Do Blondes have less luck in movies?

[mrsl]

I've mentioned several blonds in the past few days, and often find myself regretting that they hadn't gotten farther in their careers.

Bette Davis, Barbara Stanwyck, and Loretta Young all started out as blonds, but eventually went to darker tones until they were better known and returned to blond for the role (Stanwyck - Double Indemnity). Jean Harlow never escaped the dumb, sexy blond although she tried but was never taken seriously by anyone as was Marilyn. Rita Hayworth tried blond, but when she went to Red -- KABOOM.

Here's a list I've come up with - do any of you care to add to it of blonds who fit within the parameters of being somewhat good initially, but never allowed to flourish due to being held in mindless roles.

Carroll Baker
Kim Novak
Joan Fontaine
Martha Hyer
Carol Lynley
Doris Day
Jayne Mansfield

Anne

[Vecchiolarry]

Hi Anne,

I think Doris Day and Kim Novak had fairly good careers lasting a good 20 years and both retired when they wanted to.

Joan Fontaine had a great career for 10 years and then only made silly movies to expense & foster her social life.

Jayne Mansfield was looked on by everybody (including herself ??) as a joke. If she'd have toned down more, she may have developed a comedic ability.

I know next to nothing about Martha Hyer, Carol Lynley and Carroll Baker, so will leave it to others to comment.


I think the other women you mentioned - Bette, Barbara and Loretta were career driven as a number one priority.
I did not know Bette or Barbara but I've been on the set of Loretta's TV series several times and when she said, "Jump!" - you did...

Larry

[klondike]

I'm hardly an authority on this subject, or even very insightful, but I'd guess you'd could also add these names to the list:

Angie Dickinson
Inger Stevens
Anita Ekberg
Susan Oliver
Tuesday Weld
Mamie Van Doren
Sue Lyon
Julie Christie

[moira finnie]

I completely agree with Larry about the quality of Joan Fontaine's films.

I realize that Fontaine sets some people's teeth on edge with her sometimes deceptively lady-like demeanor, but I really think there are several films, some of which are unfortunately shown too little to today's audiences, that highlighted her subtlety and strengths as an actress: especially Ivy (1947), A Letter From An Unknown Woman (1948), September Affair (1949) and even the forgotten Something To Live For (1952).

In an exceptional 10 year period she had some of the most complex film roles in movie history and worked with the cream of the crop, even if she's not entirely remembered well today. Some directors she worked well with: George Stevens (even if it was in a standard ninny part in the delightful Gunga Din, she got to say, "Oh yes, I was in "Gunga Din'!!" & had some of the most beautiful closeups given by a director in movie history, which he repeated later in "Something to Live For"), George Cukor, Alfred Hitchcock, Anatole Litvak, Billy Wilder, and perhaps best of all for her particular talents, Max Ophüls. The world changed, tastes became coarser, the lady married, (sometimes unwisely), had children, and of course, Hollywood has so few second acts for women in leading roles, so no wonder she wound up doing stuff just for money.

Klondike, my friend: boy, I wouldn't say that the movie business was unkind to Julie Christie. She's still knocking them out of the park today. If you haven't had a chance to see her in her recent Oscar nominated role in Away From Her (2006) she's still heartbreakingly beautiful as a person and as an actress. From what I read, she's smart enough to turn down much more than she chooses to appear in, happy on her organic farm in Wales and, believe it or not, happily married (for the first time) to her longtime fella. Mazel tov to both!

[klondike]

Moira;

