Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Even more MM wannabes

Internet Debris

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Monroe Wannabes


Image Via Nature Boy

Cleo Moore

Cleo Moore was born October 31, 1928 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She began her trek to stardom by participating in high school plays. When she was just 15 years old, Cleo wed Palmer Long, son of the late Huey "Kingfish" Long in 1944. Palmer's father had been one of the movers and shakers in Louisiana politics for years, first serving as governor and then the U.S. Senate. He was assassinated in 1935 in the state capitol building. (Cleo, herself, was to run for Governor of Louisiana in 1956). 
The marriage was doomed to fail having lasted a mere six weeks. After Cleo finished high school, she moved with her family to California where her father was anticipating the end of World War II and the building boom that was expected to follow. Once in sunny California, it didn't take long to get "discovered." 
She was spotted by an RKO executive and was convinced to take a screen test. She passed and her first film was in a rather nondescript offering released in 1948, called CONGO BILL. After that fiasco, Cleo went back to work at her family's building business and did some modeling. 
Two years later, in 1950, the shapely blonde appeared in a Western entitled, RIO GRANDE PATROL. She received fifth billing in the movie that went no where. However, that year proved to busy for her as she appeared in five other films. BRIGHT LEAF, a film about the tobacco industry, was a well-received one even though she had only a small part. 
GAMBLING HOUSE was, somewhat, of a personal breakthrough. Cleo co-starred with Victor Mature and William Bendix. Then it was back to another substandard flick called THIS SIDE OF THE LAW. Hard as it was to break into films this one really grabbed to public's attention but Cleo seemed to be destined to remain in B movie roles for the balance of her career. 
She did appear in an A-list film called ON DANGEROUS GROUND in 1951 with Ida Lupino and Robert Ryan, but had only a minor part. For an actress who had a wonderful talent, she seemed to be picked more for her physical attributes than how she played on the screen. Her acting seemed secondary to the moguls of the studios. She was very beautiful, but Cleo wanted them to look past that and see the talent she possessed. 
In 1954, Cleo appeared in two more duds, THE OTHER WOMAN and BAIT. The following year she made two more films, HOLD BACK TOMORROW which was termed 'strange' and WOMEN'S PRISON. Although a B movie, it fared well at the box-office because of the subject matter and Cleo. Other than that, it didn't have a lot going for it. In 1957, Cleo starred in her final film, HIT AND RUN, along with her sister, Mari Lea. She had top billing, but it was another bomb. Cleo, then, left films forever. 
She married a real estate tycoon in 1961 and settled down to a life of being a socialite and domesticity. Cleo had a daughter born in 1963. Cleo Moore died of a heart attack on October 25, 1973 in Inglewood, California, less than a week before her 45th birthday. To her legions of fans, she remains a favorite sex symbol of the 1950's who was wasted in minor roles in substandard B pictures.
Text via IMDb

Image Via Nature Boy

Barbara Lang

Actress Barbara Lang was a beautiful, brassy "B"-level blonde who made only three pictures in the 1950s.
Born Barbara Jean Bly 
in Pasadena, California, on March 2, 1928, she was the daughter of a silent movie dancer, Esther Kaufman, who went by the name Maureen Knight, and a non-professional father, Leonidis Bly. She was raised in the Los Angeles area and started out her teen years toiling as a jewelry sales girl and used her nubile features and curvy figure to her advantage as a part-time model. She also earned tips as a cocktail lounge singer and piano player but avoided nightclubs because the male clientèle incessantly propositioned her.
Out of nowhere Lang woke up one day in late 1953 unable to move. Stricken by polio, her speech was affected and her legs and facial muscles paralyzed. Told that she might never walk again, she miraculously recovered after several months of treatment but the lingering effects of her illness robbed her of much of her stamina and she would tire easily for the rest of her life.
After her recovery she pursued an acting career, and one of Lang's earliest acting jobs was on a few episodes of "Death Valley Days" in 1955 and 1956. She met her first husband, actor and co-star Alan Wells, on one of those episodes. The couple married in 1956. A talent scout happened to catch Barbara's appearance on the show and MGM took an interest. As a result, she signed with the studio and began taking dramatic lessons. 
The starlet's first role was a bit part in Hot Summer Night (1957). She then progressed to the lead role in the prison noir House of Numbers (1957) as the wife of jailbird Jack Palance, which was actually filmed inside the walls of Folsom Prison. It seemed Barbara was on her way.
A huge disappointment came for Barbara was when she lost out on the co-starring role opposite Elvis Presley in Jailhouse Rock (1957). After being initially named by the studio for the part, Judy Tyler was given the coveted role instead. Tragically, Ms. Tyler was killed in a car crash shortly after the filming. Instead Barbara went on to play the supporting role of Ginger D'Amour, a 30's gangster-styled showgirl in the film noir Party Girl (1958) starring veteran MGM stars 'Robert Taylor' and Cyd Charisse
In the meantime Barbara tried to keep on track with TV guest roles playing sexy foils in both crime drama ("Maverick," "77 Sunset Strip") and comedy ("The Bob Cummings Show," "Car 54, Where Are You?") but things soon slowed down to a halt. With her annulment from Wells finalized in 1958 and a career going into an abrupt tailspin, Barbara attempted suicide in 1959 with an overdose of sleeping pills.
She recovered but her career did not. She later married and divorced a second time. Little was heard from Barbara until her reported death 
in Los Angeles. She died of  pneumonia at the relatively young age of 54.
Text via IMDb

