Lana Turner's Greatest Performance was in........

I agree. Lana's performance in Madame X was so brilliant and so moving that I cried many times while watching the movie.

I think Lana was also perfectly cast in The Postman Always Rings Twice and gave a very good performance in it. She also gave great performances in Peyton Place, Imitation of Life, and Portrait in Black (my three favorite movies of hers).

I haven't seen The Bad and the Beautiful yet but it is on my list of movies to watch. I have heard that she gave a really good performance in that opposite Kirk Douglas.

I also really enjoyed watching Lana play the character of Jacqueline Perrault in the early seasons of Falcon Crest. Even though she was 60+ at the time, she was definitely the most beautiful and glamourous actress on the show. She definitely held her own in her scenes with Jane Wyman.

It's too bad that Lana never won an Oscar because I definitely think that she deserved to win for at least one of the movies that you mentioned. I don't even know who won the Oscar the year that Lana was nominated for Peyton Place.

Joanne Woodward won for her performance in Three Faces Of Eve

Thanks for the reply, AndersonWhitbeck. I haven't seen The Three Faces of Eve or any of Joanne Woodward's other movies.

The legend in Hollywood, however, is that Lana's greatest performance was on the witness stand at the inquest following Stompanato's death! :-))

With today's forensic capabilities, one has to wonder if she'd have gotten away with it the way she (allegedly) did.

paradesend, I've heard that said about Lana before. I heard it from family members when I was growing up. Like you said, with today's forensic capabilities, she most likely would have been indicted and tried for Stompanato's death.

However, I do think that Stompanato got what he deserved. There is no conclusive evidence, but I believe that Lana did what she had to do to defend herself and stabbed him in self-defense. If Stompanato had not been killed that night, he probably would have killed Lana and maybe her daughter, Cheryl, as well.

Too true!

I grew up some of the time in L.A. in the 50s and 60s and the rumor was that she did it. But who knows. Hush-hush off the record and on the QT! LOL

One wonders how any of us would react if we found a guy like The Stomp trying to (or actually) molesting our daughter, if that is what prompted the fracas. All bets would be off.

And the thing is...knives are a favorite of women in attacks--both defensive as well as offensive. Cops will tell anybody that.

I always found the "he walked into the knife" account to be less than plausible! Unless he was so drunk he fell into it. But.........nah. ha

I think performance wise, Imitation Of Life and Peyton Place are her best.
But I enjoy her 40's films the most.

I liked all five of your choices. Although her role was relatively small, she also matched up well with Robert Taylor and gave a good performance in "Johnny Eager."