Trust me, I could burn an hour right off the clock talkin' bout the Divine Julie (there's really only one, and she's never travelled by umbrella), but I fear I often start drooling, so I try to be concise.
One of the most jaw-dropping moments of epiphanous deja vu that I've ever experienced as a fan of film was when I realized the stunningly mature woman portraying Gertrude in the '96 remake of Hamlet was indeed Ms. Julie Christie, the hallowed siren of Atomic Age seduction, the crystalline nymph who so effortlessly transcended smarmy labels like "love goddess" or "sex symbol", whose troika-riding image of sensual vulnerability so threatened my teenage heartrate during my first viewing of Dr. Zhivago.
Impossible!, my logic center yelled internally; why, she must be, uhh . . . still a decade or more older than you!
And just when I'd wrestled that into some Ripleyesque form of acceptance, here she comes, like some "cougar" version of the Ipanima gal, 8 or 9 years later, padding velvetly around the Grecian shoreline as Thetis in Troy. Man alive, I sure can't speak for the highly fortunate Mr. Pitt, but had I his role as Achilles, JC's mere proximity would've had me feeling, well, a tad Oedipal . . if ya know what I mean!
And then, just to keep my eyes crost, there she is, looking all Jean-Brodie, in Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkaban; how sweetly ironic, and uniquely fitting, that her character would have the name of Rosmerta, as that originally belonged to an Iron Age Celtic Goddess, whose domain was Material Comfort & the Abundance of Harvest.
No, really though, I put her name on that little list only because I always felt that she, at different times, had likely aspired to more diverse and challenging roles, but was just as likely held back, probably for being pigeonholed to some great extent as a "pretty face" or "eye candy".
I hope I'm wrong about that, but still, it would have been nice to have seen a fuller, richer career from her.
Because when my glands weren't blinding me, the talent coming from within the woman was pretty obvious, too.

[stuart.uk]

Anne

I think Hollywood ruined a potentially great international career by trying to make Diana Dors into a typical dumb blonde, ignoring her performance in the acclaimed earlier Brit movie Yield To The Night. Diana proved when she returned to the UK she had the potential to be a great character actress, sadly she died young. Diana showed in Oliver Twist she wasn't a natural blonde, as was also in the case of Marilyn.

MM wanted to be taken more seriously as an actress, hence her enrolling into the method school of acting, when she was already a major star. I'm not sure she needed it, as she had a great natural talent. I think she deserved more credit than she got for her work. In The Misfits for example I felt she gave Rosalind great depth.

There's an outstanding current blonde British actress called Amanda Redman, who played Diana in a tv movie. She's best known for a tv series called New Tricks, where she plays Sandra, a tough (able to look after herself in a fight), but vunerable Police Superintendant, who lords it over 3 ex-coppers Dennis Waterman (The Sweeney) Alun Armstrong (Braveheart and Patriot Games) and James Bollam (The Likely Lads and When The Boat Comes In), as they solve closed cases. I would like to see a movie made of this all-time great British cop show, as 50-year-old Amanda deserves a wider audience.

Then of course there is Helen Mirren, star of The Long Good Friday, Elizabeth and The Queen

Lana gave a great acting performance in Madame X

Barbara Windsor probably suffered a little bit in the 60s, playing the scatty blonde in The Carry-On movies. However, in her first starring role she got acclaim for playing James Booth's wife in Sparrows Can't Sing. As The Carry-Ons were coming to an end Barbara again got serious acclaim for her stage potrayal of British music hall legend Marie Llyod. Now she's famous for playing pub landlady Peggie Mitchell in Eastenders.

Sharon Gless, an other great blonde actress, brillantly playing Carole Lombard in Movieola in The Search For Scarlett episode. However, she's best known as everyone knows for her Christine Cagney in Cagney And Lacy. Sharon recently played a fictional U.S Secretary Of State in a British thriller The State Within with Jason Issacs

Lulu and Petula Clark (not a natural blonde, as seen in her 40s and 50s films) appeared on the same British magazine show The One Show this week, Pet the day after Lulu. both are hugely respected figures in the music profession and are as great now as when they started. I think it's crying shame that stage star Elaine Paige never got the chance in movies that she did on stage.

[klondike]

Stuart, what's your take on Judy Geeson?
I haven't seen her anywhere since Straw Dogs !

[MissGoddess]

Lana Turner, one of the most famous blondes of all, had a long career and remained very popular with her fans till the end. Doris Day was a box office champ, I believe Carole Lombard and Grace Kelly would have continued from success to success had events not taken the turns they did. Betty Grable had a great run at Fox and made Zanuck richer than ever after which, MM, the most famous blonde of all, took up the torch.

Marlene Dietrich's career was legendary in spite of relatively few films considering and Greta Garbo, a reddish-blonde, is of course peerless.

[ChiO]

Welcome home, MissG!!!

See any blondes on your travels?

I have vigorously defended Gary Cooper and John Ford in your absence (or, was it absinthe?). Were they blondes?