Image Via Simply Jews

Jeanne Carmen

Jeanne Laverne Carmen was born in Paragould, Arkansas. As a child she picked cotton before running away from home at age 13. As a teen, she moved to New York City and landed a job as a dancer in Burlesque, with Bert Lahr. Later she became a model, appearing in several men's magazines.  
The early 1950s found her in Las Vegas, in the company of mobster Johnny Roselli. At this time, she discovered she had a natural talent for the game of golf and made much money hustling on the links. She later went to Hollywood, where she was often in the company of some of that town's most notable swingers, men like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra.
While in her 20s, she came to Hollywood and appeared in B movies such as Guns Don't Argue and The Monster of Piedras Blancas. Carmen's sultry good looks, naturally dark hair, hourglass figure, and striking green eyes quickly landed her on the big screen in 1956 playing a feisty Spanish senorita named "Serelda" in The Three Outlaws. This Western was based on the same events as the later Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, co-starring Neville Brand and Alan Hale, Jr as Butch and Sundance. 
She was next cast by producer/director Howard W. Koch as a native Indian girl in War Drums alongside Lex Barker of Tarzan fame. Koch took a liking to Carmen and cast her in his next flick for Warner Bros, the teenage rock 'n' roll juvenile delinquent-themed Untamed Youth in 1957 co-starring Rockabilly legend Eddie Cochran, which inspired Cochran to cover the song "Jeannie, Jeannie, Jeannie" for her.
Carmen also appeared as a femme fatale in Portland Exposé alongside Frank Gorshin who later gained fame as the "Riddler" on the Batman series. She also appeared in the Three Stooges short subject A Merry Mix Up playing Joe Besser's girlfriend "Mary." The short is notable for the Stooges playing three sets of identical triplets. Although she 
never made it into the "big" movies, only appearing in "B" pictures, she was, nevertheless, quite an item at the celebrity parties. 
In 1998, Carmen was the subject of a TV biography titled "Jeanne Carmen: Queen of the B-Movies", on the series E! True Hollywood Story. The show stated that Carmen maintained a "dangerously close friendship with Marilyn Monroe and The Kennedys" and that after the death of Monroe, Carmen was told to leave town by Chicago mobster Johnny Rosselli who was working for Chicago Mob Boss Sam Giancana. Carmen, believing her life was in danger, fled to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she lived incognito for over a decade. Carmen abandoned her platinum blonde locks, had three children and lived a quiet life, never mentioning her prior life in Hollywood.
Carmen's last published interview was on November 21, 2007, by SX News, an Australian weekly gay and lesbian newspaper. On December 20, 2007, aged 77, Jeanne Carmen died of lymphoma at her home in Orange County, California, where she had lived since 1978. She was survived by three children, and three grandchildren.
At the time of Carmen's death, a biographical film of her life was in early stages of development. Christina Aguilera, Scarlett Johansson, and Kate Bosworth were under consideration to play her.

Text via Wikipedia
In this 2007 media release the Jeanne Carmen biopic seemed well underway. However, by the end of 2011, the film was still "in development." At this point, it is difficult to predict when, if ever, the film will be produced.
December 5, 2007
If everything goes as per Jeanne Carmen's game plan, very soon we will see Scarlett Johansson wearing the bewitching smile of Marilyn Monroe. Well, the essence of the story is that Jeanne Carmen, the veteran Hollywood actress and Marilyn's best pal, is in the process of shortlisting someone talented beautiful enough to play Marilyn on the big screen version of her own biopic titled The Wild, Wild Life of Jeanne Carmen.Incidentally, Ms Johansson was not the first choice. Carmen was keen on hiring Christina for the role but the latter's pregnancy interrupted the process. As of now, the needle is pointing towards Scarlett Johansson and Kate Bosworth. Either one of these lovely ladies will get the opportunity to step into Marilyn's shoes.
"If someone asks my opinion," says Carmen, "the hands down winner is Scarlett Johansson. I don't have anything against Kate Bosworth, but Miss Johansson has always reminded me of Marilyn Monroe. She has that uncanny resemblance to Marilyn and her 'comfort-me-in-your-arms attitude'."
Text and image via Celeb Guru

