Linda Darnell.

Linda Darnell (October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965). By the age of 15, she signed a contract with 20th Century Fox. Her first film was, Hotel for Women (1939). A story about a girl, who travels to New York be with her boyfriend, a successful architect, who no longer in love with her. Her friends at a women's hotel, think that she is beautiful enough to be a top model. When her boyfriend wants to get back together with her, he finds his rivals standing in line.

Darnell, performed opposite Power, in the romantic comedy, Day Time Wife (1939). The story begins when a young wife starts to suspect the husband is cheating on her. Darnell, also has a married friend who helps feeds her suspicions. Linda, goes out looking for a job and becomes a secretary to another womanizer. As luck would have it, her husband and her boss, are business associates. That's when the film gets interesting. The film brought her lots of attention, but.. will never make the list of best comedies of the era or of the top ten films of, Tyrone Power or Linda Darnell.

She was next cast in the drama comedy, Star Dust(1939). Linda Darnell's character, is looking to be discovered. Her dreams begin to come true when Roland Young, ex-silent screen star and now movie studio talent scout, enters her diner looking for new talent. The film boosted Darnell's popularity, being nicknamed, "Hollywood's loveliest and most exciting star".

After performing in several small films, Darnell was cast in her first big film, performing again with Tyrone Power in, Brigham Young (1940), which was shot on location and was the most expensive film 20th Century Fox had yet produced.

Darnell, began working on the film, The Mark of Zorro (1940), in which she again co-starred as Power's love interest. A story begins when swordsman Diego Vega, returns to California from Madrid to reunite with his family. When he gets there, he finds that his father has been replaced by Alcalde Don Luis Quintero, who charges the people high taxes and punishment for those that can not afford to pay. Don Diego, keeps quiet that he is a skilled swordsman and pretends that he is a sophisticated wimp. Although.. he really is Zorro, who wears a mask to hide his identity.



The film received very little attention, unlike Darnell's next film, Blood and Sand (1941), which was shot on location in Mexico. Again she was re-teamed with Power, in the story of a young, naive bullfighter Juan Gallardo, who falls under the spell of a beautiful socialite. Damaging his marriage with Carmen, the girl who has loved him since childhood. It's not long before Juan, discovers the socialite was only using him until the tragic end.

Months passed by without any work, and in August 1941 she was cast in a supporting role in the musical, Rise and Shine (1941). The film was a setback in her career. In early 1942, Darnell filmed, The Loves of Edgar Allan Poe, another film that would not do much to improve her career. She soon realized that Darryl F. Zanuck had lost interest in her, and she was cast in roles that she hated. Eventually, she was loaned out for a supporting role in a B movie called, City Without Men.

In 1943, she was cast, uncredited, as the Virgin Mary in, The Song of Bernadette. By 1943, Darnell was growing tired of only being known for her beauty, instead of her acting talent. Her next performance was in, Sweet and Low-Down (1944). Everything changed for her when she was named one of the four most beautiful women in Hollywood, along with Hedy Lamarr, Ingrid Bergman and Gene Tierney in a 1944 edition of Look magazine. Afterwards, the studio allowed her to be loaned out for the lead in, Summer Storm. Portraying a seductive peasant girl, who takes three men to their end before she herself is doomed.

Darnell, wanted more recognition from the studio, which caused Darryl F. Zanuck to cast her in, Hangover Square (1945), playing a role she really wanted. In January 1945, she was added to the cast of the film noir, Fallen Angel (1945). Otto Priminger, had just finished the film noir "Laura" when he followed up with this film. The story has the same type of plot as in the film, "Laura". Many men become obsesed with beautiful a woman. The acting is marvelous, especially Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and all those wonderful character actors.

She went on location to Monument Valley, for the filming of the western, My Darling Clementine (1946), playing a role for which she lost twelve pounds. This John Ford film, is about Wyatt Earp and his run ins with the Clanton gang in the town, Tombstone, Arizona. The film's theme centers around Doc Holliday, Old Man Clanton, the Clanton sons, and Wyatt Earp and his family. The cast, acting and costumes are all very important in telling the story.

