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Leading Ladies: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era
Sexy, stylish, and powerful: from Lillian Gish to Katharine Hepburn, Myrna Loy to Lauren Bacall, Jean Harlow to Grace Kelly, each of the legendary actresses featured in this book left an indelible mark in film history and define roles for women on and off the screen. Produced by Turner Classic Movies, this playful and definitive guide to fifty unforgettable actresses mirrors the focus of a month-long film festival on the channel. The life and accomplishments of each actress is celebrated in an insightful career overview, accompanied by an annotated list of essential films, filmographies, behind the scenes facts and style notes, Academy Award wins and nominations. Full of delightful trivia, film stills, posters, and glamorous photos, Leading Ladies pays tribute to the most charismatic, enduring, and elegant actresses of the silver screen.
240 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
December 28, 2021
The first book I read in TCM's Leading series. The photos are magnificent and the choice of actresses are spot on. I learned a lot about these classic stars, like how so many were born in Brooklyn.
October 16, 2012
The TCM books are wonderful references as well as lovely pictorial overviews of the greatest classic stars. They make great gifts for TCM fans!
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March 18, 2021I actually found this book sad, there were few women I could truly respect. However, I loved that for each actress her best films were listed, a usefully tool to help discover movies!
My book highlight was in Olivia De Havilland’s bio:
“During the production of Gone with the Wind, the crew played a prank on Clark Gable by sewing seventy pounds of lead weights into De Havilland’s costume just before a scene where Rhett (Gable) had to lift a frail Melanie (De Havilland) from her bed and carry her down a flight of stairs.”
Oh the perfection of pranks. I laughed out loud; perfect little humor-filled note amidst her bio!
My book highlight was in Olivia De Havilland’s bio:
“During the production of Gone with the Wind, the crew played a prank on Clark Gable by sewing seventy pounds of lead weights into De Havilland’s costume just before a scene where Rhett (Gable) had to lift a frail Melanie (De Havilland) from her bed and carry her down a flight of stairs.”
Oh the perfection of pranks. I laughed out loud; perfect little humor-filled note amidst her bio!
August 4, 2024
Leading ladies : the 50 most unforgettable actresses of the studio era. This book just gives enough information about each actress and some of their films that you want to read more books. The photographs range from glamorous to movie stills to family shots. I loved the whole book.
July 27, 2024
I've been looking for this for years! Of course, the draw for this type of book is curiosity. Will they agree with you? A fantastic stand-in for a person, any person, who could have a similar conversation with me.
April 1, 2017
I received this book as a Christmas gift. I already own its companion, Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era. The book is nicely put together, with stunning pictures and interesting facts about each of the actresses. There are, of course, a few ladies, that I feel, should have been included in the place of others. I don't understand why Shirley MacLaine was included. She's a good actress, I just don't really consider her as being part of the studio era. I also thought that Joan Fontaine should have been included. I suppose everyone has their favorites to dispute. Overall, the list is accurate & complete.
November 30, 2008
I enjoy reading about Hollywood, and was
hesitant to buy this, since I've read similar
books, but I did, and actually read some things about some of the actresses than I did
not previously know, an incident concerning
Clara Bow and her mother, in particular. I was
also pleasantly surprised to see that Lena Horne was included, given that her pic was not
on the cover, and I didn't expect any actress
of color, given this was about those from the
era when studios reigned.
hesitant to buy this, since I've read similar
books, but I did, and actually read some things about some of the actresses than I did
not previously know, an incident concerning
Clara Bow and her mother, in particular. I was
also pleasantly surprised to see that Lena Horne was included, given that her pic was not
on the cover, and I didn't expect any actress
of color, given this was about those from the
era when studios reigned.
October 11, 2016
A birthday present from my friend, Kristen, that I am extremely happy with. Each of these amazing ladies were among the greatest actresses of their time. It was so interesting to read not only about their movies but also the little sections on their individual styles and their personal lives. As an old movie fanantic I can honestly say I loved everything about this book
February 3, 2025
If this review seems similar to the one that I did for Leading Men… there is a reason.
Like Leading Men, Leading Women is full of great information and it also draws its strength from the decision to limit the range of its subject by sticking to the studio era and to "leading women". Had the authors/editors not done so, their selections would have been harder to pare down and probably more controversial. But, with that limitation in place, it is very difficult to argue with their choices.
The book is concise, with each actor receiving four pages of treatment. Each section provides biographical information, recommendations of essential movies featuring the actor, general tidbits, and great pictures.
For many fans of classic movies, there may not be many startling revelations, but there were more than a few surprises, probably because the lives of female actors from that era were more shielded from the public. Once again, I view the book as a great addition to my library, if only as a reference.
