Arturo

*In order to capitalize upon her success (and Oscar nomination) in MR. CHIPS, the studio rushed her into two new movies. She performed admirably in the farce REMEMBER?, despite a far-fetched script, and she more than held her own with Joan Crawford in MGM's remake of WHEN LADIES MEET. Soon she would be cast in the film that would make her an international star.* This is great information on Greer, but the above passage is a little off. Yes she did do REMEMBER? which was her next release after CHIPS, but WLM was filmed in mid 1941. She had already done, and was widely acclaimed for PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST. Earlier, even before REMEMBER?, the studio had her in one of the early versions of NORTHWEST PASSAGE, but when that much-changed project finally saw the light of day, it was Ruth Hussey who played the role intended for Garson.

Linda Darnell had an important year in 1956, for a number of reasons. That summer she was seen on the big screen at the nation's movie theaters, in DAKOTA INCIDENT, for the first time since late 1954, when her last movie released here (THIS IS MY LOVE) made the rounds. A movie she made in the interim in Italy, GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI, would never be released in the US. Linda had also ventured into doing TV programs, initiating this new phase with two TV movies she made back to back in late 1955, and shown in March 1956 (DECEPTION, ALL FOR A MAN). Also in March 1956, Linda was the mystery celebrity guest on WHAT'S MY LINE, taped in New York. This video is available on Youtube, and shows Linda as beautiful, sexy, chic, glamorous and vibrant. Sorry about constantly referring to Linda's looks, but I had long ago accepted the official line that Linda was away from Hollywood for nearly 3 years, due to marriage and filming abroad (that part is mostly true), and when she came back in late 1955, she could not find much film work because her drinking had made her overweight, puffy and bloated, and looking prematurely matronly. Well some of the publicity still released in the late 50s seem to bear this out; however, it seems that Linda would exaggerate and thicken her eyebrows for these stills, partially due to the fashion of the time (see the comments re: Dorothy Malone and this trait in the Sirk thread), and partially because I believe she was trying to subjugate as much of her beauty as possible to be taken seriously as an actress. Anyway, she did have an ongoing battle with her weight, but that had been going on since the mid-40s. But not in the WML video appearance. She looks thinner than she had in either DECEPTION or DAKOTA INCIDENT, and looks great in general. She may have worked on losing weight for the Academy Awards telecast, which would have been at around the time of this taping, with the goal of impressing producers and discounting any rumors (assuming that there were rumors). So at least for the moment, the prematurely matronly look and bloatedness are not factors in Linda's lack of viable offers. Needing money and not having sufficient work, Linda laid new ground for herself early in 1956. She decided to do stage work for the first time. She signed on to do the recent Broadway hit, A ROOMFUL OF ROSES, playing the role Betty Field had initiated. However, she wasn't quite sure of herself, and decided to have her stage debut far from the media centers on both coasts, in Phoenix Arizona. She needn't have worried. Word got out and the reviews praised her. She signed to next perform in Miami Florida, in TEA AND SYMPATHY, and again got great reviews. More importantly, she enjoyed this challenge, finding the stage rewarding, and would tour in TEA AND SYMPATHY during the summer.

*Is there ANYONE who prefers Hope Lange to Gene Tierney, in ANY respect?* There is nothing wrong with Lange per se, but compared to a world class beauty like Tierney, she doesn't quite cut it. Just as when she was in BUS STOP, with Marilyn Monroe at her most appealing. Hope who?

*As a film it possesses little of general interest, except as a co-starring vehicle for Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier.....* *..... the film is something less than satisfactory entertainment, despite lavish settings, costumes, and an acting ensemble of unique talent.* *Olivier appears very unhappy in the role of Darcy, rich young bachelor, who is first spurned and then forgiven for his boorishness, conceit and bad manners.* I disagree totally. I love this version of P&P, and find it a rewarding watch every time I watch it. Olivier's character, besides "his boorishness, conceit and bad manners", seems to be very unhappy; seems to me it's built into the character. Maybe if his love Vivien leigh had been cast in Greer's role, as she so desperately wanted to be, Larry might've come across a bit happier, but as I say, it is a part of Darcy until he finally wins his love.

