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Five Freebies — Classics Edition

An Afternoon Comment Diversion / Dustin Rowles

Comment Diversions | August 28, 2007 | Comments (201)

Today’s comment diversion is simple: You can transport yourself back in time to any period between Citizen Kane (1941) and Some Like It Hot (1959) and, because you have a very understanding partner/spouse/pretend lover, he/she has allowed you to expand your five freebies list to celebrities — of either gender — during those years. Magically, for the purposes of this diversion, you are also bisexual. So, who are you going to have sex with? Katherine or Audrey? Dirty girls (Barbara Stanwyck), good girls (Donna Reed) elegant women (Ava Gardner), or the type you can take home to Dad, especially if Dad is gay (Judy Garland)? Bad boys (James Dean), fast-talkers (Cary Grant) or stand-up fellas (Jimmy Stewart)?

Go out there and get yourself some strange ass.

My freebies:

1. Rosalind Russell
2. Lana Turner
3. Cary Grant
4. Veronica Lake
5. Marlon Brando









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Comments

1. Steve McQueen
2. James Dean
3. Clark Gable
4. Audrey Hepburn
5. Fred Astaire (he can dance, ok?)

Posted by: Rachel at August 28, 2007 3:28 PM

1. Farley Granger
2. Ingrid Bergman
3. Robert Mitchum
4. Marlene Dietrich

I an at a dilemma on my number 5. I feel like I should have more men than women on my list (since that's what I like). But I can't leave Grace Kelly out, nor do I feel like I can leave out Gregory Peck. So... they're both my #5 pick.

5. Gregory Peck/ Grace Kelly

Can you tell I like Hitchcock films?
:)

Posted by: Courtie at August 28, 2007 3:29 PM

Love this diversion!!! Wow, I will have a hard time keeping this to 5....

Gregory Peck
Jimmy Stewart
Donald O'Connor
Grace Kelly
Lana Turner

Posted by: mae at August 28, 2007 3:30 PM

LOVE LOVE LOVE this comment diversion...
in no particular order...

1) James Dean - Giant. Cowboy hat. Covered in crude oil....God help me.

2) Audrey Hepburn - the whole Breakfast at Tiffany's thing. Givenchy dress. Cigarette holder. Really small guitar.

3) Yul Brynner - Hello? Ten Commandments? Loincloth? As a child I never missed the annual Easter showing on television. My family thought I was really into the Old Testament. Wrong. I was really into Rameses' fierce way with women and gold lame loincloth. I am SO going to hell.

4) Grace Kelly - High Society. Ah, Newport society weddings...

5) Cary. Fucking. Grant. I'm sorry for the lack of originality...but damn boy!!!

Posted by: Amy at August 28, 2007 3:31 PM

1) Gregory Peck. See Duel in the Sun.
2. James Stewart. Any movie from that period but at his sexiest in Harvey.
3. John Garfield, for his intensity.
4. William Holden, for his sexy world-weariness.
5. For the wild side, Lana (unnngghhh) Turner. Lawdy lawdy what a gorgeous human being.

Posted by: Jerce at August 28, 2007 3:32 PM

1. Jimmy Stewart (My number one all the way. My god, the voice!)
2. Grace Kelly
3. Katharine Hepburn
4. Clark Gable (kind of irresistibly smarmy)
5. Fred MacMurray

I love this diversion

Posted by: Skeggjold at August 28, 2007 3:33 PM

I've always had the hots, big time, for Cary Grant. Love him funny (Arsenic & Old Lace) and romantic (An Affair to Remember). Speaking of that movie - add Deborah Kerr to my freebies list. She was stunning, intelligent and snarkily funny.

That's it for now. Perhaps more later when I can stop fantasizing about Cary Grant

Posted by: kuzum at August 28, 2007 3:34 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Robert Mitchum
3. Paul Douglas
4. Rock Hudson
5. Ava Gardner (If I have to choose a woman...)

Posted by: Andrew at August 28, 2007 3:35 PM

5. Cary Grant- any Hitchcock movie, who cares if he was bi
4. Ava Gardner- in Barefoot Contessa, meowww
3. James Dean- as Giant character, naughty boy
2. Clark Gable- as Rhett Butler, naughty boy too
1. Yul Brynner- as the King of Siam, most naughty manly man of all

Posted by: Be Adequite at August 28, 2007 3:37 PM

Sir Laurence Olivier--he would be enough for me, for life. he will always be my favorite Heathcliff--and Mr. Darcy. he was such a beautiful man!

Audrey Hephburn--although i would probably just stare at her, Cary Grant, James Dean, Ingrid Bergman, and Marilyn Monroe round out my 5.

Posted by: pq at August 28, 2007 3:38 PM

1. Rita Hayworth (that hair thing is still amazing)
2. Grace Kelly (holy smackerel)
3. Marilyn Monroe (Jell-O on springs, man)
4. Audrey Hepburn (though I'd feel bad about it, like I offended her)
5. Veronica Lake (because she scares me a little)

Posted by: Daniel Carlson at August 28, 2007 3:39 PM

Amy- I thought I was the ONLY woman who has a thing for Yul and James covered in crude oil...weird! :-)

Posted by: Be Adequite! at August 28, 2007 3:40 PM

1. William Powell (I fell in love at My Man Godfrey and I'll never go back.)
2. Errol Flynn (I don't care how diseased he might be.)
3. Greta Garbo (Just. Wow.)
4. Leslie Howard (I love my milksop-y Englishmen)
5. Frank Sinatra (Because Valentino dies way before the cut-off year of 1941.)

Posted by: Gudrun at August 28, 2007 3:41 PM

Menage a trois with Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Then a smoke.

Posted by: courtney at August 28, 2007 3:42 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Frank Sinatra
3. James Stewart
4. Gregory Peck
5. Grace Kelly/Marlene Deitrich(tie)
Honorable mention: Vivian Leigh, Clark Gable

Posted by: rlr260 at August 28, 2007 3:44 PM

1. Humphrey Bogart - My #1 Man Crush ever. I would go gay for him.

2. Ingrid Bergman - I really love Casablanca, what can I say. She is beauty incarnate.

3. Lauren Bacall - Threesome w/ Bogey?

4. Grace Kelly - Also a classic beauty.

5. Gloria Grahame - Everyone should go see 'In A Lonely Place'

Posted by: Nate at August 28, 2007 3:44 PM

1. Paul Newman (mmmm, young Paul Newman)
2. Gene Kelly
3. Barbara Stanwyck
4. Marlene Dietrich

5. Bette Davis or Gregory Peck. Can I have both? They might be into each other. :)

I love me some Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart, but I'm not sure they make my loins quiver. Ooo - but Rock Hudson was gorgeous. So was Montgomery Clift in his 'Red River' days . . .

I think I have some Netflixing to do . . .

Posted by: Lizzie (greeneyed fem) at August 28, 2007 3:44 PM

1. Audrey Hepburn-great sense of style, classy, elegant, and all around really cool.

2. Gene Kelly-The man could dance and was in wicked good shape. Fun times.

3. Sidney Poitier- Could listen to him read the phone book.

4. Steve McQueen- Mmmmmmm, wild times. Guh. I get all silly just looking at old B&W stills of him.

5. Gregory Peck- The gentleman.

Posted by: Alabamapink at August 28, 2007 3:44 PM

1. James Dean
2. Cary Grant
3. Rock Hudson
4. Grace Kelly
5. Clark Gable

Posted by: Erin at August 28, 2007 3:47 PM

1. Clark Gable
2. Yul Brenner
3. Cary Grant
4. John wayne
5. Bette Davis

Posted by: Melody at August 28, 2007 3:49 PM

1. Gregory Peck
2. James Dean
3. Cary Grant
4. Katharine Hepburn
5. Marlon Brando

Nothing original but I'm OK with that.

Posted by: Katie at August 28, 2007 3:50 PM

1) Grace Kelly (in my all time 5 freebies list by the way...I mean, when she was alive of course)
2) Marilyn Monroe
3) A Hepburn Sandwich
4) Bettie Page
5) I'd totally let Cary Grant blow me but nothing more than that. Because that would be gay.

Posted by: Mook at August 28, 2007 3:51 PM

Definitely Sir Laurence Olivier! The way he gazes at Greer Garson in Pride and Prejudice, makes my knees go all to jelly!

Rock Hudson. Yes he was gay, but please! Name someone more beautiful and charming? And funny too.

Gene Kelly. He's just gorgeous. Even as an older gentleman. I was watching Xanadu the other weekend and I thought *that lucky BITCH Olivia Newton John!* Don't remember ever thinking that re John Travolta.

James Garner. Like Rock Hudson-gorgeous, so I guess I sort of have a type.

Cary Grant. I loved him most in To Catch A Thief, with Grace Kelly.

My favourite women of the past would be Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner.

