Even iconic actors have overlooked performances. Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most underrated, overlooked, or relatively unknown performances from old Hollywood stars.
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00:00 "I can't believe I'm with you again."
00:02 "But you are. Happy?"
00:04 "Yes."
00:05 "Personally, I'm delirious."
00:08 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most underrated,
00:13 overlooked or relatively unknown performances from old Hollywood stars.
00:18 "Marsha, you just wait and see. I'm gonna be the power behind the president,
00:22 and you'll be the power behind me."
00:24 Number 10. Barbara Stanwyck - Remember the Night
00:29 You've likely seen Barbara Stanwyck and Fred McMurray burn up the screen in double indemnity.
00:35 But four years before, the iconic pair starred in a lesser-seen film called Remember the Night.
00:41 "I suppose you do this with all the lady prisoners?"
00:43 "Oh my yes, my life is just one long round of whoopee."
00:45 "You're in a good spot for it."
00:46 "Wonderful, I merely have to raise my finger and my slightest whim is satisfied. Now if you-"
00:51 "And I suppose if anybody says no, you just put them right back in the cooler."
00:54 "That's right."
00:55 The romantic comedy follows a thief, played by Stanwyck,
00:58 and the lawyer tasked with putting her away, portrayed by McMurray.
01:03 Both actors are amazing in the movie, but Stanwyck is particularly unbelievable.
01:08 "It's better than going to jail, isn't it? I told you my mind worked differently."
01:13 "Do you realize that house is probably in flames a mile high?"
01:16 "Hope it is."
01:17 "Well so do I, but what's that got to do with the morals of the case?"
01:19 "What have morals got to do with it?"
01:21 Her comedic energy with McMurray foreshadows the sexual chemistry the two would have years later
01:26 in their more famous motion picture. The differences between the films
01:30 also serve to showcase just what a versatile actress Stanwyck was.
01:34 "Maybe you're a kleptomaniac."
01:36 "Oh no, no they tried that though. Now you see to be a kleptomaniac,
01:40 you can't sell any of the stuff afterwards or you lose your amateur stance."
01:44 Number 9. Joan Fontaine - Letter from an Unknown Woman.
01:48 "Why do you like to climb mountains?"
01:49 "Oh I suppose because no matter how high you climb, there's always a higher one."
01:56 "And you like to imagine that the other one's even more wonderful like the spring the first."
01:59 "Now you know far too much about me already and I know almost nothing about you, huh?"
02:03 Though recently screened at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, Letter from an Unknown Woman
02:08 wasn't as well thought of as it is now during its initial release. Even with its retrospective
02:14 popularity today, the central performance from Joan Fontaine still doesn't get as much credit
02:19 as it deserves. "I've seen you somewhere, I know. I followed you upstairs and watched you in your
02:26 box but I couldn't place you." Far better known for her performances in films like Rebecca and
02:33 Suspicion, Fontaine shows off her period piece skills in Max Ophel's masterpiece. Her dramatic
02:39 chops are a sight to behold and it's a wonder she didn't receive another Oscar win or nomination for
02:45 the wonderful performance. "Well I suppose you won't believe me but I couldn't get you out of
02:50 my mind all day." "No I don't believe you." Number 8. Robert Mitchum - The Lusty Men.
02:58 "That's uh Spanish for if the shower don't work call him a clown."
03:06 Famous for embodying the persona of the anti-hero, Robert Mitchum was one of the
03:10 most well-known film noir stars of his era. So when most people are exploring his filmography
03:16 today, they probably aren't focusing on the time he took the role of a down and out rodeo star in
03:22 1952's The Lusty Men. "He puts on his own pants, he buttons his own shirt. If he knows how to do
03:28 that he ought to know enough to run his own life." Just as he did in his noir films, Mitchum threw
03:34 himself wholeheartedly into the role and it shows on camera. As Jeff McCloud, he feels like a true
03:40 blue western star. He doesn't leave the anti-hero stuff completely behind, but there's also an
03:46 uprightness to his performance that gets a chance to shine. "Wes is good, he'll make a pot full of
03:50 money." "Of which you'll take care." "Which will still leave him more than he'll make here if he
03:57 works the rest of his life. I just want to see one guy in this world get what he wants."
