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 »

n the Spotlight: DAME MAY WHITTY
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The distinguished actress was born Mary Louise Whitty on June 19, 1865 in Liverpool, England, to Alfred Whitty a Liverpool newspaper editor and his wife, Mary Louisa Ashton.

May Whitty made her first stage appearance in Liverpool in 1881 before moving to London to appear on the West End.

She married the actor-manager Ben Webster in 1892 in St Giles Parish, London, England, and in 1895 they visited the United States where Whitty appeared on Broadway.

After nearly 25 years as one of the leading actresses of the British stage, she appeared in her first film Enoch Arden in 1914. She did not care much for the experience, and appeared in only a few silent films afterward.

After a string of 1930s Broadway successes, she went to Hollywood, following the example of many of her British contemporaries.
She found herself usually cast in high-born roles, which were sometimes crotchety, sometimes imperious, but often warmhearted.

Classic examples of these were the dowdy phony psychic in "The Thirteenth Chair", the crotchety Mrs. Bramson, an invalid who falls for the homicidal Robert Montgomery in "Night Must Fall" for which she was Oscar nominated, Miss Froy in Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" where she plays the title character enduring great physical exertion while maintaining her poise and dignity, and as Lady Beldon in "Mrs. Miniver", a role which garnered another Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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(1937)

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Whitty with Robert Montgomery in "Night Must Fall"(1937). Dame May also was given the award for Best Acting by the National Board of Review for this film.

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Whitty, Margaret Lockwood, & Michael Redgrave in Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes."

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Whitty as Miss Froy in "The Lady Vanishes" (1938).

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Whitty with Olivia de Havilland in "Raffles" (1939).

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Whitty arriving in America in 1939.

She moved permanently to the USA (although she never became a U.S. citizen) in 1939 and continued to appear both on stage and in Hollywood films where she usually played wealthy dowagers. She proved herself equally capable of playing working-class roles.

Her other films include, "Raffles", "A Bill of Divorcement" with Maureen O'Hara, "Suspicion", "Forever and a Day", "Crash Dive", "The Constant Nymph" with Joan Fontaine, "Lassie Come Home", "Madame Curie", "Gaslight", "The White Cliffs of Dover", "My Name Is Julia Ross", "Devotion", "Green Dolphin Street", "If Winter Comes", "The Return of October", etc.
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Whitty with Maureen O'Hara in "A Bill of Divorcement" (1940).

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Whitty comforting Joan Fontaine in "Suspicion" (1941).

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(1942)
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Oscar nominee Whitty & Oscar winner Teresa Wright for "Mrs. Miniver".

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(1943)

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Whitty with Lassie in "Lassie Come Home" (1943).

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In "The White Cliffs of Dover" (1944) with Roddy McDowall.

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(1945)

The grand dame continued to act for the remainder of her life and died in Beverly Hills, California from cancer shortly after completeing her scenes in the film "The Sign of the Ram" at the age of 82 in 1948; her husband had died the previous year during surgery.
Their only child, a daughter born in the USA in 1905, Margaret Webster, was a stage actress and held dual US/UK citizenship. She died in 1972.
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The one and only Dame May Whitty.

Whitty was quoted: "I've got everything Betty Grable has . . . only I've had it longer."
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Post by moira finnie »

Okay, Mongo, I just have to ask one question after enjoying your Dame May Whitty profile enormously:

What wacky reason (other than getting paid to do it) could the lady have had to don that regal looking Asian-inspired outfit in that color photo??

Thanks. This inquiring mind wants to know!
:wink:
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Post by mongoII »

Moira, I have no explanation of the Dame May Whitty photo. When I came across the photo, all it said was Dame May Whitty, and I was fascinated by it.
I too was inquisitive as to when and where it was taken. Perhaps at a costume party?
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In the Spotlight: JOHN HODIAK
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The ruggedly handsome actor was born on April 16, 1914 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Walter Hodiak and Anna Pogorzelec.
He was of Ukrainian and Polish descent. He grew up in Hamtramck, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit.

Hodiak had his first smell of show business at age eleven, acting in Ukrainian and Russian plays at the Ukrainian Catholic Church. From the moment he first appeared on the stage, he resolved to become an actor. He was not even swayed when as a third baseman on his local high school baseball team, he was offered a contract with a St. Louis Cardinals farm club, and turned the offer down.

