Movie Poll: Who’s Your Favorite “Golden Age” (1930-60) Actress?

04.02.12 |
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"Golden Age" (1930-60) Actress?

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13 Articles about Bette Davis

9 Articles about Barbara Stanwyck

  • Tito Pannaggi

    Too bad my favorite Anna Magnani was not in the poll!

    • sonny

      It’s even worse that Susan Hayward is not on the top of the list

  • Joel

    A poll like this, without Susan Hayward, is ludicrous!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

      My sentiments exactly.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

        You forgot Loretta Young.

        • Joel

          I voted for Stanwyck, as she, as well as Hayward are from Brooklyn. You can tell by their films, they have been there – done that!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

    Grace Kelly but no Myrna Loy?

    • Chester

      Right with on this one!

    • larry

      No Myrna Loy….no vote

      • Lisa

        Definitely, Myrna Loy

        • Louis

          I agree!!!!

          • Louis

            Cary Grant was added days later on another poll
            and he won!!

          • http://www.facebook.com/bryan.ruffin Bryan Ruffin

            Here it is a couple of days later and still no Myrna! I have to stand with you on this one. I gave it to Ginger, but had Myrna been there, she would have gotten my vote!

          • aldanoli

            Yes, it’s true that Myrna Loy was overlooked — although I would have voted for Audrey Hepburn regardless. But that’s the problem with these “favorite” polls — they’re always based on the tastes/memories of the person who puts it together. As someone said in response to the last poll, it would be better to ask “Which OF THESE is your favorite {actor or actress}” — not just “which {actor or actress}” is . . . though I’m sure some would still refuse to participate if their personal fave wasn’t among the choices.

          • Michelle

            Another vote for Myrna Loy.

    • Woody

      Agree; Myrna Loy !

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1028721086 Doug Galloway

      Crazy

  • http://www.facebook.com/hlynnknits Heidi McDonald Stetler

    Yes, how did Myrna Loy and Irene Dunn get left out of this poll???

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

      OMG You are so right.

    • Gregg

      Yes, I am right there with you. How did Myrna Loy get left off of this list?

    • Louis

      I agree with Hedi, where is Myrna Loy and
      Irene Dunn????????????

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

    I guess I need my own poll, but I couldn’t ever leave out Judy Garland. She broke my heart and raised my spirits so many times. She never seems to get her.doe.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002163102666 Susan Peran

    due.

  • Martin Stumacher

    What happened to Irene Dunn, Myrna Loy and Susan Hayward?

  • TommieLu

    What about Ginger Rogers, Veronica Lake, Gloria Graham, Greer Gsrson, Lana Turner, Lizbeth Scott. …should I go on?,

    • http://www.facebook.com/SusieHardinHeidarifar Susan Heidarifar

      U brought up some good ones who were missed. All are good, but as far as acting goes – Grace Kelly was pretty, graceful and a fair actress, but on a list like this – with these woman, and the ones mentioned? I would say “not in the same league”!

      • wade

        it did ask for favourite actress not your opinion of best actress so I would pick Ava Gardner but on the list I picked Barbara Stanwyck who I think is also a great actress. Maybe they should have a write-in vote

  • TommieLu

    Oops Ginger is there. They all were great. Really can’t say who would be my fav.

  • rca341

    I vote for Joan Blondell

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1028721086 Doug Galloway

      I’m with you! She was the best!!!

  • GIL

    a poll without Olivia DeHaviland or Gene Tierney…how can that be????

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1028721086 Doug Galloway

      Nuts. That’s what…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000534988081 Brian Jodrie

    How about Deanna Durbin,Virginis Mayo,Ann Sheridan,and Lizebeth Scott?

  • AN

    Always one to agree with those who say that ‘we should choose from the list as given,” this list lacks so many other ‘favorite-type’ actresses and leading ladies that it seems traitorous to vote among this group alone. For example, luminaries such as Deborah Kerr, Jane Greer, Ava Gardner, Mary Astor, Doris Day, Janet Leigh, Esther Williams and Joan Fontaine were also exluded ….

    • Sam

      I second Deborah Kerr and Maureen O’Hara! I’d also add Marlene Dietrich and Jean Arthur to the list.

  • jfleming

    Voted for Bette Davis but wish Carole Lombard had been on list.

  • tangomann

    Why is Grace Kelly on this list?

    • Joel

      I totally agree! Kelly and not Hayward? Who does these lists anyway, Joe Biden!

  • rca341

    Ida lupino and Claire Trever arn’t to shabby either

  • http://www.facebook.com/vincent.paterno1 Vincent Paterno

    I’ll vote if you please add Carole Lombard.

  • Blair Kramer.

    Where’s Carole Lombard?

  • Luigi From NYC

    Susan Haywood left out ? WHY-oh-WHY ?

    Her performance in ( With a Song In My Heart //
    I’ll Cry Tomorrow // I Want To Live // = A+

    and finally ( I’d Climb The Highest Mountain ) — which by the way was finally released on DVD !

    Claudette Colbert = ( Tomorrow Is Forever ) –
    finally released on DVD !
    AND — let’s not forget her performance in –
    ( Since You Went Away ) !

    Glad that Stanwyck was included –
    One of my favorites will be shown on TCM –
    toward the end of April ( My Reputatiion ) –
    which Babbs considered her FAVORITE ROLE –
    re: All The Characters she played = now on DVD !

  • http://www.facebook.com/SusieHardinHeidarifar Susan Heidarifar

    I agree with “why is GRACE KELLY on this list”? She may have been beautiful, GRACEful, etc.etc.,but – for one – had it not been for HITCHCOCK, how many movies would she have made (or even been seen, or good ones?), and secondly – she doesn’t even belong with these on the list and the others mentioned. Pretty gal and good in the few roles she had, but not a real actress in the caliber of the others!

