How can one express the complex emotion of love?
A broad range of art forms have been used for this very purpose. There’s no doubt you’ve heard the romantic tale of the Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built by an emperor for his favorite wife who died giving birth to their 14th child. It’s both achingly stunning and depressing. A teardrop glistening on the cheek of time, as the poets say.
This domed symbol of love, however, isn’t the only grand romantic gesture made through art. From Picasso to the simple farmer, men have wooed women by whatever means are at their disposal. Art and creativity are as varied as people.
10 A Lopsided Portrait In A Ring
Most women would be revolted at the gift of a misshapen, Frankenstein-esque portrait of themselves embedded in a ring, but Pablo Picasso could get away with it. He painted his lover, Dora Maar, surrounded by flowers on a ring that he designed.
It was an apology gift after they had a dramatic fight one night along the River Seine. He was sore because she had convinced him to sell a painting for a mere ruby ring. So she yanked it from his hand and threw it into the river in a rage.
That ring was never recovered, but Picasso did present her with this work of art as an apology. Their affair was tumultuous and eventually ended. But she kept the ring until her dying day in 1997.[1]
9 Performance Art With A Twist
Life and love don’t always go as planned, but the journey is always poetic. Two lovers, Marina Abramovic and Ulay, wanted to be the first couple to walk the Great Wall of China, each beginning at opposite ends and meeting in the middle. When they finally reached each other, they planned to marry on the spot.
It was many years later that the Chinese government finally gave permission for this powerful art performance that pushed the boundaries of convention. In 1988, they went through with the project. They called the piece, simply, The Lovers. It took three months to reach each other. She began her journey on the side with the mountains, and he walked from the Gobi Desert. When they finally embraced, they wept.
At this point, there had been numerous infidelities. Layers of resentment had built up to a breaking point. Instead of marrying at that meeting, they broke off the relationship in a surprising twist. The idealized romantic gesture had turned a corner. The Lovers demonstrated the course of a real human relationship. As often happens in art, the meaning changed halfway along.[2]
8 A Good Old-Fashioned Sonnet
Sonnets from the Portuguese was never intended for publication by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. She wrote them for Robert Browning, and the sonnets described their entire intimate relationship from start to finish.
After they were married, he insisted that she publish the collection. They threw the word “Portuguese” in the title to shift the focus from an autobiographical nature. He told her that they were the best sonnets since Shakespeare.
Still, they remain some of the most famous love poems from the Victorian Age. The first line of “Sonnet 43,” for example, is one that you probably don’t know that you know: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”[3]
7 A Protest Of Love . . . For Love
There was an art movement of “happenings” in the 1960s, and one such performance took the form of a “Bed-in for Peace.” John Lennon and Yoko Ono decided to spend their honeymoon in bed, surrounded by protest signs, at the Hilton in Amsterdam. The Vietnam War had been raging for 14 years at this point. So, what did they have to lose?
The global press was in the bedroom 12 hours every day with cameras rolling and peace discussion flowing. Yoko Ono said, “[As an alternative to war,] everybody should just stay in bed and enjoy the spring.”
She was an artist in her own right who was involved with the Fluxus movement, which created art from everyday life. Lennon and Ono used their honeymoon to spread their message to “make love, not war.” As of 2016, the suite in which their performance took place could be rented for $2,400 per night.[4]
6 A Surprising Symphony
For seven years, Richard Wagner, the famous composer of the Romantic period, had an affair with the married Cosima von Bulow. Finally, she divorced and they were able to marry in 1870. In that first year, Wagner composed a tender serenade for Cosima in secret.
This gift of love surprised her on Christmas morning at sunrise as it was played by a small ensemble on the winding staircase outside her bedroom. It was also Cosima’s birthday. She wrote in her diary:
As I awoke, my ear caught a sound which swelled further and further; no longer could I imagine myself to be dreaming, music was sounding, and what music! As it died away, Richard came into my room with the five children and offered me the score of the symphonic birthday poem—I was in tears, but so was the whole house.[5]
5 The Acting Role Of A Lifetime
She was a fiery redheaded actress with an unparalleled sense of humor, and he was a devilishly handsome Cuban musician who performed at a nightclub. That’s right, we’re talking about Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.
After a six-month courtship, they were married. Then CBS wanted to transfer her I Love Lucy persona from radio to television. She insisted that the spouse be changed to her real-life husband, Desi. Executives weren’t convinced that was a good idea. Arnaz had a strong Cuban accent, and they were certain he wouldn’t appeal to a wide audience. Lucille Ball wouldn’t take no for an answer, of course.
They toured together in a vaudeville act to show that they could win over the hearts of the masses. She was correct. And this acting role gave Desi the opportunity of a lifetime to star in a hit show for six seasons with 40 million viewers tuning in each week. Lucille’s romantic gesture of artistic opportunity was above and beyond the gift of a lifetime.[6]
4 A Thoughtful Invention
In the early 1900s, an architect from Wisconsin named John W. Hammes had a brilliant idea to make his wife’s chores a little easier in the kitchen. “Happy wife, happy life,” as they say. He wanted the kitchen cleanup to be a smoother process, so he had an epiphany. He went immediately to his basement and started brainstorming designs for his invention.
Finally in 1927, he invented the first garbage disposal. These early prototypes were called “electric pigs.” After being granted a patent, he started selling them in 1938.[7]
3 A Song Written For His Best Friend’s Wife
In the 1960s, Eric Clapton and George Harrison were good friends. It’s common knowledge that Eric fell in love with George’s first wife, Pattie Boyd. She was the muse for George’s song “Something.”