Update from Anonymous


Pin Up Legend Jeanne Carmen Reveals John F. Kennedy - Marilyn Monroe Secrets
History unleashed - explosive revelations support claims of JFK affair with Marilyn Monroe and Kennedy ties to mafia boss Sam Giancana
PR Newswire
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Follow the incredible journey of Jeanne Carmen's wild life in this extraordinary, true life story of an American icon by author Brandon James in his thrilling, tell-all biography, Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen, Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress (published by iUniverse).
Ride along as the legendary Carmen travels the long, winding and sometimes dangerous road from a poverty-stricken childhood in Arkansas, to a bona fide New York Pin Up Queen, to a noted trick shot golfer who falls into the clutches of the mafia in Las Vegas - and finally to a celebrated Hollywood actress who dazzled her celebrity friends, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley and Errol Flynn, among countless others. 
Accompany her as her Hollywood life came to an abrupt end after her dear friend Marilyn Monroe died mysteriously on August 5, 1962. The next morning, Carmen's apartment was broken into and ransacked. She stumbled upon the intruder and was thrown to the ground. According to Carmen, the man was famed Hollywood private detective Fred Otash, who in turn pulled a gun out, pointed it at her face, and pulled the trigger. Lucky for her, the chamber was empty and only a loud click emanated from the gun barrel. Carmen collapsed and broke down in tears shortly after hearing the allegations that Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana had Marilyn Monroe murdered in an attempt to frame the Kennedys and ruin their political careers. 
Now, her diary is unlocked ... and you get to see this gorgeous and celebrated woman in action through the pages of this book and on her website http://www.jeannecarmen.com
Carmen has been profiled in magazines, including Star, Globe, National Enquirer, Palm Springs Life, Golf, Femme Fatales, Golf World, Fairways, Playboy and American Heritage. She has also been seen on CBS News 48 Hours Mystery, Entertainment Tonight, BBC, History Channel, Golf Channel, Inside Edition, Hard Copy, E! True Hollywood Story, Asahi TV, Discovery Networks, Geraldo, Montel Williams and Larry King Live.

About the Author

The son of Jeanne Carmen, James is a graduate of the world-famous USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has written for many popular magazines, including Femme Fatales, Collecting Hollywood, Classic Images and The Dark Side. He also worked as a consultant on E! Entertainment Television's TV biography Jeanne Carmen: Queen of the B-Movies for their award-winning series The E! True Hollywood Story. 

Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE 

as a New York Pin Up Queen, 

Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress 


Text via Reuters

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2 comments:

  1. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/15/idUS111049+15-Aug-2011+PRN20110815

    Pin Up Legend Jeanne Carmen Reveals John F. Kennedy - Marilyn Monroe Secrets
    History unleashed - explosive revelations support claims of JFK affair with Marilyn Monroe and Kennedy ties to mafia boss Sam Giancana
    PR Newswire

    NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Follow the incredible journey of Jeanne Carmen's wild life in this extraordinary, true life story of an American icon by author Brandon James in his thrilling, tell-all biography, Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen, Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress (published by iUniverse).

    Ride along as the legendary Carmen travels the long, winding and sometimes dangerous road from a poverty-stricken childhood in Arkansas, to a bona fide New York Pin Up Queen, to a noted trick shot golfer who falls into the clutches of the mafia in Las Vegas - and finally to a celebrated Hollywood actress who dazzled her celebrity friends, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley and Errol Flynn, among countless others.

    Accompany her as her Hollywood life came to an abrupt end after her dear friend Marilyn Monroe died mysteriously on August 5, 1962. The next morning, Carmen's apartment was broken into and ransacked. She stumbled upon the intruder and was thrown to the ground. According to Carmen, the man was famed Hollywood private detective Fred Otash, who in turn pulled a gun out, pointed it at her face, and pulled the trigger. Lucky for her, the chamber was empty and only a loud click emanated from the gun barrel. Carmen collapsed and broke down in tears shortly after hearing the allegations that Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana had Marilyn Monroe murdered in an attempt to frame the Kennedys and ruin their political careers.

    Now, her diary is unlocked ... and you get to see this gorgeous and celebrated woman in action through the pages of this book and on her website http://www.jeannecarmen.com

    Carmen has been profiled in magazines, including Star, Globe, National Enquirer, Palm Springs Life, Golf, Femme Fatales, Golf World, Fairways, Playboy and American Heritage. She has also been seen on CBS News 48 Hours Mystery, Entertainment Tonight, BBC, History Channel, Golf Channel, Inside Edition, Hard Copy, E! True Hollywood Story, Asahi TV, Discovery Networks, Geraldo, Montel Williams and Larry King Live.

    About the Author

    The son of Jeanne Carmen, James is a graduate of the world-famous USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has written for many popular magazines, including Femme Fatales, Collecting Hollywood, Classic Images and The Dark Side. He also worked as a consultant on E! Entertainment Television's TV biography Jeanne Carmen: Queen of the B-Movies for their award-winning series The E! True Hollywood Story.

    Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen, Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress is available at Barnes & Noble Booksellers at http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/jeanne-carmen-by-brandon-james?store=book&keyword=jeanne+carmen+by+brandon+james

    Book photo: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Jeanne-Carmen.jpg

    Author photo: http://www.ereleases.com/pic/Brandon-James.jpg

    ReplyDelete