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| re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 10:57 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. - Musicals54 09:56 am EST 02/15/22 | |
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| From my read, I don't think B-list was used in an entirely derogatory way and, I think, they were also probably speaking about where she stood in terms of fame and recognition in the 80s compared to major undeniable A-list stars -- with, mostly, a focus on one's fame in relation to film and TV. To me, A-list does not necessarily connote talent, either, but simply fame, recognition and placement in the industry. To be honest, the article jogged my memory of who she was. I loved in Guys & Dolls (the film), but had never seen her in anything else. I don't think B-list and B-movies, for example, are synonymous. I just probably would have had to use Wikipedia if someone said her name to me. I would not have had to done the same thing for her Guys & Dolls costars Brando and Sinatra. | |
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| re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. | |
| Last Edit: PlayWiz 01:30 pm EST 02/16/22 | |
| Posted by: PlayWiz 01:25 pm EST 02/16/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. - DistantDrumming 10:57 pm EST 02/15/22 | |
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| Vivian Blaine was in A films as well, like the 1945 "State Fair". Until cable tv and TCM in particular, most old films on tv shown were from the MGM catalogue. Lots of great stuff there, but at the expense of seeing Universal, and Fox musicals in particular among the other studios' output. So folks like Deanna Durbin at Universal, and Fox's Betty Grable and Alice Faye's (and Vivian Blaine's) films weren't shown hardly at all compared to Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney's, for example. Fox films actually had better Technicolor, a great orchestra and music department, and were also really less pretentious, preachy and more down to earth and frankly enjoyable than many made at MGM. There are some really good B films - yes, agreed B doesn't necessarily mean less talent, but just a lot less money was spent on the production values. Blaine wasn't as big a star as Faye and Grable, more of a second stringer in A films, but still quite famous when she starred on Broadway in "Guys and Dolls" in 1950 after having appearing in movie musicals throughout the 1940s. | |
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| re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. | |
| Last Edit: DistantDrumming 09:55 pm EST 02/16/22 | |
| Posted by: DistantDrumming 09:54 pm EST 02/16/22 | |
| In reply to: re: Vivian Blaine, Tom Eyen and HIV Fundraising. - PlayWiz 01:25 pm EST 02/16/22 | |
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| Sure. But in the 1980s, which is the period this article is about, do you think the average person would think of her as A-list? Yes, there are actors whose glory days are behind them who always remain A-list because of their massive fame and success. I doubt anyone thinks the 1980s were a great period for Elizabeth Taylor's on screen work (aside from her perfume commercials), but I'm sure the average person in the 1980s knew her name and would consider her A-list at that time. It doesn't seem like Blaine is in that category and, again, that's no slight against her talent or the quality of her work from when she was more of a name. |
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