tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28878972368319610252024-03-06T22:08:10.194-08:00FAMILIAR FACES OF NOIRMany of these actors achieved stardom because of their start in film noir; others, despite it. In any case, at one time or another, sometimes many times, they played cops and robbers, hoodlums and toadies, doomed anti-heroes and femme fatales in one of filmdom’s richest genres. And all of us fans of film noir are richer for that. A tip of the fedora to them all.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-87644241729776239742007-04-02T19:47:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:35.481-08:00BRUCE BENNETT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8sIFKCBKykNadveVoSyIGiPtIRBPYISEww2taesqAVlWs8jkDMzzJfDGQD3J3qZICRMwWh9nTKo70sd9gkidT6aveyiwLhrrDU0RWg18zkF_HHGysfdAw48lxQZSffJXrZL-2rc6LPJL/s1600-h/bennett.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049028051671347346" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH8sIFKCBKykNadveVoSyIGiPtIRBPYISEww2taesqAVlWs8jkDMzzJfDGQD3J3qZICRMwWh9nTKo70sd9gkidT6aveyiwLhrrDU0RWg18zkF_HHGysfdAw48lxQZSffJXrZL-2rc6LPJL/s200/bennett.jpg" border="0" /></a>Bruce Bennett (1906-2007), nee Harold Herman Brix, was as an athlete before he was an actor, winner of the Silver medal for shot-putting in the 1928 Olympic Games and holder of the indoor and outdoor records for shot-putting. Tapped by Edgar Rice Burroughs, he starred in the 1935 movie serial, THE NEW ADVENTURES OF TARZAN. After doing serials and B-movies and then finding himself still typecast, Brix changed his name to "Bruce Bennett." It was the right move. He appeared in many top-notch films in the ‘40s and early ‘50s including SAHARA (1943), MILDRED PIERCE (1945), NORA PRETISS (1947), DARK PASSAGE (1947), MYSTERY STREET (1950) and SUDDEN FEAR (1952). One of his best roles was as Cody, the lone prospector who is killed by Humphrey Bogart in THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948). In the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, Bennett turned to playing grittier characters – a detective in UNDERTOW and a forensic scientist in MYSTERY STREET. From the mid-1950s on, he appeared in lesser films such as THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE (1959) and on TV. In the ‘60s he became a successful businessman. Bennett reached his 100th birthday on May 19, 2006 but died less than a year later of complications from a broken hip.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-31297150348585329902007-04-02T19:29:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:35.597-08:00MARTHA VICKERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyADo6599gr8LDlebAZVzfqHJeOmxTYRE4cHMhwGaQAYoftq2Mcb9VVw1WEDPp2mzmdVL1GA2wRaTxRTz8pWbJuH_MpM_81_y-1_Nbd_YNoYWosIB4_-Yv2Y4Eh1ERdMceQf2Y5tT9mDQ/s1600-h/250px-Martha_Vickers.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5049023739524182146" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; CURSOR: pointer" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAyADo6599gr8LDlebAZVzfqHJeOmxTYRE4cHMhwGaQAYoftq2Mcb9VVw1WEDPp2mzmdVL1GA2wRaTxRTz8pWbJuH_MpM_81_y-1_Nbd_YNoYWosIB4_-Yv2Y4Eh1ERdMceQf2Y5tT9mDQ/s200/250px-Martha_Vickers.JPG" border="0" /></a>In the noir classic THE BIG SLEEP (1946), Philip Marlow (Bogart) says of rich, spoiled Carmen Sternwood, “She tried to sit in my lap, and I was standing up.” The actress was Martha Vickers (1925-71). Born Martha MacVicar in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she started out as a model and cover girl. Her first film role was a small uncredited part in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN (1941). The most famous of Vickers' three husbands was actor Mickey Rooney to whom she was married from 1949 to 1951. Vickers retired from films in 1960.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-7505907134977849592007-04-01T20:26:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:35.875-08:00JOSEPH CALLELIA<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafGLxtStNk7_75_H8aj0FGfZ1xK0XwCe0Yk0QxveWHImgJfvtlAnUpint0xH9k8inA3Uun83B9n0qer7VoDwV2rORJoc8Xp3zpODavE4brAXfo2_AvAGZb_CvsyxmUicfatWeNvPRrqN4/s1600-h/180px-JosephCalleia.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjafGLxtStNk7_75_H8aj0FGfZ1xK0XwCe0Yk0QxveWHImgJfvtlAnUpint0xH9k8inA3Uun83B9n0qer7VoDwV2rORJoc8Xp3zpODavE4brAXfo2_AvAGZb_CvsyxmUicfatWeNvPRrqN4/s200/180px-JosephCalleia.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048667205699006578" border="0" /></a>Maltese-born character actor Joseph Calleila (1897-75) first came to prominence as a concert singer in England and Europe. He made his screen bow in PUBLIC HERO NUMBER 1 (1935), playing the first of many gangsters. Usually a villain, Calleila often leavened his screen perfidy with a subtle sense of humor, notably as the masked bandit who motivates the plot of the Mae West/W.C. Fields comedy My Little Chickadee (1940). In 1936, the actor tried his hand at screenwriting with ROBIN HOOD OF EL DORADO (1936), a fanciful western based on the criminal career of Joaquin Murietta. Calleia also appeared in such films noir DEADLINE AT DAWN (1946) and GILDA (1946). Toward the last years of his film career Calleila delivered some of his best and most varied screen performances, especially as the kindly Mexican priest in Disney's TTHE LITTLEST OUTLAW (1955) and the weary border-town detective in Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL (1958).Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-56949088412784189392007-04-01T20:11:00.000-07:002011-04-07T14:01:59.271-07:00HILLARY BROOKE<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUWBY09T5oQ9T_VrbB5OQsK-dRQMPF4uKZ4d0ws101tUGCzELb5prqn7zTxcoN_bXD1caRmqp4A4Kj55iNokXedv6B7IBE1q7kSpQHXbSWpUcbOr4PiWFRME-duJTw2bBCw4oo4pELOZM/s1600-h/180px-Hillary_Brooke.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048663761135235170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnUWBY09T5oQ9T_VrbB5OQsK-dRQMPF4uKZ4d0ws101tUGCzELb5prqn7zTxcoN_bXD1caRmqp4A4Kj55iNokXedv6B7IBE1q7kSpQHXbSWpUcbOr4PiWFRME-duJTw2bBCw4oo4pELOZM/s200/180px-Hillary_Brooke.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Hillary Brooke (1914-99), a former model, was born in Astoria, New York but spoke with a cultured accent. She developed this early in her career to separate herself from other sexy blonde actresses. Brooke appeared in AFRICA SCREAMS (1949) and ABBOTT AND COSTELLO MEET CAPTAIN KIDD (1952). She also co-starred in three Sherlock Holmes movies with Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, including THE WOMAN IN GREEN (1945). Her other film credits include JANE EYRE (1944), Hitchcock’s, THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, and several noir films. In “The Abbott and Costello Show,” broadcast in the early ‘50s but syndicated for decades afterwards, Brooke played the role of a straitlaced, classy fellow tenant of the rooming house where the duo lived.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-36564299904186635152007-03-31T18:18:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:36.237-08:00LAWRENCE TIERNEY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCAbdKEGqitHNuxhG_ur24Ur_HgOpsTWPisGAy9DGgBdzG-b-V5T5Uk2GtoDT9xWnWepb74BdwT9RLSj0UQ3cfaieV58oTah4cCGEIx1H1eSwXX_c0WTChzFNud7kF3p9p22M68PxgYsz/s1600-h/tierney-old.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtCAbdKEGqitHNuxhG_ur24Ur_HgOpsTWPisGAy9DGgBdzG-b-V5T5Uk2GtoDT9xWnWepb74BdwT9RLSj0UQ3cfaieV58oTah4cCGEIx1H1eSwXX_c0WTChzFNud7kF3p9p22M68PxgYsz/s200/tierney-old.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048264131608211538" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAk20GPlzTtPBqvsmARdUxPAz9AjL0HjykDn2nbpyNrCAWsYWrxMt_fEDVxjryAbbtvT6hUD1IKShPitdwLXLSDYRikEqvDQCVCR_LNWxfl5ju4fYt2b8jV7oph6tX9A2z_k0WgK1LP-is/s1600-h/tierney-young.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAk20GPlzTtPBqvsmARdUxPAz9AjL0HjykDn2nbpyNrCAWsYWrxMt_fEDVxjryAbbtvT6hUD1IKShPitdwLXLSDYRikEqvDQCVCR_LNWxfl5ju4fYt2b8jV7oph6tX9A2z_k0WgK1LP-is/s200/tierney-young.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048263839550435378" border="0" /></a>You might best remember gravel-voiced Lawrence Tierney (1919-02) as Elaine Bence’s bald, scary dad on SEINFELD (1991) and Joe Cabot in RESERVOIR DOGS (1992). But Tierney, lookalike brother of actor Scott Brady, had a long career years playing gangers and tough guys years before in such films as THE HOODLUM, DILLINGER, SAN QUENTIN, THE DEVIL THUMBS A RIDE and BORN TO KILL. <span style=""> </span>He also played the villain in Cecil B. DeMille's 1952 best-picture Oscar-winner, THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH. Throughout the ‘60s and ‘70s, Tierney mostly dropped out of the movies. But then in late 1983 he returned to Hollywood and rekindled his acting career by guest-starring on television shows such as Remington Steele, Fame, Hunter, Hill Street Blues, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, The Simpsons, and the aforementioned Seinfeld.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-35168649425470491702007-03-31T17:47:00.000-07:002011-04-07T14:19:30.522-07:00LEE PATRICK<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BJM8fhcQcv9xqtK8ERg0Z71q0R3R4e2CzyTIQJtURGvYtOQmRaSVlPTRgXZTiYpDSdzsueialflYxjG3I71olWWGZO4QwKicSmR0AWMzUtjyq9ricCzeckOTJhhEDOO4QJviXjWdW1JA/s1600-h/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048255150831595554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7BJM8fhcQcv9xqtK8ERg0Z71q0R3R4e2CzyTIQJtURGvYtOQmRaSVlPTRgXZTiYpDSdzsueialflYxjG3I71olWWGZO4QwKicSmR0AWMzUtjyq9ricCzeckOTJhhEDOO4QJviXjWdW1JA/s200/images.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Lee Patrick (1901-82) began acting on Broadway in 1924 and moved to Hollywood a few years later. Over the next several years she played numerous supporting roles, without attracting much critical attention, but then her career got a big boost when she appeared in the granddaddy of all noir films, THE MALTESE FALCON(1941) as Effie Perine, the loyal and quick-thinking secretary of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade. Among her other films are BORDER CAFE (1937), NOW, VOYAGER (1942), MRS. PARKINGTON (1944), MILDRED PIERCE (1945) and CAGED (1950). Her final film role was a reprise of her Effie Perine character in a comedic (and unsuccessful) reworking of the Sam Spade story titled THE BLACK BIRD(1975) starring George Segal as Sam Spade Jr. Patrick appeared on TV in the 1950's in "Topper" opposite Leo G. Carroll.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-11131707165888908472007-03-31T07:08:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:36.432-08:00JEAN PETERS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVH3BRalPDxaKl3WMFZ2hhbB_lbG7JEczf_tPdeZg1Lk_wU-UGJqmLexOf2Cd071y4tyXwBJWFRe1yftkawGIN7Hp6X1ps5oq6BgG1arY632sm0ytVOo3cLhCYiL1Lzx8XwMyjPmM4T3V/s1600-h/jean.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGVH3BRalPDxaKl3WMFZ2hhbB_lbG7JEczf_tPdeZg1Lk_wU-UGJqmLexOf2Cd071y4tyXwBJWFRe1yftkawGIN7Hp6X1ps5oq6BgG1arY632sm0ytVOo3cLhCYiL1Lzx8XwMyjPmM4T3V/s200/jean.