In 1947, Darnell won the starring role in the film, Forever Amber, based on a bestselling historical novel. The character, Amber, was named because of her hair color, and this is the only film which Darnel plays a redheaded peasant girl, who refuses to be destroyed by her poverty. She used her sexuality and her brains to become the King's consort.

She spent hours in fittings for costume change and her strict diet, resulted in exhaustion and a serious illness that caused her to collapse on the set. Darnell, was disappointed that the film did not give her the recognition she wanted.

The following year, Darnell performed in the comedy, Unfaithfully Yours (1948), The movie stars Rex Harrison, as Sir Alfred de Carter, a world famous symphony conductor who, is madly in love with his bride, Daphne. Alfred's in-laws August and Barbara, are played wonderfully by Rudy Vallee and Barbara Lawrence.

It's not long before August, shares with Alfred, the news that he had a detective follow Daphne, while Alfred was out of town. Alfred, is so outraged that everything goes wild from there. Eventually,  Alfred is given reason to think that Daphne might have needed some spying on after all. At his concert that evening, Alfred conducts three different pieces and with each piece, Alfred imagines the revenge he will take out on his wife Daphne for her cheating.



Linda, was then was rushed into production of the comedy/drama, A Letter to Three Wives (1949).

A Letter to Three Wives, has a wonderful cast with: Ann Southern, Jeanne Craine, Linda Darnell, Paul Douglas, and Kirk Douglas. This is a story about a group of friends who has one female who captures the hearts of all the men, and all the women despise her. One day, when three wives are working on a volunteer project, they receive a special delivery letter, from the woman that all the men are in love with. In the letter the woman says, that she is moving away and she is taking one of their husbands with her. The women are worried that it might be one of their own husbands. Darnell's performance, won her the best reviews of her career. Darnell, had been expected to win an Academy Award nomination for, A Letter to Three Wives. When this did not happen, her career began to fade.

Full movie.




Please click here to learn more about Linda Darnell.

It Happened Tomorrow (1944).

It Happened Tomorrow (1944). Fantasy film starring Dick Powell, Linda Darnell and Jack Oakie, Edgar Kennedy and Sig Ruman. Directed by René Clair.

On Larry and Sylvia's golden wedding anniversary, they get into an argument about Larry's wish to publish his story that happened over fifty years ago:

Larry, the obituary writer had just been promoted to reporter and makes a wish to give ten years of his life in exchange for knowing tomorrow's events. The paper's librarian Pop Benson, warns him that it can be dangerous to know the future. After leaving the office, Larry and his drinking buddies sees a poster promoting Oscar Cigolini, the fortune-teller and his niece, Sylvia Smith, and they all decide to see the show, where Larry meets and invites Sylvia on a date, during the performance.

Later that evening, as Larry passes the Evening News office, Pop, hands Larry a copy of tomorrows paper and then quickly disappears.

Later Larry, is taken by surprise when he reads the story about a robbery at the opera house that afternoon, and realizes that the paper he is holding in his hands, is forecasting the day's events. He then asks, his editor, to allow him to cover the concert. Larry, invites Sylvia to join him. As they listen to the performance, the box office is robbed and Larry goes to the paper with his story. Gordon, at first does not believe Larry, until Inspector Mulrooney, confirms the theft.

Soon Mulrooney, becomes suspicious of Larry's knowledge of the robbery and arrests him. Sylvia, tells him that it was she that predicted the crime. Mulrooney, decides to take Sylvia back to the theater and asks her to make another prediction during her performance. This brings more problems than fortune...

Video: In this scene after Sylvia jumps in the water,(because of one of her predictions ).. and Larry takes her to his apartment, where he lends her dry clothes.



This is a fun film, with an interesting story and wonderful characters, showing what happens when you know what happens in the future.. which influences the characters.. Dick Powell and Linda Darnell work well together and Jack Oakie, plays the uncle of Darnell's character and he also has some good scenes.

Please click here to learn more about Linda Darnell.

Jack Oakie (November 12, 1903 – January 23, 1978). Oakie, performed in musicals and comedies on Broadway from 1923 to 1927. Oakie performed in five silent films during 1927 and 1928. As the age of the "talkies" began, he signed with Paramount Pictures, making his first talking film, The Dummy (1929).

