Category Archives: Femme Fatales

March 8, 2013 · 10:42 pm

Femme Fatales | Jean Harlow

The “Femme Fatale” segment on NoirWhale.com is designed to highlight the life and merits of exceptional film noir actresses. These women are the embodiment of the femme fatale archetype, and propel possibly the most recognizable and integral theme in the noir genre.

Harlean Harlow Carpenter (March 3, 1911 – June 7, 1937) (via doctormacro.com)

“When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.”

Jean Harlow, commonly called ‘the Blonde Bombshell’ or ‘the Platinum Blonde,’ was born Harlean Harlow Carpenter on March 3rd, 1911. So much has been said about her illustrious career and iconic sex appeal that I won’t claim this article to be an exhaustive biography– But! I would like to dwell for a few paragraphs on some of (what I found to be) the most interesting aspects and intricacies of her incredible life. I hope you’ll appreciate the reflection and forgive me the authorial liberty I take in ignoring broad strokes of her history.

In retrospect, the commanding presence of this little blonde lady from Kansas City Missouri during the 1930s is indeed remarkable. At that point in American Film, she was undoubtedly the most sexually magnetic actress on the silver screen– and having achieved this reputation at such a young age her future had the appearance of all the worldly splendor fame provides. Sadly renal failure at age 26 robbed her of this, and robbed the clamouring masses likewise. (Renal failure, for those curious, is when your kidneys no longer adequately filter waste products from the blood).

As a child in Kansas, she was nicknamed “The Baby,” and this sobriquet stuck with her until her death. Oddly enough, she didn’t learn that her name was Harlean and not “Baby” until she was five years old when she was enrolled in finishing school. When her mother and father divorced in 1922, “Baby” moved with her mother Jean to Hollywood (who hoped to become an actress herself, but was considered too old). Although she bounced back to Kansas, then Michigan, then Illinois, she would return to Los Angeles as a married woman in 1928. Her husband, Chuck McGrew, was heir to fortune, and she embraced the life of a socialite in LA (I’m told she did quite well for herself).

She made friends with an aspiring actress and was spotted and approached by Fox executives while sitting in her car outside a casting. Rather against her will, she was roped into auditioning and accepting several minor roles by her persistant mother (who at that time lived nearby). These films were not wildly successful and she struggled to gain traction, and it was during this time period that she was divorced from McGrew but everything changed in 1931 when she was cast with Loretta Young in Platinum Blonde.

In a stroke of marketing genius Howard Hughes publicity machine coined Harlow’s hair color ‘platinum’and created a bleaching craze accross the nation. As a result, “Baby’s” personal appearances were packed, excited affairs (and all this in spite of critical disgust for her acting ability).

Superstardom arrived at MGM– when she was signed for a contract and given the leading role in Red-Headed Woman (again with the hair, right?) She began to star opposite powerful leading men; six films with Clark Gable, a few with Spencer Tracy and William Powell. Apparently she even helped a few up-and-comers get started: Robert Taylor and Franchot Tone.

Let’s talk femme fatale appeal– MGM tried to change her public persona, they were angling for a more mainstream ‘apple pie’ look, but they couldn’t quell the nation’s hunger for the brash, poised, and sexual Platinum Harlow.

Her second husband, Paul Bern, was found shot dead in their home, and there were rumors that Harlow had committed the crime herself but none of the accusations stuck. The scandal only propelled her further into stardom.

She began an illicit affair with a married boxer named Max Baer (any of this starting to sound torn from the pages of the pulp rags?)– she was even censured in their divorce proceedings as an adultress. To save face, MGM arranged a marriage between Harlow and Harold Rosson (a cinematographer)– it worked, and Harlow and Rosson were able to discreetly divorce several months later.

During these subsequent scandals, Harlow was still acting prolifically and James Stewart (who was opposite her in Wife vs. Secretary) shares one of my favorite “Blonde Bombshell” stories:

“Clarence Brown, the director, wasn’t too pleased by the way I did the smooching. He made us repeat the scene about half a dozen times…I botched it up on purpose. That Jean Harlow sure was a good kisser. I realized that until then I had never been really kissed.”

In 1937 her health took a serious dive that ended with her in a coma. She never woke up. Like the beautiful sirens of Poe’s visions, she was stolen in the full flush of youth. Thus she’ll will remain in her beauty forever, whilst we are steeped in woe.

I’m proud to add her to the side-bar line up of immortal dames on noirwhale.com

“My God, must I always wear a low-cut dress to be important?”

Jean Harlow George Hurrell 1933 Dinner At Eight

by George Hurrell (Dinner At Eight, 1933) (via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

12th August 1932 by Clarence Sinclair Bull (via doctormacro.com)

15th June 1932 (via doctormacro.com)

by Margaret Chute, Hell’s Angels 1930 (via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

(via doctormacro.com)

(via thingscanhope.tumblr.com)

1934 (via doctormacro.com)

with Clark Gable in Red Dust 1932 (via doctormacro.com)

(via shhshesabombshell.tumblr.com)

(via marisacm55.tumblr.com)

*All biographical details obtained from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Harlow

*Quotes obtained from:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/j/jean_harlow.html

5 Comments

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Blonde Bombshell, Clark Gable, Femme Fatales, Jean Harlow, Platinum Blonde

January 21, 2013 · 9:03 pm

Femme Fatales | Bette Davis

Bette Davis. April 5th, 1908 to October 6th, 1989 (via womenoftheperformingarts.tumblr.com)

“I’m the nicest goddamn dame that ever lived.”

Ruth Elizabeth Davis, simply ‘Bette’ to those of us who recognize her, was born on April 5th, 1908. As potentially the greatest American actress of all time, books are filled with her film exploits (she appeared in more than 100) and other professional accomplishments– culminating in her tragic battle with breast cancer which ended her life at age 81.

