Loretta Young in Christine's Children (1962)

Obscurity factor: 7

Many people remember Loretta Young's anthology series from the 1950's. It ran for almost 10 years and was very popular. In the early 1960's she starred in another series called Christine's Children. Instead of being an anthology, it was a sit-com with elements of a drama.  Christine Massey is a widowed writer with seven children. She plies her trade with a woman's magazine published by Paul Belzer who also becomes her romantic interest on the show. Each episode really focuses on the life of the children and the ins and outs of growing up. There are two boys - twins played by Dirk and Dack Rambo and 5 younger girls.

Loretta Young's signature was her appearance at the beginning and end of each episode with a quote to frame the story. Her entrance in an exquisite couture creation was what many fans looked for, and this series was the pinnacle of that gesture, with gorgeous Hollywood Regency doors, through which Ms. Young entered in chiffon, lace or faille.

The series is recently available on DVD and the quality is very good, having been remastered from Ms. Young's original media. There is no video of it available online what-so-ever, that I can find.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, not as well known has the original series)

Loretta Young in Cause for Alarm 1951

Second in our series on film noir is this dark little gem. Loretta Young plays a wife taking care of her invalid husband. His incapacitating disease has started to affect his mind and she and his doctor become the target of his increasing ire. He believes they are plotting against him, attempting to kill him, so he takes action by composing a letter to the prosecuting attorney claiming as much and saying that, should he not survive, they were the cause of it. After getting his wife to mail the letter and confronting her with what she just sent, he attempts to shoot her and then promptly drops dead. What's she to do?! Loretta Young is not the first actress you think of when you think of film noir. This circumstance, however, fits her persona perfectly and also fits beautifully into the genre. The setting is a bright, sunny California day, but the story line is dark as night.

This is one of those films that sort of slips through the cracks. I first saw it on TCM, but it tends to blend in with all the other titles and get lost in the shuffle. It's worth seeking out, however. The entire film is uploaded to YouTube in one large file. You can watch it above, thanks to sdfilmcritic. You can also find it on the Hollywood Bombshells Collection DVD set and occasionally on TCM.

Obscurity factor: 5 (available on DVD and YouTube, occasionally screened on TCM, largely forgotten)