Then Eric wrote a song for her that she happened to like even more, and it won her over. Pattie said, “We met secretly at a flat in South Kensington. Eric had asked me to come because he wanted me to listen to a new number he had written. [ . . . ] He . . . played me the most powerful, moving song I had ever heard. It was ‘Layla.’ ”
It was later the same night when George confronted them and asked what was going on. Eric responded, “I have to tell you, man, that I’m in love with your wife.” What followed was perhaps the most epic rock duel in history. (Eric won.)
Pattie ended up with another classic song written for her by Eric called “Wonderful Tonight.”[8]
2 Graffiti
In England, graffiti isn’t the taboo art form that it is in the USA. For example, Banksy’s art is adored and protected all over the country. When a man asks a woman to marry him by spray-painting a brick wall in Ohio, he’s arrested and fined. When the same thing happened in Sheffield, England, the spray-painted proposal was admired and untouched for more than 10 years on a bridge along the skyline.
Recently, the words were even immortalized by the city in bright, neon lights: “I Love You Will U Marry Me.” The street artist finally stepped forward and admitted that he had done it. Although he was afraid of heights, he wanted to illustrate his love as boldly as he knew how. In neon permanence, this demonstration of love glows on.[9]
1 A Secret Clearing
When his wife’s heart gave out, farmer Winston Howes was grief-stricken. In a final act of love, he planted thousands of oak trees near his farmhouse but kept a heart-shaped meadow open in the middle. He made sure that the heart pointed toward his wife’s birthplace. Howes said, “I sometimes go down there, just to sit and think about things. It is a lovely and lasting tribute.”
For years, this special meadow remained a family secret. Then one day, a man in a hot-air balloon flew overhead and took a photograph of the heart-shaped field. It’s designed so perfectly between the trees that you can even see it on Google Maps. Howes even planted daffodils that bloom every year in the spring.[10]
]]>It’s not unusual for actors to play characters that differ in age from themselves. The pattern of older men playing across from much younger women appears to have been a popular choice since the Golden Age of Hollywood and hasn’t stopped since then. Although sometimes an age difference is necessary for the plot of a film, in a lot of cases, there’s no logical reason for such a large age difference between leading actors. And some of these age gaps make up feel uncomfortable watching the film as if we are supposed to simply ignore it.
Whether necessary or not, here are 10 of the largest real-life age gaps between on-screen partners
Related: 10 Shocking Weight Transformations By Actors For Films
10 Gerard Butler & Emmy Rossum: Phantom of the Opera
The 2004 film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage show saw then-17-year-old Emmy Rossum earn a Golden Globe nomination for her role opposite 33-year-old Gerard Butler. A 16-year age gap isn’t crazy, but since the leading lady was yet to turn 18, it makes the film a bit weird to watch.
The age difference of the leading couple could have been even greater if the original choice of lead, Hugh Jackman (35 at the time), wasn’t already committed to Van Helsing. Katie Holmes was an option for the role of Christine, as was Anne Hathaway. Both would’ve still left a notable age gap (Holmes was 25 at the time while Hathaway was 21) but not as significant as the final casting.[1]
9 Gene Kelly & Debbie Reynolds: Singin’ in the Rain
Singin’ in the Rain was Debbie Reynolds’s first starring role—at only the age of 19—and would later be known as her highest-profile film. Alongside seasoned actors Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor, it is now often considered the greatest musical film ever made.
Gene Kelly, who also directed and choreographed the film, was 40 when he played alongside teenage Reynolds. Despite being a grueling process, Reynolds later stated, “Singin’ in the Rain and childbirth were the two hardest things I ever had to do in my life.” She always had respect for her experienced scene partner and director, who she said “made me a star…[and] taught me how to dance and how to work hard and be dedicated.”[2]
8 Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney: White Christmas
White Christmas was the most successful film of 1954 and the highest-grossing musical at that time. The legendary cast saw Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye play opposite on-screen sisters Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen.
The success of the song “White Christmas,” originally from Holiday Inn back in 1942, led to the creation of White Christmas, with Crosby as the leading man once again. Clooney, only 26 at the time of filming, was only a year older than Marjorie Reynolds when she played Crosby’s leading lady in Holiday Inn 12 years before. Crosby, in comparison, was 51 in 1954, giving a 25-year age gap between him and Clooney. Interestingly, although Clooney played the elder of the two sisters, she was actually seven years younger than Vera-Ellen.[3]
7 Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall: To Have and Have Not
Lauren Bacall was a model prior to the film To Have and Have Not when the wife of the director Howard Hawks saw her on the cover of Harper’s Bazaar. After a screen test, the unknown actress had a contract. In the 19-year-old’s film debut, Bacall’s originally small role was revised into the leading lady of To Have and Have Not. The new star played opposite established actor Humphrey Bogart, who was 45 at the time.
Although the film was often compared to Casablanca in unfavorable terms, the film launched the career of Bacall, which would see her at minimum be nominated for an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony. Bogart and Bacall went on to make three more movies together, including Key Largo in 1948. The 26-year age gap seemed to be no problem for the couple, who married in May 1945, seven months after the film’s release. It was Bogart’s third marriage. The pair had two children together and remained married until Bogart’s death in 1957.[4]
6 Michael Douglas & Gwyneth Paltrow: A Perfect Murder
A remake of the 1958 Hitchcock classic Dial M for Murder, the 1998 film saw 53-year-old Michael Douglas opposite Gwyneth Paltrow, aged 25 at the time. The 28-year age gap is deliberate, a suggestive reason behind Paltrow’s character Emily’s affair with painter David. It’s hard to believe there are less than 30 years between the leading couple, with one critic stating, “Douglas looks every one of his 54 years and then some. Gwyneth Paltrow is 25 and could pass for much younger.”