She was the first actor/actress to ever reach ten Academy Award Nominations, and she won the award for Best Actress twice. In 1999, the American Film Institute ranked her as the 2nd greatest female star of all time (she was second only to Katharine Hepburn). She was also the first woman ever to receive the Lifetime Achievement award from the same organization.

Stylistically, she’s known for intensity and perfectionism– characterized by a penchant for confrontation. Costars, studio executives, and film directors frequently ‘locked horns’ with the starlet, who was unflinching in sharing her opinions and issuing demands. Her candid approach, curt tone, and signature cigarette became recognizable trademarks, neatly folded into the femme fatale archetype by the hard-boiled authors of the era.

“My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose.”

Bette didn’t arrive in Hollywood until 1930, and was greeted by a surprising amount of failure. She was told she didn’t “look like an actress,” and failed her first screen test. Hilariously, she relates in a 1971 interview with Dick Cavett, “I was the most Yankee-est, most modest virgin who ever walked the earth. They laid me on a couch, and I tested fifteen men … They all had to lie on top of me and give me a passionate kiss. Oh, I thought I would die. Just thought I would die.” Her break arrived in the mercy of George Arliss, who gave her the lead in The Man Who Played God (1932) after her disappointing flops in many unsuccessful films. The success of the picture earned her respect, and more importantly a contract with Warner Brothers Studios.

She had to fight the unforgiving press, who teased her first husband Harmon “Ham” Nelson for earning only a tenth of her income (he took home $100.00 per week, she $1000.00). Ham refused to allow her to purchase a house until he could afford it himself. (During this period, Bette had several abortions).

Famously, Bette took Warner Brothers Studios to court in order to free herself of her contract. She felt that they had consigned her to mediocre films and were ultimately halting her career. She lost, but the trial was important to the development of Hollywood as we know it today.

She was cast in several memorable films, Marked Woman (1937) and Jezebel (1938) particularly, and it was during this period that she began to cheat on her husband (with Directors William Wyler and Howard Hughes). They were soon divorced. She collected 4 husbands before her death, though each marriage didn’t last; three ended in divorce and one made Bette a widow. Sadly, as she declined in her late years her reputation as a ‘bitch’ became the popular refrain. ‘Bitch’ or not, she was one helluva talent.

Her feud with Joan Crawford is legendary, and whether the hate was sincere or exaggerated its certainly entertaining. I’ve appended a wonderful anecdote about the inception of their catfight:

A little investigation shows that these two cinematic giants were reduced to duking it out over, what else, a man. Namely, the slightly less legendary, Franchot Tone. Bette starred alongside Franchot in the 1935 film Dangerous, a part for which she won her first Academy Award. Tone played a handsome architect to Bette’s alcoholic actress and she was soon smitten.

Said Bette “I fell in love with Franchot, professionally and privately. Everything about him reflected his elegance, from his name to his manners.” It’s a pity this debonair actor inspired decades of tit-for-tat cat fighting.

Joan Crawford, at that time, was MGM’s reigning sex symbol. Newly divorced and on the prowl, she invited Tone over for dinner, only to greet him naked, in her solarium. Whether it was the nudity or the possibility of free tanning sessions, Franchot was hooked and Joan made sure Bette knew about it.

(visit : http://www.queensofvintage.com/bette-davis-vs-joan-crawford/ to read more)

Bette Davis is inseparably attached to the femme fatale archetype, and is possibly the most recognizable film noir starlet of them all. Her success is hardly measurable, the reach of her films universal. There is nothing I can say about her that hasn’t already been said, so I won’t try. Thanks for the memories Bette.

“In this business, until you’re known as a monster you’re not a star.”

(via sharontates.tumblr.com)

for Now, Voyager 1942 (via bogarted.tumblr.com)

(via completelyunproductive.tumblr.com)

Bette Davis Whatever Happened to Baby Jane 1962

in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? (1962) (via camberwellfoxes.tumblr.com)

Promoting her Autobiography (via christopherniquet.tumblr.com)

(via smoulderingspirit.tumblr.com)

(via vintagebreeze.tumblr.com)

(via miss-revolt.tumblr.com)

(via julia-loves-bette-davis.tumblr.com)

(via callumswood.tumblr.com)

(via all-about-bette.tumblr.com)

(via aminkston.tumblr.com)

(via mysilverscreendream.tumblr.com)

(via nancysissynelly.tumblr.com)

(via julia-loves-bette-davis.tumblr.com)

with a Falcon (via robertpina99.tumblr.com)

getting her hair done (via pollypocket3674.tumblr.com)

(via silknightgownwithrosebuds.tumblr.com)

(via lesgrandsclassiques.tumblr.com)

(via figililly.tumblr.com)

Ann Dvorak Joan Blondell and Bette Davis Three on a Match 1932

with Ann Dvorak and Joan Blondell. Three on a Match (1932) (via miss-flapper.tumblr.com)

with Joan Crawford. (via i-love-old-hollywood.tumblr.com)

(via evaunderwater.tumblr.com)

(via pollypocket3674.tumblr.com)

*ALL biographical details were obtained from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Davis

*ALL quotes were obtained from:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/bette_davis.html

1 Comment

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as ann dvorak, bette davis, Femme Fatale, Femme Fatales, joan crawford

December 3, 2012 · 6:29 pm

Femme Fatales | Gloria Grahame

Gloria Grahame (November 28, 1923- October 5, 1981) (via zanshinart.tumblr.com)

“I don’t think I ever understood Hollywood.”

This article is far from an exhaustive look at one of the most famous femme fatales of the film noir genre, but rather a sampling of facts about her incredible life.

