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Jean Arthur |
Unlike so many other actresses, Arthur was never typecast by her studio into fainting ladies or weepy roles. Perhaps it was her strong-willed independence and quirky individuality that came shining through in every role. She resisted categorisation, but she was often set as a career woman, someone who knew her own mind and didn't usually spend the film pining after the man. She is a wonderful, sparkling comedienne and a true individual.
Here's her IMDB bio if you want to learn more about this wonderful actress. According to their trivia section, she apparently took her stage name (she was born Gladys Georgianna Greene) from two historical figures, Joan of Arc and King Arthur.
Here's a quick filmography of her films that I've seen so far (with IMDB links in the titles to more information). A great many of her films are from the silent era; I haven't seen any of them, but if I do, I'll be sure to review them.
Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936)
Arthur plays a career girl with a soft spot for Mr Deeds (Gary Cooper), the naive and newly rich bachelor in town. Arthur always said that Cooper was her favourite leading man.
Easy Living (1937)
Arthur's down-on-her-luck city girl is walking along the street when suddenly a mink coat falls on her head. Thus begins this screwball comedy of class differences.
You Can't Take It With You (1938)
Jimmy Stewart co-stars with Arthur in this charming and quirky Frank Capra film about a boy from a snobbish upperclass family who's about to marry a girl from an extremely eccentric family.
Only Angels Have Wings (1939)
One of the films that made 1939 the greatest film year in history, Howard Hawks' action drama stars Arthur and Cary Grant in an intense study of male group dynamics under stress. Arthur is a plucky and sentimental showgirl who falls hard for the cold and distant Grant. Also starring the wonderful Thomas Mitchell. (A film I should review in the near future).
Mr Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
This classic of Americana bursts with patriotism - another Stewart/Arthur partnership that has Arthur again as the cynical city girl falling for the idealistic new senator from the backwoods, and trying to protect him from the machinations of her corrupt Washington employers.
The Devil and Miss Jones (1941)
Arthur is fiery and tender as a department store employee who leads a clandestine group of strikers, fighting for better working conditions. Her compassion for an impoverished fellow employee (really her boss in disguise) brings the hard-headed business magnate to a change of heart.
The Talk of the Town (1942)
One of my favourite Arthur films, The Talk of the Town is a talky, philosophical drama/comedy about a small-town agitator on the run from the law (Grant) who gets mixed up with a stone-cold intellectual (Ronald Coleman) and a flighty school teacher (Arthur). Romance, musings on politics, and many slapstick situations ensue. One of Arthur's best comedic outings.
The More the Merrier (1943)
A tender and ultimately poignant comedy about a two young people and an older man forced to share an apartment during the Washington housing crisis. Arthur has terrific chemistry with the slow-spoken and magnetic Joel McCrea in this sweet and earnest wartime drama.
See more images of Jean Arthur on the blog here, and on my Pinterest board here.
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Image: pinterest.com/phoenixfire369/old-hollywood