Posted by: Loob at August 28, 2007 3:56 PM

Cary Grant
Gregory Peck
Jack Lemmon
Glenn Ford
Randolph Scott

Posted by: rose at August 28, 2007 3:57 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Rock Hudson
3. Paul Newman
4. Katerine Hepburn
5. Gene Kelly

Posted by: Alice at August 28, 2007 4:00 PM

This is the best comment diversion thus far! In no particular order I would have to say:
-Jayne Mansfield
-Cary Grant (Good LORD that man was beautiful!!!)
-James Dean
-Vivian Leigh
annnddd
-Bing Crosby (that VOICE..yummmmmmm...)

Posted by: Lauren at August 28, 2007 4:01 PM

1. Gregory Peck
2. Cary Grant
3. Jack Palance
4. James Stewart
5. Fred McMurray

Posted by: Gabrielle at August 28, 2007 4:03 PM

1. Cary Grant. Duh.

2. Katherine Hepburn

3. Rosalind Russell

4. Ingrid Bergman

5. William Powell/Myrna Loy (hey, they should count as a two-fer!)

Posted by: Otenth at August 28, 2007 4:03 PM

1. Paul Newman
2. Steve McQueen
3. Whoever played Lt. Cable in "South Pacific"
4. Marlon Brando
5. Ingrid Bergman

Posted by: swimgrrl at August 28, 2007 4:03 PM

Grace Kelly (especially in To Catch A Thief)
Ginger Rogers
Deborah Kerr
Maureen O'Hara
Claudette Colbert

There were a lot of hot redheads back then.

Posted by: andrew at August 28, 2007 4:04 PM

Carey Grant - A given, apparently.

Gregory Peck - circa Spellbound.

Ingrid Bergman - see above.

Orson Welles - Fell for him in Jane Eyre, never looked back...

Robert Ryan - Specifically from On Dangerous Ground; talk about noir.

Posted by: pinkcheese at August 28, 2007 4:05 PM

I don't know why I always insist on throwing an e into Cary's name, but whatever. Maybe it's our little love secret.

I'm sorely tempted to start a new list (a reserve freebie list for when the main hitters are on the DL?) with Danny Kaye and Lauren Bacall heading it up.

Posted by: pinkcheese at August 28, 2007 4:12 PM

1. Cary Grant -- No one does it better, before or since.
2. Gail Russell -- I've never seen a woman as beautiful as she was in Angel and the Bad Man -- just breathtaking.
3. Myrna Loy -- Great googly moo, where to begin: gorgeous, sharp-witted, and unconventionally wonderful in every way.
4. Deborah Kerr -- circa The Grass Is Greener; she just got better and better with age.
5. William Powell -- Oh, Thin Man, a few scotch-and-sodas, and I'll be counting ceiling tiles.

Posted by: socalledonlycousins at August 28, 2007 4:17 PM

1. Orson Welles (I have a thing for voices - as evidenced by my Alan Rickman love)
2. Cary Grant
3. Lawrence Olivier
4. Can't decide between Bette Davis and Ava Gardner
5. Milton Berle (not that I find him attractive or that I am a size queen - just to see if all the hype was worth it)

Posted by: Marianne at August 28, 2007 4:17 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Audrey Hepburn
3. Jimmy Stewart
4. Ingrid Bergman
5. Patricia Neal

Posted by: elc at August 28, 2007 4:18 PM

Ohhhh, yummy yummy. And I am posting early, yea!

Gregory Peck - Oh, he was so beautiful.

John Gavin - Mr. Steve from "Imitiation of Life", that film sucked but boy did he make enduring it worth it.

Claude Rains - In "Casablanca", suave sophistication for me, baby.

Dorothy Dandridge - a goddess.

Ava Gardner - Absolutely stunning.

Posted by: jen310 at August 28, 2007 4:19 PM

1. Robert Mitchum. MMMMMMM. Baad boy!
2. John Wayne. As long as we didn't discuss politics.
3. Cary Grant. Sexy genius. (and he was a tumbler once. bonus!)
4. Humphrey Bogart. Okay, and Lauren.
5. Carol Lombard. Okay, and William Powell. (me too, with My Man Godfrey).

Posted by: connie at August 28, 2007 4:19 PM

Guys:
Paul Newman-yummy
Jack Lemon-Nobody's perfect
Clark Gable-He can show me how a man undresses
Gregory Peck-intellectual charmer
Peter O'Toole-Those eyes

And the ladies
Ingrid Bergman-Low maintenance
Vivian Leigh-Wow
Elizabeth Taylor-Again, it's in the eyes
Paulette Goddard-Sexy little minx
I have to give Marilyn #1, though. At every weight, she simply was sex (and rarely seemed diseased

Posted by: Karen at August 28, 2007 4:20 PM

1. Robert Mitchum. MMMMMMM. Baad boy!
2. John Wayne. As long as we didn't discuss politics.
3. Cary Grant. Sexy genius. (and he was a tumbler once. bonus!)
4. Humphrey Bogart. Okay, and Lauren.
5. Carol Lombard. Okay, and William Powell. (me too, with My Man Godfrey).

Posted by: Corky at August 28, 2007 4:20 PM

i already had 6--cause i can't add--but i forgot about Montgomery Clift and Sidney Poitier--and Ava Gardner.

Sir Laurence Olivier is still my #1 though. i think i'm going to have to watch a few of his movies tonight.

Posted by: pq at August 28, 2007 4:23 PM

ERROL FLYNN!!!! - I've been in love with him since I was 8. I keep looking for a modern day equivalent, romantic hero, swashbuckler ... sigh. Haven't had any luck so far, sadly.

Basil Rathbone - Bad-guy equivilent to Errol. He was actually a better swordsman, but had to lose to Flynn in all the movies because, you know, the bad guy couldn't win

Katherine Hepburn - All the women of the era kind of run together for me, except for her. (and Bette Davis, but she bugs me)

Gene Kelly - There's something about a man who can dance like that....

James Stewart - He's just s'darn cute.

I was tempted to put Olivia de Havilland on here, most because of her proximity to Flynn. But then it hit me that she's kind of simpering and dull. Pretty though.

Posted by: Cass at August 28, 2007 4:24 PM

Oh Lord,
I forgot Yul Brynner in "The Ten Commandments".
"So it is written, so I'll shall be done" - by Rameses. Yeah, I said. I have no shame.

Posted by: jen310 at August 28, 2007 4:25 PM

1. Frank Sinatra (why isn't there more Sinatra love? Talk about a voice...)
2. Peter O'Toole
3. Marilyn Monroe
4. Cary Grant
5. Lauren Bacall

Posted by: s. pisaster at August 28, 2007 4:26 PM

I just noticed that I spelled "equivalent" two different ways.

Posted by: Cass at August 28, 2007 4:26 PM

1. Groucho Marx
2. Marlon Brando
3. Clark Gable
4. Orson Welles (I love a sexy voice)
5. Steve McQueen

Posted by: kelley at August 28, 2007 4:28 PM

Kinky days at Pajiba...I'm lovin' it.
1. James Dean
2. Paul Newman
3. Lauren Bacall
4. Ingrid Bergman
5. Marlon Brando

Posted by: Menelaos at August 28, 2007 4:33 PM

Oh no! I forgot Henry Fonda! I love Mister Roberts.

Posted by: kelley at August 28, 2007 4:34 PM

1. Gene Kelly: those fucking ARMS. He's even insanely sexy when dancing with a cartoon mouse.

2. Maureen O'Hara: I think she's one of the most beautiful women to ever exist. The red hair, the eyes, the Irish brogue...so very pretty. And she reminds me of my #1 girlcrush, Kate Winslet.

3. Gregory Peck: I want to pervert Atticus Finch.

4. Paul Newman: because I'm human.

5. Peter O'Toole: he was pretty damned hot as a young man...it's those mischevious eyes. And the accent, I'm a whore for accents.

Posted by: Julie at August 28, 2007 4:34 PM

best comment thread ever. my ex-wife used to complain about how fixated i was on donna reed during reruns of it's a wonderful life. "she's dead, you know," she'd say. "yeah," i'd say, "but she was so fucking hot."

1. donna reed. number one with a bullet.
2. anne baxter (nefretiri in 'the ten commandments'). yum.
3. zizi jeanmaire (was in the 1956 version of 'anything goes'). a ballerina. and french.
4. julie andrews. style, grace, and a fab rack.
5. one of the hepburns. or both.

Posted by: matty blue at August 28, 2007 4:35 PM

1. Marlon Brando (straight out of A Streetcar Named Desire)

2. Kate Hepburn

3. Clark Gable

4. Jimmy Stewart (from the first half of It's a Wonderful Life when he's all sarcastic and angry)

5. Doris Day (such a yummy voice)

Posted by: Astrid at August 28, 2007 4:35 PM

Oh my god, I just read everyone's comments and I must give a hells YES to those who mentioned Yul Brenner. His voice is a panty-shredder.

Posted by: Julie at August 28, 2007 4:40 PM

1. Marlon Brando
2. Frank Sinatra
3. Paul Newman
4. Gene Kelly
5. Steve McQueen

Posted by: Jackie at August 28, 2007 4:40 PM

1. Gene Kelly
2. Cary Grant
3. Peter Lawford
4. Marlon Brando
5. Gregory Peck/Frank Sinatra

As for the ladies, there were some seriously gorgeous women in those days: Elizabeth Taylor, Ava Gardner, and Grace Kelly would be the tops for me.

