LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Joan Blondell: Warner Bros
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In 1945, Blondell excelled as the much-married, flamboyant Aunt Sissy in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. But it marked a shift to supporting roles and diminished screen appearances. Despite below-the-title billing, she was the only thing critics liked about Adventure (46), the dull Clark Gable–Greer Garson pairing that marked his screen return after WWII service. Blondell was even better as Xenia, the carnival fortune-teller in the frightening Nightmare Alley (47), starring Tyrone Power. She was Natalie Wood's show-biz mom in the teary The Blue Veil (51), starring Jane Wyman, earning a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination, which she lost to Kim Hunter in A Streetcar Named Desire.
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After her exhausting stint at Warners, Blondell began to slow down and choose her films with more care. As she became more matronly, her character roles took on a different, but equally interesting character. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn gave her a rich part which she played brilliantly. She was nominated for an Academy Award for The Blue Veil and proved that her sense of comedy was as keen as ever in Desk Set, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?, and Advance to the Rear.
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As a child, Joan learned the uncertainty of entertainment life. Her parents, Ed and Katie Blondell, were Vaudevillians who traveled extensively. The stage was a popular canvas in the early 20th century and success could be found with relative ease if the right play was produced. However, if a flop was produced, failure could be experienced just as easily. Joan was the oldest of the three Blondell children, with brother “Junie” closely behind and sister Gloria arriving a few years later. While Joan got in on her parents’ act at the young age of 3, Junie grew to hate their nomadic existence and rebelled quite often.
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