tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post115972208676762016..comments2024-03-04T01:29:54.082-05:00Comments on Canadian Ken On...: 1936: The Overlooked -- GAIL PATRICK in “MY MAN GODFREY”CanadianKenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12240756292929779255noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-3086178486634163542017-08-02T17:24:54.192-04:002017-08-02T17:24:54.192-04:00Thanks for your comment. Good to hear from such a ...Thanks for your comment. Good to hear from such a fervent Gail Patrick admirer. I certainly agree that she was an indispensably elegant fixture in 30's and 40's films. Seems to me I read years ago that she always considered herself businesswoman first and actress second. She used her considerable acting talents to advantage, leaving behind a lovely legacy of (mainly) supporting roles. But perhaps simply wasn't driven to fight for the big juicy parts, preferring to wisely invest the reliable income she earned as an in demand and deluxe supporting player. <br />Not that Patrick wasn't well qualified for the part but Vivien Leigh as Scarlett has always seemed to me one of those unimprovable pieces of casting. When I think of roles Patrick might have played to great advantage, I tend to focus on supporting parts, like Mary Astor's in "Dodsworth" or Nina Foch's in "An American in Paris". Of course, both those ladies were wonderful in those films. But I suspect Ms Patrick might have been every bit as marvelous. When I try to picture Patrick in leads, my mind tends to drift toward some of Bette Davis' Oscar-nominated parts(Jezebel","Dark Victory","The Letter"). Certainly Gail Patrick's unique qualities could have shone brightly in any of these. CanadianKenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12240756292929779255noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33387578.post-404152773221802342017-08-02T02:59:22.337-04:002017-08-02T02:59:22.337-04:00They Had Faces Then--immeasurable talent and incre...They Had Faces Then--immeasurable talent and incredible appeal: Arthur, Dietrich, Garbo, Lombard, Loy, Shearer, Stanwyck, Sullavan, and on and on--and then we were so blessed to have been given Gail Patrick. Oh my! Such untapped greatness; what her dazzling outer and radiant inner beauty would have revealed had she been given more plum roles that she so rightly deserved. We're so lucky to be able to see her shine so in "Love Crazy."<br /><br />But in that, "what if?" category: In all the books and interviews written over the years,-in all the documentaries and dvd special features there are out there,-why is there no mention--(with every other Hollywood actress at the time, clamouring for and being considered for that coveted part which took years to cast) of Ms. Patrick having auditioned for the role of Scarlett O'Hara?!<br /> <br />Oh, what a Katie Scarlett she would have been! So right for her; already a Southern belle of Irish descent. Oh! Casting no dispersions on Vivien Leigh's characterization, but it sends shivers and brings tears to imagine Ms. Patrick standing toe to toe and staring eye to eye with Clark Gable. Never have I found a reference to Gail and Scarlett being mentioned in the same sentence.<br /> <br />THEN again--what a Cathy she would have made to Olivier's Heathcliff; a Brigid to Bogie's Sam Spade; even a Hildy for Cary Grant's Walter Burns; come to think of it, how about--well y'know...<br /><br />Jonathan McMillanUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00123305148836750587noreply@blogger.com