Official MYRNA LOY Fan Site
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JUMP FOR JOY....IT'S MYRNA LOY !!! .. ..
Female
102 years old
Hollywood, CALIFORNIA
United States
Last Login: 6/25/2009
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Official MYRNA LOY Fan Site's Interests
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| General | For five years (1949-54) she served as a film advisor for UNESCO.
She served as an advisor to the National Committee Against Discrimination in Housing.
She made her Broadway debut in the 1973 revival of "The Women".
Hobbies: Sculpturing and dancing.
One of a handful of great movie stars never nominated for an acting Oscar, she received an honorary Academy Award in 1991.
Loy's last film was also the last for Henry Fonda.
She became a founder member of the American Place Theatre, a non-profit theatre set up to help new writers develop.
'Caterina Williams' is sometimes quoted as her real name.
In 1937 Myrna had a narrow escape when her horse bolted during the filming of The Rains Came (1939) with Tyrone Power; she was nearly killed.
Loy donned a uniform during the War when she joined the Hollywood Chapter of 'Bundles for Bluejackets' -- helping to run a Naval Auxiliary Canteen and going on fund raising tours.
Men-Must-Marry-Myrna Clubs were formed due to her portrayal as 'The Perfect Wife.'
A devout Democrat & feminist, she later dismissed her work in the pre-Civil Rights- era movie Ham and Eggs at the Front (1927) as "shameful".
Myrna enrolled at Venice High School -- a school which later named its annual speech and drama awards 'Myrnas'.
Spent her early years on a ranch and in the town of Helena, Montana, which was also the home of Gary Cooper.
When her father was travelling by train in early 1905, he went through a small station called 'Myrna' - he eventually named her after that station.
After graduating from high school in 1923, Myrna got a job dancing in the chorus during the prologue for The Ten Commandments at Grauman's Chinese Theatre.
In 1936 Myrna was named Queen of the Movies and Clark Gable King in a national poll, winning a crown of tin and purple velvet.
In 1918, her father died in a flu epidemic, and Myrna, her mom, and brother moved to LA.
Recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Kennedy Center in 1988.
She organized an opposition to the House Unamerican Activities Committee in Hollywood.
In 1923 she was photographed by Henry Waxman, who showed the pictures to Rudolph Valentino. Impressed with Myrna, Valentino arranged for a screen test for his upcoming film, Cobra (1925). She failed it.
She was a favorite of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Jimmy Stewart.
Her father, at age 21 the youngest man ever elected to the Montana State Legislature, owned a small cattle ranch.
At Venice High school, in the middle of a small rose garden, is a larger-than-life-size statue of actress Myrna Loy. And it was made years before Myrna appeared in a single movie. Actually, it isn't a particularly good likeness of Miss Loy. Standing atop a stone pedestal, back arched, the short-haired figure is semi-nude (wearing only a thin gown which leaves little to the imagination), with one arm raised in a dramatic pose. All three statues were modeled by Venice High students, and the trio are meant to depict the "Mental," "Physical" and "Spiritual." According to the bronze plaque on the east side of the pedestal, the statues were erected in 1921, which means that Myrna Loy (then named Myrna Williams) was only 16 years old when she posed for the "Spiritual" statue - long before she became a celebrity.
Received a Honorary Academy Award in the same year as Sophia Loren.
Her final public appearence was in 1991 when she received her lifetime achievement award during _63rd Annual Academy Awards, The (1991) (TV)_ . She was unable to travel to Hollywood to accept the award in person, so the Academy arranged a live satellite link to her Manhattan apartment. Anjelica Huston introduced the film tribute presentation to her. When the film finished, there was instantaneous rapturous applause and Huston then said, "Here from her apartment in New York is Miss Loy. Congratulations Myrna." Loy appeared live on a large screen from her beautiful New York apartment smiling, and watching intently on her own television. She watched close up shots of fellow same-year Honorary Award recipient Sophia Loren and other audience members applauding. There was unusually no standing ovation, instead audience members remained seated during the applause, this was by no means a snub. She then responded simply and said, "You've made me very happy, thank you very much," to yet further loud applause and then she disappeared from the screen once more.
Myrna Williams made her stage debut at age twelve at Helena's old Marlow Theater in a dance she choreographed, based on "The Blue Bird" from the Rose Dream Operatta.