Posted by: jillster85 at August 28, 2007 4:44 PM

Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando, on the same night, just like Shelly Winters. And also maybe Shelly Winters.

Posted by: ecp at August 28, 2007 4:55 PM

Cary Grant
Montgomery Clift
Paul Newman
Lauren Bacall
Ava Gardner

Posted by: MG at August 28, 2007 4:56 PM

Jen310 and Be Adequite,
Oh hell yeah I love the Yul love in this room!!!

Nefretiri: I could never love you.
Rameses: Does that matter? You will be my wife. You will come to me whenever I call you,and I will enjoy that very much. Whether you enjoy it or not is your own affair. But I think you will...

Excuse me for just a few minutes...

Posted by: Amy at August 28, 2007 4:58 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. The Third Man-era Orson Welles.
3. Henry Fonda
4. Humphrey Bogart
5. It's a difficult toss-up between Lauren Bacall and Katherine Hepburn, here. Or maybe Barbara Stanwyck...

I do love my Jimmy Stewart and Audrey Hepburn, but I love them too much for them to be freebies.

Posted by: bethness at August 28, 2007 4:59 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Cary Grant
3. Cary Grant
4. Cary Grant
5. Cary Grant

OK, OK- I'll give props to Myrna Loy and William Powell because I would drink myself silly with them, but I don't think I'd sleep with either, but DAYUM- I'd do Omar Sharif in his Lawrence of Arabia days.
Ava Gardner would do it for me among the ladies- she is walking sex. Night of the Iguana? Hellloooooo!!!!

Posted by: Go Big Red at August 28, 2007 5:01 PM

Sadly, this is easier for me to narrow down than the contemporary list was, and I'm only 24 years old. Anyways, here they are:
1)Paul Newman (easily the hottest star ever)
2)Marlon Brando (ditto on the Streetcar hotness)
3)Orson Welles
4)Cary Grant
5)Warren Beatty

Posted by: minerva_smurf at August 28, 2007 5:04 PM

Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (yes, twice.)
Marilyn Monroe
Ingrid Bergman
Vivian Leigh

Posted by: Rob at August 28, 2007 5:06 PM

-Marilyn Monroe
-Ava Gardner
-Jayne Mansfield
-Grace Kelly
-Bettie Page

Posted by: The Stew at August 28, 2007 5:11 PM

1. Paul Newman
2. Marlon Brando
3. Elizabeth Taylor
4. Clark Gable
5. Marilyn Monroe

Posted by: lunabelle at August 28, 2007 5:42 PM

1. Cary Grant (maybe he's a given?)
2. Katherine Hepburn (my favorite actress of all time)
3. Humphrey Bogart (not traditionally handsome, but still smokin')
4. Gene Kelly (would love to have him singin' in the rain for me)
5. Fred Astaire (if he could dance like that, what else could he do?)

Posted by: Lainie at August 28, 2007 5:47 PM

1. Farley Granger (fight me for him, Courtie!)
2. Hedy Lamarr
3. Brando in Streetcar, no question.
4. Young Orson
5. Greta Garbo

Posted by: Ranylt at August 28, 2007 5:47 PM

1. paul newman
2. tallulah bankhead
3. marilyn monroe
4. barbara stanwyck
5. and this spot totally would have gone to jimmy stewart except i just read a ton of horrible things about him in his imdb profile, so i'm giving it to steve mcqueen.

Posted by: j.r. at August 28, 2007 5:47 PM

1. Vivien Leigh
2. Paul Newman
3. Gene Kelly
4. Elizabeth Taylor
5. Oh all right, Cary Grant

I have more, most notably Hedy Lamarr, who I think is one of the most breathtakingly gorgeous - and genius - people to ever walk the face of this earth.

Posted by: Kolby at August 28, 2007 5:56 PM

I'm not a huge buff of old movies, but I just remember that every movie we watched in my American Film: 1930-60 class had a hot guy in it. I was pleasantly surprised. So let's see...

Gene Kelly: That ass! Those moves!
Debbie Reynolds: I think the fact that Singin' in the Rain was her film debut makes her hotter for some reason. I dunno.
Montgomery Clift circa Red River.
I'm a year late for the cutoff with this one, but Anthony Perkins in Psycho. He was cute; what can I say?
And Marlon Brando. Damn.

Posted by: Ben at August 28, 2007 5:57 PM

1) Cary Grant
2) Judy Garland
3) Brando
4) Gene Kelly
5) Bette Davis (Is this a weird choice? Sorry, but watch Now, Voyager and tell me she's not sexy.)

And yes, even when I'm bi, I'm gay.

Posted by: zenhound at August 28, 2007 5:58 PM

1. Jimmy Stewart (My favorite is still him in The Philadelphia Story)
2. Katherine Hepburn (See above. She just seems like she'd be so... something. Something good.)
3. James Dean (Mmm...)
4. Marilyn Monroe (How can I not have her on the list?)
5. Danny Kaye (I have so much love for this man it's insane.)

This was harder than the modern one! I had to leave quite a few out...

Posted by: Ella at August 28, 2007 5:59 PM

1.Paul Newman - the long hot summer
2.Humphrey Bogart - to have and have not
3.Lauren Bacall - to have and have not
4.Cary Grant - the philedelphia story
5.Gregory Peck - roman holiday

Posted by: gunter at August 28, 2007 6:00 PM

1. Clark Gable (I'm with Karen - because he can show me how a man undresses)
2. Marlon Brando (not just Stanley Kowalski or Terry Malloy - but the way he kissed Jean Simmons in Guys and Dolls - YOWZA!)
3. Jimmy Stewart (remember the way he kissed Kate Hepburn in Philadelphia Story? I'm a sucker for a good kiss)
4. Paul Newman - old, young, whatever. The man is steadfastly gorgeous
5. Katherine Hepburn, since she'd be the most fun to have the post-coital cigarette with.

Posted by: megbon at August 28, 2007 6:03 PM

ooooooooooooh this will very difficult to keep at only 5.
1.William Holden
2. Cary Grant
3. Robert Mitchum
4.young Marlon Brando
5.Fred Astaire
See??? And I haven't even begun with the ladies yet...
1. Ava Gardner...hot, hot, hot
2. Marilyn Monroe...cuz you just know she'd have been fun!
3.Viven Leigh...simply the most stunning woman

Posted by: brite at August 28, 2007 6:07 PM

I'm with Lainie that Cary Grant is a given, so...
1. Montgomery Clift (even if he wasn't a super hottie, I would love him forever for naming L.A., Vomit USA and staying the hell away from it when it was the only place for an actor to live)
2. Gregory Peck (perfection in human form)
3. William Holden (100% man)
4. Paul Newman (he should give lessons on how to live with grace and style despite having every woman in the world swooning at the mere mention of his name. Modern Hollywood: take note)
5. Gene Kelly (so glad there are others with me on this one: the dancing, the singing, the twinkle in his eye, the torso.....)

Obviously, I'm with the crowd on most of these, but people, don't you know about William Holden? Why is he missing from so many lists?

Posted by: PaddyDog at August 28, 2007 6:17 PM

6. Guy Madison.
Oh my God! I completely blanked on Guy Madison (the tall young guy from Best Years of Their Lives). I once dated a fella who was a complete idiot just because he looked sort of like Guy Madison.

Posted by: PaddyDog at August 28, 2007 6:20 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Audrey Hepburn
3. Gregory Peck
4. Paul Newman
5. Ingrid Bergman

They don't make 'em like they used to.

Posted by: pammeey at August 28, 2007 6:21 PM

Okay, forgive this lapse in etiquette, but one more absolute MUST:
Lawrence Harvey

Forgive me Lawrence, if I weren't completely jet-lagged and working on 2 hours of sleep you would have made the list first time around.

Posted by: PaddyDog at August 28, 2007 6:22 PM

I don't care if I'm cheating; here's my list:

1. Rosalind Russell
2. Debbie Reynolds
3. Grace Kelly
4. An orgy with Marylin Monroe, James Dean and young Brando
5. Audrey Hepburn
6. Donna Reed

Posted by: Bistro at August 28, 2007 6:23 PM

Cass: I'm so with you on the Flynn. I wish there was a modern day equivalent! We can only dream.

Posted by: Gudrun at August 28, 2007 6:25 PM

1.Grace Kelly (All-Time #1 they don't make 'em like they used to.)
2.Julie Newmar (Pre-Catwoman)
3.Julie Andrews
4.Audrey Hepburn
5.Veronica Lake

Posted by: Tanner at August 28, 2007 6:25 PM

If Frank Sinatra were alive and were to sing that "You're Sensational" song from High Society that he sang to Grace Kelley, I do not think that I could be responsible for anything that did or did not happen afterwards.

Posted by: Cait at August 28, 2007 6:25 PM

Maybe Cary should be off-limits? I mean, who WOULDN'T?! Here's a Cary-free list in no particular order:

Errol Flynn (how am I only the 3rd person to list him!? He is the only reason I wish time travel were real!)
Gregory Peck
Humphrey Bogart
Steve McQueen (thanks to "The Blob" for falling within the cutoff date)
Lee Marvin. What?