Hitchcock’s original film also saw an age difference, although not so large. With a 22-year age gap, Ray Milland played retired tennis player Tony across from Grace Kelly’s socialite Margot. A Perfect Murder didn’t quite live up to its predecessor, with one critic noting the film “has inexplicably managed to eliminate almost everything worthwhile about Dial M for Murder, leaving behind the nearly-unwatchable wreckage of a would-be ’90s thriller.” Another acknowledged the age difference, stating that Douglas should “hang up his spurs when it comes to playing a romantic lead with women in their twenties.”[5]
5 Fred Astaire & Audrey Hepburn: Funny Face
Another classic from the Golden Age of Hollywood, Funny Face saw the union of legends Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn. Although not a financial success at the time, it has since been regarded as a masterpiece. Despite being three decades younger than Astaire, 27-year-old Hepburn insisted on him as her leading man.
Astaire had previously announced his retirement in 1946 but returned to the cinema in 1948 in Easter Parade. However, it wasn’t until 1981, 24 years after Funny Face, that Astaire was in his final film, Ghost Story.[6]
4 Sean Penn & Emma Stone: Gangster Squad
Looking at Stone’s filmography, it appears that she is a popular choice for directors to play opposite older men. This includes Magic in the Moonlight, playing opposite Colin Firth (53), Irrational Man with Joaquin Phoenix (40), and Birdman alongside Edward Norton (45). But it’s in Gangster Squad that we see Stone’s oldest on-screen partner.
Penn played gangster boss Mickey Cohen in the 2013 action thriller. At age 54, he was nearly 30 years older than 25-year-old Stone at the time of the film’s shooting. But it is perhaps that Penn appears older than he is that makes the on-screen couple so shocking to see. What hits harder is that Stone is only three years older than Penn’s own daughter, Dylan.[7]
3 Liam Neeson & Olivia Wilde: Third Person
Unlike many films on this list, Third Person is a relatively unknown film, having had a limited release in 2014. Nevertheless, the cast list is fairly star-studded, including Mila Kunis, Adrien Brody, Kim Basinger, Olivia Wilde, and Liam Neeson.
It’s the latter two of these stars we see in an on-off romantic relationship. Here, 61-year-old Neeson plays Michael, who recently separated from his wife and remains involved with his lover, played by 29-year-old Wilde. Although a noticeable age gap is necessary for the plot, with 32 years between the on-screen couple, the desired effect could have still been achieved with a much smaller age difference. While the pair provide what is needed from them, unfortunately, the film was given negative reviews from critics and has a score of only 25% on Rotten Tomatoes.[8]
2 Sean Connery & Catherine Zeta-Jones: Entrapment
As a former James Bond, Sean Connery was no strange to younger, beautiful on-screen romantic partners. But at the age of 68, Connery played opposite then-30-year-old Catherine Zeta-Jones in the 1999 heist film.
The nearly 40-year age gap between the two is never noted in the film, seemingly unimportant to the plot. Only seven years later, in 2006, Connery announced his retirement from acting, while Zeta-Jones has taken several breaks from the screen since the late 2000s. Obviously, this age gap didn’t bother Zeta-Jones as she married Michael Douglas, who is 25 years her senior.[9]
1 James Mason & Sue Lyon: Lolita
Based on Vladimir Nabokov’s 1955 novel of the same name, the age difference in Lolita is the most disturbing—but also crucial to the plot of the film. With an age gap of 39 years, 53-year-old James Mason plays across Sue Lyon, who was only 14 at the start of filming.
In the unsettling plot involving hebephilia with Mason’s character Humbert and his stepdaughter, the film actually increased the age from the novel where the titular character is only 12. With the filming grossing $9.25 million (on a budget of $2 million) and Lyon winning a Golden Globe for her role, Lolita was undoubtedly a commercial success. There’s something about actually seeing the disturbing relationship on screen that makes the story all the more unsettling than simply reading it on the page of Nabokov’s novel. However, due to Lyon’s age, an of-age body double was used for the more explicit scenes—I would hope so![10]
]]>Everyone loves a good romance, whether it be a witty “rom-com,” a tearjerker melodrama, or an epic set against a historical backdrop. OK, maybe not everyone, but certainly many romantic films rank among the most memorable and critically acclaimed motion pictures ever made and are some of the most popular.
Even today, when adjusted for monetary inflation, 1939’s romantic epic Gone with the Wind remains the highest-grossing film in cinema history. But what would have happened had other lead actors and actresses been cast in the lead roles of these movie classics? Would it have worked, or would they have flopped?
Here is a list of ten of the most popular romantic films and the pairs who were almost originally cast in the lead roles.
Related: 10 Hollywood Stars’ Curious Movie Debuts
10 Pretty Woman: Burt Reynolds and Meg Ryan
Burt Reynolds was the king of motion pictures in the 1970s and was cast in some of the most successful box office hits of that decade. After a breakout role in John Boorman’s critically acclaimed survivalist thriller Deliverance (1972), Reynolds rocketed to fame in movies such as The Longest Yard (1974) and Smokey and the Bandit (1977). Likewise, Meg Ryan emerged as one of the most popular leading ladies of the 1990s, scoring with hits such as You’ve Got Mail (1998) and Kate & Leopold (2001).
So, how could such a pairing not be box-office gold? Unfortunately, we’ll never know. But before you judge each too harshly for turning down the roles of Edward Lewis and Vivian Ward (who would become iconic parts for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts), consider this: Reynolds turned down Pretty Woman in 1990 to accept the lead role in the CBS sitcom Evening Shade, a part that netted him the only Emmy Award in his career.