When Hodiak first tried out for a radio acting job, he was turned down because of his accent. He became a caddy at a Detroit golf course, then worked at a Chevrolet automobile factory and practiced his diction. When he conquered the diction hurdle, he became a radio actor and moved to Chicago. There he created the role of the comic strip character Li'l Abner on radio.

After a short stint in the Army, he arrived in Hollywood in 1942 and signed a motion picture contract with MGM. He refused to change his name, saying, "I like my name. It sounds like I look." Good for him.

Hodiak was cast in a few small parts at his home studio including "Swing Shift Maisie", and "I Dood It" with Red Skelton .
He then caught the eye of director Alfred Hitchcock and, on loan-out to 20th Century Fox, emerged as a major movie star in "Lifeboat" (1944) opposite Tallulah Bankhead. More big roles followed, notably that of Maj. Joppolo in "A Bell For Adano" (1945) opposite Gene Tierney.
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Hodiak with Ann Sothern in "Maisie Goes to Reno" (1944).

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Hodiak with Hume Cronyn, William Bendix, Mary Anderson & Tallulah Bankhead in Hitchcock's "Lifeboat"(1944).

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Hodiak, Billy Cummings and Anne Baxter in "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" (1944).

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(1945)

His other screen credits include, "Maisie Goes to Reno", "Sunday Dinner for a Soldier" with future wife Anne Baxter, "The Harvey Girls" a big hit with Judy Garland, "Somewhere in the Night", "The Arnelo Affair", "Desert Fury" with Lizabeth Scott, "Homecoming", "The Bribe" with Ava Gardner, "Battleground", "A Lady Without Passport" with Hedy Lamarr, etc.
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Hodiak as Ned Trent in "The Harvey Girls" (1946)

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Hodiak with Lucille Ball in "Two Smart People" (1946).

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(1946)

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Hodiak with George Murphy & Frances Gifford in "The Arnelo Affair".

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Hodiak, Lizabeth Scott, Burt Lancaster & Wendell Corey in "Desert Fury" (1947).

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(1947)

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(1948)

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(1949)

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(1950)

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(1951)

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Hodiak with Audrey Totter in "The Sellout" (1952).

In 1953, Hodiak went to New York and made his Broadway debut in "The Chase". The play was a failure, but its star received fantastic critical notices. He then originated the role of Lieutenant Maryk in Paul Gregory's production of the play "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial" by Herman Wouk adapted from his novel "The Caine Mutiny". The play ran for two years and Hodiak's portrayal brought him nationwide acclaim. Van Johnson played Maryk in the movie version.

When the show closed after its U.S. tour, Hodiak began work on "Trial" with Glenn Ford at MGM, playing the prosecuting attorney. When it wrapped, he played Major Ward Thomas in "On The Threshold of Space" at 20th Century Fox.
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Hodiak in his final film role (1956).

He had one wife, actress Anne Baxter (married in 1946 - divorced in 1953). They had one daughter, actress Katrina Hodiak (born July 9, 1951).

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Hodiak with his wife Anne Baxter.

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A mischievous-looking Hodiak with Anne Baxter at a Hollywood costume party.

In her memoir 'Intermission: A True Story', Baxter blamed the failure of her first marriage to Hodiak on herself.
Among the women Hodiak dated in Hollywood were Janis Paige, Tallulah Bankhead, Lana Turner and Elaine Stewart.

Sadly at the age of 41, Hodiak suffered a fatal heart attack in the bathroom of the Tarzana, California home he built for his parents. He was shaving and getting ready to go to the studio to complete his scenes in "On The Threshold of Space". He is buried at Calvary Cemetery in Los Angeles, California in the main mausoleum.
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John Hodiak has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his work in Radio.
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Post by moira finnie »

Re: Dame May Whitty inquiry
I thought it might have been worn for one of those costume parties that those show folk seem to have loved in Hollywood of old...one of those shindigs usually thrown by someone like Basil & Ouida Rathbone or someone of that ilk. Or perhaps Dame May was simply anticipating this month's very interesting Asian Images on Film theme at TCM...Very amusing anyway, Mongo thanks.

