Johnny Belinda(1948).

Johnny Belinda(1948). Cast: Jane Wyman, Lew Ayres, Charles Bickford, Agnes Moorehead, Stephen McNally, and Jan Sterling. Wyman won an Oscar for this film for Best Actress.

Deaf/mute girl Belinda, lives in a small fishing village with her father and her aunt. She can not communicate with her family and lives in a world all her own. Until, a doctor named Robert, comes to help the family with the birth of a calf.. He and Belinda quickly become friends and  he teaches her sign language.

One evening, when Locky McCormick and his girl friend, Stella Maguire, stop by the farm with a group of their friends. They begin playing music and dancing and Robert places Belinda's hand on the violin so that she can feel the music for the first time.

Later, having been rejected by Stella, a drunken Locky rapes Belinda. Belinda becomes withdrawn and her father asks Robert, to find out what is wrong with her.

Robert takes Belinda, to town to visit an ear specialist and learns that she is pregnant. Robert only tells Aggie, knowing her father, will take it to hard.

One Sunday.. her father and Robert, take her to church for the first time. Locky and Stella, also attend the service and Belinda's reaction to Locky makes Robert think that he may be the father of the child.

After the baby, is born the townspeople, believing that Robert is the child's father, ostracize him and the McDonalds. Robert offers to marry Belinda, but.. her father does not think it is a very good idea, because he is not in love with her.

When Locky shows up during a storm, Belinda's father suddenly realizes the identity of his grandson's father and the two men get into a fight to and Locky pushes her father off a cliff to his death.

Robert, leaves town to start a new life and promises to send for Aggie and Belinda, as soon as he can. The townspeople decide to take the baby from Belinda and give him to Stella and Locky, who have since married. Stella, can not go through with it. Locky then tells Stella that he is the baby's father. When he comes after the baby, Belinda shoots and kills him. Will Stella tell the truth and save Belinda from going to jail for murder?

Fun Fact:
Jane Wyman became the first actor since the silent era to win an Oscar without uttering a word.

I think that you will love Agnes Moorehead's down to earth character in this film. I think you will also agree that Jane Wyman, gave one of her greatest performances of all time.

Jan Sterling (April 3, 1921 – March 26, 2004). In 1947, she made her film debut in, Tycoon, billed as Jane Darian. Ruth Gordon, reportedly insisted she change her stage name and they agreed upon Jan Sterling.

She played a prominent supporting role in, Johnny Belinda (1948). She also performed in the films, Caged (1950), Mystery Street (1950), The Mating Season (1951), Ace in the Hole (1951), Flesh and Fury (1952), The Human Jungle (1954), and Female on the Beach (1955). Often cast as hard and determined characters, she played a more sympathetic character in, Sky Full of Moon (1952). In 1954 Sterling was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in, The High and the Mighty.

Her Highness and the Bellboy(1945).

Her Highness and the Bellboy(1945). Cast: Hedy Lamarr, June Allyson, Agnus Morehead and Robert Walker.

The story begins, when a beautiful princess falls in love with a handsome American reporter. She travels to New York, just to be with him. While staying at one of the city's best hotels she meets a bellhop who thinks she is her a maid. She invites him to be her escort, not realizing he has fallen in love with her. It is not long before he thinks that she feels the same way he does.

Later, the bellhop goes to visit a young woman who is a invalid. He doesn't realize that the girl is in love with him. After the princess finds her reporter, he turns her way, because he thinks they are from two different worlds. She is broken hearted and the bellhop asks if he can help. She asks him to take her to a bar called Jake's Joint to look for her reporter.

In a tuxedo, the bellhop stops by to visit his invalid friend before his date. He gives her the corsage he had bought for the princess and after he leaves, she cries. At the club, the princess looks for the reporter, but he is no where to be found. The bellhop's friend is there with some thugs and a fight breaks out. The police raid Jake's Joint and the princess is hauled off in the paddy wagon. The reporter gets there in time to see her carried off.

When the bellhop gets back to the hotel, he learns the princess's father has died and she is now queen. The reporter bails her out and they return to her hotel. When the queen learns her father has died she makes plans to go home and offers the bellhop a job. But instead, the bellhop thinks she wants him to be her consort. When he visits his invalid friend to say goodbye, she takes a step and he promises that she will get well. Both the new queen and the bellhop have some big decisions to make.

Fun Facts:

M-G-M saved money by utilizing the same main set as the one from "Weekend at the Waldorf" (1945). When that company finished, "Her Highness and the Bellboy" moved in.

Mickey Rooney was supposed to star in this movie but Rooney ended up being drafted into the war, so Robert Walker was cast instead.

This was Hedy Lamarr's last film she did for MGM under her contract. After this she went on to free lance.

What I was expecting was a fluffy chick flick film, turned out to be a really a beautiful movie, which makes you think about who your friends really are.

Keep Your Powder Dry(1945).

Keep Your Powder Dry(1945). Drama starring Lana Turner, Susan Peters, and Laraine Day. The film was directed by Edward Buzzell and written by George Bruce and Mary C. McCall, Jr.

One sunny morning Valerie Parks, is told by the family attorney, that she will not receive her trust fund until she proves that she deserves it, so she decides to join the WACS. Next.. on the list to join, Ann Darrison, who decides to enlist after her serviceman husband John is sent overseas. Last, but not least is Leigh Rand, the daughter of a military family, who also decides enlists.

The three new recruits, meet on the way to the Ft. Des Moines training camp and Leigh and Val, instantly develop a dislike for each other and Darrison becomes the mediator, when all three are assigned as mechanics, in the same unit. Leigh challenges Val, saying she never will complete basic training. Val, proves her wrong and does very well in class. Val and Leigh, eventually become friends and all three girls are accepted into Officers' Candidate School.

