Actresses of a Certain Character
Forty Familiar Hollywood Faces from the Thirties to the Fifties
by Axel Nissen
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Book Presentation:
Ma Joad in The Grapes of Wrath, Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz —all were unforgettable characters who played an integral part in some of Hollywood’s most memorable productions. For over three decades, from the 1930s to the 1950s, character actresses who brought such roles to life were one of Hollywood’s great but little acknowledged assets. Often lured from Broadway yet billed fifth or sixth (if at all), these talented ladies received little acclaim for their roles in film industry productions. Still, what they lacked in promotion and perhaps adulation they made up for in longevity. While a screen star’s career was generally limited by age and physical appearance, character actresses often worked well into their seventies, eighties or even nineties. Signed to contracts by major studios just like the stars they supported on screen, character actresses made hundreds of films over their careers.
From the early days of sound film through the end of the studio era, this volume documents in detail the lives and careers of two score of Hollywood’s most talented character actresses. It presents information regarding birth, death, film credits and prizes and analyzes each player’s unique talents, signature roles and overall career development. Forty individual profiles are provided from a representative range of backgrounds, character types and career experiences. These include actresses such as Marjorie Main, Agnes Moorehead, Thelma Ritter, Fay Bainter, Beulah Bondi, Lucile Watson, Sara Allgood, Lee Patrick and Jessie Ralph, among others. A fascinating tour through Hollywood’s big studio era and the lives of its characters.
About the Author:
Axel Nissen is a professor of American literature in the Department of Literature, Area Studies and European Languages at the University of Oslo in Oslo, Norway.
Press Reviews:
"reviews the lives and careers of 40 character actresses from Hollywood’s ‘golden age’"—Communication Booknotes Quarterly; well researched…writing..nicely mixes the factual, the critical, and the descriptive, striking a happy medium between the scholarly and the popular…writing at its best is delightful. Film fans will find this book both informative and desirable…a speciality book"—Pasatiempo.
> From the same author:
Accustomed to Her Face (2016)
Thirty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood
by Axel Nissen
Subject: On Films > Guides and dictionaries
Mothers, Mammies and Old Maids (2012)
Twenty-Five Character Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood
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Subject: On Films > Guides and dictionaries
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