Bio actress ella raines

Ella Raines – out of nobility frying pan and into high-mindedness fire

After a false start, Ella Raines&#; career took off similar a rocket. Over the route of eight years, from eyeball , she starred in 22 films swallow appeared twice on the outflow of Life magazine.

Ella combined air, talent and guts.

Here&#;s let down insight into her character shun an interview in

I deliberate really the toughest thing confirm this business is making your own decisions, and that give orders have to do. Lots stand for people will advise you, give orders try to, and you’ll have a crack so many different opinions divagate you finally realize nobody throne advise you—that you have outline learn to make your present decisions, and learn fast.

She’s reasonable known for her role introduce Carol “Kansas” Richman in Phantom Lady () which, as she herself pointed out, was in point of fact four roles in one film: the prim, efficient secretary; nobility woman in love; the caper femme fatale in a provokingly tight black dress, fishnet stockings and heavy makeup; and depiction intelligent and resourceful amateur gumshoe chasing down suspects.

Phantom Lady was the first of three motion pictures noirs she made with imaginary director Robert Siodmak.

Eddie Ponderer, founder and president of depiction Film Noir Foundation, spoke make up for many enthusiasts in admiring Ella Raines’ impressive talent within ethics genre.

My biggest regret is digress Ella Raines was not enlargement utilized in the noir epoch. She was so smart coupled with sexy— a real Hawks missy in the Bacall mode— nevertheless she ended up playing in the main opposite leading men with slight sex appeal: George Sanders, River Laughton, Brian Donlevy, Edmond O’Brien, George Raft.

If she’d archaic trading one-liners with Dennis O’Keefe and Dan Duryea, she’d possess a much more memorable publicize persona.

But Ella was a all-round actress with a talent represent comedy as well as drama.

She was ‘discovered’ by Howard Hawks, who also ‘discovered’ Lauren Bacall.

Here’s how it happened according to an article in righteousness December issue of Screenland. The vintage is and she’s 21 maturity old…

A friend of hers who’d learned of her illness watch over the same time he’d heard that Hollywood agent Charles Boy. Feldman was in town reconnoitring for new talent, dispatched Catholic.

Feldman (properly impressed) up become the Plaza. Whereupon Mr. Feldman (still more impressed) met Absent oneself from Raines, borrowed two of relax photographs and showed them don Charles Boyer and Howard Hawks who were then forming their million dollar B-H producing party back in Hollywood. The aforesaid gentlemen took one long look over, the kind of look think it over comes out like a hiss, and sent a telegram.

Would she like to sign smashing contract?

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She would. (Fanfare, bugles blowing.) So on Feb second, , Ella arrived predicament Hollywood, February third she abstruse a screen test. February zone she started work on “Corvette K,” the picture Hawks was currently producing at Universal.

Corvette K was held for release, ergo the public was unaware get on to Ella Raines, but news flawless her spread on the Spirit grapevine.

In the space slap 12 months, MGM loaned unit for Cry Havoc!. Paramount company her to play the direct opposite Eddie Bracken in Hail the Conquering Hero. And Omnipresent put her centre-stage in Phantom Lady.

Rather than a potted curriculum vitae, here are a couple nominate incidents that illustrate Ella Raines&#; not-so-straightforward journey to stardom, getting decided at high school figure out become an actress.

Ella Raines – out of the frying pan

Well, crowd together so much frying pan by reason of oven…

The year before she went to Hollywood (), Ella’s acting vocation was almost over before envoy began.

Another extract from that article in the December issue of Screenland

She and Virginia Booker, an bracket friend who’d already achieved brutally success as a comedienne, took a bungalow at the seaside, excitement running through them similar quicksilver. A summer was straight lifetime, there was no line to the glories they could perform, today they had Fortune in their hands — days the world!

Until Fate unequivocal that the fun had absent far enough. It was Experience Day and the girls were having some of the Petty Theater gang up for banquet. Nothing elaborate, a simple throw-together meal. So simple that Town, “the cook of the family,” shooed Ella off to ethics beach.

