Wednesday, January 26, 2022

Designer Double Dip: Seeing "Red!"

In 1937, MGM was set to film an unproduced play of Ferenc Molnár's called "The Girl from Trieste" with Luise Rainer set to star. After the death of whiz kid Irving Thalberg, the production decisions reverted back to Louis B. Mayer, who found the storyline (involving a prostitute) distasteful and too bleak. So the whole thing was overhauled - renamed The Bride Wore Red - and slated to star Joan Crawford. The refurbished plot line now involved a poor cafe singer who is decked out in finery and sent to an exclusive lodge in a Pygmalion-ish experiment. (Rainer didn't exactly suffer from this change. She won an Oscar that year for the previous season's The Great Ziegfeld and went on to win another - consecutive - one for The Good Earth, 1937!) To suit the colorful title, designer Adrian fashioned a dazzling gown of scarlet with a coordinating cape. 


The irony is that, for whatever reason, the movie was shot in black & white! So, lovely as it was, the gown was only seen in its true color through promotional photos or the odd lobby card. But it really was red. And it weighed a reported 30 pounds (presumably including that cape with its bejeweled trim and closure.)

Miss Crawford was given a slick new hairstyle, though the role she was playing (of downtrodden gal making good) was as familiar to her as her wide smear of lipstick. She played such parts multitudinous times over her career. Even she had to be tiring of such repetition and apparently moviegoers were to some degree as well. This is one of the movies that led to her being labeled (along with several other major stars) as "Box Office Poison" by a group of theater-owners.


She at least had the pleasure of having her husband as costar. (Franchot Tone did seven films with her, this being the last.) Their marriage only lasted from 1935-1939, however. The other leading man vying for her attention was Robert Young. Here you can see the trio posing with her sans cape.


After the film did middling business at the box office (though it didn't actually lose money), the expensively crafted gown made its way into the costume vaults of the studio, perhaps never to be seen again...


But it was, Blanche. It was! It was scarcely recognizable however. In Groucho Marx's 1941 comedy The Big Store, it figured into a fashion show, worn by one of the models.


The uncredited lady wearing red this time doesn't exactly have the same level of physical presence that Miss Crawford possessed... At 5'4" Crawford was hardly a towering monument, but this gal is just rather squatty looking. In the movie, Marx amusingly informs the viewer that the dress is indeed red, Technicolor being too expensive for the movie they're watching!


But that wasn't all. In 1943, Red Skelton starred in the musical Du Barry was a Lady and, in a number featuring the months of the year, model-actress Inez Cooper donned the gown (no cape) as Miss December. Cooper's look here is very Hedy Lamarr, though Crawford had herself had also sported Lamarr's signature hairstyle when she did the hooty Ice Follies of 1939. This would be the final time that the dress hit movie screens, though it almost made still another belated comeback!

After nearly a quarter-century, the gown was unearthed once more and slated to be featured in Robert Aldrich's garish oddity The Legend of Lylah Clare (1968.)

Unfortunately, the red dress was only used in publicity photos of Kim Novak. It didn't make its way into the final cut of the movie. I think Kim looked marvelous in it. In fact, I think this gown looks much better than any of the Renie creations she wore in Lylah Clare. This was the last gasp for the fabled red dress, but not the final time anyone would lay eyes on it.

The dazzling creation still exists and has made its presence known at various exhibitions of cinema fashion. You'll notice that along the way and through the years of its 85-year lifespan, the clasp on the cape has been changed out more than once. But the general workmanship of the legendary Adrian remains for all to see. 


 
** UPDATE: One of our faithful friends out there in the surface world sent us yet another example of this gown being sported by a star. This time, the delightful Miss Angela Lansbury donned the scarlet stunner for a 1945 photo opportunity at the entrance to her dressing room! We offer our thanks for keeping the fabric facts as complete as possible. **

Friday, January 21, 2022

Fond Farewell: A View of Mimieux

Yvette Mimieux is something of a peculiarity here at Poseidon's Underworld. At no time have I ever been aching to see a movie or TV show simply because she is featured in it, yet - as I have discovered over the years here - she figures into many projects that I happen to hold dear! It's not such a big surprise that she had not stood out as an obsession of mine when you know that I am fixated on extremely vivid performers like Joan Crawford and Faye Dunaway...! Mimieux was far more demure and serene than they. But she had a soothing, pretty, sunny presence and appeared in quite a few memorable movies, alongside some top people. When she passed away a couple of days ago, it was something of a shock as, by today's standards, 80 is not that terribly old. And she had been in generally good health. Let's take a look now at some of the highlights of her life and career.
Born January 8th, 1942 in Hollywood, it's probably one of the least well-known aspect of Miss Mimieux that she was half-Mexican. Her mother was Mexican and her father French. Their slender, angular daughter began to act in local plays and was soon spotted by Vincente Minnelli, who cast her in a small role in his latest movie Home from the Hill (1960.) Her part was ultimately trimmed from the release print, but it earned her an MGM contract nonetheless.

Many folks think of cult favorite The Time Machine (1960) as her first movie, though she had actually worked on the aforementioned Hill and had also toiled briefly (uncredited) in A Certain Smile (1959) for 20th Century Fox (and popped up on TV a couple of times as well.) Her real film debut came in the comparatively obscure...
 
Platinum High School (1960.) Mimieux was not the leading lady in this, but she was featured enough to warrant a Golden Globe nomination for Most Promising Newcomer. it did seem to set a pattern for her, though, of portraying women who were victimized. Many, many times in the coming years, she would find herself being pawed and mauled (or worse) in the movies. Incidentally, the other stars of this film included Mickey Rooney, Terry Moore, Dan Duryea and Conway Twitty! Quite a conglomeration.

In any case, for the year 1960 (and long beyond) it would be The Time Machine which secured her place in the world of science fiction and would remain one of the films seen over and over again by new generations. Still, not even that was all. 1960 was a memorable year for her!

This was also the year of Where the Boys Are, a summer & sand saga with a whopper of a hit theme song and a concept that brought about many imitators (not to mention a horrid remake in 1984.) Here she found herself looking for love from hunks like Rory Harrity, but finding danger instead.

After talk of costarring Mimieux with George Hamilton (a costar of Where the Boys Are) in a remake of The Clock (1945), which didn't come to fruition, the two were teamed in 1962's Light in the Piazza. She played the daughter of Olivia de Havilland, vacationing in Italy, who'd been injured as a child and hasn't progressed much mentally beyond that. Nevertheless, Hamilton is charmed by her innocent naivete and pursues a romantic relationship with her.

Another of her 1962 movies was Diamond Head, as the troubled younger sister of Charlton Heston. This same year she worked with Glenn Ford in the expensive, but unsuccessful, The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

Her other 1962 film was the Cinerama extravaganza The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, in which she played The Dancing Princess in one of a few different vignettes.

1963 brought Toys in the Attic. In this production she played the young bride of Dean Martin and rubbed acting elbows with Gene Tierney, Wendy Hiller and Geraldine Page.

She and Richard Chamberlain were paired in the colorful, gentle period romance Joy in the Morning (1965) as young marrieds finding their way. She had guest-starred on his hit show Dr. Kildare the year prior in a two-parter as a surfer with epilepsy. This was before the guest role category, but she did get a TV actress Golden Globe nomination for the part (losing to Mary Tyler Moore for The Dick Van Dyke Show.) Trivia note: With that she became the first actress on television to display her navel!

The Reward (1965) had her playing alongside Max Von Sydow, Efrem Zimbalist Jr and, as shown here, Gilbert Roland. It was one of many occasions in which she was "the girl" among several male stars in a adventure of some sort. 

As the mid-'60s dawned, Mimieux remained a viable leading lady, but the prestige of her roles began to fall off slightly. She found herself in The Caper of the Golden Bulls (1967) opposite Stephen Boyd. It was one of many movies to show off her fit and trim figure in a bikini. She also worked with Dean Jones in the Disney flick Monkeys Go Home! (1967), which, while filmed in the U.S. afforded her the chance to play French.

In 1968 she did a movie for low-budget AIP, a real dip from her MGM days, called Three in the Attic, but it was a big hit - AIP's highest-grossing film of the decade. Christopher Jones, a briefly-hot star in the James Dean mold was the star. 

