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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 12:53:44 GMT
 "I only ever wanted to be an actress - not a star". Just finished the Donald Spoto Biog on Teresa Wright (1918-2005), so I thought I'd giver her a shout. I have seen all 27 of her cinema movies. Enjoyed it as I didn't know much about her - she is not included in the shipman 500 - one of the greater oversights (Ann Blyth makes the cut!). Although she started with a bang - Oscar noms for her first 3 films - (THE LITTLE FOXES, THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES, MRS MINIVER) - winning support for latter - she didn't quite develop into a dominant star. She starred in some seminal and very popular 40s movies (SHADOW OF A DOUBT, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES) as girls next door but she fell foul of her employer Sam Goldwyn (reluctance to take on publicity chores for ENCHANTMENT) later in the decade and her career never quite recovered from the fallout. She seemed to go from playing ingenues to playing mothers on screen in the blink of an eye .... and her pronouncements on the inflated salaries of movie stars led to her own market value decreasing considerably - getting a fraction of her 40s salary on her 50s movies. Although she started as a freelancer strongly (THE MEN) within a year or two she was billed in SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR after Ray Milland and Joan Fontaine, and again third billed as Jean Simmons mum in 1953s THE ACTRESS (peers thought her mad to take on a mother role so young - but the lure of playing opposite Tracy was too great). After playing Sandra Dee's mother in a 1958 PEYTON PLACE knock off THE RESTLESS YEARS, she quit Hollywood and focused on the stage (THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS) and TV (THE MIRACLE WORKER). I saw her on stage in the London production of MORNINGS AT SEVEN. She returned to the big screen occasionally - as Simmons' Mum again in THE HAPPY ENDING, the first story in James Ivory's ROSELAND and as Matt Damon's landlady in THE RAINMAKER (her swansong). Love the clause (written by herself) she had inserted into her contract in 1941 - she really wasn't cut from the same cloth as most aspiring actresses. "The aforementioned Teresa Wright shall not be required to pose for photographs in a bathing suit unless she is in the water. Neither may she be photographed running on the beach with her hair flying in the wind. Nor may she pose in any of the following situations: In shorts, playing with a cocker spaniel; digging in a garden; whipping up a meal; attired in firecrackers and holding skyrockets for the Fourth of July; looking insinuatingly at a turkey for Thanksgiving; wearing a bunny cap with long ears for Easter; twinkling on prop snow in a skiing outfit while a fan blows her scarf; assuming an athletic stance while pretending to hit something with a bow and arrow."  Here are the ten of the 27 she made I'd recommend.  THE LITTLE FOXES with Herbert Marshall and Bette Davis  Winning her Oscar in MRS MINIVER  SHADOW OF A DOUBT with Joseph Cotten  THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES with Dana Andrews   This was written by her Husband Niven Busch - strong drama of innocent man on the run....earlier she was touted for Pearl in the adaptation of his DUEL IN THE SUN. Can't see it myself (a more appropriate near miss - she was an early thought for the 1950 GLASS MENAGERIE with Dana as the Gentleman Caller )  She was annoyed the producers reneged on giving her contracted top billing.  Publicity still from SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR. Her and Milland made three movies together - THE TROUBLE WITH WOMEN and THE IMPERFECT LADY - and all 3 sat on the shelf for a year or two prior to release. This was the best of them.... although she had second female lead. Ray was reformed married (to Teresa) dipso mentoring refined lady lush Fontaine. George Stevens directed.  with Jean Simmons in the underrated THE HAPPY ENDING (not much of a part for her though).  in ROSELAND  a lovely swansong. With Matt Damon in THE RAINMAKER. Thanks for the memories Teresa! 
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spiderwort
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@spiderwort
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Post by spiderwort on Dec 16, 2021 15:04:35 GMT
Thanks for the great tribute, tim. I love this actress. She never gave a less than wonderful performance and more than held her own with the likes of Bette Davis, et al. I think my personal favorites are THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, MRS. MINIVER, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT.
So wish I could have seen her in the Broadway version of THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, directed by Elia Kazan. Also would love to see her in the Playhouse 90 version of THE MIRACLE WORKER, if I could ever find it. And OMG, I can't believe you saw her in MORNING'S AT SEVEN! I love that play! And that production was shown on Showtime, but I didn't see it then and now I cannot find it. I'm sure she was wonderful in that, too. (Oh, I envy you that experience!)
