Star of the Month Profile: Loretta Young
Religion
Roman Catholic. Young attended Ramona Convent Secondary School as a teen and contributed to a number of Catholic charitable causes during her career. Marlene Deitrich once said of Young, “Every time she sins, she build a church. That’s why there are so many Catholic churches in Hollywood.” Ouch, Marlene!
Political views
Conservative Republican. Young publicly supported presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan. She also donated money to the Republican National Committee. Like many other stars of the time, including John Wayne, Ginger Rogers, and Irene Dunne, Young was an active member of the Hollywood Republican Committee.
Love life
First married actor Grant Withers in 1930, only to divorce a year later.
While filming THE CALL OF THE WILD (1935) with Clark Gable, the two stars fell in love, despite Gable being married at the time to Texas socialite Maria Franklin Gable. Young became pregnant and secretly gave birth to a daughter, Judith. The baby was placed in an orphanage and adopted by Young a few months later.
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| Clark Gable and Loretta Young in CALL OF THE WILD (1935) |
When Young married Tom Lewis in 1940, Judy was given his last name. It wasn’t until she was an adult that Judy learned the truth about her parentage, despite Hollywood gossip and her rather obvious resemblance to her biological father. Tom Lewis produced “The Loretta Young Show” between 1953 and 1955, but the marriage ended in divorce in 1969.
Loretta Young’s third and final marriage was to Hollywood costume designer Jean Louis. Louis designed many of the gowns Young wore for her famously fabulous entrances on “The Loretta Young Show.” The couple were married from 1993 until Louis’s death in 1997.
Career
Loretta Young and her sisters started out in movies at a very young age. She started as a child actor in silent films, first appearing in 1914. After high school, she returned to pictures, often in minor roles until her breakthrough with KENTUCKY (1938). Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Young made a number of successful films, many with other leading actors and actresses of the day, including Cary Grant, Celeste Holm, Van Johnson, and David Niven. Young was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER (1947) and later won an Oscar for COME TO THE STABLE (1949).
Loretta Young won three Emmys for her drama anthology television series “The Loretta Young Show.” Initially, the show was entitle “Letter to Loretta” because each episode began with Young reading a letter from a fan and then building the show around a question asked in the letter. This format was abandoned after the first season and a more traditional dramatic show. Loretta Young was the first woman to host a show of this nature. She became famous for the designer gowns she wore at the beginning of each show. In 1972 Young famously sued the network for rebroadcasting her show with her original introductions included – she had stipulated in her contract that these be omitted in any future broadcasts of the show because she did not want to be seen in outdated fashions. She won more than half a million dollars. Here are a few clips of Miss Young showing off her fantastic swirly dresses:
Most feministy moviesWhen reading the synopses for some of the Loretta Young movies in my TCM “Now Playing” guide, I was surprised by how many progressively strong female roles she played. I have not seen many of these films, but I thought them worth pointing out. You must let me know which of these you have seen and what you thought of them.
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| Loretta Young and a cutie-patootie baby Cary Grant! |
- BORN TO BE BAD (1934): An unmarried pregnant woman is determined that her child will not grow up to be taken advantage of. Directed by Lowell Sherman and co-starring Cary Grant. (on TCM January 9, 11:00 pm)
- BIG BUSINESS GIRL (1931): A college girl uses her brains and her legs to conquer the business world. Directed by William A. Seiter and co-starring Joan Blondell and Frank Albertson. (January 16, 4:00 am)
- THE DOCTOR TAKES A WIFE (1940): A man-hating author and a woman-hating doctor have to pretend they’re married. Directed by Alexander Hall and co-starring Ray Milland, Gail Patrick, and Edmund Gwenn. (January 23, 8:00 pm)
- WEEK-END MARRIAGE (1932): When her husband loses his job, a woman risks her marriage to become the breadwinner. Directed by Thornton Freeland and co-starring Norman Foster, Aline MacMahon, and George Brent. (January 23, 2:30 am)
- THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER (1947): When she goes to work for a congressman, a Minnesota farm girl takes Washington by storm. Directed by H.C. Potter and co-starring Joseph Cotton and Ethel Barrymore. (January 30, 8:00 pm)
- KEY TO THE CITY (1950): Two mayors meet and fall in love during a convention in San Francisco. Directed by George Sidney and co-starring Clark Gable (*GASP!*), Frank Morgan, Marilyn Maxwell, Raymond Burr, James Gleason, and Lewis Stone. (January 30, 2:45 am)
What’s Up, January 2013!
Happy New Year, everybody! I am sorry I have been AWOL for the last week or so. Since returning from my six-month stay in England, I’ve been zipping around seeing old friends. I have finally settled down and am now looking for a real job. Until then, it is back to full-time blogging!
2012 was a great year for me, especially in regards to starting this blog. When I began blogging in the spring, I had no idea how rewarding I would find it! I was also pleasantly surprised to find such a warm and welcoming classic film blogging community. It has been a wonderful experience reading what others have to say about the movies, actors, and directors I love.
I have high hopes for 2013. I have recently started a book review blog called Lit. and a Latte, which I hope will help me grow as a writer while also encouraging me to read more. If you follow The Cinematic Katzenjammer, you may have noticed that I am now writing a daily column called “TCM Today.” Many of my articles from The Great Katharine Hepburn are also featured in the “Classic Katz” section of The Cinematic Katzenjammer. Kristen from Journeys in Classic Film has also contributed a number of posts to that page.
Turner Classic Movies is bringing us another fantastic month of programming this January. While flipping through my “Now Playing Guide,” I was taken aback by how few of the films on offer this month I have seen. It will be a month for experimentation and exploration for me!
THE IRON PETTICOAT (1956): January 9 at 4:45 pm
THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940): January 18 at 2:00 pm
UNDERCURRENT (1946): January 22 at 1:30 pm
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| Loretta Young |
I look forward to getting to know star of the month Loretta Young a bit better. I am also excited about the series of “Great Capers” films TCM has chosen to feature throughout the month. I daresay this will help me chose a topic for my contribution to the Scenes of the Crime Blogathon.
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| Dick Van Dyke |
The 19th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (SAG) will be held on January 27th. The films of the Lifetime Achievement Award honoree Dick Van Dyke will be showcased on TCM on the 21st. Dick Van Dyke is one of my favorite performers, and I could not be more pleased for him.
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| Danny Kaye |
This January is also a big month for Danny Kaye, who would have turned 100 this year. I look forward to watching this versatile performer in some of his best-loved films on January 20th on TCM.
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| Bette Davis |
I was pleased to see that a good handful of Bette Davis films will be aired this month on TCM. Though I do not believe I have ever formally claimed it, BD is one of my favorite actresses. I am sorry that I have not seen more of her films, so this will be my month to catch up. I am particularly keen to finally see DARK VICTORY (1939), OLD ACQUAINTANCE (1943), THE NANNY (1965), and THE LITTLE FOXES (1941).
Thank you all for following this blog. I hope that you get as much pleasure out of reading it that I get writing it. I wish you all the very best in the new year!
The Golden Age of Hollywood 