George Raft

[Western Guy]

Yes, George's hair began to thin in the late 40s and by the early 50s he had taken to wearing a hairpiece. I have a photo in my book taken around the mid-50s where you can see how Raft's hair had receded.

No need to feel sorry for Eddie G. He knew with his looks and short stature he was never going to be the "guy who got the girl" in pictures. Despite that, he was an A-list star. And well-justified as his talents were enormous. IMO he NEVER gave a bad performance, though his granddaughter Francesca would argue with me, citing The Ten Commandments. Okay, maybe Little Caesar is out of place in ancient Egypt, but I find his performance as Dathan thoroughly entertaining.

I believe the incident you mention in They Drive by Night is probably true, as I've read about it in various books and Raft himself told the story. Whether any of the shot was used in the film, I can't say though I doubt it.

[charliechaplinfan]

It's a wonderful story, both guys looked like they were pretty much at ease driving a lorry.

That would have made him 50ish, by no means young to have to resort to a toupee. I like the Hollywood men who weren't shy about being seen without their hairpiece, it suggests to me that they were comfortable in their own skin and didn't need to project an artificial image in real life.

[Western Guy]

Of course Bogart was a perfect example. His hard-living lifestyle really aged him beyond his calendar years but that seemed to add to his appeal. The typical rugged man. Jack Warner almost had an attack of apoplexy after he signed Bogart to that famous 15-year, $3 million dollar contract only to discover that Bogart had started to lose his hair following hormone treatments after Bogie married Bacall. I reckon J.L. could put up with Bogart's rather haggard countenance . . . but the hair loss was quite another matter. Fortunately for the studio, as Bogart's hair fell out in clumps, so did it gradually reappear.

[charliechaplinfan]

Funnily enough I watched Love Affair an early 1930s movie that Bogart made with Dorothy Mackaill, he doesn't do a lot for me in this film, without the slightly grizzled look he doesn't stand out, he reminded me a little of Cary Grant at the very start of his career, with a couple of slow starts, Cary suddenly emerged as Cary Grant that we know. When Bogart emerges again looking more lived in, he's quite an attractive guy, whether he plays nice or nasty. I'm sure the only thing that would have cheered Bogart about his hair loss is the fact it annoyed Jack Warner.

Funnily enough when thinking about Murderer's Row is Bogart the only one that ever divorced? Cagney, Robinson and Muni all seem to me to be quite settled in their marriages and Raft while not settled in his, never changed his status. His whole marriage is a bit of an enigma, I'm not fimiliar with divorce laws of the period but if he never lived with Grayce or had been tricked into marriage (her affairs) could he not have divorced her or had the marriage annulled. It makes me think that he either didn't want to dishonour her, or there was more to the marriage than we know about, or the situation had a certain amount of convenience to it. She seems a shady figure, not even from the show business world. You must feel that even after researching him there must be big holes were one can only make a best guess at what was going on atthe time. You certainly picked an interesting person, I can only think of Errol Flynn who's exploits before Hollywood might rival George's.

[Western Guy]

Actually Allison, Robinson, too, was divorced. His first wife Gladys Lloyd (who even appeared in bit parts in some of Eddie's early pictures, such as Smart Money) apparently suffered from psychological troubles, leading to a very public and painful divorce during the 50s. Painful especially for Robinson since to meet Gladys's divorce settlement, Eddie had to sell off many of his beloved paintings. Eddie later married Jane Adler, and from all accounts they had a quite happy union.

You're right: Grayce Mulrooney does come across as somewhat of an enigma. Her motives for refusing George a divorce have never been clear. She claimed it was based on religious reasons while George always suspected it was monetary. She was receiving 10% of his earnings all through George's biggest days and, as Raft suspected, she probably felt it was worth more to her in the long run to stay married and continue collecting that percentage rather than accept a cash buyout, which Raft apparently did offer her during his relationships with Virginia Pine and Betty Grable.

Then again, there are some who believe George never tried to push very hard for a divorce from Grayce because it allowed him to keep his freedom.

