Golden Age of Hollywood Book Club discussion

Brain teaser!

Inspired by the example of William Bendix & Alan Ladd. Last year or so, we learned that they co-starred seven times. Something like that.

How to play: choose two actors who appeared together in a several classic films. Bendix/Ladd, Bogie/Bacall, Gable/Harlowe.

Be as obscure as you wish:
Alan Hale & Donald Crisp, Cathy Downs & Mercedes McCambridge. Whomever!

I choose this example for a demonstration
~1~Paul Newman
~2~Strother Martin

Next: without looking it up anywhere, I 'bet' that I know [and can name] all the other films they appeared in together.

In this case, I theoretically might wager ...a total of five movie titles.

You win --you take the next turn --if you can top my bet.

If you claim the true total is eight movies, then I might 'call your bet' and ask you to name the eight titles.

Of course, you're probably not gonna claim 'eight' pairings of Newman & Martin, unless you're pretty sure of the answer.

Nevertheless, its still its a principle of 'double down' in play here. When called, you must 'pony up'.

I can't beat 5, I can only think of five, one of them I had to double check the name of because I couldn't remember the name but only remember the movie and the plot....so technically I don't win, either way.

Anyone might win. I know three titles for certain. I myself am just guessing that there's two more.

I can think of 8, 10, 14 film pairings, but they aren't unusual so they probably don't count.

I could only think of four right off the top of my head, so I'm not in contention..

Betsy..........I know what you mean about multiple pairings, such as Abbot and Costello but,as you said, they are not unusual.

I didn't mean such obvious pairings such as Abbott and Costello. I was thinking more of Flynn/De Havilland, Astaire/Rogers, Rathbone/Bruce or Greenstreet/Lorre.

another example might be: Ward Bond & John Wayne

Elsa Lanchester & Charles Laughton ...

Jean Simmons & Stewart Granger

William Powell & Myrna Loy ...

Peter Sellers & Alec Guinness...

Herbert Lom & Peter Sellers ...

Bob Mitchum & Kirk Douglas ...

Bette Davis & Gary Merrill ...

Kirk Douglas & Burt Lancaster

Margaret Rutherford & Stringer Davis

Okay I'll try Lancaster & Kirk. At least three for sure...

1. some b&w crime drama where Burt is an early-paroled jailbird who comes to see nightclub owner Kirk. Lanc once took-the-fall for Kirk and now expects his share of club proceeds. I need to come up with a title. Something like, 'Paid in Full'

2. 'Gunfight at the OK Corral' (John Sturges version)

3. "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys" (reunion of aging gunfighters flick, circa '79?)

4. 'The List of Adrian Messenger'

5. Seven Days in May

I think your #1 is I Walk Alone but am not sure.

Yes! That's it. So now we wait to hear whether I have them all.

I believe there are seven in all. One of your titles isn't one of them.

Isn't one called 'The Devil's Desciple' or something like that? And there is another early Noir. 'Desert Fury' perhaps. Betsy, do you mean 'List of Adrian Messenger'? I don't think Lancaster is in that one but I may be wrong.

You're definitely right about 'The Devil's Disciple', Magnus, but Lancaster did have a small part in 'Adrian Messenger'. It was famous for using 'stars' in small parts.

No, I was thinking of #3, perhaps he confused it with 'Tough Guys'. (1986)

Actually, there are 8 altogether, but one is a collage of clips.

I think John Hodiak was in 'Desert Fury', not Douglas, but I've never seen it.

Dennis Morgan and Dane Clark were in at least three movies that I can think of....


But I think he was more often paired with Jack Carson...

I can only think of two films with Clark and Morgan..........and I don't even know why I remember those.

Hollywood Canteen
Shine on Harvest Moon

I swear there's some flick which re-teams two former big stars in a reunion western. But I skipped it 'cuz the production happened long past a day when it would have been interesting. It was even after Kirk made 'The Villain'. Sometime in the Luc/Berg era.

Feliks, I think the third title in your list is actually 'Tough Guys', the one Betsy mentioned.
And thanks, Betsy, for poiting out that Lancaster appeared indeed in 'Adrian Messenger'. And if Douglas isn't in 'Desert Fury' I think we got all they collborations now.

I reckon so, yea

Anyway I'm pleased that this new game actually functions/operates

Magnus wrote: "Feliks, I think the third title in your list is actually 'Tough Guys', the one Betsy mentioned.
And thanks, Betsy, for poiting out that Lancaster appeared indeed in 'Adrian Messenger'. And if Dougl..."

Actually, there is one more: Victory at Entebbe (1976) which has an all-star cast so it's not just the two of them.

Jill wrote: "I can only think of two films with Clark and Morgan..........and I don't even know why I remember those.

Hollywood Canteen
Shine on Harvest Moon"

The Very Thought of You with Eleanor Parker is the other one....it's a kinda a cute one if you haven't seen it.

I think God Was My Copilot or something about Copilot might be 2nd, but I can't recall the name and also Hollywood Canteen


Also, was clark in Shine on Harvest Moon?

I thought he was but I just looked it up and I was wrong. Good catch, Laura............I must have been thinking of Jack Carson. Oooops!

Betsy wrote: "Actually, there is one more: Victory at Entebbe (1976) which has an all-star cast so it's not just the two of them."

I looked it up and found you're right (of course). The reason that one isn't on my horizon at all is that it was a made-for-TV movie so it didn't appear in the Lancaster book I used to have back in the 80s.

TV movies are often not counted with 'real' movies, but many are excellent and more accessible to viewers.