Vintage Movie Reviews:Gene Raymond

This husky, blond actor, handsome almost to the point of being pretty, enjoyed his greatest popularity during the 1930s, when he was a dependable leading man and occasional supporting player; he also proved to have a pleasant singing voice. A child performer and Broadway veteran at the age of 12, Raymond broke into movies with a role in Personal Maid (1931); soon he was working steadily. Among his credits: Ladies of the Big House (1931), If I Had a Million (1932), Red Dust (also 1932, as Mary Astor's husband and Clark Gable's nemesis), and a notable trio of 1933 releases, Ex-Lady (as Bette Davis' husband), Zoo in Budapest (a whimsical, offbeat romance costarring Loretta Young), and Flying Down to Rio (a charming, escapist musical even better remembered for the initial teaming of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers).

Raymond continued to freelance, starring in Sadie McKee (opposite Joan Crawford), Transatlantic Merry-Go-Round (both 1934), Behold My Wife, The Woman in Red (both 1935), and a series of amiable grade-B musicals for RKO that teamed him with Ann Sothern, including Hooray for Love (1935), Love on a Bet (1936), There Goes My Girl and She's Got Everything (both 1937). Smilin' Through (1941) cast him opposite real-life wife Jeanette MacDonald, and Mr. and Mrs. Smith (also 1941) cast him as "the other man" in this Alfred Hitchcock-directed comedy with Carole Lombard and Robert Montgomery.

Raymond also starred in, produced, and directed Million Dollar Weekend (1948), a fair mystery that flopped at the box office. Widowed by MacDonald in 1965, Raymond remains active in Hollywood society.

OTHER FILMS INCLUDE: 1946: The Locket 1948: Assigned to Danger 1955: Hit the Deck 1957: Plunder Road 1964: The Best Man, I'd Rather Be Rich 1970: Gun Riders (as narrator).

Personal Quotes:

On Jeanette MacDonald and their marriage (1972): "We had 28 glorious years. Jeanette and I respected and loved each other, very deeply. We put one another before anyone or anything. I am blessed to have known her, loved her and been loved by her - absolutely, an incredible lady!"

"Gene, is the most wonderful man I've ever known. He's warm, sensitive, loving, funny and very handsome. Being Mrs. Gene Raymond, I admit I'm biased!" - Jeanette MacDonald (1947)

Gene Raymond and Jeanette MacDonald as they appeared in the
only film they made together, Smilin' Through.



Later,
Kenaz