Melody to ride out of town. Melody takes her advice and after he leaves, she visits the barn where she is hiding out the wounded Monte.

Melody, soon realizes that she has set him up as a decoy and returns to the ranch to confront her.

That night, Cherry is shocked to find Melody in her bed and tells him that she wants to help Monte, her childhood friend. Cherry comes up with a plan.. to send Melody to lure the posse away from the ranch while Monte heads South. But the Melody is in love with Cherry and decides to return to the ranch with plans of his own.

I thought this was a very entertaining western with a wonderful combination of suspense, action, romance and comedy. It also features an interesting cast, Loretta Young gives a wonderful performance as a woman torn between the bandit and the cowboy. Cooper gives one of his funniest/cutest performances.

 

The Bishop's Wife(1947). A Romantic/comedy. Cast: Cary Grant, Loretta Young, and David Niven. The film was adapted from the novel of the same name by Robert Nathan. Directed by Henry Koster. The film won the Academy Award for Sound, and was nominated for Best Director, Best Film Editing, Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture and Best Picture.

As a small town, is in the middle of getting ready for the Christmas holiday, an angel named Dudley, seems to enjoy watching Julia Brougham, the bishop's wife, looking at a hat through a store window. Dudley follows Julia to a Christmas tree lot, where she meets her old friend, Professor Wutheridge, and confides in him how sad she is that her husband Henry, is too busy with fund raising for a new cathedral to spend time with her and their friends.

The professor gives Julia a ancient Roman coin from his collection to give to Henry. After Julia leaves for home, Dudley purposely bumps into the professor and asks questions about Julia.

When Julia arrives home, she finds Henry in a meeting with several wealthy people, including Mrs. Agnes Hamilton, who insists that her large contribution toward the cathedral's construction guarantee she receives the memorial she wants for her husband who has passed away.

After the meeting, Julia tells Henry about her visit with the professor and gives Henry the coin, which thinks is worthless.

Realizing that Julia is lonely for him, Henry asks Julia, to have lunch with him the following day and she happily agrees. After his assistant, Mildred Cassaway, leaves for home, Henry prays for guidance and a few moments later, Dudley arrives and informs Henry that he is an angel sent in answer to his prayer. Henry, is still having a hard time believing him when Julia walks in, Dudley introduces himself as Henry's assistant.

 

The next morning, Henry is not too happy to see that Dudley has returned and has made friends with the maid Matilda, and his beloved dog, Queenie. Julia, is disappointed that Henry has cancelled their lunch date and takes their daughter Debby to the park.

After Henry leaves the house, Dudley meets up with Julia and Debby at the park and helps the little girl build her confidence during a snowball war. Dudley offers to take Julia to lunch just as Matilda magically shows up to take Debby home.

Dudley takes Julia to Michel's, her favorite restaurant, where Henry proposed to her. When they are seen by a group of ladies from the parish, Dudley stops their gossip by inviting them to join them at their table.

Walking home after lunch, Julia and Dudley run into the professor, who invites them to his apartment, where he admits that he has not worked for many years on his book about ancient Rome. Dudley, who has the ancient coin, in his pocket returns it to the professor and informs him of the rare coin's history. Now, inspired the professor is ready to get started on his long awaited book.

Henry, has returned home to reschedule his appointments, so that he can take Julia to lunch, only to find that she has gone to lunch with Dudley.

The next day, Dudley tells Debby the story of David, who is helped by an angel. With every one looking on.

Later, Henry accepts an invitation to meet with Mrs. Hamilton, unfortunately, it is being held at the same time as his choir practice meeting at his old parish. Dudley and Julia, go to the rehearsal instead. At the church, Rev. Miller is embarrassed by the poor turnout. Until, one by one all the boys arrive and give a wonderful performance.

After the performance, Dudley and Julia catch a cab into town where Dudley buys the hat that Julia saw in the shop window. Then Dudley asks the cab driver, Sylvester, to stop at a ice skating rink where all three spend a wonderful afternoon.

After Dudley and Julia return home, Henry demands that Dudley leave for good. Everyone, wonders if Dudley will ever return.

After Henry and Julia leave the house, Dudley arrives and rewrites Henry's Christmas sermon, dictating while the typewriter types out the new speech. Dudley, then decorates the Christmas tree and leaves to visit Mrs. Hamilton.

While waiting in Mrs. Hamilton's drawing room, Dudley discovers a piece of sheet music from a man who was not Mrs. Hamilton's husband. Dudley plays the tune on Mrs. Hamilton's harp and she reminisces to another time when she was in love with another man, but.. not wanting to be poor rejected him. To make up for not loving her wealthy husband, she wanted to honor his legacy.

Later, when Henry and Julia arrive, Mrs. Hamilton thanks Henry for sending Dudley to her and tells them that he has inspired her to give her money to the poor instead of the cathedral. With the air let out of his balloon, Henry tells Julia, that he will meet her back at home and goes to see his old friend the professor, where he complains that Dudley is really an angel who has ruined everything.The professor returns to him, his ancient coin, telling him that it has inspired him and may help Henry too.

When Henry tells him he believes he has lost Julia to Dudley, the professor reminds him that he is human and Dudley is not and encourages him to work it out with Julia.

While Dudley and Julia stand in front of the Christmas tree, Dudley tells her it is time for him to leave, but he wants to stay with her. Julia, tells him that he must go and runs upstairs just as Henry arrives to confront Dudley. Dudley is happy that Henry, is willing fight for Julia and reminds the bishop that he never prayed for a cathedral, but for guidance. He then tells him that it is bad when an angel envies a mortal and after he leaves, no one will have any memory of his existence.

Henry, races upstairs looking for Julia, they embrace and then leave for St. Timothy's where Henry delivers Dudley's Christmas sermon. Dudley listens from the street...

Cary, is at his charming best in this wonderful Christmas story about inspiration and true love. David Niven, does a wonderful job playing a bishop who forgets what is truly important in his life. Loretta Young, gives a heart warming performance as the neglected wife.

Rachel and the Stranger(1948). The story begins when David Harvey finds himself a widower with a son. They live far from town in the country on a Northwest farm. He needs a woman around the house to cook, clean and teach his son reading/writing/math.

David and Davey pack up the horse and head for town to ask for the preacher's advice, who recommends Rachel.

Rachel, is a bonds woman, and is quickly sold to David. David being a decent man marries her. David keeps his distance from Rachel as he is still grieving the passing of his wife. Rachel is doing everything she can to win over her new family.

This all changes when Jim, his (very charming, handsome) friend arrives and shows the neglected Rachel some attention. David starts to realize that she means far more to him than he thought and the trouble begins....

Please click here to view a past Rachel and the Stranger tribute put together by Disney Princess for Noir and Chick Flicks.

Please click here to view the official Loretta Young website.