In honor of Myrna Loy, a poem was created called, Montana Women, which was read at the celebration of her 86th birthday.
Underwent two mastectomies after being diagnosed with breast cancer twice.
Changing last name from Williams to Loy was suggested by legendary pulp writer Paul Cain (AKA Peter Ruric).
Attended Venice High School in Los Angeles, where a statue of her stands (on the front lawn). The same school was featured in the original Grease, American History X and in Chemical Brothers and Britney Spears music videos ("Elektrobank" and "Baby one more time", respectively).
Moved to Manhattan in 1960, where she lived until her death in 1993.
Myrna was Co-Chairman of the Advisory Council of the National Committee against discrimination in housing - exposing segregation in federal funded projects.
Made her stage debut in 1916.
Outspoken against Adolf Hitler in the War, Myrna appeared on his blacklist.
Born on a cattle ranch.
Her mother, Della Williams, was a talented pianist who encouraged Myrna's interest in the arts.
First Actress to work for the UN (UNESCO).
Measurements: 35 1/2-26 1/2-33 1/2 (from MGM's designer Adrian), (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine)
Her profile was the most requested in the 1930s by women to their plastic surgeons.
Appeared in staged prologues at Grauman's Egyptian theater in Los Angeles, before getting her first role in films. The prologues, staged by Fanchon and Marco, were live shows put .. the feature had begun. Myrna appeared in prologues for _Ten Commandments, The (1923)_ and The Thief of Bagdad (1924), among others.
The statue outside Venice High School that bares her likeness is titled 'Inspiration', and has been the target of vandalism and school pranks for decades (Loy mentions in her book that the statue was even decapetated at one point). It is now surrounded by a fence.
Was supposedly the favorite star of famed outlaw John Dillinger. He came out of hiding to see Manhattan Melodrama (1934), in which she starred, and was gunned down by police upon leaving the theater.
William Powell's nickname for her was 'Minnie'.
Subject of the song "Myrna Loy" by The Minus 5.
Her Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) co-star, Jeanne Crain, died exactly ten years to the day after Myrna.
| | Music | Myspace Contact Tables
Myspace Codes | | Movies | "Love, Sidney" (1 episode, 1982)
- Sidney and the Actress (1982) TV Episode
Summer Solstice (1981) (TV) .... Margaret Turner
Just Tell Me What You Want (1980) .... Stella Liberti
The End (1978) .... Maureen Lawson
It Happened at Lakewood Manor (1977) (TV) .... Ethel Adams
... aka Ants (Philippines: English title)
... aka Panic at Lakewood Manor
Airport 1975 (1974) .... Mrs. Devaney
The Elevator (1974) (TV) .... Amanda Kenyon
Indict and Convict (1974) (TV) .... Judge Christine Tayloy
"Ironside" .... Andrea Wollcott (1 episode, 1973)
... aka The Raymond Burr Show (USA: syndication title)
- All About Andrea (1973) TV Episode .... Andrea Wollcott
The Couple Takes a Wife (1972) (TV) .... Mrs. Flanagan (Mother)
Columbo: Étude in Black (1972) (TV) .... Lizzy Fielding
Do Not Fold, Spindle, or Mutilate (1971) (TV) .... Evelyn Tryon
Death Takes a Holiday (1971) (TV) .... Selena Chapman
The April Fools (1969) .... Grace Greenlaw
"The Virginian" .... Mrs. Miles (1 episode, 1967)
... aka The Men from Shiloh (USA: new title)
- Lady of the House (1967) TV Episode .... Mrs. Miles
"Family Affair" .... Adele (1 episode, 1967)
- A Helping Hand (1967) TV Episode .... Adele
Midnight Lace (1960) .... Beatrice ('Aunt Bea') Corman
From the Terrace (1960) .... Martha Eaton
"The DuPont Show with June Allyson" .... Mary Sidney (1 episode, 1960)
... aka The June Allyson Show
- Surprise Party (1960) TV Episode .... Mary Sidney
Meet Me in St. Louis (1959) (TV) .... Mrs. Smith
Lonelyhearts (1958) .... Florence Shrike
... aka Miss Lonelyheart
"Schlitz Playhouse of Stars" (1 episode, 1957)
... aka Herald Playhouse (USA: syndication title)
... aka Schlitz Playhouse (USA: new title)
... aka The Playhouse (USA: syndication title)
