There was a deep chasm between Mary Astor's looks and personality. Her beauty was of the patrician,elegant variety but her mind had a smolderingly modern bent.She was sexually liberated far ahead of her contemporaries, even by louche Hollywood standards. Scandal trailed behind her like a sumptuous mink stole.From teenage bit player to co-star of Barrymore and Bogart, her cinematic career lasted 4 decades and encompassed well over a hundred films.Her performances in fare as diverse as 'Don Juan' (1926), 'Dodsworth' (1936), 'The Maltese Falcon' (1941), 'The Palm Beach Story' (1942) and 'Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte' (1964) has firmly settled the mantle of stardom on her memory.
Yet to her contemporaries she was the locus of a continuing sexual firestorm that gained momentum as the free-living 1920's yielded to the sober new decade.She had a torrid affair with, among others, John Barrymore, who helped jump-start her career. It culminated in a nasty divorce/custody battle with her second husband, over the juicy contents of a diary kept during her affair with playwright George S. Kaufman.Her many divorces and personal demons, which were thrust before a greedy public, only served to eclipse what was a truly stellar and critically acclaimed career.By the time of her last celluloid appearance (in 'Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte'), her celebrity had long been dormant.She was, fortunately, never quite forgotten. LIFE magazine asked, on its February 1980 cover,"Whatever Became of Mary Astor and Other Lost Stars?" It featured a luminous image of Mary from the early Sound Era. It kicked off a renewed interest in the actress that has never ceased.
Mary Astor won an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress for 1941's 'The Great Lie'.She was impressively adept in all genres: she consistently owned her roles,whether in high comedy or maudlin drama.Her keen presence and ability meant that she was never overshadowed by costars or material, and was seldom required to play a passive role:her characters--villains and heroines alike--were proactive women.
AMAZING MARY ASTOR FILMS:
BEAU BRUMMEL (1924) DON Q SON OF ZORRO (1925) DON JUAN (1926) RED DUST (1932) THE KENNEL MURDER CASE (1933) EASY TO LOVE (1934) PAGE MISS GLORY (1935) DODSWORTH (1936) THE PRISONER OF ZENDA (1937) MIDNIGHT (1939) THE GREAT LIE (1941) THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)THE PALM BEACH STORY (1942)MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944) LITTLE WOMEN (1949) HUSH...HUSH,SWEET CHARLOTTE (1964)
What a fantastic post!! Do you mind if I link it on my blog?
ReplyDeleteNot at all---as always, I would be honored!! I need to catch up with your blog. My computer was down for 10 days so I know I missed a lot of great stuff!I am going to sit down with a cup of tea and read at one go everything I missed. I had the chance to stop by for about 30 seconds earlier and I LOVE your Flappers!
ReplyDeletei adore mary astor SO MUCH. her two books are some of my favorites of star autobiographies, especially the one that centers on film. Not just because of content, if I remember correctly she didn't use a ghost writer for the second and her matter of fact, to the point portrayal of hollywood let her personality shine through. she was great.
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