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December 16, 2007
Best of the Jewish Blogosphere #145 Plus Linda Darnell
We'd like to thank Soccer Dad for including Seraphic Secret's The Murder of Lebanon in this week's fine roundup.
My Darling Clementine is one of John Ford's best Westerns. Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp is mythic. But Linda Darnell as the, ahem, dance hall girl, Chihuahua, is just fire, she spits and claws and howls; she's unforgettable. Bad girl Darnell just blows good girl Kathy Downs as Clementine off the screen.
Darnell was a beauty, but like so may Hollywood beauties she was so beautiful that her talent was often overlooked. She was stunning in Forever Amber, spectacular in the Preston Sturges comedy Unfaithfully Yours. In fact, she was a solid actress in drama and comedy. She was even expected to win an Oscar for her performance in A Letter to Three Wives, but when that didn't happen, her career stumbled.
Maybe she lost confidence. It's hard to tell exactly what happened. Propelled by a monstrous stage mother, Darnell's childhood was wretched. She had very little formal education. It was an unstable show-biz life from morning 'til night. There were marriages and divorces. Eventually, this all takes a tragic personal toll. Darnell was drinking, and she gained weight. Film work dried up. The shelf life for beautiful women in Hollywood is severely limited.
In 1965, Darnell was staying with friends in Chicago while preparing for a stage role. A fire broke out in the house. Darnell ran into the house trying to save her friend's child, not knowing that the child had already escaped. Darnell was burned over 80% of her body. She died the next day. Linda Darnell was 41 years old.
Linda Darnell: Glamor Girls of the Silver Screen
Hollywood Beauty: Linda Darnell and the American Dream by Ronald L. Davis
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at December 16, 2007 03:59 PM
Comments
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Hi Robert, I was struck by her age when she died...the same age as my father when he died.
Just curious, what has inspired you to begin blogging about actresses of the past? (Don't get me wrong, you know I love the break from politics!)
Posted by: cruisin-mom at December 16, 2007 06:39 PM
Cruisin Mom:
What's inspired me to blog about actresses? I want people to realize what desperate lives most actors live in Hollywood. Even the most glamorous of actors are just shadows of their own images. If all you have is acting, you are probably doomed to a life of unfulfilled desires.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.seraphicpress.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at December 16, 2007 09:34 PM
just shadows of their own images
Nice turn of phrase.
Perhaps that's what makes a great actor great. A person with little substance of his own presumably finds it easier to take on different personalities.
My pop psychology insight of the day.
Posted by: kishke at December 17, 2007 06:58 AM
" ... I want people to realize what desperate lives most actors live in Hollywood. ..."
could it perhaps be offset somewhat by also posting something about actors and actresses who have had admirable personal lives ?
(some who i *think* were happy, were Robert Mitchum, Lauren Bacall,
but it's nice to have an authority like Robert post accurate details)
also,
as a gentle return to political posts,
here is a hilarious link from the Religion of Peace site:
Offended Muslim Syndrome and Self-Help Support groups
Posted by: exdemexlib at December 17, 2007 07:26 AM
"Shadows of their own images" would make a great title of a book about the importance of an independent sense-of-self unconnected to what others think of you.
Posted by: Barzilai at December 17, 2007 07:45 AM
Kishke:
Good pop psychology.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 17, 2007 12:02 PM
Exdem:
Absolutely. I'll post about the actors who have had admirable personal lives. All five of them.
Thanks for the great link.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 17, 2007 12:04 PM
Barzilai:
Yes, it is a catchy title. I'll keep it on file.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 17, 2007 12:06 PM
As a fan of old movies and, therefore, the stories of old movie stars, and thought this a delightful story.
Posted by: Bookworm at December 18, 2007 10:14 AM
Bookworm:
Thanks so much for checking in. Not many people know about Linda Darnell. She deserves to be remembered.
Posted by: Robert J. Avrech at December 18, 2007 12:11 PM