This page is sponsored by:
Gloria Grahame
1923-1981
Updated 2/13/2009 with a new Photos Available section and more films available on DVD!
biography
Born Gloria Hallward in November 1923, Los Angeles native Gloria Grahame aspired to be an actress while still a child. Her ambition was encouraged by her mother, who worked as an acting coach. Leaving school for the stage, Grahame's talent and beauty took her all the way to Broadway. While acting onstage, she was spotted by an MGM talent scout, and soon she signed a long-term contract with the studio, leaving New York to return to Los Angeles. From the late 1940s through the 1950s, Grahame was a familiar fixture in film noir crime dramas, including Sudden Fear (1952; with Joan Crawford and Jack Palance) and Naked Alibi (1954).
LEFT: RKO still. CENTER: Mid 1940s MGM photo. RIGHT: Late 1940s RKO stills
Although Gloria Grahame was a talented and accomplished stage and screen actress, her acting career was often overshadowed by her somewhat scandalous private life. Married four times, her husbands included actor Stanley Clements, director Nicholas Ray, and writer Cy Howard; she had a daughter with Howard and a son with Ray. In 1960, Grahame's fourth marriage made headlines; she married her former stepson (Nicholas Ray's son), producer/director Anthony Ray. This union produced two sons, born in the early 1960s.
the films of gloria grahame
A Woman's Secret (1949)
From the RKO film noir release A Woman's Secret, directed by Nicholas Ray. LEFT: Grahame as singer Susan Caldwell. RIGHT: With Melvyn Douglas and Maureen O'Hara
Macao (1952)
With Robert Mitchum in RKO's film noir adventure Macao
Sudden Fear (1952)
With Jack Palance in the Joan Crawford noir vehicle Sudden Fear, released by RKO
The Big Heat (1953)
With Glenn Ford in Fritz Lang's The Big Heat, released by Columbia
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953)
From Columbia's low-budget adventure flick Prisoners of the Casbah. The right photo includes Turhan Bey and Cesar Romero
Human Desire (1954)
With Broderick Crawford and Glenn Ford in Columbia's Human Desire
The Cobweb (1955)
With Richard Widmark in the offbeat MGM drama The Cobweb
Oklahoma! (1955)
With Shirley Jones in the RKO musical Oklahoma!
The Man Who Never Was (1956)
With William Russell in the 20th Century Fox war drama The Man Who Never Was
later years
Along with the demise of film noir as a film genre in the late 1950s, the early 1960s scandal surrounding her fourth marriage damaged Grahame's acting career. Retreating to the stage and doing TV guest appearances, she waited until the early 1970s to make her comeback in a series of mostly low-budget films. Sadly, she succombed to cancer in 1981 at the age of 57.
The Outer Limits: The Complete Original Series, Vols. 1-3 [DVD] DVD
All 49 episodes from the series are included in this seven-disc set. **49 episodes on 7 discs. 40 1/2 hrs.**
Katharine Hepburn: 100th Anniversary Collection [DVD] DVD
First, in "Morning Glory" (1933), Katharine Hepburn earned her first Best Actress Oscar for portraying a feisty New Englander determined to be a Broadway star. With Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Adolphe Menjou. Next, in "Sylvia Scarlett" (1935), Hepburn stars with Cary Grant (in their first film together) as an embezzler's daughter whose love life is complicated when she is forced to disguise herself as a boy. Co-stars Brian Aherne, Edmund Gwenn. Then, in "Dragon Seed" (1944), Hepburn is a Chinese patriot who leads a resistance movement against Japanese forces. Features Walter Huston, Turhan Bey. In the hilarious "Without Love" (1945), sparks fly after widow Hepburn rents a room to man of science Spencer Tracy. Keenan Wynn and Lucille Ball lend support. The film noir fave "Undercurrent" (1946) has Kate discovering that her new husband is full of dark secrets. Robert Taylor, Robert Mitchum co-star. Finally, in "The Corn Is Green" (1979), Hepburn is a British spinster teacher trying to help a brilliant young Welsh miner fulfill his potential. With Ian Saynor, Bill Fraser. 10 1/2 hrs. total on six discs. Standard/Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French; bonus shorts.