Re: John Hodiak
Now I see that you've decided to give this gal palpitations with that feature on John *sigh* Hodiak. Yeah, so what if he died years before I was a gleam in my father's eye...love this particular actor fella's baby blues and shy manner...THANKS for another yearned-for profile.
Your grateful correspondent, who was clearly born too late,
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In the Spotlight: GLORIA DeHAVEN
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The lovely actress was born Gloria Mildred DeHaven on July 23, 1925, in Los Angeles, California.
DeHaven was the daughter of actor-director Carter DeHaven and actress Flora Parker DeHaven, both former vaudeville performers. DeHaven and her brother Carter DeHaven Jr (who later became a producer) traveled with their parents on tour while growing up, and Gloria enjoyed her first screen exposure in a bit part in Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" (1936), for which her father served as assistant director.

By 1940, DeHaven had been signed by MGM and she gained further experience as a singer with Bob Crosby and Jon Savitt's bands.
For several years she acted in small roles until she played one of the second leads in the high energy film version of the Broadway musical, "Best Foot Forward" with Lucille Ball in 1943, which also got June Allyson off and running.
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(1943)

The biggest year of DeHaven's screen career came in 1944, when she performed in six films released that year including "Two Girls and a Sailor" with Van Johnson. Much more important, though, was a loan-out to RKO for "Step Lively" in which her attractive alto and atypically relaxed charm teamed well with hot newcomer Frank Sinatra.
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DeHaven with June Allyson and Jimmy Durante in "Two Girls and a Sailor" (1944).

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DeHaven clowning around with Van Johnson on the set of "Two Girls and a Sailor".

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Glamour shot of DeHaven.

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DeHaven, George Murphy, Frank Sinatra & Wally Brown in "Step Lively" (1944).


Even though some of her roles were still second leads, DeHaven was building momentum. MGM allegedly suspended her for refusing to do the musical film "Good News" and she was off the screen for over a year.

Her return to films, however, was a major boxoffice flop with "Summer Holiday" a charming and underrated musical with Mickey Rooney.
DeHaven stayed at MGM for two more years, alternating between blonde and brunette, as a lead and cutesy second lead, in a series of unmemorable films including the melodrama "Scene of the Crime", "Yes Sir That's My Baby", and "The Yellow Cab Man" with Red Skelton.
Her best films in this period were musicals, as she gamely supported Gene Kelly and Judy Garland in "Summer Stock" and impersonated her own mother in a cameo in the period biopic "Three Little Words".
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(1948)

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DeHaven with Van Johnson (center) in "Scene of the Crime" (1949).

DeHaven freelanced in several more musicals, "I'll Get By" with June Haver, "Two Tickets to Broadway", "Down Among the Sheltering Palms", and "So This Is Paris" with Tony Curtis.
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DeHaven with Donald O'Connor and Charles Coburn in "Yes Sir, That's My Baby".

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James Gleason, Red Skelton & DeHaven in "The Yellow Cab Man" (1950).

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DeHaven as Ellen Goodrich in "The Yellow Cab Man".

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Cowgirl DeHaven at the rodeo.

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(1950)

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(1950)
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With Gene Kelly on the set of "Summer Stock"

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June Haver with DeHaven in "I'll Get By."


With the decline of the film musical DeHaven turned to stage tours and TV. She hosted the 15-minute ABC variety program, "The Gloria DeHaven Show" (1953-54), and was a quiz show panelist on "Make the Connection", among many other shows.

DeHaven also appeared as a regular in the television series and soap operas "As the World Turns", "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman" and "Ryan's Hope". She was one of the numerous celebrities enticed to appear in the all-star box office flop "Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood". she would receive her widest feature exposure in 40 years as one of the objects of Jack Lemmon's and Walter Matthau's schemes in "Out to Sea" in 1997.

Miss DeHaven was married 3 times including to actor John Payne (2 children) and 2 children with her third husband who she divorced in 1968.
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DeHaven with her husband John Payne (1944).

Among the stars in Hollywood she has dated include Howard Duff, Jerry Lewis, Mickey Rooney, and Tom Drake.

Although she did not achieve film stardom, Gloria DeHaven was a bright ray on the big screen, and today at age 82 still a lovely lady.
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Gloria DeHaven blonde vixen.

For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Gloria DeHaven has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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In the Spotlight: CHILL WILLS
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The tall colorful character actor was born Chill Theodore Wills on July 18, 1903 in Seagoville, Dallas County, Texas.

