This year, thanks to the lovely collections of vintage estate jewelry at the House of Francheska, I added a pair of Lana's hair combs to my Lana Turner Estate collection. Turner played women who wanted things: money, status, a successful man. [174] Though an elaborate marketing campaign was crafted to promote the film, it was a box-office flop,[175] and MGM announced in February 1956 that it was opting not to renew Turner's contract. [162] In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote of Betrayed: "By the time this picture gets around to figuring out whether the betrayer is Miss Turner or Mr. Lana was a Realtor prior for 6 years. He said that after Wood went to bed, he heard the fight continuing in her cabin, including sounds of a physical . It is not clear if that is accurate. [11] In 2012, Complex named her the eighth-most infamous actress of all time. [293][294] In a press release, she stated that the cancer had been detected early and had not damaged her vocal cords or larynx. Lana Turner Owned & Worn 1970's Multi-Colored Beaded Purse From Sydney Guilaroff. [125][33] During this time, she also had romantic affairs with Frank Sinatra[126] and Howard Hughes, the latter of which lasted for 12 weeks in late 1946. "[152], During this period, Turner's personal finances were in disarray, and she was facing bankruptcy. [20] As a child, Turner was known to family and friends as Judy. [243], In mid-1962, Turner filmed Who's Got the Action?, a comedy in which she portrayed the wife of a gambling addict opposite Dean Martin. [27] Her mother worked 80 hours per week as a beautician to support herself and her daughter,[30][31] and Turner recalled sometimes "living on crackers and milk for half a week". [312] Film scholar Richard Dyer cites Turner as an example of one of Hollywood's earliest stars whose publicized private life perceptibly inflected their careers: "Her career is marked by an unusually, even spectacularly, high degree of interpenetration between her publicly available private life and her films not only do her vehicles furnish characters and situations in accord with her off-screen image, but frequently incidents in them echo incidents in her life so that by the end of her career films like Peyton Place, Imitation of Life, Madame X and Love Has Many Faces seem in parts like mere illustrations of her life."[313]. Though Turner only appeared on screen for a few minutes,[46] Wilkerson wrote in The Hollywood Reporter that her performance was "worthy of more than a passing note". Lana Turner was born Julia Jean Mildred Francis Turner in Wallace, Idaho. Jan. 24, 1988 12 AM PT. Deputy Dist. [4] While she consistently embraced her glamorous persona, she was also vocal about her dedication to acting[121] and attained a reputation as a versatile, hard-working performer. [187], In January 1958, Paramount Pictures released The Lady Takes a Flyer, a romantic comedy in which Turner portrayed a female pilot. See more ideas about lana turner, classic hollywood, golden age of hollywood. At the time she moved in, Lana had been embroiled in a year-long turbulent romance with Johnny Stompanato, a womanizer who was best known for being mobster Mickey Cohen's bodyguard. Lana Turner became a famous onscreen actress within a few years of joining the industry, but when her mobster boyfriend died after being stabbed by her 14-year-old daughter stabbed her boyfriend to death, the saga outdid any scandal the 50s had ever experienced. [223], Released in the spring of 1959, Imitation of Life was among the year's biggest successes, and the biggest of Turner's career; by opting to receive 50% of the film's earnings rather than receiving a salary, she earned more than two million dollars. Turner, however, proved that she was more than just a pretty face with noir films like "The Postman Always Rings Twice" and "Johnny Eager" (per TCM). Lana had reportedly been trying . [64] A remake of The Broadway Melody, the film was marketed as featuring Turner's "hottest, most daring role". VintageousClassic. The captain of the yacht has long claimed that he heard Wagner and Wood arguing the night of her disappearance and believed Wagner was to blame for her death. [235][236] Ray Duncan of the Independent Star-News wrote that Turner "suffers prettily through it all, like a fashion model with a tight-fitting shoe". Lana Turner spoke these words as aspiring actress Lora Meredith in Imitation of Life (1959), but they could have been uttered by almost any of her characters over her 4 decades in Hollywood. Lana Turner (1921 - 1995) was known for her dramatic skill. [111] A lifelong Democrat, she spent the remainder of the year