Golden age: Roll call

[rayban]

It was initially ruled a suicide. Then the police said she died at the hands of person or persons unknown...implying she had been moved her while she was still alive and the unknown person(s) did not call for medical help. 

 

Her son was 17 at the time. A year later, his father (Jean's ex-husband) committed suicide. So by 18, the son was on his own. 

And that son would have been Alexandre Diego Gary, whose birth had to be kept a secret because Jean was not married to Romain Gary at that time.

 

If that story had leaked, Jean's career could have been over.

 

Alexandre was probably born in the spring or summer of 1962, but his official birth date is listed as Oct. 26, 1963.

 

So today he is probably 55, right?

[TopBilled]

And that son would have been Alexandre Diego Gary, whose birth had to be kept a secret because Jean was not married to Romain Gary at that time.

 

If that story had leaked, Jean's career could have been over.

 

Alexandre was probably born in the spring or summer of 1962, but his official birth date is listed as Oct. 26, 1963.

 

So today he is probably 55, right?

 

Right. I think it's interesting that she still felt like an American and kept going back to see her family and friends in Iowa. Yet at the end, she had none of them around and died alone in France. I wonder if her son ever felt very American in relation to her background, and if he's taken many trips to Iowa. That's one reason I'd like to interview him, to see how connected he feels to who she was. 

[rayban]

Right. I think it's interesting that she still felt like an American and kept going back to see her family and friends in Iowa. Yet at the end, she had none of them around and died alone in France. I wonder if her son ever felt very American in relation to her background, and if he's taken many trips to Iowa. That's one reason I'd like to interview him, to see how connected he feels to who she was. 

As the son of Jean Seberg and Romain Gary, he has to have a very interesting life story.

 

His knowledge of the FBI's hounding of his mother due to her political beliefs would certainly make for a very, very interesting interview.

 

Here's hoping, Jarrod.

[TopBilled]

As the son of Jean Seberg and Romain Gary, he has to have a very interesting life story.

 

His knowledge of the FBI's hounding of his mother due to her political beliefs would certainly make for a very, very interesting interview.

 

Here's hoping, Jarrod.

 

The last thing I read about him is he owns a bookstore in the south of France somewhere. So if I can locate the store, maybe I will send a letter there and see if I get any sort of reply.

[rayban]

Jean Seberg's Hollywood career is blessed with three genuinely great performances - "Saint Joan", "In The French Style" and "Lilith".

[TopBilled]

Jean Seberg's Hollywood career is blessed with three genuinely great performances - "Saint Joan", "In The French Style" and "Lilith".

 

Would make a nice triple feature one evening on TCM.

[rayban]

I wish that I could get boxed sets of her French and American films.

[TopBilled]

 

When Lee Van Cleef died in 1989, his family had the phrase ‘Best of the Bad’ engraved on his tombstone. It was a reference to the many villains he had played in gangster flicks and spaghetti westerns– though sometimes he was cast as a sympathetic and misunderstood anti-hero. He was certainly one of the best when it came to playing brooding social outcasts.
 

The road to stardom was not an easy or quick one for Lee. He had been a technician in the Navy during World War II. At the time of his enlistment, he traveled to many countries in the Caribbean and along the Mediterranean. Geographic features from these far-off locations would invariably find their way into his paintings. Later when he became a star in European films, he returned to some of the places he had visited decades earlier.
 

After the war, Lee left the military and decided he wanted to act. He joined a theater group on the east coast and began studying his newly adopted craft. He soon came to the attention of talent scouts who were impressed with his delivery and his striking physical appearance. However, because Lee refused to turn himself into a Hollywood glamor boy during the 50s (one producer suggested plastic surgery on his nose), he was relegated to supporting parts.
 

He eked out a living playing secondary roles, usually bad guys who were gunned down before the end of the story. It’s been suggested that he has the second highest number of death scenes in movies, and that might be right. He was also cast in nefarious roles on television westerns and crime dramas. To say he was typecast would be an understatement.
 

By 1960 Lee was experiencing depression, due to a car accident and the end of his first marriage. In the process he nearly gave up his acting career. But somehow, he had come to the attention of Italian director Sergio Leone. Leone cast him alongside Clint Eastwood in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, and Lee’s career suddenly took off. There was another film with Leone and Eastwood, where he played a truly menacing villain named Angel; and this was followed by a series of European westerns over the next ten years. He was now a hot commodity.
 