He was Named "Chill" as an ironic comment on his birth date being the hottest day of 1903.
A musician from his youth, he performed from the age of 12 with tent shows, in vaudeville, and with stock companies.
He formed a musical group, Chill Wills and His Avalon Boys. During an appearance at the Trocadero in Hollywood, they were spotted by an RKO executive, subsequently appearing as a group in several low-budget Westerns.
After a prominent appearance with The Avalon Boys as both himself and the bass-singing voice of Stan Laurel in "Way Out West" (1937), Wills disbanded the group and began a solo career as a usually jovial (but occasionally sinister) character actor, primarily in Westerns.
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(1937)

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That's Wills wielding the whip in "The Omaha Trail" (1942),

His variety of films included, "Boom Town", "The Westerner", "Billy the Kid", "Belle Starr", "Honky Tonk", "Stand by for Action", "Best Foot Forward", "See Here, Private Hargrove", "Leave Her to Heaven", "The Harvey Girls", "The Yearling" in a touching scene, "The Saxon Charm", "Family Honeymoon", etc.
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Wills with Robert Walker in "See Here, Private Hargrove" (1944).

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Wallace Beery and Wills in "Barbary Coast Gent" (1944).

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Wills with Margaret O'Brien in "Meet Me in St. Louis" (1944).

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(1945)
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Darryl Hickman, Wills, Jeanne Crain & Cornel Wilde on the set of "Leave Her to Heaven."

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Wills as Hartsey with Judy Garland in "The Harvey Girls" (1946).

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Wills as Buck Forrester had a touching scene in "The Yearling" (1946).

One of his more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films. Wills' deep, rough voice and Western twang were perfectly matched to the personality of the cynical, sardonic mule. As was customary at the time, Wills was given no billing for his vocal work, though he was featured prominently on-screen as blustery General Ben Kaye in the fourth entry, "Francis Joins the WACS".
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One of Wills more memorable roles was that of the distinctive voice
of Francis the Mule in a series of popular films.

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Publicity photo of Wills at Universal-International studio (1948).

He also co-starred in "Rio Grande", "Small Town Girl", "Tumbleweed" with Audie Murphy, and "Ricochet Romance" with Marjorie Main.
Wills also appeared in numerous serious roles, including that of the organ-playing Uncle Bawley in "Giant", a 1956 film starring Rock Hudson, Elizabeth Taylor, and James Dean.

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(1952)

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Lee Van Cleef, Audie Murphy & Wills in "Tumbleweed" (1953).

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Wills & Marjorie Main in "Ricochet Romance" (1954).

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Alan Ladd with Wills in "Santiago" (1956).

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Elizabeth Taylor with Wills as Uncle Bawley in "Giant" (1956).

Wills was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in 1960 for his role as the delightful beekeeper in the film "The Alamo" with John Wayne.
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Wills was Oscar nominated for his role as Beekeeper (1960).

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Thelma Ritter & Wills on TVs "Frontier Circus" (1961).

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Wills with James Arness on TVs "Gunsmoke" (1967).

Wills served as master of ceremonies for George Wallace for the California campaign stops in Wallace's 1968 Presidential campaign. He and Walter Brennan were among the few Hollywood celebrities to endorse Wallace's campaign against Hubert H. Humphrey and Richard M. Nixon.

He was married to his wife Betty for 41 years until her death in 1971. The marriage produced two children, daughter Jill Wills born in 1939 and son Will Wills born in 1942 (no kiddin').
He remarried in 1973.

He continued to work in films and television, usually in roguishly lovable good-ol'-boy parts,
and his last role was in 1978 as a janitor in the TV movie "Stubby Pringle's Christmas".
In 1975 Wills also released a first singing album.
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Will in his next to final movie "Mr. Billion" (1977).

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A hefty Wills on stage with singer Donnie Brooks.

Chill Wills died in 1978 of cancer at age 75 and was interred in the Grand View Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale with his beloved Betty.

When nominated for Best Supporting Actor Oscar in "The Alamo", Chill's blatant campaign to win the award resulted in scorn and ridicule. Wills took out a series of ads with the declaration "Win, lose or draw, you're all my cousins and I love you."It was signed "Your cousin, Chill Wills". One member of the Academy placed a response ad stating: "Dear Mr. Chill Wills, I am delighted to be your cousin but I voted for Sal Mineo. "It was signed, Groucho Marx.
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Chill Wills, western star.
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The tall Texan has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Post by moira finnie »

I'm enjoying your profile of Chill Wills, an actor whose warmly authentic personality gave credibility to so many lesser, as well as better films. Looking back, I think my enjoyment of the Francis, The Talking Mule movies (which our local tv station used to alternate with Ma & Pa Kettle movies on weekends) was largely due to the voice of the beast!

