This is part of the Classic Movie Blog Association’s Forgotten Stars blogathon. Check out the other entries!
When you type Alice Brady into a Google search, a flood of entries appear—but not for the talented actress who won over My Man Godfrey audiences in her role as the flighty head of the Bullock clan. Instead, the character of Alice (Ann B. Davis) from the Brady Bunch pops up. I enjoy my 70s kitsch as much as the next gal, but I find it troubling that the lasting fame of Brady, an actress who already was granted too few years (she died at 46), should be shortchanged as a result of everyone’s favorite cheesy housekeeper. Here are a few reasons why Alice Brady needs to be remembered:
She Could Outdazzle Ginger Rogers
In The Gay Divorcee Aunt Hortense (Alice Brady) hires her former fiancé Egbert (Edward Everett Horton) to help her niece (Ginger Rogers) attain a divorce. While I am amused by Mimi’s (Rogers’s) attempts to divorce her husband and her suitor’s (Fred Astaire) confusion over the hijinks that ensue, their romance is completely outdone by the duo of Horton and Brady, who vie each other for who can be the most foolish. Hortense interprets any of Egbert’s idiotic actions—agreeing with her that geometrists are synonymous with geologists, wearing a finger puppet while conducting business—as signs of his continued love for her. When leaving his office, Hortense becomes weepy, saying, “You know, divorces make me so sentimental. Don’t you wish it was ours?”
This exchange would have been funny with almost any actress. But this is Alice Brady. A few images should give you the idea of just how fun this moment—and their whole romance—is, and just why from that moment forward, I sought out Brady films. Just check out how expressive she can be in one short scene, and this without the delightfully funny trill of her amazing voice:
As a fervent Astaire-Rogers fan, I’m usually annoyed by the subplots that take away from dance number time. But in this case, I was eager to see Hortense again, even becoming impatient with the dancing. Who wouldn’t smile to see the amazing Horton and Brady together?
She Could Do Everything—Drama, Comedy; Film, Stage
Despite her producer dad’s strong objections, Brady, born in 1892, followed the family business by becoming a Broadway actress, and spent her youth alternating between screen and stage, mainly in dramatic roles, including as Lavinia in the first performance of Mourning Becomes Electra.
While I’ve only tracked down one of her many silents, Betsy Ross (1917), its absurd, overdramatic plot is worth viewing if only for this great line: “Thee is too spicy for a Quakeress, Betsy! I fear for thee.” Does any word suit this wonderful actress more?
Brady as Ross
Brady left the screen for a decade, focusing on the stage as Hollywood revolutionized its production. She returned in the sound era with perfect comic timing and delivery, no doubt honed in Broadway roles in such comedies as The Pirates of Penzance.
In typical Oscar fashion, the Academy nominated her for the romantic comedy My Man Godfrey, but only granted her the award when she starred in a drama. She played an Irish mother (Molly O’Leary, owner of the famous arsonist cow) beset by her children’s squabbles in In Old Chicago. What’s fascinating about the film is how understated her performance is, even for the stereotypical tough Irish mom she’s playing. For a woman who verged toward the theatrical in her comic roles, it’s interesting to find her often going for a quiet harrumph rather than a shout.
She Could Spar with William Powell
She’s good in the O’Leary role, but it pales in comparison to her comic gems. I’m not even a fan of My Man Godfrey, which feels a bit preachy to me and relies on too many sets of Carole Lombard hysterics. But I could watch her hangover scene with William Powell all day long.
Her near-comatose presence is so funny given her later zaniness, as is her conviction that pixies are haunting her. When her new butler (Powell) tells her the tomato juice he’s serving is pixie remover, her flat delivery is priceless:
“Oh, then you see them too,” she drones.
“They’re old friends,” he responds.
“Yes, but you mustn’t step on them,” she explains calmly. “I don’t like them. But I don’t like to see them stepped on.”
She may not be remembered as much as she should be, but we classic film buffs would be the poorer without this “spicy” actress.
Random Facts:
A man claimed her Oscar at the Academy Awards when she was too sick to be present; apparently, no one ever had a clue who he was, including Brady.
Brady tried to get massages as a deduction on her income tax, claiming looks essential to her role as an actress, but, as her New York Times obituary writer wryly noted, “The government remained unmoved.”
What’s not to love? And learning that she tried include massages as a deduction only makes me love her more. She was the creme de la creme. Thanks for a swell addition to the blogathon.
Thank you! I know, right? She was so funny. She made a point of comparing it to other business expenses. It made me wonder whether any current stars have ever tried to do the same. Leah
You would think that Oscar would help cement Alice’s reputation, but fame is certainly fickle. It is tragic that she passed so young. I adore her work in “When Ladies Meet” where she is a type, but still entirely unique.
I haven’t seen that one yet! I look forward to it. I think that’s one of the things I love about her. She makes even stereotypes (such as the flighty woman) completely her own. Leah
I just realized I know very little about Alice Brady, but I adore her in “My Man Godfrey”. That hangover scene is a classic. So glad you chose to highlight her for the blogathon!
Thank you. She’s brilliant in it, but the Gay Divorcee is still my favorite…so far. Luckily, I’m not done watching her movies yet!:) Leah
She’s great in Gay Divorcee but I’d say Godfrey is her best and the Oscar she won for In Old Chicago surely a consolation for losing there. I’ve seen quite a few of her films thanks to TCM and I think at least on film comedy was her forte. I’ve read that she was very commanding on stage in drama but then that’s a different medium with a different impact. This was nice to run across today since it happens to be her birthday.
Yes, I agree. She was wonderful in comedies! The Academy doesn’t often give Oscars for comedic roles, though admittedly, supporting roles get a bit more of a chance. I think you’re probably right that this was their chance to honor her, just as Cary Grant finally got a nomination for a drama. I’d totally missed that it was her birthday! Thank you for letting me know:) Leah
Thank you for this post on such a great actress! She steals every scene, and her batty screwball zaniness is priceless. One of my favorites is the scavenger hunt in My Man Godfrey. And I agree with you, she’s amazing in every moment of The Gay Divorcee! I wish they had done a spin-off about Horton and Brady’s characters!
Now THAT would be a movie.:) What a fantastic idea. I love how he’s trying to avoid her the whole time and then casually agrees to go with her on a big trip. Those two are hilarious together. Leah
Alice Brady was such a talented actress, and remarkably versatile (and how sad that she died so young). She brought an ‘edge’ to her comic characterizations – she seems so spontaneous, you feel you don’t know what she’s going to do next. But her dramatic performance in In Old Chicago is beautifully done; she takes what could have been a cliched role and makes it moving and original. Thanks for highlighting so many wonderful aspects of this great actress!
I think you’re right–it’s her unpredictability that explains so much of her comic genius. We’ve seen that kind of flighty character so many times, but I can’t predict her gestures/expressions/tone. She’ll play it straight when I expect hyperbole and vice versa, and the result is hilarious:) Thank you for sharing your appreciation for her with me! Leah
I’d say from your summation that the case is closed, and the verdict is that Alice is guilty of being a great actress! It’s especially cruel that her name is now buried in cyberspace under a mountain of Brady Bunch references… ugh! Just saw My Man Godfrey again recently (saw it for the first time 20 or so years ago). Remembered liking it a lot, but this time around I was much less enthused– the Carole Lombard character irritated the hell out of me. But Alice saved it.
Doesn’t she? I admit it took a while for me to like Lombard because of that performance. Not her fault, really. Just a supremely irritating character. I like to skim to Brady’s parts:) Thanks for commenting! Always good to find more Brady fans. Leah