The Male Animal (1942).

The Male Animal (1942). Cast: Henry Fonda, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Leslie. The film was based on a hit 1940 Broadway play of the same name written by James Thurber and Elliott Nugent. The screenplay was written by Stephen Morehouse Avery, Julius J. Epstein, and Philip G. Epstein, based on Nugent and Thurber's play. The film was also directed by Elliott Nugent.



This very charming story begins during homecoming weekend at Midwestern University, when English professor Tommy Turner and his wife Ellen host a cocktail party for Dean Frederick Damon and his wife Blanche, Ed Keller and his wife Myrtle and former football hero Joe Ferguson.

Damon, stops by during dinner to tell them that student Michael Barnes, has written an editorial calling the trustees fascists and reporting that Tommy is the only professor in favor of freedom of speech. Michael, also mentions that the following Monday during class, Tommy will read a letter by Bartolomeo Vanzetti, an anarchist executed for murder along with his associate, Nicola Sacco, in 1927. Damon and Ellen, are worried that the trustees will think that Tommy, is a Communist and fire him. Tommy, does not understand why he should not read the letter to his class.

Later Joe, arrives with flowers for Ellen's birthday, which Tommy has forgotten, and says that he and his wife are divorcing.

Later that evening, Keller learns about the letter and can not believe that Tommy would expose his students to something so un-American. Insulted, Tommy decides to read the letter to spite him.

 When Joe and Ellen dance together to an old song, Tommy is over come with jealousy. After the rally, Joe invites Tommy and Ellen to dinner, but.. Tommy says he is not feeling well and tells Ellen to go ahead without him.

The next day, the entire campus is in an uproar over Michael's editorial, and Tommy, believing that Ellen is still in love with Joe, decides she is better off without him. Even though, Joe does not really want to marry Ellen, he feels obligated to marry her if she leaves Tommy.

While Joe and Ellen are at the game, Tommy and Michael get drunk. Tommy says, if another male lion threatens to take away a lion's mate, he tears him apart. When Ellen and Joe return from the game, Tommy tells them that he wants to knock Joe out.

On Monday morning, Tommy, having been knocked out by Joe, must read Vanzetti's letter before the entire university. Will Michael be expelled from the university and will Tommy lose his job and his wife?



I'm writing this review as I'm  watching the film for the first time. I guess this a comedy, but I'm not sure.. It seems to have a serious story line. Fonda, does what he does best when standing up for what is right, while his reading of the letter to the crowd.  Carson, who was perfect in the roll as an ex-footballer and ex-boyfriend to Olivia de Havilland, who is always good.. 

Fun Facts:

Gene Tierney starred in the Broadway production as Patricia Stanley, she was to be loaned out to Warner Bros. but was cast in Tobacco Road instead.

Two of the "college students" in the cast went on to be well-known TV dads in the 1960s: Herbert Anderson (Dennis the Menace) and Don DeFore (Hazel).

Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel (born January 26, 1925), was known professionally as Joan Leslie. She began performing as a singer at the age of nine as part of a vaudeville act with her two sisters: Betty and Mae Brodel. She later began her Hollywood acting career while still a child, performing under her real name in several movies, beginning with her debut in the MGM movie Camille (1936) with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor. She soon signed a contract with Warner Bros. In 1941, Leslie got her first major role in the thriller High Sierra with Humphrey Bogart, playing a crippled girl under her new billing as "Joan Leslie". She also starred in Sergeant York and The Wagons Roll at Night in that same year. Later in 1942 she appeared as James Cagney's wife in Yankee Doodle Dandy, and at the age of 18 in 1943, she starred in The Sky's the Limit with Fred Astaire. She starred in many more movies until 1950, when she married Dr. William Caldwell. Her last movie role was in The Revolt of Mamie Stover in 1956, and she eventually retired from acting altogether to look after her identical twin daughters Patrice and Ellen. She has appeared in several television commercials since then, and also made guest appearances in the TV shows Murder, She Wrote and Charlie's Angels. She also provided commentary as extras on the Yankee Doodle Dandy, Sergeant York, and High Sierra DVDs. Joan was a regular volunteer at the Hollywood Canteen where she danced with the servicemen and granted hundreds of autographs. In 1944, she starred with Robert Hutton in the Warner Bros. film, Hollywood Canteen.

Happy Birthday: Olivia de Havilland !

Olivia de Havilland was born in Tokyo, Japan, to English parents. Her mother, Lilian Augusta Ruse, also a actress known as Lillian Fontaine, and her father, Walter Augustus de Havilland, was a patent attorney with a practice in Japan. Her parents married in 1914 and divorced in 1925. She was raised as a Roman Catholic Her younger sister is the actress Joan Fontaine (born 1917).

Fun Facts:

Ms. de Havilland lives a peaceful retirement at her home on Rue Benouville, in Paris. She spends time teaching Sunday School to children at a local church.

Is the 15th cousin twice removed of Errol Flynn, her co-star in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938).

She and Joan Fontaine are the first sisters to win Oscars and the first ones to be Oscar-nominated in the same year.

Please Click here to learn more Olivia de Havilland.