I've seen Love Affair, too. Bogie was pretty bland until he came into his own in The Petrified Forest. Wonder what would have become of his career if not for the play and Leslie Howard's insistence that he recreate Duke Mantee for the WB movie. Of course Bogie named his daughter after Leslie Howard, in gratitude. One would think that had he another son he might have done well to have named him "George".

[charliechaplinfan]

I didn't know that about Edward G Robinson, what I know I've gleaned from other biographies that it appeared the he had a happy marriage, to split under such circumstances must have been hard for all concerned. I knew he was an art lover and collector, it sounds like the divorce was for high stakes. One thing I love about Cagney is that he had a long and happy marriage without a hint of scandal, I don't think there was ever a hint of affairs attached to him, apart from Charles Boyer I'm not fimiliar with any other top male stars who achieved this. I learned only recently too that the Cagney's adopted children had their troubles, that's such a shame.

What a guy Leslie Howard was, Humphrey Bogart was forever grateful and what a lovely way to repay Leslie, I bet he was gutted when Leslie Howard died.

I don't understand Grayce, if it was religious reasons would you be the type of woman who would have affairs? I wonder too why he married her, the romantic in me thinks that as a social worker she was different to the girls in the circles he moved and perhaps her social caring side might have appealed to the George who adored his mother and had to leave the family home early. It's certainly a romantic notion. 10 percent was worth it when he was earning big money but very few stars stay on top for very long. What about his many siblings too? did they ever reappear in your research?

[Western Guy]

There has always been a shroud of mystery surrounding George's siblings. How many there actually were, for example. I don't think even George remembered as he never really spoke of them, outside of his sister. Apparently many died young: Two killed in WWI, another who apparently fell to his death during construction on a building. George's younger sister Catherine supposedly succumbed to tuberculosis. There may have been other brothers and/or sisters but nothing was ever heard from them and if they ever visited George during his Hollywood days, nothing was ever reported.

George certainly did fall for Grayce enough for him to give up the playboy bachelor life he enjoyed to marry her. You're right: She probably was different from most of the club girls he would have known. Too bad she never truly lived up to George's expectations, having had a quite checkered past, despite her breeding.

Cagney, Boyer, Lloyd Nolan, Jimmy Stewart and some other stars remained utterly devoted to their wives. Boyer, of course, could not bear to live without his beloved Pat. Jimmy pretty much gave up on life after Gloria passed. Lloyd lost Mell but did find another loving companion in Virginia (widow of director Robert Florey). Not terribly many, but there were some wonderful examples of real, long-lasting romance in Hollywood.

[charliechaplinfan]

I forgot about Jimmy Stewart, perhaps because he married later one but he was very happy with Gloria. Thank heavens Bogart found Lauren Bacall, or else he might have drunk his way to an earlier decline. It is quite ironic that George had one of the longest marriages in Hollywood's history. Gosh, when his siblings are brought into the equation it makes me wonder even more about his early family life, he probably never felt part of that unit apart from his mother. He wasn't very Germanic either, another let down for his father.

I've managed to order quite a few few of his films, I just have to wait for them to arrive from America.

[Western Guy]

Well, yes, as I state in my book, and has been recorded elsewhere, George loved his mother deeply but never grew close to his father - and presumably his siblings, as he took to the streets quite young with his "adopted brother" Owney Madden. And that's true: George did not inherit his father's Germanic looks, as apparently did his brothers. Another reason why Conrad Ranft could never feel close to his son.

Wish I could have found a photo of Conrad.

Very eager to hear your comments on the Raft films you ordered, Allison. Would you mind my asking the titles?

Another actor who endured a lasting marriage (and quite surprising, given his suffering from depression and alcohol) was Robert Young. Henry Daniell was married to the same woman. Charles Laughton and Elsa Lanchester, but she clearly was a very understanding woman . . .

A case could be made for Johnny Garfield, too.

Ben Johnson, Joel McCrea. Bob Hope, Jack Benny, Harpo Marx, Pat O'Brien. My God, the dam seems to have burst.

