15 April 2005

"50 greatest movie stars of all time"

I love lists. I love movies. you'd think I'd be all gaga over the current issue of Premiere with its 50 greatest stars. well I'm not.

Cary as #1 & Marilyn as #2 are worthy choices. but then the list becomes downright daffy. #3 is Tom Cruise. sure he was cute in his undies way back when. but of this generation of actors he's not in the same league with Johnny Depp (who is #47).

but that's the kind of list this is. the intro explains why silent & foreign stars were dismissd which of course makes dishonest any list claiming to be the "greatest" stars of "all times."

the nature of listing is personal & I don't know who the editors of this mag are. but they are perverse. they've left out Barbara Stanwyck. & Denzel Washington (#39) shdn't even be on the list much less ahead of Meryl Streep (#46).

o.k. not everyone wd agree to my probable listing of Carmen Miranda but give me a break. Tom Hanks? no Gene Kelly or William Holden or Robert Mitchum or Burt Lancaster. no Lana Turner or Betty Grable or Dorothy Dandridge or Ava Gardner. but Tom Hanks? & ahead of James Dean?

it's too silly for words.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

lol, i can't believe i've saved this list now for five years. e online did at the turn of the century. all twelve catagories are worthy of discussion.

http://www.eonline.com/Features/Specials/Century/

richard lopez said...

johnny depp sure does beat out tom cruise, in talent and in looks. I always wondered about cruise's appeal, but what the hell since what is taste anyway. but depp is magic and must've found the fabled fountain of youth since he is so drop dead goodlooking as he was in 21 jumpstreet back in the 80s. he hasn't aged and is watchable in everything he has done. which can't be said of cruise. glossy mags are mostly about what is hot then about quality and durability. anna and I watched a few old buster keaton flicks on tv last week. now, there is a genius, and I wonder how he felt about being reduced to doing the frankie avalon/annette funnicello beach flicks of the 60s. tho, I do love those old flicks.

Richard