Four's a Crowd (1938)

Four's a Crowd (1938). Romantic/comedy directed by Michael Curtiz and released by Warner Brothers. Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, Patric Knowles, Walter Connolly, Hugh Herbert, Melville Cooper, Franklin Pangborn, Herman Bing, Margaret Hamilton, Joseph Crehan, Joe Cunningham, Gloria Blondell, Carole Landis and Lana Turner. The fourth of nine movies made by Olivia de Havilland and Errol Flynn.

The story begins when the newspaper might be shut down when owner, Pat Buckley, gets into a argument with the Editor-in-chief, Robert Lansford .

Meanwhile, Lansford hopes to add John Dillingwell's business to his PR firm and uses his position at Buckley's paper to write a good review for Dillingwell. He soon finds out that Dillingwell's daughter Lorri, is Buckley's fiancee. Lansford decides to try to charm Lorri while Christy makes a play for Buckley. In the end, you don't know who Lansford will end up with?

Errol Flynn, gives a wonderful comic performance. One of my favorite scenes where he is chased by dogs snapping at his heels chasing him off his girlfriends property. Olivia de Havilland, looks gorgeous as the daughter of millionaire Connolly. A fluffy romance, but... worth watching if you are a fan of these stars.

Margaret Hamilton (December 9, 1902 – May 16, 1985) was known for her performance as the Wicked Witch of the West in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.

A former schoolteacher, she worked as a character actor in films for seven years before she was offered the role that we all love her for.

In later years, Hamilton made many cameos on television sitcoms and commercials.

She also was an advocate for children and animals, and was commitment to public education.

Great On Screen Couples: Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland

This legendary couple appeared in 8 films together from 1935 to 1941, all for Warner Bros. They made a varied mix of swashbucklers, westerns, comedy, and period films. Their first pairing came in the rousing Captain Blood (1935), which was Flynn's first starring role, making him an overnight sensation. Olivia had already appeared in three films prior to Captain Blood. I've seen this film twice and it's a beaut. Terrific action sequences and the undeniable chemistry of Flynn and de Havilland on full display. Olivia beat out Jean Arthur and Bette Davis for the role of Arabella Bishop and the rest is history. Blood was so successful Warner Bros quickly paired the duo up the next year for The Charge Of The Light Brigade.

Set in 1854 India, the film had Flynn cast as a British officer fighting the Russians in The Crimean War. Olivia plays Flynn's fiancee. I have yet to see this film so I can't critique on it. But it sounds interesting. For their next film together would be their masterpiece, The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Everyone knows the legend of Hood and Flynn was positively electric as the dashing archer. Olivia was equally as good as Maid Marian. Everything came together for this entertaining film. To this day, I still say this is the most vibrant and gorgeous looking film ever made. And one of the best music scores in history.

Screwball comedy was in it's heyday during this time and Warner Bros decided to pair up Errol and Olivia for one called Four's A Crowd (1938). This is another of the duo's films that I have yet to see and since screwball comedy is my favorite genre, I am hankering to see it.

I did see their next film though, the terrific western Dodge City (1939). And let me tell ya something, Errol looks just as comfortable firing six shooters like he does shooting a bow and arrow or swordplay. Dodge City is one of the best westerns ever made and solidified Flynn and de Havilland as one of the premiere on screen couples in film.

They switched gears for their next film, with the historial drama The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. And while this is not solely a Flynn and De Havilland production because of Bette Davis top billed role, this film showed that Errol and Olivia could make just about any type of film.

When Santa Fe Trail (1940) debuted, it marked the pair's seventh outing and it was another huge success. While it was a very entertaining western, I liked Dodge City more. Santa Fe did have an outstanding supporting cast of newcomers such as Ronald Reagan and Van Heflin.

  And lastly, for their final film together, came 1941's They Died With Their Boots On, an film based on General George Custer and his infamous last stand. Another western and another solid hit. At this point, Olivia's star was rising and she wanted more starring roles, so the pair parted ways after a successful 8 film run. They firmly established themselves as the ideal romantic leads of Hollywood period adventures. No doubt. And while Olivia went on to have a successful career post Flynn, he was not as fortunate. Still but before his career ended, he did turn in two top notch performances in The Sun Also Rises (1957) and Too Much, Too Soon (1958). But we will always have those 8 wonderful films he and Olivia did. Nothing can ever change that.

Olivia De Havilland

Olivia De Havilland and Errol Flynn were known as one of Hollywood's most talented on-screen couples, performing in eight films together, but, were never romantically involved. The films in which they co-starred: Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), The Adventures of Robin Hood and Four's a Crowd (1938), Dodge City(1939). Directed by Michael Curtiz and based on a story by Robert Buckner. As a classic western, it tells the story of the rise, after the end of the Civil War, of the frontier post of Dodge City, Kansas to civilized town and trading place for cattle. In the process, Dodge City has to get rid of the bad guys terrorizing the citizens, and it takes a new sheriff and his deputy to clean up the town.



The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), Santa Fe Trail (1940) and They Died with Their Boots On (1941).

