Arturo

Tomorrow, Tuesday, May 21, Fox Movie Channel will show a movie featuring Linda Darnell, FALLEN ANGEL, along with three other dramas directed by Otto Preminger. Here's the schedule: 8:15 am EST, 5:15 AM PST: FALLEN ANGEL A small town is shocked by the murder of a waitress (Linda Darnell), and the prime suspect is the gold-digging press agent (Dana Andrews) of a high society heiress (Alice Faye). 1940's Otto Preminger film noir gem. Cast: Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford, John Carradine, Linda Darnell, David Raksin Director: Otto Preminger 1945 10:00 am EST, 7 AM PST: DAISY KENYON Joan Crawford is a successful commercial artist who must choose between the married man she has been involved with for years (Dana Andrews) or a military veteran (Henry Fonda) who sincerely loves her. Cast: Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews, Henry Fonda, Ruth Warrick, Martha Stewart, Peggy ann Garner, David Raksin Director: Otto Preminger 1947 11:50 am EST, 8:50 AM PST: WHIRLPOOL The tense drama of an evil-minded hypnotist (Jose Ferrer) who uses an innocent woman (Gene Tierney) to carry out his criminal deeds. Cast: Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Constance Collier Director: Otto Preminger 1950 1:30 pm EST, 10:30 AM PST LAURA Everyone, including Det. Mark McPherson (Andrews) thinks that ad agency executive Laura Hunt (Tierney) has been murdered, but has she? Cast: Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson, David Raksi Director: Otto Preminger 1944

Tuesday, May 21, Fox will show several dramas directed by Otto Preminger, three of them noirs: 8:15 am EST, 5:15 AM PST: FALLEN ANGEL A small town is shocked by the murder of a waitress (Linda Darnell), and the prime suspect is the gold-digging press agent (Dana Andrews) of a high society heiress (Alice Faye). 1940's Otto Preminger film noir gem. *Cast:* Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Charles Bickford, John Carradine, Linda Darnell, David Raksin *Director:* Otto Preminger 1945 10:00 am EST, 7 AM PST: DAISY KENYON Joan Crawford is a successful commercial artist who must choose between the married man she has been involved with for years (Dana Andrews) or a military veteran (Henry Fonda) who sincerely loves her. *Cast:* Joan Crawford, Dana Andrews, Henry Fonda, Ruth Warrick, Martha Stewart, Peggy ann Garner, David Raksin *Director:* Otto Preminger 1947 11:50 am EST, 8:50 AM PST: WHIRLPOOL The tense drama of an evil-minded hypnotist (Jose Ferrer) who uses an innocent woman (Gene Tierney) to carry out his criminal deeds. *Cast:* Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Constance Collier *Director:* Otto Preminger 1950 1:30 pm EST, 10:30 AM PST LAURA Everyone, including Det. Mark McPherson (Andrews) thinks that ad agency executive Laura Hunt (Tierney) has been murdered, but has she? *Cast:* Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson, David Raksi *Director:* Otto Preminger 1944

Just a few comments: First of all, I enjoy this pair of films (although I didn;'t see them last night). Yes the color and scenery are beautiful, and they were criticized for the liberties taken with historical facts (which film then wasn't?). The reason JESSE JAMES was such a big grosser was that Tyrone Power was at the height of his popularity then (he placed as Number 2 in the yearly exhibitors' poll for 1939, after Mickey Rooney). As such, JJ was a vehicle for Power, and was modeled somewhat on the previous year's Robin Hood success for Errol Flynn (i.e. Power becomes an outlaw to rectify injustices); this is the reason it was done in Technicolor. I've mentioned that the darkening financial outlook in 1940 caused many projects planned to be in Technicolor end up in black and white; this is what happened with THE MARK OF ZORRO. Gene Tierney made her debut in THE RETURN OF FRANK JAMES, so only in hindsight can she be considered mis-cast. Plus, she would suffer even more inappropriate roles soon enough (Ellie May in TOBACCO ROAD, her many exotic Asians, etc). All in all, I like these movies. Edited by: Arturo on May 20, 2013 3:28 PM

