Joel McCrea

He's gorgeous, but as an actor, he's pretty much just okay. He's a little grim, and better in Westerns than in comedy--though I will say he never screws things up, he's the only one of the big four stars in THE PALM BEACH STORY (the other 3 are Claudette Colbert, Rudy Vallee, and Mary Astor) who doesn't really shine. He seems stiff in comparison to the other three.

I agree his best performance is in THE MORE THE MERRIER--Jean Arthur really brings something out of him (as she did with most of her male co-stars--they always seem warmer in their films with her than with anyone else).

Fun fact: no one in that shot was actually naked. Different times.

Another shower scene in [italic]the More the Merrier[/italic] in which he barks like a seal. I love him in that and [italic]Foreign Correspondent[/italic]. The bit where he's sending mash notes up to the woman speaking while she keeps insulting him in her speech always makes me smile.

He was sex on a stick- even as he aged. I think is excellent actor. He is just as natural as Spencer Tracy or Cary Grant. I agree that Arthur brought out the best in her male co- stars. McCrea never seems self aware of his beauty or sexiness. Which makes him even more delightful.

Such a wonderful scene....

But didn’t he PLAY a stiff in PBS?

Gosh, I love that movie, and that scene is great!

Verificatia?

We could ask Frances, but she's leaving for Europe!

Ummm

CLAUDETTE COLBERT: [introducing Mary Astor to her husband, Joel McCrea] "This is the Princess Centimillia. My brother, Captain Mc-... [searches for a fake name to give McCrea] ...McGlue!"

JOEL MCCREA: [to Colbert] "What?"

MARY ASTOR: "Captain! We should have met sooner. If I'd seen you around, we would have. This is my brother, Captain Hackensacker.... Captain McGlue! That's an ODD name!"

JOEL MCCREA: [glaring at Colbert] "Yes, isn't it?"

Great scene. They are both great in it.

His gay son Jody.....

He is very naturalistic in the Sturges movies, the only person who is not a screwball, though he is as artlessly silly as the rest of them. Those movies need a kind of “straight man”, or a fundamentally “earnest cynic”, to work, when you have Colbert’s character being irrational, and Astor being brazen and Vallee being weird.

Can you imagine Joel trying to keep it together with, say, Katharine Hepburn in the Mary Astor role, trying to be “funny”? I shudder to think.

His son Jody McCrea at R13 was a bodybuilder who played "Deadhead" in the Beach Party movies with Frankie and Annette.

Jody was gay?

[quote] His gay son Jody.....

Bonehead was gay? What?!!

Seriously, where did ti hear that?

Pre-code.

I think Jody was DL gay. He was married to a woman for 20 years, until her death. Jody died in 2009.

He's hideous, a bad actor, and no one ever loved him.

[quote]McCrea married actress Frances Dee in Brooklyn on October 20, 1933, after they met while filming The Silver Cord. The couple had three sons, David, who became a rancher; Peter, who became a real estate developer; and Jody, who became an actor. Joel and Frances remained married until his death — spending 57 years together.

R20, Seems a pretty good run for two people who didn't love each other.

Maureen Stapleton idolized him. She was very nutty about it. Adorable.

He was ... reliable might be the word. He and Ginger Rogers made quite an odd pair in Primrose Path.

Agree with R1 about Jean Arthur.

He's so sexy in Foreign Correspondent when he's on the hotel roof in his underwear and robe and those long bare legs keep flashing. Heaven.

r5: Background music - Cole Porter "What is This Thing Called Love?"

R22, That was magnificent. Thank you.

A pal and I have always loved him and found him sexy as can be--as well as charming, fun and witty. FOREIGN CORRESPONDENT is our favorite. I have pix of him on my screen saver wall of sexy men. Several great pix of him are out there. He seems like he was a lot of fun too.

I think he was everything you could possibly want in a leading man. He just had it. You were drawn to him and you would just sit there and be mesmerized by his beauty and talent. "The Palm Beach Story" is definitely one of my favorites. It's a delightful ride and the cast is top notch.

Also thanks to R22. Maureen Stapleton is one of the all time great talents. I love to hear when other actors are giving such heartfelt praise to such a unique and wonderful actor.

[quote] Can you imagine Joel trying to keep it together with, say, Katharine Hepburn in the Mary Astor role, trying to be “funny”? I shudder to think.