One day, Capt. Bill Barclay, a friend of Ann's husband, arrives at their base to visit Ann. Later, Bill meets Val and asks her on a date, Leigh, who is attracted to Bill herself, reminds them that enlisted WACS are forbidden to date officers. Leigh arranges for Val, to be assigned to duty that night to prevent them from meeting. Which angers Val and so ends their friendship.

Later Val, receives a telegram from her attorney, telling her that he is in town, she goes to meet him. Instead, she is met by her old friends Harriet and a drunken Junior Vanderheusen. Val tells her friends, that she plans to stay in the military and gives them a piece of her mind. Insulted, Junior spills his drink on Val's uniform.

Knowing that she cannot return to the barracks smelling of alcohol, Val goes to see Leigh, who is on leave and staying in the next room. Val, begs her to bring her a clean uniform in the morning. Leigh agrees, but when she returns to the hotel the next morning with the clean uniform, she runs into Junior in the elevator.

After learning from Junior, that Val only joined the military to receive her inheritance. Leigh, launches into a campaign to get rid of Val. Two days before graduation, Val, unable to stand her abuse, slaps Leigh in the face and marches off the field.

Later when Val, refuses to stick up for herself to their commanding officer, Lt. Colonel Spottiswoode. The officer calls Leigh, before the board and informs her that her platoon has rated her unfit to be an officer. Leigh, takes the blame for Val's outburst.

Col. Spottiswoode goes to see Anne and informs her that her husband has been killed in combat. When Leigh and Val, hear about Ann's loss, her courage shames them into staying the corps.



I recently saw this classic movie on TCM for the first time. I would call it a female version of a WWII buddy movie. Agnes Moorehead, Natalie Schafer and June Lockhart have supporting roles.

Susan Peters (July 3, 1921 – October 23, 1952). Her first job was to read with potential actors in their screen tests. Before long she had impressed studio executives with her own talent, and they began casting her in films.

For the first two years she used her given name and played small, uncredited parts in the film, Meet John Doe (1941). Her first substantial role was in the film, Random Harvest (1942), which earned her an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. MGM, cast her in the starring role in the film, Song of Russia (1943).

Peters was married to the actor Richard Quine on November 7, 1943. A couple of months after performing in the film, Keep Your Powder Dry, Peters and her husband were duck hunting when a rifle accidentally discharged, causing a bullet to be lodged in her spine. The accident left her permanently paralyzed from the waist down. Peters attempted to continue her acting career.

MGM continued to pay her salary, unable to find suitable projects, Peters left the studio. She returned for the lead role in, The Sign of the Ram (1948). Unfortunately, her disability made her a difficult actress to cast.

Happy Birthday Agnes Moorehead (1900 - 1974)

Happy birthday to film and TV actress Agnes Moorehead. Mostly known for playing Elizabeth Montgomery's mom on the TV classic series Bewitched, Agnes was also a notable film actress. She appeared in such films as Citizen Kane, The Magnificient Ambersons, All That Heaven Allows, Caged, and Hush..Hush Sweet Charlotte.

Caged(1950)

Caged(1950). The movie was adapted by Virginia Kellogg from the story Women Without Men by Kellogg and Bernard C. Schoenfeld. It was directed by John Cromwell. Cast: Eleanor Parker, Agnes Moorehead, Ellen Corby, Hope Emerson, Betty Garde, Sheila MacRae, Jan Sterling, Lee Patrick, Jane Darwell and Gertrude Hoffman.

Among the new prisoners at the Women's State Prison is 19 year old Marie Allen, who has been sentenced as an accessory in a armed robbery where her husband was killed. During Marie's physical they find out that she is pregnant, the warden, assigns her to work in the laundry. When the matron of Marie's cell block learns that Marie has no money, she reassigns her to scrubbing floors. Marie is befriended by Smoochie, Kitty Stark and Claire, who believe most of the women are in prison because of men.

Marie is still in jail when the baby is born, she hopes that her mother will take the child until she is paroled.

Kitty invites Marie to join her shoplifting racket when she gets out, telling her that even if she is paroled, she will be forced to stay in jail until she is offered a job. Marie, turns her down. One of the convicts then has a breakdown and when June, is denied parole, she hangs herself.

After Marie goes into labor, the doctor is disgusted by the prison conditions and goes to the medical board. The Warden is aware of the matrons treatment of the women, but her efforts to have the matron fired are always stop by her political friends. Her request for teachers and a psychologist are also denied by the prison board.

Marie's mother refuses to take her baby, so she puts him up for adoption and as Marie's parole hearing nears, Kitty renews her job offer. Even though the matron gives favorable recommendation, Marie's parole is denied. Will her experience in prison change her from a Innocent young girl into a hardened convict?

I thought this film was very engaging and you will find yourself getting wrapped up in the characters and how they choose to cope in unbearable circumstances.




Gertude Hoffmann, began her film career in Germany in 1918, aged 40, but made her American film debut in 1933.

She made quite a few films over the next 20 years, though many of her parts were unbilled.

She played Mrs. Odets on Gale Storm's My Little Margie, a situation comedy that alternated between CBS and NBC from 1952 to 1955. The series was created by Frank Fox and produced at Hal Roach Studios by Hal Roach, Jr. and Roland D. Reed. My Little Margie premiered on CBS as the summer replacement for I Love Lucy on June 16, 1952.

She also performed in films: Alfred Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent, which was nominated for Best Picture Oscar in 1941, as well as The File on Thelma Jordon (1950), Caged (1950), and The War of the Worlds (1953).