Just a reminder this Monday morning on FMC:7:15 am EST, 4:15 AM PST: MY DARLING CLEMENTINE A western classic about Wyatt Earp (Fonda) and Doc Holliday (Mature) and their clash with the Clanton family at the O.K. Corral.Cast: Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Tim Holt, Alan Mowbray, Linda Darnell, Walter BrennanDirector: John Ford 1946

Just saw the first episode of Linda Darnell's two appearances on the first season of Wagon Train, "The Dora Gray Story". Living in the TCM coccoon world, I forgot that commercial tv makes cuts to fit their advertisers in, and here MeTV eliminated a scene where Linda is showering outdoors, and Robert Horton watches her. The DVD set of the show's first season, and the showing on EncoreWesterns (a year or so back), had the complete show. Still an entertaining episode, and I've said it before, the episodes where the storyline has Horton off away from the wagon train, could almost be feature films in their own right, and "The Dora Gray Story" is no exception.

Just a reminder: Tomorrow, Saturday May 18, at 12 noon pacific time, MeTV (Hollywood) will be showing the Wagon Train episode, "The Dora Gray Story", starring Linda Darnell. She plays a woman determined to get to San Francisco however she can, and has taken up with a gunrunner when scout Robert Horton comes upon them. This episode, first broadcast in early 1958, during the first season of the series, also features John Carradine and future tv stars Dan Blocker and Michael Connors. And for tv in the 50s, it seems that Linda showed a fairly large amount of cleavage here. She would later briefly reprise this role in the season finale.

Back to the last "what if?" over Linda Darnell's husbands. What if she had never married husband number 3, Merle "Robby" Robertson? As I've mentioned, the marriage, which took place in March 1957, started out strongly, with Linda deeply in love with the dashing airline pilot. She was seen with him all over town at parties and premieres and other industry functions, putting herself out there networking, an important way to be considered for projects, and which she had not done much for several years. She enjoyed catering to Robby when he was back from a trip. From Linda's daughter Lola's perspective, they were a real family doing things together. Linda was so happy in her marriage the first couple of years, that she could put into perspective the few movie offers coming her way as a result of the studio system being in its death throes. Besides, she was busy doing tv shows and stage work around the country. However, after awhile she started to go into a deep depression, and her drinking again increased. Her weight, an issue she always had had, also started to fluctuate, so much so that sometimes there were continuity problems, even in quickly done tv shows. Around 1959, Linda's hopes were pinned on doing a tv series, and a pilot was filmed, where she played a woman rancher who raised horses, but it didn't find a sponsor. After this, Robby, who had taken over as her manager, cajoled and eventually convinced her to do a nightclub act, since he felt the big money was here, especially in Las Vegas. And as always, their finances were in a precarious state, moreso as Robby had overextended her credit. So she toured the country in 1960 and part of 1961. Although she had sung in a few of her films, Linda so feared to do an act in front of a live audience, with no script, that she would perspire profusely before each performance. She would drink heavily to muster the courage to go on, leading to several months spent drying out in a sanatarium. Although the show did well around the country, and garnered decent reviews, she bombed in Vegas, with small, drunk and hostile audiences. After this, she begged off, and Robby consented. But soon, she found out he was having an affair, and separated in early 1962, and eventually divorced in late 1963. Her finances were a shambles at that point, and she lost her home to foreclosure. Slowly she returned to work, doing stage, occasional tv, and even a movie role, until the end in 1965. So, although the marriage started out well, Robby soon diverted Linda to a field she felt was not for her, and turned down offers for stage, tv etc. This proved Darnell's biggest professional failure, and she felt she cheapened her image as she traded on her name. As far as the moneymen in Hollywood were concerned, she was semi-retired, and offers dried up, at a time where she really needed to work and make money.