[stuart.uk]

I thought Judy Geeson was on course to be the next Julie Christie, but somehow it didn't happen.

I remember her along with Lulu in To Sir With Love and know she did Beserk with Joan Crawford and Diana Dors.

I think however, there's 3 other roles worth mentioning. Judy got the plum role of leading lady Jill Thatcher (though not romantically and i wonder if the producers realised there was a high rising polititan making a name for herself also called Thatcher around the time the film was made) to John Wayne in his only British film Branigan. Though I assume not shown in America, Julie was in the acclaimed war time set tv series Danger UXB playing the girl-friend of bomb disposal expert Anthony Andrews (another promising actor, who we here little of now) My own favourite Geeson performance was in The Eagle Has Landed, who more than anyone foils good German Michael Caine and his troops in their attempts to assassinate Churchill, even taking a bullet from Nazi sleeper Jean Marsh, as she drives off to set of the alarm in her village.

Judy's sister Sally Geeson also had a brief spell of fame playing the daughter of Sid James and Diana Coupland in both the tv series and feature film Bless This House

[MissGoddess]

Welcome home, MissG!!!

See any blondes on your travels?

I have vigorously defended Gary Cooper and John Ford in your absence (or, was it absinthe?). Were they blondes?

Hellooo, ChiO me boy-o! I am very happy to be back thank you so much and am in the process of investigating this defense of my main men. If it turns out to be true you have my undying regard. If not, I still like you lots.

And happily, I was usually the only blonde in the bunch except in Paris where there were a few but they usually had very short hair whereas mine is super long. I admit I ate up the attention from the charming Southern Italian men---they know how to make a woman feel good and it's such an ego booster!

But now, back to reality.

Yes, MALE blondes---Gary was sort of a blonde, a dark blonde but I don't think Pappy had hardly any hair period, blonde or otherwise, ha!

[movieman1957]

Stuart:

"Danger UXB" did play in America as part of our Masterpiece Theater series probably several years after it was produced. I recently watched the series again. I found the whole thing to be gripping and tension filled. I thought Judy was fine but she wasn't given a great deal to do. I'd rather see her than not but I don't think it was too difficult.

[stuart.uk]

Chris

If memory serves me right, Judy didn't appear until mid way through the series. Maurice Reaves played the Sargeant and Sir Donald Sindon's son Anthony played Andrews' second boss

Judy when she started out was in a soap called The Necomers with another young future starlet Wendy Richard. She was also in the acclaimed tv series Poldark with Robin Ellis, a show similar to Stewart Grangers Moonfleet. She was also in To Sir With Love 2

[stuart.uk]

Chris

If memory serves me right, Judy didn't appear until mid way through the series. Maurice Reaves played the Sargeant and Sir Donald Sindon's son Jeremy Sindon played Andrews' second boss

Judy when she started out was in a soap called The Necomers with another young future starlet Wendy Richard. She was also in the acclaimed tv series Poldark with Robin Ellis, a show similar to Stewart Grangers Moonfleet. She was also in To Sir With Love 2

Judy also did the sc-fi series Star Maidens, a show about two alien men (one of whom was Gareth Thomas) who escape from a planet run by women hoping for a free live on earth. Judy was joined by other female stars Lisa Harrow (All Creatures Great And Small) and Dawn Adams (A King In New York)

[mrsl]

Without a doubt, there are many blonds who have had considerable careers along the way, but the parameter I meant was the unfortunate occurrence of accepting a role of 'sex kitten' early on, and never being able to overcome that particular 'type casting'. Neither Kim Novak nor Carroll Baker ever ever really were considered for parts that didn't involve sexy attitudes. Look at Kim in Bell, Book, and Candle, she was a total seductress, and the same goes as a nice housewife in Strangers When we Meet.

Stuart: Diana Dors was the one I was trying to think of in my original post. She also had potential as a dramatic actress. Poor Carol Lynley was so young looking, she never overcame being the youngster in Blue Denim. For those who don't know who Martha Hyer is, remember the cool blond in Some Came Running that Frank was so nuts about? I think of her as the poor man's Grace Kelley, and there's one who didn't deserve some of the great parts she had.

I don't write about the guys much because I'm much more critical of the ladies and their talents, mannerisms, and looks.

Thanks for all the comments.

Anne