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THROUGH THE CRACKS: VERONICA LAKE

post #1 of 19
9/30/10 at 6:40pm
Thread Starter 
So everyone can tell me I'm wrong (not that you guys do!)

http://chud.com/articles/articles/25...AKE/Page1.html

Remember, this is one of our new ongoing features. Suggest away for other lost people, films, etc.
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post #2 of 19
9/30/10 at 8:18pm
I will concede that this may be the minority opinion here, but Veronica Lake?!?! I love "Blue Dahlia" as much as the next guy, but I think she was a terrible actress. Maybe not terrible capital "T," but I think a number of actresses could have done better than her particularly in that one. Hell, I don't even like her in "This Gun for Hire," which everyone seems to like, but to me the biggest sin is "I Married a Witch" as she actually had the benefit of a great director who couldn't get a decent performance out of her. "The Glass Key" was weak material, sure, but she made it worse. She's at least part of the reason the movie's been left behind.

Again, could COMPLETELY be in the minority here, but give me Lana Turner or Barbara Stanwyck any day.

As for Through the Cracks suggestions, how 'bout Lake's occasional co-star Brian Donlevy?? Or the man who directed a vastly superior Somerset Maugham adaptation to the Lake-starring "Hour Before Dawn" only two years later ("Razor's Edge"), Edmund Goulding? As for movies, how about "Lonely Are the Brave?"
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post #3 of 19
9/30/10 at 9:51pm
Blue Dahlia was released on DVD as part of the Universal Noir collection.
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post #4 of 19
9/30/10 at 10:32pm
Thread Starter 
Really? I kept checking Amazon and only the VHS pops up.
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post #5 of 19
9/30/10 at 10:45pm
I couldn't find it either, that's weird. There were two boxset's released locally in Australia called the Universal Noir collection, Blue Dahlia was one of the titles.

http://www.ezydvd.com.au/item.zml/800996
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post #6 of 19
10/1/10 at 12:44pm
I saw "Sullivan's Travels" recently and really loved it, which surprised me, because I haven't seen many movies from that era that I loved quite as much. I find many of them dated, but this one held up incredibly well. Based on "L.A. Confidential", I expected Veronica Lake to be some kind of sultry, femme fatale-type, but she was just cute, spunky, and tough in that movie. Doesn't really fit with image/persona of her in pop culture, but a joy to watch.
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post #7 of 19
10/1/10 at 1:49pm
I really enjoyed Lake in Sullivan's Travels, it was the first time I'd seen her in anything, as well as my first Preston Sturges movie, and I think, my third Joel McCrea movie (having previously seen The Most Dangerous Game and Foreign Correspondent).

I remember hearing way back when about her post-Hollywood misfortune, and found it utterly depressing (though promising actors losing their minds and becoming destitute isn't news, for some reason the most recent name that comes to mind in relation to Lake is Ally McBeal actress, Lisa Nicole Carson). She wasn't a brilliant actress, but she was magnetic, and while that doesn't exactly count for a long career in film, people remember you for your presence, and that counts for something. Nice write-up, Ms. Rappe.
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post #8 of 19
10/1/10 at 2:18pm
I'll agree that Sullivan's Travels is her high point, and I found her pretty sexy in This Gun For Hire. No question, though, she got by more on her looks and her locks than her chops.
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post #9 of 19
10/1/10 at 2:49pm
I think Veronica Lake is pretty awesome. Yes, I even love her in I MARRIED A WITCH. Like the article says, whatever shortcomings she had in talent was made up by her undeniable presence. She was sultry, sexy, and a star. Most underrated of all she was funny. And in the end tragic. You would indeed think that would be enough to be remembered as more than a footnote.
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post #10 of 19
10/5/10 at 4:09am
I Married a Witch is going to be on TCM tonight at 12:45 AM. Set your DVR's, lock up your daughters.
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post #11 of 19
10/5/10 at 9:46am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
I Married a Witch is going to be on TCM tonight at 12:45 AM. Set your DVR's, lock up your daughters.
Nice! Thanks for the heads up! I follow TCM on Twitter but I still never catch them soon enough.
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post #12 of 19
10/5/10 at 10:15am
I really like Gene Tierney of Laura fame. And what a sad, sad story her life turned out to be.
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post #13 of 19
10/5/10 at 4:57pm
Thread Starter 
There's a Gene Tierney worshipping thread somewhere in here centered on "Leave Her to Heaven." Definitely an under appreciated actress.
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post #14 of 19
10/6/10 at 1:45am
Last reminder, it's on NOW!
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post #15 of 19
10/6/10 at 7:08am
Thread Starter 
It's on my DVR. It better be on a bunch of yours too so we can talk about it.
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post #16 of 19
10/6/10 at 11:47am
It was an odd movie, to say the least. Not as light-hearted as I thought.
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post #17 of 19
10/7/10 at 7:53am
Thread Starter 
I finally watched it tonight ... odd is the word for it. The beginning was darker than I thought. "That nice cheery bonfire is the heroine! And now we'll kill her dad."

Parts of it were cute, and I did think Lake was appealing. But tonally, it was all over the place. Madcap to black, and back again. And there wasn't nearly enough magic.
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post #18 of 19
10/7/10 at 10:00am
I think Lake was the MVP, no doubt; her light touch kept the movie from getting lost in the darkness. It's an adorable performance.
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post #19 of 19
10/7/10 at 6:05pm
Thread Starter 
It would be a fun remake if done as a really dark comedy -- the Bewitched movie was enough of a disaster that I doubt people would even make the slight comparison.
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