Hits that followed included SABATA as well as BARQUERO, where the villainy was handed over to Warren Oates and Lee played a more heroic character. In the late 70s and 80s, he still was making films, but he began to take supporting roles. Despite health issues during the last few years of his life, he continued to work. By the time it was all said and done, Lee had been in at least 90 motion pictures and played over 100 television roles.
 

1. for a few dollars more (1965); ua; western; clint eastwood; 132 mins.
2. the big gundown (1966); ua; western; tomas milian; 110 mins.
3. death rides a horse (1967); ua; western; john phillip law; 114 mins.
4. commandos (1968); independent; western; jack kelly; 110 mins.
5. sabata (1969); ua; western; william berger; 102 mins.
6. barquero (1970); ua; western; warren oates; 115 mins.
7. el condor (1970); national general; western; jim brown; 102 mins.
8. bad man’s river (1971); independent; western; gina lollobrigida; 90 mins.
9. take a hard ride (1975); fox; western; jim brown; 103 mins.
10. god’s gun (1976); independent; western; jack palance; 94 mins.

[rayban]

 

 

When Lee Van Cleef died in 1989, his family had the phrase ‘Best of the Bad’ engraved on his tombstone. It was a reference to the many villains he had played in gangster flicks and spaghetti westerns– though sometimes he was cast as a sympathetic and misunderstood anti-hero. He was certainly one of the best when it came to playing brooding social outcasts.

 

The road to stardom was not an easy or quick one for Lee. He had been a technician in the Navy during World War II. At the time of his enlistment, he traveled to many countries in the Caribbean and along the Mediterranean. Geographic features from these far-off locations would invariably find their way into his paintings. Later when he became a star in European films, he returned to some of the places he had visited decades earlier.

 

After the war, Lee left the military and decided he wanted to act. He joined a theater group on the east coast and began studying his newly adopted craft. He soon came to the attention of talent scouts who were impressed with his delivery and his striking physical appearance. However, because Lee refused to turn himself into a Hollywood glamor boy during the 50s (one producer suggested plastic surgery on his nose), he was relegated to supporting parts.

 

He eked out a living playing secondary roles, usually bad guys who were gunned down before the end of the story. It’s been suggested that he has the second highest number of death scenes in movies, and that might be right. He was also cast in nefarious roles on television westerns and crime dramas. To say he was typecast would be an understatement.

 

By 1960 Lee was experiencing depression, due to a car accident and the end of his first marriage. In the process he nearly gave up his acting career. But somehow, he had come to the attention of Italian director Sergio Leone. Leone cast him alongside Clint Eastwood in FOR A FEW DOLLARS MORE, and Lee’s career suddenly took off. There was another film with Leone and Eastwood, where he played a truly menacing villain named Angel; and this was followed by a series of European westerns over the next ten years. He was now a hot commodity.

 

Hits that followed included SABATA as well as BARQUERO, where the villainy was handed over to Warren Oates and Lee played a more heroic character. In the late 70s and 80s, he still was making films, but he began to take supporting roles. Despite health issues during the last few years of his life, he continued to work. By the time it was all said and done, Lee had been in at least 90 motion pictures and played over 100 television roles.

 

1. for a few dollars more (1965); ua; western; clint eastwood; 132 mins.
2. the big gundown (1966); ua; western; tomas milian; 110 mins.
3. death rides a horse (1967); ua; western; john phillip law; 114 mins.
4. commandos (1968); independent; western; jack kelly; 110 mins.
5. sabata (1969); ua; western; william berger; 102 mins.
6. barquero (1970); ua; western; warren oates; 115 mins.
7. el condor (1970); national general; western; jim brown; 102 mins.
8. bad man’s river (1971); independent; western; gina lollobrigida; 90 mins.
9. take a hard ride (1975); fox; western; jim brown; 103 mins.
10. god’s gun (1976); independent; western; jack palance; 94 mins.

 

I have always wanted to see the Italian western that he made with Carroll Baker, who, too, found a second movie career in Italy.