    • G2008

      I didn’t vote for grace Kelly, but I like the movies she was in. In one of my favorite movies she sang a song that made her the answer to a good music trivia question. Which member of the European Royalty achived a Gold record? Maybe you can guess the song. Some hints
      It was a duet with one of the great male vocalists of the twentieth century.
      The song was also on the American top ten list, and can be seen as one of the last of its type before rock and roll took over.
      I believe (but I could remember this wrong) that it was nominated for best song but lost out to a song from a Hitchcock movie
      The movie had three individuals who were arguable among the greatest vocalists of the century – although one in more known as an instrumentalist.
      The movie had maybe the greatest Jazz player of all time , with his orchestra, which he introduces person by person twice in the movie.
      The movie had songs by perhaps the greatest song writer in American history -although this could be debated he would be on most top ten lists.
      The songs were arranged by one of the great arrangers of alltime
      How many of those can you figure out?

      • http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.jennings1 Anne Jennings

        “High Society”. Great question, G2008!

  • Wayne

    Another one for the heap might be Marilyn Monroe. Being eye candy is not what the job description of acting mostly entails, as we can see from the top vote getters having much more substance than simply great looks…

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=529388091 Gayle Feyrer

      Monroe is fabulous in Some Like It Hot and Bus Stop – and in The Misfits. She deserves to be included. I voted for Stanwyck, but went back and forth between her and both Hepburns and Monroe. It was favorite, not best, but all were favorites and wonderful actresses in their own way.

    • Lorraine M.

      I disagree. MM was so incandescently beautiful and so memorably sexy that in her time she wasn’t taken seriously as an actress and still doesn’t get her due now. Her comic timing was exquisite and in dramatic roles (“Don’t Bother to Knock,” “Bus Stop,” “The Misfits”) she could break your heart.

  • Tito Pannaggi

    There are no black women on the list; where is Dorothy Jean Dandridge.

    And where is Nancy Kwan the beatyful Anglo-asian girl from “The World of Suzy Wong”(1960).

    • jfleming

      I’d rather have Anna May Wong.

  • Angel54

    I agree with Tito – need to add Lena Horne – my Fav.

  • Chris P

    okay. SO I guess that this tally of actresses was not thought out so well. Where is Doris Day?

  • Chris P

    AND Shirley MacLaine…

  • Curt

    Two time Academy Award winner Olivia de Havilland and her sister AA winner Joan Fontaine don’t rate? This is as bad as last week’s favorite actor question that left off Cary Grant and James Cagney until popular demand caused you to add them late. And I don’t think that actresses who had significant portions of their career in the 60′s should be on the list. In other words, Audrey Hepburn.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000319533135 Mike Otworth

    No Teresa Wright? Seriously?

  • John Marsh

    This is a difficult list as all are probably “favorite” for different reasons. (And of course, like all these polls, people just can’t vote for those on the list, they have to add others). I voted for Ginger Rogers because I have always liked her dynamic pesonality, wonderful looks, and she made me feel good. I suppose it’s how you feel in the moment! On another day I might have voted for Bette Davis.

  • http://www.facebook.com/barbara.atkinson1 Barbara Atkinson

    Bet we can all agree that the “Golden Age” was Golden for many great reasons, yes? And the marvelous acting, both female and male, contributes to that enormously.

    In this poll, my vote goes to Ginger Rogers. Boy, am I glad to see her listed here, as she so often is overlooked and bypassed in such things. Have often thought that if a scale were developed, giving point totals to various qualities, such as one’s ability/appeal in the areas of: drama, comedy, singing, dancing, beauty, fan/box office appeal, etc., then add the totals for each category together… Ginger would surely top, or certainly be very near the top of, the list. She could do everything and did each marvelously! As an Oscar-winning actress, she somehow managed to make each one of her 73 movie role characters different! She never played the same character twice. That must have been quite the creative challenge. If you haven’t done so, please give yourself the chance to explore the depth of her talent and treat yourself to a great amount of joy in the process. Ginger’s career is really a great gift to us all.

  • DBJ

    Maureen O’Hara, hands down. How could you leave her out?

  • maxfabien

    I don’t understand the fascination with Katherine Hepburn. I forgot who said it, but it’s so true: “She runs the emotional gamut from A to B.”

    • http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.jennings1 Anne Jennings

      It was also said of her, “There’s not much there, but what there is, is cherce!”

      • maxfabien

        That line wasn’t said of Katherine Hepburn the actress. Spencer Tracy said it of her character in the film “Pat and Mike”. Actually the line is “Not much meat on her, but what’s there is cherce.” Referring to her body, not her acting skills.

    • CACS

      I believe it was Dorothy Parker in a review of the film ‘Alice Adams.’

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1006392951 Kevin Molony

    Carole Lombard doesn’t rate a mention?

  • mickey

    Maureen O’Hara should have been on the list.
    And say what you will about Marilyn Monroe but when she was on the screen it was tough to look away. She had that thing that made you want to get close to her.

  • Ed

    Rita Hayworth
    Mary Astor

  • Jim

    Where oh Where is JENNIFER JONES???

  • Erik Decker

    Do you mean “actress” or “Actress” with a capital A? Jean Simmons for the latter category!

  • Rob

    Wow. I ridiculously incomplete list. No Maureen O’hara? No Debbie Reynolds? No Judy Garland? Jane Russell? Natalie Wood? Every single one of these woman were in films prior to 1960, had great careers, AND were gorgeous!

  • ian

    I am also aghast that Susan Hayward does not appear on this list, which should also have included Loretta Young and Alice Faye. Drop Grace Kelly please, she is vastly overrated

  • Christine Harrison

    It’s interesting to see what names readers have suggested be added to the list – of course, a list featuring everyone’s favourite would end up being a very long one, but many of the suggestions are valid ones. What I find most intriguing about the current voting is the lack of votes for Joan Crawford. She was one of the “big guns” of the Hollywood Golden Age, made several films and was often in the news not just for her acting but also her colourful personal life. I’m wondering if the low voting is partly due for her actual acting skills, which may seem overblown now in contrast with some of the other actresses listed, but also by the damage done with the “Mommie Dearest” book (and film) which showed her as a monster mother (although this has been disputed by some). She was certainly a tough lady and her onscreen persona reflected this, but such actresses as Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck amongst others also showed they could stand up for themselves and they have scored much more highly in the voting as it stands. Personally, I found that I could feel sympathy for Davis in a film like “Jezebel” where she plays a “bad girl”, but I tended to feel less so towards Crawford, even when she was in a situation that demanded it. However, I have to stress that this is just my personal reaction to her.

