Claude Jarman Jr, Child Star of The Yearling
Talks about the Iconic MGM 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Photo
In our 4th interview with Claude Jarman Jr, Claude tells us about his participation in one of the most famous classic movie photos of all time — the MGM 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Photo of Stars.
Claude reminisces about that special day in April 1949 when he left school early, dressed up in a suit and tie, and went to meet everyone at Stage 29. He tells us about the hour-long wait while the shot was being set up, how everyone was arranged in the photo, who came from a movie set, who couldn’t make it to the shoot – and more.
If you’re already familiar with this photo, you’ll know that Claude sits among some of the most iconic Hollywood stars of all time, including Fred Astaire, Lionel Barrymore, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Ava Gardner and more.
Now, I don’t want to ruin anything for you, so if you’d like to try your hand at picking out all the stars in the photo, don’t scroll down below this photo (aka Spoiler Alert). But, if you’re ready to ‘give up’, well then, go for it. 🙂
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MGM 1949 Class Photo aka 25th Anniversary Silver Jubilee Photo
Front/Bottom Row – left to right: Lionel Barrymore, June Allyson, Leon Ames, Fred Astaire, Edward Arnold, Lassie, Mary Astor, Ethel Barrymore, Spring Byington, James Craig, Arlene Dahl
2nd Row – left to right: Gloria DeHaven, Tom Drake, Jimmy Durante, Vera-Ellen, Errol Flynn, Clark Gable, Ava Gardner, Judy Garland, Betty Garrett, Edmund Gwenn, Kathryn Grayson, Van Heflin
3rd Row – let to right: Katharine Hepburn, John Hodiak, Claude Jarman Jr., Van Johnson, Jennifer Jones, Louis Jourdan, Howard Keel, Gene Kelly, Christian Kent (Alf Kjellin), Angela Lansbury, Mario Lanza, Janet Leigh
4th Row – left to right: Peter Lawford, Jeanette MacDonald, Ann Miller, Ricardo Montalban, Jules Munshin, George Murphy, Reginald Owen, Walter Pidgeon, Jane Powell, Ginger Rogers, Frank Sinatra, Red Skelton.
5th/Top Row – left to right: Alexis Smith, Ann Sothern, J. Carroll Naish, Dean Stockwell, Lewis Stone, Clinton Sundberg, Robert Taylor, Audrey Totter, Spencer Tracy, Esther Williams, Keenan Wynn.
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A Big Thank You to Claude Jarman Jr. for sharing his wonderful memories with us — and for sharing the below photo with us from his private collection.
If you’d like to watch our other classic movie interviews with Claude Jarman Jr. — about The Yearling, High Barbaree and more — click here.
Stay tuned for more from Claude Jarman Jr. over the next few months, including more videos and some guest articles. And, if you want to learn more about Claude’s experiences in Hollywood, you can read his book My Life and the Final Days of Hollywood.
Thanks so much for watching and reading. Hope you enjoyed!
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–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub
About Claude Jarman Jr.: Claude Jarman Jr. was discovered in a fifth grade class room in Nashville, Tennessee, in 1945 by film director Clarence Brown, taken to Hollywood where he starred with Gregory Peck and Jane Wyman in THE YEARLING. After receiving an Academy Award for his performance he went on to appear in ten additional films including John Ford’s RIO GRANDE with John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara and also William Faulkner’s story of racial strife in INTRUDER IN THE DUST.
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Thank you so much. Very interesting to hear Claude discussing that iconic photo.
Thank you so much for taking the time to watch it. I appreciate it 🙂
What a treat! Thank you so much.
Thanks so much for watching 🙂
Interesting that Errol Flynn and Jennifer Jones were MGM stars at this time. Flynn is more associated with Warner Bris and Jones with Selznick or Twentieth Century Fox.
In addition, Ginger Rogers had done much of her earlier work at RKO and Warner Bros . But now all three were working at MGM and appear in this picture.
Errol Flynn was on loan from Warners to shoot “That Forsyth Woman” with Greer Garson. It snowed in Los Angeles during the time Flynn was working at Metro, he had to heir a helicopter to get to the studio from his home. Ginger Rogers was working with Fred Astaire on the “Barclays of Broadway”, Rogers replaced Judy Garland.