According to TCM host Robert Osborne, the highest paid actress of the mid to late 1930s wasn't Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Norma Shearer, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, Carole Lombard, Katherine Hepburn, Barbara Stanwyck, Olivia de Havilland, Jean Arthur, Irene Dunne, Gloria Swanson, Jean Harlow, or Myrna Loy. It was Constance Bennett. Gracing the screen in such classic films as "Topper", "Merrily We Live", "What Price Hollywood?", and "Bed of Roses", Ms. Bennet raked in hundreds of thousands of dollars (a staggering sum for back then) and, while her star-power obviously didn't last as long as some of these other ladies (or even that of her not quite as sultry sister, Joan), is still considered one of the major stars of that era (yes, actually getting top billing over Cary Grant in "Topper")....and one of the hottest as well.
A bit unusual, Ms. Bennett is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, alongside her military
ReplyDeletehusband. Lee Marvin and Glen Miller are the only other ShoBiz
types to reside there as far as I know.
An interesting side.
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ReplyDeleteI watched Topper the other night....very witty.
Last week Mrs.Rusty was out and I watched three Boston Blackie movies....maybe as result of the bottle of wine I drank I thought the movies were so campy they were good.
In todays PC world,could you ever even call a white guy Boston Blackie?