What makes a “legend”?

That question came up recently during a British television interview when actress Nicole Kidman, 37, was referred to as a “legend”. According to press reports, Lauren Bacall (who is 80 and co-starred with Nicole in two movies this year) reminded the interviewer that “she’s a beginner….she can’t be a legend. You have to be older.”

Funny, I thought you had to be…well, dead! Both of these lovely ladies are still working at their craft. Nicole has 34 films behind her and possibly 7 in her immediate future. Lauren is hard at work on a film now with another one in post-production and 43 others on her resume. They have no plans to rest on their laurels no matter what their respective ages.

So I decided I better do some deep digging. The dictionary wasn’t much help. Webster defines the word legend as (1) a story about saints ( and I know from history that saints are dead long before they are even called saints) and (2) any wonderful story out of the past (times and people gone by..dead, right?). However, The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language states that “today a legend can be…anyone or anything whose fame promises to be enduring, even if the renown is created more by the media than by oral tradition.” That may get that British interviewer off the hook but it does nothing at all for me.

So here it is….my opinion! You knew you were going to get that eventually, didn’t you?

I believe that to be a legend, a person has to be done with his or her life’s work. James Dean, at only 24 and with only 7 films to his credit, suddenly became a legend when he crashed his car on that winding road. Now books and even films have been written about him. On the other hand Paul Newman, race car driver extraordinaire and actor, is still working at 80 and while he may be legendary (beyond the norm) he is not a legend.

So my sincere apologies to Lauren and Nicole (and that interviewer across the sea. These equally gorgeous ladies may be legendary even now but neither are legends in my book. I hope to be able to enjoy their work for a long time to come.)

Arabella

A little mouse told me...

…that movie people say the darndest things!

….”A celebrity is one who works all his life to become well-known and then goes through back streets wearing dark glasses so he won’t be recognized.” ….. ……Jane Powell

On location in Africa for the movie “Safari” (1956) Victor Mature was scheduled for a scene that required him to wade into crocodile-infested river to rescue Janet Leigh. The crew prepared by having hunters shooting into the river to scare away the real crocs. But Vic wasn’t eager to try his luck even though the director assured him the repiles would be scared off by the sound of the gunfire. “But”, complained Mature “what if one of those S.O.B’s is hard of hearing?”

Margaret O’Brien’s mother complained about one of her daughter’s costumes to the movie’s film director. He also agreed she was too young to wear a strapless gown. They took it to the studio head Samuel Goldwyn. “Let her try it”, he said. “If it doesn’t fall down, she’s old enough”.

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Ask Arabella...

From Dorothy and Bobby Robertson, Meridian, Mississippi…

We would like to know more about John Abbott, who played Mr. Rochester’s brother-in-law in “Jane Eyre” and the ambassador in “The Merry Widow”.

John did the 1944 film version of “Jane Eyre” with Orson Welles and Joan Fontaine and the 1952 remake of “The Merry Widow” with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas. He was a fine character actor but he also played leading roles on the stage as well as films. Later John was seen frequently on television, too.

He was born John Kefford in London, England on July 5 th ,1905 (the Internet Movie database gives June 5 th) and he studied art not acting. But a sudden illness for a fellow student in a school play and John stepped into his future career. Four years later he was appearing on the London stage. He made his film debut in England with “Mademoiselle Docteur”(1937) that starred Claire Luce and Eric von Stroheim while also continuing his stage work. In 1941 he came to Hollywood to make “Shanghai Gesture” with Phyllis Brooks and never left.

John continued in films and stage plays until he retired in the early 1980’s. After retirement, he taught and coached young actors in Hollywood. John Abbott died in Los Angeles on May 24 th at the age of 90.

Arabella

From Maria and Luis Oropeza, El Paso, Texas….

My husband and I are big fans of old cowboy movies and the cowboy stars who made them. But we can’t find many of the ones we remember seeing years ago either on tape or on television channels. One in particular is Jack Randall. How did Jack die (he was only in his early 30’s) and where can we find his films?

First things first. Addison (Jack) Randall was 39 when he died on July 16 th, 1945.Contrary, to published reports, he died from the injuries he received when his horse ran away with him while filming “The Royal Mounted Ride Again”. Bill Kennedy replaced him. I am not sure if Jack was riding his usual mount, Rusty. He was the brother of actor Robert Livingston and he had many roles in Broadway musicals before coming to Hollywood. But his career literally went south in Monogram’s “B” westerns that failed to showcase his many talents.

Question #2..I am not sure Jack’s films are still around. We have lost so many of the old films that turned to dust. I haven’t been able to find them on my lists yet but I am still looking. Perhaps our readers can offer a helping hand. I will get back to you as soon as I have news!

Arabella

From Debbie in Masontown, PA.....

What ever happened to the “White Rain Girl”? She appeared in the commercials then did a few movies and television shows. I can’t remember her name but she was in “The Attack of the 50 ft. Woman”.

That girl was Yvette Vickers. Yvette made her debut in the film “Sunset Boulevard” (1950) as the giggly girl hogging the phone at a New Year’s Eve party. Then, while she was on a trip to New York, she got the nod to do that shampoo commercial. James Cagney chose her for his film “Short Cut to Hell” (1957) the same year she did “The Sad Sack” and “Reform School Girls”. After one other horror film (“Attack of the Giant Leeches” 1959) and a photo-op as Playboy’s Playmate of the Month in July, 1959, she got the role of Lily Peters in “Hud” (1963). In 1990 she appeared as the neighbor in “Evil Spirits. At that time she was living in Beverly Hills.

Arabella