#esther howard

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"You can't just go around killin' people whenever the notion strikes you. It's not feasible." — BORN TO KILL (1947) dir. Robert Wise

[oldshowbiz]

I went to a beach in San Francisco to watch a sunset and then when I got back to my hotel I learned that it was the exact spot where Elisha Cook Jr. attempts to murder Esther Howard in the film noir classic Born to Kill (1947)

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Here are 10 things you should know about Esther Howard, born 132 years ago today. Following a successful decade on Broadway, she became one of Hollywood's most prolific character actresses.

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Hail the Conquering Hero (1944) Preston Sturges

September 5th 2023

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Oliver Hardy-Stan Laurel-Esther Howard "El gran estruendo" (The big noise) 1944, de Malcolm St. Clair.

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Hail the Conquering Hero

I don’t know if a perfect comedy exists, but Preston Sturges’ HAIL THE CONQUERING HERO (1944, YouTube), his last Paramount release, comes pretty darn close. Its mesh of pixilated idea, human truth and graceful direction is almost irresistible.

 Eddie Bracken stars as a 4F who lets a group of Marines headed by William Demarest convince him to go back to his small town posing as a war hero (just to make his mother happy). The action snowballs from there in true farce manner, while also leading Bracken to question the whole scheme.

Sturges’ physical staging is just terrific, starting with the opening shot that tracks from a tap dancer in a nightclub to Bracken sitting alone at the bar. The various parades dotting the film and the organized chaos of the crowd scenes are all impeccably directed. The crowded compositions are alive with details and comic bits you may not notice on a first viewing. No matter how crazy the action gets, the screen is alive and surprisingly grounded in character.

As in all of Sturges’ films, the comic timing is sheer perfection, particularly in the scenes between Bracken and Demarest. Demarest’s cantankerous personality, his stock-in-trade, becomes a running gag. You’re eager to see how he’ll respond to each new plot development. And Bracken gives the performance of his career, combining his natural facility for clowning with some deeply human moments as he tries to tell the truth to his ex-girlfriend (a luminous Ella Raines).  And the supporting cast is terrific. In one of his best roles, eternally nelly Franklin Pangborn is the town’s harried event planner. He’s joined by Elizabeth Patterson as Raines’ dotty aunt, Raymond Walburn as the town’s vainglorious mayor, Freddie Steele as a mother-obsessed Marine, Jimmy Conlin as the town judge and a personal favorite, Esther Howard, less blowsy than usual, as Walburn’s good-natured, slightly daffy (bur often quite right) wife.

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Walter Slezak and Esther Howard in a scene from Born to Kill (1947). This is Walt's third honorable mention, after Lifeboat and Riff Raff.

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A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (2022)

E07: Full Count — directed by Silas Howard

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Ava Gardner with Howard Duff and Esther Williams, c.1948

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[oldshowbiz]

Esther Howard

[disneybooklist]

The Young Loner (1968)

The Loner by Esther Weir (1963)

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Esther Howard (Butte, Montana, 4/04/1892-Los Angeles, California 8/03/1965).

[aglimpseofsomethingintimate]

I don’t know how explicitly incestuous Nathaniel and Esther will go rn tbh. Thinking about this post and you know how my ass loves themes and motifs… I’ll get this out of the way— Howard WOULD spy on Nate having sex 🫵 freak. Howard would probably spy on Nathaniel too but I don’t think Nathaniel fucks in the cursed family house I’m going to be real. It kind of kills the vibes. Anyway rn thinking of Esther spying on Nathaniel having sex, not in an explicitly sexual or incestuous way but almost a way of watching out/making sure her brother is ok and enjoying himself. Basically even weirder than if they just wanted to bone. Protective big sister instincts! Nathaniel would also watch over Esther if she wanted him too. Weird siblings 🫶

[howardhawkshollywoodannex]

Born to Kill (1947) was photographed by Robert De Grasse. This is his third honorable mention, after The Body Snatcher and Follow Me Quietly.