Unsung Stars
On a recent edition of the quiz show The Chase, a contestant was asked to choose which of the following actors is older A) Morgan Freeman. B)Gary Oldman. C)Paul Newman. He wrongly answered Morgan Freeman, his justification being that he had "never heard of Paul Newman" !!! The Host, the 'chaser', and his fellow contestants were duly stunned, as was I.The contestant was not a child, but a young man in his 20's, so age is not an excuse. Newman did not die that many years ago, to have been so quickly forgotten, surely...but it got me thinking...
How important is it to preserve the names and memories of forgotten performers and films?
If you were to ask somebody with little more than a passing interest in Classic films to name 10 actors from the "old days", chances are they would say something like John Wayne, Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Humphrey Bogart, James Cagney, Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, James Dean, Audrey Hepburn. Generally speaking, these performers have transcended their film appearances to become symbols of their age, and representatives of cinema of the past. In short, they are simply 'Famous', and justly so.
However... While I doubt there are very many who would disagree with the high regard placed on those particular actors, a more knowledgable Classic film fan may make a very different list. My point is, for every Cary Grant, there was a Brian Aherne, Douglas Fairbanks Jr,Ray Milland etc. For every Cagney, a George Raft, Lloyd Nolan, Chester Morris....et al.
I do not suggest that these actors are in any way interchangeable, or similar (although they may share certain traits), merely that they were contemporaries of the better remembered Stars, but have long since disappeared from general public consciousness.
In 50 years time, the names of Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Meryl Streep, or Tom Hanks may still be remembered, but what of Jeremy Renner, or Christian Bale, or Lupita Nyong'o (to choose 3 names at random)? Who can say..?
All of this is my long winded way of asking, who are some of your favourite performers, perhaps once household names, who are now forgotten by the general public ? I am not asking for small part players, but genuine leading actors, with the titles of their best work.
My particular favourites are:
Maxwell Reed - The Dark Man; Night Beat;Daybreak; The Brain Machine
Patricia Dainton - Third Alibi; Witness In The Dark;Operation Diplomat
Susan Shaw - The Woman In Question; Wide Boy
Sidney Tafler - Mystery Junction; Wide Boy
Yvonne Mitchell - Queen Of Spades; Sapphire; Turn The Key Softly; Woman In A Dressing Gown
Constance Cummings - Seven Sinners; Movie Crazy; Busman's Honeymoon; The Foreman Went To France
Sally Gray - A Window In London; The Saint's Vacation; Green For Danger; Obsession
Joan Dowling - No Room At The Inn; Train Of Events; Murder Without Crime
There are many others, of course, but this is just to start the ball rolling. Although the names mentioned are all from the U.K, and may not have been particularly familiar to international audiences even at the time, I can guarantee you that they sadly mean nothing to people here in Britain today, anymore than they might in any other part of the world, and yet, they all once adorned magazine covers, and had their names up in lights on a cinema marquee.
With the last few days available to us on this site, let's champion all those forgotten names who provided us with so much pleasure.
"Barney Sloane...That's my new name...My old one's a little more Italian."