Hi Ken,
I thought you might like something about
Cathy O'Donnell from
Farley Granger's memoir,
Include Me Out, which I just finished reading.
When Granger came home from the Navy at the end of WWII,
Sam Goldwyn said that he intended to cast him as the wounded veteran in
Best Years of Our Lives, though as the actor generously acknowledges,
Harold Russell was far better than he ever could have been in that part. The best part about the pre-production period of BYOOL for Granger was the chance it gave him to meet and get to know fellow contract player at the Goldwyn studios,
Cathy O'Donnell. Both fledgling actors realized that they had alot to learn and sought to hone their acting skills by working on various scenes together. Here's Farley's initial take on her:
Cathy was very different from anyone I had ever met. She was lovely, shy, wistful, and ethereal. I felt an instant urge to protect her. We hit it off right away and set up a schedule to work together with a coach.
By the time that the two did work together on Nicholas Ray's
They Live By Night, their rapport was very real, (though not romantic, they were very close)--something that I think shows beautifully on screen. Their work together in
Side Street was less happy due to the relative blandness of the script. Once
Cathy O'Donnell married the much older
Robert Wyler, according to Granger, her career was essentially over. The reason for this was that
Sam Goldwyn, who was feuding with
William Wyler (Robert's brother) at the time, demanded that O'Donnell annul her marriage since Wyler's brother was, "only marrying her to spite Goldwyn". Understandably very upset,
Cathy O'Donnell's contract with
Goldwyn was cancelled, and she may have been, as
Farley Granger was later to hear about himself as well, essentially blackballed in Hollywood from the central roles she might have been right for as she matured. One example of a lost part that she would have brought something special to in the post-war era was in
Enchantment (1948), a delicate romance with
Granger playing opposite
Evelyn Keyes in a part seemingly tailor made for O'Donnell's delicate touch.
It was most unfortunate that her talent wasn't nurtured as it should have been, though her work in
'Best Years...' and
'They Live...' and
Detective Story will certainly be cherished by those who are touched by her gentle beauty.
Oh, and btw,
Robert Wyler & Cathy O'Donnell remained married for 22 years until her unfortunate early demise on April 11, 1970, (their wedding anniversary).