04:03 Number 7. Rock Hudson - Written on the Wind. Rock Hudson was respected for his partnership
04:09 with director Douglas Sirk. The pair made multiple films together, arguably the most well-regarded of
04:15 which is All That Heaven Allows. But today, we'd like to focus on a different collaboration,
04:20 Written on the Wind. "Long, long time ago. I was an idiot boy then." It was wildly popular at the
04:27 time and still has its fans today. But compared to some of Hudson and Sirk's other movies,
04:33 it's not quite as remembered. "Keep it quiet if you can. Thanks. Thanks a lot." Hudson portrays
04:42 a man who ends up mixed up in a love triangle of sorts and mired in the troubles of a Texas oil
04:47 family. It's southern gothic at its finest and Hudson plays it perfectly. "I can think of much
04:54 better things than making smart talk. Alright, let's dance." Number 6. Ginger Rogers - Kitty Foyle.
05:05 "Must be wonderful, Pop. You know, after you've been sitting in ashes all of your life and then
05:09 suddenly a prince comes-" "And when did you sit in any ashes?" "I don't mean me." Today, Ginger
05:15 Rogers is best remembered for her number of collaborations with Fred Astaire. The pairing
05:20 of Astaire and Rogers is almost synonymous with classic Hollywood. But Rogers' one Oscar wasn't
05:26 one for her skills in her tap shoes. She actually snagged the lauded award for her role in the now
05:32 often forgotten drama, and notably not musical, Kitty Foyle. "You know what I think? I think
05:40 you're wrong. I remember you using those same words before." Rogers plays the titular role,
05:49 a woman stuck between two men, one rich and one not. She has an astounding amount of honor in the
05:56 role, and it's a joy to watch her show off what a wonderful actor she is, even when the music
06:01 stops. "Because I've always had a funny idea that I'm just as good as they are." "Just as good?
06:07 You're so far above them that they can't touch you with a 10-foot pole?" Number 5. Cary Grant -
06:12 Penny Serenade. "I can't believe you got Julie. Imagine them picking me." "Well, you're able,
06:18 Roger. You have ability. Anybody can see that." Cary Grant is one of the most well-regarded actors
06:24 of the classic era. The man made so many movies, it's practically impossible for anyone to have
06:29 seen them all. When it comes to ticking a Grant movie off your list, however, might we recommend
06:34 Penny Serenade? "It would be nice to dance to." "It is." "What's on the other side?" "Well,
06:42 it's another new one." Back in the 1940s, the actor was nominated for an Oscar for this
06:47 performance. But today, when we think of him, we often think of movies like The Philadelphia Story
06:52 and Bringing Up Baby. While we love those collaborations with Katharine Hepburn,
06:56 Grant's dramatic partnership with Irene Dunn was just as bright. Indeed, the pair excel in this
07:02 melodrama about a couple struggling to raise their child. "She asked me for a quarter and I
07:07 wouldn't let her have it. She asked me to take her to the movies and I said no, run along,
07:12 I'm too busy." "I know, it was the same with me." Number 4. Gregory Peck - The Boys From Brazil.
07:20 "You have it within you to fulfill ambitions a thousand times greater than those of which
07:25 you presently dream." Throughout the 1940s, 50s, and even into the 60s, you couldn't get much more
07:32 famous than Gregory Peck. The actor was well known for playing morally righteous heroes,
07:37 such as those in films like To Kill a Mockingbird. But in 1978, an older Peck decided to play against
07:44 type and genre. "Your operation has been cancelled. Mine continues. Heil Hitler."
07:58 The Boys From Brazil is a science fiction film where Peck plays the role of none other than
08:04 Josef Mengele. For those of you who don't know, Mengele was a Nazi who did terrible experiments
08:10 on those imprisoned at Auschwitz. Despite the massive play against type, Peck delivers a truly
08:15 harrowing performance. "He betrayed me! He betrayed you!" Number 3. Vivian Leigh - Waterloo
08:24 Bridge. Today, Vivian Leigh is so synonymous with her role as Scarlett O'Hara, it's almost hard to
08:30 imagine her in any other role. But throughout her career, Leigh took on a number of other roles that
08:36 all deserve their due. "You know, I have a feeling that from now on, everything's going to take a
08:41 turn for the better. I'm sure it is." Waterloo Bridge is perhaps the project of hers that deserves
08:48 the most flowers it doesn't usually receive today. Starring opposite Robert Taylor, Leigh is absolutely
08:54 magnetic in this romantic drama. "I loved you. I've never loved anyone else. I never shall.
