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 »

Larry, once again an interesting recollection from your days in Hollywood.
Lilo (now Liselotte) known for her hearty laughter, is a widow retired to her mansion in Switzerland. She will be 78 in October.
Sadly her daughter Melisande commited suicide in 1989.

Although being considered to play a leading role in "Ben-Hur" (1959) and "El Cid" (1961), she had to reject the offers because she had already signed for other projects in Germany. She later said that has been the biggest disappointment in her career.
Vecchiolarry
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Post by Vecchiolarry »

Hi Joe,

Thanks for bringing me up-to-date on Miss Pulver... Very sad about her daughter.

Although I could see her in the "Ben-Hur" role, I cannot see anybody else in "El Cid" but Sophia.
I am quite partial to Sophia.

Larry
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

In the Spotlight: BETTY FIELD
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Versitile stage and screen actress Betty Field was born February 8, 1913 (often erroneously stated as 1918) the daughter of a salesman and his wife, in Boston, Massachusetts

Betty's passion for the theatre was sparked during her early teens and by 1932 she was enrolled at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
Field began her acting career on the London stage in Howard Lindsay's farce, "She Loves Me Not". Rather plaintive in appearance with flat but highly distinctive tones, Betty's Broadway debut came about as an understudy in the comedy "Page Miss Glory" in November of 1934, and appeared in several stage successes both comedy and drama, before making her film debut in 1939.

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Betty Field, with Lon Chaney, Jr. and Burgess Meredith in "Of Mice and Men" (1939).
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Her role as Mae, the only female character, in "Of Mice and Men" (1939) established her as a dramatic actress although it didn't provide her the necessary springboard for stardom. Part of the problem was that the rather reserved actress tended to shun the Hollywood scene (she still lived quietly with her mother).

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Betty Field (above) with her co-stars John Wayne and Harry Carey in "The Shepard of the Hills" (1941) and (below) in a casual moment on the set.
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She starred opposite John Wayne in the 1941 film "The Shepherd of the Hills". Field played supporting roles in films such as "Kings Row" as Cassie (1942), in which she played a victim of incest, although that fact was not readily apparent due to the heavy censorship of the time.
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Ms. Field (above) as the destructive Kay in "Blues in the Night" (1941).

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Betty Field, proving that she could be glamorous, with Ray Milland in "Are Husbands Necessary?" (1942).

Field preferred performing on Broadway in plays like Elmer Rice's "Dream Girl" and Jean Anouilh's "The Waltz of the Toreadors", but returned to Hollywood regularly, appearing in "Flesh and Fantasy" (1943), "The Southerner" with Zachary Scott (1945), "The Great Gatsby" as Daisy, some felt she was miscast and not glamorous enough for the part,(1949).

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Miss Field in Preston Sturges' "The Great Moment" (1944)

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Betty Field and Fredric March (with Skip Homeier in the background) in "Tomorrow, the World!" (1944)

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Betty Field with Zachary Scott in the underrated Jean Renoir film, "The Southerner" (1945).
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The poster for "The Great Gatsby" (1949).

Betty's soulful features took on a hardened, careworn veneer by the time she returned to Hollywood in the mid-1950's co-starring in "Picnic" as Kim Novak's mom (1955), "Bus Stop" as the feisty Grace (1956), "Peyton Place" as Nellie (1957), "Butterfield 8" (1960) and "Birdman of Alcatraz" (1962). Her final film role was in "Coogan's Bluff" in 1968.

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Betty Field, (middle), as the mother flanked by her screen daughters, Susan Strasberg and Kim Novak in "Picnic" (1955).

Other films include, "Blues in the Night", "Are Husbands Necessary?", "The Great Moment", "Tomorrow the World!", "7 Women", etc.

TV took up a large percentage of Betty's time in the 1950s and 1960s with a number of showcase roles. She continued at a fairly steady pace but without much fanfare (as she preferred).

Her first marriage, to playwright Elmer Rice, produced three children. Divorced from Rice in 1956, she married and split from lawyer and criminologist Edwin J. Lukas before settling down permanently with husband/artist Raymond Olivere in 1968.

Betty suffered a fatal cerebral hemorrhage in Hyannis, Massachusetts in 1973, just as she was about to leave and film "The Day of the Locust" (1975). Cast in the flashy role of 'Big Sister', an evangelist, her part was taken over by Geraldine Page.
At age 60, Hollywood lost a somewhat undervalued talent who enjoyed the work more than the stardom that often accompanied it.

Quoted: "I'm not an outstanding personality and I'm certainly no beauty. Acting ability is all I've got to trade on." And that she did.