Posted by: Janie Jones at August 28, 2007 6:26 PM

-Gene Kelly: As noted above, THAT ASS!!
-Marlon Brando: Recently saw Guys & Dolls & he's just so very handsome.
-Robert Mitchum: He scares me a little, in a very good way.
-Yul Brynner: He's short, but he makes me feel all warm & fuzzy in the King & I.
-Clark Gable: Mom just wasn't wrong about him.

Posted by: Smello at August 28, 2007 6:26 PM

1. Clark Gable (although, fine, It Happened One Night was pre-Citizen Kane)
2. Cary Grant
3. James Garner (so manly!)
4. Gene Tierney

And the one that people never seem to get:

5. Jack Lemmon, circa 'It Should Happen to You' and 'My Sister Eileen.' I can't help it! He's just so...adorable. I wuv him.

Damn, there are a ton more...

Posted by: Mimi at August 28, 2007 6:39 PM

Yul Brynner - serious eager creamies there
Laurence Olivier - easily the most beautiful man I've ever seen
Kirk Douglas - best body in the business
Basil Rathbone - tall, dark, handsome, brilliant

And finally...

David Niven - where is the love for Mr. Niven? Defines suave and debonaire, and just a wonderful twinkle in those eyes...

Posted by: funtime42 at August 28, 2007 6:43 PM

Wow, this is a good one - I'm not gonna get away with 5 I guess...

The gents:
1. Monty Clift (where to begin? charisma, intellect, sensibility, humour AND looks - PaddyDog's absolutely right about LA, vomit CA ;-))

2. Cary Grant (as you said: a given)

3. Robert Mitchum (THE man, you couldn't possibly get any more masculine)

4. James Dean (sorry, can't deny that, crude oil seems to be a thing for many of us...)

5. Henry Fonda (well, he's Fonda, it's just him)

Ladies:
1. Myrna Loy (I just adore her, so different and unconventional, so great)

2. Liz Taylor (the eyes and that temper)

3. Katherine Hepburn (the brains, the attitude, the skirts-comment!)

4. Lauren Bacall (she reminds of someone...)

5. Greta Garbo (devine! though, she's a bit earlier, isn't she?)

Well ok, PLUS Brando - you can't seriously leave him out. McQueen was a bit later, right?
Pick one each and it'd be Clift and Garbo.

Posted by: Su at August 28, 2007 6:44 PM

Does a young Sean Connery count as "Classic" for the purposes of our list? Because he would have to bump Mr. Brynner.

Posted by: Smello at August 28, 2007 6:52 PM

1) Lauren Becall

2) Lauren Becall

3) Lauren Becall

4) Lauren Becall

5) Rita Hayworth

Sorry, but I don't really feel gay toward any guys of this era, and the girls all run such a distance behind Becall they're hardly worth mentioning.

Posted by: Frank Lee Delano at August 28, 2007 7:12 PM

Cary Grant
William Holden
Rita Hayworth
Orson Welles
Robert Mitchum

Posted by: lizzie at August 28, 2007 7:23 PM

1. Ava Gardner


2. Grace Kelly


3. Rita Hayworth


4. Marilyn Monroe


5. Lana Turner

Posted by: Dano at August 28, 2007 7:25 PM

Here are my 5

1. Kim Novak - She is smoking hot in any era and I will never forget her in Pal Joey.
2. Rita Hayworth - She loses to Kim in Pal Joey which I have seen about 100 times cuz my mother and sister loved it but Frank Sinatra hooking up with both of these ladies in the same film cements him as one of the baddest motherfuckers in the history of the worl.
3. Marilyn Monroe - Does anything really need to be said about this one?
4. Grace Kelly - So beautiful it almost looked fake.
5. Bettie Page - Another obvious choice.

Posted by: Greg P at August 28, 2007 7:30 PM

1) Jimmy Stewart (He's a war hero, dammit!)

2) Rex Harrison (Even if he sing-talks)

3) William Holden (I kinda envied crazy Norma)

4) Gary Cooper (Super-duper)

5) William Powell (I hope my marriage is like the Charles'. Well, sober-er.)

Posted by: Ashers at August 28, 2007 7:31 PM

I'd marry Gregory Peck, not just pick him up at some dusty roadside bar for a one night stand.

With that in mind:

1. Gene Kelly. He's passionate, very muscular, and he's so nice, he'd probably make you breakfast in the morning while serenading you with Gershwin songs.

2. Lauren Bacall. Gorgeous and a little dangerous.

3. Rita Heyworth. Do I even have to explain this one?

4. Errol Flynn. I want my swashbuckling with Errol to occur before the alcohol ruined him, thank you very much.

5. Howard Keel. Big, strapping man with a voice like butterscotch. Yum.

Posted by: Erin Elizabeth at August 28, 2007 7:34 PM

Just yesterday my friend and I were doing the "Famous people more than twice my age I'd still get it on with" list, which is not really related to this diversion, but maybe you guys can do a "Five Feebies - The 50+ edition" diversion. Anyways, on to the real list. Apologies to the ladies, choosing the men was hard enough.
1. Gene Kelly
2. Marlon Brando
3. Yul Brynner
4. Charlie Chaplin - Not in the "Little Tramp" costume. OK maybe in the costume. No just kidding, not in the costume.
5. Sessue Hayakawa - I know, sounds random, but I just watched The Cheat, and MY GOD was he hot.

Posted by: missmle at August 28, 2007 7:37 PM

1. bette davis- i like my girls wth brain
2. joan crawford- i also like them bitchy
3. Yul Breiner
4. Charles Bronson- in Great Escape
5. Lauren Becall

Posted by: sara at August 28, 2007 7:45 PM

Audrey Hepburn... 5 times.

Posted by: jbrader at August 28, 2007 7:50 PM

In no particular order:

1. Cary Grant - pretty much obviously self-explanatory.
2. Grace Kelly - Despite the whole I-am-an-actual-princess thing, she always came off as very real to me.
3. Sidney Poitier - the voice! (the looks aren't too shabby, either)
4. Maureen O'Hara - I love her energy and humor.
5. Paul Newman - It was PN or Jimmy Stewart, and I like PN's politics better. He's also a very good looking man, there's that, too.

Posted by: jodiethelibrarian at August 28, 2007 8:01 PM

Audrey Hepburn-...like a pair of aces.
Donna Reed-I'll let her smack me around a bit. I think she'd like it.
Vivian Leigh-just to mess with crazy one more time.
Lauren Bacall-we'd smoke a carton of fucking cigarettes.
Tallulah Bankhead-come on, seriously. Who wouldn't hit that?

Posted by: slouchmonkey at August 28, 2007 8:03 PM

this is completely off topic, but all the mentions of Yul Brenner remind me of the scene in TTC after the last plague, when he's over-emoting like hell and says something like, "Go! And take your cows with you!" to Charleton Heston, who then just kinda wanders off mumbling about God for like, three minutes, like the crazy guy in my hometown we called "the old prophet" :) One of my favorite all-time scenes in cinema (which seriously ought to be a comment diversion some day). It kills me.

Posted by: s. pisaster at August 28, 2007 8:24 PM

1-Clark Gable-the ultimate man's man
2-Paul Newman-just take a look at him
3-Cary Grant-kind of has all the attractive bases covered
4-Rita Hayworth-nothing more gorgeous ever seen on screen, and she knew how to turn it on
5-Ingrid Bergman-ALMOST too radiant, but check the Spencer Tracy film Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde

Posted by: Parker at August 28, 2007 8:24 PM

1.Dana Andrews (I don't think anyone has mentioned him yet!)
2.Errol Flynn
3.William Holden
4.Lauren Bacall
5.Marlon Brando

Posted by: Dave at August 28, 2007 8:25 PM

1. Cary Grant. It may be cliche, but it's because he was such a beautiful, beautiful man. I read some godawful biography that said his chin looked like a woman's ass, bent over in supplication to the beauty of his face.

2. Paul Newman. Especially in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

3. Grace Kelly. In one of the Hitchcock biographies (I swear I read literature, too), the author said that she was apparently quite bawdy, which makes this even better.

4. James Garner. Though he really got quite a bit hotter in the mid-sixties.

5. Katharine Hepburn. Sigh.

Posted by: magnolia at August 28, 2007 8:27 PM

1. Cary Grant. It may be cliche, but it's because he was such a beautiful, beautiful man. I read some godawful biography that said his chin looked like a woman's ass, bent over in supplication to the beauty of his face.

2. Paul Newman. Especially in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

3. Grace Kelly. In one of the Hitchcock biographies (I swear I read literature, too), the author said that she was apparently quite bawdy, which makes this even better.

4. James Garner. Though he really got quite a bit hotter in the mid-sixties.

5. Gene Kelly. Sigh.

Posted by: magnolia at August 28, 2007 8:28 PM

There may be prettier faces, but these people turn me on:

1. Humphrey Bogart - by far!
2. Natalie Wood - she was legal & HOT in the late 50's
3. Greta Garbo
4. James Dean
5. Sophia Loren - I would want her to teach me things!

