Paulette Goddard Centennial
(Update: Paulette's gravestone in Switzerland gives her birth year as 1910.)
It was a serendipitous coincidence that today's mail brought a small package with a Region 2 DVD edition of the otherwise hard-to-find Oscar Wilde comedy AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1947), starring Goddard, Glynis Johns, and Michael Wilding. I'm also recording some new-to-me Goddard movies from TCM today, including VICE SQUAD (1953) with Edward G. Robinson.
Edward Copeland on Film posted a well-done birthday tribute to Goddard written by Josh R. (Via Classic Movies.) It includes a good overview of Goddard's career.
I haven't seen a great number of Goddard films, but I am increasingly interested in her work. My favorite Goddard role to date was as Leslie, the architect who falls for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in THE YOUNG IN HEART (1938).
Other Goddard films previously reviewed here: DRAMATIC SCHOOL (1938), THE WOMEN (1939), SECOND CHORUS (1940), and REAP THE WILD WIND (1942).
Among the Goddard films still ahead of me to see for the first time: THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939) and GHOST BREAKERS (1940), both with Bob Hope; Mitchell Leisen's HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941) with Boyer and de Havilland; THE CRYSTAL BALL (1943) and KITTY (1945), both costarring Ray Milland (fortunately I was able to record KITTY from TCM this year); and UNCONQUERED (1947) with Gary Cooper, which I have on DVD.
Paulette Goddard's offscreen life was interesting as well. Three marriages, including to Charlie Chaplin and Burgess Meredith, didn't last more than a few years apiece. Her fourth and final marriage was also her most successful: in 1958 she married writer Erich Maria Remarque, author of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Their marriage lasted until Remarque's death in 1970.
Paulette Goddard passed away on April 23, 1990.
Friday Update: I've been reading a profile of Ray Milland by Neil Doyle from the Summer 2002 edition of Films of the Golden Age. Milland had this to say about Paulette Goddard and her work on KITTY: "I always liked working with Paulette. She was not a brilliant actress, she had no sense of timing and everything about her playing was mechanical and contrived. But nobody knew it better than she did, and she was completely honest about it; she is the most honest actress I ever knew. She worked...trying to give it all she had, and in the end, her performance was quite all right."
June 2013 Update: Here are reviews for several more Paulette Goddard films reviewed since 2010: THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), THE FOREST RANGERS (1942), THE LADY HAS PLANS (1943), SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943), THE CRYSTAL BALL (1943) (also here), STANDING ROOM ONLY (1944), VARIETY GIRL (1947), and HAZARD (1948).
June 2018 Update: More reviews: THE MOUTHPIECE (1932) and a review of THE YOUNG IN HEART (1938) Blu-ray.
2020 Update: Here are reviews of THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939), THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), REAP THE WILD WIND (1942), and SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943) Blu-rays.
It was a serendipitous coincidence that today's mail brought a small package with a Region 2 DVD edition of the otherwise hard-to-find Oscar Wilde comedy AN IDEAL HUSBAND (1947), starring Goddard, Glynis Johns, and Michael Wilding. I'm also recording some new-to-me Goddard movies from TCM today, including VICE SQUAD (1953) with Edward G. Robinson.
Edward Copeland on Film posted a well-done birthday tribute to Goddard written by Josh R. (Via Classic Movies.) It includes a good overview of Goddard's career.
I haven't seen a great number of Goddard films, but I am increasingly interested in her work. My favorite Goddard role to date was as Leslie, the architect who falls for Douglas Fairbanks Jr. in THE YOUNG IN HEART (1938).Other Goddard films previously reviewed here: DRAMATIC SCHOOL (1938), THE WOMEN (1939), SECOND CHORUS (1940), and REAP THE WILD WIND (1942).
Among the Goddard films still ahead of me to see for the first time: THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939) and GHOST BREAKERS (1940), both with Bob Hope; Mitchell Leisen's HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941) with Boyer and de Havilland; THE CRYSTAL BALL (1943) and KITTY (1945), both costarring Ray Milland (fortunately I was able to record KITTY from TCM this year); and UNCONQUERED (1947) with Gary Cooper, which I have on DVD.Paulette Goddard's offscreen life was interesting as well. Three marriages, including to Charlie Chaplin and Burgess Meredith, didn't last more than a few years apiece. Her fourth and final marriage was also her most successful: in 1958 she married writer Erich Maria Remarque, author of ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT. Their marriage lasted until Remarque's death in 1970.
Paulette Goddard passed away on April 23, 1990.
Friday Update: I've been reading a profile of Ray Milland by Neil Doyle from the Summer 2002 edition of Films of the Golden Age. Milland had this to say about Paulette Goddard and her work on KITTY: "I always liked working with Paulette. She was not a brilliant actress, she had no sense of timing and everything about her playing was mechanical and contrived. But nobody knew it better than she did, and she was completely honest about it; she is the most honest actress I ever knew. She worked...trying to give it all she had, and in the end, her performance was quite all right."June 2013 Update: Here are reviews for several more Paulette Goddard films reviewed since 2010: THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), THE FOREST RANGERS (1942), THE LADY HAS PLANS (1943), SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943), THE CRYSTAL BALL (1943) (also here), STANDING ROOM ONLY (1944), VARIETY GIRL (1947), and HAZARD (1948).
June 2018 Update: More reviews: THE MOUTHPIECE (1932) and a review of THE YOUNG IN HEART (1938) Blu-ray.
2020 Update: Here are reviews of THE CAT AND THE CANARY (1939), THE GHOST BREAKERS (1940), HOLD BACK THE DAWN (1941), REAP THE WILD WIND (1942), and SO PROUDLY WE HAIL! (1943) Blu-rays.
2021 Update: Here are reviews of NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH (1941) and UNCONQUERED (1947).
posted by Laura @ 2:02 PM
4 Comments:
Great post Laura. I was able to record some of her movies on TCM the other day including Vice Squad as well.
Terrific! Enjoy, Monty. :)
Best wishes,
Laura
"An Ideal Husband" is brilliant! Those costumes by Cecil Beaton are out of this world and foreshadow his work on "My Fair Lady". Lets not forget to add Paulette's husband stealing turn and cat fight with the wonderful Rosalind Russell in "The Woman"
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on AN IDEAL HUSBAND! Glad you have also enjoyed Paulette in THE WOMEN.
Best wishes,
Laura
Post a Comment
<< Home