Topbilled: Thanks for these reviews on tonight's offerings, but you forgot to remember REMEMBER....lol.

*Back in the '70's, I used to wish some of them "old timers" would go back to wearing their suits from the '30's and '40's, instead of those goofy looking burgandy double-knit slacks with the white patent leather belts and shoes!* Well I don't know about the rest of you, but when I was a kid in the 70s, I saw many of the fashionable guys and girls in my neighborhood wear what were oufits that revived the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s (not necessarily in that order), from around 1972 to the end of the decade. A large part of the appeal of disco, when that came in about 1975, was the look of bygone eras, dancing partner dancing similar to the ballroom dancing of those decades, and girls wearing fairly long dresses, guys wearing baggy pleated pants, fedoras, etc. The typical 70s look was very gauche in LA's eastside. Thank god for all the vintage and thrift stores in LA.....people would comb through them for hours to find something like a 40s outfit to wear that weekend. Edited by: Arturo on Mar 4, 2013 7:15 PM

Yes, Linda looks great in this movie. Too bad that they didn't have her doing a number onstage, since she was playing a showgirl, but I guess the town where they waited for the stagecoach was too small to support entertainment of this sort.

In December 1955, shortly after her divorce, Linda Darnell began filming DAKOTA INCIDENT for Republic Studios. This was her first Hollywood feature film she had done in over a year and a half; allthough she had filmed GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI in Italy earlier that year, and had done a couple of TV movies prior to the Republic film offer. Linda would go on location for this one, a western where she is one of several stagecoach passengers that are attacked by a band of Native Americans. Linda is a showgirl trying to track down the man that ran off with some $25,000 in her savings. The others include Dale Roberston, trying to find the man that left him taking the blame for a bank heist; John Lund, trying to bring Roberston in to clear his own name, and Ward Bond, a pompous senator convinced the Indians are getting a bad rap from the white man. Things come to a head in a dry gulch, where they are forced to take shelter from the Indians, without water. Linda causes the emotions of the men to boil over, as they begin to try to win her over. Eventually all gets sorted out, with the two survivors, Darnell and Roberston, falling in love. This western, shot in Trucolor, is interesting, with some thoughtful writing about the plight of the original settlers. Linda, wearing a tight-fitting red satin outfit throughout, looks the part of the woman the men would willingly fight over; she and the rest of the cast do a good job in the acting department. The location shoot which lasted until January 1956, was congenial, with everybody getting along quite well. The movie did brisk business upon release in July 1956, and while it wasn't the most prestigious film for Linda, she was happy to do it, especially after the long stretch since the last offer.

Wow! The panther girl left without some functioning claws!

Linda Darnell got a quickie Mexican divorce from second husband Phillip Liebmann in December 1955. She had come to loathe the marriage, and herself, feeling that she married for security instead of love. She also had longed to go back to work. She returned many of his gifts, including jewelry and the ranch in New Mexico. Linda now HAD to work, as her financial situation was dire: the IRS was charging her for back taxes, as well as property taxes on her Brentwood mansion. It seems that another business manager had embezzled thousands of dollars funds meant for these purposes. Prior to her divorce, she had completed a second TV movie (the first being DECEPTION), ALL FOR (THE LOVE OF) A MAN. In this, its kind of a reversal of her dilemma in HER SECOND MOVIE, DAY-TIME WIFE (1939), where she suspected her husband cheating on her with his secretary. Here, she plays twins, and one that is a workaholic, thinking that hubby is interested in her twin, since she is so busy. NOTE: I have not seen this; I've only seen publicity stills for it. Curiously, both TV movies debuted a day apart, in early March 1956. By then Linda had also done her first feature film in nearly a year, DAKOTA INCIDENT, which she filmed on location in December 1955-January 1956. It also starred Dale Robertson (r.i.p.). John Lund and Ward Bond. More to come......

