TODAY IN GINNY features a “stablemate” of Ginny’s at Paramount.
But first, Nelson McDowell (1870) played county council member Seth Tanner in GIRL OF THE OZARKS (1936). McDowell appeared in just under 200 films between 1917 and 1945. He played judges, undertakers, any figure of authority where his grumpy puss fit in. As you might expect from the photo, rumors flourish that he was the model for the grumpy cat of online fame.
Director/Producer J. Walter Ruben (1899) made two trips to Ginnyworld, first directing her and David Holt in scenes in TROUBLE FOR TWO (1936) which were deleted from the film even though they appear in the trailer. He then produced GOLD RUSH MAISIE (1940) and supposedly directed a few scenes, although we don’t know if any involved our girl. Ruben did a little of everything; he also was credited as a writer on 35 films, including the original story of THOROUGHBREDS DON’T CRY. In a sad similarity to Virginia herself, Ruben died of a heart ailment related to streptococcus infection at age 43. He’s at far right in the photo with TROUBLE FOR TWO stars Frank Morgan, Rosalind Russell, and Robert Montgomery. Russell and Montgomery are reclining on “slant boards”, a trick allowing them to relax without wrinkling their costumes.
Makeup artist Bernard “Beans” Ponedal (1903) did the makeup for THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935). In the 1950s, he became Frank Sinatra’s personal makeup artist for his films and television. He can be seen here making up Nancy Sinatra for an appearance on THE FRANK SINATRA SHOW with Belinda Burrell looking on.
Child actor David Holt (1927) was, along with Virginia, part of a very large stable of talented kids at Paramount in the 1930s. Unfortunately, despite finding all these wonderful kids, they never utilized them properly. The words “as a child” come after David’s name on a lot of cast lists as he would play the adult lead in flashbacks in films. He also played Sid Sawyer in THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER, Sandy Blake in MILITARY ACADEMY, and Pete Merrick in COURAGE OF LASSIE. He was with Ginny in three films, playing a character listed as “Brother”, a boy who was in the hospital. in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936, the trainbearer in THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1937 (1936), and Florizel as a child in TROUBLE FOR TWO. In that one, he and Virginia were loaned to MGM to play Robert Montgomery and Rosalind Russell as children only to have their parts cut right before the film’s release. Of course, that’s the photo of David and Ginny we are going with.
