vecchiolarry Posted May 29, 2005 Share Posted May 29, 2005 Hello Everyone, Here's a topic we can get our teeth into -- Who are your favourite dames in the classic films?? Some of mine are: Marie Windsor Jean Willes Audrey Totter Ruth Roman Gloria Grahame Mari Blanchard Who are yours? Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 Larry, although I like all the 'dames' on your list I'm just crazy about Marie Windsor, Mari Blanchard and Ruth Roman. Miss Windsor ws at her best in the film-noir "The Narrow Margin", "The Killing" and in "Hellfire" an unusal western. I received an autographed photo from the sweet lady months before she died. My favorite Mari Blanchard role was in "Destry" (a remake of "Destry Rides Again") playing Brandy the bad girl saloon singer/dancer who falls for Destry (Audie Murphy). The lovely lady died much too soon. The dark beauty Ruth Roman always appealed to me especially in "Three Secrets", "Lightning Strikes Twice" and "Blowing Wild" with Gary Cooper. Of course Totter was grand in "Tension" and "The Set-Up" while Grahame excelled in "The Big Heat" and "Human Desire". Those 'dames' were very good when they were bad. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgedrv Posted May 30, 2005 Share Posted May 30, 2005 The ones named are very good and I would add Lizabeth Scott, Jan Sterling and Claire Trevor to the list but many actresses briefly played dames, e.g. Jean Peters in PICKUP ON SOUTH STREET, Stanwyck in DOUBLE INDEMNITY, Peggy Cummins in GUN CRAZY, Yvonne DeCarlo in CRISS CROSS and Joan Bennett in SCARLET STREET among others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted May 30, 2005 Author Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hi, Love Claire Trevor and Jan Sterling. They both should have won Oscars for "The High and the Mighty". The ultimate dame said it best -- "When I'm good, I'm very, very good; but when I'm bad I'm better!" "I used to be Snow White, but I drifted!" - Mae West. And, don't forget Tallulah Bankhead -- "I'm as pure as the driven slush!"...... Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Great topic Larry. Besides the ladies already mentioned I would have to add Ida Lupino. Two weeks ago I watched ROAD HOUSE for the first time and she was amazing. And she was fantastic in a still-underrated picture called THE HARD WAY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted May 31, 2005 Author Share Posted May 31, 2005 Hi Richard, Ida Lupino is a great choice as a great dame. She was one in real life too, apparently. My grandmother helped produce a TV series with her and Howard Duff, her husband, in the late 50's, called "Mr. Adams and Eve" about two movie stars. It was quite good, but only lasted about a year because it was too 'inside' show business for the general public. I wish they'd bring that back on TV like "Bewitched" and "Hogan's Heros". Larry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimbo3200 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 I agree with Peggy Cummins for Gun Crazy. She was great in that. I also like Gloria Grahame, especially in film noirs. Just the way she looked and her face suited her perfectly for dame roles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vallo13 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Ava Gardner as Kitty Collins in 1946 "The Killers" Ida Lupino was also a pretty good Director(The Hitchiker)when it was kind of tabboo for women to direct. Jean Hagen in "The Asphalt Jungle" and Viginia Mayo in "White Heat" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richardny4me Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 Larry, I did not know Ida Lupino did a television series! I hope TV Land or one of those networks airs at least an episode or two someday. Gloria Grahame has already been mentioned, but she needs to be mentioned again because it is so true, she had the perfect face for these films. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bansi4 Posted May 31, 2005 Share Posted May 31, 2005 A great 'dame' I must mention is Gladys George especially for her role as Panama Smith in "The Roaring Twenties" with her fella James Cagney. And yes...Jean Peters surprised one and all when she played the perfect 'dame' in "Pickup on South Street", which is also a great film-noir. Mongo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Joan Crawford Bette Davis most definitely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sabrinakfair2 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 My favorite actress would have to be AUDREY HEPBURN!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edgedrv Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 I'd add Veda Ann Borg. She was the wisecracking cabdriver helping the Falcon (Tom Conway) in last night's TCM film THE FALCON IN HOLLYWOOD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lux0786 Posted June 1, 2005 Share Posted June 1, 2005 Vecchio and Richard, Ida Lupino starred in another TV series, The Four-Star Playhouse. She, along with three other actors, rotated from week to week, each having a show once every four weeks. For you trivia experts out there, name the other three actors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vecchiolarry Posted June 1, 2005 Author Share Posted June 1, 2005 Hi Lux, I had forgotten about Four Star Playhouse, but yes I do remember that TV show. The other stars besides Ida Lupino were Charles Boyer, David Niven and Dick Powell. The reason I know about this was because I saw most of those shows first hand and my grandmother helped produce them. Interesting trivia: the original 4 stars were Charles Boyer, Joel McCrea, Dick Powell and Rosalind Russell. It all came about because Loretta Young was starting her own TV show in 1952 (my grandmother produced this too) and Roz (Loretta's great friend) wanted one too. So these 4 planned their own version. But, then Joel backed out and Roz went to Broadway in "Wonderful Town, so Ida Lupino and David Niven came in to replace them. "Mr. Adams and Eve" was done later in the 50's. Larry P.S. - when I say my grandmother produced these shows, I mean she just threw money at them. She wouldn't know how to produce a snowstorm in hell, really!!!! Other shows that she helped out were "The Martha Raye Show" and "I Married Joan" with Joan Davis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts