In The Spotlight Redux

Discussion of the actors, directors and film-makers who 'made it all happen'
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

Moira, glad that you appreciated the profile of Marc Lawrence. No doubt that he was one of the best bad guys in the business, almost always enriching a film that he appeared in.
Yes, it would be ideal if TCM could snag some of those Alan Ladd Paramount classics.

Thanks a heap for the priceless image of Edna May Oliver. She was indeed a hoot.
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In the Spotlight: JOANNE DRU
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The lovely actress was born Joanne Letitia LaCock on January 31, 1922 in Logan, West Virginia, the daughter of a druggist.
In 1940 following the death of her father,
the gorgeous teenager went to New York and soon found work as a Powers model and showgirl. She was chosen by Al Jolson to appear in the cast of his Broadway show "Hold Onto Your Hats".

In 1941 at the age of 19, Dru married crooner Dick Haymes. The newlyweds moved to California soon afterward, as Haymes had signed a film contract with 20th Century-Fox. The couple eventually had two daughters and a son. As Haymes' film career began to ebb in the late 1940s, Joanne Dru's acting career gained momentum.

Working in theater, Dru was spotted by a talent scout and made her first film appearance in "Abie's Irish Rose" in 1946. She had the female leading role of Rosemary.
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Over the next decade, Dru appeared frequently in films and on television. She was cast often in western films such as Howard Hawks' "Red River" and John Ford's "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon" and "Wagon Master" (1950). She later lamented that she had been typecast in western films, commenting that once an actress suffered that fate, that was the end, adding that she never liked horses.
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Dru with Montgomery Clift in "Red River" (1949)

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Among the lovely Miss Dru's admirers were Howard Hawks, Joe Kirkwood Jr., Lew Ayres, Oleg Cassini, and Sterling Hayden.

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Dru with future husband John Ireland In "All the King's Men" (1949).


She gave a well-received performance in the dramatic film "All the King's Men". She was divorced from Haymes in 1949, and married co-star John Ireland, who was also in "Red River", less than a month later. She also appeared in "711 Ocean Drive" with Edmond O'Brien and "Vengeance Valley" with Burt Lancaster and Robert Walker.
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With Edmond O'Brien in the film noir "711 Ocean Drive" (1950).

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Burt Lancaster, Dru, and Robert Walker (1951)

In 1952 she co-starred with Dan Dailey in "The Pride of St. Louis" about major-league baseball pitcher Jerome "Dizzy" Dean, followed by "My Pal Gus" with Richard Widmark, "Thunder Bay" with James Stewart, "Forbidden" with Tony Curtis, "Duffy of San Quentin", and in the Martin and Lewis film "3 Ring Circus".
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Dru with Richard Widmark in "My Pal Gus" (1952)

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Dru with James Stewart in "Thunder Bay" (1953).

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Dru with Tony Curtis in "Forbidden" (1953).

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Tony Curtis, Dru, & Lyle Bettger during the making of "Forbidden" (1953).

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Dru with Louis Hayward in "Duffy of San Quentin" (1954).

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Dru with Van Johnson in "Siege at Red River" (1954).

Dru rounded out the 1950s with "Sincerely Yours" starring Liberace, "Hell on Frisco Bay" with Alan Ladd, "Drango" with Jeff Chandler, and Disney's "The Light in the Forest", among others.

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Dru, William Demarest, Dorothy Malone & Liberace in "Sincerely Yours" (1955).

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Dru with Edward G. Robinson in "Hell on Frisco Bay" (1955).

Dru and Ireland had two sons and got divorced in 1957 and her film career began to fade by the end of the 1950s.
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Dru with husband John Ireland and two of her 3 children from crooner Dick Haymes.

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Joanne Dru in her next to last film "Sylvia" (1965)

In an interview with Hedda Hopper in 1957, about her attitude toward westerns: "Once you're typed, you're lost"..."And those long gingham dresses with boned bodices are miserable things to wear."

Throughout the 1960s, her acting career flourished on television, where she took guest spots in many shows. Dru's brother, comedian and game show host Peter Marshall, invited her to appear on "Hollywood Squares" numerous times in the 1960s and 1970s. She played the female lead of Babs Wooten in the 1960-1961 ABC sitcom "Guestward, Ho!".