- No Second Helping (1957) TV Episode
"General Electric Theater" .... Allie Evans / Kate Kennedy / Maggie Webster (3 episodes, 1955-1957)
... aka G.E. Theater (USA: informal short title)
- Love Came Late (1957) TV Episode .... Allie Evans
- Lady of the House (1957) TV Episode .... Maggie Webster
- It Gives Me Great Pleasure (1955) TV Episode .... Kate Kennedy
The Ambassador's Daughter (1956) .... Mrs. Cartwright
Belles on Their Toes (1952) .... Mrs. Lillian Gilbreth
Cheaper by the Dozen (1950) .... Mrs. Lillian Gilbreth
That Dangerous Age (1949) .... Lady Cathy Brooke
... aka If This Be Sin (USA)
The Red Pony (1949) .... Alice Tiflin
... aka John Steinbeck's The Red Pony (USA: complete title)
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948) .... Muriel Blandings
The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947) (uncredited) .... Cameo appearance (Mrs Ashton)
... aka Mr. Ashton Was Indiscreet (UK)
Song of the Thin Man (1947) .... Nora Charles
The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer (1947) .... Judge Margaret Turner
... aka Bachelor Knight (UK)
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) .... Milly Stephenson
... aka Samuel Goldwyn's The Best Years of Our Lives (USA: poster title)
So Goes My Love (1946) .... Jane
... aka A Genius in the Family (UK)
The Thin Man Goes Home (1945) .... Nora Charles
Shadow of the Thin Man (1941) .... Nora Charles
Love Crazy (1941) .... Susan Ireland
Third Finger, Left Hand (1940) .... Margot Sherwood Merrick
I Love You Again (1940) .... Katherine 'Kay' Wilson
Another Thin Man (1939) .... Nora Charles
... aka Return of the Thin Man (USA: promotional title)
The Rains Came (1939) .... Lady Edwina Esketh
Lucky Night (1939) .... Cora Jordan Overton
Too Hot to Handle (1938) .... Alma Harding
Test Pilot (1938) .... Ann Barton
Man-Proof (1938) .... Mimi Swift
Double Wedding (1937) .... Margit 'Baby' Agnew
Parnell (1937) .... Mrs. Katie O'Shea
After the Thin Man (1936) .... Nora Charles
Libeled Lady (1936) .... Connie Allenbury
To Mary - with Love (1936) .... Mary Wallace
The Great Ziegfeld (1936) .... Billie Burke
Petticoat Fever (1936) .... Irene Campton
Wife vs. Secretary (1936) .... Linda Stanhope
Whipsaw (1935) .... Vivian Palmer
Wings in the Dark (1935) .... Sheila Mason
Broadway Bill (1934) .... Alice Higgins
... aka Strictly Confidential (UK)
Evelyn Prentice (1934) .... Evelyn Prentice
Stamboul Quest (1934) .... Annemarie, aka Fräulein Doktor and Helena Bohlen
The Thin Man (1934) .... Nora Charles
Manhattan Melodrama (1934) .... Eleanor Packer
Men in White (1934) .... Laura Hudson
Night Flight (1933) .... Wife of Brazilian pilot
Penthouse (1933) .... Gertie Waxted
... aka Crooks in Clover (UK)
When Ladies Meet (1933) .... Mary Howard
... aka Strange Skirts (USA: TV title)
... aka Truth Is Stranger (USA: TV title)
The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933) .... Belle Mercer Morgan
... aka Every Woman's Man
The Barbarian (1933) .... Diana 'Di' Standing
... aka A Night in Cairo (UK)
... aka Man of the Nile
... aka The Arab
Topaze (1933/I) .... Coco
The Animal Kingdom (1932) .... Cecilia 'Cee' Henry Collier
... aka The Woman in His House (UK)
The Mask of Fu Manchu (1932) .... Fah Lo See
Thirteen Women (1932) .... Ursula Georgi
Love Me Tonight (1932) .... Countess Valentine
New Morals for Old (1932) .... Myra
The Woman in Room 13 (1932) .... Sari Loder
The Wet Parade (1932) .... Eileen Pinchon
Vanity Fair (1932/I) .... Becky Sharp
Emma (1932) .... Countess Isabelle 'Izzy' Smith Marlin
Arrowsmith (1931) .... Joyce Lanyon
Consolation Marriage (1931) .... Elaine Brandon
... aka Married in Haste
Skyline (1931) .... Paula Lambert
Transatlantic (1931) .... Kay Graham
Rebound (1931) .... Evie Lawrence
Hush Money (1931) .... Flo Curtis
A Connecticut Yankee (1931) .... Morgan le Fay
... aka The Yankee at King Arthur's Court (UK)
Body and Soul (1931) .... Alice Lester
The Naughty Flirt (1931) .... Linda Gregory
The Devil to Pay! (1930) .... Mary Crayle
Rogue of the Rio Grande (1930) .... Carmita
