Poll's closed #10

One of my favourite Bette Davis portraits.

From The Rich Are Always With Us (1932)

If it is something that I'm horrible at, it's obviously to reveal the results of my sporadic polls. I always seem to get distracted. (Not so difficult, thinking about this blogosphere...)

Anyways. Back in 1983 or so I asked you to vote in a 1930's Bette Davis performances poll. You got to pick three favourites, and here's (finally) the results.

(And I know that I keep changing the spelling of words like "favourite/favorite", "honour/honor" and "colour/color" - haven't yet decided if I'm a British or an American Swede.)

***

No votes went to Bette Davis's performances in The Man Who Played God (1932), The Rich Are Always With Us, Jimmy The Gent (1934), Housewife (1934) or Satan Met A Lady (1936).

The misfits. (Click for larger picture. Yes, I love Photoshop.)

A striking blonde Mrs. Marie Roark in Bordertown (1935) only received 1 vote. But does it look like she cares?

There's a tie between Joyce Heath in Dangerous (1935) and Charlotte Lovell in The Old Maid (1939) with 3 votes each. Anyone besides me who'd like to see a catfight between Bette Davis and Bette Davis?

Bette Davis in Dangerous, and with her nemesis Miriam Hopkins in The Old Maid.
(Click for larger picture.)

With 15% of the votes (4 votes), Mary in the crime drama Marked Woman (1937) starts to show that Bette Davis is something to count on. After all, co-acting with Humphrey Bogart can't give too bad of an outcome. Yes, "it's Bette Davis".

On the fifth place of the poll we find Lynn Mason in Fashions of 1934 (1934), with 5 votes. I bet it's the perfect gentleman William Powell who taught her well.

Lynn in Fashions of 1934. Absolutely fabulous, dahlin'.

Now it starts to get intriguing! On the fourth place, with no less than 7 votes, is a public favourite - Queen Elizabeth I in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), with charming bad boy Errol Flynn as the Earl of Essex. That fat slap Essex receives from the queen is unforgettable - and so was the pain, according to Errol Flynn's autobiography My Wicked Wicked Ways (1959).

The bronze medal goes to Judith Traherne in Dark Victory (1939) with 8 votes, 30%. Not to bad, for a dying woman. Maybe she stands out like Ethel Barrymore in contrast to Bogart's unlikable Irishman? I won't complain - he's handsome as Satan.

On the second place, believe it or not, is another catfight! (9 votes each.) This time in the mud pit stands Mildred in Of Human Bondage (1934) and Gabrielle in The Petrified Forest (1936) (review). To this I have to say - poor Gabrielle. Her only chance is if Mildred suddenly collapses of a drug overdose in the middle of the battle.

Or what do you think?
(Click for larger picture.)

Who's first? Who's first?

Of course it's the Southern beauty in the improper red dress - Julie from Jezebel (1938) (review). She flatters herself with the standing ovations for no less than 15 votes (that 57%, folks!), and I honor it by being so lazy that I just insert the colorized picture from the film that I used in my review post on it.

But I can at least give you the one without the "Colorized by Lolita"-railroad across it. But what if someone steals it? Well, let them.

Thanks for voting, and keep your eyes open for the next poll!

Poll's closed # 9

A long, long time ago...

... I had this poll about who was your favourite on-screen swordsman. I just realized that I never published the results! So, here they are:


The greatest loss was Henry Daniell's, with only one vote. He thanks that one voter, and tries to kill Errol Flynn out of jealousy.


Douglas Fairbanks Sr only got two votes, but he is a proud man - he won't show himself weak with a beautiful Billie Dove in his arms.


Claude Rains really thought that he would get more than three votes, and lost his sword in his despair. (Okay, I just couldn't find a picture of him fencing - so blame me!)


Tyrone Power got a well-deserved third place with four votes, and shows off with his fencing skills in his favourite costume. (I bet no one thought that Tyrone wouldn't make it into the top-three, huh?)


Even though he almost always played villains, Basil Rathbone still fixed the second place with five votes. And why not, when he is so inspired that he practises at home?


With no less than 16 votes, Errol Flynn was the obvious winner of this contest. Look how satisfied he is!

Swashbucklers!

Henry Daniell and Errol Flynn in The Sea Hawk (1940).

My new poll is about who your favourite swordsman of the silver screen is. In addition to that, I ask you - what is your favourite swashbuckler?

I hereby present to you the legendary sword fight from The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938) - in LEGO!

Poll's closed #7 and #8

Due to my apartment switch I'm a little behind with my poll results - I beg your pardon for that.

Therefore I will display the results of my last two polls, and then start another one right away!

Poll number seven was about your favourite Sherlock Holmes films starring Basil Rathbone.

Since there were no less than 14 of these films, the votes were quite scattered. All films got one vote each, except for the first and second place. The second place is shared by:

The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) and Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943), with 14 % each of the votes.

And the award goes to...

The Spider Woman (1944) with 21 % of the votes. Isn't Gale Sondergaard wonderfully evil?