Although regarded as a capable and popular film actress, it was for her contributions to television that Dru was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

The mother of five, she married two more times; her fourth husband of over 20 years left her a widow in 1993.

Sadly, in 1996 she died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 74 from lymphedema.
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In the Spotlight: ANTHONY FRANCIOSA
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The handsome and talented movie, stage and TV actor was born Anthony George Papaleo, Jr., on October 25, 1928 in New York City to Italian-American parents. Son of a construction worker and seamstress who divorced when he was a year old. He seldom saw his father after this.
Raised by his mother and aunt, Franciosa was his mother's maiden name.

After graduating high school, and during a visit to a Y.M.C.A. to take a free dance lesson, Franciosa came across an audition for a play. Intrigued, Franciosa auditioned and was offered a part.

In 1948 he joined the Cherry Lane Theatre Group off Broadway, and before becoming successful at acting, he worked a variety of jobs which included being a waiter, dishwasher, day laborer, and messenger boy.
His breakthrough came in 1953 in the play "End as a Man", which opened off-Broadway and co-starred Ben Gazzara.

It was in 1955 that Franciosa first appeared in the role that would make him famous, that of Polo Pope, the brother of a heroin addict, in Michael V. Gazzo's play "A Hatful of Rain". For his outstanding performance he was nominated for a Tony Award.

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Tony with Jean Simmons in his film debut "This Could Be the Night" (1957).

When he reprised his role in the film version of "A Hatful of Rain" in 1957, he was nominated for an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Actor.
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Tony in his Oscar nominated role as Polo Pope (1957).

He followed that with roles in several major films, including Elia Kazan's "A Face in the Crowd" with Andy Griffith and Patricia Neal, "Wild Is the Wind" with Anna Magnani, "The Long Hot Summer" with Paul Newman and Orson Welles, "The Naked Maja" with Ava Gardner, "Career" winning a best actor Golden Globe award, "The Story on Page One" with Rita Hayworth, "Period of Adjustment" with Jane Fonda, "The Drowning Pool" with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, and "Rio Conchos" (Golden Globe nominee best actor).
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(1957)
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Publicity shot of Tony & Anthony Quinn in "Wild Is the Wind".

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Tony canoodling with Lee Remick (1958).

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Tony as Goya with the sulty Ava Gardner (1958).

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Tony with Carolyn Jones in the underrated "Career" (1959).

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Tony in defense of Rita Hayworth (1959).

During his career, his behavior on movie productions became the subject of Hollywood gossip. The stories alleged fiery disputes with directors, sulking in his dressing room, and outbursts with other actors.

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(1957)

In 1957 he served 10 days in the Los Angeles County jail for slugging a press photographer.

A Longtime friend of Jesse Jackson, and a fervent civil rights activist, he was joined by Marlon Brando and Paul Newman in Gadsden, Alabama in 1963 for a desegregation drive.

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Tony with Gina Lollobrigida in "Go Naked in the World" (1961).

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John McGiver, Lois Nettleton, & Tony in "Period of Adjustment" (1962).

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Tony as Juan Luis in "Rio Conchos" (1964).

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"Fathom" (1967) with Raquel Welch.

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Tony at pool side enjoying some r & r.

Other movie credits include, "This Could Be the Night" (film debut), "The Pleasure Seekers", "The Swinger", "Across 110th Street", "City Hall", etc.

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Tony, Gene Barry & Robert Stack on TVs "The Name of the Game".

Eager to act in any medium he became a TV series lead in "Valentine's Day", "The Name of the Game", and "Matt Helm". In the 1980s he starred in the Aaron Spelling produced series "Finder of Lost Loves".

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Tony as Paul Zapatti in his last movie, "City Hall" (1996).

He was married four times, and had three children (a daughter and two sons). His most famous wife was Oscar-winning actress Shelley Winters; they were married from May 4, 1957 until their divorce in 1960. They had no children.
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Tony with wife Shelley Winters (in happier times).

His fourth marriage was solid and lasted over 35 years.

