Recapping Olivia deHavilland Month

When July started out, I had every intention of giving Olivia deHavilland the same amount of blogging love that I have given to this year's other stars of the month; alas, my spur of the moment, 10-day trip changed all that.  In addition to being off-line for my entire vacation, I had several days of preparation beforehand, and, of course, a return home after many days away, always sees a busyness of its own.  Thus, I've had little time for blogging, resulting in the lovely Miss deHavilland not receiving the kind of treatment I had originally intended for her.

Watching The Proud Rebel (which I reviewed HERE) was one of my goals for Olivia's month, and since I did do that, I don't feel like the month was a complete waste.  I had hoped to catch a couple of her collaborations with Errol Flynn---Captain Blood and The Adventures of Robin Hood were on the "must watch" list.  Alas, Captain Blood failed to capture my interest, so I turned it off after 25 minutes; and The Adventures of Robin Hood I never had an opportunity to try at all. Also, Hold Back the Dawn was a film I desperately longed to see, as it sounds like a fantastic viewing experience; unfortunately, I wasn't able to track it down.

One thing I did do, though, as y'all knew I was going to do, was to celebrate the beautiful Miss deHavilland in style by taking in Gone with the Wind on the big screen of Boise's historic Egyptian Theatre.  To say that experiencing that beloved film in such an environment was magnificent is definitely an understatement.  Truly, Gone with the Wind was made for the big screen, and I loved every moment of seeing it that way.  With next year being the 75th anniversary of that iconic film, I would imagine theatres across the country will be celebrating with their own big-screen showing.  If a city near you happens to be among those screening it, I heartily recommend taking it in.

Speaking of Gone with the Wind, They Don't Make 'Em Like They Used To's readers have voted that as their favorite Olivia deHavilland film.  With 46% of the vote, GWTW snagged first place, followed by The Heiress, which received 28% of the votes.  The Strawberry Blonde, with 4 votes (12%), came in third, and tied for 4th place are Captain Blood and Hold Back the Dawn, each of which received 6% of the vote (2 votes each).  Garnering zero votes in the poll, and thus coming in last place, is To Each His Own, which is one of Miss deHavilland's Academy Award-winning roles.  (Funny, how these polls don't add up to 100%.)

For me, as revealed earlier in the month, Gone with the Wind is my favorite Olivia deHavilland film.  I don't see that ever changing, no matter how many of her films I see.  My favorite of Olivia's performances, though (and currently my second favorite of her films), is The Heiress (reviewed HERE).  The Snake Pit, which sometimes finds itself snagging the #2 position away from The Heiress, is currently my third favorite of her films.

Since the lovely Olivia got a bit ripped off during her reign as star of the month, don't be surprised if I choose to highlight her again next year.