*Were Joan and Olivia ever nominated the same year, with, even better, one of them winning? That could account for their long-term animosity.* Yes, the awards for 1941 had Joan winning for SUSPICION. Olivia was nominated for HOLD BACK THE DAWN, and she and others felt she should've won, especially since Joan's win was seen as really given for not winning the year earlier for REBECCA.

I have a book that came out a few years ago, called "Movie Love in the 50s". I can't recall tha author and the name is somewhat of a misnomer, because he deals with much of the 40s, and some of the 60s, as well as the 50s. Anyway, he has a chapter on Douglas Sirk, plus another chapter where he focuses on one of his movie (IMITATION OF LIFE?). It's an interesting read, and I've seen it at the local library, so anyone interested may be able to find it at your library.

Dale Roberston was featured in two movies with Linda Darnell, both coincidentally westerns. One, 1950s TWO FLAGS WEST, he did in his early up and coming days under contract at Fox. He was lost in the shuffle of all the action from the male stars (Cornel Wilde, Jeff Chandler, Joseph Cotton), both against the Native Americans, and over the affections of Linda. A very interesting black and white western. The other, 1956's DAKOTA INCIDENT, done at Republic while both were freelancers, he was second billed after Linda, and ahead of the other (again male) stars, John Lund and Ward Bond. An exciting smaller scale western done in Trucolor. I will be discussing this movie shortly on the Linda Darnell thread.

Linda Darnell, bored with life as a rich housewife, returned to Hollywood to go back to work in August 1955. She had been away for a couple of years, and increasingly under the radar, had seen vivable movie offers peter out. In order to get some work, she cut her asking price; this led almost immediately to a flurry of offers, but for TV shows. Linda, wanting to get back to work again, was delighted to do some of these; by 1955 the stigma of movie stars doing TV shows had worn off somewhat from what it had been only 2 years earlier. There were a few main reasons for this: one, the continuing erosion in the number of big screen movies Hollywood was producing; two, the arrival of critically acclaimed dramatic anthology series, such as SCREEN DIRECTORS' PLAYHOUSE and PLAYHOUSE 90; and three, the entrance into these anthology series by big movie stars like Loretta Young. Soon many movie names could be seen on the small screen as guest stars. The first TV series Linda accepted was for her old studio, 20th Century Fox, who had a new series known as the 20th Century Fox Hour. It mostly featured made for TV movie remakes of some of its big successes from years back, featuring big names plus up and coming talent. Occasionally, an original script was used for one of the weekly episodes. Such is the case with Linda's. She starred in a TV movie known as DECEPTION, along with British actor Trevor Howard. In this episode, which filmed in August-September 1955, Linda played a Canadian widow working for a small British intelligence cell in London, during the time of the Blitz early in WW2. She is supposed to choose the ideal candidate from several volunteers for a mission over occuppied France. She is to determine that psychologically the chosen individual is the right fit; the person is supposed to be easily broken under torture, and reveal classified information to his torturers. The information he is given and which he reveals is false, thereby distracting the German's from the main objective, in this case D-Day. Linda not only chooses sensitive concert pianist Trevor Howard, but they fall in love. Of course after the war he resents her, thinking she knows he was a coward, but especially when he finds out that the classified information he revealed was false, and that she was in on this. Linda does a great job in this, limited though it may be, so much so you wish that this had been a feature film. The only problems seem to be with the continuity, the lighting would fade suddenly; closeups would have her with different makeup, hair and even facial weight. She dominates most of the scenes, sporting different outfits and makeup; it does seem like it was a script that had been intended as such, then downsized to fit the hourly TV format. Several years later, in 1960, it would be made into a feature film, A CIRCLE OF DECEPTION, starring 50s supermodel Suzi Parker and her soon to be husband, Bradford Dillman. Linda's episode would air in March 1956, by which time she had done more TV shows, and filmed another feature film.