During his later years, Tony lived in Brentwood, a district in West Los Angeles.
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On January 19, 2006, Anthony Franciosa died at age 77 at UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California after suffering a massive stroke. His death came only five days after that of his ex-wife Shelley Winters. He is survived by his wife, Rita, his children, Nina, Christopher and Marco and his grandchildren, Ruby and Cassius Franciosa.

Looking back at his career, in a 1996 interview, Franciosa said that he was too young in the late 1950s, too inexperienced to handle the sudden stardom. "It was an incredible amount of attention, and I wasn't quite mature enough psychologically and emotionally for it."
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Post by moira finnie »

A great profile, as usual, which really made me smile. I admit it. Even though Anthony Franciosa often seemed wildly over the top in many of his roles, I find him and his very actorish contortions highly entertaining. Thanks for making me smile via your profile. Btw, is it just me, or in that last picture of Shelley Winters and Tony "in happier times" doesn't it look as though he's scanning the crowd looking for a scrumptious little cupcake to make a date with once Shell is appeased? Maybe I'm just being cynical...

A question about Dick Haymes as husband material. He seems to have had a checkered marital track record, as did John Ireland. Why do you think that Joann Dru found these guys attractive? Is it that "bad boy" syndrome? Any chance that you'll write about Haymes someday? He seems to have been quite a, uh, character, to put it mildly. It's odd that Haymes, who was wildly successful as a singer in the '40s, is really forgotten today.
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Post by jdb1 »

moirafinnie wrote:A great profile, as usual, which really made me smile. I admit it. Even though Anthony Franciosa often seemed wildly over the top in many of his roles, I find him and his very actorish contortions highly entertaining. Thanks for making me smile via your profile. Btw, is it just me, or in that last picture of Shelley Winters and Tony "in happier times" doesn't it look as though he's scanning the crowd looking for a scrumptious little cupcake to make a date with once Shell is appeased? Maybe I'm just being cynical...

A question about Dick Haymes as husband material. He seems to have had a checkered marital track record, as did John Ireland. Why do you think that Joann Dru found these guys attractive? Is it that "bad boy" syndrome? Any chance that you'll write about Haymes someday? He seems to have been quite a, uh, character, to put it mildly. It's odd that Haymes, who was wildly successful as a singer in the '40s, is really forgotten today.
I think that both Ireland and Haymes were homely men, and I don't care to look at either one of them onscreen. But, Moira, surely you've read reports of Ireland's legendary "equipment?" Don't know about Haymes -- all accounts I've read of him paint him as a real heel.

Whether Ireland's endowments were considered a good basis for a marriage, I can't say.
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Post by moira finnie »

Truthfully, Judith, I've never read anything about either fellow's "equipment." But thanks for clearing this little matter up for me, I think. :wink:

The only accounts of Haymes that I've ever read have described him as a good singer, and an "evil" person, especially during his marriage to Rita Hayworth. Ireland seemed to be the sort of guy who liked very young girls, from what little I've read. I don't think either guy was attractive either, but had some talent.
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Post by ChiO »

moirafinnie,

You'll never be able to watch John Ireland and Monty Clift comparing the size of their guns in RED RIVER in the same way again.
Everyday people...that's what's wrong with the world. -- Morgan Morgan
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Movies can only go forward in spite of the motion picture industry. -- Orson Welles
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Post by moira finnie »

ChiO wrote:moirafinnie,

You'll never be able to watch John Ireland and Monty Clift comparing the size of their guns in RED RIVER in the same way again.
Actually, ChiO, I tend to look away when Mr. Ireland is in just about any movie, though I have to admit that Raw Deal, Railroaded and Spartacus are enjoyable--despite or because of his sinister presence. I've never been able to completely decide which is the case.
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Post by mongoII »

Moira, regarding the Tony Franciosa profile I'm glad that I was able to make you smile.
You just might be right about Tony eyeing those 'cupcakes', since the picture was taken in 1960 the year that he and Shelley divorced.

It's hard to say what Joanne Dru saw in Haymes and Ireland but love must have been in the air since she bore their children.
I like John Ireland and enjoy his films. I just might do a profile of Dick Haymes since I found him to be an interesting although screwed-up character.

By the way ChiO, if ever Ireland and Clift compared guns, Clift would lose hands down. His acting took first prize compared to his shortcomings.
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Post by jdb1 »

I've always found Ireland's looks repellent, and that was long before I heard tales of his endowments (which news wouldn't necessarily be repellent, you understand). He has the face of an insane asylum inmate.

Wasn't Ireland involved with Tuesday Weld, or some other nubile starlet of that type? I seem to remember reading about that. Eeewwww.

My take on Franciosa is this: he was an extremely talented actor, who rarely got to show what he could really do. I might speculate that his frustration with the treatment he received from Hollywood studios may have had a lot to do with his aberrant behavior. IMO, his performance in The Story on Page One is aces.

By the way, I'm now remembering what Shelley Winters said about Franciosa in her book -- most of what she wrote about him centered on his looks and what a beautiful body he had. Then she claimed not to recognize him when she met him years after they were divorced. I think she wrote something like "When I block, I really block."
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In the Spotlight: EVE ARDEN
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The superior witty actress was born Eunice M. Quedens on April 30, 1908 in Mill Valley, California to Lucille and Charles Peter Quedens. Her parents divorced when she was just a child.
Arden said that she was an insecure child, declaring later in life that she needed therapy.

At 16, Arden left Tamalpais High School and joined a stock theater company. She made her film debut, under her real name, in the backstage musical "Song of Love" in 1929. She plays a wisecracking showgirl who becomes a rival to the film's star. The film was one of Columbia Pictures' earliest successes.

Eve Arden's Broadway debut came in 1934, when she was cast in that year's "Ziegfeld Follies" revue.
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Eve: Ready, willing, and able for stardom.

Her film career took off in 1937 when she appeared in the films "Oh Doctor" and "Stage Door" with Katharine Hepburn, where she portrayed a fast-talking, witty supporting character. The role gained Arden considerable notice and was to be a template for many of Arden's future roles.
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Eve (seated) with Katharine Hepburn & Ginger Rogers in "Stage Door" (1937).

Her many memorable screen roles include, "At the Circus" with the Marx Bros., "No, No, Nanette", "Comrade X" with Gable & Lamarr, "Whistling in the Dark", "Manpower" with Dietrich, "Cover Girl" with Hayworth, "The Doughgirls" with Sheridan, and a supporting role as Joan Crawford's wise-cracking pal in 1945's "Mildred Pierce" for which she received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress.
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Eve with Groucho Marx in "At the Circus" (1939).

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Eve with Pat O'Brien and Douglas Fowley in "Slightly Honorable" (1940).

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Eve with Lana Turner in "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941).

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Eve as Cornelia 'Stonewall' Jackson in "Cover Girl" (1944).

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Eve as Sgt. Natalia Moskoroff with Jane Wyman, Alexis Smith & Ann Sheridan in "The Doughgirls" (1944).

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Doing her part on Armed Forces Radio 1940s.

Arden's quick wit also made her a natural talent for radio; she became a regular on Danny Kaye's short-lived but memorably zany comedy-variety show in 1946.
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According to some sources, she had an affair with Danny Kaye in the 1940s.

She also co-starred with Barbara Stanwyck in "My Reputation", "The Kid from Booklyn" with Danny Kaye, "Night and Day" with Cary Grant, "The Unfaithful", "The Voice of the Turtle" with Ronald Reagan, "One Touch of Venus" with Ava Gardner, "Whiplash", the ultimate soap "Paid in Full" with Lizabeth Scott, "Tea for Two" with Doris Day, and "Goodbye, My Fancy" with Crawford.
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Eve & Wayne Morris (2nd left) in "The Voice of the Turtle" (1947).

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Eve in her Oscar nominated role in "Mildred Pierce" with Joan Crawford & Ann Blyth.

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Eve, Tom Conway & sleepy Ava Gardner in "One Touch of Venus" (1948).

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Eve with Dane Clark in "Whiplash" (1948).

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Doris Day, Billy De Wolfe & Eve in "Tea for Two" (1950).

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Eve Arden, radio star.

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Eve with Joan Crawford in "Goodbye, My Fancy" (1951).

Arden's display of comic talent and timing set the stage for her to be cast in the role for which she is best known, as Madison High School English teacher Connie Brooks in "Our Miss Brooks".
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Eve with Gale Gordon on the TV series "Our Miss Brooks".

