Julie Harris

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Maureen O’Sullivan

Elsa Lanchester

Elsa Lanchester as the Bride Of Frankenstein

Design For Living

Miriam Hopkins in the 1933 Pre-Code classic, “Design For Living.” Asked to choose between Fredric March & Gary Cooper, she opts for “both.” Classic quote: “It’s true we have a gentleman’s agreement, but I’m no gentleman.”

Private Lives

Norma Shearer and Robert Montgomery in the classic Pre-Code adaptation of Noel Coward’s “Private Lives.”

Helen Twelvetrees

 

Millie, a Pre-Code melodrama starring the largely forgotten actress Helen Twelvetrees, airs on TCM Jan. 9 at 6 a.m. Pacific/9 a.m. Eastern. Although many actresses of the classic era endured their shares of trials and tribulations, the saddest aspect of Twelvetrees’ story is that we never had a chance to see if she was capable of fulfilling her potential. For more about Twelvetrees, read this excellent post.

Fay Wray

The Woman In White

Eleanor Parker in 1948’s The Woman In White. One of my favorite actresses in one of my favorite Gothic romances.

Rosalind Russell

The Platinum Blonde

Jean Harlow, Hollywood’s original Blonde Bombshell. That said, my favorite Harlow film is called Red-Headed Woman, which opens with Harlow mocking the notion that blondes have more fun.