It's a shame that anyone had to watch Helen Hayes' performance in 'Airport' without knowing her backstory. I grew up with Helen Hayes being the grand dame of the theater, a talent so bright no one could surpass her.
Yes, it seemed incongruous that such a lady was married to Charlie MacArthur, a known scamp who co-wrote comedies like 'The Front Page' and 'His Girl Friday', but it just added another dimension to the greatest American actress at the time. It meant she was real.
I loved her 'Airport' performance, maybe even more than most, because it brought out the comedian in her and I realized it must always have been there. As always, she could do no wrong.
Thanks Ramona, as one of those folks who watched without her backstory, this is really great context! I know that a lot of her great performances are probably in the theater, but do any of her films stand out as a particularly great showcase of her abilities? I'd love to check out more of her work.
She won an Oscar in 1931 but her film career never really took off. She was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1957 for her supporting role in 'Anastasia', a year after her husband died, but, other than a few TV appearances, her star faded until 'Airport'.
She and Katherine Cornell were the biggest names in theater in the 20s and 30s but I'll bet you've never even heard of Cornell. So Hayes did cross over. She was one of the few who won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony. Two theaters are named for her.
It's a shame that anyone had to watch Helen Hayes' performance in 'Airport' without knowing her backstory. I grew up with Helen Hayes being the grand dame of the theater, a talent so bright no one could surpass her.
Yes, it seemed incongruous that such a lady was married to Charlie MacArthur, a known scamp who co-wrote comedies like 'The Front Page' and 'His Girl Friday', but it just added another dimension to the greatest American actress at the time. It meant she was real.
I loved her 'Airport' performance, maybe even more than most, because it brought out the comedian in her and I realized it must always have been there. As always, she could do no wrong.
Thanks Ramona, as one of those folks who watched without her backstory, this is really great context! I know that a lot of her great performances are probably in the theater, but do any of her films stand out as a particularly great showcase of her abilities? I'd love to check out more of her work.
She won an Oscar in 1931 but her film career never really took off. She was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1957 for her supporting role in 'Anastasia', a year after her husband died, but, other than a few TV appearances, her star faded until 'Airport'.
She and Katherine Cornell were the biggest names in theater in the 20s and 30s but I'll bet you've never even heard of Cornell. So Hayes did cross over. She was one of the few who won an Oscar, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Tony. Two theaters are named for her.