Evelyn Keyes
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| Evelyn Keyes | |
 Evelyn Keyes in 99 River Street (1953) |
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| Born | Evelyn Louise Keyes November 20, 1916 Port Arthur, Texas U.S. |
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| Died | July 4, 2008 (aged 91) Montecito, California U.S. |
| Years active | 1938–1993 |
| Spouse(s) | Barton Bainbridge (1938–1940) Charles Vidor(1943–1945) John Huston (1946–1950) Artie Shaw (1957–1985) |
| Domestic partner(s) | Michael Todd (1953–1956) |
Evelyn Keyes (November 20, 1916 – July 4, 2008) was an American film actress.
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[edit] Film career
A chorus girl by age 18, Keyes was put under contract by Cecil B. DeMille. After a handful of B movies at Paramount Pictures, she landed her most notable role, that of Scarlett O'Hara's sister Suellen in Gone with the Wind (1939).[1]
Columbia Pictures signed her to a contract. In 1941 she played an ingenue role in Here Comes Mr. Jordan, but the studio evidently thought her too young to play romantic roles in major films, so she spent most of the 1940s playing leads in many of Columbia's B dramas and mysteries. She developed her dramatic skill sufficiently to be given the feminine lead opposite Larry Parks in Columbia's blockbuster hit The Jolson Story (1946). Her later performances were fewer, but noteworthy, like her 1949 role as Kathy Flannigan in Mrs. Mike.[2] Keyes' last important film role was a small part as Tom Ewell's vacationing wife in The Seven Year Itch (1955), which starred Marilyn Monroe. Keyes officially retired in 1956, but continued to act.
[edit] Personal life
She was married to Barton Bainbridge from 1938 until his death in 1940. Later she married and divorced director Charles Vidor (1943–1945), actor/director John Huston (23 July 1946–February 1950),[3][4][5] and bandleader Artie Shaw (1957–1985).[6] Keyes said of her many relationships, "I was always interested in the man of the moment, and there were many such moments". While married to Huston, the couple adopted a Mexican child, Pablo, whom Huston had discovered while on the set of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre.
Her autobiography, Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister: My Lively Life in and Out of Hollywood, was published in 1977.[1] Keyes expressed her opinion that Mrs. Mike was her best film. She also wrote of the personal cost she paid by having an abortion just before Gone with the Wind was to begin filming.[7] The experience left her unable to have children. Among the many Hollywood affairs she recounted were those to producer Michael Todd, who left Evelyn for Elizabeth Taylor, Anthony Quinn, David Niven and Kirk Douglas.
She died of uterine cancer on July 4, 2008 at her home in Montecito, California, near Santa Barbara.[1] She had also suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[8]
[edit] Filmography
- The Buccaneer (1938) as Madeleine
- Dangerous to Know (1938) (uncredited)
- Men with Wings (1938) (uncredited) Nurse
- Sons of the Legion (1938) as Linda Lee
- Artists and Models Abroad (1938) aka Stranded in Paris (UK) (uncredited)
- Paris Honeymoon (1939) (uncredited) as Village Girl
- Sudden Money (1939) as Mary Patterson
- Union Pacific (1939) as Mrs. Calvin
- Gone with the Wind (1939) as Suellen O'Hara
- Slightly Honorable (1940) as Miss Vlissingen
- The Lady in Question (1940) as Francois Morestan
- Before I Hang (1940) as Martha Garth
- Beyond the Sacramento (1940) aka Power of Justice (UK) as Lynn Perry
- The Face Behind the Mask (1941) aka Behind the Mask (UK) as Helen Williams
- Here Comes Mr. Jordan (1941) as Bette Logan
- Ladies in Retirement (1941) as Lucy
- The Adventures of Martin Eden (1942) aka High Seas (USA reissue title) as Ruth Morley
- Flight Lieutenant (1942) as Susie Thompson
- The Desperadoes (1943) as Allison McLeod
- Dangerous Blondes (1943) as Jane Craig
- There's Something About a Soldier (1943) as Carol Harkness
- Nine Girls (1944) as Mary O'Ryan
- Strange Affair (1944) as Jacqueline Harrison
- A Thousand and One Nights (1945) aka 1001 Nights as the Genie[9]
- Renegades (1946 film)|Renegades aka Kansan (1946) as Hannah Brockway[10]
- The Thrill of Brazil (1946) as Vicki Dean[11]
- The Jolson Story (1946) as Julie Benson (a character based on Jolson's wife, Ruby Keeler)[12]
- Johnny O'Clock (1947) as Nancy Hobson
- The Mating of Millie (1948) as Millie McGonigle
- Enchantment (1948) as Grizel Dane
- Mr. Soft Touch (1949) aka House of Settlement (UK) as Jenny Jones
- Mrs. Mike (1949) as Kathy Flannigan[2]
- The Killer That Stalked New York (1950) aka Frightened City (UK) (USA copyright title) as Sheila Bennet[13]
- Smuggler's Island (1951) as Vivian Craig
- The Prowler (1951) as Susan Gilvray
- Iron Man (1951) as Rose Warren[14]
- One Big Affair (1952) as Jean Harper
- C'est arrivé à Paris (1953) aka It Happened in Paris (USA) as Patricia Moran
- Rough Shoot (1953) aka Shoot First (USA) as Cecily Paine[15]
- 99 River Street (1953) aka Crosstown as Linda James[16]
- Hell's Half Acre (1954) as Donna Williams[17]
- The Seven Year Itch (1955) as Helen Sherman
- Top of the World (1955) as Virgie Rayne (Mrs. Gannon)
- Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) as The Flirt
- Across 110th Street (1972) cameo
- A Return to Salem's Lot (1987) as Mrs. Axel
- Wicked Stepmother (1989) as Witch Instructor
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Thomas, Bob (2008-07-12). "Actress Evelyn Keyes dies at 91 in California". Associated Press. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080712/ap_en_mo/obit_keyes_6.