Gloria Grahame was Gloria Hallward when she was born. Her mother was a British stage actress who used the name Jean Grahame, thus Gloria adopted the surname when she became an actress herself. Her older sister Joy Hallward was also an actress and she married Robert Mitchum’s little brother.

Gloria was signed to MGM Studios after performing on Broadway for several years. Her debut film was Blonde Fever (1944), but most famously she was cast as Violet Bick in It’s a Wonderful Life (1946). Although she received great praise for the role, she was quickly typecast as the femme fatale in several film noir projects. Her first Oscar nomination (for Best Supporting Actress) was for her role as “Ginny” in the film Crossfire (1947). But She didn’t win an Academy Award until her performance as “Rosemary” in The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) (where she co-starred opposite Lana Turner and Kirk Douglas).

The femme fatale roles kept coming; Irene Nieves in Sudden Fear (1952), Vicki Buckley in Human Desire (1953), and Debby Marsh in Fritz Lang’s classic The Big Heat (1953).

“It wasn’t the way I looked at a man, it was the thought behind it.”

Sadly, Gloria’s insecurity about the appearance of her upper lip led her to plastic surgery and dental operations. The procedures left her lip paralyzed due to nerve damage, and her career never returned to its previous heights. Coupled with an ill-received performance in the musical film Oklahoma! (1955), she found few supporters left in Hollywood. Gloria, without other options, returned to the stage.

Although she was married four times, her relationships with Nicholas Ray and Anthony Ray were the most high profile. She married Nicholas in 1948 (a director, Rebel Without a Cause (1955) among others) and they had one child, Timothy. Their marriage ended when Nicholas walked in on Gloria and his 13 year old son Anthony having sex. She later went on to marry Anthony, and they had two children, Anthony Jr and James, before their inevitable divorce.

Grahame was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1980 but she refused to accept surgery (she didn’t believe that she had the disease, she wouldn’t acknowledge it). Instead of treatment, she flew to England to perform in a play. She suffered from a perforated bowel when a procedure to drain fluid from her stomach didn’t go smoothly. This mishap resulted in her death at age 57.

Like many femme fatales featured here, Gloria Grahame’s life was as noir as the dames she portrayed. She was an incredibly talented, tragic, and fascinating woman.

“There’s always a race against time. I don’t think for one moment that life gets better. How can it? One’s body starts to fall apart.”

(via bohemianmile.tumblr.com)

1954, Photo by Laszlo Willinger (via missavagardner.tumblr.com)

1955 (via bogarted.tumblr.com)

1947, (via macey-mae.tumblr.com)

1971, (via whataboutbobbed.tumblr.com)

Smiling (via thisisnodream.tumblr.com)

1979, two years before her death (via bobertsbobgomery.tumblr.com)

The Cobweb (1955) (via blueruins.tumblr.com)

1946, (via missavagardner.tumblr.com)

(via sala66.tumblr.com)

(via screengoddess.tumblr.com)

(via bogarted.tumblr.com)

(via whenwewerecool.tumblr.com)

with Glenn Ford, The Big Heat (1953) (via thebluevelvetgoldmine.tumblr.com)

Gloria Grahame Sterling Hayden Naked Alibi 1954

with Sterling Hayden, Naked Alibi (1954) (via vintagebreeze.tumblr.com)

with husband Nicolas Ray (via thecolorofnoir.tumblr.com)

In a Lonely Place 1950 Nicolas Ray Humphrey Bogart Gloria Grahame

with Humphrey Bogart, In a Lonely Place (1950) directed by husband Nicolas Ray (via retroadv.tumblr.com)

with Humphrey Bogart (via golden-films.com)

(via gloria-grahame.tumblr.com)

*All biographical details were obtained from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloria_Grahame

*All quotes were obtained from:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/g/gloria_grahame.html

Femme Fatales | Lana Turner

Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 – June 29, 1995) (via listal.com)

“A gentleman is simply a patient wolf.”

Lana was born Julia Jean Turner in Wallace, Idaho. As a girl, she was lovingly called “Judy” by family and friends, but changed her name when she became a professional actress at 16. Her father, John Turner, was a miner from Tennessee who was murdered at age 27. Money problems had forced the family to move to San Francisco, and John had started gambling in an effort to bring home extra earnings. It’s believed that on December 14th in 1930, he won a bit of cash at a traveling craps game and stashed it in his left sock. He never made it home. Later, his body was found on a street corner, left shoe and sock missing. Tragically, the murder was never solved.

Famously, Lana caught her big break at a Hollywood drug store. She was skipping a typing class and decided to stop into the Top Hat Cafe located on Sunset Boulevard for a Coca-Cola. She was spotted by William R. Wilkerson (The Hollywood Reporter), who then referred her to Zeppo Marx. Lana was signed and cast quickly in her first film: They Won’t Forget (1937). Her form-fitting attire in the film earned her the nickname “The Sweater Girl”– a nickname which she hated.

Ms. Turner became wildly famous in the 1940s and 1950s due to her roles in such films as: Ziegfeld Girl (1941), Johnny Eager (1942), and Slightly Dangerous (1943)– her popularity and extreme beauty casting her as a favorite pin-up girl for our servicemen overseas. But Lana didn’t truly become a femme fatale until after the war.

She co-starred opposite John Garfield in the immensely successful film noir, The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) (a James Cain adaptation). Even though she received critical praise as an actress for the first time, she famously complained about Garfield’s appearance, saying “Couldn’t they at least hire someone attractive?”

In 1957, Lana began a relationship with mobster Johnny Stompanato, a man known for his good looks and ties to Mickey Cohen in the L.A. criminal underworld. She tried several times to end their affair, but Johnny wouldn’t have it. They argued incessantly, and he frequently beat her up.

