Great Actors & Actresses of any given decade
So, I received a letter from a friend of mine and in it, she challenged me to think of great actors for each decade starting with the 1930s to the 2000s.
This is proving quite a challenge since I find myself thinking not only of my favorite actors whose careers stretched through the decades (e.g., Joan Crawford whose career spanned from silent to talkies to color to television) but also of actors whose careers defined the particular decade.
The 1950s proved a most difficult decade for me. I don't watch many films from this decade. I tend to stick to 1930s and 1940s in my "classic movie" viewing.
James Dean made only three films but one could argue that he defined the 1950s, when films began to move away from lush and lavish musicals into more realistic fare. (I know that many great musicals came out during the 50s; what I mean by this statement is that during the 1940s--especially during WWII--the studios churned out absurdly lavish musicals with little or no plot. Most musicals of the 1950s were adaptations of Broadway successes, though in truth, the musical became a more rare event during the decade.) Another genre emerged during this time, thanks to Doris Day. I had scribbled out a list and handed it to my sister to peruse and she was quite shocked that I listed Doris Day under the 1950s. I am no big fan of Doris Day but she did make several films that could be considered the "grand daddy" of the romantic comedy. "Pillow Talk" with Rock Hudson stands out particularly.
I didn't even think about Marilyn Monroe and the impact she had on films. Clearly she impacted films of the 1950s.
This is going to take quite a lot of thought. But I do love a challenge. I also love films. More research is required!
This is proving quite a challenge since I find myself thinking not only of my favorite actors whose careers stretched through the decades (e.g., Joan Crawford whose career spanned from silent to talkies to color to television) but also of actors whose careers defined the particular decade.
The 1950s proved a most difficult decade for me. I don't watch many films from this decade. I tend to stick to 1930s and 1940s in my "classic movie" viewing.
James Dean made only three films but one could argue that he defined the 1950s, when films began to move away from lush and lavish musicals into more realistic fare. (I know that many great musicals came out during the 50s; what I mean by this statement is that during the 1940s--especially during WWII--the studios churned out absurdly lavish musicals with little or no plot. Most musicals of the 1950s were adaptations of Broadway successes, though in truth, the musical became a more rare event during the decade.) Another genre emerged during this time, thanks to Doris Day. I had scribbled out a list and handed it to my sister to peruse and she was quite shocked that I listed Doris Day under the 1950s. I am no big fan of Doris Day but she did make several films that could be considered the "grand daddy" of the romantic comedy. "Pillow Talk" with Rock Hudson stands out particularly.
I didn't even think about Marilyn Monroe and the impact she had on films. Clearly she impacted films of the 1950s.
This is going to take quite a lot of thought. But I do love a challenge. I also love films. More research is required!
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