That same year she was reunited with her Time Machine costar Rod Taylor in one of my all-time favorite films of hers, Dark of the Sun.You can read more about it here.

She was paired with no less than Albert Finney in the scenic romance The Picasso Summer (1969), which had the couple attempting to locate the elusive artist. 

After such negligible fare as The Delta Factor (1970), Mimieux turned to TV and was featured in the series The Most Deadly Game. She replaced Inger Stevens, who'd done the pilot, but sadly committed suicide prior to the show's filming schedule. This earned her a third Golden Globe nomination, but the award went to Peggy Lipton for The Mod Squad.

Her next two movies make her an honorary member of the Disaster Movie Club, thanks to the all-star cast formats and the vehicles in distress. Skyjacked (1972) had her in the middle of a love triangle with Charlton Heston and Mike Henry, but also caught up in the drama of a hijacker taking over their passenger liner.

The Neptune Factor (1973) had Ben Gazzara and Ernest Borgnine, among others, attempting to rescue some stranded divers deep beneath the ocean's surface (where the creatures have grown extra large thanks to heat emitted from the ground there!) From here on, her career would waffle chiefly between television movies and the occasional feature. She penned one of the TV flicks herself, called Hit Lady, and had Dack Rambo as her leading man! She had also appeared in Black Noon and Death Takes a Holiday.


In 1976, she scored another drive-in style hit with Jackson County Jail, in which she is a motorist tormented by some unsavory townspeople (not the least of which is local deputy Fredric Cook, who rapes her!) She goes on the run with fellow inmate, billed then as "Tom" Lee Jones! This was so successful when run on TV that CBS reworked it into a slightly different TV-movie pilot called Outside Chance, which would have featured her as a weekly female version of The Fugitive, but it didn't come to pass.

There were quite a few TV-movies she worked in. Some were unusual like The Legend of Valentino, in which she played Natasha Rambova (!) to Franco Nero's silent movie icon. She also did a remake of Bell, Book & Candle. But the big hoot is the one pictured above, Snowbeast, about a creature terrifying revelers at a ski resort! Look closely and you can see some fur behind her.

I had to include this caption from the prior photo. Such simpler times. Her costars in Snowbeast were Clint Walker, Bo Svenson and Sylvia Sidney (not pictured) and it's a scream for reasons unintended.

Another item that makes her an honorary Disaster Movie Club member was Disaster on the Coastliner, a 1979 TV-movie which had her on an Amtrak train which has been deliberately set to collide with another! Plenty of names in this one from Lloyd Bridges and Raymond Burr to William Shatner and, as seen here, Robert Fuller.

Also in 1979, she was cast in the very expensive Disney sci-fi thriller The Black Hole, for which there was much anticipation. Unfortunately, it fell short of expectations at the box office despite a solid cast (Maximilian Schell, Robert Forster, Anthony Perkins and Ernest Borgnine) and a great score by John Barry.

As the wife (since 1972) of director Stanley Donen, Mimieux really only had to work when she wanted to. Somehow she wound up in the bizarre Circle of Power (1981), which I hope to look into soon, and did TV films like Forbidden Love (in a relationship with young man Andrew Stevens!) and Night Partners (a failed police show pilot with Diana Canova as her partner.) She also took pen in hand again and wrote Obsessive Love, seen here, in which she was dangerously attracted to married soap star Simon MacCorkindale.

After several unsuccessful attempts to become part of a regular series, Mimieux finally got her chance with the prime-time soap Berrenger's, all about the goings on at an expensive department store. Here she was in the arms of hunky Ben Murphy. Unfortunately, this didn't turn out to be another Dallas or Dynasty as the show didn't register (get it?!) with viewers. It was gone after a dozen episodes.

Her marriage to Donen came to an end in 1985. And at 43, she was finding it hard to secure good roles. She did a 1986 TV-movie with Robert Conrad and Richard Roundtree called The Fifth Missile and that was the last viewers would see of her for a while.