De Havilland stated, "He never guessed I had a crush on him. In fact, I read that he was in love with me when we made The Charge of the Light Brigade the next year, in 1936. I was amazed to read that, for it never occurred to me that he was smitten with me, too, even though we did all those pictures together." However, in an interview cited on Turner Classic Movies De Havilland claims she knew the crush was reciprocal and that when Flynn proposed, he was still married to actress Lili Damita.

De Havilland married novelist Marcus Goodrich in 1946 and they divorced in 1953. Their son, Benjamin (born in 1949) became a mathematician. She was married to French journalist and Paris Match editor Pierre Galante between 1955 until 1979. Their daughter, Giselle (who later became a journalist) was born in July 1956 when De Havilland was 40. After the divorce, De Havilland and Galante remained on good terms.

De Havilland was good friends with Bette Davis with whom she performed with in Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte (1964), The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939), It's Love I'm After (1937), and In This Our Life (1942). She still remains a close friend of actress Gloria Stuart. In April 2008, she attended the Los Angeles funeral of Charlton Heston. In 2008, she was a surprise guest at the Centennial Tribute to Bette Davis.

In this video, lifelong friends Bette Davis and Olivia De Havilland perform on November 7th, 1964 episode of Hollywood Palace to promote what would be their final film together, Hush Hush, Sweet Charlotte and perform a dramatic reading. The performance is a amazing. Guest host: Gene Barry.

Happy Birthday: Olivia Mary de Havilland .

Olivia Mary de Havilland (born July 1, 1916), is the older sister of actress Joan Fontaine. Along with her sister, de Havilland is one of the last surviving female stars from 1930's Hollywood. She is also the last living lead cast member from Gone with the Wind (1939). Epic film from Margaret Mitchell's 1936 novel of the same name. It was produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Victor Fleming from a screenplay by Sidney Howard. The epic film, set in the American South in and around the time of the American Civil War, stars Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Leslie Howard, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel. It tells a story of the Civil War and its aftermath from a white Southern viewpoint.

IT'S LOVE I'M AFTER (1937)

Bette Davis and Leslie Howard made three films together. Their first movie together was the critically acclaimed Of Human Bondage in 1934. They were again paired in another drama, The Petrified Forest, in 1936. Both movies showcased their abilities to play tragic characters. However, people often forget the pair starred together in a romantic comedy in 1937 entitled It’s Love I’m After. It has recently been released as part of the “Warner Brothers Archive Collection.” I think it’s a great chick flick worth exploring, so here’s a little summary to get your interest piqued.

The movie opens with Joyce Arden (Davis) and Basil Underwood (Howard) performing the final scene of Romeo and Juliet. It is very apparent that each actor is trying to upstage the other. In fact, Underwood’s valet (Eric Blore) and Arden’s maid (Veda Ann Borg) comment about their bad behavior as they watch backstage. The camera then goes to a balcony at the play where Marcia West (Olivia DeHavilland) is watching Basil with great admiration. After the play ends, Marcia visits Basil backstage to tell him how much she admires him. Basil enjoys the young woman’s attentions and this leads to a fight with costar and “on again/off again” fiancée Joyce. It seems Basil enjoys the “admiration” of young female fans. As a result, he and Joyce still have not married although they’ve been engaged numerous times.

In between arguing with Joyce, Basil has another visitor, Henry Grant (Patric Knowles). He is Marcia’s fiancée and requests a favor from Basil. Henry wants Basil to come to Marcia’s home where there is a house party going on. Henry wants Basil to behave so badly that Marcia will get over her crush on Basil. Since Basil wants to redeem himself with Joyce, he agrees. This is where the real fun begins.

Basil arrives at the West home. He makes a rude entrance but Marcia doesn’t care – after all it IS Basil Underwood. As the visit proceeds, Basil continues to be arrogant and unpleasant. He even makes a move on Marcia in her bedroom. However, Marcia likes his aggressiveness and breaks her engagement to Henry. Meanwhile, Basil is torn because Marcia is a very attractive young lady. Basil’s valet, Digges, decides things have gone too far and calls who else? Joyce!

Joyce arrives and the sparks fly. She and Basil just can’t get their timing right. She had planned to get him out of the mess by telling Marcia that they are already married. But, the love struck Marcia could care less. She will wait for them to divorce. Then, being the two egotistical people they are, Basil and Joyce revert to their old behaviors and start blaming each other for the chaotic situation. So where does it all end? Will the two couples reunite with their original partners or will Marcia convince Basil that they belong together? Watch for yourself – you’ll be glad you did!

I should also mention that there are some great supporting players here. Eric Blore is great as the loyal valet to Underwood. His ability to convey his exasperation with his boss is priceless. Spring Byington appears as DeHavilland’s aunt who also appears to have a crush on Basil at times. Last, but not least, catch Bonita Granville at her best. In this film, Granville plays an annoying teenager who loves to eavesdrop and share what she’s discovered with anyone who will listen. It’s Love I’m After may not be the best film in the filmography of Davis, Howard, or DeHavilland. However, it shows the versatility of this very talented trio who are often best remembered for their strong dramatic portrayals.