It's A Wonderful Life (60th Anniversary Edition) [DVD](1946) DVD
Classic comedy/drama that is the quintessential Frank Capra film. James Stewart is a small-town banker who is driven by circumstances one Christmas Eve to consider suicide, only to be shown by neophyte angel Henry Travers what a difference his life has made. Tremendous cast includes Donna Reed, Thomas Mitchell, Lionel Barrymore and Ward Bond. Complete, uncut 130-minute version. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; featurettes; theatrical trailer.
Crossfire [DVD](1947) DVD
Director Edward Dmytryk spun Richard Brooks' novel into a tense film noir classic with hard-hitting social overtones about the intense search for an anti-Semitic murderer. Stars Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Gloria Grahame, Sam Levene, and Robert Ryan. 85 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; featurette; audio commentary.
It Happened In Brooklyn [DVD](1947) DVD
Delightful musical charmer stars Frank Sinatra as a G.I. returning to his Brooklyn stamping grounds with dreams of making it in show-biz, Kathryn Grayson as the neighborhood teacher he falls for, and Peter Lawford as the snobby songwriter out to help Frank. With Jimmy Durante and Gloria Grahame; songs include "Time After Time," "Brooklyn Bridge." 103 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English; Subtitles: English; theatrical trailer.
Frank Sinatra: The Early Years [DVD] DVD
Five-disc set includes "Higher and Higher," "Step Lively," "It Happened in Brooklyn," "The Kissing Bandit," and "Double Dynamite."
Song Of The Thin Man [DVD](1947) DVD
In the sixth and final film of the series, Nick and Nora play a rousing rendition of "Murder Musicale" when the murder of a jazz bandleader leads the couple to assemble their many suspects on board the floating casino the S.S. Fortune. William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, Gloria Grahame, and Asta star. 86 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; bonus shorts "Slap Happy Lion" (1947), "A Really Important Person" (1947); theatrical trailer.
The Complete Thin Man Collection [DVD] DVD
All six films from the popular MGM series starring William Powell and Myrna Loy as Dashiell Hammett's sophisticated crimesolvers, Nick and Nora Charles, are featured in a seven-disc boxed set. The duo's search for a missing inventor leads to a deadly whodunit in "The Thin Man" (1934), with Maureen O'Sullivan, Nat Pendleton, and Edward Ellis in the title role. Nick and Nora then return to solve a murder among San Francisco's bluebloods in "After the Thin Man" (1936), co-starring Elissa Landi and a young James Stewart. Baby Nick Charles, Jr. makes his debut in "Another Thin Man" (1939), as mom and pop aid an old friend who fears for his life. C. Aubrey Smith and Virginia Grey co-star. Then, it's murder among the "horsey set" in "Shadow of the Thin Man" (1941), with Barry Nelson and Donna Reed. And "The Thin Man Goes Home" (1944), only to find crime has followed him there; co-stars Gloria De Haven and Lucile Watson. Finally, New York's jazz joints provide the backdrop for "Song of the Thin Man" (1947), with Keenan Wynn and Gloria Grahame. 10 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; documentaries; radio broadcasts; TV pilot; interviews; bonus shorts; more.
In A Lonely Place [DVD](1950) DVD
Potent and brooding film noir from Nicholas Ray, with Humphrey Bogart as a short-fused screenwriter, exonerated in the murder of a hat-check girl through the alibi of neighbor Gloria Grahame. But as the romance between Bogart and Grahame grows, doubts to his innocence begin to arise. Co-stars Frank Lovejoy and Carl Benton Reid. 92 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital stereo, French Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, Japanese; theatrical trailers; documentary; interactive menus; scene access.
The Greatest Show On Earth [DVD](1952) DVD
Ladies and gentlemen...Welcome to Cecil B. DeMille's Oscar-winning look at life under the big top. See lion-tamers and acrobats! Be amazed at death-defying stunts and incredible train wrecks! Witness superb acting by Charlton Heston, James Stewart, Cornel Wilde, Betty Hutton, Dorothy Lamour, Gloria Grahame, Lawrence Tierney! 152 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
Sudden Fear [DVD](1952) DVD
Playwright and wealthy San Francisco heiress Joan Crawford becomes romantically involved with actor Jack Palance, but Palance decides he has special plans for their relationship, as he schemes to get Crawford's hefty inheritance with help from deceptive ex-girlfriend Gloria Grahame. Will Joan stop their murderous plot in time? With Touch (Mike) Connors in his film debut. 111 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; scene access.