[TopBilled]

 

Stella Stevens was a teen mother, married at sixteen and divorced at nineteen. The Mississippi beauty was determined to make something more substantial of her life, so she enrolled in college and studied acting. She also took modeling jobs, and things changed quickly for her. Soon she and her young son Andrew were in Hollywood and at 21, she was signed by 20th Century Fox. Her contract with Fox was dropped after just six months, but Stella was encouraged when she had been singled out by critics as a promising new star.
 

She continued to model, appearing on the cover of a photography magazine, and within a year she was also featured in Playboy. She would appear in Playboy two more times in the 1960s. All this publicity led to her being cast in the big screen adaptation of L’IL ABNER, as Appassionata Von Climax. Paramount liked what it saw and signed her to a long-term deal. Her movie career was now up and running. During the next several years, the studio paired Stella with some of its biggest stars– she worked with Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis.
 

Probably her collaboration with Lewis is her most well-known. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR was a smash hit, and it guaranteed the kinds of roles Stella would continue to play for the rest of her career. Soon after this film was released, however, she signed with Columbia. At her new studio, she was paired with Dean Martin in a spy spoof. Stella was one of the few actresses who worked with Lewis and Martin on separate films after their famous break-up.
 

Her movie career remained hot through the 60s and early 70s. During this time she worked for Sam Peckinpah in THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, receiving very good notices for her performance. Two years later, she was back at Fox, playing Ernest Borgnine’s ex-hooker wife in the disaster film THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. It was easily one of the most successful motion pictures Stella had appeared in. After this, her movie appearances were less frequent, and she began to focus on television roles.
 

In late 1976, she guest-starred on her son Andrew’s western series The Oregon Trail. A year earlier, Andrew had a supporting role in a crime comedy Stella did called LAS VEGAS LADY. Later on when Andrew became a producer, Stella often had roles in his films. Stella also found time to direct two features of her own. And when she wasn’t busy working, she relaxed on a ranch she owned in the state of Washington.
 

1. l’il abner (1959); paramount; musical; peter palmer; 114 mins.
2. man-trap (1961); paramount; crime; jeffrey hunter; 93 mins.
3. too late blues (1961); paramount; musical drama; bobby darin; 103 mins.
4. girls! girls! girls! (1962); paramount; musical; elvis presley; 106 mins.
5. the nutty professor (1963); paramount; comedy; jerry lewis; 107 mins.
6. how to save a marriage and ruin your life (1968); columbia; comedy; dean martin; 102 mins.
7. sol madrid (1968); mgm; crime; david mccallum; 90 mins.
8. the ballad of cable hogue (1970); warner brothers; western; jason robards; 121 mins.
9. stand up and be counted (1972); columbia; comedy; jacqueline bisset; 99 mins.
10. the poseidon adventure (1972); fox; disaster; ernest borgnine; 117 mins.

[rayban]

 

 

Stella Stevens was a teen mother, married at sixteen and divorced at nineteen. The Mississippi beauty was determined to make something more substantial of her life, so she enrolled in college and studied acting. She also took modeling jobs, and things changed quickly for her. Soon she and her young son Andrew were in Hollywood and at 21, she was signed by 20th Century Fox. Her contract with Fox was dropped after just six months, but Stella was encouraged when she had been singled out by critics as a promising new star.

 

She continued to model, appearing on the cover of a photography magazine, and within a year she was also featured in Playboy. She would appear in Playboy two more times in the 1960s. All this publicity led to her being cast in the big screen adaptation of L’IL ABNER, as Appassionata Von Climax. Paramount liked what it saw and signed her to a long-term deal. Her movie career was now up and running. During the next several years, the studio paired Stella with some of its biggest stars– she worked with Bobby Darin, Elvis Presley and Jerry Lewis.

 

Probably her collaboration with Lewis is her most well-known. THE NUTTY PROFESSOR was a smash hit, and it guaranteed the kinds of roles Stella would continue to play for the rest of her career. Soon after this film was released, however, she signed with Columbia. At her new studio, she was paired with Dean Martin in a spy spoof. Stella was one of the few actresses who worked with Lewis and Martin on separate films after their famous break-up.

 

Her movie career remained hot through the 60s and early 70s. During this time she worked for Sam Peckinpah in THE BALLAD OF CABLE HOGUE, receiving very good notices for her performance. Two years later, she was back at Fox, playing Ernest Borgnine’s ex-hooker wife in the disaster film THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE. It was easily one of the most successful motion pictures Stella had appeared in. After this, her movie appearances were less frequent, and she began to focus on television roles.