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5048091349368860690" border="0" /></a>Jean Peters (1926-2000) left her home in Canton, Ohio to pursue an acting career in Hollywood. Her first film, CAPTAIN OF CASTILE (1947), with Tyrone Power was a hit, and afterwards Peters spent the new decade playing sexy spitfires, often in period dramas and Westerns (such as VIVA ZAPATA with Marlon Brando). Director Samuel Fuller chose Peters over Marilyn Monroe for the part of Candy in 1953's noir gem PICKUP OF SOUTH STREET. Peters and Monroe starred together in another 1953 film noir, NIAGRA. <span style=""> </span>In 1957, after her divorce from her first husband, Texas oilman Stuart Cramer, Peters married Howard Hughes. They divorced in 1971. <o:p></o:p>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-25668510074791219642007-03-30T18:54:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:36.559-08:00AVA GARDNER<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat7ubAEvPswHRaC3nSHiYrUEWUon6AERMKGXj1KcM61fxTS2WC9Yce23Nigzx9VcTCOO09CagezqoKfPN2tOQO4ifb-vjRxtXhMv2t3soF_MNhGKdGBijcG0pwubI3BO_Bsz1HungFa6-/s1600-h/ava.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhat7ubAEvPswHRaC3nSHiYrUEWUon6AERMKGXj1KcM61fxTS2WC9Yce23Nigzx9VcTCOO09CagezqoKfPN2tOQO4ifb-vjRxtXhMv2t3soF_MNhGKdGBijcG0pwubI3BO_Bsz1HungFa6-/s200/ava.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047901318540849138" border="0" /></a>Ava Gardner (1922-90) began her career first as a model, then as a contract player at MGM. She toiled in tiny bit roles, finally getting a worthwhile one on loan-out to Universal in noir classic THE KILLERS (1946). MGM was never comfortable with the bad-girl persona she displayed so well in this film, so most of her starring roles at her home studio were relatively sympathetic ones in THE HUCKSTERS (1947) and SHOW BOAT (1951). MGM eventually came to terms with the elements that made Gardner popular with the public, notably in the gutsy MOGAMBO (1953), in which she partnered with the equally earthy Clark Gable. Director George Cukor was much taken by Gardner and cast the actress in her best and most complex MGM role in BHOWANI JUNCTION (1956). Gardner was equally well served in THE BAREFOOT CONTESSA (1954), which, in many ways, was a replay of her own rags-to-riches personal story. The actress was cast in some of her best parts during the '60s, such as SEVEN DAYS IN MAY and NIGHT OF THE IGUANA (both 1964). She was married and divorced three times – to actor Mickey Rooney, bandleader Artie Shaw and singer Frank Sinatra.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-29669993657023109202007-03-29T14:38:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:36.723-08:00DANE CLARK<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCquoTiVFI-zUZooZy_t_zeNPd_RBMMNMNfIhQvsCrMWndIsd98wq40WihzTWOO6s7Ft7iMot0p6swP0dzKwkowNRElD9QZEKoZH4whkfPxtr2DhaYJ8jjOXYxcPJ-beZsCwWHmT7r-ue/s1600-h/dane.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiCquoTiVFI-zUZooZy_t_zeNPd_RBMMNMNfIhQvsCrMWndIsd98wq40WihzTWOO6s7Ft7iMot0p6swP0dzKwkowNRElD9QZEKoZH4whkfPxtr2DhaYJ8jjOXYxcPJ-beZsCwWHmT7r-ue/s200/dane.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047465250511286242" border="0" /></a>Dane Clark (1912-98) was born Bernard Zanville in Brooklyn. His future as an actor began in Northport, Long Island when Charles M. Fritz, a notable actor, theater manager, and cousin to Edward G. Robinson and Paul Muni, discovered him. Fritz ran The Little Red Theater there, gave Dane a job and took him to live at his home, where he used his own furniture as props to mount plays in which newly named Zanville, now Dane Clark, played. Clark's career led to appear in numerous plays and movies and, in a very short time, became one of the most renowned and famous actors of his time. Known for being an "average Joe," Clark worked alongside some of his era's biggest stars, including Bette Davis. He also guest starred on a number of television shows, including "The Twilight Zone."<o:p></o:p>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-77529559418972066462007-03-29T14:17:00.000-07:002008-12-08T22:42:36.941-08:00WHIT BISSELL<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQKJw0yvZqm3YwDKIf6aIcjycXKPZGQtmtFUPHpu6lrd-3PN6cM6dm6q9TA5xWw0wyzGg9cZiIYQmb6BO8H-UPs7hsCqWM8p40wAM3CMAde7ggR-_p88tPNpAzziuLhaqRRwHVd7f1f6B/s1600-h/180px-Whit_Bissell.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPQKJw0yvZqm3YwDKIf6aIcjycXKPZGQtmtFUPHpu6lrd-3PN6cM6dm6q9TA5xWw0wyzGg9cZiIYQmb6BO8H-UPs7hsCqWM8p40wAM3CMAde7ggR-_p88tPNpAzziuLhaqRRwHVd7f1f6B/s200/180px-Whit_Bissell.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5047461788767645650" border="0" /></a>No actor ever had a more impressive list of film credits than Whit Bissell (1909-96). Born Whitner Nutting Bissell, he grew up in New York city and attended private all-boys schools there. At 14 he was sent to a boarding school in Connecticut and later attended the University of North Carolina where he majored in English and Drama. Just before graduating he applied for Eva Le Gallienne's apprentice student group in New York at the Civic Repertoire Company and was enrolled. He also attended The National Theatre Company. This training led to his Broadway debut and by the time he entered films, in the '40s, he had racked up a long list of Broadway credentials. His most recognizable long, stone face, silver hair and very mellow voice were perfect for film and he made a career of playing businessmen, military types, historical figures and other professional types. He could play either hero or villain and did so with gusto in many noir films.