mildredpiercefan Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I am a huge fan of Gloria Grahame's. I'm not sure if there's another forum for her or not, nut anyhow, I just decided to start one. I was always a huge fan of hers because she could act, charm, have personality, and look gorgeous. There was something quirky about her that made her stand out. I'm not sure if it was her unconventional voice, her dry humor, or what. She is one of the criminally underrated film stars from the Golden Era of Hollywood. Even though her screentime was limited in The Bad and the Beautiful, it was still an Oscar deserving performance because she was charming, funny, and a little mean. She was sort of a characature. She should have been nominated and won the Supporting Actress Oscar for The Big Heat as well because she was neither good or bad, but confused. She also jumped right into the frenzy, and she just acted perfectly pathetic and bitter hen her face was deformed. She always held her weight in every film and I hope some revived interest comes back for her. Hope to hear comments soon. Link to post Share on other sites
CelluloidKid Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Best Gloria Grahame Films: The Greatest Show on Earth The Bad and the Beautiful. Sudden Fear W./Joan Crawford Macao Naked Alibi Crossfire Link to post Share on other sites
Film_Fatale Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I don't think I've seen a GG admiration thread here before, at least not that I can recall. So, good choice!! She was totally awesome. Link to post Share on other sites
cinemafan Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Don't forget her as Ado Annie in "Oklahoma". That's the first movie I saw her in. Looks like she could do it all. Link to post Share on other sites
Ringu Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 My father and I were just talking yesterday about how much we both enjoy Ms. Grahame's screen performances. Both of us commented on how little we know of her personal life off screen. We came to the conclusion that all we know is that she married Nicholas Ray, and then Nicholas Ray's son (her stepson), and that it was quite scandalous at the time. Does anyone know of any books or websites with information about Ms. Grahame, besides imdb? Link to post Share on other sites
Film_Fatale Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 She was really great in *The Big Heat* Link to post Share on other sites
molo14 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I would add In A Lonely Place. She's opposite Bogie in that one. She is one of my absolute favorites. She was always interesting to watch even if her screen time was limited. I'm not sure of the exact quote but critic David Thomson said something like "when she was around, things happened, coffee came to a boil." I'll check that later. There is a book about her last days called Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool. I don't know of any websites dedicated to her. She is certainly worthy of discussion. A great addition to any film. She was vulnerable but she knew the score and in many films seemed resigned to whatever hard knocks life might throw her way. Message was edited by: molo14 for that all important spelling Link to post Share on other sites
CelluloidKid Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Gloria Graham & Glenn Ford "The Big Heat"! Message was edited by: CelluloidKid Link to post Share on other sites
Film_Fatale Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 Good call, molo14. She had pretty good chemistry with Bogie, IMHO. Link to post Share on other sites
molo14 Posted March 8, 2008 Share Posted March 8, 2008 I agree. It really is a great film and she and Bogie go well together. I also like her in Macao and the way she interacts with Robert Mitchum, operating in a subtle yet determined way to protect her turf against the perceived threat of Jane Russell. I haven't seen Sudden Fear, and while to me, she will forever be wrapped in noir, I have no trouble enjoying her as Ado Annie in Oklahoma. To clarify what I posted earlier: The quote from David Thomson is If she only ever played supporting parts, that may be because that level of work allowed her to be most enigmatic. But things happened when she was around: any room became a place where coffee was coming to the boil. The above is from his The New Biographical Dictionary of Film 2004 edition page 359. That series of books is one of my favorites for commentary on actors. Thomson also states that the book Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool was written by her lover and is a half fictional, half biographical treatment. I'm not sure, because I've stayed away from the book. I don't want to know too much. I'm satisfied with the glimpses I get of that beautiful enigma up on the screen as I watch in the dark. Link to post Share on other sites
FrankGrimes Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hi, MildredPierceFan -- Welcome to the board! And, boy, do I mean welcome to the board. Anyone who starts a Gloria Grahame thread right out of the shoot has style. And you could not have selected a better title for the thread. Double G is the complete package. Gloria is easily one of my favorite actresses. My eyes just light up whenever she graces the screen. She knows how to push all my buttons at all times. A real screen Siren. I really liked these words of yours: There was something quirky about her that made her stand out. I'm not sure if it was her unconventional voice, her dry humor, or what. Gloria was almost always off-center for one reason or another and I'm completely drawn to this. Her voice truly appeals to me. It's very Betty Rubble-esque. I find it to be sexy cute. Gloria's overall look will often place me in a trance. I cannot put my finger on what it is, either. I love her pouty lips, her wavy blonde hair, her expressive eyes, and her lovely figure but there's something more to it. I just cannot figure it out. All I know is that she moves me. All of me. I've only seen eight of Gloria's films to date and I surely hope to see more. My favorite Gloria performances to date: 1. In a Lonely Place 2. The Big Heat 3. Human Desire 4. Sudden Fear 5. Crossfire 6. Odds Against Tomorrow 7. Macao 8. It's a Wonderful Life Two of the three Gloria films I really want to see will be airing on TCM in the coming months: A Woman's Secret and Not as a Stranger. I'd also liked to see Naked Alibi. The Gloria Grahame upcoming sked on TCM: 3/11 The Cobweb 10:00 PM EST 3/22 Crossfire 8:15 AM EST 3/22 The Bad and the Beautiful 8:00 PM EST 3/27 The Greatest Show on Earth 3:00 PM EST 3/28 A Woman's Secret 11:15 AM EST 4/8 Merton of the Movies 6:30 PM EST 4/12 Odds Against Tomorrow 2:15 AM EST 5/11 It Happened in Brooklyn 9:00 PM EST 5/28 Not as a Stranger 12:30 AM EST Link to post Share on other sites