 

In late 1976, she guest-starred on her son Andrew’s western series The Oregon Trail. A year earlier, Andrew had a supporting role in a crime comedy Stella did called LAS VEGAS LADY. Later on when Andrew became a producer, Stella often had roles in his films. Stella also found time to direct two features of her own. And when she wasn’t busy working, she relaxed on a ranch she owned in the state of Washington.

 

1. l’il abner (1959); paramount; musical; peter palmer; 114 mins.
2. man-trap (1961); paramount; crime; jeffrey hunter; 93 mins.
3. too late blues (1961); paramount; musical drama; bobby darin; 103 mins.
4. girls! girls! girls! (1962); paramount; musical; elvis presley; 106 mins.
5. the nutty professor (1963); paramount; comedy; jerry lewis; 107 mins.
6. how to save a marriage and ruin your life (1968); columbia; comedy; dean martin; 102 mins.
7. sol madrid (1968); mgm; crime; david mccallum; 90 mins.
8. the ballad of cable hogue (1970); warner brothers; western; jason robards; 121 mins.
9. stand up and be counted (1972); columbia; comedy; jacqueline bisset; 99 mins.
10. the poseidon adventure (1972); fox; disaster; ernest borgnine; 117 mins.

 

She was always so much "fun" - and so beautiful, too.

[TopBilled]

She was always so much "fun" - and so beautiful, too.

 

Stella Stevens has a special charm. In her performances, there's always a smart lady underneath the "dumb blonde" exterior. I prefer her to the Mansfields and Monroes, to be honest.

[rayban]

Stella Stevens has a special charm. In her performances, there's always a smart lady underneath the "dumb blonde" exterior. I prefer her to the Mansfields and Monroes, to be honest.

I liked her very much - in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" with Glenn Ford - and in "The Mad Room" with Michael Burns.

[TopBilled]

I liked her very much - in "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" with Glenn Ford - and in "The Mad Room" with Michael Burns.

 

I haven't seen THE MAD ROOM. I'd say SOL MADRID is my favorite. It's in the TCM library and airs sometimes. 

 

A very stylish neo noir. She and David McCallum share a lot of chemistry on screen.

 

[rayban]

But wouldn't you agree that there is only one film that has showered her with "immortality" and that one film is "The Poseidon Adventure"?  

[TopBilled]

But wouldn't you agree that there is only one film that has showered her with "immortality" and that one film is "The Poseidon Adventure"?  

 

Yes, I would agree. I looked up THE MAD ROOM, and I see it was a remake of LADIES IN RETIREMENT. Stella has Ida Lupino's old role.

[TopBilled]

 

Terry-Thomas had several stage names during the early phases of his career. His real name was Thomas Terry Stevens. By reversing the first two names, he could be more unique, especially with the addition of a hyphen– which he said was added to represent the gap between his front teeth. When you have an answer like that, you know you must be dealing with a comedian.
 

Stand-up comedy became T-T’s calling card in the 30s– well, that, and dancing. But he felt too restricted on the ballroom floor and he felt more comfortable making people laugh. He and his first wife entertained audiences in cabarets and various nightclubs in and around London, until service in the war interrupted their professional activities. But T-T quickly proved adept at entertaining fellow enlisted men; he was soon recruited to join a troupe that went around and put on shows for soldiers. After the war ended, he was back to performing professionally with his wife. Jobs in the late 40s took him into different venues, including radio and an early television program where he first came to national attention. However, movie success continued to elude T-T until the mid-50s.
 

It wasn’t until the Boulting brothers hired him for a series of comedies in the mid-to-late 50s that he became a popular film star. Some of his success could be attributed to his eccentric style of clothing as well as his style as a comedian. He played very identifiable characters in his movies– usually crass, silly-arse members of the establishment. In many of these productions he worked with Ian Carmichael and Peter Sellers. Soon he was starring in pictures that had been written expressly for his talents. Hollywood also took an interest around this time, and he went to America to appear in productions at MGM. In TOM THUMB, he impressed critics and received a BAFTA nomination.
 

