MovieChat Forums > Caged (1950) Discussion > Talented, underrated Eleanor Parker

Talented, underrated Eleanor Parker

posted 19 years ago by mikel3363
16 replies | jump to latest

She had that beautiful sensitivity - vulnerable; sometimes with an insecure edge, as if she could come unglued at any moment. That made her interesting to watch, and made me feel I wanted to "reach out" to hold her. Her physical beauty was indelible; her mutable acting had intelligence, emotional range, unpredictability and dimension. She was always "thinking". (Her underrated work in the 1940s was usually excellent, always striking!) She had a bit of mystery and pain; the camera loved her! I've also read she had a great sense of humor!

My favorite films of Eleanor Parker:

CAGED (Great for its time! She gave a complete performance.)

LIZZIE (She convincingly portrays a woman with multiple personalities with skill and excellence!)

SCARAMOUCHE (She was beautiful, sly and fun!)

THE WOMAN IN WHITE (interesting and atmospheric; her beauty here is captivating!)

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS (TV movie from early 1970s. Her last scenes are good.)

DETECTIVE STORY (still excellent film!)

OF HUMAN BONDAGE (I preferred her performance over Bette Davis' - seemed more natural.)

I feel she was consistently at her best up through the early 1950s. Afterwards, she was often wonderful - always beautiful!

Many Blessings to her!! There are many who will never forget her!

[–] chconnol 19 years ago

Parker was superb in "Caged" and very good in "Detective Story".

I Really never saw her in anything else during the 50's but she was the Countess in "The Sound of Music". Perhaps it was the director's fault (Robert Wise) but she was unbelievably campy in Sound 'o Music. One imagines Joan Crawford in "Mommie Dearest" if Christopher Plummer's original marital intentions were realized.

[–] dusan711 18 years ago

I don't think she was at all campy in THE SOUND OF MUSIC. She was excellent as the sexy, self-absorbed but ultimately sympathetic Baroness.

Her character was supposed to act like that...very dramatic and upper class.

[–] chconnol 18 years ago

She acted like a transvestite was playing the role. I half expected her to pull out a rifle and gun Maria down when she returned from the abby all singing and all! "Die Goody Two Shoes, BI TCH DIE!"

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] 18 years ago

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[–] nneprevilo 17 years ago

When Eleanor Parker was nominated for best actress for "Caged," the competition was stiff. The other nominees that year were Gloria Swanson in "Sunset Boulevard," Anne Baxter in "All About Eve," Bette Davis in "All About Eve," Judy Holliday in "Born Yesterday." Judy won.

[–] emeraldrose63 17 years ago

I loved her in my all time favorite, The Sound Of Music and Scaramouche..
She's an excellent actress.

[–] Popcorngal (4346) 6 years ago

Didn't she play the Baroness in " The Sound of Music"?

[–] csu16387 17 years ago

I'm glad I caught this one last night. Eleanor Parker was remarkable here. Her downward spiral was unforgettable.

She would have been great in a Hitchcock movie, by the way.

"Dry your eyes baby, it's out of character."

[–] dcurry-1 17 years ago

She & Hope Emerson were both Oscar nominated. Liked Agnes Moorehead also.

[–] LadyJaneGrey 17 years ago

I liked Parker's performance but one incongruity I noted was that her Marie Allen was well-spoken, intelligent, mannerly, and seemd to come from a middle-class home, while her mother was borderline slattern, freshly minted from the tenement. It seemed an odd juxtaposition.

I also liked Robert Osborne's comment that after the premier of the movie, Hope Emerson was wheeling her aged mother out of the theater to boos and hisses from the audience who hated her matron character. It's odd how sometimes people can't separate the player from the part played, but also a good indication of how well and completely the role was inhabited.

Nora Charles: What's that man doing in my drawers?

[–] YankeeDood 14 years ago

Yes, she would have fit right into a leading role with Hitchcock's unique suspense-driven technique.

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[–] pierce-mn1 12 years ago

When I saw the Singalong Sound of Music, the audience practically booed her off the screen!

[–] dlevy1201 12 years ago

You wrote about Ms. Parker like she was dead. She is still alive. She is 90 years old though not making movies any more but very much alive.

I too love her work I have recently seen the following:
Between Two Worlds (1944) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0036641/
Pride of the Marines (1945) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038000/
Never Say Goodbye (1946) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038773/
A Millionaire for Christy (1951) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043807/
Above and Beyond (1952) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044324/
Interrupted Melody (1955) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048210/