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 16:34:06 GMT
Thanks for the great tribute, tim. I love this actress. She never gave a less than wonderful performance and more than held her own with the likes of Bette Davis, et al. I think my personal favorites are THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, MRS. MINIVER, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT. So wish I could have seen her in the Broadway version of THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, directed by Elia Kazan. Also would love to see her in the Playhouse 90 version of THE MIRACLE WORKER, if I could ever find it. And OMG, I can't believe you saw her in MORNING'S AT SEVEN! I love that play! And that production was shown on Showtime, but I didn't see it then and now I cannot find it. I'm sure she was wonderful in that, too. (Oh, I envy you that experience!) Mornings at seven (USA production) Enjoy! MORNINGS AT SEVEN
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Post by teleadm on Dec 16, 2021 19:25:43 GMT
Thanks for this reminder of a great actress. Mrs Miniver and The Men remains to be seen by my, of those I'm interested in. All three movies she made with Ray Milland I noticed were all made or distributed by Paramount, and they used to put movies on the shelf for awhile, not because they necessarily were bad, but because if an actor or actress were in a hit movie by Paramount and played for long on theatres, they simply didn't wan't to compete with themselves splitting the audiences between two movies from Paramount at the same time with the same actor or actress starring. I wondered why once, looked it up and that was what I could find out. Even Shane 1953 was on a shelf for a couple of years, so not to compete with other Paramount Alan Ladd movies, for example. Also seen her in Track of the Cat 1954, but I wasn't very fond of it Flood 1976, a rather bad disaster movie made for television, but was showed on cinemas in some countries, like in Sweden were I watched it. Agree, The Rainmaker 1997 was a great big screen farewell role.  1954 |
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Post by mattgarth on Dec 16, 2021 19:41:44 GMT
Teresa reunited with SHADOW OF A DOUBT co-star Joseph Cotten a decade later playing the missus of his embezzling banker in THE STEEL TRAP (1952).
I got to meet her years later at a tribute she attended for Fredric March following a screening of BEST YEARS -- her playwright husband Robert Anderson gave the opening address.
Charming and still lovely -- and very tiny.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 20:04:20 GMT
Thanks for this reminder of a great actress. Mrs Miniver and The Men remains to be seen by my, of those I'm interested in. All three movies she made with Ray Milland I noticed were all made or distributed by Paramount, and they used to put movies on the shelf for awhile, not because they necessarily were bad, but because if an actor or actress were in a hit movie by Paramount and played for long on theatres, they simply didn't wan't to compete with themselves splitting the audiences between two movies from Paramount at the same time with the same actor or actress starring. I wondered why once, looked it up and that was what I could find out. Even Shane 1953 was on a shelf for a couple of years, so not to compete with other Paramount Alan Ladd movies, for example. Also seen her in Track of the Cat 1954, but I wasn't very fond of it Flood 1976, a rather bad disaster movie made for television, but was showed on cinemas in some countries, like in Sweden were I watched it. Agree, The Rainmaker 1997 was a great big screen farewell role. 1954 As well as FLOOD! she was trapped on a TV "disaster" movie in THE ELEVATOR with BEST YEARS co-star Myrna Loy, James Farentino, Roddy McDowall & Craig Stevens .... I don't think that played cinemas anywhere.... Here;s THE MEN
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Post by Feologild Oakes on Dec 16, 2021 20:19:02 GMT
One of my favorite actresses from the 40s. And i think 5 out of her first 6 movies where brilliant movies. Casanova Brown was ok, but the other 5 movies Shadow of a Doubt, The Little Foxes, The Best Years of her Life, The Pride of the Yankees and Mrs Minivier where a lot better in mu personal opinion.
Shadow of a Doubt is my favorite movie she was in.
She was one of the most beautiful actresses of the 1940s.