In between motion pictures, he frequently turned up as a guest on TV variety shows. In the late 60s, he was tired of the Hollywood and London scenes, so he began to travel throughout Europe and made comedies in France and Italy. Gradually, his workload decreased in the 70s when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. His last screen appearance occurred in 1980, and he spent the last years of his life struggling against the disease. After he passed away, many coworkers and fans recalled his skill as a performer. And they called him one of the last true gentlemen of his era.
 

1. make mine mink (1960); rank; crime comedy; athene seyler; 101 mins.
2. school for scoundrels (1960); associated british; crime comedy; ian carmichael; 97 mins.
3. operation snatch (1962); independent; comedy; george sanders; 87 mins.
4. killer cure (1962); mgm; crime comedy; eric sykes; 88 mins.
5. the wild affair (1964); 7 arts; comedy; nancy kwan; 88 mins.
6. jules verne’s rocket to the moon (1967); warner brothers; burl ives; 117 mins.
7. don’t raise the bridge, lower the river (1968); columbia; comedy; jerry lewis; 99 mins.
8. spanish fly (1975); emi; comedy; leslie phillips; 86 mins.
9. side by side (1975); independent; musical comedy; barry humphries; 84 mins.
10. the hounds of the baskervilles (1978); independent; crime comedy; dudley moore; 78 mins.

[rayban]

Yes, I would agree. I looked up THE MAD ROOM, and I see it was a remake of LADIES IN RETIREMENT. Stella has Ida Lupino's old role.

You're the man!!

[rayban]

 

 

Terry-Thomas had several stage names during the early phases of his career. His real name was Thomas Terry Stevens. By reversing the first two names, he could be more unique, especially with the addition of a hyphen– which he said was added to represent the gap between his front teeth. When you have an answer like that, you know you must be dealing with a comedian.

 

Stand-up comedy became T-T’s calling card in the 30s– well, that, and dancing. But he felt too restricted on the ballroom floor and he felt more comfortable making people laugh. He and his first wife entertained audiences in cabarets and various nightclubs in and around London, until service in the war interrupted their professional activities. But T-T quickly proved adept at entertaining fellow enlisted men; he was soon recruited to join a troupe that went around and put on shows for soldiers. After the war ended, he was back to performing professionally with his wife. Jobs in the late 40s took him into different venues, including radio and an early television program where he first came to national attention. However, movie success continued to elude T-T until the mid-50s.

 

It wasn’t until the Boulting brothers hired him for a series of comedies in the mid-to-late 50s that he became a popular film star. Some of his success could be attributed to his eccentric style of clothing as well as his style as a comedian. He played very identifiable characters in his movies– usually crass, silly-arse members of the establishment. In many of these productions he worked with Ian Carmichael and Peter Sellers. Soon he was starring in pictures that had been written expressly for his talents. Hollywood also took an interest around this time, and he went to America to appear in productions at MGM. In TOM THUMB, he impressed critics and received a BAFTA nomination.

 

In between motion pictures, he frequently turned up as a guest on TV variety shows. In the late 60s, he was tired of the Hollywood and London scenes, so he began to travel throughout Europe and made comedies in France and Italy. Gradually, his workload decreased in the 70s when he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. His last screen appearance occurred in 1980, and he spent the last years of his life struggling against the disease. After he passed away, many coworkers and fans recalled his skill as a performer. And they called him one of the last true gentlemen of his era.

 

1. make mine mink (1960); rank; crime comedy; athene seyler; 101 mins.
2. school for scoundrels (1960); associated british; crime comedy; ian carmichael; 97 mins.
3. operation snatch (1962); independent; comedy; george sanders; 87 mins.
4. killer cure (1962); mgm; crime comedy; eric sykes; 88 mins.
5. the wild affair (1964); 7 arts; comedy; nancy kwan; 88 mins.
6. jules verne’s rocket to the moon (1967); warner brothers; burl ives; 117 mins.
7. don’t raise the bridge, lower the river (1968); columbia; comedy; jerry lewis; 99 mins.
8. spanish fly (1975); emi; comedy; leslie phillips; 86 mins.
9. side by side (1975); independent; musical comedy; barry humphries; 84 mins.
10. the hounds of the baskervilles (1978); independent; crime comedy; dudley moore; 78 mins.

 

He belonged in those Boulting Brothers comedies - he had such an irrepressibly zany quality.

