Born On THis Day, July 16th... 2 From Hollywood's First Golden Age

When asked my favorite male & female stars of Hollywood's first golden age, I have no problem in announcing Barbara Stanwyck as my actress choice. She was born Ruby Catherine Stevens. She had an unusual beauty & distinctive husky voice & was an extremely versatile actor, easily moving between, melodrama, thrillers, westerns & comedies. The buzz was that she was wonderful to work with, professional, fun on the set, & never acted like the star that she was. She was nominated for 4 Oscars, but never won. In 1982 Stanwyck was awarded an honorary Oscar for "superlative creativity and unique contribution to the art of screen acting". Later in her career Stanwyck found work in television, starring in the series The Big Valley & the mini-series The Thorn Birds ( kissing Richard Chamberlain!). She was most likely gay or bisexual. Stanwyck left a legacy of 93 films including one of my top ten of all time- Ball Of Fire with my male choice for best of the golden age- Gary Cooper.
"Career is too pompous a word. It was a job, and I have always felt privileged to be paid for what I love doing. "

Ginger Rogers was born Virginia Katherine McMath.
She was a very versatile hoofer/singer/actress on stage & screen. She worked in dramas, musicals & comedies. Rogers won an Oscar for playing a girl from the wrong side of the tracks in Kitty Foyle & was the #1 Hollywood star of 1942. She was married 5 times. Rogers was most assuredly not gay & she was a radical right wing Republican, a proud member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, a Christian Scientist & a vocal supporter of the Hollywood blacklist.
"Hollywood is like an empty wastebasket."