Mary Astor - An Onscreen Babe For Humphrey Bogart And A Woman Who Could Think

https://freedom-demokrasi-and-civilised-humanity.com/ ^ | 3rd May, 2023, Australian time | Ozguy1945

[Ozguy1945]

Actress and novelist Mary Astor was born on May 3rd, 1906.

In making the 1941 movie “The Great Lie”, Bette Davis insisted that a difficult to cast role be given to Astor because Davis liked to work with good actresses who would bring out the best in her. Astor understood this type of risk taking, as opposed to dull self-protective caution, later writing: “Our security must be threatened in order for us to appreciate it.”

Astor won the movie's only award, the supporting actress Oscar for her portrayal of pianist Sandra Kovak. In her acceptance speech, Astor thanked Bette Davis and Tchaikovsky. Astor and Davis met through that movie and remained good friends.

In the same year, in John Huston's "The Maltese Falcon", Astor played opposite Humphrey Bogart as the femme fatale Brigid O'Shaughnessy. 

Words she wrote in 1971 may explain why she was so good at that role in the less "liberated" 1940's : "Sex as something beautiful may soon disappear. Once it was a knife so finely honed the edge was invisible until it was touched and then it cut deep. Now it is so blunt that it merely bruises and leaves ugly marks."

She also showed deep social and human insight in writing about nationhood and people: "A person without a memory is either a child or an amnesiac. A country without a memory is neither a child nor an amnesiac, but neither is it a country."

Mary Astor, an actress revered by many who love film and a quality thinker way past her youth.

And a bona fide babe.

[Libloather]

High marks on the matrix.

[Mariner]

She was the worst possible choice for the female lead in The Maltese Falcon.

Worst possible.

She almost ruined the greatest Film Noir ever.

[Lurker]

The Big Sleep is a better movie.

L

[Dr. Sivana]

She was the worst possible choice for the female lead in The Maltese Falcon.

Agree 100%. And Humphrey Bogart was miscast in "Sabrina".

[Governor Dinwiddie]

I remember seeing her on Youtube (or somewhere) in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents from around 1959. She was still lovely but developing a bit of a matronly pear shape, all the more charming.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Yes, I would have liked to see Penny Singleton in that role. You remember her as "Blondie" in the Dagwood and Blondie movies with Arthur Lake.

[SuperLuminal]

""Sex as something beautiful may soon disappear. Once it was a knife so finely honed the edge was invisible until it was touched and then it cut deep. Now it is so blunt that it merely bruises and leaves ugly marks.""

As someone who will be 90 later this year, her words are a breath of fresh air from an America that I still remember...

[alexander_busek]

She was the worst possible choice for the female lead in The Maltese Falcon.

Because... ?

Regards,

[Ozguy1945]

“”Sex as something beautiful may soon disappear. Once it was a knife so finely honed the edge was invisible until it was touched and then it cut deep. Now it is so blunt that it merely bruises and leaves ugly marks.””
As someone who will be 90 later this year, her words are a breath of fresh air from an America that I still remember...

THANK YOU, SIR.

[The Duke]

"And Humphrey Bogart was miscast in "Sabrina"."

I was going to take issue with that until I thought of the many other actors of the time who would have fit so much better. (e.g. Clark Gable).

[sauropod]

.

[MotorCityBuck]

She’s definitely a hottie!
However I always liked Virginia Mayo the best. I’d watch anything with her in it.👍

[catman67]

I liked her a lot in Dodsworth.

[SMARTY]

One of my favorite movies

[MotorCityBuck]

“Movies” channel with an Antenna shows Blondie on Saturday mornings. Pretty funny.

[MayflowerMadam]

“Humphrey Bogart was miscast in ‘Sabrina’.”

Totally.

[RinaseaofDs]

Interesting. I never really thought so. I thought she was pretty good, actually. Now you got me thinking. Who would you have used in that role?

I agree that Bogart may have been miscast in Sabrina, but I haven’t heard a better choice yet.

The Big Sleep - one of my favorites. All the amazing women in that movie. However, if you want to talk about miscast, Lauren Bacall was the least attractive woman in that show. She wasn’t hot enough for Marlowe to take all the risks he did for her. The German chick in the book store in the storm was far hotter.

[Dr. Sivana]

I agree that Bogart may have been miscast in Sabrina, but I haven’t heard a better choice yet.

I would consider Fred MacMurray. Can play dead serious and earnest, leading man, but not too handsome or playful.

[Governor Dinwiddie]

Yes. The wonderful, versatile Virginia Mayo. Everything from the noir of "White Heat" to the comedy of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" with Danny Kaye. Mayo was a charmer, and evidently a very nice person in real life. She had a whole passel full of adopted kids. She was a good mother, her best role ever.