    • http://www.facebook.com/vincent.paterno1 Vincent Paterno

      Regarding Joan Crawford, she often was very good at what she did, from the archetypal late ’20s girl of “Our Dancing Daughters” to the many “shopgirl dramas” she made for MGM in the ’30s to her noirish Warners late ’40s persona. However, her later work bordered on self-parody and descent into Grand Guignol (she should have followed the lead of her good friend Myrna Loy and sat those out), and even at her peak she lacked the deftness for comedy. I have no doubt that “Mommie Dearest” (the book, then the movie) hurt her legacy — but just as Fred MacMurray is now viewed for his considerable entirety of work rather than for “My Three Sons” or his Disney films, so Crawford’s reputation will eventually be rehabilitated.

  • Chester

    Oh my gosh. Where is Myrna Loy? Had a crush on her since I was 13, and that was a looong time ago. Gene Tierney, Hedy Lamar, Olivia deHavilland, Susan Hayward, Maureen O’Sullivan, Ginger Rogers. There are som significant names missing from this llist, I’m sorry to say.

  • http://www.facebook.com/melanie.simone Melanie Simone

    I also miss Myrna Loy on this list but was happy to find other great names like Barbara Stanwyck and Bette Davis. Personally, I would also add Barbara Hale who’s mostly known for her TV stardom these days despite her many films – The Window, The Jackpot, Jolson Sings Again, A Lion is in the Streets or The Houston Story to name just a few. I’ve always loved the characters she played, earthbound and real.

  • Amber

    Am I the only one disappointed that this list says 1930′s to 1960′s but it mainly as actresses from the 40′s and 50′s? What about some of the amazing actresses from the 30′s, like Jean Harlow, Marion Davies, Joan Blondell and Glenda Farrell. I understand that making a list like this, your not going to please everyone because there were too many actresses from 1930 to 1960 but at least make the list well rounded. Maybe the best from each decade.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1845774489 Debbie Coley

      I agree, and I would also like to add Helen Hayes to the list.

  • R.D.Cochran

    Janet Gaynor? Jean Arthur?

    • R.D.Cochran

      Oh,and Rosalind Russell also. Myrna Loy was one of my favorites.

      • http://www.facebook.com/BettyLiesel Betty Grove

        Jean Arthur in Mr. Smith Goes To Washington is one of the best she ever made and I’ll watch it every chance I get.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1267460238 Barbara Clarke

    I believe that your list is incomplete. MARLENE DIETRICH is an
    icon movie actress from the period of the 1930′s to the 1950′s.

  • Johnny M.

    I was hoping Deborah Kerr would be on the list whom I would have voted for,I thought with 6 Academy Award nominations for Best Actress it would have been a given? Oh well,I’ll give My vote to Audrey.

  • tim

    Carole Lombard

  • Tom M.

    A lot of greats left off that list, like my favorite Myrna Loy. Looking at that list and comparing it to what passes for actresses today, well, it just makes you thankful that the old movies survived. Long live AMC and TCM.

  • http://www.facebook.com/anne.m.jennings1 Anne Jennings

    I voted for Audrey Hepburn. When I was a pre-teen, she was my idol. Loved that gamine quality of hers. However, if Mae West had been on the list, I would have voted for her, hands down!

    And thanks, Tito, for noticing that neither Lena nor Dorothy Dandridge, nor Nancy Kwan (not to mention Anna May) are on the list.

  • http://www.facebook.com/salsaboy21 Norman Hawkins

    I can’t remember her name but ‘Blondie’ Dagwood and little Baby Dumpling and Daisy the dog.
    Absolutely Brilliant in “Where’s Blondie”

    • Johnny Sherman

      Penny Singleton played Blondie

  • Dave Sheehan

    Actresses or Stars? My favourite star was Ethel Waters- not on the list (predictably). My favourite ACTRESS was Betty Field (the most VERSATILE of them all) not on the list either!!

  • Rick

    That’s a tough field. There is something about Ingrid Bergman that makes her the one I would like to have met. But as a pure actress, Bette Davis may be the best, narrowly, because as I said that’s a lot of great actresses.

  • William Sommerwerck

    Where’s Myrna Loy?

  • Dan

    Jean Arthur!!

    • http://www.facebook.com/BettyLiesel Betty Grove

      Dan, you have excellent taste! Jean Arthur could make any movie she was in a hit. I still watch anything I can find with her in it, she puts some of the “actresses” of today to shame.

  • Gary

    Really is a toss up between Audrey and Katharine Hepburn for me. Just got done watching The African Queen, so KH gets my vote!

  • ANH

    Reading through this list – it seems there may be some confusion about “Favorite Actress” ` which does not necessarily mean “Best Actress.” They are not always the same. And there can be a HUGE difference between the two. For example, Esther Williams and Marilyn Monroe may be ‘favorites’ of some …. but no one has them on their list of the ‘best’ actresses.

  • Daniel E. Coates

    I would have voted for Myrna Loy but sewttled for Ginger Rogers with Claudia Colbert a close second.
    People who should have been on the list are
    Joan Blondell who made every movie she was in better like Edward G. Robinson did. I would have the Bennett sisters Constance and Joan. Dark Horse choice would be Aline MacMaahon from Golddiggers of 1933.

  • http://www.facebook.com/BettyLiesel Betty Grove

    How can the list be complete without Jean Arthur? She had everything and could play comedy with class. Susan Hayward and Maureen O’Hara are glaringly missing. But Jean Arthur was the best!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1828156613 Bob Brewis

    Where is Donna Reid, Jane Mansfield, Eve Ardin?

  • Daniel E. Coates

    An another great one left off the list is Marlene
    Dietrich.

