They Don't Make 'em like that anymore!

The Quality of acting and of individual thespians is steadily diminishing in Hollywood today, and across the entire film world save France (home of the spectacular arthouse gem, home of Jean Renoir then and Marion Cotillard now). In the old days, the Studio Days, the idolised starlet days, glitz and glamour was a designated quantity in Hollywood; actors and actresses had to have that 'oomph' or that 'zork'. Cinephiles such as Grand Nomad Lloyd would have thought twice about deigning to insult the likes of Clark Gable or Claudette Colbert, would have fainted at the mere thought of anyone uttering a word against Humphrey Bogart or Norma Shearer.

But now, actors are regularly dragged through the mud, defiled a la the House of Windsor, and made the butt of derogatory jokes. Yes, we have the few shining stars like Tom Hanks (the transcendental maestro) or Gwyneth Paltrow (the nova Grace Kelly), but otherwise our daily diet of moviefolk is limited to lowlife tabloid fodder such as Brad Pitt or Keira Knightley. To this end, short of resurrecting Ingrid Bergman and James Mason, I have thrown together the above poll.


Cary Grant, inimitably suave and dapper...


... compared to vulgar, classless Brad Pitt


Marilyn Monroe, the benchmark of dizzying pseudo-intellectual glamour...


... as opposed to talentless, 'dumb brunette' Anne Hathaway

Need more proof? Just ask and I'll assemble more pictorial evidence.

I would like more...pictorial... evidence please, especially of Marilyn Monroe.

Sorry Lloyd, but one of Mrs Joe DiMaggio was probably enough. How about Liz Taylor, Rita Hayworth or Irene Dunne?