Happy Birthday Janet & Carole!!

Today would have been Janet Gaynor's 103 birthday, and Carole Lombard's 101 birthday. These are two of my favorite actresses!

Janet Gaynor was born Laura Augusta Gainor October 6, 1906 in Philadelphia, PA. She was the first woman to win the Academy Award for best actress. The ceremony was held at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood in 1928. I was lucky enough to stay there a few years ago, and was able to see the room that the first Academy Awards was held in. You can imagine how exited I was! Janet Gaynor really didn't know how important the award was at the time, since it was the first. She said that she was more excited to see Douglas Fairbanks. Janet Gaynor died in 1984, and is buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

Carole Lombard was born Jane Alice Peters October 6, 1908 in Fort Wayne, IN. She was one of the biggest stars of her day, the "Queen of Comedy". She was married to William Powell, and later to Clark Gable. On January 16, 1942 Miss Lombard was flying home to California from her home town of Fort Wayne after selling war bonds. The plane crashed in the Las Vegas Mountains killing everyone on board, including Carole's mother. Carole Lombard still has a great fan following today. To read more of her, visit Carla's web site carolelombard.org.

So today I want to honor these wonderful actresses. This week I plan on watching "A Star is Born"(1937), which is my favorite Janet Gaynor film. Also, "No Man of Her Own"(1932), one of my favorite Carole Lombard films. Happy birthday Janet Gaynor and Carole Lombard!