Living Icons from the 1930s
This is a game I like to play ... name three living icons from the 1930s. It used to be pretty easy, with Kate Hepburn, Artie Shaw [a local resident!] and Shirley Temple Black all still living. But then the former two passed, leaving a gaping hole in the list. So, my friend J. nominated Bob Feller. Rapid Robert qualifies, I suppose. But the third ... who could it be? Finally, after screwing around on the Interweb, I found a third: Patty Andrews [the blonde lead singer] of the Andrews Sisters is still with us. And who doesn't like the Andrews Sisters?
If anyone has any other living icons of the 1930s they'd like to nominate, please post a reply!
posted by Peevish @ 10:26 PM
3 Comments:
Nope.
The Andrews Sisters are icons of the 40's, not the 30's.
However, the following genuine
30's icons are still alive:
Mickey Rooney
Deanna Durbin
Annette and Cecile Dionne, of the famous Quintuples.
Note: If you ever want to see a great, and I mean searing, tear your heart out documentary, see "The Dionne Years", made in the 70's by the CBC. The first time I saw it I got so angry I started throwing things. Maybe the 30's really were what Auden said, "a low, dishonest, decade".
- yer frind J.
First, the Andrews Sisters were indeed icons of the 40s, without a doubt. That being said, they had 17 top 10 hits before 1940, including their signature tune "Bei Mir Bist Du Shein". So I would say that they also qualify as icons of the 1930s. Certainly as much as Bob Feller, who had but 55 of his 266 wins before 1940.
Mickey Rooney qualifies, of course. For some reason, I had thought of him previously and dismissed him. The Andy Hardy series made him the highest paid actor in Hollywood in the late 1930's. He's still only 87.
The Dionnes. That's a good one.
Deanna Durbin ... hmm. She was highly successful, but was only in 6 popular but frothy light comedies before 1940. She did however [like Rooney] win a special Academy Award [why don't they do that anymore?] and supposedly she saved MGM from bankruptcy ...
But I am going to disqualify both Durbin and the Dionnes as they are Canadian.
Yours, Peevish
I am not sure what you are talking about, because Deanna Durbin is a fantastic singer. She beats the socks off of The Andrew Sisters and Judy Garland. Why would you not like her beacause she's Canadian? She's the best female singer I have heard. Then again, Kathryn Grayson is exceptionally great at singing too. These two are my favorite. They are both good in their own way. Pooey on anybody else.
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