“In the fall of 1957, Stompanato followed Turner to England where she was filming Another Time, Another Place (1958) costarring Sean Connery. Afraid that Turner was having an affair with Connery, Stompanato stormed onto the set brandishing a gun. Connery punched Stompanato’s jaw once and took away his gun. Stompanato was soon deported by Scotland Yard for the incident.”

On an infamous night in April 1958, Johnny and Lana had an especially violent argument at her house in Beverly Hills. As it escalated, Lana’s 14 year old daughter Cheryl began to fear for her mother’s life. Hefting a kitchen knife, Cheryl ran to Lana’s aid, stabbing Mr. Stompanato–killing him. The event was tabloid fodder overnight, but the courts ruled it justifiable homicide in light of Lana’s dramatic testimony. Observers have said, “her testimony that day was the acting performance of her life.”

Notoriously, Turner was married eight times to seven different husbands: Artie Shaw, Joseph Stephen Crane, Henry J. Topping Jr., Lex Barker, Fred May, Robert P.Eaton, and Ronald Pellar. She said late in her life, “My goal was to have one husband and seven children, but it turned out to be the other way around.” (Joseph Stephen Crane is the father of her daughter Cheryl). Sadly, in 1982 Lana’s memoir revealed that she had been through three stillbirths and two abortions. She also acknowledges her struggle with alcoholism and attempted suicide.

In true femme fatale fashion, Lana Turner was a heavy smoker, and it eventually killed her. She died of complications from throat cancer in 1995.

Tragically, Lana didn’t only act in noir films, she lived a noir life. She added to the genre immensely with The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946), but she couldn’t escape the genre in her personal life.

“A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man.”

(via lanaturner.org)

(via lanaturner.org)

(via stirredstraightup.blogspot.com)

(via magicmonkeyboy.blogspot.com)

(via lanaturner.org)

(via listal.com)

(via listal.com)

(via lovethoseclassicmovies.blogspot.com)

(via lanaturner.org)

(via listal.com)

“The Sweater Girl” (via lanaturner.org)

Lana Turner, Stephen Crane, and Cheryl

Lana Turner lights Ava Gardner’s cigarette (via lanaturner.org)

Lana Turner and Clark Gable (via lanaturner.org)

John Garfield and Lana Turner (via listal.com)

The Postman Always Rings Twice Lana Turner

The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) (via listal.com)

Lana Turner and Johnny Stompanato (via latimesblogs.latimes.com)

(lanaturner.org)

*All biographical details were obtained from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lana_Turner

*All quotes were obtained from:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/l/lana_turner.html

1 Comment

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Ava Gardner, Clark Gable, Femme Fatales, Film Noir, Johnny Stompanato, Lana Turner

September 20, 2012 · 4:34 pm

Femme Fatales | Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot (September 28, 1934- Present) (via vintagegal.tumblr.com)

“I’m a girl from a good family who was very well brought up. One day I turned my back on it all and became a bohemian.”

Brigitte Bardot was born on September 28th, 1934 in Paris. She was reared in a practicing Roman Catholic home, and shared her childhood with a younger sister named Marie-Jeanne. As little girls, they enrolled in local dance classes. Although Marie-Jeanne gave up the art, Brigitte continued to pursue ballet as a teenager.

She was accepted to the prestigious Conservatory of Paris and studied ballet with the Russian choreographer Boris Knyazev for three years. Her fellow dancers gave her the affectionate nick name, ‘bichette,’ which means ‘little doe.’ Unfortunately, Bichette was not bound for the dancer’s stage, she was bound for the screen.

In 1949, a family friend invited petite ‘BB’ to model in a fashion show. The event sparked several magazine/photoshoot opportunities for Brigitte, who landed on the cover of ELLE magazine in March of 1950. Professional momentum was gathering for the fifteen year old, when the ELLE shoot was noticed by the film director Roger Vadim. Enchanted by Ms. Bardot, He invited her to audition for an upcoming film.

Her film debut was in Le Trou Normand (Crazy Love) in 1952, and spun her into higher and higher circles. Most memorably, she smoldered in the films And God Created Woman (1956) and Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mepris (Contempt) (1963). Both were extremely provocative, and garnered acclaim from critics and audiences alike. Sexy Bardot was propelled to the ‘sex-icon’ stratosphere, and thrived as a model and an actress known for her sultry gifts.

Notoriously, she’s known for refusing to work in Hollywood regardless of offers sent her way. This boycott may have been one of the reasons she became so beloved by the French people, who looked to her as a great symbol of their own. Even “Marianne,” the faceless emblem of France was given Bardot’s likeness in honor of her. Simone de Beauvoir called her a “locomotive of woman’s history” and declared her the most liberated woman of post-war France.

At 18 she married Roger Vadim, but it didn’t last. She was found embroiled in an affair with Jean-Louis Trintignant while they worked together on the film And God Created Woman. Tragically, Jean-Louis was also married at the time. Each divorced their spouses, then Jean-Louis and BB lived together. This was also short term, for within two years Bardot was in bed with the musician Gilbert Becaud, and Jean-Louis walked.

“It’s better to be unfaithful than faithful without wanting to be.”

John Gilmore, an Actor/True-Crime author, shared a brief fling with her in the late ’50s, but it was fleeting. He spoke critically of BB (perhaps unfairly), “I felt a beautiful warmth with Bardot but found it difficult to discuss things in any depth whatsoever.” Brigitte’s only son, Nicolas-Jacques, is from her second ex-husband Jacques Charrier whom she married in ’59 and divorced in ’62. In ’66 she shared another 3-year marriage with the German millionaire playboy Gunter Sachs.