Miss Field was never Oscar nominated and does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Joseph Goodheart
feaito

Post by feaito »

mongoII wrote:Miss Field was never Oscar nominated and does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
As usual a great profile Joe. It's really a shame that Miss Field does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I can think of some people who have contributed far less to the Cinema and do have a Star.

How can the lady who gave those wonderful performances in "Flesh and Fantasy", "Kings Row", "Pic Nic" and specially "The Southerner", one of my personal favorites and one the most poignant, sincere films about farmers ever made, has not been worthy of a Star?? It escapes my comprehension.
Last edited by feaito on October 1st, 2007, 2:58 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

Thank you, Fernando. Glad that you appreciated the profile. I share the same feelings as you do regarding Miss Field.
I guess we will never understand the logic about who really deserve those stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Joseph Goodheart
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

hey Mongo! I love your Spotlight, and have a question about Betty Fields' character in "Kings Row". *SPOILER ALERT*
Just watched the movie again last week, and I thought that Cassie and Parris became lovers (the scene in the Dr.'s study, lightning flashes, clinch, fade out). When she came to Reagan's house, desperately begging Parris to take her with him, I thought it was because she was pregnant. When she left , Reagan mentions that Parris and Cassie have been meeting regularly at Reagan's house

Her father knew she was going insane and that's why he killed her.

When the evil Doctor examined her body, he came out of the room she was in, and said there was "something" about the girl....
In the same scene, Reagan's character (can't think of his name) says HE was seeing Cassie, to protect Parris's good name.

Was none of the above "motive" in the book?
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mrsl
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Post by mrsl »

Hi knitwit:

All of your assumptions are probably valid, but the movie couldn't bring them all out. As for her being pregnant, that's a probability, but I read the book about 100 years ago when I was about 15, and that kind of point would have been way over my head at the time (little innocent that I was). This is one of those movies you have to see all the way through from the start to understand the closeness of Drake and Parris. As kids they started out covering for each other and standing up for one another, and the bonds were unbroken by the time they became adults.

I got off subject. Kings Row illustrated what a fine actress Ms. Fields was. When you watch it, if you look at her face closely, you see in EVERY scene that wild look in her eyes. She never let it go. Even in scenes with her father, she looked like a deer caught in headlights, ready to flee.

Anne
Anne


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* * * * * * * * What is past is prologue. * * * * * * * *

]***********************************************************************
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Moraldo Rubini
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Are the stars out tonight...

Post by Moraldo Rubini »

Fernando wrote:It's really a shame that Miss Field does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I can think of some people who have contributed far less to the Cinema and do have a Star. How can the lady who gave those wonderful performances in "Flesh and Fantasy", "Kings Row", "Pic Nic" and specially "The Southerner", one of my personal favorites and one the most poignant, sincere films about farmers ever made, has not been worthy of a Star?? It escapes my comprehension.
A star on the boulevard is not a reflection of the worth of the honoree, but rather it's a reflection of the worth of the honoree's press agent.
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

Knitwit, In the book it's spelled out when Paris discovers in Dr. Tower's writings after the murder/suicide, that the father/daughter one was indeed an incestuous relationship, which would cause a youg woman to go bananas.
Of course Paris felt responsible because he and Cassie had also been sleeping together. As daring as the film was in its day, the studios would never have DARED to tackle the subject of incest--- or...of homosexuality!!.
Homosexuality is NOT an issue between Drake and Paris. There is a sub-plot in the book that concerns another of Paris' and Drake's school friends-- a boy named Jamie Wakefield.
It's probable that Cassie was pregnant, and not certain if her father or Paris were the father, killed herself.
The book was certainly a potboiler for it's time.
Joseph Goodheart
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sandykaypax
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Post by sandykaypax »

knitwit45 wrote:hey Mongo! I love your Spotlight, and have a question about Betty Fields' character in "Kings Row". *SPOILER ALERT*
Just watched the movie again last week, and I thought that Cassie and Parris became lovers (the scene in the Dr.'s study, lightning flashes, clinch, fade out). When she came to Reagan's house, desperately begging Parris to take her with him, I thought it was because she was pregnant. When she left , Reagan mentions that Parris and Cassie have been meeting regularly at Reagan's house

Her father knew she was going insane and that's why he killed her.

When the evil Doctor examined her body, he came out of the room she was in, and said there was "something" about the girl....
In the same scene, Reagan's character (can't think of his name) says HE was seeing Cassie, to protect Parris's good name.

Was none of the above "motive" in the book?
SPOILER ALERT!!!

I, too, read the book a loooong time ago, but I believe that there was no way to be sure if the baby that she was carrying was Parris' or Dr. Tower's. Dr. Tower had been conducting a "scientific experiment" by sleeping with his daughter. I seem to remember Dr. Tower committing suicide?