campaigning for Franklin D. Roosevelt during the 1944 presidential election. [59], Mayer helped further Turner's career by giving her roles in several youth-oriented films in the late 1930s, such as the comedy Rich Man, Poor Girl (1938) in which she played the sister of a poor woman romanced by a wealthy man, and Dramatic School (1938), in which she portrayed Mado, a troubled drama student. "[168] Turner was next cast in John Farrow's The Sea Chase (1955), an adventure film starring John Wayne, in which she portrayed a femme fatale spy aboard a ship. [327] She has also been cited by scholars as a gay icon because of her glamorous persona and triumphs over personal struggles. "[89], At the advent of US involvement in World War II, Turner's increasing prominence in Hollywood led to her becoming a popular pin-up girl,[90] and her image appeared painted on the noses of U.S. fighter planes, bearing the nickname "Tempest Turner". [213] She was ultimately released to the care of her grandmother, and was ordered to regularly visit a psychiatrist alongside her parents. She also struggled for a long period with alcoholism and smoking, both of which led to the throat cancer that would take her life. The screen siren told Cheryl that Johnny was coming over and that she planned to end the relationship. The film's curvaceous star, Lana Turner, in white shorts and a halter top that set off her tan, had never . [333][334][335] In a 1973 Films in Review retrospective on her career, Turner was referred to as "a master of the motion picture technique and a hardworking craftsman". Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM/Metro-Golden-Mayer at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in "They wont forget" (1937). "[321], According to her daughter, Turner's obsessive attention to detail often resulted in dressmakers storming out during dress fittings. [240] Upon completing filming, Turner collected the remaining $92,000 from her pension fund with MGM. As Lana Turner's daughter was warming to Stompanato, however, Turner was cooling off. View Lana Turner bio, Listings by Lana Turner, Neighborhoods where Lana Turner is . Shaw was a bandleader and also Turner's costar in the 1939 film Dancing Co-ed. [277] Richard Christiansen of the Chicago Tribune praised her performance, writing that, "though she is still a very nervous and inexpert actress, she is giving by far her most winning performance". 5 out of 5 stars (2,857) $ 6.95. Lana Turner with RE/MAX Capital City III is a real estate professional in TX. [224] Imitation of Life made more than $50 million in box office receipts. [186] Commenting on her image, she once told a journalist: "Forsaking glamour is like forsaking my identity. [95], During World War II the Royal Canadian Air Force 427 Lion Squadron had been "adopted" by MGM. [68] In the spring of 1940, after the two had divorced, Turner discovered she was pregnant and had an abortion. Humor has been the balm of my life, but it's been reserved for those closest to me. I've been sprung. . [29], While baptized a Protestant at birth,[32] Turner attended Mass with the Hislops, a Catholic family with whom her mother had temporarily boarded her in Stockton, California. Lana herself said in her autobiography that she was one year younger (1921) than the records showed, but then this was a time where women, especially actresses, tended to "fib" a bit . [154] The following year, she began filming her second musical, The Merry Widow. "I fought against doing the picture, but I lost. After the ruling, Stompanato's family sued Turner for $750,000, later settling for $20,000. The first in the bunch was Artie Shaw. [308] 1941's Ziegfeld Girl was the first film to showcase Turner with platinum blonde hair, which she wore for much of the remainder of her life and for which she came to be known. [96], In July 1942,[97] Turner met her second husband, actor-turned-restaurateur Joseph Stephen "Steve" Crane, at a dinner party in Los Angeles. [346] Turner has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6241 Hollywood Boulevard. [92], Throughout the war, Turner continued to make regular appearances at U.S. troop events and area bases, though she confided to friends that she found visiting the hospital wards of injured soldiers emotionally difficult. [296] The cancer was found to have returned in July 1994. [184] She also received critical acclaim, with Variety noting that "Turner looks elegant" and "registers strongly",[185] and, for the first and only time, she was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress. [193] Stompanato was not easily deterred, and over the course of the following