Like Leading Men, Leading Women is full of great information and it also draws its strength from the decision to limit the range of its subject by sticking to the studio era and to "leading women". Had the authors/editors not done so, their selections would have been harder to pare down and probably more controversial. But, with that limitation in place, it is very difficult to argue with their choices.
The book is concise, with each actor receiving four pages of treatment. Each section provides biographical information, recommendations of essential movies featuring the actor, general tidbits, and great pictures.
For many fans of classic movies, there may not be many startling revelations, but there were more than a few surprises, probably because the lives of female actors from that era were more shielded from the public. Once again, I view the book as a great addition to my library, if only as a reference.
May 2, 2024
No sé por qué demoré tanto tiempo en leer este libro, que suman más de 30 biografías de las mejores estrellas femeninas del cine clásico.
De las aquí expuestas, hay 5 de mis 6 actrices favoritas de todos los tiempos: Norma Shearer, Jean Harlow, Bárbara Stanwyck, Hedy Lammar y Elizabeth Taylor. Sólo faltó mi amada Sylvia Sidney, pero como no es sopresa ya,siempre es infravalorada...
Amé las biografías cortas introductorias, pequeñas side notes y datos curiosos. Y qué decir de las bellas imágenes
5/5
De las aquí expuestas, hay 5 de mis 6 actrices favoritas de todos los tiempos: Norma Shearer, Jean Harlow, Bárbara Stanwyck, Hedy Lammar y Elizabeth Taylor. Sólo faltó mi amada Sylvia Sidney, pero como no es sopresa ya,siempre es infravalorada...
Amé las biografías cortas introductorias, pequeñas side notes y datos curiosos. Y qué decir de las bellas imágenes
5/5
July 22, 2017
A really well put together coffee-table book of Golden-Age leading ladies. The intro by Robert Osbourne was particularly nice to read. Not really a biography or compliation of essays, more of a brief introduction to these fifty famous women and their lives. Just enough to tease you into wanting to know and see more.
Also has some gorgeous full-page photographs. Will be an excellent reference for my attempts at vintage hairstyling.
Also has some gorgeous full-page photographs. Will be an excellent reference for my attempts at vintage hairstyling.
January 17, 2020
Leading Ladies" The 50 Most Unforgettable Actresses of the Studio Era is a guide by Turner Classic Movies. It has a foreword by Robert Osborne and an introduction by Molly Haskell. The text is by Andrea Sarvady and edited by Frank Miller, as stated on the cover page.
This book is a gem. It is full of knowledge about all my favorite actresses. I've seen so many of the films mentioned, but I am determined to see them all.
This book is a gem. It is full of knowledge about all my favorite actresses. I've seen so many of the films mentioned, but I am determined to see them all.
March 16, 2019
Interesting fingernail sketches of these 50 women with some wonderful pictures. Some blatant errors in the facts and an unfortunate decision in printing type (unnecessarily small and a grayish tone on high sheen paper makes it a challenge to read some entries) but overall a good read for those interested in classic Hollywood.
September 3, 2022
Almost impossible to read with its gray typeface which is also way too small. Written by anonymous TCM staffers in 2006, they include films in the "Essential" lists that they've never even seen. The biographies are just the same old stuff that's been said for decades. Nothing new here.
August 31, 2018
Awesome book. Interesting stories and anecdotes about their lives and even “must see” films for each!! Loved it
October 16, 2018
Vivien Leigh
Katharine Hepburn
Judy Garland
Natalie Wood
Elizabeth Taylor
Audrey Hepburn
Greta Garbo
Bette Davis
Ingrid Bergman
Katharine Hepburn
Judy Garland
Natalie Wood
Elizabeth Taylor
Audrey Hepburn
Greta Garbo
Bette Davis
Ingrid Bergman
July 6, 2020
A good resource and well put together but I found some of the text a bit patronising/sexist perhaps because the book is a bit dated and the subject is also from an earlier era?
April 8, 2021
Interesting, but not a ton of detail about any one of them. Several of the movies/roles I thought they were best known for were left out altogether.
February 2, 2014
TCM's very brief biography of 50 leading ladies of early Hollywood
This book provides a brief profile of 50 of the most adoring ladies of studio era when studios had an identity and style of its own with the films they made and the stars they created. MGM studios built on glamour, class and gut decisions in making movies during the Great Depression when experts said they will fail. Warner Brothers Studios specialized in urban action, gangsters and the gutters. Each movie studio had a stable of stars and penchant for beautiful women. The bio-data of each lady described in this book illustrate that these ladies were superb performers with strong identifiable persona and a sense & style they created attracted movie fans, and women in particular. The incredible Bette Davis with her noticeable large eyes, fragile grace of Lillian Gish, strong characteristics of Katherine Hepburn, stunning and graceful looks of Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly are some of the examples.