Meanwhile, coming off the success of 1989’s When Harry Met Sally, and three years from being cast in Sleepless in Seattle, turning down the role that made Roberts a star hardly slowed down Ryan’s career. Call it a “win-win” for everyone! Also, Garry Marshall had initially envisioned the lead roles going to Al Pacino and Michelle Pfeiffer. Another pairing that just doesn’t seem quite right.[1]
9 An Affair to Remember: Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl
Few actors in the 1950s were as debonair as Cary Grant. Ironically, only a couple of decades earlier, Grant was better known for comedic parts in films such as Bringing Up Baby (1938) and Arsenic and Old Lace (1943) than the suave leading man roles he would later play. However, when veteran director Leo McCarey decided to remake his 1939 romance classic Love Affair, he envisioned it as a vehicle for husband and wife team Fernando Lamas and Arlene Dahl.
Considering the success of another married acting couple in 1957, I Love Lucy’s Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball, matching the Argentinian Lamas and the redheaded Dahl made sense as a variation of the Cuban Arnaz and the carrot-topped Ball pairing.
But as fate would have it, An Affair to Remember (1957) would be cast with Grant and the six-time Academy Award nominee, Deborah Kerr. The casting decision proved to be the right one. In 2002, the American Film Institute ranked the movie as the fifth most romantic film of all time. But it was a tough break for Lamas and Dahl, who not only lost the iconic roles but also would divorce just three years later. [2]
8 The Bishop’s Wife: Dana Andrews and Teresa Wright
A Christmas classic that has become a perennial fan favorite in recent decades is yet another film that starred the prolific romantic leading man Cary Grant. But he was not the original choice to play the angel Dudley in Henry Koster’s beloved romantic comedy The Bishop’s Wife in 1947. Hoping to cash in on the popular pairing of Dana Andrews and Teresa Wright, who both gave memorable performances a year earlier in the acclaimed post-World War II drama The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), producer Samuel Goldwyn planned to cast each as the bishop and his wife, with David Niven as Dudley.
However, when Wright declined the role after becoming pregnant, Goldwyn was forced to loan out Andrews to RKO, who, in return, released Loretta Young to play the title role. Grant then joined the production only to have director Koster pull another casting switch. Instead of replacing Andrews as the bishop, Grant was cast as the angel. Reluctantly, Niven acquiesced to being assigned the bishop role. Although initially disappointing at the box office, the film has slowly grown in popularity and in 1996 was remade as The Preacher’s Wife, starring Denzel Washington and Whitney Houston.[3]
7 Rocky: James Caan and Carrie Snodgress
With multiple sequels and antagonists who might as easily fit into the Marvel universe as they would into a sports movie franchise, there are three basic facts many forget about the movie that spawned it all: Rocky. First of all, the 1976 film won the Oscar for Best Picture. Secondly, Sylvester Stallone was virtually an unknown actor at that time, and it almost cost him the title role. And third, how much boxing was actually in the film? Not much. Because Rocky—at its core—is not a true sports film. “It’s a love story,” to quote the actor who played champion Apollo Creed, Carl Weathers.
Executives at United Artists loved Sylvester Stallone’s script for the film, but they wanted a bankable star to play the lead. Coming off the success of testosterone-driven films like Rollerball (1975) and the “guy-cry” TV classic Brian’s Song (1971), who better to play the “Italian Stallion” than the actor previously cast as The Godfather’s oldest son, James Caan? To play Rocky’s love interest Adrian, Carrie Snodgress, who inspired Neil Young to write “A Man Needs a Maid” in 1972, was the frontrunner.
According to Stallone, Adrian was originally supposed to be Irish, and he wanted Harvey Keitel to play her brother. Who knows? With Martin Scorsese directing, this might have worked.[4]
6 Grease: Henry Winkler and Marie Osmond
Few movies in the 1970s could boast the popularity of the musical romantic comedy Grease. Adapted from a Broadway musical, Grease (1978) became the highest-grossing film musical of all time, a record that would stand for the next 30 years. The popularity of actor John Travolta and singer Olivia Newton-John exploded after playing the iconic leads roles of Danny and Sandy. Travolta emerged as a major box-office draw, and for Newton-John, it helped cultivate a new image for her as a singer. But neither was the first choice for either plumb role.
At the peak of his fame as “Fonzie,” the bad-boy tough guy on TV’s Happy Days, Henry Winkler was first offered the role of Danny. To play Sandy, another popular TV star and teen idol was considered: Marie Osmond. Winkler, hoping to avoid being typecast as a “greaser,” passed on the role. Osmond, fearing the rebel transformation of Sandy would hurt her image, also turned her offer down, as did brother Donny who rejected the offer to play the “Teen Angel.” In one of the worst career decisions ever, both Donny and Marie opted to star in the critical and commercial failure Goin’ Coconuts instead.[5]
5 Ghost: Bruce Willis and Michele Pfeiffer
Who can forget the iconic pottery wheel scene in which Patrick Swayze’s Sam romantically caresses and kisses Demi Moore’s Molly to the soulful rendition of The Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” in the fantasy thriller Ghost (1990)? Now, picture the same scene with Moore’s then-husband and Die Hard star Bruce Willis and the woman, who a year earlier gave one of her most acclaimed performances singing “Makin’ Whoopee” on top of a piano in The Fabulous Baker Boys, Michele Pfeiffer. It’s an interesting idea that had potential.