In 1973, Brigitte retired from acting. She said it was “a way to get out elegantly.” In the end, she had starred in 47 films, opposite names such as Alain Delon, Jean Gabin, Sean Connery, Claudia Cardinale, Kirk Douglas, and Jeanne Moreau.

BB didn’t marry again until the ’90s (I can’t blame her). She and Bernard d’Ormale tied the last knot in her life in ’92. They are still married presently. The latter part of her life has been dedicated to animal activism.

“I started out as a lousy actress and have remained one.”

(via bastardous.tumblr.com)

(via hepburnatheart.tumblr.com)

(via jmcuellar.tumblr.com)

(via r-o-m-a-n-o-v.tumblr.com)

(via bloodyalba.tumblr.com)

(via cinemamonamour.tumblr.com)

(via haak-haak.tumblr.com)

(via digitrix.tumblr.com)

(via madelineashton.tumblr.com)

(via deckobservatory.tumblr.com)

(via missavagardner.tumblr.com)

(via msninette.tumblr.com)

(via hollyhocksandtulips.tumblr.com)

Le Mepris (via cosmosonic.tumblr.com)

Pablo Picasso and Brigitte Bardot (via bloodyalba.tumblr.com)

Jean-Luc Godard and Brigitte Bardot (via lanostalgiedujour.tumblr.com)

(via 1lifetimeisnotenough.tumblr.com)

(via brigittebardotbb.tumblr.com)

Facts:

The “Bardot Neckline” is named for her; This is when a shirt has a wide neck that exposes the shoulders.
Brigitte helped to popularize bikinis, from her wearing them in early films.
Bob Dylan dedicated the first song he ever wrote to her.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney idolized her when they were young. Lennon met her later in his life (on LSD) at the Mayfair Hotel in 1968. He recalled, “I was on acid and she was on her way out.” Apparently he was unimpressed with her.

*All Biographical Details from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brigitte_Bardot

*All Quotes from:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/b/brigitte_bardot.html

2 Comments

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Brigitte Bardot, Femme Fatale

August 27, 2012 · 9:54 pm

Femme Fatales | Anna May Wong

January 3, 1905 – February 3, 1961 (via secretcinema1.tumblr.com)

“Every time your picture is taken, you lose a part of your soul.”

Anna May Wong was born on January 3rd, 1905 near the Chinatown neighborhood in Los Angeles. Born Wong Liu Tsong (meaning “frosted yellow willows”) she was the second of 7 children born to 2nd generation Chinese-American parents. As a child, she became obsessed with movies and spent much of her time in the nickelodeon theaters. She decided early that her future was on the silver screen, and at age 9 she began to beg film makers in her area for parts. Her relentless begging earned her the nickname “C.C.C.” meaning, “Curious Chinese Child.” By age 11 she had already determined that her film name would be Anna May Wong.

She was an extra in a great variety of films in her early career, and she eventually dropped out of high-school to pursue her acting full time in 1921. At age 17 she played her first leading roll, landing the lead in The Toll of the Sea (1922). She received great acclaim for the performance, but Hollywood seemed reluctant to provide her with the opportunities her talent deserved. Equally tragic, she was a victim of the U.S.’s anti-miscegenation laws which prevented her from sharing an onscreen kiss with any person of another race (even if that person were a white-male portraying an Asian man). Because there were no Asian leading men, Anna was prevented from becoming a leading lady. As a result, she was given dozens of supporting roles in which she performed admirably (even if she was disappointed and unfulfilled).

“I was so tired of the parts I had to play. There seems little for me in Hollywood, because, rather than real Chinese, producers prefer Hungarians, Mexicans, American Indians for Chinese roles.”

In 1926, Anna was given the honor of placing the first rivet into the structure of the famous Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. She was never allowed to leave her hand or footprints in the cement there though. Sadly, she was given many roles that stereotyped Asian women and this troubled her. In 1928 Wong left the U.S. for other opportunities in Europe. Overseas, she’s best known for her performance in Piccadilly (1929), which was her last silent film. Although the lead had been granted to Gilda Grey, it was widely accepted that Wong “steals the show.”

While in Germany, Wong became an inseparable friend of the director Leni Riefenstahl. Her close friendships with several women throughout her life, including Marlene Dietrich and Cecil Cunningham, led to rumors of lesbianism which damaged her public reputation.These rumors, in particular of her supposed relationship with Dietrich, embarrassed Wong’s family who in any case had long been opposed to her acting career, at that time not considered to be an entirely respectable profession.

Her success in Europe ironically enticed the American Studio, Paramount Pictures, to offer her a meaty contract. Excited by the possibility of serious/leading roles, Anna agreed and returned to the states. In Shanghai Express (1932), she starred alongside Marlene Dietrich but received very mixed reviews.

In 1937, the greatest tragedy of Anna May Wong’s career took place:

In the 1930s, the popularity of Pearl Buck’s novels, especially The Good Earth, as well as growing American sympathy for China in its struggles with Japanese Imperialism, opened up opportunities for more positive Chinese roles in U.S. films. Wong returned to the U.S. in June 1935 with the goal of obtaining the role of O-lan, the lead female character in MGM’s film version of The Good Earth. Since its publication in 1931, Wong had made known her desire to play O-lan in a film version of the book; and as early as 1933, Los Angeles newspapers were touting Wong as the best choice for the part. Nevertheless, the studio apparently never seriously considered Wong for the role because Paul Muni, an actor of European descent, was to play O-lan’s husband, Wang Lung. The Chinese government also advised the studio against casting Wong in the role. The Chinese advisor to MGM commented: “whenever she appears in a movie, the newspapers print her picture with the caption ‘Anna May again loses face for China’ “.

