Joel McCrea: the sexiest man of Hollywood's Golden Age

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"McCrea couldn’t think of himself as sexy; happily, this doubled his sexual impact on film. He always kept aware of his image, which was that of an honorable man, and this image served him well when he relaxed into a series of grizzled fifties westerns. McCrea’s sexual charge in his early and middle movies is exciting because he is completely natural about it and sometimes bashful. It is a kind of sex appeal that is founded on diffidence. It is in short supply today."

http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/50/mccrea.htm

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 18:39 (twenty years ago)

Also one of the shrewdist investors in L.A. real estate of his time.

― M. White (Miguelito), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

He was marvelous, wasn't he? In another thread I think I praised his "unassertive masculinity." I suppose Dennis Quaid comes closest (Heath Ledger may get there).

I rescreened Hitchcock's Foreign Correspondent recently. Not a great film, but McCrea's regular-guy jocularity made his predicament more harrowing than if, say, Cary Grant had played the part.

And he's beautiful in Sullivan's Travels.

― Alfred, Lord Sotosyn (Alfred Soto), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 19:08 (twenty years ago)

Sauders and Benchley are hilarious in Foreign Correspondent.

McCrea and Lake are resplendent in S's Travels.

― M. White (Miguelito), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 19:18 (twenty years ago)

"With a little sex in it!"

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 21:50 (twenty years ago)

nine years pass...

Recommend Andre de Toth's western Ramrod (1947), in which Joel plays a middle-aged recovering drunk who is the linchpin in a battle between a Mr Big rancher and his vengeful rival, played by Veronica Lake -- yes it's a Sullivan's Travels reunion. B&W, academy ratio, strong streak of sadism. Small roles for Lloyd Bridges and Charlie Ruggles.

http://sensesofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/ramrod.jpg

― the increasing costive borborygmi (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 June 2015 16:58 (ten years ago)

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