Screen Guild Theater: Petrified Forest / This Lonely Heart / Cellini

Petrified Forest: Joan Bennett, Tyrone Power, Humphrey Bogart This Lonely Heart: Bette Davis, Arch Oboler Cellini: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Frank Morgan, Paulette Goddard, Mary Forbes, Margot Stevenson, Roy D'Arcy Paulette Goddard (June 3, 1910 -- April 23, 1990)[1] was an American film actress. A child fashion model and a performer in several Broadway productions as a Ziegfeld Girl, she became a major star of the Paramount Studio in the 1940s. Goddard was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in 1943's So Proudly We Hail! (1943). Upon her return to Hollywood, with her mother, Goddard appeared in small roles in The Girl Habit (1931) and The Mouthpiece (1932). She signed a contract with Hal Roach Studios, and appeared in films such as The Kid from Spain and Laurel and Hardy's Pack Up Your Troubles (both 1932). In 1932, she met Charlie Chaplin. Goddard was considering investing the money from her divorce settlement in a film venture but Chaplin intervened when he discovered the deal was fraudulent, and bought out her contract from Roach. Chaplin began planning a film with Goddard that was released in 1936 as Modern Times, the first film in which she had a credited role.[3] In the interim, Goddard appeared in a few films for Samuel Goldwyn Productions. Along with such actresses as Betty Grable, Lucille Ball, and Ann Sothern, Goddard became a "Goldwyn Girl" in films such as Roman Scandals (1933) and Kid Millions (1934). During this time she lived with Chaplin in his Beverly Hills home. Their marital status was a source of controversy and speculation. During most of their time together, both refused to comment on the matter.[4] Chaplin maintained they were married in China in 1936, but to private associates and family, he reportedly claimed they were never legally married, except in common law. Following the success of Modern Times, Chaplin planned other projects with Goddard in mind as a co-star, but he worked slowly and Goddard worried that the public might forget about her if she did not continue to make regular film appearances. She signed a contract with David O. Selznick and appeared with Janet Gaynor in the comedy The Young in Heart (1938) before Selznick loaned her to MGM to appear in two films. The first of these, Dramatic School (1938), costarred Luise Rainer, but the film received mediocre reviews and failed to attract an audience.[3] Her next film, The Women (1939), was a success. With an all-female cast headed by Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, and Rosalind Russell, Goddard played the supporting role of Miriam Aarons. Pauline Kael would later comment of Goddard, "she is a stand-out. She's fun."