Publicity Photo of Leslie
Now before you go wagging your fingers and shaking your heads at me, I am not, I repeat NOT talking about “that kind” of affair. Everything about me is decent and I am respectable woman.
As many of you know, if you’ve kept up with my postings, I am a great fan of classic films. (Stuff made prior to 1970)
I wanted to speak about one of the many, many classic film actors that I’ve grown to love and be a fan of.
I first heard of the actor Leslie Howard when I first saw the film “Gone with the Wind” in which Leslie played his most notable role, as that of the refined, and elegant Mr. Ashley Wilkes, the object of affection to Vivien Leigh’s Scarlett O’ Hara.
I had never seen Leslie before, but had heard talk of him here and there in reference to the film. A few years ago, when I first saw GWTW, I had been reading the book, and in my mind I guess you could say I had a certain image of what Ashley Wilkes looked like. A tall, thin, fair man of course.
I remember when the film came on, I was sitting on the floor of my den, and watched the scene that introduced Ashley, at the Wilkes’ barbecue right before the outbreak of the Civil War.
I heard Scarlett say “Oh Ashley!” and wave and here came Leslie as Ashley, down the steps.
I kind of hate to admit it now, but at the time, I didn’t like him. He didn’t seem to fit the role. Everyone else looked how I imagined them. Scarlett, Melanie, Mammy (Hattie McDaniels) even Prissy (Butterfly McQueen)
Sure he was gangly and blonde but Leslie just didn’t look right. It wasn’t until I got the movie on DVD, I found out what the problem was.
At the age of 46 years old, he was entirely too old to have played Ashley who was only 21 at the start of the film. He was made up like a corpse, with a hair piece and what was left of his real hair had been bleached to death. I knew he was playing a part, but it was overkill on the poor man. (Also Leslie had never wanted to play Ashley in the first place. He only took the part after he was promised he could produce a film called “Intermezzo” featuring a young Ingrid Bergman)
Anyway, since Leslie was under so much crap, I really was distracted by what else was a wonderful and enriching performance that still move people over 70 years later.
The way I get into different stars is with the help of the Turner Classic Movies channel, usually when they play a film with a star I like.
That happened with Leslie.
One of my favorite actresses is Bette Davis. And I had heard that TCM was showing her first film called “Of Human Bondage” a British film based on a book. And Leslie happened to play her love interest in it.
In Of Human Bondage with Bette Davis.
Watching the film, I saw a bit of a different man. Not all made up, except for a limp as he played a man with a clubbed foot, it was a tour de force, and the more and more I watched this particular film, the more and more I began to realize how talented and brilliant Leslie was.
I found myself starting to like him more and more even though he looked nothing like the usual matinee idols I swooned over who were all dark haired and swarthy looking.
And in walks this pale, frail, tow-headed man and I’m hooked and kooky about him. Something about him just spoke to me. The thing I like about my fanhood of Leslie is that it wasn’t like my admiration of say, Jimmy Stewart or Johnny Weissmuller, which started on looks and evolved to their bodies of work as actors.
With Leslie, I was put off first by his looks and it was sheer talent he had that won me over.
And I wanted to learn as much as I could about Leslie Howard.
And it was in the search that was particularly heartbreaking for me. (No, he wasn’t gay or anything like that)
Aside from the untimely death of silent star Rudolph Valentino, I don’t quite think any film star’s death was as tragic as Leslie’s.
You see, Leslie was a native Brit, and in the late 1930s and early 1940s, if you know your history, World War Two was raging on with Hitler and the Nazi forces taking over the United Kingdom.
Well Leslie, as a film star was using his influence and raising money for war bonds was on his way to England to help.
The way wikipedia told it was that the Luftwaffe, Hitler’s special air forces, shot Leslie’s plane down thinking that the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was aboard the plane and Leslie Howard perished in the crash.
I don’t even think his body was recovered. He was only FIFTY YEARS OLD for crying out loud. That’s not old at all. And I remember I just felt hurt and upset that he had to die in such a needless and heinous way. I don’t care if it was decades before I was even born. A death is a death, and a life was lost and it was just tragic and needless.
It made me admire Leslie even more because he gave his life trying to help his country, just like all the other boys in England and America and everyone who were Allies in the war.
(I am particularly well versed in all things about WW2 because my father, who is 85 years old, served in the war when he was young.)
I just wanted to take some time out of my day and a little space on my blog to talk about a performer who was a lovely actor and who means a lot to me because I draw so much from the performances I have seen him in.
I just wanted to share that.
And if you want to check out some of Leslie’s movies, here’s a few of my favorites:
*Gone with the Wind (best place to start!)
*Of Human Bondage (Bette Davis’ film debut)
*Pygmalion (the film Audrey Hepburn’s My Fair Lady is based upon--without the infernal singing!)
*The Painted Forest (with Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart)
*Romeo and Juliet (with Norma Shearer)
Leslie Howard 1893-1943
I may do more blog posts like these because there really IS more to me than just Michael Jackson!
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