Arden portrayed the character on radio from 1948 to 1957 winning poll awards, and in a television version of the program from 1952 to 1956 winning an Emmy Award and in a 1956 feature film.

Arden also co-starred with Kaye Ballard in the 1967-1969 situation comedy "The Mothers-in-Law", and few years afterward, she made a new sitcom pilot co-starring Don Knotts, but it failed to attract a network buyer. Too bad.

She was one of many stars to take on the title roles in "Hello, Dolly!" and "Auntie Mame" in the 1960s; in 1967, she won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre.

Also was James Stewart's wistful secretary in Otto Preminger's then-explicit murder mystery, "Anatomy of a Murder" and as Lottie Lacey in "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" .

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Eve as Lottie Lacey in "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs" (1960).

She became familiar to a new generation of film-goers when she played harassed Principal McGee in both 1978's "Grease" and 1982's "Grease 2", as well as making appearances on such television shows as "Alice" and "Falcon Crest".
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Eve dancing with Sid Caesar in the musical "Grease" (1978).



Arden published her biography, "The Three Phases of Eve", in 1985. It is notable for its discretion in regard to Arden's many co-stars, and her loyalty to the Hollywood studio system that nurtured her career.

In addition to her Academy Award nomination and Emmy Award, Arden also received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1995.

She was married to Ned Bergen from 1939 to 1947, and to actor Brooks West from 1952 until his death in 1984 from a heart ailment. She and West had four children, three of whom were adopted.
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Eve was happily married to actor Brooks West from 1952 to 1984.

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Mamma Eve with two of her four children.

In 1990 Arden died of advanced colorectal cancer and heart disease at her home in Los Angeles, California at the age of 82, and is interred in the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood, California.
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Quoted: "I've worked with a lot of great glamorous girls in movies and the theater. And I'll admit, I've often thought it would be wonderful to be a femme fatale. But then I'd always come back to thinking that if they only had what I've had - a family, real love, an anchor - they would have been so much happier during all the hours when the marquees and the floodlights are dark."
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In the Spotlight: EDWARD EVERETT HORTON
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The delightful character actor was born March 18, 1886 in Brooklyn, New York, to Isabella Diack and Edward Everett Horton, a New York Times proofreader.
Horton attended the Baltimore City College high school in Baltimore, Maryland, where he has been inducted into that school's Hall of Fame. He then attended college at Brooklyn Polytechnic and Columbia University where he first tried acting and made his professional debut with the drama club.

After touring the East and Midwest with various stock companies, he left for Los Angeles where he joined stock companies there and also managed the Majestic Theatre with his brother and manager, George.
Horton started his stage career in 1906, singing and dancing and playing small parts in Vaudeville and in Broadway productions.
In 1919, he moved to Los Angeles, California, and started getting roles in Hollywood films. His first starring role was in the 1922 comedy film "Too Much Business". As a stage-trained performer, he found more movie work easily, and appeared in some of Warner Brothers' early talkies, including "The Hottentot" and "Sonny Boy" with Al Jolson.
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A youthful Horton with Patsy Ruth Miller in "Wide Open" (1930).

Horton originally went under his given name, Edward Horton. His father persuaded him to adopt his full name professionally, reasoning that there might be other actors named Edward Horton, but only one named Edward Everett Horton.

Horton's screen character was instantly defined as a master of the stodgy, droll, persnickety, fuss-budget type character with his tall but slight physique, slicked back hair, expressive eyes, puckery lips and cracklingly smooth voice. He could express himself with a raised eyebrow, a cocked head or his pursed lips and he made a high art of the double-take.

Horton starred in many unpretentious comedy features in the 1930s, usually playing a mousy fellow who put up with domestic or professional problems up to a certain point, and then finally asserted himself for a happy ending.
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Horton with Miriam Hopkins in "Trouble in Paradise" (1932).

