I’ve called these starlets elusive because they were not in the mainstream and,even though some were well known in their day and made some very famous films, were not widely remembered by the general public beyond their era. Some had very short careers and went on to lead normal everyday lives, some died young and some turned to character roles becoming secondary to the leads and sometimes unrecognisable. Some even turned away from acting altogether and went into other successful careers.
Gerald Haines, was a starlet for example, due to the fact that after coming out of the closet and being told his career was finished as a result, went on to become a famous interior designer who designed furniture for the likes of Joan Crawford and Carol Lombard.
He was by all counts a wonderful actor and very handsome too but this was not enough. It had been public knowledge that he was gay. Instead of renouncing his homosexuality he renounced show biz.
Highly commendable indeed. Instead of being washed up he retained a huge Hollywood following.
Just look at some of his designs.
Another very well known starlet , Thelma Todd, even owned her own restaurant,’The Sidewalk Cafe’. Thelma was a comedienne who shot to fame after making ‘Horse Feathers’ with The Marx Brothers.
Much good it did her trying to diversify. 
She had opened the restaurant with her lover who just happened to be a very famous producer who lived next door to the cafe with his wife.
Thelma had been married to the mafia and her husband who was alway flying into jealous rages and beat her more than once.
To cut a long story short Thelma was murdered and to this day the murder has not been solved.
There were rumours that the mafia had used the cafe as a base and had gambled away the profits. It would never be on the Hollywood social calendar again.
An actor by the name of David Manners was a huge star in his day.
Dashing and handsome he made many films with other great stars of the day including Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant. In fact Katherine Hepburn was so in awe of David Manners that she credited him with teaching her a thing or two about acting. They were cast together in ‘A Bill Of Divorcement’ and were magic on screen. Manners, however, really shone in ‘Dracula’ with Bela Lugosi and Helen Chandler. It was that film that made him a star. He made other horror films too including ‘The Mummy’ and ‘The Black Cat’ with Julie Bishop.
Yet he is not remembered by the general public. Why? He only worked in films up until the mid 1930’s and then retired. He too was gay and while this was not the reason for his early exit from the film world it was a significant reason for his wanting to be more authentic.
Helen Chandler was also an elusive. In fact I only found out about her when I looked up ‘Dracula’ An etherial looking actress with a ,dove caught in the headlights, look about her she was perfect for the horror genre.
Patsy Kelly starred with Thelma Todd in many short films and was a star in her own right. A well known comedian she was not a looker and therefore was not given top billing. She was also gay which meant that she was not available for ‘romantic’ roles. She and Jack Carson, a major star of the day, worked together on radio.
This, of course, hampered her career. She eventually ended up becoming Talluhla Bankhead’s personal assistant and one said ‘Talluhla was such a gossip she’d talk about you behind your back to your face.’ There are so many more but I guess you’ll just have to wait for the next instalment to find out who they are.
© Renee Dallow: ( Hybiscus Bloom )
27/11/2018.
Clark Gable did not want to acknowledge the child and Loretta could not for if she had she would have lost her career. 
Little Judy Lewis ( After Loretta’s second husband ) didn’t find out she was Loretta’s biological daughter until she turned 31.
She’d had her suspicions though as Gable’s ears were a dead give-away. Around the same era Joan Crawford famously adopted a daughter ( not biological ) who wrote a book about the experience of living with the star who was an extra fussy clean freak entitled ‘Mommy Dearest’.
This was probably because she had to learn to arrange her own wardrobe accordingly in mini me mode. Joan liked to dress her in matching outfits for photo shoots.
When Christina grew up and got an acting job on a daytime soap Joan literally stole her part.
He drank too much and was irresponsible and B.D didn’t like him at all.
The love between Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher was very obvious and Debbie would often have her daughter on stage with her
, 
This does not mean to say the relationships were without friction entirely. Carrie Fisher once wrote that she felt felt very insecure around her mother as Debbie Reynolds was always so cute and charming while Carrie was just ‘Bovine’ and not really into laying on the charm factor. In the film made on their relationship ‘Postcards From the Edge’ their mother-daughter issues were thrown into the public arena. These were issues that many could relate to.