year, they carried on a relationship filled with violent arguments, physical abuse and repeated reconciliations. [268] Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times wrote that the film served "as a reminder that Miss Turner was never one of our subtler actresses". Many of the aircraft had dedications or nose art honoring MGM's Stars. Portrait of actor Lana Turner posing on a silk sheet with large cushions in a sleeveless v-neck jumpsuit and a short-sleeved silk robe. [42][48] Turner always detested the nickname,[49] and upon seeing a sneak preview of the film, she recalled being profoundly embarrassed and "squirming lower and lower" into her seat. [344][345] In 2002, artist Eloy Torrez included Turner in an outdoor mural, Portrait of Hollywood, painted on the auditorium of Hollywood High School, her alma mater. "Guest: Lana Turner". [281] In 1980, Turner made her final feature-film appearance alongside Teri Garr in the comedy horror film Witches' Brew. Turner was married eight times to seven different men. Mervyn LeRoy on Turner during her first audition, December 1936[34], Turner's discovery is considered a show-business legend and part of Hollywood mythology among film and popular cultural historians. She was married a staggering eight times though it was only to seven different men. "Joan Rivers interviews Lana Turner". She really loved being a moviestar. [217] A 1962 novel by Harold Robbins entitled Where Love Has Gone and its subsequent film adaptation were inspired by the event. $449.50. A Beverly Hills mansion built on the site of a former home of actress Lana Turner and big bandleader Artie Shaw has found a buyer. As Lana fans know, hair combs were a quintessential part of Lana's flawless look in the 1940s. [228] Both films depicted the troubled, complicated relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter. She is remembered as an American calendar pin-up model and film actress with a 50-year career. "[249] Kaspar Monahan of the Pittsburgh Press lauded her performance, writing: "Her performance, I think, is far and away her very best, even rating Oscar consideration in next year's Academy Award race, unless the culture snobs gang up against her. [317], Historians have cited Turner as one of the most glamorous film stars of all time, an association that was made both during her lifetime[318][319][320] and after her death. She is now married to Jocelyn "Josh" LeRoy and has a successful real estate . She had a daughter, real estate broker, author, and model Cheryl Crane, with her former husband, actor and restaurateur Joseph Stephen Crane. Turner spent most of the 1970s in semi-retirement, making her final film appearance in 1980. I got a big chance to do some real acting in The Postman Always Rings Twice, and I'm not going to slip back if I can help it. [169] The film, released one month after The Prodigal, was a commercial success. Turner, Lana (September 28, 1982). "[131], In August 1947, immediately upon completion of Cass Timberlane, Turner agreed to appear as the female lead in the World War II-set romantic drama Homecoming (1948), in which she was again paired with Clark Gable, portraying a female army lieutenant who falls in love with an American surgeon (Gable). In the mid-1950s, he began an abusive relationship with actress Lana Turner. Lana was the daughter of Mildred Frances and Virgil Madison Turner. [55] Instead, she was assigned opposite teen idol Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland in the Andy Hardy film Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938). Unfortunately, her private life sometimes overshadowed her professional accomplishments. [61] Turner's onscreen sex appeal in the film was reflected by a review in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in which she was characterized as "the answer to 'oomph'". [212][213] Cheryl remained a temporary ward of the court until April 24, when a juvenile court hearing was held, during which the judge expressed concerns over her receiving "proper parental supervision". [97] She later claimed Topping's drinking problem and excessive gambling as her impetus for the divorce. [65][66] Though they had only briefly known each other, Turner recalled being "stirred by his eloquence", and after their first date the two spontaneously decided to get married. Not so Lana. She was born into a working class family in . She tied the knot twice with Stephen Crane, and later to Ronald Dante, Robert Eaton, Fred May, Lex Barker, Henry Topping, and Artie Shaw. [192] After a friend informed her of who Stompanato actually was, she confronted him and tried to break off the affair. 