Rhonda Fleming
All the Ladies in this were beautiful as they always are for films those years, but Rhonda Fleming, oh my! That hair!
I'm going over to her message board now.
her web site is good too www.rhondafleming.com
WARNING: SPOILERS
So you were fascinated by her hair too (and the photos on her website confirm that it is indeed her own)! She looks particularly lovely, of course, when she finally gets to let it down. It's too bad she gets killed soon afterwards. (In real life, she has survived all the other credited players and most of the uncredited ones (one of whom was murdered in real life!). Myrna Dell, the other victim, also survives.)
If you notice, her first two elaborate hairstyles are slightly different in succeeding shots. (We don't really get a good look at the third, in Dorothy McGuire's wedding fantasy.) This is particularly noticeable with her "evening" hairstyle. It’s obvious that that scene was shot in at least three sessions. (By the way, I know that people changed for dinner then, but would it really have been usual for a woman to wear two elaborate hairstyles on the same day, even when it was not a special occasion? Not that I have any objection.)
Notice that, on her first appearance, her shadow appears before she does. No doubt this is an omen. Soon afterwards, Gordon Oliver's shadow falls on her, accompanied by an ominous chord. She then says, "You scared the life out of me" -- a line she repeats to her unseen killer just before being murdered.
I must say that poor Rhonda has some atrocious writing imposed on her. (All that moping about how unhappy she is.)
Back in the days when this movie was set, it was usual for a wealthy lady to have a coterie of servants who accompanied her when she travelled or visited, including one who would dress her hair for every occasion, even if it were several times a day.
shareRhonda Fleming's character is apparently not a wealthy lady, but an employee of the professor's, specifically, his secretary. If she were wealthy, she wouldn't need the work.
This being the case, perhaps it's a bit strange that she has all those nice clothes and jewels. Gordon Oliver's character says that she had had a previous relationship with his brother (George Brent, the "professor"). Perhaps "goodness had nothing to do with it," as Mae West said. That may be one reason she had to die.
If you'd like to see what Rhonda Fleming could do with a really well written part, try to see her in "Wait Until Dark", a very compelling psychological melodrama with the great Jean Simmons. She is a revelation in it. It occasionally airs on TCM. I recently wrote to her about how impressed by her performance I was, and received a very gracious reply.
But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.
You mean "Home Before Dark," not "Wait Until Dark." (That was the one with Audrey Hepburn as a blind woman menaced by thugs.)
shareYou're right ... I do mean "Home Before Dark" ... mea culpa ... Very good movie and a great performance from Rhonda Fleming though, wasn't it?
Not my worst Rhonda Fleming mistake though ... I once credited la Fleming with Virginia Mayo's terrific performance in "White heat".
But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.
You're killing me! Home Before Dark is one of the best psychological thrillers and best treatments of mental illness in the movies EVER! I got the book last summer and the time hasn't been right, but I look forward to reading it!
shareIt is a very good film on a mental illness theme. Not only were Jean Simmons and Rhonda Fleming excellent in it, but the actress who played the appalling mother was very good too. I wrote to Rhonda Fleming last year about how much I liked this performance, and received a very gracious reply. Fortunately, I did not have a senior's moment and call the film by the wrong name that time.
But you ARE Blanche ... and I AM.
It's funny that you say that about Virginia Mayo...when I first saw Ms. Fleming in this movie I thought it was Virginia Mayo in a dark wig. I didn't realize until I saw the credits that it wasn't Mayo. There's definite resemblance!
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