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Tag Archives: Rosalind Russell
Happy Birthday, Howard Hawks
“When Wayne saw Clift the first time he said, ‘Howard, think we can get anything going between that kid and myself?’ I said, ‘I think you can.’ After two scenes he said, ‘You’re right. He can hold his own, anyway, … Continue reading
Summer Reading
… of the stars. I found this very enjoyable reading. What are “stars” reading this summer? Looks like pretty much everybody is reading Harry Potter (except Harold Bloom who is spending the summer re-reading the god-awful canon of the god-awful … Continue reading
Posted in Books
Tagged Cary Grant, Children of the Arbat, E.M. Forster, Edmund Burke, England, fiction, France, John Adams, Memoirs, nonfiction, politics, Red Sox, Rosalind Russell, Russia, Stephen King, Thomas Jefferson
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Rosalind Russell 13: “Is she going to do that?”
Rosalind Russell: Hawks was a terrific director; he encouraged us and let us go. Once he told Cary, “Next time give her a bigger shove onto the couch,” and Cary said, “Well, I don’t want to kill the woman,” and … Continue reading
Rosalind Russell 12: “Nobody ever tried to direct Gable.”
Here’s Russell on what makes a good director: A good director also knows when not to direct. Nobody ever tried to direct Gable. They let Gable be Gable. I don’t mean that he wouldn’t take direction, but when he walked … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Cary Grant, Clark Gable, His Girl Friday, Howard Hawks, Rosalind Russell
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Rosalind Russell 11: more on “His Girl Friday”
Russell describes how she was desperate for direction (or maybe validation?) from Howard Hawks … But the thing is: she obviously just started out doing the part perfectly, and he felt no need to keep saying, “You’re perfect, you’re perfect … Continue reading
Rosalind Russell 10: on “His Girl Friday”
Rosalind Russell went into His Girl Friday (one of my favorite movies ever) knowing that she was about the 15th choice for the role. Howard Hawks had pretty much offered it to every other actress in Hollywood – only to … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Cary Grant, His Girl Friday, Howard Hawks, Rosalind Russell
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Rosalind Russell 9: on Clark Gable
Russell says: The only man who could make a love scene comfortable was Clark Gable. He was born graceful, he knew what to do with his feet, and when he took hold of you, there was no fooling around.
Rosalind Russell 7: “I’d be thinking, Why can’t he get a laugh on that?”
Rosalind Russell on craft, and how she studied the craft of the actor as a young woman: Talent is wonderful, but I’ve played with actors who have more talent than I, and you can’t hear them in the fourth row, … Continue reading
Posted in Actors
Tagged Rosalind Russell
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Rosalind Russell 6: “Somebody has written the Duchess”
Excerpt from Life Is a Banquet: Russell’s sister – who died very young – and who is known as “the Duchess” in Russell’s book – was an inspiration. I’ve never met the woman. I will never meet the woman. But … Continue reading
Rosalind Russell 5: the gambling Russell family
Excerpt from Life Is a Banquet: I love this story. No wonder men not only fell in love with Rosalind Russell, but they just loved her – in general: We children would be up on the third floor — we … Continue reading
