The Unholy Wife
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The Unholy Wife
''The Unholy Wife'' is a 1957 Technicolor film noir crime film produced and directed by John Farrow at RKO Radio Pictures, but released by Universal Pictures as RKO was in the process of ceasing its film activities. The film features Diana Dors, Rod Steiger, Tom Tryon and Beulah Bondi. The screenplay was written by William Durkee and Jonathan Latimer The plot concerns a '' femme fatale'' named Phyllis (Diana Dors) who tells her sordid story from her prison cell in flashback. Dors later said the film "wasn't good. They edited it badly." The movie's box office failure hurt her career. Plot Phyllis (Diana Dors) tells her story, beginning with how she met rich vintner Paul Hochen ( Rod Steiger) from Napa Valley in a bar and married him soon after. Not long after the marriage, Phyllis begins having an affair with a local rodeo rider, San Sanford (Tom Tryon), seeing him every time her husband is away, which is frequently. One night, her elderly mother-in-law (Beulah Bondi) thinks ...
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John Farrow
John Villiers Farrow, KGCHS (10 February 190427 January 1963) was an Australian film director, producer, and screenwriter. Spending a considerable amount of his career in the United States, in 1942 he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director for ''Wake Island'', and in 1957 he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Around the World in Eighty Days''. He had seven children by his wife, actress Maureen O'Sullivan, including actress Mia Farrow. Early life Farrow was born in Sydney, Australia, the son of Lucy Villiers (née Savage; 1881–1907), a dressmaker, and Joseph Farrow (1880–1925), a tailor's trimmer. His mother died when he was born.Unpublished letter dated Oct 3, 1939 His parents were both of English descent. Farrow was educated at Newtown Public School and Fort Street Boys' High School and then started a career in accountancy. He claimed to have run away to sea in an American barquentine, sailed "all over the Pacific," and fought in revo ...
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Femme Fatale
A ''femme fatale'' ( or ; ), sometimes called a maneater or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype of literature and art. Her ability to enchant, entice and hypnotize her victim with a spell was in the earliest stories seen as verging on supernatural; hence, the femme fatale today is still often described as having a power akin to an enchantress, seductress, witch, having power over men. Femmes fatales are typically villainous, or at least morally ambiguous, and always associated with a sense of mystification, and unease.Mary Ann Doane, ''Femme Fatales'' (1991) pp. 1–2 The term originates from the French phrase '' femme fatale'', which means 'deadly woman' or 'lethal woman'. A femme fatale tries to achieve her hidden purpose by using feminine wiles such as beauty, charm, or sexual allure. In many cases, her attitude towards sexuality is ...
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William Woodward Jr
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of England in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is sometimes abbreviated "Wm." Shortened familiar versions in English include Will, Wills, Willy, Willie, Bill, and Billy. A common Irish form is Liam. Scottish diminutives include Wull, Willie or Wullie (as in Oor Wullie or the play ''Douglas''). Female forms are Willa, Willemina, Wilma and Wilhelmina. Etymology William is related to the given name ''Wilhelm'' (cf. Proto-Germanic ᚹᛁᛚᛃᚨᚺᛖᛚᛗᚨᛉ, ''*Wiljahelmaz'' > German ''Wilhelm'' and Old Norse ᚢᛁᛚᛋᛅᚼᛅᛚᛘᛅᛋ, ''Vilhjálmr''). By regular sound changes, the native, inherited English form of the name should b ...
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Claire Trevor
Claire Trevor ( Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ''Key Largo'' (1948), and received nominations for her roles in '' The High and the Mighty'' (1954) and ''Dead End'' (1937). Trevor received top billing, ahead of John Wayne, for ''Stagecoach'' (1939). Early life Trevor was born on March 8, 1910, in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York City, the only child of Noel Wemlinger, a Fifth Avenue merchant tailor (of French birth but German ancestry), and his wife, Benjamina ("Betty"), who was of Irish birth. She was raised in New York City, and from 1923 on, in Larchmont, New York. For many years, her year of birth was misreported as 1909, which is why her age at the time of her death was initially given as 91, not 90. Career According to her biography on the website of Claire Trevor School of the Arts, "Trevor's acting career spanned more ...
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Tol Avery
Taliaferro Ware "Tol" Avery (August 28, 1915 – August 27, 1973) was an American film and television character actor with more than a hundred screen appearances between 1950 and 1974. Biography Early in his career, Avery appeared as "Dennison" in an episode of the 1953–1954 ABC situation comedy, ''The Pride of the Family''. He portrayed Lieutenant Steve King on ''The Thin Man''. Noted for his girth and cultured voice, Avery usually played sophisticated and articulate villains, including the featured nemesis in six out of seven episode appearances on the ABC/Warner Brothers western television series ''Maverick'' starring James Garner, Jack Kelly and Roger Moore between 1957 and 1962. The episodes were "According to Hoyle" with Garner and Diane Brewster, "Rope of Cards" with Garner, "Yellow River" with Kelly, "Maverick Springs" with Garner and Kelly as well as Kathleen Crowley Kathleen Crowley (born Betty Jane Crowley; December 26, 1929 – April 23, 2017) was an Am ...
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James Burke (actor)
James Michael Burke (September 24, 1886 – May 23, 1968) was an Irish-American film and television character actor born in New York City."New York, New York City Births, 1846-1909", FHL microfilm 1,322,214; New York Municipal Archives, Manhattan, New York, N.Y. FamilySearch. Retrieved February 20, 2019. Career Burke made his stage debut in New York around 1912 and went to Hollywood in 1933. He made over 200 film appearances during his career between 1932 and 1964, some of them uncredited. He was often cast as a police officer, usually a none-too-bright one, such as his role as Sergeant Velie in Columbia Pictures' Ellery Queen crime dramas in the early 1940s. Burke can also be seen in ''At The Circus'', '' The Maltese Falcon'', '' Lone Star'', and many other films. One of his memorable roles is his portrayal of a rowdy rancher in the 1935 comedy ''Ruggles of Red Gap''. In the early 1950s, Burke appeared on television with Tom Conway in the ABC detective drama ''Inspecto ...
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Steve Pendleton
Steve Pendleton (September 16, 1908 – October 3, 1984) was an American film and television actor. He also went by Gaylord Pendleton as a Broadway performer. He was in more than 220 different films and television episodes. Pendleton appeared in films and on television alongside Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and Gene Autry. Biography Selected filmography He appeared in more than 150 films between 1923 and 1960, including: * ''Manslaughter Manslaughter is a common law legal term for homicide considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is sometimes said to have first been made by the ancient Athenian lawmaker Draco in the 7th cen ...'' (1930) * ''Seas Beneath'' (1931) * ''The Last Parade (film), The Last Parade'' (1931) * ''Unknown Valley'' (1933) * ''Love Past Thirty'' (1934) * ''The Judgement Book'' (1935) * ''Trails End (1935 film), Trails End'' (1935) * ''The Informer (1935 film), The Informer'' (1935) * ''The Duke of Wes ...
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Argentina Brunetti
Argentina Brunetti (born Argentina Ferraù; August 31, 1907 – December 20, 2005) was an Argentinian stage and film actress and writer. Biography Brunetti was born Argentina Ferraù in Buenos Aires, Argentina to Italian parents; her mother was the Sicilian actress Mimi Aguglia. She began her show-business career at the age of three with a walk-on role in the opera ''Cavalleria Rusticana'' and followed in the footsteps of her mother, performing supporting roles on stage throughout Europe and South America. In 1937, she was placed under contract to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and began dubbing the voices of Jeanette MacDonald and Norma Shearer into Italian. She became a narrator for the Voice of America, interviewing American movie stars for broadcast in Italy. At the same time, she made her movie debut in the classic ''It's a Wonderful Life'' (1946) as Mrs. Maria Martini. Brunetti wrote and performed in daily radio shows; she became a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Associa ...