In the film, Too Much Harmony (1933), the part of Oakie's on-screen mother was played by his real mother Mary Evelyn Offield. During the 1930s he was known as "The World's Oldest Freshman", because of his many performances in films with a collegiate theme. He was also known for refusing to wear screen make-up of any kind, and the frequent use of double-take in his comedy.

Oakie is best known for his performance in, Charlie Chaplin's, The Great Dictator (1940), for which he received an Oscar nomination for the Best Supporting Actor Award.

Happy Birthday: Linda Darnell !

Linda Darnell (October 16, 1923 – April 10, 1965). Film actress that began her career as a child model, and moved onto theater and film acting. She made her first film in 1939, and performed in supporting roles for 20th Century Fox throughout the 1940s. She rose to fame with co-starring roles opposite Tyrone Power in adventure films and established a main character career after her role in, Forever Amber (1947). She is also known for her performance in, Unfaithfully Yours (1948) and A Letter to Three Wives (1949).

List of Linda Darnell movies I have seen:

1940 Mark of Zorro
1941 Blood and Sand
1946 My Darling Clementine
1949 Letter to Three Wives
1952 Blackbeard the Pirate


This video, is a scene from one of my favorite movies, Blood in Sand(1941). Starring: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell, Rita Hayworth and Alla Nazimova.

Another Day, Another Movie

I have just read the funniest news story that I have ever read in my entire life. Here is a link to the story. Basically a woman dressed up as a tomato to boost healthy eating (or something) at a local council garden party, and the mayor walked along, thought "hmmm that tomato looks like a good thing to leapfrog over!" and whilst trying to jump over her, his knee caught her head and she suffered a slipped disc. She was given £24,000 as compensation!

Moral of the story: never dress up as a tomato for a council garden party. The mayor just might break your neck. Not that anyone will be doing that anytime soon. I hope. It reminded me of the conversation from Tootsie where Micheal Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is begging his agent (Sydney Pollack) to get him a part in something, and his agent accuses him of being unreasonable. The conversation goes like this.

Agent: "I can't even put you up for a commercial! You played a Tomato for 30 seconds and they went a half a day over 'cause you wouldn't sit down!"
Micheal Dorsey: "Yes. It wasn't logical."
Agent: "YOU WERE A TOMATO! A TOMATO DOESN'T HAVE LOGIC! A TOMATO CAN"T MOVE!"
Micheal Dorsey: "That's what I said! How am I supposed to sit down! I was a juicy sexy beef stake tomato! I was the best eggplant, the best cucumber. I did a Waldorf salad that knocked the critics on their ass!"
Agent:"Micheal, I'm trying to stay calm here. You-you are... a wonderful actor."
Micheal Dorsey:"Thank You."
 Agent: "But you're too much trouble. Get some therapy."

Sydney Pollack and Dustin Hoffman dressed as a woman

One of the funniest movies ever made. I laugh just thinking about it. Dustin Hoffman dresses up as a woman to get a job as a hospital administrator in a hospital soap opera, and ends up falling for the woman who plays the nurse (Jessica Lang).

Here is today's review.

A Letter To Three Wives

Cast:

• 	Jeanne Crain as Deborah Bishop		Jeffrey Lynn as Bradford "Brad" Bishop
  	Linda Darnell as Lora Mae Hollingsway		Paul Douglas as Porter Hollingsway
  	Ann Sothern as Rita Phipps		Kirk Douglas as George Phipps

  Thelma Ritter as Sadie (uncredited)
• Celeste Holm as Addie Ross (voice) (uncredited)

Plot:
Three typical American suburban housewives receive a letter addressed to the three of them from their "best friend" Addie Ross (Celest Holm voice-over, surprisingly, uncredited), saying that she has left town with one of their husbands, but doesn't say which one. The first wife, Deborah Bishop (Jeanne Crain) reacts with instant suspicion as we see her flashback. It shows her and her husband first meeting his friends Rita (Ann Sothern) and George Phipps (Kirk Douglas) and Lora Mea (Linda Darnell) and Brad Hollingsway (Jeffrey Lynn). They all make subtle references to Addie's "class", but no one says anything that might overtly lead to suspicion of an affair. The same thing happens to both other wives, but each husband has their own link to Addie.