The jolly cast photo of Darryl Hickman and company from Leave Her to Heaven reminded me that Hickman, who played Cornel Wilde's younger, polio stricken brother in the film, had some rather harshly critical remarks to make about the director John Stahl and Gene Tierney during this somewhat tense production on the dvd commentary of the movie, (providing one more example of why one should think twice before letting a kid work in the movies). Mr. Hickman, who today is a respected acting coach, was emphatic in his enjoyment and respect for one co-worker who brought a reality to his character and helped to ground the fascinating, but melodramatic story. That person was Chill Wills.
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Post by mongoII »

Thank you Moira. Come to think of it Chill Wills is an unterrated actor.
I remember Darryl Hickman mentioning the John Stahl and Gene Tierney stuff when interviewed by Robert Osborne, though I was not aware that he praised good ole Chill Wills.
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Post by mongoII »

In the Spotlight: EILEEN HECKART
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The dimpled, versatile actress was born Anna Eileen Stark on March 29, 1919 in Columbus, Ohio to a family of Irish extraction.

An only child, she lived with her mother after her parents separated when she was 2. Her childhood was an unhappy one. Her mother, an alcoholic, was married five times, and her stern grandmother, whom Eileen often stayed with was abusive.

She managed to attend and graduate from Ohio State University in 1942 with a degree in English and a B.A. in drama.

With her lean, horsey face and assured, fervent gait she moved to New York and toiled in a number of day jobs while trying to jump start a career in acting. Beginning in summer stock, Eileen took classes at the American Theatre Wing and apprenticed in a number of obscure plays and revues.
Following extensive work on the NY stage, which included her Broadway debut as an understudy and eventual replacement in "The Voice of the Turtle" (1945), she advanced to Broadway and live television character notoriety.
Her many credits include "Picnic", "The Bad Seed", "A View from the Bridge", "The Dark at the Top of the Stairs", "Barefoot in the Park", "Butterflies Are Free", and "The Cemetery Club".
She was nominated for three Tony Awards, and was eventually awarded a special Tony for her "excellence in theater" .

'Heckie' was a dominant yet only intermittent force in films, making her debut in "Miracle in the Rain" (1956) featured as Jane Wyman's confidante, followed by "Somebody Up There Likes Me" as Paul Newman's mom, and "Bus Stop" as marilyn Monroe's friend.
Although greatly disappointed losing the bid to recreate her Broadway role in "Picnic" (Rosalind Russell did the part), she did receive the satisfaction of transferring her stage role as the despairing, drunken mom whose son falls victim to young Patty McCormack's malevolent mischief in "The Bad Seed" (1956). For this she copped an Oscar nomination and won the Golden Globed Award.
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Heckart in her film debut (1956).

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Heckart as Paul Newman's mom in "Somebody Up There Likes Me" (1956).

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Heckart, MM & Arthur O'Connell in "Bus Stop" (1956).
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Don Murray, Heckart & Arthur O'Connell in "Bus Stop" (1956).

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Heckart as the bereaved Mrs. Daigle in "The Bad Seed" (1956) and above, Oscar nominees Heckart & 'little darling' Patty McCormack together in "The Bad Seed".

Other films included, "Hot Spell" with Shirley Booth, "Heller in Pink Tights" with Sophia Loren, "My Six Loves" with Debbie Reynolds, "Up the Down Staircase" with Sandy Dennis, "No Way to Treat a Lady" with Rod Steiger, and "Buterflies Are Free" as a busybody mom of a blind son for which she won the Academy Award as Best Supporting Actress.
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Heckart in a hilarious scene with Shirley Booth in "Hot Spell" (1958).

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Margaret O'Brien, Heckart, Anthony Quinn & Sophia Loren (1960).

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Heckart sitting between the dog and Debbie. With David Janssen (1963).

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Heckart as Sister Veronica & David Janssen on TVs "The Fugitive" (1964).

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Sandy Dennis & Heckart in "Up the Down Staircase" (1967).

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Heckart as a doting Jewish mother in "No Way to Treat a Lady" (1968).

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Heckart in her Oscar winning role in "Butterflies Are Free" (1972) with Edward Albert and with Goldie Hawn, below.
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Heckart with her Oscar and Cloris Leachman.

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Heckart gives an outstanding performance as Katje in "The Hiding Place" (1975).

