Looking through my picture collection I came upon this delightful photograph of actress Josephine Hull accepting her Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for Harvey, which she won in 1951.  Though she died just a few weeks more than a full fifty years ago, you take a look at that face and that bearing and realize that nobody looks like that anymore.  Nobody.  Not even grandmothers.  It’s a look from another reality.

Josephine was certainly born into another time, making her entrance at the beginning of 1877.  To put that into perspective, Abraham Lincoln had been dead not even a dozen years when she came into the world.  It was truly another era, one that has receded into dim history now, but Josephine was a spirited and talented woman, one who felt the irresistible lure of theater while still a girl.  She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1899 and then embarked on a long and distinguished theatrical career beginning in 1906  (interrupted by a short marriage) which eventually led her to a small handful of memorable movie roles.

She’s probably most remembered by movie fans for her role in Harvey as James Stewart’s skeptical sister Veta, who’s not at all charmed by her brother’s imaginary rabbit friend.  Josephine originated the role on Broadway in 1944, following her smash hit three-and-a-half year run in Arsenic and Old Lace as one of the murderous but charming old ladies.  She was lucky enough to make it into the movie of Arsenic, but hadn’t been so fortunate with her earlier role in the 1936 farce You Can’t Take It With You, which she had to turn down because she was still appearing in it onstage.  Directed by Frank Capra, the movie version of Arsenic was filmed in December of 1941, but wasn’t released until September of 1944, after the original Broadway run had closed.

After her triumph in Harvey, Josephine did a lot of NYC-based live television and also returned to the Broadway theater, including originating the role of the feisty shareholder in 1953’s The Solid Gold Cadillac, a part that was played by a much younger Judy Holliday when the movie was produced two years later.  Josephine retired from all work in 1955 and died of a cerebral hemorrhage on March 12, 1957. 

When you look at that face, that marvelous face just made for the theatrical stage, you should be thankful that some of the wonderful plays from the first half of the last century made it to the screen relatively intact with some members of the original casts present.  One of the Movie Morlocks will have to do a long post about the Broadway and movie roles that changed hands over the years, but let’s appreciate what we’ve got, including the unique Josephine Hull, who looks like your great grandmother, probably, but who had the heart and talent equal to any of the sassiest actresses around today.