Tyrone Power

[ken123]

I am curious about the lady who was his wife? She appeared with him in the movie about the Suez Canal. I can't even remember the name of that film but would like to know if anyone knows her name? She was definitely a lovely woman and I can see why he may have been attracted to her. And she had such a cute accent in that movie too.

Hope to read the answer soon. Thanks.

Annabella was the lady's name.

[MissGoddess]

I am curious about the lady who was his wife? She appeared with him in the movie about the Suez Canal. I can't even remember the name of that film but would like to know if anyone knows her name? She was definitely a lovely woman and I can see why he may have been attracted to her. And she had such a cute accent in that movie too.

Hope to read the answer soon. Thanks.

Hi Holmesy----That was French actress Annabella. She made European films then came to Hollywood in '38 and married Ty (who later adopted her daughter Ann). She returned to Europe after their divorce and I think she was married to Oskar Werner. She was billed simply as "Annabella" though her given name was Suzanne Georgette Charpentier.

[MissGoddess]

Ty, Annabella, Don Ameche (best man) and the Charles Boyers on the Powers' wedding day:



Their happiness did not last due to many factors: the war (Annabella's brother was killed by the Nazi's in France), Zanuck's opposition to the marriage, career obligations which kept the couple separate for too long. Also, it did not help that it was at Ty and Annabella's house party that David Niven's beloved wife "Primmie" was accidenatally killed during a game of blind-man's-bluff.

[Garbomaniac]

Her name was Annabella, just Annabella after the poem by POE Annabelle Lee. The movie was Suez. She was French, and she married Tyrone in 1939, divorced in 1948. She wasn't a BIG star, but she made some pleasant movies. Dinner at the Ritz is the only one I would recommend.

[phil noir]

Just thought I'd resurrect this thread to say I've recently seen Tyrone Power in the Sonja Henie musical, Second Fiddle (1939). It's a kind of spoof of the search for Scarlett O'Hara. Power plays an unscrupulous Hollywood press agent trying to find an unknown to star in the film version of the nationwide bestseller, Girl of the North. He is absolutely hilarious in it, such a great comedian - for the first ninety per cent of the film, until he realizes that he (gulp) loves Sonja Henie's character, he is brash and insincere, and by far the best thing in the film. After that he turns serious and it's all downhill until the clinch at the end. Still, ninety per cent is pretty good. (He also sings, plays the piano, and dances a bit.) Even if you don't like ice-skating or Rudy Vallee, it's worth renting Second Fiddle just for Tyrone Power's performance.

Warning: this film contains Edna May Oliver.

[klondike]

Warning: this film contains Edna May Oliver.

For me, that's a recommendation!

[Ann Harding]

I have seen quite a few Tyrone Power pictures and I have to admit I have been disappointed many times. Not really with his acting per se, but more by the actual XXth Century Fox productions he was put in.
For example, Nightmare Alley which I thought was going to be a tremendous film noir, turned out to be a real flop for me. Lack of atmosphere, weak script and very weak leading lady.
The same with The Razor's Edge, I found the dialogue terrible (apparently, George Cukor refused the film after reading the script) and Tyrone is really struggling to build a reasonnable character. Somerset Maughan wrote a really good story but on the screen, it becomes a pensum. In both cases, Edmund Goulding shows his limits: the two film are slow moving and ponderous. But, I cannot underestimate the actions of Darryl Zanuck who probably meddled quite a bit in both films. After all, Goulding's productions at Warner's were really better shaped.

Then there are the Henry King films. I saw Lloyds of London, The Black Swan, Prince of Foxes, Captain from Castille, King of the Khyber Rifles and The Sun Also Rises. Of the lot, my favourite is Captain from Castille; it's lyrical and beautifully shot on locations. The others lack the rythm and tension of the Flynn/Curtiz Warner productions. Henry King which made some tremedous silents and some great early talkies (State Fair, 1933) seemed to have lost his way at XXth Century Fox under Zanuck. He probably lacked the artistic freedom he enjoyed earlier as director and producer of his films. The Sun Also Rises is really typical of the literary adaptation supervised by Zanuck: just awful....

Another lovely swashbuckler is Mamoulian's The Mark of Zorro
I think Tyrone was certainly a good actor, but, I very much doubt XXth Century Fox used him to the best of his habilities.

[Ann Harding]

Warning: this film contains Edna May Oliver.

For me, that's a recommendation!

Me too! I love Dame Edna!!!

[phil noir]

Warning: this film contains Edna May Oliver.

For me, that's a recommendation!

Me too! I love Dame Edna!!!

Looks like I'm outnumbered!

She's just a bit too aren't-I-so-loveable-beneath-my-tough-as-old-boots-exterior for my tastes, a bit too twinkly. Plus there was a scene in Second Fiddle where Tyrone Power had a big speech and she reached behind him and started fussing over a child, and I got the impression she might have been trying to upstage him, which I didn't much care for...

I know what you mean about being disappointed with a certain actor's films, Ann Harding, not specifically because of them, but because of the stories their studio gives them; but Second Fiddle really does show another side to Tyrone Power's talents.

[MissGoddess]

Fox is releasing a second Tyrone Power box set that will contain many of his rarely seen and never issued on dvd titles, including Cafe Metropole, Daytime Wife and others.