Mary!

beautiful in " bird of paradise", oh those pre-code films

Charles Coburn and Jean Arthur are wonderful in "The More the Merrier" but Joel slows the film to a crawl. Handsome for his era I suppose but dull eternally.

So funny!

Maureen Stapleton thanked Joel McCrea in her Oscar acceptance speech!

With DL Fave Barbara Stanwyck.

the camera loved him

I agree with OP that Veronica Lake benefitted greatly from having McCrea as her co-star in "Sullivan's Travels". But I disagree that he was the only one who ever brought out the small talent she possessed -- Frederic March did a good job with (despite?) her too, in "I Married A Witch"*. Pretty girl with great hair though.

*1942 movie on which the TV series "Bewitched" was based

Maureen Stapleton credited her getting into acting to him she even dedicated her Oscar to him.

I don't think they even ever worked together.

Did Maureen ever taste his puny cocklet?

R1, his skills are evident in the remarkable opening scene in - to me - his best role, as John L. Sullivan.

He was friendly with Will Rogers who told him to put his money into land. As the son of a utilities executive he knew where the power and water was going and bought thousands of acres. He owned thousands of acres, in and around Thousand Oaks which originally was his ranch. He became one of the richest actors of all time and listed his occupation on his passport as "Rancher".

Joel Mc Yay!

His look isn't dated like some of the other actors of that period. Why they didn't hire attractive men as actors back then is a mystery. Bogart? Spencer Tracy?

Bogart is one of the most charismatic actors in history.

Anyway, he wasn't hired as an "attractive" actor. Remember, his studio was Warner Brothers, the male stars were Cagney, Garfield and Muni and their films were cheap and the Hollywood version of grimy social realism.

That Stapleton clip was odd. Did she even know him? Or was it just a childhood crush? You can see Jack Nicholson comment Joel McCrae? after she finishes the speech.

Joel McCrae? Joel McNasty...!

He sure can kiss

What's interesting to me about McCrea (apart from his gorgeousness) is that he doesn't seem dated or stuck in his time period. There's something timeless about his appearance and manner. He doesn't have that stagey style which so many actors of the Thirties and Forties display. You could plunk him right down into a movie today.

He and Barbara Stanwyck made an awesome but neglected horse opera called THE GREAT MAN’S LADY in 1942. He was cute as could be, as was Brian Donlevy, the man who competed with him for Barbara’s affections. Directed by William Wellman.

R48 great observation!

I love Joel McCrea as well and thanks for the two clips of his work. God I love when a director has actors who can run a scene so smoothly - remember their dialogue, hit their marks - and it looks so effortless. Sullivan's Travels is favorite and I loved Ride the High Country (McCrea and Randolph Scott in their later years).

I wish he made more comedies instead of Westerns in his later years.

Jean Arthur and Barbara Stanwyck? He sure did love them lesbians!

Not to mention Claudette; he made her toes curl!

Are your eyes sore, or is your dick chafed?

He was quite gorgeous.

Wasn't he in "The Silver Cord," a pre-Code shocker (they say) about mother love? It rarely shows.

Gorgeous man.

I had a crush on him when I watched Sullivan's Travels. He was one of those everyman actors who was genuinely handsome. A lot of everyman actors in the modern era are average at best.

I loved him on Talk Soup. He tried the same thing on Netflix, but it didn't work because the writers weren't as tight.

I know the thread is not about her but I just really appreciate Jean Arthur. She had a huge career but sadly seems forgotten. She always brought out the best in her male costars. They were never as good as they were when they played opposite her. Meryl Streep credits a lot of her acting skills to the things she learned from Jean. Jean really is my favorite actress. Jean Arthur is everything Julia Roberts wishes she were. Sorry. Back to Joel.

Jean Arthur was a wonderful comedic actress. She was allegedly a big ol' lez, too.

r61 There was a Jean Arthur thread here not too long ago. I remember the OP asking something like "Is anybody here familiar with Jean Arthur?" and a bunch of people piled onto him like "BITCH YES WE KNOW JEAN ARTHUR."

Great thread! I love Joel and Jean!

For R14 and R29.

Another one

Last one

Have we ever done a thread about Latino stud John Gavin?