09:02 That's the truth, Roy." This was the star's first movie released after Gone With the Wind,
09:08 and she's clearly out to prove her prowess in that epic was no mistake. Watching her command the
09:13 screen, it's easy to see why it was one of her favorites of her own movies. "Do you think you'll
09:18 remember me now?" "I think so. I think so. For the rest of my life." Number two, Gene Arthur,
09:30 The More The Merrier. "Hope I haven't upset your routine here." "Just stick to the schedule,
09:35 that's all I ask." When it comes to comedy, Gene Arthur practically had the market cornered during
09:41 the classic Hollywood era. The actress successfully made the transition from silent films to talkies,
09:47 and some of her movies have gone down in history as being among the best. Funnily enough, of all of
09:53 her works that we know today, one that isn't quite as remembered is also the one that earned her a
09:58 Best Actress Oscar nomination. "Don't you shush me. You've been shushing me for 22 months now.
10:04 You've shushed your last shush." In The More The Merrier, Arthur plays Connie Milligan,
10:09 a woman who finds herself rooming with a retired millionaire and military man. Naturally, Arthur
10:15 is fantastic in the role of a woman thrown into a hilariously impossible situation. "Well,
10:20 I told you that I... Now look, you don't think that I'm gonna get... All right, stay.
10:29 For just one week." Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:37 Andy Griffith, a face in the crowd. That's not the Andy Taylor we know. "If I ask them,
10:43 they gotta come. Maybe they'd be afraid not to come. I could murder them, like this."
10:50 Myrna Loy, 'Libeled Lady,' an oft-forgotten Myrna Loy and William Powell collaboration.
11:00 "Oh, but it's all right. I made an honest man of him. Oh dear, uh, don't forget the letter."
11:05 Lauren Bacall, 'Key Largo,' the most underrated of the Bogie and Bacall films.
11:11 "Maybe it is a rotten world, but a cause isn't lost as long as someone is willing to go on fighting."
11:16 "Oh, I'm not that sort."
11:17 "But you are. You may not want to be, but you can't help yourself."
11:23 Eleanor Parker, 'Caged,' the baroness from 'The Sound of Music' proves what she can do.
11:28 "From now on, what's in it for me is all that matters.
11:31 You did your best and where did it land you? You can't lick the system."
11:37 Lana Turner, 'The Bad and the Beautiful,' Turner shines in one of Vincent Minnelli's non-musicals.
11:44 "Oh, let's have our party, darling. We've got so much to celebrate. We'll, we'll ice the champagne,
11:50 and we'll light the fire, and we'll put on the records and dance, and I'll help you pull yourself out of this."
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12:11 Number 1. Donna Reed, 'The Picture of Dorian Gray.'
12:17 If you're talking about Donna Reed today, you're likely talking about her sitcom
12:21 or 'It's a Wonderful Life.' You're probably not discussing the 1945 movie 'The Picture of Dorian Gray,'
12:27 but maybe you should be.
12:29 "I was close by and came in for a moment, found this old song in your piano bench, it's charming.
12:34 So is the face that my uncle sketched on it."
12:37 Reed is Gladys, a love interest for the titular Dorian Gray.
12:40 While her character may not be as important as some of the other roles on this list,
12:44 what she does with the screen time she has is absolutely amazing.
12:49 "If you had some great trouble, Dorian, I would want to share it."
12:52 "If I were to marry you, it would be an incredible wickedness."
12:56 "Is that a way of saying you don't love me?"
13:02 She plays romance and tragedy with a deft hand.
13:06 'It's a Wonderful Life' came out roughly a year later,
13:08 proving that Reed was an actress at the top of her game.
13:12 "Sir, by train please."
13:14 "A pox upon me for a clumsy lout. You're a caboose, milady."
13:20 "You may kiss my hand."
13:22 Which of these performances are you most intrigued by? Let us know in the comments.
13:27 "Colonel, do you fully understand what it is that I have done?"
13:32 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from MsMojo,
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13:40 [Music]