Book Review: Accustomed To Her Face

Subtitled “Thirty Five Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood,” this new book by Axel Nissen discusses some of the talented ladies during that wonderful era in cinema.

There are plenty of books where we can read about such top level Golden Age actresses as Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland, Myrna Loy, Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, Joan Crawford, etc. But this book gives us biographical info on the likes of Ruth Donnelly, Isabel Jewell, Ona Munson, Norma Varden, Zeffie Tillbury, and Margaret Wycherly.

The book is not the sort of encyclopedic reference that coldly offers basic stats on virtually every character actress of a particular era. Instead, the author chooses 35 to spotlight and give separate attention, so that we learn a bit about each person’s life, their approach to their craft, and their process.

Margaret Wycherly scored indelibly as Ma Jarret in White Heat (1949) with James Cagney. But here we learn more about other things she accomplished in her career. Another actress whose most noted role was opposite Cagney – Grace George in Johnny Come Lately (1943) – was actually a stage actress of note who made only this film and no others. Most of the chapters celebrate their subject, however the author seemed dismissive about actress Sara Paden (best known as the proper Aunt Milly in the Andy Hardy movies) despite offering some very interesting info about the actress.

This book is a must for film buffs who enjoy this era of American cinema. There is a lot of insight and fascinating info about each of these classic movie actresses. “Accustomed To Her Face: Thirty Five Actresses of Golden Age Hollywood,” is available here.