*DESIRE ME was not her first box office disappointment. Her second film at MGM, REMEMBER?, did not do well with movie-goers either.* Yes I mis-spoke. I meant to say that DESIRE ME was her first flop since hitting her stride as one of Hollywood's top stars.

*DESIRE ME is worth mentioning, too. This film has a contemporary setting, post-World War II. Fraught with suspense and costarring Robert Mitchum, on loan-out from RKO, it is must-see.* I like this movie, but it had a very troubled production. When released, it was a bomb at the boxoffice (Greer's first), and with the critics. Coming on the (rather belated) heels of ADVENTURE, which, while one of the biggest moneymakers of the year ("Gable's back and Garson's got him"), was perceived as a mistake, and Garson's career was suddenly in freefall from the very summit she had occupied the previous several years. *JULIA MISBEHAVES proves that screwball comedy still flourished in Hollywood after the war.* After the poor reception accorded DESIRE ME, MGM tried to vary Garson's image, hoping that this would restore the interest in her that was suddenly evaporating. While JM did well, and Garson proved adept at comedy, the critical reaction to her in this was almost as vehement as it had been when Garbo did something similar in TWO-FACED WOMAN, i.e. they felt that she was cheapened to be in this movie that was totally inappropriate for her. In the end, it did nothing for her career; although I quite enjoy it. And the critics were not kind to most postwar Screwball Comedies, despite frequent attempts at their revival. Nor were audiences as prone to go along with screwball premises in the dark days of the late 40s.

*I believe that Harrison's involvement in Carole Landis' death hurt the grosses of UNFAITHFULLY YOURS, one of Sturges' best.* Finance, Yes it did. The movie was being readied for release when Landis died during the 4th of July weekend in 1948. It had already been previewed, and Zanuck was intent on cutting out some early scenes; in the end, over 20 minutes, a sort of prologue of when Harrison and Darnell first met and courted, taking place in her home town, was cut out. Then the suicide happens, with Rex' implication in this mess. Well, the studio was in a bad situation....How do you release a black comedy about a man fantasizing about killing his wife, starring a man involved in this scandal. The studio held off releasing it for several months, when it came out near the end of the year. To no avail. Audiences (well urban ones mostly), while they laughed at the humor and slapstick, gasped in shock during the segments when Rex slices Linda with his shaving knife; they just didn't get it. Word of mouth sealed its fate, and as it had been relatively expensive, it failed to recoup its cost.

