What Would Velma Cruther Say About This, Darlings?????????????????

                                                "Last night, I dreamt I went to Manderly again."
                                                   --opening line of "Rebecca" by Daphne Du
                                                     Maurier


                                        The Holidays always seem to bring on, at year's end, a slew of celebrity deaths.  And here they come!  Yesterday, Peter O'Toole passed away, and so did Tom Laughlin, star of the original movie, "Billy Jack."  Hard to believe he was all of 82!!!!!!!!!!!  But, then, "Billy Jack" was back in 1971, darlings, and that was 42 years ago, which would have made Laughlin 40, back then!  Hot damn!  He looked REAL good, for 40!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                        But, by far, the biggest passing of all was that of actress Joan Fontaine, yesterday!  I did not hear the news till this morning, coming to wake in bed, listening to the radio news, and this caused me to jolt right up!  Not just because another great actress had died.  Not just because she was one of the few remaining of Hollywood's Golden Age.  (On January 12, 2014, girls, Luise Rainer will turn 104, and I expect she will be here for it!!!!!!)  But because, most of all, she was Olivia De Havilland's sister, the two had a lifelong feud that, I swear, inspired "What Ever happened To Baby Jane?," and now Joan has gone and died first!

                                       For years, I, and many others, swore they were hanging on for spite!  I even thought both would go at once, because neither would give in!  But, I understand Joan, at 96, had been slipping, and so, yesterday, she died painlessly and peacefully, in her sleep!  Amen, Joan!  Amen to all of us!!!!!

                                        But that Olivia!!!!!!!!!!  I know she played Melanie in "Gone With The Wind," darlings, but did you know Joan, in a way, helped her land the role?

                                         Now, I was not in Hollywood in the Thirties.  Had I been, I would very likely have tested for Scarlett, too.  But, when "Gone With The Wind" was being cast, every working actor wanted to be in it.  So, Joan goes over to the Selznick studio, greets he and George Cukor.  They hand her a script, tell her to begin, and she starts reading the part of Scarlett!!!!!!!!!!  Whereupon, they stop her, explaining to her they want her to read for the part of Melanie!  Joan got on her high horse!  She turned up her nose at them, threw the script across the room, and said, "Melanie????  If it's Melanie you want, go try my sister!!!!!"

                                          So, they did.  And the rest is history!

                                          Olivia may have had the bigger career, but Joan's was not one  to sneeze at.  "The Women," "Rebecca," (for which she received a Best Actress Oscar nomination, and her look in that film is my favorite!!!!  Just like me, girls!  Plain, and simple!!!!!!!  Do you believe that, darlings????) "Suspicion," (for which she WON the Best Actress Oscar!!!!) and "The Constant Nymph" (for which she lost out to the only one too good not to overlook--Jennifer Jones, in "The Song Of Bernadette!!!").   Joan also remains the definitive Jane Eyre, from that 1944 film, she was lovely in "Ivanhoe," and on Broadway, she succeeded  Deborah Kerr in Robert Anderson's "Tea And Sympathy."  Replacing John Kerr in the male lead was a young up-and-comer by the name of Anthony Perkins!  I almost wish I could have seen he and Joan more than John and Deb!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                          And, of course, Joan became the ad spokesperson for Arnold Brick Oven Bread!!!  I loved those ads!!!!!!!!!!

                                          The Sisterly Feud was world famous.  The earliest account goes back to when Olivia was 8, and Joan, 7.  The elder sibling wrote out her will, saying, "And to my sister Joan, I leave my beauty, because she doesn't have any!!!!"  Nice, huh???  Olivia was Mommy's favorite, and when Joan determined to be an actress, Mommy almost put a stoop to it.  Which is why Joan had to use her mother's maiden name, Fontaine!!!!!   And then, when Joan won for "Suspicion," in 1941, while Olivia had already played and been nominated for Melanie, and was up for "Hold Back The Dawn" the same year as Joan, and Olivia lost, that was it!  Five years later, when Olivia finally won for "To Each His Own," Joan had the presence of mind to be gracious enough to be on hand, to offer congratulations!!!  But Olivia brusquely brushed her off!!!!!!!!!!

                                          And now Olivia survives!  Bet she is sipping champagne and cackling!  Remember, she DID play Miriam Deering in "Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte," back in 1964, and I can just hear Agnes Moorhead saying,right now, "So...you're finally showing the right side of your face!!!!!!"

                                          Better watch it, Olivia!  Remember it all comes back to Miriam, in the end!  And with Joan gone, will the rancor give out, and you will let go, too???????????????

                                           This remains to be seen.  But today, let's take some time to remember Joan!!!!   She was a tough gal, who took no prisoners, (her autobiography was entitled "No Bed Of Roses") and she was a smart one , too!   When the career halted, Joan invested wisely; so much so, it was said she was helping support Olivia, over there, in Paris!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Joan Fontaine will be missed!

                                            And I can still hear  Agnes saying to Olivia, "Think I don't know a due bill, when I see one?"