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-40747111279676697582007-03-03T15:53:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:37.196-08:00JOAN CRAWFORD<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1622COzsXmMi0YF4I9UNRW9Jn38SWLJs1lWkGZbNhqSYaIKwtE5pzPkgdk5t6X_iKEMckknRhrWL_nJaAg6QEXCWy5928xGwcWakvrNq4j0d_kRVURTuj-fpQbB62VVyqNbVkTZ6N5pq0/s1600-h/joan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1622COzsXmMi0YF4I9UNRW9Jn38SWLJs1lWkGZbNhqSYaIKwtE5pzPkgdk5t6X_iKEMckknRhrWL_nJaAg6QEXCWy5928xGwcWakvrNq4j0d_kRVURTuj-fpQbB62VVyqNbVkTZ6N5pq0/s200/joan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037851034423716674" border="0" /></a>For almost 50 years, Joan Crawford (1905-77) reigned as one of the great stars of the silver screen, evolving from a free-spirited flapper in her movies of the 1920s into an all-American working girl of the Great Depression, before eventually playing cool, driven, independent women with troublesome passions and neuroses concealed beneath a classy, well-coiffed exterior in numerous melodramas and film noir classics of the 1940s. Though her career declined with the studio system itself in the 1950s, Crawford soldiered on in her chosen profession, bringing a touch of old Hollywood glamour to the industry in an era that was no longer worthy of her.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-40265216235288651112007-03-03T15:34:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:37.768-08:00VAN HEFLIN<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNEi7Fw0IRZX2YFmchCgTdKhM18_COlGI8L6i-l93uxhKBS50rq-0pD5jILok78Um24kF1xC50s_FT4zbGN-kOu-U37CZTLe6lR9a-UYum5MJTHiHBEXJvvunPnIq20M3DRSF5y_ohY3w/s1600-h/images1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNEi7Fw0IRZX2YFmchCgTdKhM18_COlGI8L6i-l93uxhKBS50rq-0pD5jILok78Um24kF1xC50s_FT4zbGN-kOu-U37CZTLe6lR9a-UYum5MJTHiHBEXJvvunPnIq20M3DRSF5y_ohY3w/s200/images1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037846438808709922" border="0" /></a>Van Heflin, (1910-71) began his acting career on Broadway in the early 1930s before signing with RKO Studios. His first film, A WOMAN REBELS (1936), featured him opposite Katharine Hepburn, and although he received good reviews, RKO did not try to build his potential. Signed by MGM Studios, he was initially cast in supporting roles in films such as SANTA FE TRAIL (1940) and JOHNNY EAGER (1942), winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for the latter performance. MGM began to groom him as a leading man in B movies and provided him with strong supporting roles in more prestigious productions. Among his more notable film credits are PRESENTING LILY MARS (1943), THE STRANGE LOVE OF MARTHA IVERS (1946), POSSESSED (1947), THE PROWLER (1951), SHANE (1953), PATTERNS (1956) and the lead in the classic 1948 film noir ACT OF VIOLENCE.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-51622442492349407252007-03-02T05:46:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:37.953-08:00RALPH MEEKER<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgKtZVZ73Etdk3VxIf6zcsnpfEc1KVhU9G-oMqDZeUBDhK1MfWOFoqNGDixkQOAR26VV9Vtvnh2YDakW-UvRHmftoEvAA0b31S6sQdkecxxbTkkcM2n4uClClFxSzAchcEb9k2V2qHbcc/s1600-h/Untitled.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhgKtZVZ73Etdk3VxIf6zcsnpfEc1KVhU9G-oMqDZeUBDhK1MfWOFoqNGDixkQOAR26VV9Vtvnh2YDakW-UvRHmftoEvAA0b31S6sQdkecxxbTkkcM2n4uClClFxSzAchcEb9k2V2qHbcc/s200/Untitled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037544451068193490" border="0" /></a>Ralph Meeker (1920-88) began his career in musicals with Betty Hutton and Leslie Caron, but 50s'Hollywood had heavier work for this stage-trained tough guy, who wound up playing thugs, private dicks, cops, soldiers ... and not just soldiers, <em>psychotic</em> ex-soldiers. After college and Navy service, Meeker returned to his birth city of Chicago and made his professional stage debut in 1943 in the national company of “The Doughgirls.” He then moved to New York, and later Italy, doing plays. After the war Meeker returned to New York. One of his first breaks was a small but important role in the original 1947 production of “Mister Roberts” in which he replaced Marlon Brando in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” Hollywood was his next stop! He made his film debut in 1951 with a small role in MGM's TERESA, followed by a starring one in FOUR IN A JEEP. Meeker then signed an MGM contract and starred in good-but-minor films like SHADOW IN THE SKY, GLORY ALLEY, SOMEBODY LOVES ME and JEOPARDY. In 1953 he was featured in Anthony Mann's western classic THE NAKED SPUR. That same year Meeker returned to New York for his greatest stage success, starring in the original 1953 Broadway production of “Picnic," for which he earned the New York Critic's Circle Award in 1954. Returning to films after the termination of his MGM contract, Meeker starred as the hammer-fisted detective Mike Hammer in Mickey Spillane's KISS ME DEADLY. Barely noticed when first released in 1955, the film is now regarded as a film noir classic.