  • Watt Hyer

    Yes, so many great names left off the list. Why not take a real poll on everybody’s favorites??
    That being said, I’m flabbergasted at the low number of votes for Joan Crawford. Is Mommy Dearest really the only thing people remember about her??

  • Nils Goering

    The second stupidest poll MovieFanFare has issued.
    Some of my top favorites didn’t even rate a spot on the list:
    CAROLE LOMBARD
    JOAN BLONDELL
    GLENDA FARRELL
    ANNE JEFFREYS
    MYRNA LOY
    RHONDA FLEMING
    JEAN ARTHUR

  • Trippy Trellis

    I voted for Audrey, of course, but how valid is a list of Golden Age greats without: Susan Hayward (1 Oscar, 5 best actress nominations, 3 times one of the top ten box office stars of the year), Deborah Kerr (most best actress nominations of the ’50s) and Rosalind Russell (with the exception of the overrated Katharine Hepburn, the only female superstar of a certain age to have done only first-rate vehicles, not a horror movie in the bunch). Also MIA: the First Lady of the Golden Age, Norma Shearer; the most talented siblings of all-time, Olivia de Havilland and Joan Fontaine; the oh-so-charming Irene Dunne; and, although not my cup of tea, the most nominated and acclaimed star of the ’40s, Greer Garson.

  • Woody

    So what does: Two Girls and a Sailor (1944), Words and Music (1945), Little Women (1949), The Glenn Miller Story (1954), and Strategic Air Command (1955) have in common?
    June Allyson !

  • Jim

    I voted for Barbara Stanwyck. But if Ida Lupino were listed, she would get my vote. This poll is even more difficult than the one for pre-60s actors. There are literally a dozen or more genuinely great actresses from this period.

  • Jim

    omg, I completely forgot about Jean Arthur! Let’s face it, this poll is impossible!

  • Emily

    Mine are Deanna Durbin, Jean Arthur and Myrna Loy! (Though there are so many others I could add more to this list all day!) But sadly these 3 have not been included, and you can’t vote for everybody! :(

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000876895229 Dolores Tamoria

    Too many left out. Very few of today’s can match yesterdays talents. Beside those names above that are missing so is Doris Day.

  • Jack Jones

    All of the above!

  • Blair Kramer.

    Ya know, these numerous responses tell me that there were actually more great female stars than male stars during the so-called “golden age.” A LOT more!

  • RAN

    Susan H. is absolutely right about Grace Kelly, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less!
    Voted for Stanwyck over Arthur (but barely).
    Always seem to enjoy films where Una O’Connor, Marjorie Main and Thelma Ritter appear.
    Great suggestions in here. Good thing we didn’t have to choose a post-1960 actress, or we’d only have about six to think about.

  • Mark Conlan

    I voted for Barbara Stanwyck because she could do it all! She made great comedies, mysteries, thrillers, romances, soap operas. She played heroines and villainesses with equal power and skill. There are other actresses on the list who could have done “The Lady Eve” or “Double Indemnity,” but just try to come up with someone else who could have done both (let alone “The Miracle Woman,” “Stella Dallas” and “Meet John Doe”). Katharine Hepburn and Bette Davis would have been my number two and three choices.

    • RAN

      I agree.
      Stanwyck and Arthur were captivating when playing “hard boiled” characters, but I think Hepburn and Davis were just “hard.” I would be pleased to open a car door for the first two, but not the last two. All great actresses tho…
      My opinion.

      • Joel

        Absolutely agree about Stanwyck – as No. 2.
        Hayward as No. 1! Ironic that both are from Brooklyn.

  • john

    The problem with a list like this is that you leave off two to three times as many good actresses as you have on your list. They are all worthy of being included in this poll.

  • Chris

    Jean Simmons is my favorite. So there!

  • SDW

    What – no Gene Tierney? Too many folks left off of this list…SDW

  • Bick Denning

    Who is the actress that copped 6% of the votes between Ginger Rogers and Claudette Colbert? And how did those voters know who they were voting for?

  • http://www.facebook.com/jkistner1 John Kistner

    My favourite was actually Lilian Harvey, an English born actress who starred in German cinema in the decades before WWII. Ilse Werner and zara Leander were also great.

  • Louis

    Myrna Loy!!!!!! Irene Dunn!!!!!!!

  • John Mecca

    I voted for Ginger Rogers since she had the most talents of all those on the list…..actress, singer, dancer and comedienne. She is also the prettiest one.

  • John Mecca

    I voted for Ginger Rogers because she had the most talents….actress, singer, dancer and comedienne. She is also the prettiest one one the list.

  • Bernie Kenney

    What about Betty Grable. She could act, sing, dance, looked great and was a big booster for morale for U.S. GI’s during WWII.

  • joylesstreet

    I voted for Bette Davis because to me she stands alone as a force of nature, whether her acting is sometimes over the top or not. It also makes it easy, because then most of the other actresses are on my list of favorites & I don’t have to agonize over choices. Agree about Carole Lombard, Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne. Would add Vivien Leigh, Kay Francis, Rosalind Russell, Dorothy Dandridge, May Robson, Helen Broderick, (altho the last 2 are character actresses, not “stars”),Marlene Dietrich, Hedy Lamarr, Maureen O’Hara & O’Sullivan,Luise Rainer, Clara Bow, Ann Sheridan and soooo many others! See why I just put Bette in her own category as the greatest and then I just love all the other wonderful actresses who are too numerous to name but keep me up nights watching them do their stuff. A special word for Judy Garland who transcends “actress” and could do it all.

  • wlater

    Where’s Lillian Gish’s name?????

  • jfleming

    Let’s not forget Margaret Sullavan or Sylvia Sydney

  • Louis

    You added Cary Grant on a past poll days after
    it started and he won!
    Add Myrna Loy and Irene Dunn!!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1028721086 Doug Galloway

    What about Loretta Young?

    • Lisa

      This really made me think and here goes: Ingrid Bergman, Thelma Todd, Gene Tierney, Lauren Bacall, Thelma Ritter and Rosalind Russell, plus Judy Holiday (apologies for the spelling?).