She had other things to enjoy, however. In 1986, she wed Howard Ruby, a staggeringly successful real estate mogul who specialized in corporate housing. The two would spend 35 years together, traveling extensively, hosting elegant parties and taking part in charitable causes. 

Now there truly was no reason to work any more, but she did return to television on two occasions. One was a Perry Mason mystery movie in 1990. Then, after working on the two-part Jackie Collins telefilm Lady Boss in 1992, she retired from acting. She turned her interest to painting, home decor sales, archeology and real estate.


As Mrs. Howard Ruby, Mimieux kept busy with their various interests (and eye-poppingly appointed homes.) She also kept her figure and continued to be a gracious and welcoming hostess for many occasions with her husband. Mr. Ruby ultimately lost his sight and chose to live in the familiar surroundings of their luxury yacht, but few ever expected that Yvette would pass away at this point in her life.

From the very start, Mimieux was pegged as a certain type, a winsome blonde to be chased, attacked or molested, though she always wanted more and sometimes achieved that. She had the drive to generate roles for herself in order to avoid being window dressing. She was also very much appreciated by her many illustrious costars (I don't know if I have ever read a single thing about her that was negative regarding her personal demeanor or work habits!)

Before we go, let's take a gander at that belly button she showed the world (and the handsome doctor who was in charge of her case!)

Viewers of Dr. Kildare must have loved this two-part installment as it afforded the chance to view some Dick Chamberlain beefcake!

Au revoir, Ms Mimieux!

Friday, January 7, 2022

Disastrous Demises & Fond Farewells

Throughout the year, we occasionally take note of the passing of certain celebrities who held a special place in our heart - one notable one from this year was Mr. Christopher Plummer who passed away in February. Sometimes a beloved celeb will pass away who had already received a lengthy tribute on this site, such as Miss Sally Ann Howes who passed away just this past December. One of THE biggest losses this year was that of Miss Betty White, who seemed as if she would live on forever and who worked (and worked!) endlessly, both on screen and in her personal life for the benefit and welfare of animals. When she passed away in December, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday, TV as we know it was changed forever. She WAS television, from its inception. We also like to mention those who took part in the 1970-1980 cycle of disaster movies, the genre that gave us life for so long and led us into our love of movies and performers in the first place. I have a(n imaginary) club, the Disaster Movie Club, or DMC, that particular stars belong to because they happened to appear in one of those films. This year we lost four members that I am aware of.  So today we're going to pay our respects to a few of the faces we said goodbye to in 2021. 

The utterly astonishing Betty White did something that is unlikely to be matched by anyone else. She appeared on television in nine different decades! From 1948 to 2021, her face was the face of television, be it on talk/information shows, sitcoms, games shows, TV-movies, guest appearances or award programs (of which there were always many, thanks to her estimable talent, but even more once she began to receive lifetime achievement acknowledgements!) There were countless stage appearances and many movies as well along the way. And her efforts on behalf of the animal kingdom were tireless. We need more Betty Whites in our lives, though I fear we'll never see another one quite like her. It's not just that I loved watching her perform. I loved HER...

Our first member of the Disaster Movie Club is one Gregory Sierra. Hailing from Spanish Harlem, NY, Sierra could easily have fallen into a life of crime. His parents deserted him as a child and he was raised in rough surroundings by an aunt. Fortunately, he inadvertently fell into acting and wound up in stage productions, many of which were Shakespearean. In 1969, he moved to L.A. and immediately landed roles on TV, most often as ethnic types, though he always had an eye at mainstream roles as well. He had a memorably stoic countenance in Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970), was recurring on Sanford & Son, spent time on Barney Miller and proceeded to countless supporting roles on TV and in movies. He's a member of the DMC for his role as Carlos, the trusty bartender in The Towering Inferno (1974), but gets a bonus point for popping up in the strenuously bad Irwin Allen TV-film The Night the Bridge Fell Down (1980) with James MacArthur, Barbara Rush and Desi Arnaz Jr, among others. Sierra passed away in January, just shy of his 84th birthday due to stomach and liver cancer. 

While it's true that Carlos was a meager role in comparison to the others, he was a constant presence in the film, whether guarding some expensive booze or serving up delights to the kids who'd been rescued from the blaze. And he warranted a close-up at the climax of the film, along with the rest of the surviving cast up to that point.