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-44659635922876683872007-03-01T20:14:00.000-08:002011-04-07T14:05:14.776-07:00JOHN GARFIELD<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZ_JctrfIo5IC4WnYUYLMb4SzXf7FvkPBzdAsqwcklA6lZxUpHMdntLH-OXVK3__zFctUWtjiw4VsqxfagxOi2Kgdhb5wbK1Glamy8xqdKu9d0Q875Fmgu1cZ_pwXsyhWSKZvLytZril2/s1600-h/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5037176063133280930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjZ_JctrfIo5IC4WnYUYLMb4SzXf7FvkPBzdAsqwcklA6lZxUpHMdntLH-OXVK3__zFctUWtjiw4VsqxfagxOi2Kgdhb5wbK1Glamy8xqdKu9d0Q875Fmgu1cZ_pwXsyhWSKZvLytZril2/s400/images.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Known for playing brooding, rebellious, working-class types, Brooklyn-born John Garfield (1913-52) was born Jacob Julius Garfinkle. After the death of his mother when he was seven, he was sent to a school for problem children in the Bronx and there, he discovered boxing and acting. He contracted an illness early in life which severely damaged his heart, limiting his ability to engage in strenuous athletic activities. He won a scholarship to an acting school hosted by Maria Ouspenskaya (the old Gypsy woman in THE WOLF MAN) and made his Broadway debut in 1932. That same year Garfield joined the Group Theatre, a pioneering company of players trained in a unified style and dedicated to presenting contemporary plays. Other members included Elia Kazan, Stella and Luther Adler, Will Geer, Howard Da Silva, Franchot Tone, John Randolph, Clifford Odets, Paul Strand, Kurt Weill and Lee J. Cobb. Garfield appeared in several productions including “Awake and Sing!” and “Waiting for Lefty.” In 1938 Garfield signed a seven-year contract with Warner's. His debut film FOUR DAUGHTERS was well received and Garfield was nominated for an Academy Award. Over the next few years he made several films including DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939), DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939), FOUR WIVES (1939), JUAREZ (1939) and THEY MADE ME A CRIMINAL (1939). At the start of World War II, Garfield tried to enlist but failed his medical due to a childhood illness that had damaged his heart. But he did his part by co-founding (with Bette Davis) the Hollywood Canteen. During that period his films included THE SEA WOLF (1941), TORTILLA FLAT (1942), AIR FORCE (1943), DESTINATION TOKYO (1943), THE FALLEN SPARROW (1943), BETWEEN TWO WORLDS (1944), PRIDE OF THE MARINES (1945) and the noir classic THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE (1946). In 1946, when his contract with Warner Bros. expired, he started his own independent production company. Long involved in liberal politics, Garfield was caught up in the McCarthy Communist scare of the late ‘40s and early ‘50s, and supported the Committee for the First Amendment. When called to testify before the House on Un-American Activities Committee or HUAC, Garfield refused to name names. However, his forced testimony before the committee severely damaged his reputation – and his health –and he was blacklisted. With film work scarce, Garfield returned to Broadway. But his heart problems, allegedly aggravated by the stress of his blacklisting, led to his early death at 39 soon thereafter.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-21000060238930654272007-02-28T06:24:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:38.258-08:00BURT LANCASTER<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0mSah4jYgrgUtetA_rPoVYpzK0G3AyoYHRLC7GzxvSeBkIW2F7cjKTUYebSpEsi44M12TU3KQaubgDayNWwhyphenhyphenlAKa2wzTVLn0gphNkqgKrrZ_2UCwQaMNKxRJ6ubgbKQ1ogKgLgOCVyg/s1600-h/burt1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN0mSah4jYgrgUtetA_rPoVYpzK0G3AyoYHRLC7GzxvSeBkIW2F7cjKTUYebSpEsi44M12TU3KQaubgDayNWwhyphenhyphenlAKa2wzTVLn0gphNkqgKrrZ_2UCwQaMNKxRJ6ubgbKQ1ogKgLgOCVyg/s400/burt1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036591060748176178" border="0" /></a>In his youth, Burt Lancaster (1913-94) was an acrobat in the circus, and he served in the U.S. Army in North Africa and Italy. He was already 32 when he got into the movie business, quickly establishing himself as a tough guy in such noir movies as THE KILLERS (1946), BRUTE FORCE, CRISS CROSS, I WALK ALONE and SORRY, WRONG NUMBER. His natural athleticism helped him in adventure movies such as THE CRIMSON PIRATE (1952), and in the ‘50s and ‘60s he proved his dramatic acting ability in FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953) with Frank Sinatra, THE SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS (1957) and ELMER GANTRY (1960). Lancaster continued acting in his later years, earning his fourth Oscar nomination for his role opposite Susan Sarandon in 1980's ATLANTIC CITY and appearing with fellow movie noir icon Kirk Douglas in TOUGH GUYS (1986).Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-66896850878606703972007-02-28T06:12:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:38.411-08:00JACK LAMBERT<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vjUN2feQWGKBHI4Gmq7V5ZfhYdsqhOm6wnbQi5mx1w4v2oTF4QvAA9VvUD6mmBnQp8V3gzr_Qt-vuTW0zVq9Y2ETLRDYlZ4evvsWxJqysAdvJlKi-bIhiwlwSrs6_UhS2lCrhU4iI7rv/s1600-h/jack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2vjUN2feQWGKBHI4Gmq7V5ZfhYdsqhOm6wnbQi5mx1w4v2oTF4QvAA9VvUD6mmBnQp8V3gzr_Qt-vuTW0zVq9Y2ETLRDYlZ4evvsWxJqysAdvJlKi-bIhiwlwSrs6_UhS2lCrhU4iI7rv/s200/jack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036588204594924322" border="0" /></a>Jack Lambert (1920-2002) specialized in playing movie tough guys and heavies. Following a stint on Broadway, Lambert moved to Hollywood and began working in films in 1943. He was a familiar figure in crime dramas in such noirs as KISS ME DEADLY, VERA CRUZ, THE KILLERS and THE ENFORCER, and in Westerns such as HOW THE WEST WAS WON. Not to be confused with two others with the same name, the British actor and football player.