If the time restrictions went further back, I would definitely include Louise Brooks!

Posted by: mfg at August 28, 2007 8:28 PM

Oops, double post. I couldn't decide, and I thought I pressed "Back" quickly enough.

Posted by: magnolia at August 28, 2007 8:30 PM

Gene Kelly - The Three Musketeers was my favorite movies as a kid. Gene Kelly, as d'Artagnan, is charm personified.
John Hodiak - mostly when he's all scruffy in Lifeboat and making out with a character named Constance. It's just too perfect.
Jeremy Brett - Young or old, I think he's gorgeous.
Jack Lemmon - Cute + funny = Sexy
James Dean - He's so cool

Posted by: Constance at August 28, 2007 8:49 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Gary Cooper
3. Mercedes McCambridge
4. Joan Crawford
5. Van Heflin

Posted by: Matt at August 28, 2007 8:57 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Danny Kaye
3. Gene Kelly
4. Errol Flynn
5. Gregory Peck

Posted by: Aubrey at August 28, 2007 9:38 PM

How is no one hardly saying Vivien Leigh?

Vivien Leigh
Marlon Brando
Assortment of Hebrew slaves from "The Ten Commandments"
Lauren Bacall
Jean-Paul Belmondo (he might be too late)

Posted by: Chris at August 28, 2007 9:42 PM

1. Anthony Perkins. Oh yes, Mister Perkins...
2. Bradford Dillman (Compulsion)
3. Dean Stockwell (see above)
4. Gary Cooper
5. Olivia De Havilland/Tuesday Weld/Ingrid Bergman

I cheated. But as long as Perkins is there, I don't care.

Posted by: Lola at August 28, 2007 10:01 PM

1. Gene Kelly (I would kill to be with a man who could dance like that. And that smile. . .sigh)
2. Paul Newman (he's just damn hot and those piercing blue eyes--yikes!)
3. Cary Grant
4. Gregory Peck
5. Clark Gable

Honorable mention--Frank Sinatra, so he could sing to me afterwards or during. Or whenever.

Posted by: prairiegirl at August 28, 2007 10:39 PM

1. Sidney Portier--he moves like a cat, so he'd be great!
2. Marlon Brando--bad boy
3. Gene Kelly--yum!
4. Jimmy Stewart--so sweet
And here's one no one has mentioned, but...egad!
5. Jose Ferrer in The Caine Mutiny

Posted by: Grace at August 28, 2007 11:31 PM

1) Clark Gable--it's all about Rhett Butler, even though technically that's 1939...also, he was my first celebrity crush, and no i'm not 82 years old

2) James Dean--'Giant' is hot and all, but he could not be any more luscious than in "East of Eden"

3) Vivien Leigh--i love this woman so much i even named my daughter after her...btw: it's vivi'E'n

4) Marilyn Monroe--obviously

5) Jimmy Stewart--adorable

Posted by: maxpurr9 at August 28, 2007 11:40 PM

1. Gene Kelly - glad to see so many others appreciate him! His body was amazing! whoo....
2. Brando - "On the Waterfront" first film I ever saw that made me cry because it was so beautiful! so was he!
3. Paul Newman - RRRROW!
4. Frank Sinatra - the voice of course.
5. Steve McQueen - such a badass!
I also totaly get the James Dean covered in oil thing...makes me all tingly thinking about it! :)

Posted by: trixie at August 28, 2007 11:59 PM

1. William Powell
2. Cary Grant
3. Robert Mitchum
4. Vincent Price
5. Gregory Peck

Posted by: Shaz at August 29, 2007 12:04 AM

1) Vincent Price (he was super hot back then, okay?)
2) Cary Grant
3) Peter Cushing
4) Danny Kaye (funny, nice guy! and funny! and cute!)
5) Bing Crosby (omg, I love me some baritone and he's not bad looking in those Road To... movies, either)

Posted by: Collette at August 29, 2007 12:26 AM

1. Gregory Peck - "Roman Holiday" is actually based on the true story of our love affair. There's a very complicated Futurama-esque explanation involving a time machine. Don't ask. Although, I will say that I don't approve of the casting of Audrey Hepburn, as I don't feel she looks anything like me.
2. Steve McQueen - The Coolest Cool who ever Cooled.
3. Paul Newman - My blue-eyed boy.
4. Marlon Brando - I mean, c'mon, it's fuckin' Brando.
5. Sophia Loren - She's just. so. pretty.

Posted by: Haley at August 29, 2007 12:34 AM

awe i love this comment diversion. just the other day my friend made fun of me for drooling over gregory peck in "roman holiday." some people just don't understand...

1. gregory peck
2. jimmy stewart
3. humphrey bogart - i have a thing for his hound dog eyes.
4. richard burton
5. gordan macrae - his voice could loll me into a deep sleep.

Posted by: citizen_cris at August 29, 2007 12:38 AM

Hey, this was an easy one. Five names just popped up in my head, no particular order:

- Hedy Lamarr (just plain unbelievable - and she was a brainiac, just to make things perfect)
- Bettie Page (I mean, duh)
- Ava Gardner (I mean, duh II)
- Rita Hayworth (I still remember me as a kid, seeing her for the first time, jaws to the floor)
- Audrey Hepburn (she just ruins everything bad I'd think about too skinny, short-haired women)

I wouldn't go too far...

Posted by: gargumma at August 29, 2007 1:04 AM

1. Humphrey Bogart. 'Nuff effin' said.

2. Laurence Olivier. My favorite Mr. Darcy of all time.

3. Lauren Bacall (Does wanting to be her count as lusting after her?)

4. Paul Henreid. Now, Voyager was amazing.

5. Jeremy Brett. Ever since I saw the Sherlock Holmes series, I've been completely besotted with him.

Posted by: kalexal at August 29, 2007 1:27 AM

- Vera-Ellen
- Kathryn Grayson
- Danny Kaye
- Gene Kelly
- Ingrid Bergman

Posted by: Meander at August 29, 2007 1:28 AM

Jimmy Stewart and Ingrid Bergman. I've basically felt this way since I was 5, so that's all I'd need.

Posted by: szs at August 29, 2007 2:00 AM

1. Olivia DeHavilland
2. Jayne Mansfield
3. Yvonne DeCarlo
4. Veronica Lake
5. Lupe Velez

Posted by: Adam C at August 29, 2007 2:35 AM

1. Gene Kelly, no doubt
2. Rock Hudson, pre-HIV/AIDS of course
3. Fred Astaire, I'm a sucker for a man who can dance
4. Humphrey Bogart
5. Cary Grant

Posted by: ciji at August 29, 2007 2:44 AM

This is sort of disturbing it's so easy for me.

1. Vivian Leigh
2. Olivia de Havilland
3. Joan Crawford (shut up. She was a 'handsome looking woman' at one point in time)
4. Julie Christie
5. Omar Sharif

Posted by: Jonah at August 29, 2007 3:04 AM

Holy hannah, I love that so many others chose Gene Kelly! I thought I'd have to defend that pick.


Young Anthony Quinn- can't be beat for hotness. Cooler than Cool-Whip and twice as smooth.


Cyd Charisse- like a doll, a mannequin, this perfectly formed, icy-looking statue of a woman who just might get really sweaty-hot and dirty with you.


A big hell yeah to the rest who chose The Third Man-era Orson Welles.


Gary Motherfucking Cooper. Period. End of sentence.

Posted by: Shabba at August 29, 2007 4:31 AM

Veronica Lake
Rita Hayworth
Grace Kelly
Marilyn Monroe
Lauren Bacall

Posted by: pyd at August 29, 2007 5:10 AM

I'm coming in on this late but my five classic freebies are:

1) Gregory Peck
2) James Dean
3) William Holden
4) Marlon Brando
5) Fred Astaire

All obvious choices, I know, I know.

Posted by: Alex the Odd at August 29, 2007 6:54 AM

My all time classic crush since the age of 15:
Jimmy Stewart
There is no better!

Posted by: complicatedjeany at August 29, 2007 7:12 AM

I can't believe I forgot him, and I know it is too late, but I feel like I have to add John Wayne, especially in The Quiet Man.

Posted by: Erin at August 29, 2007 8:23 AM

Audrey Hepburn
James Dean
Sal Mineo
Warren Beatty (think Splendor in the Grass)
Natalie Wood

Posted by: jenny at August 29, 2007 8:28 AM

- Audrey Hepburn
- Rosalind Russell
- Veronica Lake
- Ava Gardner
- Marlene Dietrich

Posted by: Ericeric at August 29, 2007 8:57 AM

Cary Grant
Gary Cooper
Joel McCrea
Gene Kelly
Jim Hutton

Posted by: Stephanie at August 29, 2007 9:03 AM

I've put way too much thought into this so here in no order are:

Yul Brenner - Even dead for decades he's still making the ladies swoon...the weird thing is I got into him through his photography...then I heard 'the voice' and was a devotee.