The Truth About Youth (1930) .... Kara - the Firefly
Renegades (1930) .... Eleanore
The Bad Man (1930)
The Jazz Cinderella (1930) .... Mildred Vane
... aka Love Is Like That (UK)
The Last of the Duanes (1930) .... Lola Bland
Bride of the Regiment (1930) .... Sophie
... aka Lady of the Rose (UK)
Cock o' the Walk (1930) .... Narita
Under a Texas Moon (1930) .... Lolita Romero
Isle of Escape (1930) .... Moira
Cameo Kirby (1930) .... Lea
The Show of Shows (1929) .... What Became of the Floradora Boys' and 'Chinese Fantasy numbers
Evidence (1929) .... Native Girl
The Great Divide (1929) .... Manuella
The Squall (1929) .... Nubi
The Black Watch (1929) .... Yasmani
... aka King of the Khyber Rifles (UK)
The Desert Song (1929) .... Azuri
Hardboiled Rose (1929) .... Rose Duhamel
Fancy Baggage (1929) .... Myrna
Noah's Ark (1928) .... Dancer/Slave Girl
The Midnight Taxi (1928) .... Gertie Fairfax
State Street Sadie (1928) .... Isobel
... aka The Girl from State Street (UK)
Pay as You Enter (1928) .... Yvonne De Russo
The Crimson City (1928) .... Isobel/State Street Sadie
Turn Back the Hours (1928) .... Tiza Torreon
... aka The Badge of Courage
A Girl in Every Port (1928) (uncredited) .... Girl in China
Beware of Married Men (1928) .... Juanita Sheldon
Ham and Eggs at the Front (1927) .... Fifi
... aka Ham and Eggs (copyright title)
If I Were Single (1927) .... Joan Whitley
The Girl from Chicago (1927) .... Mary Carlton
The Jazz Singer (1927) (uncredited) .... Chorus girl
A Sailor's Sweetheart (1927) .... Claudette Ralston
The Heart of Maryland (1927) .... Mulatta
Simple Sis (1927) .... Edith Van
The Climbers (1927) .... Countess Veya
Bitter Apples (1927) .... Belinda White
When a Man Loves (1927) (uncredited) .... Convict Extra
... aka His Lady (UK)
Finger Prints (1927) .... Vamp
The Third Degree (1926) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
Across the Pacific (1926) .... Roma
Don Juan (1926) .... Mai, Lady in Waiting
So This Is Paris (1926) .... Maid
Exquisite Sinner (1926) .... Living statue
The Gilded Highway (1926) .... Inez Quartz
Why Girls Go Back Home (1926) .... Sally Short
The Love Toy (1926) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
The Caveman (1926) .... Maid
Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925) (uncredited) .... Hedonist (Bit Part)
... aka Ben-Hur (USA: short title)
Sporting Life (1925) (uncredited) .... Chorus Girl with Lord Wainwright
Pretty Ladies (1925) (uncredited) .... Bit Part
The Wanderer (1925) (uncredited) .... Girl at Baccanal
What Price Beauty? (1925) .... Vamp
| | Heroes | NICKNAMES : Queen of Hollywood
The Perfect Wife
Queen of the Movies
Minnie |
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Official MYRNA LOY Fan Site's Details
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| Status: | In a Relationship | | Here for: | Networking, Friends | | Orientation: | Straight | | Hometown: | MONTANA | | Body type: | 5' 6" / Slim / Slender | | Ethnicity: | White / Caucasian | | Zodiac Sign: | Leo | | Education: | Some college | | Occupation: | Wonderful Actress | | Income: | $250,000 and Higher |
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Official MYRNA LOY Fan Site's Blurbs |
About me:
Myrna Williams, later to become Myrna Loy, was born on August 2, 1905 in Radersburg, Montana. Her father was the youngest person ever elected to the Montana State legislature. Later on her family moved to Helena where she spent her youth. At the age of 13, Myrna's father died of influenza and the rest of the family moved to Los Angeles. She was educated in L.A. and the Westlake School for Girls where she caught the acting bug. She started at the age of 15 when she appeared in local stage productions in order to help support her family. Some of the stage plays were held in the now famous Grauman's Theater in Hollywood. Mrs. Rudolph Valentino happened to be in the audience one night who managed to pull some strings to get Myrna some parts in the motion picture industry. Her first film was a small part in the production of What Price