[charliechaplinfan]

There's more of them than I could have named but I remembered Fred MacMurray I think he had a lasting marriage too.

The movies I've ordered are Rogue Cop, The House Across The Bay, Each Dawn I Die, Background to Danger, Black Widow, A Bullet For Joey, A Dangerous Profession, Invisible Stripes, Spawn of the North and Whistlestop. I'd love to find a copy of Rumba, I love dance on film even if it's only snippets. I've ordered another copy of Some Like It Hot because my son didn't take care of it and it won't play anymore, as it's one of my favourite films and the kids love it, it's a must to be replaced.

I found a quote in a book I have reputedly from Raft but the book isn't a scholarly tome it's called Did He or Didn't He? Who Cavorted, Who Dallied, Who Strayed? says a lot about the book. The quote from Raft is 'I could have been the first X rated dancer. I was very erotic, I used to caress myself as I danced' and then a funnier quote which I could imagine he said 'the cops questioned me whenever someone lost an umbrella'. Another quote from Betty Grable 'George was probably a latent homosexual' in brackets (the only time he touched her was to beat her up) then from his friend Mack Grey 'George averaged 2 women everyday, he was a sports screwer'. There's lots of different actors, celebrities in there but this kind of reporting builds up the images that are oft repeated and quoted and not often taken from facts but from what's gone down as fact. I wish Amazon had a category that seperated factual writers into 'trying his best to tell the truth' and 'perpetuating myths and rumours with not a hint of any fresh research'. This book I have to have a smirk now and again at what's in it. A book by a serious biographer always deserves to be bought.

[Western Guy]

Yes Allison, "I could have been the first X rated dancer. I was very erotic, I used to caress myself as I danced' and then a funnier quote which I could imagine he said 'the cops questioned me whenever someone lost an umbrella": Both are direct Raft quotes. The second came about shortly after he arrived in Hollywood (on his second trip) and almost immediately was looked upon with suspicion by the local cops. His reputation preceded him.

I read the supposed Grable quote, too: To which I reply: Bull***! Firstly, I do not believe Betty EVER said that (make-believe from the author . . . could it have been Darwin Porter, who said that pretty much everyone in Hollywood was gay -- not that there's anything wrong with that (with thanks to Jerry Seinfeld and the gang?). What Mack Gray said was definitely more the truth, and this I know from interviewing Mack's nephew for the book. I have to say I have no way of knowing whether George ever beat up a woman, but I seriously doubt it. Even the call girls he dated said that George was never less than a gentleman. And Grable was so crazy about George she said she would have married him the first week she met him. The only confrontation they had was indirect, allegedly when Raft and Grable's paramour Harry James came to blows at a later date.

As for your Raft movie order. All good'uns with the possible exception of Whistle Stop. Kinda dull and George seems miscast as Ava's former lover (or vice versa). The House Across the Bay is virtually unbelievable, but fun - and Lloyd Nolan is terrific, as always. He and George were good co-players. The only one I would have added to your list, Allison, is Souls at Sea. Can't recall: Do you have Scarface?. Eager to hear your comments on Invisible Stripes. As I said, that probably is my favorite Raft film.

[charliechaplinfan]

I've just found Souls at Sea on a rental site along with Follow The Boys and The Ladies Man with Jerry Lewis, that one's more for Jerry Lewis, a guy I've only seen in one movie but who was huge box office.

I've seen that latent homosexual remark somewhere else but can't remember where. Oh gosh, without wanting to be politically incorrect but wanting to be mature enough to speak my mind, I really don't care who was homosexual in Hollywood, it would never influence my like or dislike of an actor or actress, I won't dislike an actor or actress for being promiscuous, whatever their sexual leanings. What I don't like is assumption of any kind but most usually assumptions are made about private lives, because they were private and difficult to prove or disprove. I really doubt, given all the evidence that George would have had a chaste relationship with Betty Grable but if it were true, it wouldn't matter. The fact it smacks of not being true is what annoys me and because it's eye catching and a revelation it becomes eye catching and he becomes another actor who isn't remembered for his screen contributions but one or two lines regarding his private life along with a few about his gangster connections. The fact that this one tries to go one further and tag him as a woman beater too smacks of lazy journalism by the person who is putting the quote in the book and confusing him with a gangster part that he played.