However, it was Moore’s uncanny ability to cry on cue, out of either eye, that ultimately won her the part over Pfeiffer, Meg Ryan, Julia Roberts, and Nicole Kidman, among others considered for the part of Molly. Willis candidly admitted he didn’t understand the script when he read it and later considered himself a “knucklehead” for rejecting the offer to star in what would become the highest-grossing film of 1990. He thought the concept of a romance between a ghost and a living person wouldn’t work. Apparently, Willis learned his lesson and starred in the acclaimed The Sixth Sense in 1999, which of all things depicted a child who could see “dead people.”[6]
4 Doctor Zhivago: Peter O’Toole and Sophia Loren
If there was ever a romantic epic with a greater historical sweep than Gone with the Wind, it has to be David Lean’s adaptation of Boris Pasternak’s novel Doctor Zhivago. With an all-star cast including Sir Alec Guinness and Academy Award-winning actor Rod Steiger, today the film is the eighth highest-grossing film of all time, adjusted for ticket-price inflation.
Omar Sharif, in the title role, never looked more dashing, and Julie Christie as his muse Lara never looked more beautiful. However, neither were Lean’s first choices. Peter O’Toole, who starred in Lean’s previous film Lawrence of Arabia, was his original choice for Zhivago. Producer Carlo Ponti believed his wife, international sex symbol Sophia Loren, was tailor-made for Lara. However, O’Toole had no interest in participating in another grueling epic production. And few believed Loren would be believable playing a young, virginal schoolgirl in the movie’s early scenes.
Reportedly, American filmmaker John Ford recommended Christie after directing her in Young Cassidy, while fellow actor Michael Caine suggested Sharif after reading for the part of Zhivago himself. Regardless, it’s hard to argue with the final casting of a movie that today ranks among the greatest epic romances of all time.[7]
3 Titanic: Matthew McConaughey and Gwyneth Paltrow
I’ve often wondered why so few seem to notice that Kate Winslet as young Rose in Titanic (1997) bears little resemblance to a young Gloria Stuart, who played the elderly version of the same character in the film. Perhaps that’s because other actresses were considered for the part of Rose DeWitt Bukater long before the British actress secured the role.
A leading contender who director James Cameron considered to play the heroine of his fictionalized historical epic was an actress who was only one year away from winning the Academy Award for Best Actress, Gwyneth Paltrow. As a slender blonde with an aristocratic bearing, Paltrow would have seemed a much stronger physical match for the actress who would play her as an elderly woman.
To play Jack, a part that elevated Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom, Matthew McConaughey was strongly considered. Ultimately, Cameron deemed McConaughey too old for the part and went with DiCaprio, who could have passed for a teenager in 1997. After campaigning heavily to play Rose, Winslet’s screen test convinced the director she was made for the role. Eleven Oscars later and with over two billion dollars in profits earned by Titanic, it’s hard to argue with Cameron’s decisions. It’s a good thing, too as I simply cannot picture Jack telling Rose, “It’s all right, all right, all right,” as she promises him she’ll never let go.[1]
2 Gone With the Wind: Gary Cooper and Paulette Goddard
Never known for subtlety, Cecil B. DeMille’s epic films were as brash and bombastic as the man himself. After the release of his epic adventure Unconquered in 1947, Time magazine called the movie a “Technicolor celebration of Gary Cooper’s virility, Paulette Goddard’s femininity, and the American frontier spirit.” Critic Emanuel Levy later echoed it was “the sex appeal of the actors that made the film popular.”
Perhaps it was this on-screen chemistry that almost led David O. Selznick a mere eight years earlier to cast both as the leads in his epic adaptation Gone with the Wind. Goddard would be the only actress other than Vivien Leigh who would complete a Technicolor screen test for the part of Scarlett O’Hara after emerging as a finalist for the highly sought-after role. Although Clark Gable was Selznick’s first choice for Rhett Butler, Cooper was also seriously considered until producer Sam Goldwyn, who he was contracted to, refused to loan him out.
Considering the massive box office success and long-term popularity of Gone with the Wind, it’s hard to argue with the Leigh/Gable pairing. But if you want to get a glimpse of what might have been, check out Unconquered one free evening.[9]
1 Casablanca: George Raft and Michele Morgan
It’s the greatest movie of all time—well, after Citizen Kane—if you agree with the American Film Institute’s 1998 “Top 100” list. Whether it is or isn’t, few can question the enduring popularity of Casablanca (1942), a film that has perhaps more memorable lines than any movie ever made. The ill-fated love story of Rick and Ilsa and the chemistry of the film’s two charismatic leads, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, left an indelible mark on audiences that is still felt today.
However, screen legends Bogart and Bergman were not the original choices to play the parts. Warner Brothers studio head Jack Warner envisioned George Raft in the lead, an actor guilty of some of the worst career choices in film history. Raft turned down lead roles in The Maltese Falcon and High Sierra, parts which made Bogart a major Hollywood star. Meanwhile, Bergman nearly lost out the role of Ilsa to another international beauty not as well known to American audiences today, French actress Michele Morgan. But when Morgan asked for $55,000 for a seven-week shoot to play the part, Wallis balked and scooped up Bergman for a mere $25,000. Not a bad price to pay for a career-defining performance![10]
]]>Author Miguel de Cervantes said, “Love and war are the same thing, and stratagems and policy are as allowable in the one as in the other.”
An estimated 40 million to 50 million died in the war spanning 1939 to 1945. But it was not all that bad as people also found fireworks amid the gunfire. There is no perfect time to love. It can hit anytime and anywhere. But there is just something endearing and fascinating about couples finding it in the middle of war. It’s poetic. So it should not be surprising that some people fell in love despite desperate times during World War II.
Let us take a look at some of these World War II love stories that will make you swoon.