The brief biography discusses the career of each lady. The movies she made and the influence she had on others, and the role played by many directors and studio bosses in making them successful. There is also section called "Style Notes," and "Behind the Scenes," for each star which provides some tidbits and juicy stories. For example, it is well known that Greta Garbo and Jean Arthur were very reclusive and never opened up to the public. Clara Bow on the other hand alienated Hollywood by telling the press every sordid details of her life. Her career was tarnished by a string of love affairs and out of control life style with addiction, and a law-suit against her secretary who was stealing money and selling Clara's personal secrets. After her mother tried to kill her during sleep, she became a life-long insomniac. Louise Brooks was a beautiful, headstrong and erotically charged with sleek and bobbed hairstyle had a meteoric rise in the silent era but made serious error with her defiant behavior which annoyed Paramount Studios. She ended up in gutter and poverty until her former lover Bill Paley, the founder of CBS financially supported her for the rest of her life. Rumor has it that she turned to the "oldest profession" to stay afloat until Bill Paley came to her assistance. Marion Davis had a jealous boyfriend in the wealthy William Randolph Hearst who is known to have shot Marion's boyfriend Tom Ince in his yacht. Bette Davis was patriotic in that she organized Hollywood Canteen for soldiers passing through Los Angeles and Carole Lombard organized war bond rallies in her home state of Indiana to help in the war efforts. Bette was honored with distinguished civilian award. President Roosevelt honored Carole posthumously by awarding the Medal of Freedom as the first woman to die in the line of duty during the WWII.
Marlene Dietrich was bisexual and did not believe in monogamous relationship. She was also a strong opponent of the third Reich and refused to work for the film industry under Hitler. She devoted to her new homeland and participated in USO tours and became the first woman to earn the Medal of Freedom. Screwball comedienne Irene Dunne was nominated as the alternate delegate to the United Nations by President Eisenhower in 1959.
Greer Garson holds the record with Bette Davis for the most consecutive Academy Award nominations, five in a row from 1941-1945. During filming of Mrs. Miniver, actor Richard Ney played the role of her son and she eventually fell in love with him. MGM studio was worried that it will have negative impact on the movie and asked them to postpone wedding until the film was released.
According to Hollywood legend Susan Hayward's cancer was that the result of radioactive fallout that allegedly landed on the sets of "The Conqueror" in 1956 in Utah. Many of her costars including John Wayne, Dick Powell, Agnes Moorehead and John Hoyt developed cancer.
Myrna Loy was not afraid to speak to authority figures. In 1940s she argued with studio heads about stereotyping African Americans as servants. "What about a black person walking up the steps of a courthouse carrying a briefcase."
Once Debbie Reynolds told her friends that doing the movie "Singing in the Rain" and childbirth are the hardest things she did in her life. MGM assigned Co-star Gene Kelly to coach her numbers for the movie and he made her practice non-stop for hours until her feet started to bleed.
Ginger Rogers and her mother were strong anti-communists and supported government's efforts to rid communist sympathizers in Hollywood. Ginger's mother testified in congress about the infiltration of the movie industry. In the movie, Tender Comrade (1943), Ginger refused to read one line which said, "Share and share alike, that is the American Way." During the filming of "Forty Guns," a stuntman refused to be dragged by the horse, but Barbara Stanwyck, even at 50, did that stunt herself.
This book provides a brief profile of 50 of the most adoring ladies of studio era when studios had an identity and style of its own with the films they made and the stars they created. MGM studios built on glamour, class and gut decisions in making movies during the Great Depression when experts said they will fail. Warner Brothers Studios specialized in urban action, gangsters and the gutters. Each movie studio had a stable of stars and penchant for beautiful women. The bio-data of each lady described in this book illustrate that these ladies were superb performers with strong identifiable persona and a sense & style they created attracted movie fans, and women in particular. The incredible Bette Davis with her noticeable large eyes, fragile grace of Lillian Gish, strong characteristics of Katherine Hepburn, stunning and graceful looks of Greta Garbo and Grace Kelly are some of the examples.
The brief biography discusses the career of each lady. The movies she made and the influence she had on others, and the role played by many directors and studio bosses in making them successful. There is also section called "Style Notes," and "Behind the Scenes," for each star which provides some tidbits and juicy stories. For example, it is well known that Greta Garbo and Jean Arthur were very reclusive and never opened up to the public. Clara Bow on the other hand alienated Hollywood by telling the press every sordid details of her life. Her career was tarnished by a string of love affairs and out of control life style with addiction, and a law-suit against her secretary who was stealing money and selling Clara's personal secrets. After her mother tried to kill her during sleep, she became a life-long insomniac. Louise Brooks was a beautiful, headstrong and erotically charged with sleek and bobbed hairstyle had a meteoric rise in the silent era but made serious error with her defiant behavior which annoyed Paramount Studios. She ended up in gutter and poverty until her former lover Bill Paley, the founder of CBS financially supported her for the rest of her life. Rumor has it that she turned to the "oldest profession" to stay afloat until Bill Paley came to her assistance. Marion Davis had a jealous boyfriend in the wealthy William Randolph Hearst who is known to have shot Marion's boyfriend Tom Ince in his yacht. Bette Davis was patriotic in that she organized Hollywood Canteen for soldiers passing through Los Angeles and Carole Lombard organized war bond rallies in her home state of Indiana to help in the war efforts. Bette was honored with distinguished civilian award. President Roosevelt honored Carole posthumously by awarding the Medal of Freedom as the first woman to die in the line of duty during the WWII.