- ^ a b Hopper, Hedda (1949-10-02). "Evelyn Keyes Finally Elevated to Stardom; Leading Lady Bridges Gap Between 'Good' and 'Great' by Her 'Mrs. Mike'". Los Angeles Times: p. D1. "Until "Mrs. Mike," Evelyn Keyes had always been considered a fine leading lady rather than a star in the true sense of the word. She seemed to have lacked that final push that bridges the gap between "good" and "great.""
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (1946-07-24). "Evelyn Keyes married to film director John Huston". Los Angeles Times: p. 2. "An impulsive proposal in a Beverly Hills cafe, a midnight airplane ride to Las Vegas and a 3:30 a.m. appearance before the parson provided the "shooting script" for the surprise marriage yesterday of Evelyn Keyes, film star, and John Huston..."
- ^ "Evelyn Keyes Separates From Director-Husband; Actress Cites Incompatibility as Cause of Split With Third Spouse, John Huston". Los Angeles Times: p. 2. 1949-05-24. "Evelyn Keyes has separated from her third husband, Director John Huston, the blond actress said yesterday."
- ^ "Mexican Divorce Ends Evelyn Keyes' Marriage". Los Angeles Times: p. 2. 1950-02-11.
- ^ "Artie Shaw Plans to Wed Evelyn Keyes". Los Angeles Times: p. 2. 1957-03-06.
- ^ Harmetz, Aljean (1977-07-28). "'Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister'". The New York Times: p. 57. "Scarlett O'Hara's Younger Sister is a strange sort of autobiography for a prim Southern girl to have written a sexual odyssey up and down the decades, in which Evelyn Keyes pauses only occasionally to mention a movie she has just started or just finished."
- ^ Evelyn Keyes - Telegraph
- ^ "Cornel Wilde, Evelyn Keyes In New Technicolor Arabia". Christian Science Monitor: p. 4. 1945-07-13. "A traditional Arabian Nights romance, some modern spoofing comedy, and a bit of trick photography have been put together in a lavish Technicolor production to make "A Thousand and One Nights," the new feature at the State and Orpheum."
- ^ "SCREEN NEWS; Evelyn Keyes to Co-Star in Columbia's 'Kansan'". The New York Times: p. 15. 1945-05-19.
- ^ "Keenan Wynn, Evelyn Keyes In 'The Thrill of Brazil'". Christian Science Monitor: p. 4. 1946-09-27. "For those who like South American rhythms, enjoy vigorous Brazilian dancing, and the singing of Tito Guizar, "The Thrill of Brazil," a Columbia musical starring Keenan Wynn and Evelyn Keyes, at the State and Orpheum, is a fiesta."
- ^ "EVELYN KEYES SET FOR JOLSON FILM; Named for Ruby Keeler Role After Score Are Tested". The New York Times: p. 17. 1945-11-19. "Columbia has confirmed the choice of Evelyn Keyes for the part of Ruby Keeler in "The Al Jolson Story," after having tested more than a score of candidates for the role."
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (1951-01-05). "'Killer That Stalked New York,' About a Diamond Smuggler, Opens at Palace Theatre". The New York Times.
- ^ "The Screen: Three Movies Arrive; 'Iron Man,' With Jeff Chandler at Loew's State--'This Is Korea' Also on Bill". The New York Times. 1951-08-20.
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (1953-06-27). "McCrea, Evelyn Keyes Assist Spy Feature". Los Angeles Times: p. A6. ""Shoot First," starring Joel McCrea and Evelyn Keyes at Globe, Uptown and Loyola Theaters, poses as a cloak and dagger picture, and was shot mostly in the countryside of England."
- ^ Lane, Lydia (1953-08-30). "Evelyn Keyes Tells Secrets of Beauty Learned in Paris". Los Angeles Times: p. C9. "After two years in Europe Evelyn Keyes has been lured back to Hollywood to make "Cross-Town" for United Artists."
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (1953-07-21). "Evelyn Keyes Costars With Wendell Corey". Los Angeles Times: p. A6. "Evelyn Keyes' vacation is over. She's heading for Honolulu to costar with Wendell Corey in "Hell's Half Acre" for Republic."
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Evelyn Keyes |
- Evelyn Keyes, Actress in 'Gone With the Wind' dies at 91
- New York Times Biography
- Evelyn Keyes at the Internet Movie Database
- Evelyn Keyes at Find a Grave
