Mervyn LeRoy Articles

Howard Keel on TCM: SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, SHOW BOAT, KISS ME KATE Callaway Went Thataway is a pleasant comedy in which Keel has two roles: that of a cowboy star who spends most of his time wasted and a naive hick hired to impersonate said cowboy star. Keel is fine in both comedic roles, and so is Dorothy McGuire as the Hollywood slicker [...]

Ann Dvorak, Paul Muni, Dr. Socrates Ann Dvorak Pt.3: SCARFACE, Warner Bros. Leading Lady, But Never a Star Ann Dvorak played opposite most big names at Warner Bros. in the 1930s. In addition to the aforementioned Joan Blondell and Bette Davis, there were Warren William, Paul Muni, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., James Cagney, Dick Powell, Pat O'Brien, and Richard Barthelmess, among others. How did she get [...]

Bette Davis, Joan Blondell, Ann Dvorak, Three on a Match Ann Dvorak on TCM Part I: SCARFACE, I WAS AN AMERICAN SPY Another cool Ann Dvorak performance is her drug addict in Mervyn LeRoy's Three on a Match (1932), which features a great cast that includes Warren William, Joan Blondell, and a pre-stardom Bette Davis. Never, ever light three cigarettes using the same match, or [...]

Greer Garson (top); Garson and Teresa Wright in William Wyler's Mrs. Miniver (bottom) Greer Garson received no less than six Best Actress Academy Award nominations during a seven-year span (1939-1945). The Oscar record of MGM's First Lady of the 1940s is only matched by that of Warner Bros.' First Lady of the 1940s (and of the late 1930s), Bette Davis, who also earned six Best [...]