I do have the biography A Girl's Got To Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright by Donald Spoto. But i have not read it yet.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 20:40:16 GMT
One of my favorite actresses from the 40s. And i think 5 out of her first 6 movies where brilliant movies. Casanova Brown was ok, but the other 5 movies Shadow of a Doubt, The Little Foxes, The Best Years of her Life, The Pride of the Yankees and Mrs Minivier where a lot better in mu personal opinion. Shadow of a Doubt is my favorite movie she was in. She was one of the most beautiful actresses of the 1940s. I do have the biography A Girl's Got To Breathe: The Life of Teresa Wright by Donald Spoto. But i have not read it yet. Its a good read - she comes across as very level headed, committed and professional. I only spotted one mistake - a point that she should have been nominated for SHADOW is made - but gets the film's year of release/eligibility incorrect - she WAS nominated in both acting categories for 1942 (Was she the first to achieve this distinction?). My only reservation is that Spoto defined - and appears to have been - a friend.... friends don't always make the best biographers - not critical enough.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 20:50:11 GMT
Teresa reunited with SHADOW OF A DOUBT co-star Joseph Cotten a decade later playing the missus of his embezzling banker in THE STEEL TRAP (1952). I got to meet her years later at a tribute she attended for Fredric March following a screening of BEST YEARS -- her playwright husband Robert Anderson gave the opening address. Charming and still lovely -- and very tiny. Yes THE STEEL TRAP is tolerable - the fun being (from memory) the bulk of the film is him trying to return the money.... Anderson sounded like a piece of work from the Spoto but I guess Donald's partisan.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 16, 2021 22:12:53 GMT
Thanks for the great tribute, tim. I love this actress. She never gave a less than wonderful performance and more than held her own with the likes of Bette Davis, et al. I think my personal favorites are THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, MRS. MINIVER, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT. So wish I could have seen her in the Broadway version of THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, directed by Elia Kazan. Also would love to see her in the Playhouse 90 version of THE MIRACLE WORKER, if I could ever find it. And OMG, I can't believe you saw her in MORNING'S AT SEVEN! I love that play! And that production was shown on Showtime, but I didn't see it then and now I cannot find it. I'm sure she was wonderful in that, too. (Oh, I envy you that experience!) She did a lot of TV - I'd love to see the Philip Marlow TV play (pictured above). She was in a TV MIRACLE ON 34th STREET (not up to much). I'd like to see her ENCHANTED COTTAGE from 1954 or so.
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spiderwort
Junior Member
@spiderwort
Posts: 2,101
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Post by spiderwort on Dec 17, 2021 14:11:55 GMT
Thanks for the great tribute, tim. I love this actress. She never gave a less than wonderful performance and more than held her own with the likes of Bette Davis, et al. I think my personal favorites are THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, MRS. MINIVER, and SHADOW OF A DOUBT. So wish I could have seen her in the Broadway version of THE DARK AT THE TOP OF THE STAIRS, directed by Elia Kazan. Also would love to see her in the Playhouse 90 version of THE MIRACLE WORKER, if I could ever find it. And OMG, I can't believe you saw her in MORNING'S AT SEVEN! I love that play! And that production was shown on Showtime, but I didn't see it then and now I cannot find it. I'm sure she was wonderful in that, too. (Oh, I envy you that experience!) Mornings at seven (USA production) Enjoy! MORNINGS AT SEVEN Bless you for this, tim!!! Will get to it as soon as I can, though it may take me awhile. Btw, for those who don't know, playwright Paul Osborn was a wonderful, Oscar nominated screen writer whose credits included EAST OF EDEN, WILD RIVER, SAYONARA, and PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, among other. And about the play: it has Chekhovian elements that are critically important, I think. It will be interesting to see if this version captures those or not. Look forward to seeing if it does.
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Post by Rufus-T on Dec 17, 2021 16:47:09 GMT
What a start to her acting career! 5 of her first 6 films are major classics. 3 Oscar nomination in her first 3 roles. Even Jennifer Lawrence does not have that kind of start. Maybe James Dean before he passed prematurely.
Back in the old days at CFB, Addison_DeWitt mentioned many times that he did not like her and her voice. Never understand that. She doesn't need to be dressed up glamorous on screen. Her girl next door style adding to her sexy raspy voice made her very appealing to look at on the screen.