The Review:

The DVD cover says "three very different marriages. One of convenience, one stable, and one filled with lies and suspicion," And it's dang right. Never have I seen such different marriages! My favourite wife is by far Ann Sothern, who vaguely reminds me of Agnes Moorhead. All the other actors (if anyone can tell who they are!) are very good. I love Kirk Douglas ("I am Spartacus!").

The film was directed and written by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and he won both of those Oscars that year. On the set of All About Eve he was waiting around for some rain to come so that Celest Holm could do her scene where she meets Eve: but it didn't come. So they set up some hoses, and got ready to start filming. Sat on a ladder, he called out "Ok, lets have the rain!" But before the prop men could turn on the hoses, clouds moved in and it started to rain. Ann Baxter (Eve Harrington, the villain of the story) said to Bette Davis (Margo Channing, the "hero" of the story)  "Even god has heard of Joe's two Oscars."

Here is a picture of Ann Sothern that is so far away from her in A Letter To Three Wives, that I found it quite strange.

~Bette

My favorite Basil Rathbone Scene.

My favorite Basil Rathbone scene is from, The Mark of Zorro (1940). an adventure film directed by Rouben Mamoulian and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. Cast: Tyrone Power, Linda Darnell and Basil Rathbone.I'm a huge fan of movies with duel fighting. In this scene the action unfolds into a wonderful duel between to actors who look as if they are really enjoying what they are doing..

The film was Nominated for Academy Award for the Best original score in the 1941 Academy Awards. In 2009, it was named to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being “culturally, historically or aesthetically” significant and will be preserved for all time. Based on the Johnston McCulley story The Curse of Capistrano, originally published in 1919, which introduced the masked Zorro, the movie's story is set in Southern California during the early 19th century. It is about the son of a wealthy ranchero, Don Alejandro Vega who returns to California after studying in Spain, only to become angry at the way the people were being mistreated by Governor Quintero. Don Diego decides to become Zorro, a defender of the people. He falls in love with the governor's niece, Lolita and shares with the governor's wife Inez, how wonderful Madrid is hoping to talk her into moving there with her husband. He also has to fight off the governor's henchman, Captain Pasquale.

This film is a remake of the 1920 silent version, The Mark of Zorro, with Douglas Fairbanks. Its largest claim to fame is the climactic duel toward the end between Zorro and Captain Pasquale . Rathbone was known already in Hollywood as an outstanding Classical fencer.

Zero Hour!(1957)

Zero Hour!(1957). Written by Arthur Hailey. Cast: Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden. Zero Hour! was the basis for the movie Airplane! Zero Hour! was also the remake of Hailey's Canadian Broadcasting Corporation play Flight into Danger(1956). Hailey co-wrote a novel with John Castle based on the same idea titled Flight Into Danger: Runway Zero-Eight (1958). The rights to the movie were purchased by the makers of the 1980 film Airplane! and they were able to use the screenplay almost verbatim. In later years, the film was bought by Warner Bros. Pictures.

Pilot Ted Stryker, in the final weeks of World War II, leads a raid on Wiesbaden, Germany. The target area is covered by fog, Ted does not cancel the mission and six of his pilots crash into countryside. Wounded Ted, is the only man to survive the mission and blames himself for the death of his men.

Eleven years later, Ted applies for a job in the Canadian Jet Research division of the Mid-Canadian Aircraft Co. Ted's old friend Frank Graham hires him and Ted returns home to celebrate the good news with his family. When he gets there he finds a note written by his wife Ellen, saying that she is leaving him. Ted rushes to the airport just in time to board her plane to Vancouver, even though he is still afraid of flying. Once on the the plane, Ted asks Ellen to give him another chance, but she refuses because he has never stopped punishing himself from his mistakes. Midway through the flight, some of the passengers become deathly ill, the stewardess, asks a physician who happens to be on the plane to help them. Baird tells Capt. Bill Wilson to land the plane, so the sick passengers can be taken to the hospital. Only to learn that they are going to run into bad weather and they can not land the plane. Soon, co-pilot Stewart passes out and Baird now believes that the problem is food poisoning. Soon, Bill is also sick with food poisoning. Although he is able to put the plane on autopilot before collapsing.

