I think the 40s movies are best.

Yes the forties had her meatier roles. The thirties had alot of showgirl and supporting parts, including "Stage Door". She made so few films during the fifties: The Fuller Brush Girl (excellent), The Magic Carpet, Long Long Long Trailer, and Forever Darling. The fifties did include her two all time best comedies with Fuller Brush, and Trail (oh and she also had Fancy Pants in 1950) The sixties also had far and few films: Facts of Life (1960)--a good movie. Critics Choice (1963), and the very popular Your's, Mine, and Ours (1968). The 70's had Mame (1974).

You're right again BuddyLove, seems her best movies were spread out over 4 or 5 decades, The Big Street in the 40's, Trailer in the 50's, Yours mine and ours in the 60's, and one of my favorites Mame in the 70's, i guess Stage Door for the 30's!

Originally posted by buddy love
The Magic Carpet

That was a horrible movie.

Well if I were to choose the best decade I would say 1950-1960--that ten year period. Yes, Magic Carpet stunk--too bad she couldn't be in Greatest Show on Earth (Demille wanted her). But from 1950-1960 she did "Fancy Pants", The Fuller Brush Girl, The Long Long Trailer, and Facts of Life--so four terrific comedies and one so-so film--"Forever, Darling" and one horrid--"Magic Carpet".

I always got so sad seeing her in movies and she wasn't married to Desi..:(

Come on Chuck ole boy, you know she only did Carpet to get her last picture and 85 thousand from Harry Cohn at Columbia, she knew it was a bomb, but for a week's work and her pregnant and all, it was still a great deal for her!

Yeah but it was still a lousy picture. Perhaps the worse of her career. But good point about getting out of the Columbia deal. But you know Columbia was actually pretty good to her. It let her do the comedy she got to be known for and two very good ones at it: Miss Grant Takes Richmond and The Fuller Brush Girl.

Originally posted by buddy love
Miss Grant Takes Richmond

Good film. But then I like Bill Holden. :D

The thing with Magic Carpet is she knew it was a dog, they offered her the script knowing she would have to refuse it as it was a contract breaker, a script written to be refused, but to their shock, she accepted it to get the 85 thousand for a week's work as she was pregnant which could be grounds for dismissal anyway. Shw wanted to outsmart Harry Cohn, and she did. She got out of her contract, and the writer knowing the script stank went to her and offered to rewrite it for her, but she refused, as she was getting bigger by the day and would be found out, she said no, i love it as it is, she filmed it with the costume let out by the costumer every day and she got the last laugh, she got to call Harry and give him the news that she beat him at his own game, and he was furious. Of course, i too was shocked when i saw this garbage film the first time, but even though Buddy love is right, two of her best roles were Columbia films, she also lost out on two Oscar worthy performances with Ball of Fire that went to Stanwick and Born Yesterday that got Judy Holliday an Oscar. My favorite story of all about all this is when Lucy and Desi went to Cecil B Demille and told him she was pregnant and he answered, Desi, you're the first man to **** his wife, Paramount pictures, Harry Cohn and Cecil B Demille, all at the same time. My second favorite is when thousands of people showed up at Harry's funeral and some comedic actor said, well, it just goes to show that if you give people what they want, they'll show up for it, as Mr Cohn was despised in Hollywood!