Beauty? (1925). Later she appeared the same year in Pretty Ladies (1925) along with Joan Crawford. She was one of the few stars that would start in the silent movies and make a successful transition into the sound era. In the silent films, Myrna would appear as an exotic femme fatale. Later in the sound era, she would become a refined, wholesome character. Unable to land a contract with MGM, she continued to appear in small, bit roles, nothing that one could really call acting. In 1926, Myrna appeared in the Warner Brothers film called Satan in Sables (1925) which, at long last, landed her a contract. Her first appearance as a contract player was The Caveman (1926) where she played a maid. Although she was typecast over and over again as a vamp, Myrna continued to stay busy with small parts. Finally, in 1927, she received star billing in Bitter Apples (1927). The excitement was short lived as she returned to the usual smaller roles afterward. Myrna would take any role that would give her exposure and showcase the talent she felt was being wasted. It seemed that she would play one vamp after another. She wanted something better. Finally her contract ran out with warner and she signed with MGM where she got two meaty roles. One was in the The Prizefighter and the Lady (1933), and the other as Nora Charles in The Thin Man (1934) with William Powell. Most agreed that the Thin Man series would never have been successful without Myrna. Her witty perception of situations gave her the image that one could not pull a fast one over on the no-nonsense Mrs. Charles. After The Thin Man (1934), Myrna would appear in five more in the series. Myrna was a big box-office draw. She was popular enough that, in 1936, she was named Queen of the Movies and Clark Gable the king in a nationwide poll of movie goers. Her popularity was at its zenith. She continued to make films through the 40s and 50s but the roles were fewer and fewer. By the 1960's the parts had all but dried up as producers and directors looked elsewhere for talent. In 1960 she appeared in Midnight Lace (1960) and was not in another until 1969 in The April Fools (1969). The 1970s found her in TV movies, not theatrical productions. Her last film was in 1981 called Summer Solstice (1981) (TV). By the time Myrna passed away, on December 14, 1993, at the age of 88, she had appeared in a phenomenal 129 motion pictures. She was buried in Helena, Montana.
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Who I'd like to meet:
[On her work with William Powell] "I never enjoyed my work more than when I worked with William Powell. He was a brilliant actor, a delightful companion, a great friend and above all, a true gentleman."
"Life, is not a having and a getting, but a being and a becoming."
"I was a homely kid with freckles that came out every spring and stuck on me till Christmas."
[On her 'Perfect wife' label] "It was a role no one could live up to, really. No telling where my career would have gone if they hadn't hung that title on me. Labels limit you, because they limit your possibilities. But that's how they think in Hollywood."
[speaking in the late 60s] "I admire some of the people on the screen today, but most of them look like everybody else. In our days we had individuality. Pictures were more sophisticated. All this nudity is too excessive and it is getting very boring. It will be a shame if it upsets people so much that it brings on the need for censorship. I hate censorship. In the cinema there's no mystery. No privacy. And no sex either. Most of the sex I've seen on the screen looks like an expression of hostility towards sex."
"I rushed out of the projection room, ran home and cried for hours. I was really ashamed of myself. It was so awful..." [On her screen test for the film Cobra (1923)]
[Challenging MGM bosses in the 1930s] "Why does every black person in the movies have to play a servant? How about a black person walking up the steps of a court house carrying a briefcase?"
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