Happy Birthday Hayley Mills and Virginia O’Brien.
I don’t think I have ever seen Virginia O’Brien in a film before TCM had a birthday celebration (April 8). I watched most of the films shown.
In Ship Ahoy and Meet the People she was paired with Bert Lehr. One she runs from him and one she clings to him (he is after Lucille Ball). She has a great solo in Meet The People.
The Great Morgan was a different type of film. Frank Morgan wants to be a producer. He has a film ready to show to the studio and decides to visit the editing room. He doesn’t think the editor is doing a good job and wants to edit himself. He ends up spilling a whole shelf full of film tins on the floor and some of it gets mixed up in his film. During the showing there is a little bit of Morgan’s film but there is a musical short, a Pete Smith short and various singers on screen.
In Merton of the Movies and Du Barry Was A Lady she is paired with Red Skelton. In Merton of the Movies she is an actress who helps Red try to get parts in films. This is also the largest role in the films they showed in her honor. In Du Barry she was a cigarette girl/singer at a club. She is one of two people who are not in the dream sequence, but she does get a solo. It is great to see Zero Mostel in a film.
The announcer in between the films stated that Virginia was a deadpan comic. It is true. Like most deadpan performers there may not be much expression on the face, but there is plenty of physical expression through the eyes, mouth and overall body which enhances the verbal comedy.
In Du Barry Was A Lady Red asked Virginia “Does that make you happy?” Virginia smiles for about two seconds (you can’t see the eyes to see if there is any expression). Red states don’t get so excited.
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