From the start of the movie industry in 1915 to the early 1960s is a time known as Hollywood’s Golden Age. Golden Age – that phrase conjures images of glamorous parties, romantic leading men, and beautiful young starlets. It seems glossy and ethereal; a time untouched by reality, where the biggest of dreams can come true, and the stars of the films were wholesome and pure.
In fact, that is the biggest fantasy of all. The nostalgic golden age antics of some of the biggest stars of yesteryear would make Miley Cyrus blush. This was the true time of pushing the envelope. While their public lives where strictly controlled by the studios, sometimes with an iron fist, their private lives were filled with affairs, scandals, and sometimes, murder. The public wanted purity on screen, but avidly followed the tabloids exploits of their favorite stars, at least the ones the studio heads couldn’t silence.
Even with all the shenanigans going on off screen, some of the best movies ever made captivated audiences during this time. The silent films of the World War I era gave way to “talkies,” with The Jazz Singer being released in 1927, the first full-length feature film with sound. New technologies fascinated everyone with silence to sound and black and white to color. This was the era of Steamboat Willie, Two Arabian Knights, Cimarron, Gone With the Wind, and The Wizard of Oz. Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Katherine Hepburn, and The Marx Brothers graced the screen, as did an unknown stunt man named John Wayne.
Some of the Golden Age actors became legends. Others faded into obscurity and are only seen every now and then on late night TV. Here are 5 that should be remembered.
Esther Williams
Esther Williams was born in Inglewood, CA in 1921. While she set many national swimming records, her dream of competing in the 1940 Summer Olympics was dashed due to the outbreak of World War II. Blessed with classic beauty and acting talent, MGM signed her to a contract for a series of “aquamusicals” showcasing her swimming talents, the only actress ever to make them. Her first movie of note was the 1944 Bathing Beauty staring Williams and Red Skelton, and from 1945 to 1949 was one of MGM top moneymaking stars. Sadly, in the 1950s, Williams star began to fade. She married 4 times and had 3 children. Ester Williams died in 2013.
Mae West
Born in 1893, Mae West was an early trailblazer for women’s rights at a time when women didn’t have many. She was an actress and comedian who started out in vaudeville and was know to write many of her own lines in her films. She was known for sexual independence and a certain “bawdiness” in her films, which often got her in trouble with the censors. Her film debut was in Night After Night in 1932 and catapulted her to stardom. In 1933, she appeared as Diamond Lil, a character she would play is several of her films, in She Done Him Wrong. It was nominated for an Academy Award. She left films in the early 1940s, returning to the stage. Mae West wrote plays and books, and even sang with artists such as Ringo Starr and Alice Cooper. She passed away in 1980.
Claude Rains
British actor, Claude Rains was born in London in 1889 into an acting family. Before beginning his acting career, he serviced in the British Armed Services in World War I, where he lost 90% of the sight in his right eye. After earning accolades on the London stage, he made the trip to Hollywood in the 1930s, after another successful stage run on Broadway. His first film was as the evil Prince John in The Adventures of Robin Hood opposite Errol Flynn in 1938. He starred with Jimmy Stewart in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington in 1939, but his most famous role was as police chief Captain Renault in Casablanca in 1942. Rains remained active in the movie industry until he retired in 1965. Rains was married six times, but only had one child, a daughter. He passed away in 1967 at the age of 77.
Hattie McDaniel
Hattie McDaniel was an African-American singer, songwriter, comedian and actress at a time when roles for people of color were rare. She was a radio star in the 1920s and quite successful until the stock market crash in 1929. After a move to Los Angeles, she could only find work as a maid. In the early 1930s, she did get several roles as a maid in films, such as I’m No Angel (1933) starring Mae West. Her first major role, again as a maid, was in Judge Priest in 1934 starring Will Rogers, who became her good friend. It was the film, China Seas in 1935 with Clark Gable that would propel her into her most famous role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind in 1938. Reportedly, Gable recommended McDaniel for the part. She won an Academy Award for her performance, the first African-American actress to do so. While many criticized her for playing a stereotype, McDaniel did open doors for other black actors in Hollywood. Hattie McDaniel died in 1952, but was denied burial at the Hollywood Cemetery on Santa Monica Boulevard where other movie stars of the era were buried, because she was black. She was laid to rest at Angelus-Rosedale Cemetery instead.
John Carridine
John Carridine was a prolific actor. Born in 1906 in New York, he saw a rendition of Shakespeare’s play, The Merchant of Venice when he was 11, and that set the course for his career. Most of his work was on the stage, touring with a Shakespeare company in the 1940s and working on Broadway. He acted is such plays as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, in which he played the character Lycus for 15 months, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and The Madwoman of Chaillot. He also appeared in 225 movies, mostly horror films, such as House of Frankenstein and the House of Dracula throughout the 1940s. While he made a living acting in film, on stage, and later, on television, he is probably best know for being the father of an Acting Dynasty. Married six times, four of his five sons became actors, most notably David Carradine of Kung Fu fame. His daughter Calista and two grandchildren are also actors. John Carridine passed away in 1988 at the age of 82.