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Joe De Santis
Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis (June 15, 1909 – August 30, 1989) was an American radio, television, movie and theatrical actor and sculptor. Biography Joe De Santis was born Joseph Vito Marcello De Santis to Italian immigrant parents in New York City. His father, Pasquale De Santis, was a tailor from San Pietro Apostolo in Catanzaro, Italy; his mother, Maria Paoli, emigrated from Gioviano in the province of Lucca in Tuscany and worked in a paper flower factory. He worked his way through New York University studying sculpture and drama, his first performances being in Italian. In 1931, De Santis debuted as a broadcaster on an Italian-language radio station. After obtaining a part in a play at Hunter College, he secured work as an actor for three seasons with the Walter Hampden Repertory Company, which marked the beginning of his performances in the English language. In the 1930s, when professional acting opportunities became scarce, he worked as an instructor with the Works ...
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Luis Van Rooten
Luis d'Antin van Rooten (November 29, 1906 – June 17, 1973) was a Mexican-born American actor. He was sometimes credited as Louis Van Rooten. Van Rooten was born in Mexico City, Mexico, and emigrated to the United States with his parents when he was eight, growing up in Pennsylvania. He earned his Bachelor of Arts, BA at the University of Pennsylvania and worked as an architect before deciding to pursue film work in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood during World War II. His facility with languages made van Rooten an in-demand military radio announcer during the war, and he conducted a variety of broadcasts in Italian, Spanish, and French. This led into film work, often in roles requiring an accent or skill with dialects. Film work Known for his villainous roles, he played Nazi ringleader Heinrich Himmler in ''The Hitler Gang'' (1944) and ''Operation Eichmann'' (1961). He played supporting roles with a number of film stars, including Alan Ladd in ''Two Years Before the Mas ...
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Arthur Franz
Arthur Sofield Franz (February 29, 1920 – June 17, 2006) was an American actor whose most notable feature film role was as Lieutenant, Junior Grade, H. Paynter Jr. in ''The Caine Mutiny (film), The Caine Mutiny'' (1954). Early life Franz was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey. His interest in acting developed while he was still a student in high school. Military service During World War II, Franz served as a B-24 Liberator navigator in the United States Army Air Forces. He was shot down over Romania and incarcerated in a POW camp, from which he later escaped. Stage Franz's Broadway theatre, Broadway credits include ''Command Decision'' (1947), ''The Moon Vine'' (1942), ''Little Darling'' (1942), and ''Hope for a Harvest'' (1941). Film Franz made his screen debut in ''Jungle Patrol (1948 film), Jungle Patrol'' (1948). He appeared in ''Roseanna McCoy'' (1949), ''Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man'' (1951), ''Eight Iron Men'' (1952), ''Invaders from Mars (1953 film), I ...
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Marie Windsor
Marie Windsor (born Emily Marie Bertelsen; December 11, 1919 – December 10, 2000) was an American actress known for her femme fatale characters in the classic film noir features ''Force of Evil'', ''The Narrow Margin'' and '' The Killing''. Windsor's height (5'9") created problems for her in scenes with all but the tallest actors. She was the female lead in so many B movies that she became dubbed the "Queen" of the genre. Early years The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Lane Bertelsen, Windsor was born in 1919 in Marysvale, Utah. She was graduated from Marysvale High School in 1934, doing a "musical reading" as part of the graduation exercises. She attended Brigham Young University, where she participated in dramatic productions. She was described in a 1939 newspaper article as "an accomplished athlete ... expert as a dancer, swimmer, horsewoman, and plays golf, tennis and skis." In 1939, Windsor was chosen from a group of 81 contestants to be queen of Covered Wagon Days in Salt Lak ...
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