According to Wong, she was instead offered the part of Lotus, a deceitful song girl who helps to destroy the family and seduces the family’s oldest son. Wong refused the role, telling MGM head of production Irving Thalberg, “If you let me play O-lan, I will be very glad. But you’re asking me – with Chinese blood – to do the only unsympathetic role in the picture featuring an all-American cast portraying Chinese characters.” The role Wong hoped for went to Luise Rainer, who won the Best Actress Oscar for her performance. Wong’s sister, Mary Liu Heung Wong, appeared in the film in the role of the Little Bride. MGM’s refusal to consider Wong for this most high-profile of Chinese characters in U.S. film is remembered today as “one of the most notorious cases of casting discrimination in the 1930s”.

Anna was an incredible actress who became a reluctant victim of the era she lived in. Even at the end of her life she was still combating stereotypical and embarrassing roles. She died on February 3rd, 1961 of a heart attack as she slept in her home.

“Why is it that the screen Chinese is always the villain? And so crude a villain – murderous, treacherous, a snake in the grass! We are not like that. How could we be, with a civilization that is so many times older than the West?

(via vintagebeauties.tumblr.com)

(via iloveretro.tumblr.com)

Anna in Piccadilly 1929 (via positivelythesamedame.tumblr.com)

(via gilbogarbage.tumblr.com)

(via miss-flapper.tumblr.com)

(via orsons.tumblr.com)

(via screengoddess.tumblr.com)

(via womenofthe30s-70s.tumblr.com)

(via plasticwatch.tumblr.com)

(via perfectglare.tumblr.com)

(via worldclasssnob.tumblr.com)

(via kino-obscura.tumblr.com)

(via dreaminparis.tumblr.com)

Shanghai Express 1932 (via those-strange-eyes.tumblr.com)

Marlene Dietrich Anna May Wong Leni Riefenstahl

On Set: Shanghai Express 1932 (via those-strange-eyes.tumblr.com)

Film Noir Anna May Wong Shanghai Express 1932

Shanghai Express (via garconniere.tumblr.com)

*All Biographical Details and Quotes from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_May_Wong

7 Comments

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Anna May Wong, Femme Fatale, Marlene Dietrich

July 23, 2012 · 8:50 pm

Femme Fatales | Jean Seberg

November 13, 1938- August 30, 1979 (via the60livehere.tumblr.com)

“Money doesn`t buy happiness. But happiness isn`t everything.”

Jean Seberg was born on November 13th, 1938 in Marshalltown Iowa to working class parents. Her mother was a substitute teacher, and her father was a pharmacist. She didn’t make her film debut until 1957, when she appeared in Saint Joan after being discovered by Otto Preminger (who conducted a $150,000 dollar talent search). She said of the experience:

“I have two memories of Saint Joan. The first was being burned at the stake in the picture. The second was being burned at the stake by the critics. The latter hurt more. I was scared like a rabbit and it showed on the screen. It was not a good experience at all. I started where most actresses end up.”

After facing considerable criticism for her acting in the States, she spent time filming overseas; most notably her roles in the French New Wave. She most famously appeared as Patricia in Godard’s Breathless (1960) opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo. The film went on to become an international success, and she was praised worldwide for her performance. This notoriety led to her continued work in the genre, opening up many pleasing offers that otherwise would have remained closed to her in the U.S..

What happened next is a matter of great debate: At the height of her fame, she suddenly stopped acting in Hollywood. Many point to a FBI smear campaign that was directed at Jean because of the great financial support she offered various Civil Rights groups (NAACP, The Black Panthers, Mesquaki Bucks). Other potential reasons for the campaign were alleged interracial sexual relationships Jean was said to have had. From the wiki:

“The FBI operation against Seberg used COINTELPRO program techniques to harass, intimidate, defame and discredit the well-known actress. The FBI’s stated goal was an unspecified “neutralization” of Ms. Seberg; all intended to be done while hiding FBI involvement. One stated FBI subsidiary objective was to “cause her embarrassment and serve to cheapen her image with the public,” while taking the “usual precautions to avoid identification of the Bureau.” FBI strategy and modalities can be found in FBI inter-office memos, since declassified and released to the public under FOIA.”

In 1970, when Ms. Seberg was pregnant, the FBI created a false story that the child she was carrying was actually fathered by a member of The Black Panther party and not her then husband Romain Gary. She gave birth to an infant girl named Nina, who died after only 2 days. Jean held an open casket burial so that onlookers would see the child’s white skin and put the rumors to rest. According to those closest to Jean, she suffered years of intimidation, break-ins, wiretapping, and tailing by FBI operatives. In one document released to the public, Ms. Seberg is referred to as “the alleged promiscuous and sex-perverted white actress.”

With such a body of horrifying evidence before us, it’s difficult to believe that the FBI had nothing to do with the suspicious circumstances surrounding her death. In August 1979, she went missing for eleven days. She was eventually found dead in the back of her car, parked outside her apartment in Paris. Her official cause of death was noted as an overdose of barbiturates and alcohol leading to suicide. A note was found in her hand that read, “Forgive me. I can no longer live with my nerves.” Questions have risen concerning the enormous alcohol levels in her blood and her lack of driving glasses as potential signs of foul play; for how could she have operated the vehicle? Why was she in the back seat?

Jean Seberg is a modern icon of style, and most definitely an incredible femme fatale. I feel so disgusted that she could be the victim of such bullying at the hands of an institution we currently uphold.

“I am taken up into all the beauty and terror. I am riding in blue-dust clouds.”