For those with MeTV, or at least MeTV Hollywood, this Saturday, May 18 at 12 noon Pacific time, the Wagon Train episode "The Dora Gray Story", featuring Linda Darnell, will be shown. She plays a spunky, if somewhat deceptive woman, who gets involved with Robert Horton. And on Monday, May 20, at 7;15 am eastern, 4;15 pacific, Fox Movie Channel will show Linda in her classis western, MY DARLING CLEMENTINE. Edited by: Arturo on May 16, 2013 8:54 PM

*The story has it that in the original script Mature dies and Tommy goes up for murder, but the studio though it too depressing, so it was changed...* Also changed, in fact removed entirely, was Patricia Morison's character. She played Mature's wife, who commits suicide. Before the release of the film, the buzz was that she might get an Oscar nomination, but her role was completely deleted, even her credit.

Deanna Durbin was one of Hollywood's top stars in the late 1930s and throughout the 40s, from her first starring role until she walked away. Her current fame, or lack of it, should not dictate how she is remembered by TCM; nor should the popularity or current views of her style of singing, movies, image, etc. She definitely deserves a meaningful, reasonably thorough tribute on TCM.....hopefully TCM can get some of new titles from Universal for this.

Not sure about this. Universal was having a shake-up in 1936; Deanna Durbin filmed THREE SMART GIRLS that year, and was released at the very end of 36/beginning of 37. Its huge success ensured that the studio could continue as a solvent entity. WC Fields filmed his last movie for Paramount in late 1937, and his first for Universal at the end of 1938. By then, Deanna Durbin had starred in several hugely popular hits for Universal.

*... another great one that follows Kiss of Death: The Sidewalk Never Ends, with an equally great cast of Dana Andrews, Gene Tierney, Gary Merrill and Karl Malden.* Actually, it is called WHERE THE SIDEWALK ENDS, but it is a great noir with a terrific cast....at 10 PM eastern, 7 pm pacific this evening.

Here's another "what if" regarding Linda Darnell's career, not as far-fetched as some others. Linda received much acclaim for A LETTER TO THREE WIVES, as did the rest of the cast, the movie, and the director, Joseph L. Mankiewicz. ALTTW was one of the most acclaimed films of 1949 from its release in January of that year. At the Oscars in early 1950, Mankiewicz received Oscars for writing and directing this movie. Although there was talk of Linda receiving a Best Actress nomination, none of the actors were nominated. Now the "what if"....What if ALTTW had been released just a month earlier, in December 1948, in time to qualify for the 1948 Oscars? It was possible, since the film was completed by the end of summer that year. AND if it had, the movie and all involved would have been basking in the glow of the praise it was receiving JUST at the time that the ballots for the Oscars were being completed. It is conceivable, that Linda (and others in the cast) might have been nominated. After all, the studio could have put some muscle into a campaign for a film then making the rounds, increasing its commercial viability at the boxoffice (in actuality, the film was a year old when it had to compete for nominations with all the prestigious releases of the end of the year). And if Linda had been nominated for Best Actress for 1948? Well it would have been the capper to the excellent reviews she was getting, and as a result, maybe Zanuck would have taken a more careful approach to her next assignments, instead of the slapdash pattern soon obvious. In the long run, that would have meant better vehicles, and possibly more popularity, and increased value when she'd start to freelance, IF the studio would have let her go. Intriguing possibilities; we'll never know. Any thoughts?