I have not seen all her films, so thanks for the recommendation.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 17, 2021 16:58:49 GMT
What a start to her acting career! 5 of her first 6 films are major classics. 3 Oscar nomination in her first 3 roles. Even Jennifer Lawrence does not have that kind of start. Maybe James Dean before he passed prematurely. Back in the old days at CFB, Addison_DeWitt mentioned many times that he did not like her and her voice. Never understand that. She doesn't need to be dressed up glamorous on screen. Her girl next door style adding to her sexy raspy voice made her very appealing to look at on the screen. I have not seen all her films, so thanks for the recommendation. She'd probably be better recalled today if she had retired in 1946,,,, Addison and I fell out over Teresa Wright's voice and he had me on ignore for3 months 
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Post by Rufus-T on Dec 17, 2021 17:05:52 GMT
What a start to her acting career! 5 of her first 6 films are major classics. 3 Oscar nomination in her first 3 roles. Even Jennifer Lawrence does not have that kind of start. Maybe James Dean before he passed prematurely. Back in the old days at CFB, Addison_DeWitt mentioned many times that he did not like her and her voice. Never understand that. She doesn't need to be dressed up glamorous on screen. Her girl next door style adding to her sexy raspy voice made her very appealing to look at on the screen. I have not seen all her films, so thanks for the recommendation. She'd probably be better recalled today if she had retired in 1946,,,, Addison and I fell out over Teresa Wright's voice and he had me on ignore for3 months Yeah, he did have some eccentric preference, like he thinks Meryl Streep's Sophie Choice performance is one of the worst.
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 17, 2021 17:42:01 GMT
For anyone interested in 1950s curiosities, try “The Search For Bridey Murphy” (1956). The book is was based on was a sensation. In 1952 in Pueblo, Colorado, a businessman named Morey Bernstein put a family friend under hypnosis and began to have her remember herself as a teenager, second grader, infant, and…he asked her to remember before her birth. She began telling him she had lived as an Irish girl named Bridey Murphy who had been born in Cork in 1798. She related details about her life in early 19th century Ireland. Terasa Wright has the thankless job of playing the hypnotized housewife who spends most of her time lying down with her eyes closed while saying her lines. Except in the nail biting finale when Bernstein tries to regress her even farther then, when he tries to bring her back, he can’t. Wright is excellent in this scene, really nails it. Beautifully done. She only had two more films after this before retiring. In retirement, she came back for seven more feature films, each one a decade or almost apart from the next.  |
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 18, 2021 1:21:09 GMT
Just a few notes on the cinema films not yet covered/mentioned: PURSUED - 1947, stark, moody western drama opposite Mitchum - a change of pace from her usual sensible daughter territory  ENCHANTMENT 1948 - dual story lines set years apart with two sets of star crossed lovers - this is the one where her reluctance to appear at publicity junkets in shorts with a cocker spaniel, running on a beach with her hair flying, wearing a bunny cap etc cost her her Star contract. Didn't care for it myself but I think it was a hit and has fans here.  CALIFORNIA CONQUEST 1952 - mediocre oater with Cornel Wilde COUNT THE HOURS 1953 not bad thriller about man accused of murder - Teresa his wife - I believe this one of only 5 of her 27 films where she got top billing  TRACK OF THE CAT 1954 - Wellman's odd adventure movie about panther stalking isolated rural farming family - colour & cinemascope with many snow scenes make for interesting visuals. Teresa's role as the bitter spinster sister was probably tactically a worse career move than playing Jean Simmons's mum at age 35 the year before. Note that in 1947's PURSUED she got top billing..... but 7 years later she is now billed below Mitchum in smaller font....Would like another look. It is on TALKING PICTURES channel regularly. With Diana Lynn below and below that Mitchum modelling snow and technicolour friendly outdoor wear  .jpg) _11.jpg)  ESCAPADE IN JAPAN 1958 - juvenile 7 year old runaways dominate this feeble effort - travelogue value may stifle a few yawns. She gets little to do as the mum of one of them. Clint Eastwood has early bit. HAIL HERO 1969 Michael Douglas as student joining the army to fight in Vietnam. Teresa played mum. SOMEWHERE IN TIME 1980 - I believe this old school time travel romance was very popular at the time with the public - I thought it was pretty poor Teresa at a revival of the movie with stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour  1988 THE GOOD MOTHER - rather worthy drama about mother accused of "inappropriate" behaviour by her ex leading to bitter custody battle. Teresa played Diane Keaton's mum. |
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Post by petrolino on Dec 18, 2021 1:28:51 GMT
Wonderful actress and a major player in William Wyler's stock company.