(via aimsterskitz0rz.tumblr.com)

(via theteenagegrandma.tumblr.com)

(via cosmosonic.tumblr.com)

(via retroadv.tumblr.com)

(via whenwewerecool.tumblr.com)

(via theniftyfifties.tumblr.com)

(via thecinematicfrenchie.tumblr.com)

(via nativethoughts.tumblr.com)

(via claibourn.tumblr.com)

(via the60stwist.tumblr.com)

(via hostsonaten.tumblr.com)

Breathless (1960) (via rockandrollfantasy.tumblr.com)

*All biographical details were obtained from : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Seberg

*All quotes were obtained from: http://quotes.lucywho.com/jean-seberg-quotes-t16737.html and http://violentwavesofemotion.tumblr.com/

1 Comment

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Femme Fatale, jean seberg, jean-luc godard, jean-paul belmondo

June 25, 2012 · 7:35 pm

Femme Fatales | Sophia Loren

Sophia Loren (1934-Present) (via pandas-are-black-white-and-asian.tumblr.com)

“Sex appeal is fifty percent what you’ve got and fifty percent what people think you’ve got.”

Born Sophia Villani Scicolone on the 20th of September in 1934 in Rome Italy, Sophia is the oldest of 4 siblings (one sister and two half brothers). During World War II, the area in which she lived was a frequent bombing target of the Allied forces. As one such bombing raid commenced she was struck on the chin by a piece of shrapnel as she ran for cover. At age 14 she entered a formal beauty contest in Naples, and although she was not crowned the winner, she was named as one of the finalists. A short time later she enrolled in acting classes and received her first assignment as an actress being an extra in the film Quo Vadis (1951).

Sophia’s first starring role was in the film Aida (1953), but her breakthrough role was in The Gold of Naples (1954). Over the next three years she starred in films opposite great leading men such as: Marcello Mastroianni, John Wayne, Cary Grant, and Frank Sinatra. A five film contract with Paramount Pictures saw her launched into the realm of international stardom in 1958. In 1961, she starred in the film Two Women, which was the story of a mother trying to protect her daughter in war-torn Italy. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance and became the first actress to win the award for a non-English performance.

Throughout the 1960s, she was one of the most famous actresses in the world. Her fame reached it’s pinnacle when she was paid a whopping $1 million dollars to appear in The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964). During this era, her list of famous co-stars grew: Anthony Perkins, Peter Sellers, Clark Gable, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, and Marlon Brando.

She has continued to act and contribute to cinema up to the current day, starring in the film Nine (2009) opposite modern greats: Daniel Day-Lewis, Penelope Cruz, Kate Hudson, Marion Cotillard, and Nicole Kidman.

Sophia owns homes in Geneva Switzerland, Naples, and Rome. In 1999, she filed lawsuits against 76 pornographic websites for posting altered nude photos of her on the internet. She’s a devout Roman Catholic.

Sophia Loren is number 21 of 25 greatest female film stars of all time. She’s an Italian femme fatale, and an incredible addition to the noir genre.

“A woman’s dress should be like a barbed-wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view.”

(via arrowtime.tumblr.com)

(via everythingyntk.tumblr.com)

(via darlingohara.tumblr.com)

(via elizabitchtaylor.tumblr.com)

: (via i-love-old-hollywood.tumblr.com)

(via sofiaorsophia.tumblr.com)

(via insideofroses.tumblr.com)

(via cinemamonamour.tumblr.com)

(via goodbye-future-hellow-past.tumblr.com)

(via the60sbazaar.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Sophia Loren Elvis Presley

Elvis Presley and Sophia Loren (via sintonizando.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Sophia Loren Jayne Mansfield

Sophia Loren and Jayne Mansfield (POSED SHOT) (via ioandefers.tumblr.com)

(via loren-sophia.tumblr.com)

*All biographical information was snagged from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Loren

*Quotes were snagged from:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/sophia_loren.html

1 Comment

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Femme Fatale, Sophia Loren

May 22, 2012 · 9:38 pm

Femme Fatales | Marlene Dietrich

Marlene Dietrich, December 27, 1901- May 6, 1992 (via bellecs.tumblr.com)

“Darling, the legs aren’t so beautiful, I just know what to do with them.”

Born Marie Magdalene Dietrich on December 27th 1901, this German-American Actress rose to become one of the most prominent women in the history of show business. Her lifetime spanned both World Wars, and she personally felt the impact of the turbulent era, losing both her father and step-father at an extremely young age. As a teenager, she studied poetry, theatre, and the violin though her dreams of becoming a violinist were shattered by an unfortunate wrist injury.

“She was nicknamed “Lena” and “Lene” (pronounced Lay-neh) within the family. Around the age of 11, she contracted her two first names to form the then-novel name of “Marlene”.”

Her first appearances on the stage were as a chorus girl in vaudeville-style shows. Eventually she landed a part in the 1922 film: So sind die Männer (The Little Napoleon), but it wasn’t anything earth shaking. A year later she married Rudolf Sieber, and bore her only child the year after that; a daughter, named Marie Elisabeth Sieber. Throughout the remainder of the 1920’s Dietrich continued to land roles on both the stage and film in Berlin.

1929 saw the starlet’s breakthrough. She played the role of the cabaret singer Lola-Lola in the film The Blue Angel. Riding the wave of the film’s success, Marlene relocated to Hollywood, CA on a contract with Paramount Pictures. Her first American Film, Morocco, saw her cast again as a cabaret singer and was considered greatly provocative for the era because at one point in the film she wears a man’s white neck-tie and kisses another woman. The role earned her an Oscar Nom for “Best Actress in a Leading Role”. She didn’t win.

Dietrich went on to star in some of the most cinematically beautiful films in history, including: Dishonored (1931), Blonde Venus (1932), Shanghai Express (1932), The Scarlet Empress (1934), and The Devil is a Woman (1935).

In the late 1930’s while Marlene was in London, she was approached by official representatives of the Nazi party. They desired her to return to Germany as the foremost film star of the Third Reich. Dietrich refused their lucrative offer and applied for U.S. Citizenship. She was awarded it in 1939.