992 Copy quote. The detectives advised Stompanato to leave and escorted him out of the house and to the airport, where he boarded a plane back to the U.S.[203], On the evening of March 26, 1958, Turner attended the Academy Awards to observe her nomination for Peyton Place and present the award for Best Supporting Actor. These desires often lead the women to unfortunate places - mid-century Hollywood . She had English, and some Irish and Scottish, ancestry. For years, Lana Turner was the movie star every aspiring actress wanted to be, in part for her magical beginnings. Turner (1921-1995) has a fair claim as the first modern celebrity film star, and her private life was every bit as turbulent and colourful as the plot lines in her most outrageous on-screen melodramas. Inside Sex Symbol Lana Turner's 7 Marriages: 'I Wanted Some Security and Peace'. [82] The Turner-Gable films' successes were often heightened by gossip-column rumors about a relationship between the two. Cheryl Crane struggled with addiction before developing a career in real estate and settling down with her wife, Josh Leroy. [64] The following year, she had a lead role in her second musical, Ziegfeld Girl, opposite James Stewart, Judy Garland and Hedy Lamarr. The same year, she had what she referred to as a "religious awakening", and again began practicing her Catholic faith. Children of stars do the best imitations. Lana Turner - 1937 publicity photo - black & white, multiple sizes - classic beauty, old Hollywood glamour, vintage style [730-1019] Ad vertisement by VintageousClassic. Specialties. [141][142] The Three Musketeers went on to become a box-office success, earning $4.5 million ($54,610,283 in 2021 dollars [43]),[143] but Turner's contract was put on temporary suspension by Mayer after production finished. [23] On December 14, 1930,[24] her father won some money at a traveling craps game, stuffed his winnings in his left sock, and headed for home. But every time I went into my argument about how bad a picture was, they'd say, "well, it's making a fortune". The project was shelved for several months, and Turner told journalists in December 1949: "Everybody agrees that the script is still a pile of junk. [121][122] The film was produced by Carey Wilson, who insisted on casting Turner based on her performance in The Postman Always Rings Twice. [276] During rehearsals, a stagehand told reporters that Turner was "the hardest working broad I've known". [194][195] Turner would also claim that on one occasion he drugged her and took nude photographs of her while unconscious, potentially to use as blackmail. Hollywood publicists tried to come up with a memorable word to describe the effect she had on her audience. American actress Lana Turner on skis, circa 1960. [41] While in the shop, she was spotted by William R. Wilkerson, publisher of The Hollywood Reporter. [79] The studio recast Turner in the smaller role, though she was still given top billing. Lana Turner. [307] Film historian Jeanine Basinger notes that she "represented the girl who'd rather sit on the diving board to show off her figure than get wet in the water the girl who'd rather kiss than kibbitz". Lana Turner (February 8, 1921 - June 29, 1995) was an American film and television actress. [132] She was the studio's first choice for the role, but it was reluctant to offer her the part, considering her overbooked schedule. [270] A review in The Philadelphia Inquirer noted: "Miss Turner always could wear clothes well, and her Forty Carats is a fashion show in the guise of a frothy, little comedy. [194] Fearing that her mother's life was in danger, Cheryl who had been watching television in an adjacent room grabbed a kitchen knife and ran to Turner's defense. She'd grown up poor and uneducated, yet her mother always knew that Ava had what it took to be . Turner continued her Hollywood acting career following Stompanato's death. Actress. Actress: Imitation of Life. [69] She would later recall that Shaw treated her "like an untutored blonde savage, and took no pains to conceal his opinion". [125] She discovered she was pregnant with Power's child in the fall of 1947, but chose to have an abortion. [79] While the film was financially successful,[80] Time magazine panned it, calling it "a pretentious resurrection of Robert Louis Stevenson's ghoulish classic As for Lana Turner, fully clad for a change, and the rest of the cast they are as wooden as their roles. [97] During her early pregnancy, she filmed the comedy Marriage Is a Private Affair, in which she starred as a carefree woman struggling to balance her new life as a mother. 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