The Lana Turner Thread

[Snarky Oracle!]

“Miss Turner we only watch when you’re on”.

What did she think was going to happen?

All true divas must be self-destructive. It's in their contract.

Kill a beau/fiancé/husband and then let your egoistic mouth get you fired from a job you need.

Those sacrifices just go with the territory!

 

[Caryscott]

All true divas must be self-destructive. It's in their contract.

Kill a beau/fiancé/husband and then let your egoistic mouth get you fired from a job you need.

Those sacrifices just go with the territory!

Good point. Turner and Jane Wyman really couldn’t have been more dissimilar. The syndication of Jane’s first TV series kept her in fancy cars and out of movies like the “The Big Cube” through the 70’s. Jane was many things but self destructive wasn’t one of them.

 

[Caryscott]

I watched the documentary
“Lana Turner: The Untouchable”
on Tubi last week. Anyone checked it out? Not much insight but lots of great pics and a lot of BS. One later segment has actor/director Bill Duke who directed Turner’s 2nd episode of Falcon Crest offering some first hand observations of the Jane Wyman-Lana Turner on set dynamic. Diana Muldaur downplaying the diva antics on The Survivors is kind of sweet though mostly unbelievable.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Bette Davis'/Susan Hayward's film WHERE LOVE HAS GONE (1964) was based loosely on the Johnny Stompanato murder, by the way.

If I could have had dinner with any classic film star, it would have been Liz. I don't even like her much as an actress, but she seemed like a great broad. Very possibly the best person to come out of Hollywood.

Well, I suspect Taylor was an even better actress off-screen than she was on-screen.

 

[Caryscott]

Bette Davis'/Susan Hayward's film WHERE LOVE HAS GONE (1964) was based loosely on the Johnny Stompanato murder, by the way.

Well, I suspect Taylor was an even better actress off-screen than she was on-screen.

Also on Tubi I think. I watched it a few months ago. Mostly terrible. Davis is actually restrained and quite good. Very different from her best known performances of the sixties. She looks good. Hayward seems too old for the flashbacks and is just meh. She and Davis did not get along.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Also on Tubi I think. I watched it a few months ago. Mostly terrible. Davis is actually restrained and quite good. Very different from her best known performances of the sixties. She looks good. Hayward seems too old for the flashbacks and is just meh. She and Davis did not get along.

I've heard Davis was supposed to "go crazy" in a funeral scene, but refused to do it. That might've made the movie more interesting, but she found it too outrageous (perhaps she was trying to steer clear of the Horror Queen thing for this role). And yet she did THE ANNIVERSARY a few years later which was both campy and rather dull simultaneously.

Oh, Davis and Hayward -- just two more Scorpio Risings who can't handle each other (which is better than when they can).

 

[Caryscott]

I think Davis knew Hayward was bringing all the histrionics that one film could possibly need. The film is dull but she comes off better than Hayward. I don’t mind a Harold Robbins potboiler but a promiscuous sculptress? Ick. Given the original crime they could have come up with something a little less ridiculous. Full Bette might have made it more fun or completely unwatchable, I can’t decide.