Olivia de Havilland: The Last Belle of Cinema

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Academy of Achievement

Film, Politics, Arts, Self-help, Sports, Society & Culture, Success, Literature, Humanitarian, Military, Social Justice, Technology, Podcast, Achievement, Music, Science

4.6 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 20 June 2016

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There is only one surviving superstar from the Golden Age of Hollywood: Olivia de Havilland. The actress who portrayed Melanie Hamilton in "Gone With The Wind" (and admit it: you liked Melanie better than Scarlett, right?) turns 100 years old on July 1, 2016. This episode features an extensive conversation with Ms. de Havilland about the early days of the American film industry. She explains how the studio system confined her to the role of the ingenue, and how she eventually broke out of it to play some of the more complex and fascinating women on the silver screen -- including two that won her Academy Awards for Best Actress (in "To Each His Own" and "The Heiress"). (c ) American Academy of Achievement 2016

Transcript

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0:00.0	When people talk about Hollywood's Golden Age, they're usually referring to that period between
0:11.6	about 1930 and 1959 when the studios ruled
0:15.8	glamour was the order of the day and people on screen talked like this.
0:21.3	I know now why you tried so hard to kill this outlaw whom you
0:24.6	despised. It's because he was the one man in England who protected the
0:27.8	helpless against a lot of beasts who were drunk on you in blood and now you intend
0:31.8	to murder your own brother.
0:34.0	You'll be sorry you interfered.
0:36.0	Sorry, I do it again if you killed me for it.
0:40.0	He must take me away.
0:42.0	He must love me. He must love me.
0:45.0	Catherine, you must take hold of yourself.
0:48.0	No, no, Morris must take hold of me.
0:50.0	Morris will love me.
0:52.0	We thought it best not to tell you, scholar, but Ashley and Frank and the others have gone to clean out those woods where you were attacked.
0:58.0	It's what a great many of our southern gentlemen have had to do lately for our protection.
1:02.0	That was the Adventures of Robin Hood, followed by the Aris and of course gone with the wind.
1:08.0	They all starred Olivia de Haviland, the only female superstar of the golden age who is still alive.
1:15.0	Mr Haviland turns 100 on July 1st 2016.
1:20.0	So this episode of what it takes from the Academy of Achievement is devoted to her life and career.
1:27.0	I'm Alice Winkler.
1:31.0	Had a maid, this child is gifted, and I heard that enough that I started to believe it.
	...

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