      Everybody is right! Sure brings back memories of wonderful films and great ladies.

      Lisa

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001600960135 Roger Lynn

    so glad Ms Barbara Stanwyck was there num 1 in my heart she is THE BEST

  • http://www.facebook.com/al.schweiger Al Schweiger

    Where is Rosalind Russell’s Name?

  • http://www.facebook.com/barrie.hanold Barrie Hanold

    How about June Allyson?

  • Carol

    The great Patrica Neal was left off the list. She, Barbara Stanwyck, Myrna Loy and Susan Hayward are my favorite actresses.

  • Trippy Trellis

    I hate to be pedantic and I know that a rose by any other name smells as sweet but- Irene Dunn (4 different fans)? Donna Reid? Eve Ardin? Jane Mansfield? Gloria Graham? Lizbeth Scott? Claire Trevir?
    Com’on, fans, if we don’t remember the correct names of our greats, who will?

  • David

    What happened? I guess it was just an oversight that you left the beautiful Kim Novak off the list! Next in line…Grace Kelly.

  • Shemp Lugosi

    Gloria Grahame is my favorite.

  • GUNNY KOON USMC Ret

    Well I’m a Retired Marine and I voted for Marilyn Monroe even if She wasn’t in THE D.I. with JACK WEBB!

  • frank pienkosky

    you got something against Italians?…great food, hot cars and supersexy women!….Sophia Loren could act with the best of them [Two Women]..and Gina Lollolotawoman put out enough heat to warm a small house!…

  • Omar Soliman

    I love people’s alternative choices!! I would have to agree with Myrna Loy and Judy Garland being added to the list. But the one person who is constantly named as everyone’s favorite hollywood actress is Jean Arthur. And I certainly would have voted for her if she had been there. I believe Myrna Loy was voted people’s favorite actress by movie goers of the day more years than any other actress.

  • Rita

    Tough choices. Okay Marilyn Monroe was a sex symbol but a great actress that could be debated.

    Where is Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Greer Garson and Jean Arthur? They all made great movies during the Golden era of films.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=746714678 Sonja Bishop

    HELLO???? DORIS DAY for me, hands down!! WHY, WHY, WHY isn’t she on the list??? I wasn’t even born yet when most of her movies were made, but they are SO enjoyable and always did (and still does) put a smile on my face! They just don’t make them like that anymore! Who doesn’t love Comedy, (some Drama), Music & Dancing all wrapped up in one VERY talented lady?? Ok, ok…. from the list – Katherine Hepburn….. classy!

  • TomCat

    I was very suprised not to see Olivia deHavilland’s name, I would have voted for her instead.

  • Mike O.

    I would also nominate Jennifer Jones as one of the great actresses of the past. Who else could have played the soft-spoken ultra-devout Bernadette and then go on to portray the fiery half-breed Pearl Chavez in “Duel In The Sun”?
    This lady was a pro!

  • Louis

    Why not have a place in the list
    for ” Other ” ? If ” Other ” gets enough
    votes add it to the list.

  • SLH

    Well I tried to apply the same logic to this poll as the male version, it worked that time because Cary Grant was added. This time I am struggling, the actress I own the most dvds of is Doris Day and while she didn’t make movies in the 30′s neither did Audrey and a few others mentioned here. From the choices given it will have to be Katherine Hepburn who did make movies in each decade and did a fine job entertaining me regardless of others opinions.

    Now for a list of my favorites if they made movies in any of the 3 decades here I figure they qualify ;-)
    Doris Day
    Maureen O’Hara
    Katherine Hepburn
    Audrey Hepburn
    Claudette Colbert
    Carole Lombard
    June Allyson
    June Powell
    Elizabeth Taylor
    Debbie Reynolds
    Theresa Wright
    Natalie Wood
    Kim Novak
    Grace Kelly
    I could go on……
    This was about favorite not best, it would be hard to pick one BEST from those years !!

  • Lisa

    My choice for one of the most talented ~ PATRICIA NEAL but perhaps one of the people’s favorites was ~ SHIRLEY TEMPLE (in the early decades).

  • Crusty Old Timer

    All you kansarn whippersnappers forget the talkies, take a look at some real wimmen actors:
    THEDA BARA
    CLARA BOW
    LOUISE BROOKS
    ANITA PAGE
    NORMA SHEARER
    FAY WRAY

  • Carl

    Pre-1960 should not be without Kay Francis, Ann Harding, Hedy Lamarr, Loretta Young, Ann Southern, and Billie Burke.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1086364331 Stephen Farris

    You included Scarlett, but forgot Maureen… O’Hara. She made the Duke even better, when she co-starred with him.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1413796503 Mike Canestraro

    Carole Lombard! Carole Lombard! Carole Lombard! Really now…how do you pick a favorite from an era so rich in wonderful women, but how do you leave CAROLE LOMBARD off the poll?

  • Mellie

    Lillian Gish…one of the greatest actresses of both the silent and talking eras. Carole Lombard, true brilliance. This list is far too imcomplete.

  • Steve

    I had to choose Ginger Rogers, just because she’s so cute, esp. in The Major and the Minor when she scrubs off the makeup, but I did miss some serious actors, like Jean Arthur, Gloria Swanson, Maggie Smith, Kim Stanley, Joan Fontaine, Irene Dunne (“Gone with the Wind, WooHoo”), Agnes Moorehead, Olivia de Havilland, Rosalind Russell, Hedy Lamarr, and Angela Lansbury.

    And where is Hattie McDaniel? I watch GWTW just to see her — she makes me cry every time…. Well, maybe to see Vivian, too.

  • SlyFox

    Where are Rita Hayworth, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Doris Day, Myrna Loy, Irene Dunn, Ava Gardner, Marlene Dietrich, Susan Hayward, Gene Tierney, Betty Grable, Loretta Young, Lauren Bacall, Carole Lombard, Olivia De Havilland, Joan Fontaine, Jean Arthur, Hedy Lamar, Ida Lupino, Veronica Lake, Jean Harlow, Cyd Charisse, Jane Russell, Dorothy Lamour, Lilian Gish, Mary Pickford, Maureen O’Hara, Gloria Grahame, Clara Bowe and Alice Faye. I could go on because I love the pre-60s movies.

