I firmly believe in the early 30's there was not one other movie star who could come close to her in terms of beauty, brazeness, and balls. In the pre-code films she made for Warner Brothers she comes off as a street wise vixen who could capture your gaze and not let go, but also a softy who would grab your heart and hold it forever.
There are a bunch of films for me to recommend that you see from her career but I prefer the sexy pre-codes. "Three On A Match", "Night Nurse", "Gold Diggers of 1933", "Havana Widows", "I've Got Your Number", and much more I could go on and on. In fact she was so busy that in the years 1931-1933 she made an astounding 28 feature films!!
In future blogs I will be posting many stills from my vast collection of Blondell stills that I hope you'll enjoy, but PLEASE, seek out all her films (TCM plays them pretty often) and see what made her such an amazing actress!
5 comments:
Eric / Saxophobia here, I can't seem to sign in properly.
Check out the Helen Twelvetrees weeper "Millie". Blondell plays against her usual type as a Dumb Blonde. I don't recall the exact lines but she says something incredibly naive and Lilyan Tashman says "One of these days they'll come looking for you, and and they'll find is a bloody axe." Blondell just opens her eyes a little more and in extremely understated amazement says "Really?"
Love Blondell! I've seen her in her pre-code films, and later in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," as aunt Sissy. A great part for her. Although she was older in this film, you couldn't help but see the spunky Blondell of the 30's. I later saw her in an episode of "The Twilight Zone," she was much, much, older, but played the part to the hilt. Nice blog!
She was even charming on TV in a piece of junk like "Here Come the Brides"
Thanks for all the good comments. In addition to El Brendel and Joan Blondell, I will be posting pictures of Glenda Farell, Janet Gaynor, Colleen Moore, Bette Davis, Hugh Herbert, Wheeler and Woolsey, Guy Kibbee, Warren William, and a bunch more from my collection. Stay tuned.
And if you want to see someone special, please let me know, I may have some!
thanks for this.
I simply adore Joan blondell
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