Related: 10 True Stories Of Love Found In Totally Unexpected Ways
10 Norwood Thomas and Joyce Durant Morris
In 2015, the virtual reunion of Norwood Thomas and Joyce Durant Morris made headlines. They were apart for 70 years, married other people, and had children and grandchildren. Their lives were good, but when they saw each other for the first time on Skype after decades apart, the memories came flooding back.
Norwood and Joyce’s love story started on the River Thames in 1944. After dating for a few months, they separated when Norwood joined the paratroopers who were dropped into Normandy, France, on D-Day. The separation lasted seven decades until Joyce’s son found contact information for Norwood’s son.
Their first reunion was via Skype in November 2016, with Norwood living in Virginia Beach in the U.S. and Joyce in Australia. The world fell in love with their story, and a GoFundMe campaign was started so the former lovers could reunite. Air New Zealand offered to fly Norwood and his son to Australia.
Norwood and Joyce finally shared a hug in February 2016 when they reunited Down Under. They spent a couple of weeks together, including Valentine’s Day. Hopefully, the lovebirds get another reunion in the afterlife. Joyce passed away 10 months after their reunion, and Norwood died in February 2021.[1]
9 Bessie Moore and Chris Barker
Bessie Moore and Chris Barker worked together at the post office. They were friends but nothing more. But as they say, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Bessie realized her feelings for Chris when he was shipped to Africa to be a signalman at the onset of World War II.
Chris started writing letters to family and friends, including Bessie and her boyfriend, Nick. When Bessie wrote back, she said she was no longer with Nick and then admitted her feelings for Chris.
“Dear, dear, dearest Elizabeth. What are you doing to me? What are we doing to each other? How did I not see you? Why was I blind? What can I do?” Chris wrote in a letter sometime in August 1944. This letter was inside a blue box that Chris gave his son Bernard just before Chris’s death.
The box contained hundreds of other letters between Bernard’s parents, Chris and Bessie. Despite the harrowing war, the two found each other again and married afterward.[2]
8 Walter Stewart and Laura Versfelt
When love is as strong as what Walter Stewart and Laura Versfelt shared, nothing will ever break the bond apart, not even war. Their love story started when they shared a table in school one day in 1940. They dated, married in 1941, became pregnant, and then lost the baby.
Walter and Laura were still mourning their loss when he was shipped to Hawaii to serve in the Navy in December 1943. When the war ended, there was only one thing he wanted to do: Go home to Laura. They reunited, had a family of four, and stayed happy together until Walter died in 2013.
“She’s what I needed to fill in the blanks,” Walter said of Laura in the book War Bonds: Love Stories from the Greatest Generation.[3]
7 Walt Powers and Myrt Mueller
Another romantic story from Cindy Hval’s War Bonds book is about a Navy surgery technician who fell in love with a Marine dietician in the middle of the war.
Walt Powers enlisted in the Navy in 1943 and met Myrt Mueller at the base. Mueller, an Oregon teacher, wanted to protect her students’ fathers who were forced into the war. So, she joined the Marines. She was not sent to the battlefield, which was serendipitous for her and Walt.
He was immediately smitten when they met. It solidified when he asked her for a bike ride, and she said they could do so after church. Walt was elated to find a good girl. They were just getting acquainted when he was shipped to Japan and China as the war waned. However, it did not stop their communication, and through letters, they fell in love.
They got married shortly after Walt got back home in 1946.[4]
6 Lucy and George
When a couple lives oceans apart, there is always uncertainty. But when war is added to the equation, it becomes about life. Insecurity and jealousy turn into trivial matters. For Lucy and George, survival was the most important thing.
They fell in love but were shortly forced apart by World War II. Though physically apart, their letters bonded them so strongly that distance did not matter. After the war, they reunited, got married, and raised a beautiful family in Australia.
Fifty years later, Karen Lamb discovered 24 letters her grandparents Lucy and George exchanged during the war. Those letters and Lucy and George’s love story have since been published in Lamb’s book Love Has No Boundaries: A True Love Story of WWII.[5]
5 Herman Allen and Hedvig Johnson
Spies in love—it sounds like a perfect theme for an exciting romantic action film. Except, it’s the true story of Herman Allen and Hedvig Johnson. 1st Lt. Allen was a World War II bomber pilot forced to land in neutral Sweden. He started working for the Office of Strategic Services, the U.S. intelligence office during the war, where he met the beautiful secretary Hedvig Johnson.
Working together in Stockholm transformed their collegial relationship into a romantic one. The rest is history and was the focus of a book by Pat DiGeorge, Herman and Hedvig’s daughter.[6]
4 Sal and Loretta
Nineteen-year-old Sal was a radio operator on the U.S.S. Signet as World War II raged in 1943. He regularly wrote letters to his lady love, 16-year-old Loretta, a stenographer. They wrote about home, argued about music, and then made up. As the war waned, so did their letters. Unfortunately, the ending to their love story remains a mystery.
Sal and Loretta’s love story showcases the difficulty of teenagers in navigating romance at the height of the war. Their letters take center stage in Laura Lynn Ashworth’s book, Letters to Loretta from the Radio Shack: Love and Adventure on a WWII Minesweeper. While helping an elderly family member with Veterans Administration paperwork, the author came across 170 letters exchanged between Sal and Loretta.[7]
3 Harry Leslie Smith and Friede Edelmann
Harry Leslie Smith was once known as the world’s oldest rebel before his death in 2018. He had always been a fighter—joining the Royal Air Force in 1941 and becoming a political activist in his later years. But when it came to Friede Edelmann, he was a softie.
Harry and his team were stationed in Hamburg, Germany, when the war ended. There was one rule among soldiers: No fraternizing with Germans, especially the girls. But, the rebel that he was, Harry did exactly the opposite… and more. He fell in love with local girl Friede, referring to her as his “destiny.”