    They should’ve offered us the choice of an “other” category where we could indicate a name not on the list they offer.

    • http://www.facebook.com/TrumpetboyLarry Larry Magen

      Agree whole heartedly SlyFox!  Judy Garland is my fave… but gotta love Rita, Doris, Myrna, and Jane Russell too!   FB me.

  • Bob Stolarz

    Where’s Greer Garson and Teresa Wright??

  • Anonymous

    !!! TALLULAH BANKHEAD !!!

  • Lee

    Bette Davis was in a class by herself. A strong woman who didn’t take crap from anyone. She played a wide range of characters and did it well . When Bette was on screen you couldn’t take your eyes off her.

  • CACS

    Isn’t it a wonderful thing to suffer from such an embarrassment of riches?

  • Sami

    Merle Oberon is my absolute favorite.

  • James R Bezanson

    Where the hell is Ruth Hussey?! And Peggy Dow!!!

    • Steve

      Jim: Seriously. Peggy Dow’s really your favorite actress?! In her most “memorable” role, as Miss Kelly in Harvey, Peggy was a complete bust next to Josephine Hull (Veta Louise) and Victoria Horn (Myrtle Mae), both of whom might have gotten my vote.

      If you were trying for cute, Pricilla Lane (Arsenic and Old Lace) and Helen Mack (Son of Kong) were much more so.

  • Steve

    CHRIStopher ColUMbus!! Out of 6,248 votes, Ginger Rogers only got 480 (8%), 6th place? I thought this was supposed to be a vote for your FAVORITE actress (now called “actor”), not the BEST actress in a dramatic role.

    I would have bet that more people would rather spend an evening with somebody funny and adorable — like Irene Dunn, Jean Arthur, Joan Greenwood, Margaret Rutherford, or Judy Holiday — than with Katie or Bette, for all their acting prowess.

    I think this contest should have been held separately for men and women, under and over 60, IQ under and over 100, and with write-ins.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000534988081 Brian Jodrie

    Jane Russell,Alice Faye,Betty Grable,and Dorothy Lamour.

    • Steve

      Not my favorites, but they have their points.

  • James R Bezanson

    Carole Lumbard forever!

  • James R Bezanson

    -make that Lombard

    • Steve

      I, too, would like to make that Lombard, but Mt. Charleston got in the way.

  • John Small

    My favorites weren’t included: Maureen O’Sulivan and Maureen O’Hara. And let’s not forget Maragret Dumont!

  • Wayne

    I dont consider this a sexist comment, but another 2 Golden Age Starlets who radiated more sex appeal than acting talent, at least possibly, were Margaret Lockwood (The Lady Vanishes & The Wicked Lady), and Miriam Hopkins (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, The Story of Temple Drake). Im not saying looks should be a deciding criteria for either sex, but lets face facts…its a good start

    • Steve

      In The Lady Vanishes, Margret Lockwood was pretty, but for sex appeal couldn’t hold a candle to Dame May Whitty (Miss Foy) or even Katherine Lacey (the bad/good nun). In Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, I prefer Ingrid Bergman in the role of Ivy Peterson, but to each his (or her) own.

      Now, speaking of sexy nuns, nobody I’ve seen listed here compares to Kathleen Byron as crazy Sister Ruth in Black Narcissus. What a nose! And as to the question of Jean Simmons as Kanchi — the answer is definitely YES!

  • Jane

    Wheres Debbie Reynolds?
    I CAN”T BELIEVE THEY DON”T HAVE DEBBIE REYNOLDS ON THIS LIST!!!!!!
    Look at all the great movies she was in, like ‘Singing in The Rain’, ‘The Tender Trap’ and
    ‘Second Time Around’.
    It’s just not a worthwhile poll without her.

    • Steve

      Jane: If you really saw Singin’ in the Rain, you must know that the prettiest, funniest, and most adorable actress was Jean Hagen. For all of Debbie’s sprightly cuteness, Jean stole every scene. She was also pretty good in The Asphalt Jungle.

    • http://www.facebook.com/TrumpetboyLarry Larry Magen

      Have to agree with you Jane!  Debbie certainly deserves to be on the list.  And how about Judy Garland?  Judy is not on the list.. are you kidding me?

  • Steve

    Can anyone think of a female role in any movie from 1930 to 1950 that Hedy Lamarr couldn’t have done better?

  • Eli

    I thought of Jennifer Jones before I clicked in and now I realize what is wrong with this survey. They should have just asked the questions, “Who is you favorite 1930-60 actress and why?” and let people write in their favorites. This is what is happening anyway. To present an incomplete list is whako.
    Also, I got to meet Theresa Wright one time in NYC many years ago. She came into a shop I was working part time in on 1st Ave. She was looking for casters for furniture. I recognized her immediately. It was cold weather and she was wearing a very plain gray long coat – no make-up -her hair very plain – no pretence. The first thing out of my mouth was, “Oh man, The Best of Our Lives” and she lit up for my remembering her in that all time classic movie. She was so humble. Our shop didn’t have what she wanted so I told her of a place on 2nd Ave. Then she went next door into the book store where a young woman was minding the shop and I told her to write home to tell her mom that she met Theresa Wright. Then I told the young woman that I had been in love with Theresa Wright for some 20 or 25 years and Theresa lit up again. It was a memorable experience.

  • Wayne

    Hedy Lamarr was one sexy actress but nothing to write home about, acting-wise, IMHO…she is very smart, nowever, holding a patent on a submarine device after WW2, when the nuclear sub age arrival had probably already dried up any market for it, so maybe she was just under-employed!

    • http://www.facebook.com/patricemitsos Patrice Mitsos

      My dad always thought she was stunning.  And she was!

