The Golden Age of Hollywood is to blame.

They  are responsible, they are the ones to blame for my high standards of men and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

It is true. I have extremely high standards.  You don’t have to be perfect by any means no one is, I know this, but growing up watching the classics in film; my standards are higher than most. The depiction of men in the Golden Age is completely different to what they are now. Let me explain.

 

First Loves of the Screen

Most women’s childhood crushes were Brad Pitt, Johnny Depp, Matthew McConaughey who are all attractive, but my first two Hollywood crushes were Mr. Cary Grant and Mr. Danny Kaye.

Most people are familiar with Cary Grant but to me they are both equally amazing. Each one of these men are superb in their own way.

 

Mr. Cary Grant

 

He was the man everyone wanted to be and the man everyone wanted to be with. It is the saying we have heard many times, but nothing else could describe him more perfectly.  Cary Grant was debonair, strong, witty and a true gentlemen in almost all of his films.

Cary Grant once had a reporter tell him “Everyone wishes they could be Cary Grant.”

Grant quickly replied, “So do I.”

 

FILMS OF CARY GRANT

If you have never seen any of his films and would like to be educated; there are a few listed below:

1. Bringing Up Baby
2. Charade
3. North By Northwest
4. To Catch a Thief
5. The Philadelphia Story
6. The Bishop’s Wife
7. Father Goose

 

Mr. Danny Kaye

Danny Kaye could almost be counted as the complete opposite of Cary Grant. Danny Kaye was goofy, funny, a klutz and had a beautiful singing voice.

He wasn’t as naturally handsome as Cary Grant but he had an unquenchable likability and charm.

 

 

FILMS OF DANNY KAYE

1. The Court Jester
2. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
3. The Kid from Brooklyn
4. Hans Christian Andersen
5. Knock on Wood
6. White Christmas
7. Wonder Man

 

Qualities of Men in the Golden Age

 

FEARLESS

They took on everyone with no fear in sight.

Generals, evil politicians, bank robbers, thieves, murders, they faced all the elements nature could throw at them and kept going.

While keeping their dignity and integrity the entire time.

Jimmy Stewart was fearless when he took on Mr. Potter in “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Cary Grant in The Philadelphia Story, loved Katharine Hepburn’s character and yet he never backed down from telling her the truth. Fearlessness.

 

IMPECCABLE DRESSERS

For years I wished I had lived in the time frame of the fifties so I could wear the styles of the time period.

A man in a well tailored suit to me is still more attractive than all the muscles in the world. Every man in that time period wore a suit, a hat, and they always looked sophisticated.

 

 

PATRIOTIC

Films during this time frame were full of wars, and the men in this time period were standing up for their country and they were proud to serve.

In the film Mr. Roberts, Henry Fonda, plays a character who is serving in the military but is dying inside because he is not in combat. The entire story line is about him wanting to be useful and serve his country.

James Cagney gave all he had in this classic patriotic film.

 

 

MANLY

There were many manly men in the Golden Age of Hollywood but none come to mind quite as much as Mr. John Wayne. The westerns and all the other films he starred in, he was the manliest man.

My love for him could also do with the fact that my Grandpa would start every morning with a beer in his hand and a John Wayne movie on the television screen.

 

 

 

HOPELESSLY ROMANTIC

Romance was alive, and it was about more than only the bedroom.

Danny Kaye in The Kid from Brooklyn is so sweet and does anything he can for his love interest.

 

Clark Gable in Gone with the Wind, their love story is a little different but Rhett’s devotion and love for Scarlett is undeniable.

Jimmy Steward in It’s a Wonderful Life, he was infatuated with Mary. I loved him talking about getting her anything she wanted, even the moon.

 

ROLE MODELS

Fred MacMurray in Follow me Boys, who changed the lives of countless boys by being a Scout Master.

Gregory Peck in To Kill a Mockingbird, a man who defended an innocent man, no matter the cost.

 

 

Many more things to say but these are a few of the reasons I have high standards, I know it is only movies, but how I wish this was what was being shown in more films today. There are a few great ones out there but it is few.

 

HOMEWORK 

Among all the films I listed, please, go watch some of them, any of them at least one. Do yourself that little favor.

The film quality may not be as good, some may even be in black and white but they make up for it with great storytelling, unforgettable characters and some major gumption.

This concludes my Tuesday Recommendations. I think I gave you enough to last for awhile. 🙂