Baird tells Janet he is not even sure he can save the sick passengers lives unless they receive medical attention soon. In the cockpit, Baird tells Ted that he is the only person aboard who can of land the plane. Ted then takes the pilot's seat and contacts Canadian air traffic control, asking for guidance in flying the plane. Will Ted manage to get over his past and land the plane safely?

I really enjoyed this film even though some moments are impossible to watch without being reminded of their parody versions.




Sterling Hayden, For most of his career performed as a leading man, in westerns and film noir, such as Johnny Guitar, The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing. Later on he became known as a character actor for such roles as Gen. Jack D. Ripper in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). He also played the Irish policeman, Captain McCluskey, in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather in 1972. Standing 6-feet, 5-inches tall, he is one of the tallest leading actors of all time.

LINDA DARNELL

Linda Darnell, was a child model. Her first film was in Hotel for Women (1939). She was 16 and became the youngest leading lady in Hollywood history. Her next film was Day-Time Wife (1939). Her third film was Star Dust (1940). Where Linda rose to stardom. Other wonderful performances followed. In 1941 she performed in Blood and Sand (1941) and Rise and Shine (1941). In 1945 she performed in Hangover Square(1945). The following year Linda performed with Lillian Gish in Centennial Summer (1946). Later that same year she co-starred with Henry Fonda and Victor Mature in My Darling Clementine (1946). Linda reached the height of her career when she played opposite Cornel Wilde in 1947's Forever Amber (1947). In 1952 she starred in Blackbeard, the Pirate (1952) along with Irene Ryan, Robert Newton, and William Bendix. Linda's final appearance on the silver screen was in 1965's Black Spurs.


Linda Darnell's Best Known Films:
Black Spurs (1965)
Second Chance (1953)
No Way Out (1950)
A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
Unfaithfully Yours (1948)
Forever Amber (1947)
My Darling Clementine (1946)
The Great John L. (1945)
Fallen Angel (1945)
Buffalo Bill (1944)
Blood and Sand (1941)
Chad Hanna (1940)
The Mark of Zorro (1940)
Brigham Young (1940)
Star Dust (1940)
Daytime Wife (1939)

FALLEN ANGEL (1945)

FALLEN ANGEL (1945). Romance/drama. Director: Otto Preminger. Cinematography: Joseph LaShelle, who also worked with Preminger on the film Laura. Cast: Alice Faye, Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, Charles Bickford. The film is the last film Faye made as a major Hollywood star.

Eric Stanton a former New York press agent, who becomes a drifter and con man, who gets pulled off the bus because he doesn't have the fair to get to San Francisco, about 150 miles short of where he is going. Stanton, in the town of Walton, Ca. walks over to a small diner where he runs into a group of men who are talking about the disappearance of waitress, Stella, who later shows up.

Stanton cons his way into Professor Madley's room, where Stanton promises to help him get his seance show publicized. Through Madley, he meets Clara and June Mills. Madley needs to attend Madley performance and talks the two girls into going with him. The next day, Madley puts on a seance, bringing up the finances of, Clara and June's father, the late Abraham Mills . The two leave the seance very upset. Soon, Stanton falls in love with Stella. After a quick romance, Stanton purposes marriage. But Stella being a gold-digger refuses to marry him. Eric comes up with a plan to marry wealthy, June Mills, and divorce her as soon as he can. Clara knows he is up to no good and tries to stop the marriage. Stanton stays with Stella even on his wedding night. The next day Stella turns up dead.

Mark Judd, a cop-turned-detective, is investigating the murder, and his first suspect is Dave Atkins, Stella’s ex-boyfriend, until he learns about Stanton and Stella's relationship. Stanton flees to San Francisco, with June, only long enough to take her money. But.. he returns when he hears that June has been charged with Stella’s murder.

I thought Fallen Angel, was a dramatic change for Alice Faye. Dana Andrews and Linda Darnell, were both wonderful in this film.


FUN FACT:
Linda Darnell, spent a week working as a waitress in the Fox Commissary to prepare for her role.