Old Hollywood Romances: Bygone Era of Love Onscreen and Off
Heather has a Bachelor's Degree in English from Moravian College and has been freelance writing for more than 13 years.
In the early days of studio dominated Tinseltown, love was a commodity
That could be exploited to gain box office sex appeal and earn big bucks
Attractive pairings that had the right spark of attraction, hate and love
A Molotov Cocktail that made for fascinating viewing on the screen
Women who jumped off the screen with a wiry caginess that was lively
Men who lurked in the background with an intensely quiet masculinity
Putting the two together was like Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall
Or Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn circling each other in all of their 9 films
Dancing in a verbal sparring match that underlined their true feelings for eachother
Revealed many years later that they supposedly had a 27 year off-screen affair
Wasn't exposed until after his death out of respect for his family life and image
Vivien Leigh going to toe to toe with Clark Gable in Gone With the Wind
A strong visual image of two opposing forces coming together for a brief moment
Before exploding in the foreground after one too many combative rounds
Onscreen chemistry also meant turbulent relationships after the word "cut"
Take for instance Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton's two marriages
Loved each other ceaselessly, but couldn't make it work despite best efforts
Movie studios manipulating viewers into believing in fairy tales of true love
A course that didn't always run smoothly, despite the relentless marketing campaign
Generated to make moviegoers see their latest generic romantic comedy
Spoon-fed a lie that two big named movie stars can make it work
When they truly found it hard to love each other and maintain two separate careers
One always suffered, while the other often flourished to even greater heights
Causing the once strong marriage to wither on the vine
Sure, not all movie star marriages were meant for certain doom
Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward managed to make theirs last for decades
Showcased how equally talented ladies took a backseat to their husbands' careers
Woodward earned a lot of kudos for her acting, but she had to sideline her career
In order for Newman to be the big time movie star he became
Loved watching these classic movies of a long past era of classical love stories
Also, an era where strong women were dominated by equally strong men
Forced into being vulnerable onscreen in order for audience to love them
Gain the respect of their peers for being kind and humble creatures
A time period where talent was used and exploited for capital gains
Bitter break-ups and scandalous affairs garnered unexpected attention
Good girls and bad girls going head to head for the affections of one man
Usually with the good girl getting it all, while the bad one got what was coming
Nowadays, all women have a bit of both personalities in themselves
No one lived in just one area of morality and immorality
Sinners and saints tended to blur together without meaning to do so
Enduring talented rebels like Jane Fonda have withstood the test of time and age
Shame that those days of Hollywood lore have come and gone
Time to watch some classic flicks to return to the good old days of movie romance
Chemistry that was often too good to be faked.