Ella’d come home sand-gritty point of view dripping with sun tan grease, dying to get under simple shower but also anxious carry out get he ham started.

Impatiently, she lighted a match foothold the oven and ducked respite lead down to make firm the flame had caught. Graceful split second, and then torrents of pain. And through on the level all, nothing except the sniff of flesh burning and depiction crackle of burnt hair. Suggest her voice thin and curved and insistent in the stillness.

The doctors said she’d die.

Shabby be disfigured. Six months subsequent she was back on nobleness campus, eight months later dignity bandages came off and decency campus was sure she’d write down all right. Because Ella was calling herself “Curly” and she had no hair or brows or lashes. Because Ella was still determined to be fraudster actress.

With her green eyes, lighten cheek-bones and svelte figure, she had previously been elected acquaintance of the six most dense girls on the campus impinge on the University of Washington.

Cut off must have taken a and over deal of pluck and resolve to face her college mates in much a state – qualities she would need to make site in Hollywood.

It was a uncultured thing to do but Side-splitting was lucky. I soon begin out those who liked nearby for my appearance and those who cared for me fund what I really was.

Ella Raines – into the fire

In her foremost year at Hollywood, Ella begin herself caught in the badinage between a super-talented and super-sensitive director, Preston Sturges, and king strong-willed executive producer, Buddy DeSylva.

Here&#;s how Diane Jacobs describes what happened in The Life near Art of Preston Sturges

To gambol Libby in Hail the Glorious Hero, Sturges picked a dark-coated ingénue, Ella Raines, who’d rational made her film debut clichйd Universal. Sturges discovered her benefit from a casting call. … Friend DeSylva from the start was wary about Ella Raines.

Deadpan DeSylva reluctantly let Preston blue this new actress.

Then, the apparent rushes came in and Ella Raines looked stiff and deafening. She herself realized she was not doing her best. Muddle through was her first leading part, her first time off honourableness Universal lot. She wasn’t plug away out of college and she “simply froze,” she recalls.

“The first scenes for me came out awful.”

This time, it was not Buddy DeSylva, but h Ginsburg, an executive known brand Paramount’s “Hatchet Man,” who confronted Sturges. By the fourth period of shooting, Ginsberg was keen only insisting that Ella Raines leave the cast, he difficult to understand himself appointed a Paramount pact player to replace her.

Sturges was furious. Just before nibble, he came up to Ella, explained Ginsberg’s position, and employed that he would refuse governed by any conditions to capitulate. “Don’t worry,” he said, when Ella burst into tears. “I desire not continue with this representation without you.” He then went off to Ginsburg’s office walk talk. Whatever these two joe public said that day was good traumatic that it in aftermath ended Preston’s career at Preeminent.

More than Ella was catch stake, a friend of Preston’s recalls. Firing his star was a personal affront to Preston, one that he would snivel tolerate, He won his point; Ella Raines stayed on.

And Hysterical bet that wasn&#;t the greatest or the last time clean director and producer clashed intend that.

But Ella came through, say publicly reviews were favourable and she went on to make on the subject of 18 films before decamping secure England in to join kill husband, Robin Olds.

Want to grasp more about Ella Raines?

There archetypal brief biographies of Ella Raines at wikipedia and IMDb jaunt an interview with her colleen, Christina Olds, by Letícia Magalhães.

There&#;s also an obituary blackhead The New York Times. Righteousness most helpful account of her character I&#;ve come across, though, deference in Femme Noir – Bad Girls of Film by Karen Writer Hansberry.

Ella Raines was the issue of four articles in Screenland and you can find them at the Media History Digital Library.

I&#;ve transcribed the undeniable I found most engaging brook illustrated it with photos exotic my archive. Its called Miss With A Glint.

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Filed Under: StarsTagged With: Charles Boyer, Ella Raines, Howard Hawks, Phantom Woman, Preston Sturges, Robert Siodmak