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Horton with Virginia Howell in "His Night Out" (1935)

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Horton in a dual role in "Man in the Mirror" (1936)

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Horton as Augie Winterspoon in "Going Highbrow" (1935)

The actor is best known, however, for his work as a character actor in supporting roles. Some of his noteworthy films include "The Front Page", "Trouble in Paradise", "Alice in Wonderland" as the Mad Hatter, "The Merry Widow", "Top Hat" (one of several Astaire – Rogers movies Horton was in), "Angel" with Dietrich, "Paris Honeymoon", "Holiday", Capra's "Lost Horizon" as Lovey, "Ziegfeld Girl", "Here Comes Mr. Jordan", "I Married an Angel", "The Gang's All Here", "Arsenic and Old Lace", "Lady on a Train" with Deanna Durbin, and "Pocketful of Miracles" with Bette Davis.
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Horton enjoying the fruits of his labor.

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H.B. Warner, Isabel Jewell, Horton, Thomas Mitchell & Ronald Colman
in "Lost Horizon."

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Horton as 'Lovey' in Capra's "Lost Horizon" (1937).

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Horton in "Bluebeard's Eighth Wife" (1938).

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Horton, Bing Crosby & Shirley Ross in "Paris Honeymoon" (1939).

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Horton with child star Baby Sandy in "Bachelor Daddy" (1941).

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Horton, Hedy Lamarr (is that Eve Arden?) Lana Turner in "Ziegfeld Girl" (1941).

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Horton, Robert Montgomery & James Gleason in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan" (1941).

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Horton the brunt of a magic trick in "Sunny" (1941).

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Horton with Stephanie Bachelor in "Her Primitive Man" (1944).

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Horton as a judge in "Steppin' in Society" (1945).

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Horton with Bette Davis as Apple Annie in "Pocketful of Miracles" (1961).



Horton continued to appear in stage productions, and on radio.
During the 1950s, he worked in television. One of his most famous appearances is an "I Love Lucy" episode "Lucy Plays Cupid", where he is cast against type as a frisky, amorous suitor. Beginning in 1959 he narrated the hilarious "Fractured Fairy Tales" segment of the "Rocky & Bullwinkle" cartoon show. In 1965 he played the medicine man, Roaring Chicken, in the sitcom "F Troop".
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Horton as Medicine Man Roaring Chicken on TVs "F Troop."

His career spanned over 60 years and although quite wrinkled in latter years, his talents never diminished. His last role, as a feisty tobacco company president in a wheelchair, was in the motion picture "Cold Turkey", released after his death.

A lifetime bachelor Edward Everett Horton died in 1970 of cancer at age 84 in Encino, California.
He is laid to rest at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Whispering Pines section at the top of the hill.
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Shortly after he died, the city of Los Angeles, California renamed a portion of Amestoy Avenue, the dead-end street where he lived in the district of Encino, "Edward Everett Horton Lane".
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A grand character actor was he.

The actor has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Post by moira finnie »

How lovely to see Edward Everett Horton featured here, Joe.

In researching a recent piece on Charlie Ruggles, (who appeared in 3 movies with Mr. H.), I inevitably came across a lot of choice material about Mr. Horton too. In a great book about the antic imaginations behind Bullwinkle & Rocky, (producers Jay Ward & Bill Scott), called The Moose That Roared by Keith Scott, both longtime acting gentlemen are given their due by the author. Working in a relatively new medium in his mid-seventies didn't seem to phase Mr. Horton.

One story was that Bill Scott "recalled his feelings of awe as he observed Horton narrating the "Fractured Fairy Tales" at an advanced age. 'One time I asked him, Edward Everett, to what do you attribute your energy at an age when most people are retired?' and he said, 'Well, Bill, do you know where I'm going after this recording? I'm going to my mother's birthday party!'"

Another time fellow voice artist June Foray, who'd noticed how frugal Horton could be, described how "one evening he was wearing a really thick sweater; I mean it was so big it wouldn't quit. I remember it was winter, and I asked him where he'd bought such a magnificent garment. And he pulled that famous prissy face, and said, very proudly, 'Why, this is my high school sweater!'"
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Post by Ann Harding »

Thanks for this lovely portrait of Eddie Horton!!! :D
One of the huge pleasures of watching a Lubitsch feature is to spot dear Eddie doing his usual double takes! :lol: He is one of the reasons why I love 30s features. 8)
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Post by mongoII »

Moira, many thanks for the anecdotes about Everett Evert Horton.
Horton was a hoot especially with his high school sweater. Good stuff.

Ann Harding, I'm glad that you enjoyed the profile of Eddie.
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