Deerhound

A passionate little blog started by a deerhound dog in Scotland called Rogue ‘Brylach’ MacAllister then Passed to Rascal ‘Logan’ Dorrator Heath and now picked up by Rebel Borrodhail 'Muirfinn' and Rocket Borrodhail 'Frode'.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Deerhounds and Movie Star Families

Here is a little picture postcard claimed to be from 1906 featuring the Actress Gladys Constance Cooper.















Take a look at the family photograph - a young lady, two children, a pug and a deerhound lounging around the sofa.

If the young lady is Gladys Cooper, you may ask ‘where have I seen her before?’

Gladys was born in London on the 18th December, 1888.If the young lady is Gladys, this would make her approximately 17 years old in this postcard, a time when she began her acting career.

Or could it be that the young child in the image is Gladys? More importantly, who is the extremely good looking hound with back to the camera and a typical deerhound sense of importance?

I can’t tell you about the deerhound but here is a little information about Gladys Cooper for the interested.

By the outbreak of World War I Gladys had grown into a stunningly attractive young woman and was a favourite pin-up for the British forces.

In her early life she pursued a career on the stage and eventually film and appeared in several movies in Britian, even playing the part of ‘Flora MacDonald’ in the ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’ movie of 1923.

In 1934 she travelled to America and this led to her discovery by the Hollywood moguls when her movie career really took off. Her first hollywood role was in "Rebecca", with Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

By 1942 she earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 'Now, Voyager' (as Mrs. Henry Windle Vale, mother of co-star Bette Davis' character), and again the following year for her part (Sister Marie Therese Vauzous) in 'The Song of Bernadette'.

During her time in Hollywood she appeared in over 30 movies, often reprising the role of the dignified aristocratic lady. This explains her choice of Dog perhaps, although her father was a Journalist and may have been taken by all the Victorian Romanticism, the fashion of the day.

Other notable movie credits for Gladys include 'Madame Bovary' in 1949, and 'My Fair Lady' in 1964 (as Mrs. Higgins - her third oscar nomination).

In 'My Fair Lady', The painting above the mantel in Professor Higgins' study is a portrait of the young Gladys Cooper.

I always think it of interest to read about the owners of Deerhounds and outside of the breeding circles - many seem to be an arty bunch.

Below is a list of Gladys, celebrity companion to deerhound’s movie career - enjoy!

Movie Credits (source www.imdb.com)
1913 - The Eleventh Commandment [Edith]
1914 - Danny Donovan, the Gentleman Cracksman [Mrs. Ashworth]
1916 - The Real Thing at Last [American Witch]
1917 - The Sorrows of Satan [Lady Sybil Elton]
1917 - My Lady's Dress [The Wife]
1917 - Masks and Faces [Mabel Vane]
1920 - Unmarried
1920 - Headin' North
1922 - The Bohemian Girl [Arlene Arnheim]
1923 - Bonnie Prince Charlie [Flora MacDonald]
1934 - The Iron Duke [Duchess d'Angouleme]
1940 - Rebecca [Beatrice Lacy]
1940 - Kitty Foyle [Wyn's Mother]
1941 - That Hamilton Woman [Lady Frances Nelson]
1941 - The Black Cat [Myrna Hartley]
1941 - Eagle Squadron [Aunt Emmeline]
1941 - A Yank in the R.A.F. (scenes deleted) [Mrs. Pillby]
1941 - Gay Falcon [Maxine]
1942 - This Above All [Iris]
1942 - Now, Voyager [Mrs. Henry Windle Vale]
1943 - Forever and a Day [Mrs. Barringer]
1943 - Mr. Lucky [Captain Veronica Steadman]
1943 - The Song of Bernadette [Sister Marie Therese Vauzous]
1943 - Princess O'Rourke [Miss Haskell]
1944 - The White Cliffs of Dover [Lady Jean Ashwood]
1944 - Mrs. Parkington [Alice, Dutchess de Brancourt]
1945 - The Valley of Decision [Clarissa Scott]
1945 - Love Letters [Beatrice Remington]
1946 - The Green Years [Grandma Leckie]
1947 - The Cockeyed Miracle [Amy Griggs]
1948 - Beware of Pity [Mrs. Klara Condor]
1947 - Green Dolphin Street [Sophie Patourel]
1947 - The Bishop's Wife [Mrs. Hamilton]
1948 - Homecoming [Mrs. Kirby]
1948 - The Pirate [Aunt Inez]
1949 - Madame Bovary [Madame Dupuis]
1949 - The Secret Garden [Mrs. Medlock]
1951 - Thunder on the Hill [Mother Superior]
1952 - At Sword's Point [Queen Anne]
1955 - The Man Who Loved Redheads [Caroline, Lady Binfield]
1958 - Separate Tables [Mrs. Railton-Bell]
1963 - The List of Adrian Messenger [Mrs. Karoudjian]
1963 - Pygmalion (TV) [Mrs. Higgins]
1964 - My Fair Lady [Mrs. Higgins]
1967 - The Happiest Millionaire [Aunt Mary Drexel]
1969 - A Nice Girl Like Me [Aunt Mary]

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