Who Stays
Ingrid Bergman
Humphrey Bogart
James Cagney
Henry Fonda
Cary Grant
Katharine Hepburn
Marilyn Monroe
Rod Steiger
James Stewart
Who I’m Removing
Orson Welles
Just hear me out. Nine of the stars on this list are
performers. Actors. Stars. Welles,
while of course notable for his acting performances, is, in my eyes, best
remembered as a legendary filmmaker.
I agree that the man was a star, but as the sole filmmaker on a list of classic
movie stars, he felt oddly out of place to me. And so he goes. Not an easy
choice (these relays never are), but hopefully you understand my logic.
Who I’m Adding
Audrey Hepburn
The number of men on lists like these always outweighs the
number of women. So when the baton of a blog relay is handed to me, I
instinctually start thinking of an actress who justly deserves a spot. There
are many to choose from, but I can
think of none more worthy than Audrey Hepburn. Elegant, charming, graceful and
ever so cinematic, Audrey Hepburn defines cinema of her era.
Who Gets the Baton Next
I’ll hand it over to Brittani from Rambling Film, who,
incidentally, is currently celebrating her blog’s 5th anniversary. Congrats
Brittani!
Contributors Thus Far
John from Hitchcock’s World
Wendell from Dell on Movies
Josh from The Cinematic Spectacle
Andrew from A Fistful of Films
Alex from And So it Begins…
Oh wow, that is a good choice. I did consider Audrey for my initial list but I was under the impression a lot of her big work was more in the 60's. Then again she did do a few big movies in the 50's (Roman Holiday quickly springs to mind).
ReplyDeleteThat is a fair point about Welles, he certainly gets more recognition for his directorial work than his acting (even if he acted in many of the films he directed).
Cool man, glad you dig the swap. Definitely not easy to cut one out, but thankfully I had no trouble thinking of putting Audrey in. Love her.
DeleteA. Hepburn is a great addition, but Orson Welles? Ouch! So much for sacred cows. Bold choice, my friend.
ReplyDeleteHa, thanks man. I've always considered Welles a famous director, not a famous movie star. He stuck out right away for me.
DeleteAudrey Hepburn is a brilliant choice! Everything she does is so great, she has never given a bad performance in my opinion. That, and the fact she was a most humble, beautiful and perfect actress and person. Also, am I the only one who actually thinks she is great in My Fair Lady?
ReplyDeleteThis is also a very cool relay, now I'm waiting for someone to add Bette Davis!
Thanks! I definitely considered Bette Davis, because I really do adore her work. But Audrey just seemed like the best choice. Sadly, her work in My Fair Lady has never really done it for me, but oh well, she's still great!
DeleteThank goodness you did not remove the king of rom-coms, Cary Grant.
ReplyDeleteI understand your removal of Welles for Hepburn perfectly. As much as I love Welles, I can't say that I ever really viewed him as a "star" in the same way the other actors on this list are. Filmmaker and artist sure, but star - not so much.
Nice man, happy you understood my logic!
DeleteI rewatched His Girl Friday recently, and that may be my favorite Grant performance. Tough call, but I love him in that film.
I agree with your pick as I often think of Orson Welles as a filmmaker than an actor. Audrey Hepburn is the right choice as she is the reason why I love My Fair Lady.
ReplyDeleteNice man, glad you dig the swap. Hepburn is such a doll.
DeleteYES! I was going down this list thinking who I might have added and first name that sprung to my mind was Audrey Hepburn! When I think of Classic stars, she is one of the first names that would appear to me. She certainly 'defined' an era. Great addition, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks buddy! Yeah, I'm the same way, when I think of classic cinema, I think of Audrey. She's a staple.
DeleteBefore I outright cry (I told you to leave him alone!!!!!) I will say that Audrey Hepburn was my #2 choice to add, but I had to go with Steiger, so I'm all for her being on the list and am SOOOOO happy you added her.
ReplyDeleteBut...I still want to cry.
Haha, well your tears aren't lost on me, my friend. It definitely wasn't an easy swap, but I suppose it never is!
DeleteHi Alex! I'm still sad that someone removed Gregory Peck, but ah well. I do LOVE Audrey Hepburn so yay! She is a classic icon, not just for her acting but also for her style. I haven't seen any Orson Welles film (yep I know, not even Citizen Kane!) so can't say I'm sad to see him go.
ReplyDeleteHey Ruth, thanks so much for the comment! Really glad to hear you approve of the swap. Hepburn is the best, isn't she?
DeleteSo glad you put in Audrey Hepburn. I considered her, but I couldn't put her in over Stewart. I thought the same thing about Welles, though I felt he deserved to stay in ahead of Gregory Peck.
ReplyDeleteYeah man, tough calls all around. I didn't issue with your swap at all. Definitely a challenging exercise.
DeleteThanks for passing this to me! I know exactly who I'm going to add. :)
ReplyDeleteNo problem! So curious to see who you pick and swap out.
DeleteI think that's fair reasoning for dismissing Welles. Great call on adding Audrey Hepburn -- can't think of a better actress to help balance out the men-women ratio.
ReplyDeleteThanks buddy, glad you appreciate the swap.
DeleteTruly a fair list, i know some of them. I would like to suggest you to make a similar list of bollywood stars ...
ReplyDeleteI really need to explore more Bollywood films. My lack of knowledge about Bollywood cinema is embarrassing. But I do appreciate you stopping by and commenting.
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