Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke was a famous American actress, best known for her roles on Broadway, radio, and silent films. She was also known as the Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. In addition to her movie career, Burke‘s other talents included directing, writing, and producing.
Bill of Divorcement talkie debut
A Bill of Divorce is an odd little film based on a play by Clemence Dane. Its premise is a solid one, and there is scope for power and poignancy, but it is poorly executed. For one thing, the character of Audrey Hepburn is oddly developed. The actress begins as a flighty teenager who becomes a companion and changes her heart without much impact on the plot.
The movie opens with a party held by Billie Burke’s family. She is accompanied by her new fiance, Paul Cavanagh, who plans to marry her at New Year’s. However, Billie’s mother, Elizabeth Patterson, disapproves of this second marriage. She values the first marriage, which she had with John Barrymore. Unfortunately, John had spent 15 years in an asylum following the war, but he escapes and reclaims his place in the family.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uCw6V3_c8Ek
Father of the Bride
“Father of the Bride” starred Spencer Tracy as a father who is naive about his daughter’s impending wedding. The film became a hit in theaters and was nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. After the movie’s success, MGM went on to produce two sequels. The second one, “Father of the Bride II,” was made in 1991 and starred Steve Martin in the role of Spencer Tracy.
“Father of the Bride” was an instant classic when it came out in 1991, but it’s still a favorite today. The saga of a stubborn father who doesn’t want to get married is as universal as it was in 1991. Although the plot of “Father of the Bride” is the same, it’s portrayed in a different light in each version. The Tracy version is more traditional, breaking the fourth wall in a way that Martin’s does not. It also features plenty of voiceovers.
Father’s Little Dividend
Father’s Little Dividend is a TV sitcom in its embryonic stages. If this movie had any more resemblance to the TV sitcoms of today, audiences would not go to the cinema any more. Its slapdash script, which features an unremarkable family, is directed by Vincente Minnelli anonymously and invisibly.
The movie is a sequel to the 1950 comedy Father of the Bride. It features Spencer Tracy as an exasperated father, Elizabeth Taylor as the charming bride, and Don Taylor as the husband. Billie Burke plays the mother-in-law.
Burke’s roles in Topper film series
Billie Burke played the title role in the 1937 film Topper and has continued to appear in sequels to the Topper film series. Burke was born in New York City and raised in London, where her family had settled. She began her acting career in 1903 in The School Girl. She then went on to appear in The Duchess of Dantzic and The Blue Moon. She was also in numerous Broadway musical comedies.
She re-enacted her role in the sequels, including Topper Returns (1941). Burke was the second female Topper and starred with Cary Grant and Constance Bennett. Her role was later remade as a television series and she also appeared in a made-for-TV movie remake in 1979.
Burke’s roles in Father of the Bride
Before her roles in Father of the Bride and ‘The Duchess of Dantzic,’ Billie Burke first gained fame as a stage performer. She made her stage debut in London, England, and starred in a number of plays, including ‘The Blue Moon’ (1913). She then went on to perform on Broadway in many comedies, including ‘The Duchess of Dantzic,’ ‘The Runaway,’ and ‘The Amazons’. Burke and her husband Florenz Ziegfeld were married in 1914, and they had a daughter, Patricia Ziegfeld.
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929 wiped out the Burke family’s assets, Burke returned to the screen to support the family. In 1950, she appeared in the romantic comedy, ‘Father of the Bride’, along with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor. Her reminiscences of her time on stage are documented in the book, ‘With a Feather on My Nose’.
Burke’s roles in The Wizard of Oz
Burke played many roles in the Oz movies, including Glinda and Dorothy. Her roles were incredibly important to the success of the movie. She is one of the most recognizable characters from the film, and her enchanting voice makes her even more captivating. While many of her roles were incredibly popular, the movie itself is not based on her real life experiences.
Billie Burke was most well known for her role as Glinda in The Wizard of Oz. Though she had a number of other roles during her career, Glinda is the most memorable. She was a sweet, witty character, and her hair and personality fit the role. However, if we were to compare Burke’s Glinda role with her many other films, we would see her in a very different light.