Linda Darnell had spent most of 1954 relatively idle, by her standards. She had gotten married in February (although she wouldn't announce it to the press until July). She had spent the early spring in Hollywood making THIS IS MY AFFAIR (RKO) for director Stuart Heisler; it would be released in the fall of 1954. She received good reviews, but the film didn't, and didn't do well at the boxoffice. In the summer, she started traveling with new husband Phillip Liebmann, to South America, Europe and elsewhere, both to celebrate their honeymoon, as well as to promote his company's product, Rheingold Beer (he wanted Linda to be the public face of this promotional push, to which she strenuously resisted). Other times she spent at his mansion or townhouse in New York, from which she would flee periodically to her ranch in New Mexico. Here she felt free, to paint portraits or landscapes, sculpt, hang out with her friends, and to drink. Her husband would occasionally fly in on his private jet to meet up with her. However, she was not happy in this marriage, feeling she had entered into it for the wrong reasons, and her drinking would unleash her anger over this onto her hapless hubby. Of course, the fact that he didn;t want her to work anymore also began to wear her down, as she felt she needed to DO something. A reprieve came in early 1955. She flew to Rome to make another movie, GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI, again for Giuseppe Amato. As before, she enjoyed her stay there immensely, desppite her volatile fighting in public with Amato. The filming was done by March of 1955, nearly a year since her last movie, but she stayed on until June in Rome. This was to finalize the establishment of her pet project, GIRLS' TOWN OF ITALY, to take care of homeless young girls. Her husband joined her for this, as both he and his father had provided some of the financing for this endeavor. Linda returned to the States at the end of June, aboard the Queen Elizabeth, and reluctantly resumed her role as a wealthy NYC wife. She quickly grew bored, and her fights with Liebmann intensified. She sent out feelers through her agent in Hollywood that she wanted to go back to work, and since she had been away for awhile, was even willing to lower her price in order to receive movie offers. Her husband, in last ditch efforts to salvage the marriage, bought a script for LInda, and said they would produce it, giving her complete creative control. He even had them adopt another baby girl. Linda did not want another baby at this time, and it was agreed that he would keep her if and when they divorced. She also felt his efforts to produce a movie for her was a case of too little, too late. In the meantime, she looked forward to going back to work. GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI, based on a hit stage comedy, was filmed with the main players each saying their lines in their native language: English, Italian and French. It would later be dubbed in one language for distribution; while released in Europe and parts of Latin America, it never seemed to have reached US shores. From snippets viewed recently on youtube (its one of the few of Linda's movies I have not seen), it seems interesting enough. The story is about an arrangement between Linda and Vittorio de Sica, who, sharing an apartment, decide to marry, but each is free to date others. Linda starts going with Rosanno Brazzi, and de Sica soon realizes he is jealous. A typical romantic comedy, with a roman flair. Linda looks beautiful in this. This, along with her earlier movie with Amato would make a great twofer release on DVD (of course with some made to be played on DVD players here in America).

*She had a reprieve from this at the beginning of 1954, when she flew to Rome to make another movie for Giuseppe Amato, the director-producer of her earlier film done in Italy in 1953, DONNE PROIBITE, which had yet to be released in America.* I just noticed this, but could no longer edit it....that first line should read "...at the beginning of 1955....",not 1954.

Well the main difference between Linda on the one hand, and Ava/Susan on the other, is that the latter each had long-term contracts to a particular studio for most of the 50s, MGM and 20th-Century Fox, respectively. So they had the leisure of waiting for their assignments being handed to them, and then doing them (or sometimes rejecting them). In any case, unless they were suspended, they got paid by their studio, either weekly or per movie. Linda, once she was dropped by Fox in late 1952, no longer had this luxury. While she was initially relieved, since it was by then for only one movie per year, and she no longer had to answer to Zanuck, whom she loathed, it took out that cushion of security in terms of salary. She now had to depend on outside offers to choose from. Since her financial situation was in a bad way, she tried to economize by buying a ranch in New Mexico, thereby hoping to hold out for good movie offers, but being away from the Hollywood scene backfired, in that she was "out of sight, out of mind". Plus, she was competing for movies with many other actresses also suddenly "free" from their secure studio berths. In the end, she took some offers more out of necessity than anything. This trend would increase once Linda remarried in early 1954. Her new husband wanted her to retire, and lead a life as a wealthy Park Avenue society matron; this she attempted to do for awhile. But she was even more out of touch from Hollywood, and what movie offers there were she turned down. During the nearly two years of this marriage, she did one role (THIS IS MY AFFAIR) in 1954, which she had already signed for before tying the knot; and another nearly a year later in early 1955, in Italy with Giuseppe Amato; this was another commitment she had signed on for a couple of years earlier. In all, she was away from the Hollywood social and casting swirl for nearly three years. I agree that Linda was still very beautiful, and had proven herself capable as an actress. This is why I feel the downward curve in which she now found her career was unfortunate. Some of her choices, in marriage, living situations, roles etc, and some things beyond her control; the cumulative effect, was that her career would lose its promise, before its time imho.