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-41719751775893076402007-02-27T20:45:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:38.534-08:00GENE TIERNEY The face in the misty light...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh757g0Cr3dOk7WLGbLqpvmlTT_hPSktvb7XWi0iG-WzZ8o6HnhNcVsL4euEXE82LTzKAn44kVWSBqStBGw5zd5Chj24aqFgDbfLC2BSZ9S_qeQuOFAw9luOFbUgOCFBCZ-VQzuVI1E84UJ/s1600-h/gene.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh757g0Cr3dOk7WLGbLqpvmlTT_hPSktvb7XWi0iG-WzZ8o6HnhNcVsL4euEXE82LTzKAn44kVWSBqStBGw5zd5Chj24aqFgDbfLC2BSZ9S_qeQuOFAw9luOFbUgOCFBCZ-VQzuVI1E84UJ/s400/gene.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036441578706406114" border="0" /></a>Gene Tierney (1920-91) starred in one of the greatest noir films ever made - LAURA (1944) - and co-starred in others including LEAVE HER TO HEAVEN (1945) as a scheming femme fatale, and NIGHT AND THE CITY (1950) as Richard Widmark’s adoring lady friend. Had she never made any other films her fame would have been assured. Gene Eliza Tierney was born in Brooklyn. Visiting Hollywood in 1938, she was told by a Warner Bros. executive that she should become an actress. She was offered a contract, but her parents advised against it because of the low salary. Back in New York, she worked on Broadway and as a photographic model back in New York. Then she signed a six-month contract with Columbia, but when no projects were forthcoming, she returned to the New York stage and soon became the toast of Broadway. All this success came before her 20th birthday! Finally, Tierney made her screen debut - in THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES (1940) opposite Henry Fonda. In '41, she starred in TOBACCO ROAD and SUNDOWN. Then she got top billing in Ernst Lubitsch's classic 1943 comedy HEAVEN CAN WAIT, after which her popularity increased. In 1944, at the tender age of 22, she starred as Laura Hunt, the intended murder victim in Otto Preminger's masterful mystery. Other films would follow, including THE LEFT HAND OF GOD (1955), a story set in China in which she plays a nurse who falls in love with a soldier of fortune posing as a priest (Humphrey Bogart).Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-5119080863159499632007-02-27T04:46:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:38.858-08:00CLAIRE TREVOR<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-qYmBRqtL6KmOcqDn0ZBy8eo7pO1Znj0qEPykBqZVBHyHT6J_x_2F1uxKPSjDLVQHZtjfePdOBMvuJGk2AujJAVl6s-FBcWDmQ8bC8vgRFMY4SryW1OkilvFxVxnpeTzTcDwgo56znek/s1600-h/claire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8-qYmBRqtL6KmOcqDn0ZBy8eo7pO1Znj0qEPykBqZVBHyHT6J_x_2F1uxKPSjDLVQHZtjfePdOBMvuJGk2AujJAVl6s-FBcWDmQ8bC8vgRFMY4SryW1OkilvFxVxnpeTzTcDwgo56znek/s400/claire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036194644707374514" border="0" /></a>Claire Trevor (1910-2000) was nicknamed "Queen of Film Noir" because of her many appearances in "bad girl” roles in film noir and other black-and-white thrillers. Her acting career spanned more than seven decades and included success not only in movies (she made over 60) but also on stage, radio and television. After attending <st1:place><st1:placename>American</st1:placename> <st1:placetype>Academy</st1:placetype></st1:place> of Dramatic Arts, she began her acting career in the late '20s in stock. By 1932 she was starring on Broadway; that same year she began appearing in Brooklyn-filmed Vitaphone shorts. Her feature film debut came in: JIMMY <st1:stockticker>AND</st1:stockticker> SALLY (1933). Trevor earned Oscar nominations for DEAD END, a 1937 melodrama in which she plays a good girl who grows up to be a prostitute, and for THE HIGH <st1:stockticker>AND</st1:stockticker> THE MIGHTY, a 1954 airplane disaster epic. She won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress award for her 1948 performance in <st1:stockticker>KEY</st1:stockticker> LARGO in which she plays the moll Gaye Dawn to Robinson's sadistic gangster Rocco. In 1956, Trevor won an Emmy for Best Live Television Performance by an Actress for Dodsworth, with Fredric March.<o:p></o:p>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-35872102260744427762007-02-26T18:24:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:38.961-08:00ARTHUR KENNEDY<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZsJeR21VNHCv_0xzngeL7x0OB-3H_nFySQshdq5WWPoX88GtgSlpTQgY69uOOoTtW_JOMeqeuwuTMsr_LDtqVRtJjfG13HDHWxNvKoCuV9CtXvv_HxYI_meBgGKTv6VZtQPXC7oPwMVB/s1600-h/180px-ArthurKennedy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHZsJeR21VNHCv_0xzngeL7x0OB-3H_nFySQshdq5WWPoX88GtgSlpTQgY69uOOoTtW_JOMeqeuwuTMsr_LDtqVRtJjfG13HDHWxNvKoCuV9CtXvv_HxYI_meBgGKTv6VZtQPXC7oPwMVB/s400/180px-ArthurKennedy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036571995388349170" border="0" /></a>John Arthur Kennedy (1914-90) got his break in movies when he was discovered by James Cagney and played the actor's kid brother in CITY FOR CONQUEST (1940). In the years that followed, Kennedy would play good guys and villains with equal skill, appearing in Western films and police dramas. He starred in several well-received films in the late '40s and the '50s, including HIGH SIERRA (with Bogart), CHAMPION (with Kirk Douglas), THE WINDOW, WHITE HEAT (again with Cagney), THE DESPERATE HOURS (again with Bogart) and THE MAN FROM LARAMIE BEND IN THE RIVER (both with Jimmy Stewart). He also appeared in LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, INHERIT THE WIND and ELMER GANTRY, playing a newspaper reporter in each.