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Dec. 10, 2005 Note: Being a fan of the film noir genre, occasionally I will do a piece on the stars of that period. This particular piece focuses on Peter Lorre and Joan Crawford. Joan Crawford was once to have said, "I have always known what I wanted, and that was beauty, in every form." A post-mortem bestseller by her stepdaughter Christina which was later turned into a major motion picture, painted a portrait of Ms. Crawford that was quite the opposite. However, no one could argue with her talent, beauty and screen presence. She was born Lucille Fay Leseur, in San Antonio, Texas, on March 23, 1906. Crawford grew up a poor girl, her father having deserted the family shortly before her birth. But like her character Ethel Whitehead in the movie “The Damned Don’t Cry”, she was ambitious almost to the point of obsession. The family moved to KC when Joan was but 10, and upon her graduation she went to Chicago. She began her career as a member of a Chicago dance troupe and was discovered by a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer talent scout. She was invited to Hollywood for a screen test and afterward was signed to a six-month deal. She became so popular with the studio’s head, Louis B. Mayer, who believed her last name sounded too much like "sewer." Being that he had grown fond of his new hire, Mayer launched a national contest to find her a new name. After becoming Joan Crawford she soon after became one of the movie industry’s biggest stars. She was teamed with Clark Gable in eight films including their only musical, “Dancing Lady” (1933), a film noted for being Fred Astaire’s film debut and also featured the Three Stooges. Despite the success from this film, Crawford worried that “talkies” would ruin her career. Feeling underappreciated, and believing that she was being passed over for better roles in favor of Bette Davis and other actresses in the MGM stable, Crawford left MGM in 1942.. MGM believed her popularity was faltering and let her go without acrimony. Her heyday was during the 40’s when she produced some of her best work, “A Woman's Face" (1941), "Mildred Pierce" (1945, for which she won the Oscar for Best Actress), and "Possessed" (1947). Years later, when she was considered “washed up” she stunned audiences with her turn in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane" (1962), where she shared screen time with her arch-rival Davis. She landed at rival Warner Brother Studios where she nabbed the title role in “Mildred Pierce", a movie about a working woman who rises to the top of her field, but whose spoiled daughter steals her husband and eventually is pinned for his murder. A year later she made "Humoresque,” where she was nominated for an Oscar, but lost it to Loretta Young for "The Farmer's Daughter." The same result would befall her in 1952, when she lost the Bast Actress to Shirley Booth for her performance in "Come Back, Little Sheba". She died in Manhattan in 1977, of a heart attack. Peter Lorre was born Ladislav Lowenstein on June 26, 1904 and was known as the consummate villain, over a career that spanned – years. He had been an onstage actor in several foreign productions before Fritz Lang cast him in his classic thriller, “M.” (1931). The film is best known for its ending, where Lorre’s character ----- pleads for his life before an angry mob, which many critics felt though impressive, left him typecast. Following “M” he appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s, “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” (1934). In 1940 Lorre found his niche, playing a killer in “Stranger On The Third Floor,” which many consider Hollywood’s first film noir vehicle. Lorre went on to star in “The Maltese Falcon” (1941) and in 1942 co-starred with Humphrey Bogart in “Casablanca” and the anti-Communist drama, “All Through The Night.” (1942). But he was perhaps best known for his portrayal of Japanese detective Mr. Moto, a series which ran from series (1937-1939). Later in his career Lorre suffered through ill health and made more television appearances than film. He died from a stroke on March 23, 1964, just months after his final film, “The Patsy”. The film starred Jerry Lewis and was a movie Lorre was reluctant to do. Peter Lorre profile, Wikipedia Joan Crawford profile, Wikipedia ------------ About the author: Timothy Stelly is a 46-year old California native with a wide variety of interests-from fishing to politics, which have a lot in common: Both require you to deal with worms and most of your time is spent idling. He is a former Democrat, believing that Party represents outdated ideas. He is officially registered as an Independent, choosing to keep his options open. Timothy is also the author of more than 80 screenplays and novels, two of which have been "published": "Tempest In The Stone" and "The Malice Of Cain", both available through PublishAmerica. He defines his writing style as "Hip-hop fiction; a cross between Richard Pryor and Richard Wright." His UK columns is written in a hard-edged style, but he is not yet a curmudgeon or a conservative. (Is that redundant?) After all, one of his favorite movies is "The Adventures of Milo and Otis." stellbread0.tripod.com Email: stellbread@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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