  • sugarpussoshea

    I voted for Babs Stanwyck – natch……………….
    but soooo many left out! From Irene Dunne, Myrna, Kaye Francis, Constance Bennet to Hedy Lamarr, Rita Hayworth, Susan Hayward, etc. We shud have just put in our fav to see who the real no. 1 wud have been.

  • Wpdavis

    I dont like this “new” comment system!  :(

  • Doppleganger51

    how  about  shirley  temple   

  • Bjodrie

    Deanna Durbin.

  • Geezerfitz

    How about the two Jeans?  Arthur and Harlow

  • Mholzman1234

    How about Norma Shearer

  • Wade

    ava gardner

  • http://www.facebook.com/TrumpetboyLarry Larry Magen

    Listen, all the ladies on that list are great.. and I voted for Audrey… but how can you possibly have a list of the greatest actresses in the 30′s, 40′s and 50′s and leave Judy Garland off the list????  I know she is primarily a singer… but I believe she qualifies as an actress.  Judy is my favorite.  Maybe not the best acting chops… but the question is “favorite.”  Not even on the list?  The list lacks credibility to not even have her on the list… sorry!

    • http://www.facebook.com/patricemitsos Patrice Mitsos

      Her voice was certainly second to none.  And she should have won for Meet Me in St. Louis as well…that was an Oscar sham of the highest order.  That little lady had more talent in her pinky than anyone today under, say, 40, has their whole repertoire.  I just love her voice…big sound, clear, great range, facile, and she was an exquisite interpreter of music as well.  Streisand is very, very close…but I think I have to give it up for Garland for pure sound.

  • http://www.facebook.com/TrumpetboyLarry Larry Magen

    Myrna Loy belongs on the list too!

    • Bobby Donat

      Couldn’t agree more: Myrna Loy was the classiest actress in Holywood after Audrey Hepburn. Miss Loy (like Miss Hepburn) had a social conscience outside of Hollywood.

  • DIRKwrestler

    Anybody for Irene Dunn??

    • ranchorenal

      Yes!  “Gone with the Wind, Woo-Woo!” — too funny!

      Pretty lady and great voice, too — “Smoke Gets in you Eyes,” etc. Sigh….

  • Ian

    Actually, I think Lauren Bacall was and is wildly underrated. How she’s left off the list and Katherine Hepburn tops it is beyond me.

  • http://www.facebook.com/patricemitsos Patrice Mitsos

    My three favorites from this era are Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, and Ingrid Bergman.

    From the era of the 60′s and 70′s (heydey), I’d have to say Anne Bancroft (LOVE HER), Gena Rowlands, and Shirley MacLaine.

    And then, the next generation, basically, would be Emma Thompson, Meryl Streep and Diane Keaton.  I’d love to see the three of them in one film.  At least Meryl’s worked with both of them individually…but I’d love to see all three of them in one film.

  • B Barley

    all j maqcdonald and n eddy i love and i watch them  all the time their films arefeel good films and lbetter than all the violent trash on tv these days. just watch them  in the film MAYTIME  and you l see what i mean.  Barbara

  • Bobby Donat

    Bette Davis and Geraldine Fitzgerald.    Bette for obvious reasons.   Geraldine because in addition to being an exquisite Irish beauty, she possessed the most beautiful speech patterns and was one of the most intelligent actresses on the Silver Screen.  Miss. Fitzgerald should have been a major star.

  • Jcog1557

    Most beautiful Maureen O’Hara not on list!  Bette Davis, Olivia DeHavilland, Joan Fontain, Gene Tierney, who could forget any of her performances!  Vivien Leigh who never made a bad movie; glad to see she made the list. Jane Russell and those beautiful blondes, Betty Grable and June Haver. Susan Hayward, Myrna Loy, just beautiful and great in every movie she made. 

  • Vann Morrison

    Some poll! Left out Maureen O’Hara and Paulette Goddard.

  • Declan44

    Where’s Rita Hayworth?

  • Msidd

    My Favorite in Maureen O’Hara. Awesome with the Duke!!

  • D Petersen

    Where’s Doris Day??!!
     

    • D Petersen

       Even though she was a major star in the 60s, she did some great acting in the 50s too.  But oh what talent and beauty there was back then. Much better then those bitchy fems of today.

  • Jparana

    Where is Maureen O’Hara, Olivia DeHavilland or Donna Reed?

  • Tjac41166

    “Yes”  add me to the Olivia DeHavilland fans list, she was simply pure beautiful…..
    didn’t have to show anything off like today’s actresses.

  • Missmoeus

    Well, I can’t believe they left off Greer Garson.  She was a truly classy lady and won the Oscar in 1942 for Mrs. Miniver

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000048648867 Jim Fetterman

    Good to see Katherine won

  • Pintog

    Myrna Loy ,Maureen O’Hara are my favorites. But the rest are all excellent acresses.

  • Tminshall2003

    If I have to choose one off the list it would be hands down Barbara Stanwyck. But I’m saddened that Merle Oberon and Jane Russell aren’t up there.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Sally-Stark/100000380617204 Sally Stark

    Of the few ladies you gave us, I chose Audrey Hepburn…, but WHERE THE FLIP WAS JEAN ARTHUR!!! (g)

  • bill

    Hey! where is Jean Arthur and Myrna Loy?

  • Mike

    Susan Hayward, terrific face and a very talented actress who played many different roles so very well.

  • Kathy

    I never saw a Joan Crawford film I didn’t like.

  • Oldcoon57

    Where the heck is lauren bacall???????

  • gary

    greer garson never made a bat movie… all were great

  • Seamusthe2

    You left out Maureen O’Hara

  • Clpapa1

    Can’t choose.  Most of them mentioned were great.  Some of my favorites were left out.  Jean Arthur, Greer Garson, Irene Dunne, Carol Lombard, Jean Harlow to name a few.  That was time period of great actresses.  Classy ones

  • Jcog1557

    All above were great but how could you not mention Greer Garson, Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Maureen O’Hara, Gene Tierney, Myrna Loy…….certainly great beauties along with great talent.  Some of these should have been mentioned in place of Grace Kelly and Marilyn Monroe.

  • SisJo

    Norma Shearer should be on this list.

