H’wood Record Holder Bess Flowers

BessflowersI must confess my ignorance and accept the consequences: until yesterday, I had never heard of Bess Flowers. You haven’t, either? Consider this: no actor in Hollywood history appeared in more movies nommed for Best Picture than Old Bess. Twenty-one. You read that right: she appeared in 21 Best Picture nominees, a record; 5 of them won the award: “It Happened One Night,” “You Can’t Take It With You,” “All About Eve,” “The Greatest Show on Earth,” and “Around the World in Eighty Days.” What’s more, during her career, Bess (1898-1984) appeared in more than 700 movies. Most of her appearances are uncredited. She was known as “The Queen of the Hollywood Extras.” She liked to use perfume. With a name like Flowers, I’ll bet she smelled good.

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