inessentialhouses:

Happy 116th Birthday, Frank Capra
(May 18, 1897 - September 3, 1991)

“Maybe there really wasn’t an America, maybe it was only Frank Capra.”
- John Cassavetes

“When I see a crowd, I see a collection of free individuals: each a unique person; each a king or a queen; each a story that would fill a book; each an island of human dignity.” 

“Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream, it takes over as the number one hormone; it bosses the enzymes; directs the pineal gland; plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to film is more film. “

inessentialhouses:

Happy 114th Birthday, Fred Astaire
(May 10, 1899 - June 22, 1987)

“Fred knew the value of a song and his heart was in it before his feet took over.”
- Irving Berlin 

mariedeflor:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Ruth Elizabeth Bette Davis
April 5, 1908 - October 6, 1989

“Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.” 

mariedeflor:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Lucille Fay LeSueur aka Joan Crawford
March 23, 1906 - May 10, 1977

A loyal and generous friend, very thoughtful; dear Joan Crawford, she forgot nothing—-names, dates, obligations. These included the people at Hollywood institutions who had helped make and keep her a star. When it was fashionable to rail against the studio system and the tycoons who had built it, she was always warm in their defense. She spoke of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer as a family in which she was directed and protected, provided with fine stories and just about every great male star to play opposite; later she built up a similar relationship with Warners. And through it all she was consistently herself, unmistakably Joan Crawford, star.
- George Cukor

harlow-jean:

“There was something special about the girl,” recalled Nancy Carroll . “She was very sweet and seemingly shy, but at the same time  she exuded an extreme sexuality. I remember thinking to myself, ‘Boy, that’s competition!’ “

Happy Birthday, Jean Harlow!  (born Harlean Harlow Carpenter; March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) ♥

desilu-playhouse:

♥ HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DESI ARNAZ! ♥
(March 2nd, 1917 - December 2nd, 1986)

“Desi was a charmer. We used to call him the Cuban Arm because he’d put his arm around you and say, “Listen, amigo…” And you were done for.”

“He was the Elvis Presley of his day… a stunningly good-looking male who was not only thrilling, but funny.”

steamboatbilljr:

Happy Birthday to John Sidney Blyth, aka John Barrymore
^{February 15, 1882 — May 29, 1942}

“At all moments Barrymore was the artist. He created out of his own texture. He borrowed nothing. He copied nothing. His whole search was within himself. His wine was from his own vine. Whatever jewels adorned his final creation were brought from his own inner contact with the deep richness that is hidden in all men but found by so few. It is the finding that makes the true artist brother to all mankind. In revealing himself he reveals others to themselves. Hugo’s ‘Art is the only true democracy’ might read ‘Art is the only true brotherhood.’ The artist cultivates our gardens and reveals to us blossomings of our own that had been hidden from us. As in other creative fields, the term artist is carelessly used in the theatre. There are more turners over of old, exhausted earth than breakers of untouched soil. It was Barrymore’s complete devotion to creation that made him the true artist and, I believe, the only full grown theatre artist of our time. As applied to him the word towering had true meaning. He found the heights and there his banner will fly as long as there lives one whose shining eyes look up to it.” _{(Arthur Hopkins)}

Rare footage of The Powells behind the scenes of The Thin Man also known as Happy Birthday, Queen Annie!

Dear dolls, I am delighted and honoured to announce that today’s the birthday of our dear and beloved Anne. I would like to take a moment to express just how happy I am to celebrate this day with her. I remember wishing her Happy Birthday last year and being so happy to see her kind response, and yet being absolutely convinced I would never be her acquaintance, let alone a friend. Life proved me wrong, though, because yes, I can - with obvious pride - call myself just that. Her friend. And you don’t even know how much happiness this friendship has brought into my life. Flailing over Jam, crying over Lucy, spazming over Bill and swooning over Nelson, just to name a few. A shoulder to cry on and a perfect movie partner. Anne is just that universal. She hates my busy life yet claims to, I quote, love you, whore.

I still feel unworthy of such an honour, yet, Annie, know that I’ll always cherish you, I’ll always be by your side and I hope you know that I, Skatie and Nivi will always be there for you. So have yourself a happy birthday and I’m looking forward to be celebrating many, many more of them in the future. I’m sure Jam is smiling down at you every day of your life.

Best of wishes, Anne. May all your dreams come true.

With my undying love,

your Evy.

inessentialhouses:

Happy 112th Birthday, Clark Gable
(February 1, 1901 - November 16, 1960)

“It was the joy of your life to know Clark Gable. He was everything good you could think of. He had delicious humor, he had great compassion, he was always a fine old teddy bear. In no way was he conscious of his good looks, as were most other men in pictures at that time. Clark was very unactorly.”

-Joan Blondell