  • Donna

    Vivian Leigh, because her mental illness came through on the screen which made her performances acutely better. My favorite used to be Bette Davis, but her characters are becoming more morbid than courageous as the years go by.  I’m becoming  a Claudette Colbert fan, because I can see alot of her characters fitting into today’s world, with some modifications, of course.

  • 68orthro

    So many great actresses! It’s hard to choose the best.  But almost all of them are better than today’s moneymakers.  I see the same (pretty) vapid performers over and over again.  I’m too kind to list them  but I do see a lot of films-probably 5 or six per week.   Perhaps its because storytelling has taken a back seat to plot and character development, and I don’t mean to sound trite.  Of course I loved the last Batman movie and I loved “The Artist”  but great performances are gone, unless its a caricature. Betty Davis was memorable, although was often over the top.  Elizabeth Taylor started off fabulously if you see “A Place in the Sun” or “Cat On A Tin Roof” but in the end was just a celebrity  Grace Kelly shone in “The Country Girl” and in “High Society” and Audrey Hepburn could almost do no wrong.  Katherine Hepburn always seemed to be playing herself and Marilyn Monroe, though memorable ,lampooned, perhaps without intention.  Claudette Colbert was timeless and a tough act to beat.  I have to say that Irene Dunne, before my time ,and Greer Garson , and Sophia Loren, and Doris Day owned the screen when they acted.  There’s a kind of greatness in that.  After all we see movies to be entertained, at least as far as I am concerned.

  • http://twitter.com/LarryCox6 Larry Cox

    Why is Katie Jurado not on this list?

  • Meggyx13

    I had to settle for Stanwick, why? Where is Maureen O’Hara’s name and why is is not added???

  • Christiana19119

    Jean Simmons, the shamefully overlooked English actress who was both beautiful and talented.  I wouldn’t put Audrey Hepburn in this category because I think of all the wonderful movies she made after 1960.  Otherwise, she would be my favorite.

  • Tom

    Why is Olivia DeHavilland not on this list?  she was absolutly beautiful and so very talented…
    I’ll bet this girl did not have to spend much time at all in the make-up room, her beauty was
    pure, and she didn’t have to flirt for attention like most others did then and now….
    a Hollywood honey for sure!

    • Pamhandle

      I totally agree, plus she was smart and a leader. She worked for equal pay for the ladies in her field.

  • Joeccosta

    Barbara Stanwyck was an easy choice, but what about Teresa Wright?

    • SilentJoe

      Gee, really nice to ‘hear’ the comment about Teresa Wright.  I was the Head Librarian at the HS from which she graduated  (Columbia HS in Maplewood, NJ) and ‘had’ her installed into the Hall of Fame  (http://chslib.somsd.k12.nj.us/~chslib/history/hall_of_fame.htm).  Obviously, met her and had a nice lunch on that date.  A running joke is that CHS has more Academy Awards than any other HS.  Of course, Hollywood High has more but those are from the Parents, whereas *ours* are from the students!

  • ohmortimer

    Three way tie:

    Greta Garbo
    Carole Lombard
    Jean Arthur

  • Joel

    Susan Hayward above all!  Stanwyck a close second, DeHavilland third.

  • John Craig

    Please!!!!! Do me a favour…the most popular actress of the forties/fifties/sixties omitted from the list??
    DORIS DAY………its a no-brainer

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/IJ2PZLB3OP4RKU7WYXFYKP2IDQ Victoria

    Some may not agree with me, but I think Ava Gardner should be included…

  • http://profile.yahoo.com/IJ2PZLB3OP4RKU7WYXFYKP2IDQ Victoria

     I would like to add Ava Gardner

  • elimgarak1

    Stanwyck without a doubt. 

  • johnson

    myrna loy- comedy, drama, she was tops

  • Croonerman

    My favorite “Golden Age” actress would be Gloria Graham or Alexis Smith or Ann Sheridan!

  • Jay Polerstock

    My favorite – Golden Age – actress is – Judy Garland – who should have been on the above list.

  • AA

    How about six-time Oscar nominee Deborah Kerr?

  • Bjodrie

    Carole Landis,Anita Ekberg,and Joan Leslie

  • Dee6760

    Barbara Stanwyck

  • Joestalin

    If I must pick one, it’s Bette. ( I never liked Katherine.  The only movie of hers I thoroughly enjoyed was “Lion in Winter”) Bette was a standout for me since I saw her first film (The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex).  She’s done some half-baked portrayals (like Dangerous, for which she won an Oscar, go figure), but with a Davis picture, I always feel I get a full-bang for my buck.  My other love is Audrey Hepburn; she could do no wrong in my book.  I so wanted to see her reach middle and old age.  I miss her.

  • Sfopilot88

    Why wasn’t Deborah Kerr on the list?

  • sugarpussoshea

    Where’s Kay??????
                                   Francis, that is……

  • Chicagomike47

    whithout a doubt MARIE WINDSOR! a true FEMME FATALE! beautiful but deadly.GEE. i just realized. I just described my first wife!

  • Karen

    Maureen O’Hara, Katherine Hepburn and Doris Day

  • Mark

    my favorite actress of all time would have to be Ann Sheridan, but it’s so hard just to pick one, there were so many from the 30′s and 40′s. I also like Joan Leslie, June Haver, Betty Gable, Jeanne Crain And Linda Darnell.

  • raja999

    My favorite would have to be Susan Hayward.  Don;t understand her omission from the list.

    • Lauradyoung

      I agree! Terrible omission from the list.

  • Pfmjr

    i can not better any of these comments but what about virgina mayo? white heat ‘ hornblower etc etc ?? pat  

  • Lauradyoung

    Susan Hayward. My favorite hands down.

  • Lauradyoung

    I always loved Teresa Wright in anything she did…

  • Rookaloo

    Carole Lombard

  • Katherineferg

    Olivia de Havilland

  • m.santayana

    There is Bette Davis and then the rest of them.

  • m.santayana

    Where is Deborah Kerr? Too refined for most people, I suppose. even those who put the list together.