I think I remember right in saying there was a poster on the old imdb Classics board who used her as his punching bag, a poster named acidic Addison De Witt, and this behaviour became ritually upsetting to me, so I rarely spoke in praise of Teresa Wright.
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Post by mikef6 on Dec 18, 2021 1:42:37 GMT
Just a few notes on the cinema films not yet covered/mentioned: PURSUED - 1947, stark, moody western drama opposite Mitchum - a change of pace from her usual sensible daughter territory ENCHANTMENT 1948 - dual story lines set years apart with two sets of star crossed lovers - this is the one where her reluctance to appear at publicity junkets in shorts with a cocker spaniel, running on a beach with her hair flying, wearing a bunny cap etc cost her her Star contract. Didn't care for it myself but I think it was a hit and has fans here. CALIFORNIA CONQUEST 1952 - mediocre oater with Cornel Wilde COUNT THE HOURS 1953 not bad thriller about man accused of murder - Teresa his wife - I believe this one of only 5 of her 27 films where she got top billing TRACK OF THE CAT 1954 - Wellman's odd adventure movie about panther stalking isolated rural farming family - colour & cinemascope with many snow scenes make for interesting visuals. Teresa's role as the bitter spinster sister was probably tactically a worse career move than playing Jean Simmons's mum at age 35 the year before. Note that in 1947's PURSUED she got top billing..... but 7 years later she is now billed below Mitchum in smaller font....Would like another look. It is on TALKING PICTURES channel regularly. With Diana Lynn below and below that Mitchum modelling snow and technicolour friendly outdoor wear ESCAPADE IN JAPAN 1958 - juvenile 7 year old runaways dominate this feeble effort - travelogue value may stifle a few yawns. She gets little to do as the mum of one of them. Clint Eastwood has early bit. HAIL HERO 1969 Michael Douglas as student joining the army to fight in Vietnam. Teresa played mum. SOMEWHERE IN TIME 1980 - I believe this old school time travel romance was very popular at the time with the public - I thought it was pretty poor Teresa at a revival of the movie with stars Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour 1988 THE GOOD MOTHER - rather worthy drama about mother accused of "inappropriate" behaviour by her ex leading to bitter custody battle. Teresa played Diane Keaton's mum. How could I have forgotten "Track Of The Cat" the movie that put Dysfunctional Family firmly into westerns. On the current film noir thread I mentioned "High Noon" as a western "knocking at the door" of noir. "Track Of The Cat" might easily be another.
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Post by timshelboy on Dec 18, 2021 2:02:43 GMT
Wonderful actress and a major player in William Wyler's stock company.
I think I remember right in saying there was a poster on the old imdb Classics board who used her as his punching bag, a poster named acidic Addison De Witt, and this behaviour became ritually upsetting to me, so I rarely spoke in praise of Teresa Wright. I liked Addison generally and enjoyed reading his posts - but he missed no opportunity to trash Teresa (or Henry Fonda and Dietrich - his unholy trinity of classic stars) - her voice he disliked intensely. .
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Post by petrolino on Dec 18, 2021 2:07:34 GMT
Wonderful actress and a major player in William Wyler's stock company.
I think I remember right in saying there was a poster on the old imdb Classics board who used her as his punching bag, a poster named acidic Addison De Witt, and this behaviour became ritually upsetting to me, so I rarely spoke in praise of Teresa Wright. I liked Addison generally and enjoyed reading his posts - but he missed no opportunity to trash Teresa (or Henry Fonda and Dietrich - his unholy trinity of classic stars) - her voice he disliked intensely. .
Cool.
I can always appreciate constructive criticism. My recollection is that it was not constructive in the slightest bit. Hence, my use of "punching bag" to frame it. I just thought back then, for a quiet life, don't mention the dreaded Teresa Wright, I think probably in much the same way I don't mention certain rock bands to people that I know are obvious "trigger points" for constant (and in my view disproportionate) attacks or derision.
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