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Heckart & Burgess Meredith as brother and sister in "Burnt Offerings" (1976).

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Heckart as Catherine MacDuggan with Diane Keaton in "The First Wives Club" (1996).

The Oscar did not bring her the pick of the litter roles afforded to some so fortunate, but the veteran continued on in all three mediums. While not fond of sitcom work, she won kudos for her guest work on such shows as "The Mary Tyler Moore Show", "Love & War", "Ellen", "Cybill", etc.
She was nominated for a total of 7 Emmy awards for her dominant work in television.

Heckart was married to John Harrison Yankee Jr. from 1944 until his death in 1997. They had 3 sons (Mark, Philip and Luke). Her son Luke Yankee is the author of "Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart", published in 2006.
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Author of the book is Heckart's son Luke Yankee (below).
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A smoker, Heckart was diagnosed with lung cancer and passed away on the last day of 2001 at her home in Norwalk, Connecticut at the age of 82. She was survived by 3 children and 2 stepsisters.

Marlene Dietrich said of her, "If she were acting in Europe, she'd be queen of the boards. The barbarism of Hollywood typecasting deprives the world of her true talents."
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Eileen Heckart 1919 - 2001

Eileen Heckart has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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Post by Vecchiolarry »

Hi Joe,

What a lovely picture of Eileen. I'm glad you picked a glamour shot to launch her "Spotlight".....

She is one of my very favourites. I always watched anything she was in and she never disapointed.....
At my Oscar party when she was nominated, everybody was rooting for Shelley Winters to win but I vehemently chose Eileen. And, sure enough she finally won a well deserved statuette.
She should have won also for "The Bad Seed"... That portrait of a pathetic, alcoholic and downtrodden woman was something to behold...

I always laugh when remembering her line in "Butterfies Are Free", when they've seen a depressing play and her son tells her it's about nature.
She drolls, "Yes well diarrhia is natural, but I don't want to see a play about it!!"...... I always think that line won her the Oscar.....

Larry
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Post by mongoII »

Thanks Larry. As usual it's always nice hearing from you.
I try to make it a point to use the best feature picture possible in favor of the stars in the spotlight.
Eileen Heckart has always been one of my favorites, especially in the films that you mentioned.
Another gem is her scenes with Shirley Booth in "Hot Spell", which are hilarious.
She certainly was what you would call a versatile actress.

Joe
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Post by moira finnie »

Hi Mongo,
I just thought that you might like to know that I came across something of interest to those of us who enjoyed Eileen Heckart's tartly honest acting. Ohio State Theatre at O.S.U. is sponsoring an Eileen Heckart Drama for Seniors Competition for actors and playwrights of all stripes and experiences through the Jerome Lawrence & Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute (if those two names are familiar, think "Inherit the Wind"). The program is meant "to encourage the creation of new plays celebrating older American performers and artists." You can read more about this lovely idea here.

Also, Luke Yankee has his own website devoted to his book about his mother's life and career as well as his own. You can find it here. Just Outside the Spotlight: Growing Up with Eileen Heckart is a very enjoyable read. (No, Ms. Heckart did not inspire a "Mommy Dearest" type. It's long on anecdotes, short on scandal).

I love that Dietrich quote about the barbarism of American typecasting! Man, was that ever true!

Thanks for featuring this fine actress.
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Post by Vecchiolarry »

Hi,

Joe & Moira:

Another anecdote -
When Miss Heckart was filming "Heller in Pink Tights", she told Ramon Novarro that he was her favourite movie star growing up and that she had the biggest crush on him as "Ben-Hur"....

He greeted her each day with a kiss on the hand as the gallant gentleman he was and he told me that she was reduced a giggly, blushing schoolgirl... It made him feel good, as he was now much older..

In 1963, at the Oscars, when Sophia Loren came off the stage, I witnessed her run over to Ramon, throw her arms around him and loudly declare, "Oh my God, how I love this man!!"....
He obviously still had it.....

It's too bad he didn't live to see Eileen win her Oscar.....

Larry
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Post by mongoII »

Moira, I must say that the Eileen Heckart Dama for Seniors Competition is a wonderful homage to the actress.
I will make it my business to get a copy of her son's book, and I agree that Dietrich's quote was on the money.

Larry, I could imagine the sadness that befell both Heckart and Loren when they found out that Ramon Navarro was brutally murdered.
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