TIG!, take 2 Bonita Granville (1923) was a long time child actress who, as others have mentioned before, went on to a longer career in television production with her husband Jack Wrather. In fact, June Lockhart shared the story of how Bonita and I think producer Robert Golden drove up to her at a stoplight and asked her to take over the role of Mrs. Martin on LASSIE. Bonita played Ann Goode, the girl who sets the hysteria in motion in the film MAID OF SALEM (1937). Virginia was her sister Nabby. Does anyone name their kids Nabby anymore? According to IMDb, she was also an uncredited prisoner in Virginia’s film OUTSIDE THESE WALLS (1939). That seems odd to me, as I thought Michael Whelan was the convict in the movie, making the film about a men’s facility. Bonita was a sixteen year old girl. Maybe someone knows more than I as I’ve never seen what appears to be an unavailable Columbia picture. In addition to her behind the camera work and her work with Virginia, Bonita was Nancy Drew in a boatload of films; it’s a role I think blonde bobbed Virginia would have been well suited for if the series had been rebooted in the mid-1940s. She was also in AH, WILDERNESS!, NOW, VOYAGER, a couple of Andy Hardy films, and was the star of THE BELOVED BRAT. Her final on-screen appearance was in the rather bad 1981 film, THE LEGEND OF THE LONE RANGER, the Ranger being another Wrather family property. A ginnyfan admission: when I first saw Frank Albertson (1909) in a movie, most likely ROOM SERVICE with the Marx Brothers, I thought he looked just like country singer Jimmy Dean. Looking back, I have no idea why I thought that. Frank played Tom Hamilton Jr., a enemy turned (very) close friend to the family in MOTHER CAREYS CHICKENS (1937). Albertson had a long, wonderful career, appearing in everything from the very odd futuristic JUST IMAGINE to PSYCHO. IMDb claims that hes best known for PSYCHO, but I suspect legions of movie watchers know him better as George Baileys obnoxious yet loyal pal Sam Wainwright in ITS A WONDERFUL LIFE (Hee-Haw!). On TV, he played western characters, businessmen and finished up as Colonel Watson when Gomer Pyle first hit boot camp on THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW. Take a close look at the photo. Its a scene from MOTHER CAREYS CHICKENS. Gilbert (Jackie Moran) is being followed around by the lovestruck Lally Joy (Ginny) while Tom (Frank Albertson) looks on. The scene is: Gilbert : Doc, hey Doc! Dont forget you promised to help me engineer the pipeline. (for running water) Lally Joy : Ill help you, Gilbert. Gilbert: (with false patience) No, Lally Joy. You helped me last time. Thats whats the matter with it. Albertson doesnt have a single line and yet his puckered, amused expression just about carries the scene. I love reaction acting! Hattie Noel (1893) played the maid on the train in THE WOMEN (1939). She had suffered a career disappointment around this same time as she lost out on a role in GONE WITH THE WIND to Hattie McDaniel. She was also in KITTY FOYLE, KINGS ROW, and appeared as herself in HONEYMOON LODGE. Noel was the body model for Disney animators when they created Hyacinth Hippo for FANTASIA. She also made a series of comedy recordings of her amazingly dirty stand up act. A couple are on youtube. ginnyfan is blushing. Prolific songwriter Burton Lane (1912) is credited with writing songs which appeared in two Weidler movies. One song, How About You? appeared in both BABES ON BROADWAY (1941) and THE YOUNGEST PROFESSION (1943). He also wrote That Old Devil Moon and How Could You Believe Me When I Said I Loved You When You Know Ive Been a Liar All My Life? The movie world, however, owes him the biggest thanks for being the guy who discovered Frances Gumm and brought her to the attention of MGM. He even accompanied the girl MGM would rename Judy Garland at her first audition.The photo is of Alan Jay Lerner, Barbara Harris, John Cullum, and Burton Lane during the Masterworks recording session for the Broadway play ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER in 1965.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 20:35:01 +0000
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