Robert Vaughn - Mmmm...'The Young Philadephians' then 'Magnificent Seven'...bestill my heart...he can do more with a shift of his eyes than anyone else I've seen on screen.

James Coburn - I really am a sucker for a great voice and even when he was old enough to my my granddaddy Coburns gave me chills.

Steve McQueen - Hmmm...any one else sensing a theme?? Anyone who needs to ask why must not have eyes or ears.

Gene Kelly - Wow...yeah...proof that not all male dancers were sissies like Fred Astaire.

Then the ladies:

Bettie Page - The woman was stunning...too bad about that born again thing later in life but she's still an idol of mine.

Mae West - Ok...sure she's a little earlier but I can't resist. She's my favorite.

Vivian Leigh - She was crazy as hell but just as beautiful...oh to have come between her and Olivier.

Rita Hayworth - As a redhead I have to look after my own.

Grace Kelly - I'm a Hitchcock fan...and he loved her almost as much as the camera.

Posted by: Ms. Parker at August 29, 2007 9:16 AM

I don't care if I'm late to this diversion, I'm goin' in...

1. Cary Grant. He is perfection. I have had a deep and abiding love for Cary Grant for as long as I can remember. I actually find it moving that so many people want to do him. I worry that he is forgotten. When I arrived at university I put a picture of him on my wall and was asked why I had a picture of Rock Hudson up. HERESY!

Cary Grant is perfection, but he is like a ming vase: too perfect to touch. I'd rather just stare at him.

So if I can't bring myself to touch Cary...

2. Gregory Peck - I taught ESL to adults and we watched Roman Holiday to accomodate the deep and abiding love for Audrey Hepburn felt by the Japanese students. Every so often they would hear my voice saying, "Oh my God" a la Higgins on Magnum PI because Peck was so incredible looking.

3. Peter O'Toole - Although he is not dead, he is the same age as my father and that kind of kills it. What's New Pussycat mode.

4. William Powell - Thin Man mode

5. Hmmm. Marlon Brando and those arms?

Gene Kelly and those thighs?

James Mason and that voice? Better yet, Claude Rains and THAT voice?

Barry Fitzgerald? Just kidding!

Elizabeth Taylor is one of history's all time great beauties and I guess I have to have one woman on the list, but why would I want to squander this chance on a woman?

A time machine so I can go to the future and request Daniel Craig?

Just for fun here is my guess at my husband's list:

1. Natalie Wood (This one would be enough for him)
2. Ingrid Bergman (I told him I couldn't see it and he told me to get glasses)
3. Anne Baxter in The 10 Commandments

Posted by: Henry at August 29, 2007 9:28 AM

Here are my five:

1. Elizabeth Taylor - it simply doesn't get any hotter than this. She is my #1 of all-time and I'd still hit it to this day, old or not.

2. Jane Russell - she captured me in Gentleman Prefer Blondes, which isn't easy starring opposite Marilyn. She is exceptionally sexy in His Kind of Woman.

3. Dorothy Malone - kind of unknown, but damn she was smoking. Her sexual exuberance was intoxicating in Written on the Wind. I was hers after that.

4. Grace Kelly - pure beauty.

5. (tie) Maureen O'Hara - gotta stick with my Irish gal. Daddy likey red hair.
(tie) Michele Mercier - watch Shoot the Piano Player and tell me she's not stunning.

Honorable mentions:

Gina Lollabrigida
Katy Jurado - seen High Noon? Yowser.
Anita Ekberg
Janet Leigh
Monica Vitti
Cyd Charisse - those legs, that flexibility.

Posted by: Harmonov at August 29, 2007 9:42 AM

Posted by: Matt at August 28, 2007 8:57 PM

3. Mercedes McCambridge

Mercedes McCambridge? MERCEDES MCCAMBRIDGE?! That should get some sort of prize.

Posted by: Henry at August 29, 2007 9:43 AM

I'm shocked by how many people chose Cary Grant. Sure, he's handsome, funny and stylish but I'm not sure about his overall sex appeal. Maybe it's just me. I don't really fancy George Clooney as much as I'd love to get drunk playing poker with him.

So without further ado:

Alternate - Steve McQueen
5 - Rita Hayworth/Elizabeth Taylor
4 - James Dean
3 - Montgomery Clift
2 - Marlon Brando
1 - Paul Newman

Seriously. Is any man living or dead half as sexy as Paul Newman? I think not.

Posted by: amanda at August 29, 2007 10:00 AM

Hmmm...

1. Paul Newman
2. Gene Kelly (don't judge)
3. Marlon Brando
4. Sir Laurence Olivier
5. Cary Grant

...and for the women, Audrey Hepburn and Vivien Leigh. Every time my sister made me watch "Gone with the Wind" I couldn't believe how beautiful she was.

Posted by: em at August 29, 2007 10:10 AM

Shit - I'm always late to the game on these!!!

1) Marlene Dietrich (she was on my top 5 of the same sex freebie anyways...)
2) Marilyn Monroe (do I really need to explain?)
3) Errol Flynn/Basil Rathbone sandwich (mmmmmmmmmm, tights and swords)
4) Robert Mitchum (I likes me some bad boyz...he was the best!)
5) Yul Brynner (please reference Amy's comment above, no more explanation needed)

Posted by: Jessi1974 at August 29, 2007 10:16 AM

Humphrey Bogart,
Cary Grant,
James Stewart,
Bing Crosby (shut up, he was adorable),
and sexy old James Dean.

I would've said Gregory Peck, but his character in To Kill a Mockingbird really reminds me of my dad. And that's weird.

Posted by: Maddy at August 29, 2007 10:20 AM

1) Like everyone else, Cary Grant--loved him in Bringing up Baby, playing ultra goofy, loved him in Hitchcock, hell, even loved him in Father Goose....just....oooooh

2) Jimmy Stewart--it could be a wonderful life!!

3) Young Peter O'Toole---absolutely melted my panties in Lawrence of Arabia

4) Tim Hutton--goofy, sweet, adorable

5) Paul Newman---please, PLEASE ride me around on the front of that bike!

Same Sex:
1) Vivien Leigh

2) Rita Hayworth

3) Ingrid Bergman

4) Olivia DeHavilland

5) Katherine Hepburn

Posted by: dammitjanet at August 29, 2007 10:31 AM

I don't know older movies nearly well enough to come up with five, but...

1. Grace Kelly. The first shot of her in Rear Window, leaning in to kiss Jimmy Stewart, hit me like a sledgehammer.
2. Gene Tierney. Just saw Laura the other day. Lord, what a beautiful woman.
3. Kim Novak. She looks like she'd just as soon grind you beneath her heel as smile at you, but I'd take either.

Posted by: Todd at August 29, 2007 10:34 AM

okay...direct and to the point....

1. Marlon Brando - STELLA!!!!!!! What I would have given...that tight tshirt with all the great body sweat....WOOOWEEE!!! I could die a very happy woman!

2. Paul Newman - those eyes...nuff said

3. Robert Mitchum - another tight tshirt and THAT LOOK....

4. Cary Grant - he is universal and deservedly so...

5. Yul Brenner - Rameses......I would like it..I know I would!!!!

Posted by: Bevo at August 29, 2007 10:41 AM

Peter O'Toole - I don't think I really have to justify this...
Myrna Loy - If I'm allowed to go for a threesome I'll throw in William Powell, but otherwise he only makes my top 15. What can I say? I love Nick and Nora Charles.
Grace Kelly - Honestly now, this needs no explanation.
Gene Kelley - He dances a little bit, "There's a smile on my face!"
Jimmy Stewart - He's just a nice good 'ol boy.

Posted by: the maljax at August 29, 2007 10:46 AM

1)Paul Newman
2)Marlon Brando
3)James Dean
4)Elizabeth Taylor
5)Rita Hayworth

Posted by: Marg at August 29, 2007 11:02 AM

1. Cary Grant
2. Yul Brenner-he is the reason I love bald/balding men. Que balls try harder!!!
3. Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward
4. Kate Hepburn and Spencer Tracy
5. Audrey Hepburn

Posted by: lively at August 29, 2007 11:04 AM

oops, I mean JIM Hutton...although I've always like Tim, too, but Jim in The Horizontal Lieutenant is just too cute for words!

Can I squeeze Rosalind Russell on my same sex list? Or Hayley Mills?

Posted by: dammitjanet at August 29, 2007 11:19 AM

Jimmy Stewart (always had a thing for that guy)
Ingrid Bergman
Maureen O'Hara
Gregory Peck
John Wayne (as in The Quiet Man)

Posted by: scullypdx at August 29, 2007 11:26 AM

Shit, I forgot about Gary (Motherfucking) Cooper, Rod Taylor and Burt Lancaster. Once you've seen Burt in THE CRIMSON PIRATE, there's no turning back.

Posted by: Andrew at August 29, 2007 11:41 AM

James Dean
James Dean
James Dean
James Dean
um... James Dean

Posted by: David at August 29, 2007 11:43 AM

I have so many more than five.

