Rosalind Russell once said “Taking joy in life is a woman’s best cosmetic.” And no woman embodied that statement the way Rosalind herself did. Today is her birthday. Born on June 4, 1907, she would have been 107 years old today. Although she left this world and her legions of fans at the tender age of 69 in 1976, her legacy of films, charity work, and her influential presence. Ever since I saw that zany personality of hers in The Women, I have been hooked. At this point, no other actress can hold a candle to the amazing Rosalind Russell. And although she’s been gone a long time, I still like to think she knows how many fans, young and old, she still has, even in the year 2014. It brings me a lot of comfort to know her memory is not forgotten and I hope it never will be. Although she was beyond brilliant in her comedy roles (His Girl Friday, The Women, Auntie Mame to name a FEW), she was also a very accomplished dramatic actress. She is very underrated today and even in her heyday when it came to dramatic ability, but it must always be remembered that she was nominated for 4 Oscars and won 5 Golden Globes for her acting. She was always a very versatile actress, a woman full of life and wisdom—such an inspirational woman to me that I almost have no words to describe how much she inspires me. I never tire of her films, her personal quotes, reciting her characters’ lines, and her hilarious storytelling her autobiography Life is a Banquet. After all, “Life is a banquet” was really Roz’s philosophy of life. Eat up all those courses life has to give you and never regret one minute of it! Cheers, Rosalind <3
What a wonderful tribute to a woman who will be with us always. I have always admired her work and enjoy reading how her films and personal life have affected you. I always took her comedic talent for granted and when I saw her portrayal of Rosemary in Picnic it was as if I saw her for the first time. Her Rosemary moved me to tears and I still think it was one of her best roles. Thank you Rosalind Russell and thank you Des for keeping her legacy alive. Holly
thank you so much for your comment, Holly. yes, I do believe Rosemary was Roz’s best dramatic role, hands down. She was so real, so amazing. She moves me to tears, too! It’s always easier for me to keep trying to keep her legacy alive when I know there are some amazing Rosalind Russell fans out there–like you!
I love your tribute to Rosalind Russell. Where can I get her very early movies? Sister Kenny?
Thank you so much, Kelley. I appreciate your comment. Sister Kenny isn’t very early in her career, but I got it from TCM. Do you have this cable channel? It’s where I got most of my Roz movies because a lot of them aren’t on DVD, unfortunately.