[Princess of Tap]

I have a lovely DVD of the Judy Garland Show when Terry- Thomas was the guest.

What particularly made this episode so special was that Lena Horne was the singing guest star.

 

So in addition to having the two MGM singers vocally reminisce, you had someone with Judy who could put her at her ease and recall her fantastic success in England.

 

For Terry- Thomas she sang her favorite Noel Coward song, If Love Were All-- a gem from her Carnegie Hall concert.

 

Terry- Thomas' big production number was Mad Dogs and Englishmen, ably assisted by the two legendary singers. You had to see it to believe it.

[TopBilled]

I have a lovely DVD of the Judy Garland Show when Terry- Thomas was the guest.

What particularly made this episode so special was that Lena Horne was the singing guest star.

 

So in addition to having the two MGM singers vocally reminisce, you had someone with Judy who could put her at her ease and recall her fantastic success in England.

 

For Terry- Thomas she sang her favorite Noel Coward song, If Love Were All-- a gem from her Carnegie Hall concert.

 

Terry- Thomas' big production number was Mad Dogs and Englishmen, ably assisted by the two legendary singers. You had to see it to believe it.

 

Great comment. Yesterday I watched an episode of the 70s crime show The Persuaders! featuring Roger Moore & Tony Curtis. Terry-Thomas was the guest star, playing Moore's shifty cousin Archie. I never laughed so hard. He was around 60, and he did a lot of physical comedy. They had him climbing up the side of a mansion, hiding over a doorway, and later he jumped off a balcony. They used a stunt double for the shot where he begins to leap off the balcony. Then they cut to him landing down below. Obviously he jumped off a ladder just out of camera range-- because he really did fall and tumble down the hill in one complete long take. You could tell Moore and Curtis were impressed and scrambling to keep up with him. 

 

In another part, he willingly allowed himself to get kidnapped by KGB agents because he was holding a briefcase they thought contained important intelligence papers inside. In a hilarious sequence he has taken off in a high-speed chase with the Russians trying to cheat them out of money in exchange for a worthless briefcase. The entire episode was entertaining from start to finish. He was a great performer.

[TopBilled]

FYI--

 

ClassicMovieRankings has informed me there's a page showing how well Lee Van Cleef's films did at the box office:

 

http://www.ultimatemovierankings.com/2017/01/january-20th-lee-van-cleef-box-office-grosses/

[TopBilled]

 

It was a Cinderella story that didn’t have a happy ending. When she was 18, Iowa native Jean Seberg was plucked from obscurity during a talent search and given the lead in Otto Preminger’s SAINT JOAN. While she had expressed a desire to become a professional actress, she still had relatively no experience at that point. The critics blasted her performance, and the film was not successful. But Preminger believed in the budding neophyte and used her again in his next picture.
 

A year later Jean appeared in a supporting role with Deborah Kerr in BONJOUR TRISTESSE. Though there was less of a burden on her to carry the production, she was again criticized for her performance. However, she also made THE MOUSE THAT ROARED with Peter Sellers. When it became a hit, reviewers were a bit more kind to her. Then for her next role, she was cast in Jean-Luc Godard’s BREATHLESS; and suddenly (finally) a star was born. She was barely twenty, and now she was a full-fledged international celebrity.
 

She relocated to Paris permanently and spent the 60s making popular French films. She also returned to Hollywood at various times, appearing in several well-publicized American movies. These included LILITH with Warren Beatty; and PAINT YOUR WAGON with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. But while she was basking in the glow of success as an actress, her personal life was in trouble. She came under scrutiny due to her increasingly liberal political views. The F.B.I. conducted extensive surveillance, monitoring Jean’s activities in the U.S. and abroad. Much of it was done in order to harm her credibility, and in the process, she basically became blacklisted in Hollywood.
 

Though she had difficulty finding work in U.S. films during the early 70s, she remained busy with European projects. During the years she was hounded by the F.B.I., she began to lose her grip on reality and spiraled into a deep and lasting depression. There was an American TV movie in 1974 opposite Kirk Douglas, but when she went back to France things really began to unravel. The last five years of her life Jean was struggling to hang on. There was an unsuccessful suicide attempt in July 1979; she tried again a month later and ultimately succeeded.
 