*Arturo, I'm trying to imagine Edward Everett Horton going ga-ga over Linda Darnell, but it's just not working. Guess I'll have to track down "Summer Storm".* Well if you see her in this, it isn't hard to picture any man losing it over her. But I understand what you're saying, commentators mention that EE Horton is doing a serious role, but his smirk makes it hard for me to take him seriously; he seems to be playing another comedy role. Otherwise though, he does a fine job, and is rather pathetic to the lengths he'd go to try to win her. The movie had a DVD release about 3 or 4 years ago; no extras to speak of, ok quality. Edited by: Arturo on Feb 26, 2013 12:22 PM

*I agree they should go back to 5 Best Pic Nominees. They did that to try to beef up ratings (hoping some big blockbusters would be included, but it hasnt turned out that way so far) If 10 Best Pics, why not 10 Best Actor/Actresses? Those categories always leave people out! They have since amended the rule so a film has to get a certain percentage now to make it (dont ask me how they figure it) There CAN be 10, but not necessarily 10. (Leave it to the Academy to further muddy the waters)....I dont think there were 10 this year?* There were nine Best Movie nominations this year. Thanks for the explanation; now I have an idea why. I've always liked the Golden Globes' idea, where they have separate categories for Best Comedy/Musical, and Best Dramatic Movie. Also Best Actor/Actress in a Comedy/Musical, etc.

Linda Darnell had spent the first couple of months or so after her second marriage away from her new husband filming THIS IS MY LOVE in Hollywood. Afterward, she joined Phillip Leibmann at his family mansion outside of New York City. She did not love him, and was not attracted to him physically. Their marriage was one of convenience; he saved her from serious debt, as well as hepled with the money for her Girls Town charity project; he got her as a trophy wife. Aalthough he had agreed that it would be a marriage in name only, he wanted Linda to be at his side as he traveled the world on business. To this end, he wanted her to give up her career and retire as his rich society wife. Linda, who preferred an unpretentious existence, did not take to this too well. At every opportunity, she would take off to her ranch in New Mexico to spend time there painting, loafing and/or drinking. In July 1954, Linda and her husband announced to the press that they had been married secretly for several months. This revelation came about as they were at the airport in NYC, about to embark on a long-postponed honeymoon, to Venezuela and Europe, among other places. This trip was cut short, where Linda was photographed at the airport in Rome in tears, as the man who had discovered her had died, and she was returning to the States for the services. The press played it that the marriage was in trouble, but Linda denied that to be the case. She also grew bored flying around with him promoting Rheingold Beer; Joan Crawford she was not. Back in the US, she again spent time at Liebmann's mansion in Rhy, NY, and had access to his wealth and society connections. She didn't really care for this marriage, where she was just a bauble on display, feeling cheapened by this. She also felt guilty about not loving him, and the reasons why she agreed to the marriage. All this added to her drinking heavily, and terrific arguments all the time. She knew the situation was untenable, and longed to be making movies again, feeling useful. However, she had pretty much cut off ties from connections in Hollywood for the duration, and therefore, movie offers were drying up. She had a reprieve from this at the beginning of 1954, when she flew to Rome to make another movie for Giuseppe Amato, the director-producer of her earlier film done in Italy in 1953, DONNE PROIBITE, which had yet to be released in America. It is doubtful they resumed their earlier affair, as she was now a married woman (nevermind that it was in name only). Her new movie was based on a popular Italian stage success, GLI ULTIMI CINQUE MINUTI (THE LAST FIVE MINUTES). Costarring with Linda would be Rossano Brazzi, Vittorio de Sica, and French actress Sophie Demarest. Happily, she returned to the land she felt she should live in, and stay away from her husband Phillip.

My favorite Sirk movie is from the mid-40s, before he entered this world of baroque filmmaking with Ross Hunter. SUMMER STORM, which has Linda Darnell as a young Russian peasant temptress, giving life to the decadence of the pre-Bolshevik professional and upper classes, even in the countryside, in the guise of George Sanders and Edward Everett Horton, both ga-ga over her. Quite enjoyable.

*I loved Far From Heaven (a homage to Sirk of sorts...)* If this is the one with Dennis Quaid as Julianne Moore's husband, I thought this was a remake/update of ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, if I remember correctly.