Our next DMC member is a highly-acclaimed and accom- plished performer whose work in a disaster flick would rank among the very least of her credits. Miss Cicely Tyson began appearing in bit movie parts in the late 1950s and proceeded to regular work on TV by the early 1960s, including East Side/West Side and The Guiding Light. A career milestone came with 1972's Sounder, for which she was Oscar-nominated, punctuated by her turn in The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974), for which she was granted two Emmys. (She was made up to play ages 23 to 110!) Many fine roles followed in Roots, The Marva Collins Story and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All. As she aged, it's not like she was sitting around. She was nominated for Emmys five times for her work on How to Get Away with Murder while only appearing on the program ten times! That's one fine batting average. She died at at 96, having worked the previous year and having just published her own autobiography. Her disaster role came in the egregious The Concorde... Airport '79 (1979) in which she played the mother of a boy in need of a heart transplant who is accompanying the donor heart (!) back to its destination.

The brief closeup shown here serves as proof that Miss Tyson appeared in The Concorde. Otherwise, you're hard-pressed to find her as she either uses every opportunity to obscure herself behind any available person or object or else the cameraman picks every possible angle with which to disguise the fact that she is in the scene...! It's screamingly funny to try to count how many times she is covered up by something or turned away from the camera. During her big moment, when the heart is about to fall out of the closet, you can barely see her! And I am STILL, more than 40 years later, trying to figure out why she would be flying along with the heart instead of at the side of her ill young boy, urging him to hold on... but the entire movie is brimming over with idiocy on every level. It's one reason I love it! LOL

Next comes Miss Arlene Golonka. Golonka, a Chicago native, moved to New York City at age 19 and pursued a career, having taken acting and singing lessons as a child. By her early 20s she was on Broadway in several shows (in 1963 she was playing Candy Starr opposite Kirk Douglas in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest!) She did some NYC-based television before moving to Los Angeles and pursuing film work. Often cast as bubbleheads or floozies, she nonetheless was placed alongside Henry Fonda in Welcome to Hard Times (1967) and Clint Eastwood in Hang 'Em High (1968.) She also appeared frequently on Mayberry, R.F.D. from 1968 to 1971. Many TV guest roles followed and would continue up to 2005. She also did the occasional movie such as The In-Laws (1979) and My Tutor (1983) along with her DMC entry, Airport '77 (1977.) She played the mother of a little girl whose class's artwork was chosen to be presented at a grand museum opening and who both were being flown there in a luxury jet. Unfortunately, a hijacking occurs and the plane winds up under the ocean, like a reverse aquarium! She was 85 when she died in May of Alzheimer's disease.

Golonka played a character named Mrs. Jane Stern, though I don't think anyone ever refers to that at any point in time. In the upper insert, you get a glimpse of the artwork... LOL I think the artiste grew up to design the infamous VHS cover of The Little Mermaid (1989.) Some things you just can't forget; thus I recall my mother watching Golonka's wildly screeching, over-the-top reaction to her daughter being smushed between furniture during the crash and uttering, "Stupid woman...!" in the movie theater! LOL

Lastly, we find Mr. Ned Beatty. A Louisville native who worked his way through regional theatre and onto the New York stage. Few people ever made as eye-popping a movie debut as he did, playing the hapless victim of terrifying mountain men in Deliverance (1972) and enduring a sexual assault from one of them. He proceeded on to roles in many of the decade's notable films including Nashville (1975), All the President's Men (1976) Network (1976, which earned him an Oscar nomination) and Superman (1978.) Having done the disaster spoof The Big Bus (1976), and the comedy Silver Streak (1978), which featured a disaster-ish finale, he eventually appeared in the genre entry Gray Lady Down (1978.) As the reliable assistant to David Carradine, he worked on trying to rescue a submarine which has been disabled and is resting on a precarious ledge deep below the ocean's surface. Dubbed "The Busiest Actor in Hollywood," Beatty worked vigorously in many TV and movie projects for decades afterwards, adept at both drama and comedy. He passed away in June of natural causes at age 83.

The genial Beatty is snubbed by the condescending Stacy Keach, but ultimately is permitted to assist Carradine inside his mini-sub as they strive to locate the immobile submarine. Interestingly, one of the men Beatty is trying to rescue is his old Deliverance costar Ronny Cox. And among the topside crewmen is one Christopher Reeve (seen above-right), with whom Beatty would soon costar in Superman.

There are some other stars we lost this year who, while not officially members of the Disaster Movie Club, are still associated with it somewhat. These include the following three folks.

 

Mike Henry. Henry was a 6'3" linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers (and then the Los Angeles Rams) before making a big impression as the latest Tarzan in three popular films. His horrendous working conditions and a raft of personal injuries (for someone who was quite used to taking a lot of knocks!) led him to decline the TV series, which went to Ron Ely. He proceeded to supporting parts in movies such as Number One (1969) and Rio Lobo (1970) along with successful hits like Soylent Green (1973) and The Longest Yard (1974.) His part as the co-pilot in Skyjacked (1972) is why he's noted here, though that really isn't exactly a "disaster movie." The all-star cast on an airliner in distress causes me to lump it in with the rest, though. Henry, who had played many strong, macho types of roles, turned everything around for Smokey and the Bandit (1977) and its two sequels. He portrayed the lunkheaded son of exasperated sheriff Jackie Gleason. A few years after the third film in that series, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and segued out of the business. It was complications from that which took his life last January at age 84. Even if it were not for Skyjacked, we thought he was a handsome and charismatic enough hunk that he'd warrant mention here. 

George Segal never made a true '70s "disaster movie" either, though I tend to think of Rollercoaster (1977) in those terms thanks to the Sensurround and the all-star cast featured on posters. Following some military service, Segal proceeded to the stage and ultimately onto early '60s TV before landing parts in movies like The Young Doctors (1961) and The Longest Day (1962.) Things kicked up considerably after Ship of Fools (1965), King Rat (1965) and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966) for which he was Oscar nominated. Leading roles followed with a mixture of success and failure (in which he reportedly priced himself out of some producers' leagues, but could not quite deliver the box office receipts desired.) Two of my favorites movies of his were No Way to Treat a Lady (1968) and Fun with Dick and Jane (1977.) After a rough patch (following his departure from 10, 1980, and being sued for it), Segal emerged as a skillful and sought after character actor. He was still working regularly on the series The Goldbergs when he opted for heart bypass surgery at age 87 and did not survive the procedure.

We always enjoyed our next performer in practically anything, thanks to her dynamic personality and intense acting energy. Miss Jessica Walter cut her performing teeth on the New York stages while simul- taneously working on the daytime serial Love of Life. After many prime time TV guest roles, she debuted on film in Lilith (1964), then rode the publicity wave caused by being one of eight featured actresses in The Group (1966.) She continued in films, notably as the spurned, unhinged lover of Clint Eastwood in Play Misty for Me (1971), for which she was Golden Globe nominated. However, it would be another decade before she appeared again in a feature film! Always busy, she did countless TV guest roles, TV-movies and brief tries at regular or recurring roles on shows. At long last in 2003 she found regular work on television with the cult favorite series Arrested Development. She also lent her voice to the animated show Archer. Walter died in her sleep at age 80 in March of last year. So what did she ever do that was "disaster movie" related?

She gets a half-point for costarring in the 1974 TV-movie Hurricane with Larry Hagman. They play a couple on a little boat, which is almost out of gas during the title storm.

Then there's the curious case of The Concorde... Airport '79! In the expanded TV version of the movie, George Kennedy has a flashback in which he recalls breakfast with his son (the same Brian Morrison who played the boy in Airport 1975 and in the expanded version of Airport '77) and his wife, now played by Walter! First played in Airport (1970) by Jodean Lawrence, then by Susan Clark in Airport 1975, Walter is now shown reading tea leaves in which she predicts a fatal crash. Turns out it's not the Concorde (that was a bomb in more ways than one!) It winds up being her own car crash, which leaves her with brain damage and death. Kennedy is shown visiting her with a bandage all over her head.


There were still a few other celebs we lost in 2021 who meant something to me. None of them had received a full-on tribute here, but they were nevertheless people whose work I admired. So we close with some info on them! 

Miss Jane Withers - I have to admit that I have seen few, if any, of the films Withers made as a child star, though she was immensely popular (and a rascally antidote to the sweeter and perkier Miss Shirley Temple, with whom Withers worked in Bright Eyes, 1934.) Despite playing tomboyish parts, often rambunctious or bratty, she was known to be extremely polite and very bright off-screen. She was also exceedingly caring, raising millions for charity (at a time when such a figure was astronomical.) She did come back to the business as a character actress (such as in Giant, 1956) and in a more than decade-long stint as Josephine the Plumber in Comet cleanser ads. My primary contact with her was later in life, when she appeared as a spirited guest on many talk shows. Her zest for life and positive outlook was so welcome. She endured a few tragedies along the way, such as losing a husband in a plane crash and losing a child to cancer, but at no time did she abandon her personal zing. When she died in August of last year, she was 95.

John Richardson - Only those who've been under a rock are unaware of Raquel Welch and her "fur bikini" in One Million Years B.C. (1966.) But when I saw the movie for the first time, while I certainly took notice of her, it was Richardson's skimpy getup that really caught my eye. His abbreviated loincloth and silent-movie era expressions made an impression. He'd already played the dreamy love interest of Ursula Andress in She (1965) and would later catch Barbra Streisand's attention in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970.) After his six-year marriage to Martine Beswick ended, he settled in Italy as a leading man, often in thrillers. Retired for quite some time, he was taken by the Covid-19 pandemic at age 86 last January.

Miss Jane Powell - There were few folks with as sunny and ingratiating a smile as Powell. Having begun dancing at age 2, she proceeded to winning talent contests, ultimately landing a contract with MGM at age 14! She portrayed many sprightly teens in colorful musicals, but had to wait until Royal Wedding (1951) to make a major impact (replacing first a pregnant June Allyson and then an ill Judy Garland.) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954) was a smash and is considered one of the top musicals of all time. After her contract expired and light musicals fell out of fashion at the box office, she worked very often in theatre. Later, she continued to work as a TV guest star and in TV-movies (one of which was Mayday at 40,000 Feet!, about an airliner in distress.) Married five times, most happily to former child star Dickie Moore, who she met in 1981 as he was researching his book on child stars, she was another person whose sunny smile covered up personal tragedies. Her mother was an alcoholic and she had suffered sexual abuse by neighbors as a pre-teen. Powell passed away last September at age 92.

Stephen Sondheim - The theatre community has been mourning the loss of one of its genius contributors, who passed away of heart disease last November at 91. Sondheim took an interest in the theatre - and notably the piano - at age 9 and was mentored soon after by the father of one of his friends. That man was none other than the great Oscar Hammerstein II! Following school and some rocky years of trying to break through, he won the position of lyricist for a little something being developed called West Side Story! He proceeded to do the same on Gypsy and then became both lyricist and composer for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. Many successes (and some failures) followed, but his talent was practically never in question. Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Sweeney Todd, Sunday in the Park with George and Into the Woods are some of the memorable shows he helped create. A lonely child who'd suffered an acrimonious relationship with his psychologically abusive mother, many of his works involved less than picture-perfect situations. He did find some degree of happiness when he fell in love for the first time at age 60, though it wasn't to last beyond about eight years. In 2017, he wed a much-younger partner who survived him.   

BONUS PICS:

During my 25-year stage career (now retired), I played Rapunzel's Prince in Into the Woods, sang many of Sondheim's works in the revue You're Gonna Love Tomorrow and won the bucket list role of Miles Gloriosus in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. I though this funereal sequence might be appropriate to this particular post...!

Rollercoaster might not be a "disaster movie," but this hooty British lobby card sure aimed for that audience when it used this shot of a horrific crash which opens the film!
Richardson's sizzlean physique (with high-cut loincloth) was arresting, but those eyes were something to behold, too!

Henry was a very fit and handsome Tarzan indeed. If memory serves, he was the first one to sport a hairy chest.

One last photo of our beloved Miss White. You will be missed... Thank you for being a friend!