1. Marlon Brando--A Streetcar Named Desire, On the Waterfront, The Wild One ?! Seriously? Hel-loooo Nurse!

2. Frank Sinatra--I know he's technically a singer, but hey, he acted! And I kinda like the scrawny cause he sorta reminds me of my granddad and... okay so Freud was right. Sue me. Oh! Remember the song in Guys and Dolls with the "Sue Me"? This is so not a feeling I'm having that's appropriate for work.

3. James Dean--Just freaking duh, already.

4. Paul Newman--I had a boyfriend that looked just like him. And sadly, now I can't watch his movies because I'm reminded of said boyfriend. But I can't even think of A Different Kind of Love without getting all scrunchy in my tummy over this guy. And yeah, even though he's really old and frail I'd still give him a toss.

5. Yul fucking Brynner--that scene in The King and I when he reaches for Deborah Kerr and you don't know if he's gonna fuck her right there on the floor or smack her into a Chinese New Year...Seriously folks, I short circuit.

Okay--honorable mentions go to five women because this was a time period in which I would have been a total jezabel devil woman in a blue dress disguise and half of Hollywood would have born my stamp of evil sexual excess.

1. Maureen O'Hara--I love her so much I want to crawl up inside her and look out her eyeballs. That was meant to be flattering, not scary.

2. Marilyn Monroe--'nuff said.

3. Ava Gardner--she Frank's soul mate, from my state, and just, just... damn. The cat's eyes. The sultriness. *sigh* I hate living in an age that's defined by the cold nakedness of technology and not the warmth of, well, misogyny, propaganda, strict morality, and... oh wait. No, I meant to say I want to be twenty something and living in the mid-century glam years.

4. Liz Taylor--before her marriage to Richard Burton she was more yummy and less crazy. I'm telling you, living with an alcoholic takes it's toll, man.

5. Three Way Tie--Vivian Leigh/Errol Flynn/Natalie Wood--Viv goes without saying, her best role was my namesake and she's just yummy. Errol, I feel, would appreciate being sandwiched between to lovely ladies as anybody who knows anything about him would agree, and Natty because she's just cute as mess.

Wow. I need a cigarette.

Posted by: Scarlett at August 29, 2007 11:54 AM

1. Gregory Peck
2. Robert Donat
3. Lawrence Olivier
4. Jimmy Stewart
5. Burt Lamcaster

Honerable mentions due to completely wrong era:
Alain Delon (too late)
Ivor Novello (too early and too gay)

Some of these may not be from the right era but I don't care. Taking noir and Hitchcock film classes at the same time really screwed me up, I wound up with massive crushes on dead guys.

Posted by: Christ at August 29, 2007 12:02 PM

Kim Novak. She looks like she'd just as soon grind you beneath her heel as smile at you, but I'd take either.

I HAD to come back and agree with you on this. I can't believe that I forgot her! She's just stunned that Jimmy Stewart's got her panties in a twist in Bell Book and Candle.

Posted by: Meander at August 29, 2007 12:19 PM

1. Gregory Peck
2. Clark Gable "It Happened One Night" indeed
3. Van Johnson
4. William Holden
5. Claudette Colbert

Posted by: lyricalcatt at August 29, 2007 12:44 PM

Dang I did it too fast as usual. Forgot about Marlon Brando in guys and dolls...roar!
And I loved Howard Keel in 7 brides for 7 brothers and Franchot Tone and Elizabeth Taylor and Vivien Leigh. There are so many. I was really into the classics when I was a teen.

Posted by: lyricalcatt at August 29, 2007 12:55 PM

1) Audrey Hepburn. I could drown in those eyes. She's a timeless sex symbol from the poster to Breakfast at Tiffany's alone. Ava Gardner comes a close second for the classy brunette category.

2) Katharine Hepburn. While Audrey is the personification of adorable, Katharine is handsome and brainy. She's the equal of any man, and that's pretty damn sexy.

3) Gregory Peck. Not that I don't love James Stewart, but Atticus Finch takes home the prize of nice boy in a great suit, and The Guns of Navarone the year before confirms his utter manliness. I realize those were '62 and '61 respectively, but he was established, so I'm ignoring that. Perhaps we can have a Roman Holiday three-way with Audrey.

4) Margarita Carmen Dolores Cansino, AKA Rita Hayworth. Being part Hispanic myself, I have to have to give her props just for trailblazing. Toss in that WWII pinup and sexually charged turn in The Lady From Shanghai, and you see can the latin people have far more to offer than Jessica Alba or Selma Hayak.

5) Errol Flynn. Because every list needs a bad boy who knows how to woo you and show you a good time. Extra points for managing it with facial hair.

Posted by: Seamus G at August 29, 2007 2:26 PM

1. Jimmy Stewart. just absolutely amazing
2. Gregory Peck. I just might have a thing for atticus finch.
3. James Dean.
4. Robert Redford. He hadn't done a movie by 1959, but come on, its a 23-year-old Robert Redford.
5. Grace Kelly

Posted by: liz at August 29, 2007 2:58 PM

1. Lauren Bacall
2. Jimmy Stewart
3. Humphrey Bogart
4. Vivien Leigh
5. Marlon Brando

Posted by: Kay at August 29, 2007 3:31 PM

I have read all through this list and I agree with almost all of them, except: Gene Tierney!!
Did anyone see Leave Her to Heaven or Laura??? She is one of the most beautiful women in history of movies!!!

Posted by: Chris at August 29, 2007 3:46 PM

1. Vivien Leigh...sigh, I had a huge girl crush on her in high school. I even had a poster of her in my room.

2. Clark Gable...I had a thing for Gone With the Wind.

3. Danny Kaye...especially in White Christmas

4. Bing Crosby...White Christmas or Holiday Inn, who cares if he was a drunk that beat his kids. That man can croon.

5. Natalie Wood...another unhealthy obsession in H.S. I love anything she's done.

Posted by: Christina at August 29, 2007 3:58 PM

I may be way late to the party, but I just had to chime in. These are in no particular order. Paul Newman (obviously)
Gene Kelly
Ray Milland (I can't believe he hasn't been mentioned! Am I really the only one?)
Clark Gable
Marlon Brando (as long as he promises not to sing!)
Like others, I left Mr. Leach off the list because it goes without saying.


and now for the ladies...Gene Tierney, Kathryn Hepburn, Eva Marie Saint, Jean Hagen (I just love Lena Lamont!)

Posted by: jodester at August 29, 2007 4:08 PM

Lena Horne
Elisabeth Taylor
Ronald Coleman
Rita Hayworth
Rock Hudson

---

Now If I can have 5 pre-1941 people?

Eleanor Powell
Constance Talmadge
Rudolph Valentino
Mae West (wowzers!)
Douglas Fairbanks Jr.
Josephine Baker...okay, I know that's 6...but c'mon!

Posted by: trooper6 at August 29, 2007 4:26 PM

1. Paul Newman (duh)
2. John Wayne (The Quiet Man, oh. my. god.)
3. Humphrey Bogart (obviously)
4. Peter O'Toole (he was in 1 movie prior to 1959, so he counts!)
5. Tie between Alec Guinness and Richard Burton (Look Back in Anger, what a movie and what a man)

No women, sorry.

Posted by: Rachael at August 29, 2007 4:41 PM

1. Leslie Howard, whom I have loved since I was about 13 and saw The Scarlet Pimpernel (a bit out of the time frame but, hey) for the first time. He was lovely.

2. Marlon Brando um, obviously?

3. Fred Astaire Charming and he could dance!

4. Cyd Charisse Her body was killer and she was a bit of an ice queen, plus, did I mention I like dancers?

5. Olivia de Havilland who was absolutly stunning.

Honorable mention goes to Christopher Plummer, who I saw for the first time (even before The Sound of Music) in the film Wind Across the Everglades about an alcoholic conservationist that tries to save the Everglades from development. At the time, as a thirteen or fourteen year old, I wasn't too concerned about the Everglades, but I was interested in Christopher Plummer!

Posted by: Amelia at August 29, 2007 5:01 PM

1)James Dean(No duh)
2)Marlon Brando(Waay before what he was 10 years ago)
3)Rock Hudson(No Problemo here)
4)Clark Gable(Frankly my dear, I do give a damn!)
5)Russ Tamblyn(Always a Jet, always)

Posted by: Ben at August 29, 2007 5:11 PM

1. Clark Gable
2. Cary Grant
3. Vincent Price
4. James Dean
5. Frank Sinatra

And pretty much any Hollywood starlet will do. They're all stunning and so much more natural than today's plastic standards.

Posted by: Erica O. at August 29, 2007 5:38 PM

Marilyn Monroe (Gotta love blond, curvy women. Especially since I am one.)
Jimmy Stewart (Gotta love the skinny, nerdy men. Especially since I am not one.)
Humphrey Bogart (The voice. Or maybe the way he wore a hat. Just. Yum.)
Katharine Hepburn (Just 'cause she's made of awesome.)
Cary Grant (So handsome. So charming.)


It always strikes me how much smarter stars of yesteryear, even Marilyn Monroe, seem than current celebrities. That adds attraction for everyone on my list.

