—Fred Astaire
The Galician Milkmaid, 1925
—Elizabeth Taylor
Late Afternoon, 1931
Oil on canvas
30 3/16 x 22 1/8 in.
Written by Billy Wilder, I. A. L. Diamond
—Carole Landis
Carole Landis committed suicide July 5, 1948, at the age of 29.
L’Amitie, Friendship, Paris, 1952
Rest
1905
oil on canvas
H. 49.5; L. 46.5
Orsay Museum, Paris, France
Ms. Ann Hayes, England, 1934
by Arnold Schwartzbart
Clay, glazed, 22K gold leaf, bronze rods and enameled copper tags
14″ high, 18″ wide
Kyoto, Japan, 1974
That picture on the 2 friends is priceless
Of all the things I have read here over the years, the night Carole Landis was with Rex Harrison has always stood out for me.
Prophet Joe:
Carole Landis was having an affair with the married Rex Harrison. At some point she understood that their relationship was going nowhere. She became depressed and took an overdose of sleeping pills. We can say that Rex was a cad who treated her badly, but he did not kill her. Landis was a troubled young woman who made some very bad choices, personally and professionally. Sadly, none of her films are very good. Though she did have a nice light touch for comedy. I choose to remember her for her incredible work entertaining the troops during WWII.
My arm is getting better every day. Thanks for asking.
It’s funny, but I never really knew much about Carole Landis despite my love of old Hollywood, mostly because (as you said) her films weren’t very good, so they never had a life in rep cinemas. Can you think of another Golden Age actor or actress whose reputation – perhaps undeservedly – is obscure because they never had the good luck to be in a film with Bogart or Jimmy Stewart, or in a film directed by canonical directors like Ford or Wyler?
I’m thinking of Marion Davies – although,, at least to me, was Hearst’s pushing her into dramatic roles when her forte was comedy. Charlie Chaplin considered her to be the best comedienne.
That watch looks interesting, but I think you’re right about the boat load of money! I like the car and the photos of Elizabeth Taylor and Ann Hayes. I also like Fred Astaire’s philosophy.
Carole Landis is another story. She was (reportedly) sexually abused at a young age, slept her way up the ladder in Hollywood (not exactly a unique event for actors and actresses), then committed suicide at 29. She was noted for her support of the armed forces in WW II — she even got her pilot’s license and joined the Civil Air Patrol. Do you have any opinion on the claims that “Sexy Rexy” actually killed her?
And I haven’t seen any update on your recovery… how is it coming along?