MissGoddess Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 1. In a Lonely Place ? Is that all? Anything more to say, hmmm? Link to post Share on other sites
FrankGrimes Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hi, Miss Goddess! -- Welcome to the board! Is that all? Anything more to say, hmmm? Link to post Share on other sites
MissGoddess Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Bogie sure looks sexy in a polo shirt. Link to post Share on other sites
FrankGrimes Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Bogie sure looks sexy in a polo shirt. Bogie? Double G is where your eyes need to be. I'd love to be Gloria's "housekeeper." Link to post Share on other sites
MissGoddess Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Bogie? Double G is where your eyes need to be. Sorry, but my tastes run more to gin swilling screenwriters. Link to post Share on other sites
FrankGrimes Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Sorry, but my tastes run more to gin swilling screenwriters. That makes sense. If you could stop tossing your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror for a moment, could you honor us with your favorite Gloria performances, Violet? Link to post Share on other sites
MissGoddess Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 If you could stop tossing your hair while looking at yourself in the mirror for a moment, could you honor us with your favorite Gloria performances, Violet? #1. Violet Bick in It's a Wonderful Life. Perhaps the screen's all-time greatest flirt. That hair toss showed enormous skill. #2. Rosemary in The Bad and the Beautiful. She really does light up the proceedings and her story is the most interesting (sorry Lana!). #3. Debby in The Big Heat. I just hate how she ends up, though. But it's a great, great little girl she was in this. Brave, too, when it counted. I love it when she turns on Lee Marvin (not for the faint of heart). #4. Laurel In a Lonely Place. She gets to play the non-flirty (comparatively) sympathetic part. But I still focus on Bogie's performance, and little Art Smith, as his long suffering agent. Who knew an agent could be long-suffering? #5. Ginny in Crossfire. She's the heart of this movie for me, the most appealing character in her brief appearance. Link to post Share on other sites
FrankGrimes Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Hola, Missy G -- I like your list and comments, Violet. I have The Bad and Beautiful on tape and I really should fire it up. Link to post Share on other sites
Arkadin Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Films that have not been mentioned: Blonde Fever (1944) Roughshod (1949) The Glass Wall (1952) Of Human Desire (1954) I'm also a big fan of this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm3BcvUjk84 For those wanting a bio, check out Suicide Blonde by Vincent Curcio. Link to post Share on other sites
Erebus Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I completely agree with the positive comments here. She's so sexy, and quite the actress. Don't understand why she wasn't huge back in her day. Last month I watched "The Greatest Show on Earth", probably for the first time since I was a child. Not really my kind of movie but I forced myself to watch it, mostly because I admire Heston and like the strong roles he always plays. Grahame blows Betty Hutton off the screen. I don't understand what people like about Hutton. She's boring, and mediocre, and the voice, ugh, the voice! But Gloria, all the eyes are always on her. When you have a good-looking woman with a brain, it's magic. I love her. Link to post Share on other sites
MissGoddess Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 I agree about Gloria in The Greatest Show on Earth. She was wonderful in it. I haven't seen it in a long time, I may watch it next time it airs. I'm not a Hutton fan myself. Link to post Share on other sites
molo14 Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Thanks for the clip. I love how she blows those guys off as she walks away. I'm also enjoying all the pictures and posters people are posting. There are a good number of her films I've yet to see. I'll be watching out for them. FrankGrimes, Thanks for posting her upcoming movies on TCM. I'm looking forward to seeing A Woman's Secret and Merton of the Movies for the first time. Gloria and Red Skelton, interesting. Link to post Share on other sites
Erebus Posted March 9, 2008 Share Posted March 9, 2008 Here are a few Gloria quotes from imdb.com : "It wasn't the way I looked at a man, it was the thought behind it." "There's always a race against time. I don't think for one moment that life gets better. How can it? One's body starts to fall apart." "I remember everything, even the dates. But I don't want others to remember the details, just the image." We remember. Link to post Share on other sites
mildredpiercefan Posted March 9, 2008 Author Share Posted March 9, 2008 Wow! I'm glad to have so many positive comments back. I wash I was tech savvy because I think there woud be enough a fansite for Ms. Grahame. I also really liked another role from her in a lesser known film; Human Desire. It's slightly different for her in which she is pure evil and she is able to be more conventional. If it comes on TV, you should check it out. http://www.doctormacro.info/Images/Grahame,%20Gloria/Annex/Annex%20-%20Grahame,%20Gloria_02.jpg My Favorite Gloria Grahame photo Link to post Share on other sites
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