They were told that love between a Brit boy and a German girl wouldn’t work, but the rebel persevered and won. Harry and Friede were together until she died in 1999.[8]
2 George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman
One enduring photo at the conclusion of World War 2 was that of a sailor and a nurse kissing in the middle of New York City’s Times Square. It looked so romantic, except it was not. George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman were strangers.
George was celebrating Victory over Japan (VJ) Day on August 14, 1945. Out of sheer joy, he grabbed dental assistant Greta, dipped her, and kissed her on the lips. However, the photo has become such a visual representation of the war’s end that many people have imbibed it with an everlasting love story.
However, George went on to marry someone else—his girlfriend at the time of the photo—in 1946, having two children. They were together until his death in 2019 at the age of 95. Greta married another WWII veteran in 1956, passing away in 2016.
George and Greta met again in 1980, staying in touch occasionally. When interviewed about the kiss years later, Greta recalled: “It wasn’t much of a kiss. It was just somebody celebrating. It wasn’t a romantic event.”[9]
1 Airman Robert Bozdech and German Shepherd Puppy “Antis”
The love between an airman and his German Shepherd could outshine many romantic stories.
While on a reconnaissance mission, Czech airman Robert Bozdech crashed in no man’s land between French and German lines. He hid inside an abandoned farmhouse where he met a German Shepherd puppy he named Antis. As the enemy was inching closer, it would have been safer for Robert to leave the pup behind as its barking could spell his end. But that is not how love works.
Robert hid Antis in his flight jacket and walked his way toward the French troops. They were inseparable from that point, going on around 30 missions together. Antis became the mascot of Royal Air Force 311 Squadron. They stayed together after the war, living in the UK, where Robert became a citizen. He died in 1951, and Antis followed two years later.[10]
]]>Romantic comedies — better known as ‘rom-coms’ — have long been a Hollywood staple, typically serving up light-hearted fare to love-starved audiences. But the genre is also guilty of perpetuating toxic stereotypes and encouraging unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, the chances of these trends changing anytime soon are as likely as Harvey Weinstein getting out of prison and green-lighting your screenplay.
Although classics like Annie Hall, and When Harry Met Sally are universally cherished, moviegoers have also had to endure cringe-worthy films that border on crimes against humanity. Yes, Gigli, we’re talking about you.
So without any further adieu, here’s our top 10 list of things rom-com’s get wrong.
10. Love At First Sight
Theoretically, it’s possible to feel a flood of emotions when gazing at someone for the first time, but it’s usually lust or curiosity that first grabs our attention. Love, however, is a complex beast.
Mixed metaphorically speaking, hitting a home run in your very first Kentucky Derby is the stuff of dreams. Meaningful relationships often require extra innings, relying on more than just performance in the saddle to determine compatibility.
For example, in Sleepless in Seattle, Meg Ryan’s character doesn’t even need a visual cue. Instead, she dumps her fiancé and falls head over heels for Tom Hanks’ voice. Sure, this ’90s classic is undeniably winsome, but that still doesn’t justify questionable morals and speculative actions.
9. Happily Ever After
In Kate & Leopold, Kate is a big city go-getter (Meg Ryan again) who (spoiler alert) must travel back in time at the end of the film to get her man. She eventually falls into the arms of an impossibly charming duke (Hugh Jackman) and presumably lives happily ever after.
Although waltzing in the 19th century may seem whimsical, it’s a safe bet a fiercely independent woman like Kate won’t appreciate her limited career opportunities — nor being allowed to vote for that matter. Sadly, Kate & Leopold would probably end up being more like Sid & Nancy.
In a Chicago Tribune article exploring romantic myths, sociologist Chauntelle Tibbals has this to say about Hollywood endings: “Reality is not so seamless,” Tibbals said. “Tragedy happens. Life happens. People just grow in different directions.”
8. Makeover Magic
Sometimes all it takes is a new ‘do and a touch of makeup to find true love. Well, at least in rom coms, anyway. From dowdy to dazzling, we’ve all seen this strategy deployed in countless films, such as Clueless, Princess Diaries, and Miss Congeniality.
The main flaw with this strategy is the fact that attractive actors are made to look homely before their transformation from caterpillar to butterfly. Anyone who’s ever co-habitated is fully aware that bed head and morning breath are all part of the deal. In short, couples willing to accept their partner’s true self have a better chance of staying together, warts and all.
7. Love Conquers All
Not unlike super glue, this well-worn trope claims that a simple four-letter word can fix anything. The rom-com canon has repeatedly taught us that he or she can cheat, have a criminal record, lousy credit, bad breath, bad manners, and terrible taste in music, but it simply doesn’t matter all because of L-O-V-E.
Unfortunately, reality tells a different story. A substantial drop in males attending college has led to a mating crisis that not even love can remedy. Women now make up nearly 60% of US college students — a gender gap that’s only getting wider.
According to NYU Professor Scott Galloway, popular dating apps reveal that men holding college degrees receive far more attention than those without higher education. As a result, “you have the most dangerous person in the world, who’s a broke and alone male, and we are producing too many of them,” says Galloway. “The mating inequality that’s going to come out of this dearth of men in college poses an existential risk to our economy and our society.”
6. Stalking Is Harmless
The adage, ‘If at first, you don’t succeed, try and try and again’ is perfectly acceptable with regards to finding a job or competitive sports. But when it comes to relationships, movies often take a more militaristic tone: hunt down the target by air, land, or sea until they eventually wave the white flag. This is not only a depraved message but can also have grave consequences.