Jean Seberg was only 40 years old when she took her own life. It was a tragic end for a woman who had been catapulted to fame at an early age and always showed so much promise.
 

1. breathless (1960); french; crime; jean-paul belmondo; 90 mins.
2. l’amant de cinq jours (1961); french; comedy; micheline presle; 95 mins.
3. in the french style (1962); columbia; romance; stanley baker; 105 mins.
4. backfire (1964); french; crime; jean-paul belmondo; 97 mins.
5. lilith (1964); columbia; drama; warren beatty; 114 mins.
6. moment to moment (1966); universal; crime; honor blackman; 103 mins.
7. paint your wagon (1969); paramount; western musical; lee marvin; 154 mins.
8. airport (1970); universal; disaster; burt lancaster; 137 mins.
9. macho callahan (1970); embassy; western; david janssen; 99 mins.
10. gang war in naples (1972); italian; crime; fabio testi; 105 mins.

[rayban]

Jean Seberg

 

 

 

It was a Cinderella story that didn’t have a happy ending. When she was 18, Iowa native Jean Seberg was plucked from obscurity during a talent search and given the lead in Otto Preminger’s SAINT JOAN. While she had expressed a desire to become a professional actress, she still had relatively no experience at that point. The critics blasted her performance, and the film was not successful. But Preminger believed in the budding neophyte and used her again in his next picture.
 

A year later Jean appeared in a supporting role with Deborah Kerr in BONJOUR TRISTESSE. Though there was less of a burden on her to carry the production, she was again criticized for her performance. However, she also made THE MOUSE THAT ROARED with Peter Sellers. When it became a hit, reviewers were a bit more kind to her. Then for her next role, she was cast in Jean-Luc Godard’s BREATHLESS; and suddenly (finally) a star was born. She was barely twenty, and now she was a full-fledged international celebrity.
 

She relocated to Paris permanently and spent the 60s making popular French films. She also returned to Hollywood at various times, appearing in several well-publicized American movies. These included LILITH with Warren Beatty; and PAINT YOUR WAGON with Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood. But while she was basking in the glow of success as an actress, her personal life was in trouble. She came under scrutiny due to her increasingly liberal political views. The F.B.I. conducted extensive surveillance, monitoring Jean’s activities in the U.S. and abroad. Much of it was done in order to harm her credibility, and in the process, she basically became blacklisted in Hollywood.
 

Though she had difficulty finding work in U.S. films during the early 70s, she remained busy with European projects. During the years she was hounded by the F.B.I., she began to lose her grip on reality and spiraled into a deep and lasting depression. There was an American TV movie in 1974 opposite Kirk Douglas, but when she went back to France things really began to unravel. The last five years of her life Jean was struggling to hang on. There was an unsuccessful suicide attempt in July 1979; she tried again a month later and ultimately succeeded.
 

Jean Seberg was only 40 years old when she took her own life. It was a tragic end for a woman who had been catapulted to fame at an early age and always showed so much promise.
 

1. breathless (1960); french; crime; jean-paul belmondo; 90 mins.
2. l’amant de cinq jours (1961); french; comedy; micheline presle; 95 mins.
3. in the french style (1962); columbia; romance; stanley baker; 105 mins.
4. backfire (1964); french; crime; jean-paul belmondo; 97 mins.
5. lilith (1964); columbia; drama; warren beatty; 114 mins.
6. moment to moment (1966); universal; crime; honor blackman; 103 mins.
7. paint your wagon (1969); paramount; western musical; lee marvin; 154 mins.
8. airport (1970); universal; disaster; burt lancaster; 137 mins.
9. macho callahan (1970); embassy; western; david janssen; 99 mins.
10. gang war in naples (1972); italian; crime; fabio testi; 105 mins.

 

Jean Seberg did fulfill her promise.  Sadly, her life was a short one.  "Breathless" and "The Five-Day Lover" made her a French star.  In retrospect, "In The French Style" and "Lilith" should have made her an American star.  And, now, today, her performance as "Saint Joan" is the greatest Saint Joan in film history.  She did break down under the scrutiny of the FBI.  And her romantic life had a lot of bumps and twists.  Otherwise, she might still be with us - and reaping the rewards of new-found glory.  Sadly, the circumstances of her death will always remain "suspect". 

[rayban]

Jean Seberg in the role that made her an international star -