Movie with blonde Rhonda Fleming (or some other actress)

WHAT A COINCIDENCE!

Last night, I saw an episode of "WHAT'S MY LINE?" with Rhonda Fleming as the mystery guest! Host John Charles Daly purposely started the questioning with Bennett Cerf, knowing he'd start going nuts trying to hold back from lusting over Rhonda's sexy voice. Rhonda actually tried disguising her voice with a sultry Scarlett O'Hara-type of dialect. Knowing that little goofball, Mr. Cerf was echoing a similar Southern-based accent just to show off for an unquestionably pretty lady. Most of the time, I figure Bennett would either be engaging in a lunch meeting with some so-and-so in the industry who would let him in on the next week's mystery guest, or else he would have pin holes pierced in his blindfold. Apparently, he had a feeling the guest was Rhonda, since it had been stated that he guessed her name within the past three weeks. If this program was broadcast in color, you'd see the vivid hue of blushing red on Mr. Cerf's face.

I also happened to come across an episode of "WAGON TRAIN" the night before with Rhonda playing a schoolmarm out west. She is a rather versatile actress, considering how she can play rather modest and conservatively poised women, yet can present herself as arousing and voluptuous in movies, as well as photographs (check the second picture above for visual proof of this statement).

As for the speculations of either Gloria DeHaven or Cyd Charisse appearing in this movie I'm still hoping to identify, here are two pictures of these women as blondes -

Gloria DeHaven



Cyd Charisse



The women in both of these pictures look as though they were very likely the actress in that movie.  That picture of Cyd looks more 1960s-ish, and looking at her highly defined chin, that's just proof she really liked to chew gum (we just need some footage for proof).

In regards to I Love Melvin's assumption that the woman in the movie I'm trying to identify is portrayed as "slutty" (although I pretty much came under the impression that would likely be the case), I would figure she was more so a seductress-type playing the image as less hard core in order to stay true to the motion picture code.  As for the gum-chewing trait, there are many women in classic movie roles who appeared this way on screen whether or not they were portrayed as "easy" or just happened to come off in this sort of way.

- Ginger Rogers in "ROXIE HART"

- Rosalind Russell in "THE WOMEN"

- Virginia Mayo in "WHITE HEAT"

- Joan Leslie in "THE HARD WAY"

- Ann Miller in "STAGE DOOR" and "YOU CAN'T TAKE IT WITH YOU"

- Dorothy Lamour in "THE FLEET'S IN" and "THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH"

- Joan Blondell in various movies

- Iris Adrian in just about ANY movie she'd be in

- Susan Hayward in some movie where she's in jail (not "I WANT TO LIVE", mind you, but an earlier film of hers that I've never seen, but is vaguely remembered by a friend of mine who claims it was either Hayward or maybe even Maureen O' Sullivan, but this shall remain a mystery for another day)

- Joanne Dru in some scene where she appears as some floozy sitting at a bar counter conversing with some man (again, don't know the movie it's just a vague recollection; the actress may not be Ms. Dru, but maybe someone like Ruth Roman)

These are just a few observations I recall.  Let me know if I've left out any others.  I'm not claiming that any of these women are who I'm trying to think of, I'm justifying the fact that certain actresses who appear to be chewing gum on screen were not always portrayed as a floozy and would happen to chew gum as a character trait or just incidentally out of habit.

OMG. I forgot about Beverly Michaels. She starred in one of my favorite bad girl movies of all time, Wicked Woman (1953), which Eddie has also shown. It's a cheapo rip-off of The Postman Always Rings Twice with Michaels as an itinerant waitress who tries to get the bartender to off his wife who owns the bar. She had the strangest delivery, with a totally flattened affect and deadpan style, making her a lot of fun to watch. This was an independent production released by United Artists and I doubt she got anywhere near a major studio; I also doubt she'd be capable of a musical performance, so I don't think she's your gal. But the name triggered some fond memories so I wanted to respond.



And then there's the best bad girl movie ever, Samuel Fuller's The Naked Kiss (1964), with Constance Towers (also blonde) as a prostitute turned candy-striper at a children's hospital, Don't ask. Fuller paid an homage to Wicked Woman by using the shot of a pair of legs descending the stairs of a bus in a new town to kick off the story.

'Fess up, Fading Fast. It was the beret that did it for you, wasn't it? I've never seen one worn quite like that, so Beverly should go straight to the head of the class. And I laughed out loud at your description of her not so much carrying the movie as dragging it along like a baby blanket. Perfect! Back in the 1970's a friend who managed the local revival house had a birthday party every year at the theater with a private showing and Wicked Woman was so popular he had to put it on the regular bill. I'm not sure where I heard this...probably Eddie Muller... but Percy Helton was really proud of this movie and considered it his best work. OK.

Yes, you should post it there, but maybe include a "mature themes" warning.