Throughout World Ward II Marlene was a staunch anti-Nazi and was rarely matched in her efforts to raise war bonds.

From the early 1950s to the mid 1970s Dietrich became a famous cabaret performer, headlining her own “one-woman” show. She was in great demand worldwide throughout the time period and became well known for her top-hat and tails costume. Here are a few fun facts:

Her daringly sheer “nude dress” — a heavily beaded evening gown of silk soufflé, which gave the illusion of transparency — designed by Jean Louis, attracted a lot of publicity
Dietrich employed Burt Bacharach as her musical arranger starting in the mid-1950s; together they refined her nightclub act into a more ambitious theatrical one-woman show with an expanded repertoire. Bacharach’s arrangements helped to disguise Dietrich’s limited vocal range – she was a contralto – and allowed her to perform her songs to maximum dramatic effect.
She would often perform the first part of her show in one of her body-hugging dresses and a swansdown coat, and change to top-hat and tails for the second half of the performance. This allowed her to sing songs usually associated with male singers.

Late in her life, Marlene’s health took a turn. She suffered from Cervical Cancer and poor circulation in her legs. The discomfort led her to be dangerously reliant on painkillers and alcohol. In 1975 she tragically broke her leg during a stage performance in Australia, ending her career. A year later her husband Rudolf succumbed to cancer.

Marlene Dietrich eventually died of renal failure in Paris in 1992. She was 90 years old.

Her personal life was largely hidden from the public view, but she was a bisexual who participated in the gay/drag scene frequently. She also carried on numerous affairs with famous contemporaries; among them: Gary Cooper, Jimmy Stewart, Erich Maria Remarque, Jean Gabin, Mercedes de Acosta, Yul Brynner, John Wayne, George Bernard Shaw, and John F. Kennedy. Although raised Protestant, she said that she lost her faith during World War II. She said, “If God exists, he needs to review his plan.”

She is an irreplaceable femme fatale figure in the world of film noir. Her iconic image has influenced generations of actresses in the genre across the world.

In 1999, the American Film Institute named Dietrich the ninth-greatest female star of all time.

“Glamour is what I sell, it’s my stock in trade.”

(via marionrichard.tumblr.com)

(via 1lifetimeisnotenough.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich The Scarlet Empress

The Scarlet Empress (via jslermont.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich Shanghai Express

Shanghai Express (via royaume.tumblr.com)

(via asa100.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich Irving Penn

Photo by Irving Penn

(via rollthebones7.tumblr.com)

(via stendek.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich Gary Cooper Morocco

With Gary Cooper, Morocco (via frankiemachines.tumblr.com)

(via nothing-can-last-forever.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich Top-Hat and Tails

Top-hat and Tails (via smokingissexy.tumblr.com)

(via dyingofcute.tumblr.com)

(via skwhat.tumblr.com)

(via s-p-i-d-a-c-i-s.tumblr.com)

Femme Fatales Marlene Dietrich The Devil is a Woman

The Devil is a Woman (via gimmeavisky.tumblr.com)

A scandalous tale:

At age 60, Marlene Dietrich was summoned to the White House by President Kennedy and was received in his private quarters. Seduction was inevitable, and she helped him remove the wrapping that supported his fragile back. Afterwards the president asked Dietrich if she had ever slept with his father. She said no, and the president was delighted to have “gotten somewhere first before the old man could”. -The Academy Awards: The Complete History of Oscar

*All biographical information was snagged from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlene_Dietrich

*Quotes were snagged from:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/marlene_dietrich.html

2 Comments

Filed under Femme Fatales

Tagged as Femme Fatale, Marlene Dietrich

April 18, 2012 · 7:52 pm

Femme Fatales | Pam Grier

Pamela Suzette Grier May 26th 1949- Present (via elizabitchtaylor.tumblr.com)

“I’ve never considered myself to be beautiful, and I still don’t.”

Pam Grier became famous in the early 1970’s after starring in a string of moderately successful “blaxploitation” films. The most famous of these being the iconic Coffy (1973) and Foxy Brown (1974). The impact she has left on the film noir/neo-noir industry is immeasurable, especially in a genre where the powerful femme fatale archetype had been dominated by white glamour girls from Hollywood. Pam proved that she had the sexy, sultry, provocative chops of any starlet…and then some.

Pamela Suzette Grier was born on May 26th 1949 in North Carolina. Tragically, at age six she was raped by two boys when she was left unattended at her aunt’s house. She said of the event, “It took so long to deal with the pain of that. You try to deal with it, but you never really get over it. And not just me; my family endured so much guilt and anger that something like that happened to me.” Her family moved frequently because her father Clarence worked as a mechanic and technical sergeant in the United States Air Force. Pam’s childhood was spent on various military bases, until finally they settled in Denver, Colorado where she attended high school.

Ms. Grier moved to California in 1967 where she was discovered by the director Jack Hill. She was quickly type-cast as powerful female characters, becoming the first black female to headline in an action film. Roger Ebert said of her performance in Coffy (1973) that she had a “beautiful face and astonishing form.” She continued to work in various films throughout the blaxploitation era and beyond.

Her most famous relationships have been with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Richard Pryor.

She was thrust into the spotlight again in 1997 when she starred in Quentin Tarantino’s Jackie Brown, a film that partly paid homage to the blaxploitation films of her youth. She received a Golden Globe nomination for the role. Additionally, the film review site RottenTomatoes.com has ranked her as the second Greatest Female Action Heroine in film history. Although she never starred in anything we would consider “film noir” I’m proud to add her to the growing list of femme fatales on noirWhale.com and count her as one of the first black femme fatales.