Sandy K
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knitwit45
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Post by knitwit45 »

Thanks, Joe!
Guess I'm going to have to actually go to the library :lol:

Have you thought about starting your "Ask Mongo" thread here? I know most of the SSO are pretty knowledgeable, but you always find the most interesting facts about our stars.

Thanks again
Nancy

In the movie, Sandy, it is stated that Dr. Tower killed Cassie and then himself. I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around Claude Raines as a child abuser....
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

It was my pleasure, Nancy. It you manage to read the book, perhaps you can get back to us about what really happened.
As far as Claude Rains (Dr. Tower) being a child abuser, it's usually the ones you'd least suspect. If anyone I would have thought that Charles Coburn (the evil Dr. Gordon) would be a molester.

Perhap's I'll consider bringing "ASK MONGO" redux to the SSO site. It should/could be fun.
Joseph Goodheart
feaito

Re: Are the stars out tonight...

Post by feaito »

Moraldo Rubini wrote:
Fernando wrote:It's really a shame that Miss Field does not have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. I can think of some people who have contributed far less to the Cinema and do have a Star. How can the lady who gave those wonderful performances in "Flesh and Fantasy", "Kings Row", "Pic Nic" and specially "The Southerner", one of my personal favorites and one the most poignant, sincere films about farmers ever made, has not been worthy of a Star?? It escapes my comprehension.
A star on the boulevard is not a reflection of the worth of the honoree, but rather it's a reflection of the worth of the honoree's press agent.
Good point Moraldo.
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mongoII
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Post by mongoII »

In the Spotlight: NED SPARKS
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Although less remembered now, Sparks was an inimitable cinematic player back in 1930s Hollywood.
The nasal-toned, cigar chomping deadpan comedian with a caustic wit was born Edward Arthur Sparkman in Guelph, Canada, on November 19, 1883.
He was raised for a time in St. Thomas, Ontario. He attended the University of Toronto and, after a period of soul-searching, decided upon acting.

He began, believe it or not, as a honky-tonk balladeer in Dawson Creek, Alaska during the time of the gold rush. He claimed he had even met the legendary "Lady Known as Lou." From Dawson Creek, where he sang in virtually all of the neighborhood honky-tonks, he moved on to sing in such exotic places as Skagway and Juneau.

In 1907, he went to New York and developed his stone-faced reputation in comic outings.
He appeared as a comedian with Broadway names of the era like Alice Brady and Madge Kennedy.
His movie career headed full steam, but it was the advent of sound with Ned's cynical tones, raspy whines and sour disposition that sparked a comfortable film niche, making close to 100 films in all, including numerous silents.

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Ned Sparks in his familiar trademark.

His on-screen persona became so famous he was able to get Lloyd's of London to issue an insurance policy for $10,000, a substantial sum in the middle of The Dirty Thirties, against damage to his professional reputation should anyone ever get a photograph of him smiling.
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Sparks with Bobby Breen in "Hawaii Calls" (1938).

His talkies included, "Gold Diggers of 1933", "Going Hollywood", the Caterpillar in the all-star "Alice in Wonderland", "Lady for a Day", "42nd. Street", the Claudette Colbert and Louise Beavers version of "Imitation of Life" (1934), just a few of his more noticeable roles. His final film was "Magic Town" with James Stewart in 1947.

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Ned Sparks with Jimmy Stewart in "Magic Town" (1947).

Many film buffs consider his most memorable performance to be that of a sarcastic detective in the 1934 Paramount comedy-mystery "A Private Scandal". Often caricatured in cartoons, he was depicted as a hermit crab in "Fresh Fish" (1939) and he appears briefly in Friz Freleng's Warner Brothers cartoon "Malibu Beach Party" (1940), among others. One of his last assignments was voicing TVs Heckle and Jeckle cartoon characters which has since been banned.
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Quoted: "I speedily realized that I was not destined
to cause the ladies to swoon with romantic ecstasy
as they watched me make love to one of their sex.
I have also divined that comedy and not
romantic acting was my special forte."


Married for 5 years during the 1930s, Ned Sparks died April 3, 1957 of an intestinal blockage at age 73. He was laid to rest at Victor Valley Memorial Park in California.
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He was tremendously popular, a solid performer, reliable, liked by studio heads, directors and his fellow actors, yet always just shy of true star status. He fell into that large catch-all category generally called character actor.
jdb1

Post by jdb1 »

Hey, mongo, I just got a brilliant inspiration for a bit of fantasy casting:

Ned Sparks and Robert Dudley (a/k/a "The Wienie King" in Palm Beach Story.) Imagine listening to their verbal exchanges for 90 minutes or so!
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