Marlene Dietrich was bisexual and did not believe in monogamous relationship. She was also a strong opponent of the third Reich and refused to work for the film industry under Hitler. She devoted to her new homeland and participated in USO tours and became the first woman to earn the Medal of Freedom. Screwball comedienne Irene Dunne was nominated as the alternate delegate to the United Nations by President Eisenhower in 1959.
Greer Garson holds the record with Bette Davis for the most consecutive Academy Award nominations, five in a row from 1941-1945. During filming of Mrs. Miniver, actor Richard Ney played the role of her son and she eventually fell in love with him. MGM studio was worried that it will have negative impact on the movie and asked them to postpone wedding until the film was released.
According to Hollywood legend Susan Hayward's cancer was that the result of radioactive fallout that allegedly landed on the sets of "The Conqueror" in 1956 in Utah. Many of her costars including John Wayne, Dick Powell, Agnes Moorehead and John Hoyt developed cancer.
Myrna Loy was not afraid to speak to authority figures. In 1940s she argued with studio heads about stereotyping African Americans as servants. "What about a black person walking up the steps of a courthouse carrying a briefcase."
Once Debbie Reynolds told her friends that doing the movie "Singing in the Rain" and childbirth are the hardest things she did in her life. MGM assigned Co-star Gene Kelly to coach her numbers for the movie and he made her practice non-stop for hours until her feet started to bleed.
Ginger Rogers and her mother were strong anti-communists and supported government's efforts to rid communist sympathizers in Hollywood. Ginger's mother testified in congress about the infiltration of the movie industry. In the movie, Tender Comrade (1943), Ginger refused to read one line which said, "Share and share alike, that is the American Way." During the filming of "Forty Guns," a stuntman refused to be dragged by the horse, but Barbara Stanwyck, even at 50, did that stunt herself.
September 4, 2023
Ava Gardner is on the front cover!
“And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
This book has both pictures and conversations.
Some of the 50 chosen leading ladies from the studio era may not be so popular but after reading about them and seeing the pictures you will know why they were chosen. Copyright 2006 so that may be a missing recent candidate and the studio era has already passed.
We get a forward from Robert Jolin Osborne. He was the host of Turner Classic Movies from its inception in 1994. Born: May 3, 1932. Died: March 6, 2017 (age 84).
There does not seem to be any logical way to sort the candidates. I own most of the movies and watch many of the others, so the pictures and Bios have meaning beyond the book. No room for real depth as each actress gets only a few pages.
The book also makes a conversation start so be sure to also buy a coffee table also, or maybe a tea trolley.
“And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?” ― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
This book has both pictures and conversations.
Some of the 50 chosen leading ladies from the studio era may not be so popular but after reading about them and seeing the pictures you will know why they were chosen. Copyright 2006 so that may be a missing recent candidate and the studio era has already passed.
We get a forward from Robert Jolin Osborne. He was the host of Turner Classic Movies from its inception in 1994. Born: May 3, 1932. Died: March 6, 2017 (age 84).
There does not seem to be any logical way to sort the candidates. I own most of the movies and watch many of the others, so the pictures and Bios have meaning beyond the book. No room for real depth as each actress gets only a few pages.
The book also makes a conversation start so be sure to also buy a coffee table also, or maybe a tea trolley.
March 29, 2011
Nice resource for classic film fans and those just starting to fall in love with the studio era. Also recommended: Leading Men: The 50 Most Unforgettable Actors of the Studio Era AND Leading Couples
June 11, 2011
This is great reference book! Permanent currently-reading status material
an alphabetical who is who of Golden era Hollywood.. Glamorous photos, most memorable movies, gossip and stats (birth/death, marriageS, children etc).. Love to TCM Turner Classic Movie Channel
an alphabetical who is who of Golden era Hollywood.. Glamorous photos, most memorable movies, gossip and stats (birth/death, marriageS, children etc).. Love to TCM Turner Classic Movie Channel
September 13, 2008
Short descriptions of each actress. Good for lists of their movies.
February 18, 2009
For any fan of classic movies.
January 22, 2012
More fabulous hair.
May 6, 2015
wonderful!
May 23, 2015
I edited this and wrote some of the chapters from scratch.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews