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Post by Andrea Doria on Jan 12, 2024 1:38:09 GMT
Fading Fast's review of "Wicked Woman" is great. Here's an hilarious line from it describing Beverly Michaels, "With her somnolent acting style and as the film's lead, she doesn't so much carry the movie, but instead, drags it along like a little kid does with a baby blanket." Hee! Perfect.
Just listening to her say Acapulco cracks me up.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Jan 13, 2024 3:15:32 GMT
So Ms. Michaels treats the movie the same way Linus Van Pelt handles his security blanket in Charles Schultz's "PEANUTS" comics.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Jan 23, 2024 1:15:15 GMT
OKAY -
Here are three other actresses I had just recently seen who could POSSIBLY be the one from this movie I'm thinking of. If not, then I'll just take a break and just wait until we just finally happen to come across it on TCM.
Dolores Grey - she's the sexy blonde actress in various MGM pictures (mostly musicals) such as "KISMET", "IT'S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER", THE OPPOSITE SEX", and "DESIGNING WOMEN". I always thought she looked quite like June Havoc.
Sue Ann Langdon - I just saw her in "WHEN THE BOYS MEET THE GIRLS" with Connie Francis. She definitely has the seductive and flirtatious way about her; and with her tight chin and her sex craving smile, she could chew gum with such exaggerated lust. I believe I had just seen her in and episode of "PERRY MASON" recently, and I seem to remember her on "THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW" as some woman visiting Mayberry who both Andy and Barney became smitten over.
Janis Paige - I believe I had mentioned her as a possible contender fitted to this "unknown" role of this equally "unknown" movie. She always seems to play the rather easy and highly seductive floozy who's best sport is flirting with single (or else married) men. For all you fans of classic 1970s sitcoms, she played the waitress who Archie Bunker had an affair with on "ALL IN THE FAMILY".
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Post by I Love Melvin on Jan 23, 2024 13:45:19 GMT
Going back to your original description of a gum-chewing blonde showgirl meeting a timid young man backstage and taking him out on the town, I thought of another movie which has some of those elements, ie: a blonde showgirl, lots of backstage scenes and some young men. Meet Me After the Show (1951) was one of Betty Grable's last Fox musicals but isn't shown as often as films from the height of her career. She plays a showgirl who suspects her husband, the producer of her new show, may be more than appropriately attracted to one of the show's backers, a brunette woman (Lois Andrews) who is obviously making a play for him. Neither Betty nor the Andrews character are even close to the gum-chewing type you keep highlighting, so I'm sure it's a dead end but, as I said, it has some of the elements you're looking for. There's a pretty good print on YouTube if you want to check it out for yourself. Even if it's not your movie, there's some great Jack Cole choreography and a really good dance number with Betty and Gwen Verdon.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Jan 27, 2024 15:48:06 GMT
One thing I'd like to point out regarding the Barrie Chase character in "WHITE CHRISTMAS" is the fact that there was this other blonde, gum-chewing, floozy-type in "MILDRED PIERCE". She was Ann Blyth's friend conversing with her in their dressing room when Joan Crawford enters the scene. What's funny is that Ann's friend greets Joan with the line "Mutual, I'm sure" as did Barrie Chase in the former mentioned film. This is no coincidence, regarding the fact that Michael Curtiz directed both movies.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Feb 16, 2024 4:07:18 GMT
As much as I want to solve the mystery of this movie's title, I just want to briefly go back on the topic relating to Beverly Michaels. Has anyone ever seen her appearance on "ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS"? I just saw it on MeTV a few nights ago. Bev was playing her standard character very much like in "PICKUP", except along with looking like a total floozy, I think she was also a nightclub dancer. Her co-star was that guy (don't know his name) who played a thug named Harvey on that episode of "THE HONEYMOONERS" when Ralph wanted to prove he wasn't chicken to fight him after a run-in a pool hall. You remember - "OOOOOH...HAAARRRVEY!" and "Tell Harvey I'll twist him into a pretzel." I believe Bev's character was a mother of an infant child named Donlevy (pronounced DON-LEE-VEE). I don't know how many other TV appearances she has made, but this is the only one I've seen so far. She is an underrated actress, though, but it was interesting enough to see her take a chance at giving a performance on television. My, oh my her image was highly sexual, and I mean for television of the late 1950s - I mean a short revealing skirt with netted leggings, and a single long black evening glove accompanied with heavy gleaming bracelets. How about her sultry voice sort of like Joan Blondell's with more of an occasional pronounced lisp on her "S" sounds (she does have quite the overbite). I'm at least glad to see she's received some form of appreciation here. I would be surprised if Ms. Michaels hadn't made any other TV appearance on shows such as "PERRY MASON", "77 SUNSET STRIP" or "BURKE'S LAW". Te latter two used to be on MeTV, I wish they would come back.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Mar 28, 2024 2:28:44 GMT
Has anyone ever seen the episode of "WAGON TRAIN" titled "The Sandra Cummings Story"? This is one of the earlier color episodes of this series, and it stars Rhonda Fleming. She actually plays a sultry singer out West of a traveling one-woman revue. It was just on INSP-TV the other night, and while seeing Rhonda's performance, I was instantly reminded of this movie I still must identify. The only thing is Rhonda's hair was her everyday flaming bright red in this "WAGON TRAIN" episode, as opposed to being blonde, as I recalled from this movie (if that was really her).
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Mar 28, 2024 15:05:12 GMT
Has anyone ever seen the episode of "WAGON TRAIN" titled "The Sandra Cummings Story"? This is one of the earlier color episodes of this series, and it stars Rhonda Fleming. She actually plays a sultry singer out West of a traveling one-woman revue. It was just on INSP-TV the other night, and while seeing Rhonda's performance, I was instantly reminded of this movie I still must identify. The only thing is Rhonda's hair was her everyday flaming bright red in this "WAGON TRAIN" episode, as opposed to being blonde, as I recalled from this movie (if that was really her). Fleming was in another episode which was a reworking of It Happened One Night, with Flint McCullough (Robert Horton), playing the part Clark Gable played in the film. |
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Post by Cinemaniac on Mar 31, 2024 4:22:58 GMT
Is that so, James? Very interesting! I've never seen that one before. The only other episode of "WAGON TRAIN" I know with Rhonda is quite a far cry from her often-cast sultry roles. In this one, she plays a schoolmarm out West. I believe something happened to one of her students; a Native American Indian boy, specifically. She receives forgiveness from the boy's grandfather in the end of the show. It was one of the more tearjerker episodes following through with a moral theme.
In regards to the movie I was trying to identify, as described on the first page, I've seen a few movies lately with Jan Sterling, Anita Ekberg, and Gale Robbins and was almost coming to my final theories that they may have been the blonde in this movie. If not, then I'll just throw my hands up and just forget about it.....for now, that is.
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Mar 31, 2024 17:23:34 GMT
Is that so, James? Very interesting! I've never seen that one before. The only other episode of "WAGON TRAIN" I know with Rhonda is quite a far cry from her often-cast sultry roles. In this one, she plays a schoolmarm out West. I believe something happened to one of her students; a Native American Indian boy, specifically. She receives forgiveness from the boy's grandfather in the end of the show. It was one of the more tearjerker episodes following through with a moral theme. That It Happened One Night theme was a 2-part episode and well done; it had the right balance of humor and banter (rich spoiled beauty vs he-man Flint), and action (a darker storyline not related to the original). The one where Rhonda plays a schoolmarm (not sure about that term since I never had a schoolmarm like her!), is also well done. The typical two-culture clash with the macho man's world Indian leader just not understanding how this white-woman is so self-supporting, and strong but also soft with a heart. A 19th century feminist. Both end up learning the other and their ways have most good qualities. The Indian leader is played by Michael Ansara. He is in a lot of westerns and mostly portrays a strong, but respectful Indian man. I really respect his talent. He was born in Lebanon but came off as very authentic. (compared to most white actors that played American Indians during this era). |
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Post by Cinemaniac on Apr 3, 2024 2:20:01 GMT
Jamesjazzguitar -
Would you happen to remember the name of that "WAGON TRAIN" episode with the "IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT" plot? I'm guessing it had a character's name in the title, as in "The _______ Story".
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Post by jamesjazzguitar on Apr 3, 2024 17:53:33 GMT
Jamesjazzguitar - Would you happen to remember the name of that "WAGON TRAIN" episode with the "IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT" plot? I'm guessing it had a character's name in the title, as in "The _______ Story". It is: S2.E3 ∙ The Jennifer Churchill Story. It is only one episode. |
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Post by Cinemaniac on Apr 18, 2024 4:36:50 GMT
Jamesjazzguitar - Would you happen to remember the name of that "WAGON TRAIN" episode with the "IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT" plot? I'm guessing it had a character's name in the title, as in "The _______ Story". It is: S2.E3 ∙ The Jennifer Churchill Story. It is only one episode. I just saw this episode of "WAGON TRAIN" just this past weekend. As usual, Rhonda sure looked very pretty. On the original topic of this discussion - I'm still speculating the actress of this movie (light blonde, heavy gum chewing, showgirl attire), and although Rhonda seems to be a likely candidate to fit those qualities based off her appearance in the "WAGON TRAIN" episode "The Sandra Cummings Story", I'm also thinking the actress MIGHT HAVE also been Gloria DeHaven. This picture seems to reveal her as perfectly being cast in such a role -  Attachments:
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Post by Cinemaniac on Jun 8, 2024 1:45:55 GMT
I saw the "WAGON TRAIN" episode "The Sandra Cummings Story" today on INSP-TV. It's just this episode alone that not only reveals Rhonda as such a beautiful woman, but also a fine actress and singer. I've also seen the episode of "THE VIRGINIAN" with Rhonda Fleming and Ida Lupino titled "We've Lost a Train", which took me by surprise considering it took me this long to realize this episode was worked into a Virginian-based movie titled "BACKTRACK". I also love Rhonda as the seductive saloon singer named Carmelita Flanagan.
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Post by Cinemaniac on Jul 3, 2024 23:45:32 GMT
MYSTERY SOLVED!At last I FINALLY solved the mystery of this unidentified actress as well as the movie. The movie was "SUMMER HOLIDAY" (1948), which was on TCM this morning, and while I thought this sexy, blonde, flirtatious, gum-chewing actress was Rhonda Fleming, among many others, it was actually Marilyn Maxwell.  I'm not too familiar with her, although I'm pretty sure I've seen some films with her, and just don't remember. It's kind of an easy mistake to make since she does look slightly like Rhonda Fleming -     Although the second picture is Rhonda with darker hair (seen slightly beneath a towel), she still looks sort of like Marilyn Maxwell in the face. The young man she was flirting with was Mickey Rooney. What's really coincidental is the fact that I could've also sworn that Gloria DeHaven was the sexy blonde, based off the picture seen above, yet she was the true love interest of Mickey Rooney's character in this movie. Gloria might have played such a role later on during the 1950s, since at this time she was still cast in "girl next door" sort of roles. From time to time, I would be subconsciously reminded of this elusive movie when seeing actresses in other movies who MIGHT HAVE fit this role. I just saw a peroxide blonde Gloria as a nightclub singer in "SCENE OF THE CRIME", a noir film starring Van Johnson and Arlene Dahl. I was almost thinking Jean Hagen, who I may not have suggested yet, when I saw her in this other noir with Arlene, titles "NO QUESTION ASKED" with Barry Sullivan, which was just on TCM's "NOIR ALLEY" this past weekend. Finally, now we can get some good sleep tonight! P.S. I'd like to thank I Love Melvin, Fading Fast, Andrea Doria, and TopBilled for having provided me with the help needed on this subject. Attachments:
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