A 2015 study at the University of Michigan revealed that women who watched films, such as There’s Something About Mary, become more tolerant of aggressive male behavior. In the report, author Julia R. Lippman suggests several popular rom-coms feature (men and women) characters with similar tendencies as stalkers.
“I was inspired to pursue this research by observing that stalking often seems to be trivialized in our culture, said Lippman. This depiction of relentless pursuit is especially dangerous because “It can encourage women to discount their instincts,” adds Lippman.
5. Being Single is for Losers
One of the more egregious misrepresentations found in rom-coms is the notion that singles can never achieve happiness. Apparently, all personal and professional achievements overwhelmingly pale in comparison to one’s relationship status.
For example, in Bridget Jones Diary, Rene Zellweger plays the frumpy, eponymous character obsessed with not dying “fat and alone.” She ultimately becomes trapped in a messy love triangle and must endure a series of awkward, boozy humiliations along the way. Common sense dictates she’d be far better off alone.
Based on Helen Fielding’s best-selling novel, the film trilogy also shows the normalization of sexual harassment in the workplace. In a recent interview, Fielding said she wouldn’t be able to write the story now, and the amount of sexism made it “quite shocking for me to see how things have changed since then.
4. The Soulmate Theory
Hopeless romantics are quick to embrace this warm and fuzzy concept, believing that their ideal match is out there waiting for them. But do soulmates actually exist? Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. And that’s all Tinsletown needs to keep peddling this feel-good fodder to the popcorn-munching masses with fables like Serendipity, and Only You.
Merriam-Webster defines a soulmate as “a person who is perfectly suited to another in temperament.” Nonetheless, some top-level shrinks warn that the most blissful unions still take lots of hard work to stay on track.
“This expectation paves the way for significant disappointment,” says Sabrina Romanoff, PhD, a clinical psychologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. “Instead, replace the idea of ‘finding’ your soulmate, with ‘creating’ one through years of learning about them, navigating challenges, creating a family, and loving each other through all the happy and hard times.”
3. Contra Affairs
Fade in: Boy meets girl. Boy flirts with girl. Over a few drinks in a dimly lit bar, we learn that she’s studying for her master’s in English Lit, while he can barely scribble his name in the mud with a stick. Regardless, they fall madly in love, proving opposites attract after all. Roll credits.
Looks and sexual chemistry tick two important boxes, but dating experts are quick to point out that people with multiple shared interests have much greater odds of staying together. They don’t have to agree on everything, but those with radically disparate backgrounds are often doomed. That is, unless Julia Roberts shows ups on screen.
In Pretty Woman, Roberts plays a hard-luck hooker, who manages to snare a handsome, wealthy businessman (Richard Gere). A decade later, the Oscar-winning actress starred in Notting Hill, ostensibly portraying herself, and becomes smitten by a lovable but hopelessly ordinary bookshop owner played by rom-com regular, Hugh Grant. In a juicy bit of trivia, Grant was arrested in 1995 for solicitation of a prostitute.
2. The Big Day
For something that has a 50/50 chance of ending in failure, marriage is a risky wager. Movies, however, present a more optimistic outlook, leading us to believe that weddings are the culmination of life’s ultimate goal to be celebrated with the same pomp and ceremony as the Olympics, World Cup, and Super Bowl Sunday all rolled into one. Just remember, folks, please gamble responsibility.
Getting hitched is supposed to be a joyous event, bringing family and friends together for ‘the big day.’ So with love in the air, followed by food, drinks, and dancing, what could possibly go wrong? Everything. The silver lining, of course, is the bounty of theatrics from which filmmakers can draw to amuse us.
Whether it’s a fire-breathing Bridezilla or a pair of fun-loving womanizers crashing the party, these tying the knot plots include Bride Wars, Bridesmaids, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, The Wedding Planner, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Big Wedding, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
1. Fighting = Passion
Nobody wants to sit through a movie featuring two characters who blissfully agree on everything and never experience a moment of discord. As every hack screenwriter knows, conflict is an essential ingredient for creating drama and a compelling narrative. That said, tension between two lovers can be successfully depicted in many ways (Moonstruck is a good example) without having them scratch and claw at each other like alley cats for two hours straight.
Fact: relationships can be challenging. Fiction: incessant fighting merely reflects a burning passion. Couples who constantly tussle will usually part ways and seek a less hostile mate, you know, like the bonobos apes do. Scientists Vanessa Woods and Brian Hare spent 15 years in central Africa comparing bonobos to the more aggressive chimpanzees. Their findings were nothing short of astonishing.
The landmark study makes a convincing argument that we might have entirely misunderstood Darwin’s idea of ‘survival of the fittest’ and the role of alpha males. “Bonobos have never been seen to kill another bonobos,” said Hare. The primates were able to successfully evolve by forming a society built on peaceful co-existence, especially among females. Acts of physical violence are simply not tolerated, and “the friendliest males were the ones that had the most offspring because the females preferred them,” adds Hare.
]]>Romantic comedies — better known as ‘rom-coms’ — have long been a Hollywood staple, typically serving up light-hearted fare to love-starved audiences. But the genre is also guilty of perpetuating toxic stereotypes and encouraging unhealthy behaviors. Moreover, the chances of these trends changing anytime soon are as likely as Harvey Weinstein getting out of prison and green-lighting your screenplay.
Although classics like Annie Hall, and When Harry Met Sally are universally cherished, moviegoers have also had to endure cringe-worthy films that border on crimes against humanity. Yes, Gigli,we’re talking about you.
So without any further adieu, here’s our top 10 list of things rom-com’s get wrong.
This is an encore of one of our previous lists, as presented by our YouTube host Simon Whistler. Read the full list!
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