The Blondes and the Redheads had some similarities to "The Boy Friends" series Stevens had at the Roach studio, but the emphasis was on the girls in the series rather than the boys. To begin with, the blonde was baby-voiced Carol Tevis and the redhead was June Brewster. Eventually June Brewster was replaced by Dorothy Granger. She had been part of the Boy Friends series, as had Grady Sutton, another regular in the series. Others who took part in both series include David Sharpe and Charlie Hall.
The series began in 1933 and ended in 1935, after George Stevens had graduated to features.
The other people involved in the series were involved in features as well.
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Both June Brewster and Carol Tevis appeared in FLYING DOWN TO RIO, a film which featured many of the glamour girls in an airborne sequence.
Carol Tevis was the little blonde who was blindfolded because she was scared to take part in the air show. Here she can be seen at center without a blindfold.
If these dames weren't dizzy to start with, they soon will be.
Air shows were popular in real life during this period, although this movie tended to exaggerate the number of people who acually would have been involved in such a spectacle.
This was the first movie to team Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. They went on to great success in a series of movies afterwards, and George Stevens worked with them again in this period.
Ginger Rogers is wearing a somewhat fancier version of a what the aviatrixes used to wear at the time.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO was produced by Meriem C. Cooper, who had a history of involvement with aviation and also produced KING KONG in this period.
The story in KING KONG also involved aviation.
Which could have been Cooper's idea.
One of Carol Tevis' last roles was as the voice of one of the Munchkins in THE WIZARD OF OZ.
Which is one of the most famous movies of all time.
And George Stevens went on to make many other famous classic films, including ANNIE OAKLEY, GUNGA DINN, PENNY SERENADE, SHANE, THE DIARY OF ANN FRANK, and THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD.
FLYING DOWN TO RIO: Mary Kornman
FLYING DOWN TO RIO: Sky Dance
FLYING DOWN TO RIO At Gingerology ( Ginger Rogers Site ):
Dorothy Granger:
KING KONG
Mary Kornman:
George Stevens:
Sam White:
I have seen 5 of these "Blondes and the Redheads" shorts. They're all good, and I wish I could see the rest of them. Grady Sutton is better here than he was in the Hal Roach "Boyfriends" series, and Carol Tevis is delightful.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while since I've seen any of those, but I liked Carole Tevis, too.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever seen any magazine articles on Carol Tevis? Or even any starlet type publicity pictures in magazines?
ReplyDeleteI have some Carol Tevis items from the fan magazines that I just put on the blog.
ReplyDeleteOf the "Blondes and the Redheads" short I've seen, "Flirting In The Park" is the best Carol Tevis showcase. "Contented Calves" and "Ocean Swells" are really good as well.
ReplyDeleteDo you remember seeing "The Undieworld"? Is it similar to the story in "Contented Calves" but focusing on lingerie instead of stockings? The title is certainly an interesting one, and Carol Tevis is really good in "Contented Calves".
ReplyDeleteI have a poster for THE UNDIEWORLD on this blog, but I don't know if I've seen that one.
ReplyDeleteRichard Finegan on facebook: "The Blondes and the Redheads" series consisted of 11 shorts produced by RKO Radio Pictures between 1933 and 1935. Carol Tevis was the blonde in all 11 films. June Brewster was the redhead in the first 6, then Dorothy Granger took over for the final 5. The working title for the series was "The Working Girl" comedies. The theme music for most of the shorts in the series was the tune "I Met Her At a Party" from the 1933 RKO Picture MELODY CRUISE.
ReplyDelete