***

Poll number eight was your favourite Lon Chaney film. Exciting, huh?

All positions in this poll are shared! Sharing the third place, with 6 % each are:

The Ace of Hearts (1921), The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923), Shadows (1922) and The Penalty (1920).

The second place is shared by three great Chaney films, being:

The Blackbird (1926), Laugh, Clown, Laugh (1928) and Chaney's only talkie - The Unholy Three (1930).

And the first place is split between the two, probably most legendary, Chaney films:

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) and The Unknown (1927). You've got a wonderful taste, people!

May I give to you the famous unmasking scene from The Phantom of the Opera?

"Feast your eyes - glut your soul, on my accursed ugliness!"

Poll's closed #6

The last day of the Basil Rathbone week was yesterday, Wednesday, and also the day when the last poll was closed. Here are your favourite Basil Rathbone non-Sherlock-Holmes characters:


I was not surprised that his character as the Holmes-like Philo Vance didn't get any votes at all. Not that it doesn't seem like a lovely character (intelligent, suave, witty, debonair), but I guess that not many people have seen the film The Bishop Murder Case (1930). I have, myself, tried desperately to get a chance to see it, but I have so far failed in my mission.

Poor Philo Vance. He and his glorious Errol Flynn like moustache is ignored by the modern movie goers and receives zero votes.

But Philo at least got to share his defeat with three other characters, all stranded with no food, water or votes:

Pontius Pilate, The Last Days of Pompeii (1935).
Is it the hair? He is angry with you.

Tybalt from Romeo and Juliet (1936) just shrugged his shoulders and took a cigarette. Could it be the long, turkish Fatima cigarettes? Or perhaps Chesterfields?

Levasseur, Captain Blood (1935) has better things to care about than a silly poll. After all, Errol Flynn is standing just beside him - he is far more interesting.

There were however four characters sharing the second place with one vote each.

Mr. Murdstone, David Copperfield (1935) is very pleased with his vote.

Gerald Lovell, Love From a Stranger (1937), is a little suspicious over the intentions of receiving a vote. But yes, I thought he earned one. Why do I like charming, psychotic villains?

Baron Wolf von Frankenstein is busy working, but thanks for the vote. Son of Frankenstein, (1939).

Sir Ravenhurst, The Court Jester (1955), is happy that he was not overlooked.

Interesting enough, there are no obvious winner neither. Three wonderful characters receive a gold medal and two votes each:

Captain Esteban Pasquale says it is lucky for you that he was one of the winners. Otherwise he might just have to run you through with his not-so-firm blade. The Mark of Zorro (1940).

Sir Guy of Gisbourne always knew he was a winner. The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

Karenin shares his moment of victory with Greta Garbo and a little boy they picked up from the street. Anna Karenina (1935).

I guess that the conclusion is that Basil Rathbone managed to play a various share of characters, many of them very famous. He decides to celebrate by dressing up as King Richard III and picking up Marlene Dietrich from the set of Destry Rides Again (1939).

Funny trivia: Margaret Mitchell, the author of Gone With the Wind (publ. 1937), actually wanted Basil Rathbone to play the role of Rhett Butler instead of Clark Gable. How film history could have looked different...

Poll's closed #5

Even though it is officially Basil Rathbone week, I have to interrupt with the results of my latest poll - Which leading man had the best chemistry with Ingrid Bergman?

Four men suffered defeat with zero votes:

Gary Cooper...

...Leslie Howard...

...Charles Boyer (you've made him angry!)...

... and Bing Crosby. Looks sad, doesn't he?

There were, however, two men that managed to crawl up from the mud high enough to reach the point of one vote:

Yul Brynner...

...and Gregory Peck!

On the second place, with four votes, is the legendary Bergman partner Humphrey Bogart:




And in the unchallenged first place is Cary Grant, who enters the winner position to the sweet sound of the wild applause of fourteen voters!

Poll's closed #4

I was quite surprised over the unquestionable result of which Hollywood couple was my reader's favourite. Of course, I didn't give you as many options as usual, but still - interesting results.

This time I will start by presenting the two couples who got zero votes:

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton...

...and surprisingly enough Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford.
Anyway, they are one of my favourite Hollywood couples.

With 15 % of the votes each, we have...

Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn.

Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.


And the winning couple, with no less than 69 % of the votes is:

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall!

Next poll: Which actor had the best chemistry with Ingrid Bergman?

Poll's closed #3

So, which Frank Capra film did my visitors vote the best?

The beyond-doubt-winner was one of his first creations, It Happened One Night (1934) with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert, conquering the voting with 46 %.

The silver price is split between two films starring James Stewart, with 15 % each: It's A Wonderful Life (1946) and You Can't Take It With You (1938).



Mr. Deeds Goes To Town (1936) and Mr. Smith Goes To Washington (1939) got 7 % of the votes each, sharing with 7 % "Another". Anyone who wants to step out from the shadows and reveal their favourite Capra?


Next poll: Which is your favourite Hollywood couple?