[moira finnie]

Here's a list of the Tyrone Power Collection Volume 2, currently scheduled for release 7-29-2008:
Cafe Metropole
Girls' Dormitory
Johnny Apollo
Daytime Wife
The Luck Of The Irish
I'll Never Forget You
That Wonderful Urge
Love Is News
This Above All
Second Honeymoon

Here's a list of upcoming TP movies on cable in the coming month:
Channel Acronyms:
AMC=American Movie Classics
FMC=Fox Movie Channel
MOMAXe=More Max East

AMC
Wed, Apr 2, 7:45 AM
American Guerrilla in the Philippines

AMC
Sat, Apr 5, 9:30 AM
Pony Soldier

FMC
Sun, Apr 6, 8:00 AM
The Luck of the Irish

FMC
Tue, Apr 8, 6:00 AM
Lloyds of London

FMC
Wed, Apr 9, 6:00 AM
Ladies in Love

MOMAXe
Tue, Apr 15, 6:00 AM
Johnny Apollo

Mr. Power coming into his own as an actor in Johnny Apollo (above) (1940) & This Above All (1942) (below with Joan Fontaine).

The underrated This Above All and Johnny Apollo are a "don't miss" for me! But I must admit that the other things that make Johnny Apollo special for me are the enjoyable actors in the cast: Edward Arnold as Ty's Dad, Charley Grapewin as an alcoholic lawyer with a poetic streak, Lloyd Nolan as an endearing bad apple, and Dorothy Lamour as The Babe. Hey, that looks like Marc Lawrence muscling in on Nolan & Grapewin's ominous conversation below. The only thing that could've made this Henry Hathaway movie better? Edna May Oliver!
To each his own, Phil!

[phil noir]

The only thing that could've made this Henry Hathaway movie better? Edna May Oliver!
To each his own, Phil!

I can see I've stumbled into an Edna May Oliver cult! Perhaps I'll give the old girl another chance...

[klondike]

Moira, thanks so much for a great thread; it's often puzzling how so beloved a performer is so seldom paid tribute, or, seemingly, even his "due", among rank & file of Hollywood alumni.
Unfortunately, for me, this thread also serves as yet another painful little reminder that John Ford's 1958 Irish anthology film: The Rising of the Moon, in which Power played host, from the film's framing device, as an on-screen narrator, has never been released on a commercial VHS, and apparently, is not currently being considered for DVD.
What a shame; this one's a true keeper, a brilliant little mantel-piece . . . a little like Tales of Manhattan, a wee bit like Darby O'Gill, a tad mindful of Gone To Earth, and not a lot like anything else.
Granted, our Bonnie Tyrone has nae much to do here, but his role as our Host-Companion is a pivotal one to be sure, rather like the Stage Manager in "Our Town", or Gordon Tootoosis' One Stab from Legends of the Fall - I guess, as with most simple engines, the Heart & Soul of a movie need just a small amount of lubrication . . but without it, nothing moves (nor can move us).
Someone needs to unearth this sparkling little treasure, and get it out there on DVD, or at least get it aired on Fox or AMC . . cause I don't think I've ever seen it billed for TCM!
At least if it's broadcast, that's a shot for us privateers of the airwaves to "capture" this lost little frigate o' dreams!

[MissGoddess]

Moira, thanks so much for a great thread; it's often puzzling how so beloved a performer is so seldom paid tribute, or, seemingly, even his "due", among rank & file of Hollywood alumni.
Unfortunately, for me, this thread also serves as yet another painful little reminder that John Ford's 1958 Irish anthology film: The Rising of the Moon, in which Power played host, from the film's framing device, as an on-screen narrator, has never been released on a commercial VHS, and apparently, is not currently being considered for DVD.
What a shame; this one's a true keeper, a brilliant little mantel-piece . . . a little like Tales of Manhattan, a wee bit like Darby O'Gill, a tad mindful of Gone To Earth, and not a lot like anything else.
Granted, our Bonnie Tyrone has nae much to do here, but his role as our Host-Companion is a pivotal one to be sure, rather like the Stage Manager in "Our Town", or Gordon Tootoosis' One Stab from Legends of the Fall - I guess, as with most simple engines, the Heart & Soul of a movie need just a small amount of lubrication . . but without it, nothing moves (nor can move us).
Someone needs to unearth this sparkling little treasure, and get it out there on DVD, or at least get it aired on Fox or AMC . . cause I don't think I've ever seen it billed for TCM!
At least if it's broadcast, that's a shot for us privateers of the airwaves to "capture" this lost little frigate o' dreams!

Ack!! I would give SO MUCH to see this!! If I may ask, Klonny, where did you see it? Is the tape/film existing somewhere or is it "lost"?

Actually, it would be so unbelievably unbelievable if they could put this presentation as a Special Feature on a new, restored disc for The Quiet Man. Wishful thinking, I know.

[moira finnie]

I saw The Rising of the Moon on AMC about 10 years ago. Tyrone Power never looked happier than he did in introducing the three short stories directed by John Ford. I have seen vhs tapes of it for sale on the internet in the past. Perhaps someone has a dvd-r of this rarity.

To me, the black and white film's quiet, low key charm is derived from the fine character actors, such as Noel Purcell, Jack MacGowran and Donal Donnelly and Ford's respect and affection for the stories he's telling, written by Frank O'Connor, Lady Gregory & Michael McHugh. The director slows down, lets the characters have their say, and thankfully, avoids some of his more annoying broad strokes when characterizing the British, (though some of his characteristic "stage Irish" touches are seen.). The strongest story of the trio: the superb writer, Frank O'Connor's moving "The Majesty of the Law".

I'm not promoting it, since I know next to nothing about the site's reputation, but you may want to see if this site can help you acquire a dvd of this film at Lear Media, found here.

I belong to a Britmovie.com website as well where a discussion of the quality and delivery rate of films from LearMedia has been discussed in the past. Maybe you might find it helpful to read this too, Klondike & Miss G. Good luck!