Posted by: mandasarah at August 29, 2007 7:04 PM

I think only one other person said Claudette Colbert so... I'll be the other

Posted by: RG at August 29, 2007 8:10 PM

It's hard to think of any stars today who could hold a candle to the people we've all been listing. Here's my list in no particular order.

Women:
Sophia Loren
Grace Kelly
Ava Gardner
Dorothy Dandridge
Elizabeth Taylor

Men:
Steve McQueen
James Dean
Clark Gable
Sidney Poitier
Yul Brynner

I think my computer is starting to smoke from all the hotness here.

Posted by: Lilywise at August 29, 2007 8:32 PM

Richard Davalos
Ingrid Bergman
Montgomery Clift
Paul Newman
Steve McQueen

Posted by: goldend at August 29, 2007 11:10 PM

1. Cary Grant
2. Cary Grant
3. Cary Grant

Noticing a pattern here?

Posted by: Nadha at August 29, 2007 11:28 PM

I would like to amend with a: 5.Errol Flynn.

Posted by: Nadha at August 29, 2007 11:29 PM

I've got to second Nate above on the threeway with Bogart and Bacall--that would be HOT!
so I'll count Bogie/Bacall as one and for the rest:

-Dorothy Dandridge

-young Paul Newman

-Ava Gardner

-young Marlon Brando

Posted by: leah at August 30, 2007 12:07 AM

1. Yul Brynner
2. Kirk Douglas
3. Dana Andrews
4. Joseph Cotten
5. Jean Arthur

How about a future comment diversion covering freebies from the 1959-198x era? I feel the need to publicly declare my lust for young Clint Eastwood and Ryan O'Neal. Oops, I guess I just did.

Posted by: KRK at August 30, 2007 3:14 AM

The incomparably pretty Montgomery Clift.

Posted by: Samantha T at August 30, 2007 9:18 AM

KRK - I hear you on the Clint Eastwood. I'd hit that even today. I think it's the way his eyes twinkle when he grins. Irresistible.

Posted by: s. pisaster at August 30, 2007 9:51 AM

1. Paul Newman
2. Errol Flynn
3. Gene Kelley
4. Jack Lemmon

Posted by: Stella at August 30, 2007 10:53 AM

I'm a little late to the party but how about:

1. Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock. Those legs! Those hands!
2. Judy Garland in A Star is Born. Her voice gave me chills. I'd get in bed with her for that.
3. Burt Lancaster because he seems like a very kind man.
4. Gordon MacRae (get the feeling I like people who can sing?)
5. Joan Crawford in Mildred Pierce. It might be fun to have her as a dominatrix...

Posted by: LHN at August 30, 2007 11:09 AM

1. Cary Grant.
2. Paul Newman. Because I have eyes
3. Sidney Poitier
4. Gregory Peck
5. Grace Kelly.

Posted by: Fionna at August 30, 2007 1:36 PM

1. Humphrey Bogart. Because damn. I could watch The Maltese Falcon and the horse race scene in The Big Sleep on a loop for the rest of my life and still be blown away by the hotness.
2. Orson Wells
3. Myrna Loy
4. Audrey Hepburn. But I think I'd rather just look at her all day, and then ask for fashion advice. And then look at her again.
5. Paul Henried. Dude was smokin' in Now, Voyager and even more so in Casablanca

Posted by: Lori at August 30, 2007 4:05 PM

I skimmed through everyone's answers and all I can say is Holy Shit! No Elvis Presley anywhere?

Posted by: Ed Newman at August 30, 2007 4:50 PM

1) Robert Mitchum (because he was hot hot hot in Night of the Hunter)
2) Anita Ekberg
3) Charlie Chaplin (I know this is weird but he turns me on!)
4) Lee Marvin
5) Bette Davis

Posted by: um at August 30, 2007 5:14 PM

Ednewman...Elvis was on my list...

L

Posted by: LHN at August 31, 2007 7:34 AM

1. Paul effing Newman
2. Vivien Leigh
3. Elizabeth Taylor
4. Grace Kelly
5. Donna Reed

And I'm a straight girl! However, I think the women of that time period were more breathtaking than the men, in general. Except for Paul Newman, who is possibly the most beautiful human being to have ever walked the planet--IMHO, of course.

Posted by: Becca at August 31, 2007 9:54 AM

I have to change my #5. I do love Jean Arthur, but for a magically bisexual freebie with a star from the Golden Age, it would have to be Linda Darnell.

Posted by: KRK at August 31, 2007 12:00 PM

1. Gregory Peck--yeowwee, Atticus Finch was a hottie!
2. Paul Newman--what's not to love? That beautiful face, those eyes, and charitable! Swoon.
3. Cary Grant--he should be (and just about is) on everyone's list. George Clooney owes this man his career, since there hasn't been a suave mother fucker like Grant around in years...
4. George Peppard--how can he be left out? Granted, he wasn't really swoonworthy until Breakfast at Tiffany's which is 2 years after the deadline, but he was in plenty of other stuff before that....
5. Gene Kelly--okay, I may be twisted, but even thought he was attractive in Xanadu. I have issues, but the man had talent and charisma.

Posted by: beebee at August 31, 2007 2:32 PM

1. Gregory Peck--yeowwee, Atticus Finch was a hottie!
2. Paul Newman--what's not to love? That beautiful face, those eyes, and charitable! Swoon.
3. Cary Grant--he should be (and just about is) on everyone's list. George Clooney owes this man his career, since there hasn't been a suave mother fucker like Grant around in years...
4. George Peppard--how can he be left out? Granted, he wasn't really swoonworthy until Breakfast at Tiffany's which is 2 years after the deadline, but he was in plenty of other stuff before that....
5. Gene Kelly--okay, I may be twisted, but even thought he was attractive in Xanadu. I have issues, but the man had talent and charisma.

Posted by: beebee at August 31, 2007 2:33 PM

Let me see, now...
1)Marlon Brando
2)Marlon Brando
3)Marlon Brando
4)Cary Grant
5)Marlon Brando

Yup, sounds about right.

Posted by: claire1 at August 31, 2007 4:23 PM

1. Rossano Brazzi (You have to see "Summertime" with he and K. Hepburn. Seriously, sex.)


2. Cary Grant


3. Paul Newman


4. Warren Beatty/Robert Reford for a young sandwich


5. And who shall I go gay with? Either Grace Kelly or Natalie Wood...

Posted by: Stacey at August 31, 2007 5:46 PM

Everyone forgot

Jean Tierney,
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir!
Hottie to the max!

Posted by: samson at August 31, 2007 7:46 PM

Cliff Robertson: Big Kahuna in "Gidget". I was seven years old the first time I saw it and knew even then that he was WAY hotter than freaking Moondoggie.


Humphrey Bogart
Cary Grant
Paul Newman
Paul Henreid

Posted by: Finn at September 1, 2007 1:37 AM

Cliff Robertson: Big Kahuna in "Gidget". I was seven years old the first time I saw it and knew even then that he was WAY hotter than freaking Moondoggie.


Humphrey Bogart
Cary Grant
Paul Newman
Paul Henreid

Posted by: Finn at September 1, 2007 1:38 AM

Newman-still as sexy as hell

Eastwood

Bogart

Marilyn Monroe

Sophia Loren

Posted by: djo at September 1, 2007 9:35 AM

1. Jimmy Stewart
2. Orson Wells (Citizen Kane era)
3. James Coburn
4. Gregory Peck
5. Paul Newman

Honourable mentions to Clark Gable, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen & Gene Kelly (meaning a make out session would be acceptable, sex would not).

Truthfully all I'd ever need would be 1 and/or 2.

Posted by: allee at September 1, 2007 10:30 AM

What about the Scotts? Zachary, Randolph and Lizabeth are all perfect in his/her own way.

Posted by: Arkansan at September 1, 2007 10:50 AM

1. Gary Cooper
2. Jimmy Stewart
3. Gregory Peck
4. Walter Pidgeon
5. Van Johnson

Posted by: Becca at September 1, 2007 11:19 AM

1. Clark Gable!!
2. Humphrey Bogart
3. Jimmy Stewart
4. Marlon Brando
5. Ingrid Bergman

Posted by: Chesnut at September 3, 2007 1:30 AM

1. Gregory Peck
2. Gregory Peck
3. Gregory Peck
4. Marlon Brando
5. Ava Gardner

Posted by: Sasha at September 4, 2007 8:50 AM

1. Marlon Brando
2. Sir Laurence Olivier
3. James Dean
4. Gregory Peck
5. Montgomery Clift, in the fantasyland in which Montgomery Clift was straight.

Posted by: Katie at September 4, 2007 9:49 PM

Yikes! Too easy and too predictable:
1. Tyrone Power (pure swaggering Testosterone);
2. Gregory Peck (decency on three legs);
3. Montgomery Clift (human Viagra);
4. Paul Newman (most beautiful man God ever made); and,
5. Rita Hayworth (most beautiful woman God ever made).

Posted by: rudy at September 6, 2007 6:59 AM

1.James Dean
2.James Dean
3.James Dean
4.James Dean
5.James Dean

Posted by: Kate at September 23, 2007 4:08 PM