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-39431772081720949052007-02-26T18:07:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:39.104-08:00MIKE MAZURKI<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCiQld3eI23p8_rV7dpDC1kFcuQ-svzO5qomNxKuzJG1Z9g1ThJbXZvpqXb3COtFKd_ofLxVVUbZynewmCLTKId9RJWx9dNVDkR6aYq1XY-44J-AGS_AlykWnEBmvjwZoMS-WmZE2Ld2W/s1600-h/mike.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGCiQld3eI23p8_rV7dpDC1kFcuQ-svzO5qomNxKuzJG1Z9g1ThJbXZvpqXb3COtFKd_ofLxVVUbZynewmCLTKId9RJWx9dNVDkR6aYq1XY-44J-AGS_AlykWnEBmvjwZoMS-WmZE2Ld2W/s400/mike.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036030005726016914" border="0" /></a>Mike Mazurki (1907-90) was a Ukrainian-born actor and professional wrestler who appeared in over 100 movies. Tall, stocky and muscular with a dough-like face that looked as if it had taken one too many punches and with a raspy, rugged voice to match, he was naturally cast as gangsters, thugs and henchmen, including a wrestler in NIGHT <st1:stockticker>AND</st1:stockticker> THE <st1:stockticker>CITY</st1:stockticker>, a boxer in THE HARDER THEY FALL, and a lovesick mug called Moose Malloy in MURDER, MY SWEET, all noir classics.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-91819428388738202007-02-25T14:57:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:39.337-08:00LAUREN BACALL<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-dzm-158VdpMY9zbWAhfzAbwur3Y_aa00YJA62UW7PeNKEIlOcMJOclKZBDqRGMru1XWOJ2sREIILY1RjjDI9HcYmwr5okWn1N1XJvXxTK2sGuXXki0XPZmEHkp2EMEVzPjY82K6DBtf/s1600-h/bacall2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD-dzm-158VdpMY9zbWAhfzAbwur3Y_aa00YJA62UW7PeNKEIlOcMJOclKZBDqRGMru1XWOJ2sREIILY1RjjDI9HcYmwr5okWn1N1XJvXxTK2sGuXXki0XPZmEHkp2EMEVzPjY82K6DBtf/s400/bacall2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5035609936449631602" border="0" /></a>Lauren Bacall (1924), now in her 80s and still going strong, began her career as a model, gracing the cover of Harper's Bazaar at age 19, before moving on to acting. She landed a starring role in TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944) opposite Humphrey Bogart. The pair married a year later, and went on to make five films (and two children) together, including THE BIG SLEEP (1946) and KEY LARGO (1948). Her movie career cooled somewhat in the '60s and '70s, and she turned to Broadway, winning Tony Awards for her roles in “Applause” (1970) and “Woman of the Year” (1981). She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as Barbra Streisand's mother in THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES (1996), and most recently appeared with Nicole Kidman in two films: DODVILLE (2003) and BIRTH (2004). (She was also married to actor Jason Robards (1961–69), and is the mother of actor Sam Robards.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-26406365075969905872007-02-23T20:22:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:39.612-08:00HUMPHREY BOGART<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2fTfP6VcSLZVeFVsvvaC1UC4QunNx4DBUzFVWbvyXlBMuNMDPuiJsSweUXpo2wQ-AgcxzB6raKLb5BGhUI8FkoWGgzO-UmYd2rUgHGRexsTKidTSyjgwFuP3I5E6rfbkODiHsapPgEuc/s1600-h/bogie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ2fTfP6VcSLZVeFVsvvaC1UC4QunNx4DBUzFVWbvyXlBMuNMDPuiJsSweUXpo2wQ-AgcxzB6raKLb5BGhUI8FkoWGgzO-UmYd2rUgHGRexsTKidTSyjgwFuP3I5E6rfbkODiHsapPgEuc/s400/bogie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5036404457304066770" border="0" /></a>Bogie (1899-57) started his career as a good, but hardly great, Broadway stage player and B-movie actor during the 1920s and 1930s, but his later accomplishments have made him a worldwide icon and a super-noir star. Foreign actors including Jean-Paul Belmondo of France and India's Ashok Kumar were deeply influenced by his work and image. Bogie appeared in a wide range of genres - even light comedy - but playing primarily smart, playful and reckless characters living in a corrupt work but anchored by an inner moral code was his specialty. Bogart's most notable films include noir and noirish THE PETRIFIED FOREST, ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES, THE MALTESE FALCON , CASABLANCA, TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT, THE BIG SLEEP, THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, KEY LARGO, IN A LONELY PLACE, THE AFRICAN QUEEN, THE CAINE MUTINY, AND WE'RE NO ANGELS, and many others. Altogether, he appeared in 75 feature motion pictures. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Bogart the Greatest Male Star of All Time.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-20901884139755428322007-02-22T19:09:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:39.781-08:00LANA TURNER<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0G11aqelE49-qbGxKYv0BzKY1VTF0Q5eHhfUupsTS0QtgdMtkKn4ansyefRg0t81RSs-lrQEDOSL6hJk2rGa3j95rbF9aUMfIjYrTNneZjkLu7m1lb1EEEZppfTyYK03Lv8WyEIlCSzU/s1600-h/Lana.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU0G11aqelE49-qbGxKYv0BzKY1VTF0Q5eHhfUupsTS0QtgdMtkKn4ansyefRg0t81RSs-lrQEDOSL6hJk2rGa3j95rbF9aUMfIjYrTNneZjkLu7m1lb1EEEZppfTyYK03Lv8WyEIlCSzU/s320/Lana.