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.
FARLEY GRANGER
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.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Being gay and having no talent were definitely drawback in his career.
What's gay gotto do with anything?
Half of Hollywood was in closet back in the day.
This handsome talented hunk was under appreciated.
I adore his performances! The fact that he is still relevant today in so many films -- especially those directed by Hitchcock -- are testament to his gifts.
Post a Comment