I'm on my band wagon but another example is Cary Grant, another great favourite, the first book I read about him spun him as a homosexual who had no interest in women, in fact he married all five to get over Randolph Scott. Well, he lived with Randolph Scott, so possibly it was that kind of relationship but this book used quotes from Virginia Cherrill, reading her biography, using the same quotes a completely different story was told, Virginia never thought there was anything sexual between the two men, she credited Randolph Scott with grounding Cary who was deeply insecure, she laughs at any suggestion that he was into anything but women. Betsy Drake and Dyan Cannon say the same. He might have had a sexual relationship with Randolph Scott, I personally doubt it and don't care if he did but I do care that someone has written a biography that doesn't present any evidence that doesn't support a theory of the author. A biographer to me should set out to be as true to the subject as he can and not start with any preconceptions. Another bugbear are people who write biographies about people they don't seem to like and preceed to slag off. You can tell I've wasted money in the past on the wrong biographies. Before Amazon xame along I would just buy whatever hit the bookshops, with mixed results.

[feaito]

What an interesting thread and exchange of ideas. Alison, each time you participate on a thread at SSO, there's so much entertaining, insightful and useful information in it

And WG, thanks for sharing your knowledge on GR.

I also have that Book "Did He and Didn't He?" as well as "Did She and Didn't She?", and both have to be taken with a grain of salt, because they contain both, facts and not-checked info. Concerning George Raft, Carole Lombard is quoted in it as saying he was the greatest lover she ever had. The books also have some errors in terms of photos; i.e: in F. Scott Fitzgerald's profile a photo of George O'Brien is shown. Anyhow, they're amusing to read; a guilty pleasure. I've also become more picky in terms of Bios and Cinema-related books. 20 or 30 years ago, I bought whatever I found. With Amazon everything changed for good!

I'd also like to see "Rumba" (1935). I saw a rather poor copy of "Bolero" (1934) and I enjoyed very much the dances featuring George, Carole, Sally Rand et al; especially the huge finale with Ravel's tune. Still, my personal favorite Raft film is "Night after Night" (1932)....I know it's not one of your faves WG "Spawn of the North" (1938) is good too and I also long to see "Souls at Sea" (1937)

As for people's sexuality and preferences, as I grow older I've realized (from chatting, listening to, reading and living) that the subject is much too complex to make easy assumptions about anyone.

[Western Guy]

Well, feaito, as Raft's biographer and right's holder, I, too, have been enjoying participating on this thread. Listen, I also was curious about George's "preferences" when I began writing my book. Dug up some questionable information. But the bottom line was: George was completely straight. A lot of crap has since been written and, sadly, published, about the preferences of the great stars of yesteryear, which I won't even deem to mention, 'cause IMO Bogie was NOT Spence Tracy's male procurer. Let's leave it at that.

Hey, preferences are personal, feaito, and I certainly respect your decision to name Night After Night as a personal Raft favorite, though it is not mine. Please try to seek out Souls At Sea. The team-up of Raft and Cooper is particularly effective. If I may, as I state in my Raft bio: Raft was always at his best when teamed with a strong co-star: Tracy, Muni, West, Beery, Lombard, Cooper, Fonda, Sydney, Cagney, Bogart, etc.. His career really faltered when he didn't have the support of a prominent co-player. For example, his best films in his floundering '50s had the support of Robert Taylor, Eddie Robinson and the co-players of Some Like It Hot. Could anyone on this board challenge me?

[charliechaplinfan]

A large pinch of salt, I haven't got as big an axe to grind about those kinds of book because the way they are presented is tongue in cheek, it's the biographies. How very true, the older I get the more complex I realise the subject of sexuality is and how the sex lives of today's celebrities continue to sell more magazines and books than anything else, I wonder how much is made up today?