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034561406083658962" border="0" /></a>Lana Turner (1921-95) wasn’t discovered at Schwab's Drug Store, as movie legend has it, but rather at the Top Hat Café. William R. Wilkerson, publisher of the Hollywood Reporter, was struck by her beauty and referred her to the actor/comedian talent agent Zeppo Marx, who in turn introduced her to film director Mervyn LeRoy at <st1:stockticker>MGM</st1:stockticker>. Lana's first film was THEY <st1:stockticker>WON</st1:stockticker>'T FORGET (1937). During World War II, she became a popular pin-up girl due to her popularity in such films such as ZIEGFELD GIRL, JOHNNY EAGER and four films with Clark Gable. The classic 1946 film noir THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE made her a star, but then during the '50s she appeared in a series of films that fared poorly. Hoping to refresh Lana’s career, <st1:stockticker>MGM</st1:stockticker> cast her in several musicals, one of which was a flop; the other, 1952's THE MERRY WIDOW, more successful. Returning briefly to noir, she gave a widely-praised performance in Vincente Minnelli's THE BAD <st1:stockticker>AND</st1:stockticker> THE BEAUTIFUL, and later starred in the adventure film THE SEA CHASE. She was then cast in the epic THE PRODIGAL, not a success. After 1956's DIANE, <st1:stockticker>MGM</st1:stockticker> opted not to renew her contract. Turner's career recovered briefly after she appeared in the hugely-successful big screen adaptation of Grace Metalious's best-selling novel, <st1:street><st1:address>PEYTON PLACE</st1:address></st1:street>, for which she was nominated for Best Actress. Several box office failures later, Lana starred in the re-make of the ‘30s weepie IMITATION OF <st1:stockticker>LIFE</st1:stockticker>, a huge success. She made her last film appearance for <st1:stockticker>MGM</st1:stockticker> in BACHELOR PARADISE, starring with Bob Hope. Her last two major film successes were 960’s PORTRAIT IN BLACK and 1966's MADAME X, both of which capitalized on Lana’s troubled and tabloid-touted personal life.<o:p></o:p>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-63474897897660132982007-02-22T05:24:00.000-08:002008-12-08T22:42:39.957-08:00ROBERT MITCHUM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wVVqjp753dV-d6bK-eN3tuxSfFKpNBrMDtn3aB24Zf6Kbddtw6SIpsnO3Wf_JlD6f8IvNH6p51EwtFj1o606VZjj_Xd-5Y8ITeZJ4iEr4T8yfreeirjvvU-3071VlxXmB4WzRsmW_PzP/s1600-h/265_bio_homepage_main.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0wVVqjp753dV-d6bK-eN3tuxSfFKpNBrMDtn3aB24Zf6Kbddtw6SIpsnO3Wf_JlD6f8IvNH6p51EwtFj1o606VZjj_Xd-5Y8ITeZJ4iEr4T8yfreeirjvvU-3071VlxXmB4WzRsmW_PzP/s200/265_bio_homepage_main.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034349612656358578" border="0" /></a>Robert Mitchum (1917-97) was a marijuana smoker in an era of drinkers, and his heavy-lidded eyes and laconic drawl seemed to come straight out of the postwar cool-jazz age. The looming actor – who left his Hell’s Kitchen home at 14 to travel by boxcar – brought an offbeat energy to the screen that practically defined film noir, yet he was underrated as a leading man and frequently buried his talent beneath an air of disinterest. Mitchum is most remembered for his roles in the film noir genre of the late 1940's and early 1950's, including OUT OF THE PAST, CROSSFIRE and THE BIG STEAL, but he made numerous movies that spanned virtually every genre. <o:p></o:p> <o:p></o:p>Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2887897236831961025.post-68543444465085122612007-02-21T19:28:00.000-08:002011-04-07T14:09:07.048-07:00FARLEY GRANGER<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT39KxCZ9uZzPVliUbw4GphaUe2Kc2fDkZJCx5W6Hb4nW_4Vqm7NKruhNgaRfonvzdN9JEakNAbVC5BVmr5JSkEc47fmkJrB2mP6E76V87IIUsGOCWCKcl4Qy1754DKDGP-pSCYPXBXTEM/s1600-h/farley-granger-1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5034195917251671202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhT39KxCZ9uZzPVliUbw4GphaUe2Kc2fDkZJCx5W6Hb4nW_4Vqm7NKruhNgaRfonvzdN9JEakNAbVC5BVmr5JSkEc47fmkJrB2mP6E76V87IIUsGOCWCKcl4Qy1754DKDGP-pSCYPXBXTEM/s200/farley-granger-1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt;" /></a>Farley Granger (1925-2011) was acting in theater in Los Angeles when he was contracted by Samuel Goldwyn. He debuted in THE NORTH STAR (1943) and appeared in THE PURPLE HEART (1944). It would be four years before he was able to make another film. In 1948 Goldwyn cast him in a supporting role in ENCHANTMENT, but the film fared poorly. He was then approached by Alfred Hitchcock for ROPE (1948) in which friends Granger and John Dall, whose chacaters are based on real-life killers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb, commit a "thrill kill.” The film was not a box office success, but Granger received very good reviews. THEY LIVE BY NIGHT (1949) was his first starring role. Directed by Nicholas Ray and costarring Cathy O'Donnell, it was a film noir romance story that did well commercially and once again brought Granger strong reviews. During this time Goldwyn attempted to create a romantic couple in the eyes of the movie going public and so paired Granger with various actresses, including O'Donnell in SIDE STREET (1950). These films, with the exception of EDGE OF DOOM, were all fairly successful but not to the extent Goldwyn had oped. Once again, Granger was loaned to Hitchcock, this time for what became a genuine box office hit, STRANGERS ON A TRAIN (1951). It was the first major success of Granger's career. But his subsequent films were box office failures, and in the ‘50s his only mainstream success was THE GIRL IN THE RED VELVET SWING.Andy Spiegelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06691180411339633718noreply@blogger.com3