Liz Taylor had a close loving relationship with both her daughters Maria Burton and Liza Todd. 
They had not a bad word to say about their mother who apparently devoted herself to them even when miles away on set in another country. They grew up quite normal and decided not to follow in their mother’s footsteps in Hollywood although Liz would have been cool with that. Maria is a well known artist and Liza works with abandoned animals.
Jane Mansfield was a wonderful mother and her daughter Mariska Hargitay is a star in her own right.
Mariska did not know her mother very long , however, as Jane died young in a car accident.
Zsa-Zsa married many times. Even more than Liz. She only had one child though and that child was never happy.
When her mother’s boyfriend, mafia hitman, Tony Stompanato,
beat Lana senseless and tried to kill her she was saved in the nick of time by her daughter. Cheryl stabbed her mothers aggressive lover to death.
Apparently Stompanato had also sexually abused Cheryl and so this also added to her motive. Her parents had remained friends and her father ,Steven Crane ,stood beside both mother and daughter fending for their honour. Cheryl Crane is a successful real estate broker and a writer. There are many more Hollywood mother-daughter stories that abound in Hollywood and these are just a few to show that no matter who we are we all have issues with our mothers. Young or old, rich or poor, famous or infamous we all must find our own way and be proud of who we are.
Unlike Yasmin Khan, we can’t all have Rita Hayworth for a mother and a prince for a father but we can all allow our special ‘Princess’ to shine from within. Hollywood eat your heart out!
Always interesting to find out who was related, married or had an affair with who. For example Judy Garland and Micky Rooney were forever friends. 
He would go on to marry Ava Gardener when Judy turned him down. Shirley struggled to make it in films as an adult where Judy thrived. 
Shirley did, however, make some good teen movies like ‘Honeymoon’.
Shirley was to be teamed up with Garland and Rooney in three fims but the studio decided to pull her out as they were afraid that Judy and Micky would upstage her and ruin her comeback.
Mickey, of course, was unstoppable and would go on to star in may great films as well as marrying many more times. His films would include ‘National Velvet’ with Liz Taylor.
Yep that’s Liz with the dog in the tub.
Shirley also made a film with Frank Sinatra in 1963 called ‘The Victor’ It was a small world back then eh?
Well Oscars 20017 will remain memorable for a long time to come. For the first time in fifty years it looked like a musical would beat all. Right up until the very last minute … literally. Just as best picture was announced and the cast of ‘La La Land’ were up on stage ready to take their accolades it was announced that a serious drama had won instead. The movie that won, ‘Moonlight’, what’s more, had an all black cast. Where ‘La la Land’ is pretty ‘Moonlight’ is gritty. Fortunately, I had seen both. Let’s start with ‘La La Land’ A film very much based on the musicals of the 1950s with 1930s art deco style and 1980s cool. 
A veritable artists pallet of bright colours and gorgeous scenery. I saw so many of my favourite musicals being paid homage to. Mostly Gene Kelly in ‘Singing In The Rain’ and ‘American In Paris’. The influence of Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire too was strong in the ballroom dancing scenes.
There were also touches of ‘Rebel Without A Cause’, a fifties drama with James Dean and Natalie Wood, in there.
There were quite a few others in there too.
The story was similar to a film made with Doris Day and Frank Sinatra,’Young At Heart’, in which she is a struggling singer and he is a struggling jazz musician establishing himself.
This film has a little of everything and yet retains its originality. The direction and cinematography are a feast for the eyes and the chemistry between the two stars is palpable.
A film about a black neighbourhood and the problems faced by young black Americans growing up in poverty surrounded by drug addicts. 
This is a film that would never have been made in the fifties. Probably not even in the eighties. This too is a film about love but its no walk in the park. It was hard to watch. Very real. With the farce that is America at present. Maybe this is what they need. A dose of realism.
Bourgeoise Bloomers 