The Silver Screen Oasis

feaito wrote:Thanks Judith. I think I'm not very good at posting Mystery Guests (writing clues and all that). But I like guessing a lot!!

No, it's not Patricia Van Cleve. The name and last name of this particular performer rhymed and she complained that they were not pronounced correctly by Americans in general.

Is it Simone Simon?

Yes Judith! Congratulations!

Believe it or not, it was rumored that she was the illegitimate child of Marion Davies and Mr. Hearst, although Davies was around 13 when Simone was born!

Initially she did not succeed in Hollywood and upon returning to France she scored a triumph with Jean Renoir's "La Bete Humaine". She returned to the States and appeared in "All That Money Can Buy" aka The Devil and Daniel Webster and in the Horror Classic "Cat People".

Bakc in France she appeared in Max Ophuls' "La Ronde" and "Le Plaisir".

Who's around this week to solve this one?

Do you know me?

I usually played working-class characters, but I came from a prosperous Midwestern family. After college, I went into summer stock, and being good at it, I was noticed by Broadway and started playing character parts there. I went to Hollywood in the mid-30s, and had a few small parts, but nothing came of it, and I went back to New York. I got larger and larger parts in plays, and I also did a lot of radio; for a while I was a member of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater.

In the early 40s I got a plum role in a very successful comedy, and I was called to Hollywood to reprise my part in the film version. I played a well-intentioned woman who tried to assist a very difficult man in a chaotic household. This supporting part launched my very long and very successful screen career.

I worked steadily for the next 50 years or so. I was in dozens of films, and lots of TV. I was in some of the earliest television broadcasts. My face is still familiar to movie goers; not a beautiful face, but a warm and recognizable one, although many of the characters I played were pretty feisty. I was often the butt of men's jokes, but I never caved; I was always ready with a come-back to put them in their place.

Two of my very last movies are shown on TV regularly, one is a sequel to the other. Its star was a seemingly unlikely choice to play a religious figure. I got to sing in those, something I didn't do very often.

Who am I?

Mary Wickes?

knitwit45 wrote:Mary Wickes?

Yes. Excellent, Knitty.

The play that brought Wickes to Hollywood was, of course, The Man Who Came to Dinner. The two frequently aired films these days are Sister Act, and Sister Act 2 (or as we refer to the latter at home "Eccch").

Wickes is always a pleasure to watch. One of acting's true naturals.

Here is one to contemplate as the year winds down:

Although I was considered a prime example of my European nationality, I was actually born in Mexico. I fought in WWI and was badly wounded. That injury would affect me the rest of my life, and led to the rumor that I had an artificial limb, although I did not.

I had a successful career on stage and in silents in my own country (which wasn't Mexico), and began to make films in Hollywood in the 1930s. I am best remembered as one member of a highly popular cinematic team, although some purists did not like my interpretation of my role. My co-star and I were of the same nationality.

I was one of the leaders of a well-known expatriate community in Hollywood, and I never gave up citizenship in my own country, although I lived in the US for decades.

Who am I?

Nigel "Willie" Bruce.

The devil you say, Old Boy!

Quite right, that's the gent I had in mind. I love the story that Norman Lloyd tells in his memoirs: as a young man, he decided he wanted a life on the stage, so he simply went backstage at the next show he attended, and asked one of the actors to teach him how to be a stage actor. That was Mr. Bruce, who was amused, and helped Lloyd make some contacts. Nice man.

Ah, the first Mystery Guest of the New Year has arrived. Please step forward, MG, and speak right into the microphone:

Do you know me?

My parents wanted me to be a lawyer, but while attending UCLA I decided acting was what I really wanted to do. My resume lists over 200 screen appearances. At first I had very small, non-credited parts, but I was in a lot of movies, beginning in the mid-30s.

However, although my parts began to get bigger, it wasn't until more than 10 years after I started in movies that I got a really notable part. I made my mark playing an unlikable character. But my pleasant good looks got me more sympathetic parts, and with the advent of television my career took me higher. I worked steadily, even though early in my career I had an affiliation some in Washington considered suspect. By the late 1950s, I had my own show, which only lasted a few seasons, but which was very popular, and somewhat trend-setting in terms of popularizing a recreational activity.

In my later years I had something of a comeback, and although I had been known essentialy as a dramatic actor, I showed that I could do comedy, too. My offspring have had successful careers of their own.

Who am I?

Hint:

Our MG probably used a lot of sunscreen and skin lotion during the run of his most successful TV series. Because of the popularity of this series, an activity which was once considered primarily the province of the military became a favorite pastime of vacationers.

Without any research whatsoever, I'm going to guess Lloyd Bridges. His sons are doing pretty well in the business and he might have popularized scuba diving with his series Sea Hunt.

It may not be the role suggested, but his role in High Noon cast him as a not so nice person, and his later appearance in Airplane showed his comedic side.

As far as his biographical information, I have no clue.

You are correct, Charlie - Lloyd Bridges is the man.

A new Mystery Guest approaches:

Do you know me?

My family was horrified when I said I wanted to act, but I did it anyway. After attending the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, I began to work on the stage. I had small parts, but I was always something of a standout because of my natural bearing and attractive appearance. I made my first film in the mid-50s, and have worked fairly steadily since, in film and television. I have been married three times, twice to other actors, and while working I have managed to raise four children. My parents were both well-known figures in their time, better known for what they had than for what they'd done.

I have played both comedies and dramas, and I seem to play the same role in everything I do, but apparently I do it well, since I have remained popular with the public for 50 years. Most of my roles are basically variations on my true self. The characters I've played come from privilege, as I do. I have played supporting parts with, among many others, Tracy and Hepburn, Cary Grant (to whom I was once related) and with Roseanne, too. In my personal life I have a lot, and I'm very generous in sharing it.

Who am I?

Dina Merrill

Easy one, Judith.
Nedenia Hutton ( Dina Merrill ) played in the Tracy - Hepburn 'Desk Set' in 1957.
Her parents, E. F. Hutton and Marjorie Post were both very rich ( she was a Hutton ).
She married Actors Cliff Robertson and Ted Hartley.
She played with Grant, to whom she was related viz his marriage to cousin, Barbara, in "Operation Petticoat.

Here's one:
Mystery Guest, another case of alliteration ( it does make for a good clue )
I played in several silents.

According to Wikipedia, I made my stage debut at the age of two. HUH?
I liked to play golf.
I had several husbands, one of whom was a fellow actor ( well, he did appear in a movie one time ).
One of my husbands was a professional athlete who ( many sports fans believed ) could have been the all time very best in his profession, because of a peculiar talent but failed to achieve that distinction because of a singular lack of seriousness. He was, generally, regarded as an amiable clown but he was VERY successful for a short time.. He, also, played in movies ( Didn't everyone? )