*If Linda had lived, my guess is that she would have done some horror films in the late 60s and 70s.* Topbilled: I don't know that I agree. Of course one can only speculate, but Linda seemed to gravitate to movies, and tv dramas, that gave her a strong acting opportunity (not that she was offered sufficient numbers of them). When she tentatively returned to work in 1963-64, after her divorce from her third husband, she continued to do what she had been, if on a lesser scale: stage and guest appearances on TV, and, while she only did one movie (the posthumously released BLACK SPURS), she had concrete offers for others. I don't think she would have willingly gone the Grand Guignol route, but would have focused more on tv and stagework if there were no other movie offers. And while some of these horror movies had decent roles, albeit of a campy nature at times, she had a sense of what was right for her image and what wasn't. This is why she hated doing a nightclub act, feeling that she cheapened her image as she traded on her name, and abandoned it as soon as she could despite her husband saying she had to do it for the money. No, most likely she would not have accepted the likes of TROG, but continuied to do tv guest appearances or TV movies, and more stage work.

Fox Movie Channel will have a couple of noirs in two days...And the following day LAURA will be on. THURSDAY, MAY 16: 6:00 am EST, 3 AM PST: A BLUEPRINT FOR MURDER A man (Joseph Cotten) who has fallen in love with his sister-in-law (Jean Peters) begins to suspect that she may have murdered one of her step-children. *Cast:* Joseph Cotten, Jean Peters, Gary Merrill, Catherine Mcleod, Mae Marsh *Director:* Andrew Stone 1953 7:20 am EST, 4:20 AM PST: WHIRLPOOL The tense drama of an evil-minded hypnotist (Jose Ferrer) who uses an innocent woman (Gene Tierney) to carry out his criminal deeds. *Cast:* Gene Tierney, Richard Conte, Jose Ferrer, Charles Bickford, Constance Collier *Director:* Otto Preminger 1950 FRIDAY, MAY 17: 7:45 am EST, 4:45 AM PST: LAURA Everyone, including Det. Mark McPherson (Andrews) thinks that ad agency executive Laura Hunt (Tierney) has been murdered, but has she? *Cast:* Gene Tierney, Dana Andrews, Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, Judith Anderson, David Raksin *Director:* Otto Preminger 1944

TB: Frankly, I have the feeling that horror and sci-fi were two genres for which Linda rejected scripts, out of hand, in the 50s and early 60s.

Well, no horror movies, but she was in a couple of genuinely suspenseful movies: HANGOVER SQUARE and SECOND CHANCE, not to mention NO WAY OUT's finale. And in the mid-40s it was suspenseful speculating if Linda would get killed in any given movie, or make the final cut (she usually wouldn't). Neither THE 13TH LETTER nor NIGHT WITHOUT SLEEP have much suspense, notwithstanding the filmmakers' intentions.

TB, crossing my fingers....

*Carole Lombard and Claudette Colbert have had virtually no Paramount product as part of their 24 hours ("Hands Across The Table" was shown for Carole, not sure what was carried on Claudette's day), and both made plenty....* And Clara Bow and Nancy Carroll and Silvia Sidney and Louise Brooks .... and later Dorothy Lamour and Paulette Goddard and Veronica Lake and on and on and on....

I believe there was a thread about it on these boards awhile back, around the time it was on TCM.

Just like CITIZEN KANE is a retread of 1933's THE POWER AND THE GLORY.

sjack, You are very welcome. That was the intent of this thread.

*and the token Fox stars, Charles Farrell and Jeanne Crain;* My bad...I think it was Glenda and not Charlie...I'm happy with either one, either way...

I did mention this movie, as part of a block of 20th Century Fox films that Rex did in the 40s featureed in the evening, beginning with the Essential ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM. Also featuring Fox contractee Peggy Cummins, it was actually filmed in England to take advantage of the studio's assets frozen by the British government.

Some pleasant surprises included. A majority of the Jeanne Crain films are from her starring days under contract at Fox in the 40s and 50s. Also, some Fox rarities , including two screwball comedies during Mary Boland's daY; HE MARRIED HIS WIFE and DANGER-LOVE AT WORK; THIS ABOVE ALL, during Joan Fontaine's day; and besides HEAVEN CAN WAIT, there's GREEN GRASS OF WYOMING and A ROYAL SCANDAL during Charles Coburn's day....although there could have been more Fox films on Henry Fonda's and Gregory Peck's days.