Film Noir: The Dark Side Of Hollywood [DVD] DVD
Five-disc boxed set includes "Hangmen Also Die," "Railroaded," "The Long Night," "Behind Locked Doors" (1948), and "Sudden Fear."
The Bad And The Beautiful [DVD](1952) DVD
Kirk Douglas is a tyrannical, ruthless producer whose climb up the ladder is recalled by three associates: starlet Lana Turner, director Barry Sullivan, and writer Dick Powell. Vincente Minnelli's barbed look at the Golden Age of Hollywood also features Gloria Grahame, Walter Pidgeon, Gilbert Roland. 118 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby mono, French mono; Subtitles: English, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Thai; documentary; production notes; theatrical trailers; scene access; more.
Macao [DVD](1952) DVD
Wandering adventurer Robert Mitchum, on the run after being convicted of a crime he didn't commit, finds himself caught in the middle of a battle between Chinese police and an American gangster, and in love with sultry nightclub singer Jane Russell, in the notorious Asian port city. Directed by Josef von Sternberg; with William Bendix, Gloria Grahame. 81 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English; audio commentary; featurette.
Robert Mitchum: The Signature Collection [DVD] DVD
Six-disc set includes "Angel Face," "Macao," "Home from the Hill," "The Sundowners" (1960), "The Good Guys and the Bad Guys," and "The Yakuza."
The Big Heat [DVD](1953) DVD
Knockout film noir from director Fritz Lang stars Glenn Ford as a no-nonsense cop investigating the suicide of another cop. His findings reveal that the cop's suicide note cited widespread corruption under the guidance of ruthless mob boss Alexander Scourby. Danger and murder follow Ford as he delves deeper into the case. Gloria Grahame and Lee Marvin also star. 90 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Thai; theatrical trailers; scene access.
Oklahoma! [DVD](1955) DVD
Rodgers and Hammerstein's fanciful Broadway ground-breaker stars Gordon MacRae and a debuting Shirley Jones as the cowhand and the country girl discovering love together. The memorable score includes "Oh What a Beautiful Morning," "Kansas City," "I Cain't Say No," "People Will Say We're in Love," and the title tune. With Rod Steiger, Gloria Grahame and Eddie Albert; directed by Fred Zinnemann. 145 min. Widescreen (CinemaScope) and Widescreen (Todd-AO); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital 5.0, Dolby Digital stereo; Subtitles: English, Spanish; audio commentary; TV spots; photo gallery; theatrical trailers; stage excerpts; more. Two-disc set.
The Man Who Never Was [DVD](1956) DVD
Amazing true-life WWII thriller stars Clifton Webb as a British intelligence officer who conceives an elaborate hoax to dupe the Nazis, planting plans for a false Allied invasion of Greece on a British corpse recovered by the enemy. Stephen Boyd is the German spy trying to verify the dead man's fabricated identity. With Robert Flemyng, Gloria Grahame. 103 min.
Odds Against Tomorrow [DVD](1959) DVD
One of the final films to come from the first film noir cycle, Robert Wise's crime thriller/race drama follows nightclub singer Harry Belafonte, bigoted ex-con Robert Ryan and corrupt former cop Ed Begley as they try to rob an upstate New York bank, only to have the caper fall apart due to bad luck and Ryan's hatred of Belafonte. With Gloria Grahame, Shelley Winters; look quickly for Wayne Rogers and Cicely Tyson. 96 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French.
Autopsy (Tarot) [DVD](1973) DVD
Suspenseful Spanish-French thriller involves the moral tumbling of a young woman who marries a wealthy and elderly blind man. What happens when the money-grubber--who's sleeping with hubby's trusted valet--discovers the servants are involved in a heinous plot to bump off their employer? Sue Lyon, Fernando Rey, and Gloria Grahame star. 91 min. Soundtrack: Spanish; Subtitles: English. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Mansion Of The Doomed [DVD](1976) DVD
Richard Basehart is a doctor driven mad by his own plight in this gruesome tale. As a surgeon breaking new ground in eye transplant research, Basehart is a respected professional. But, when his daughter is accidentally blinded by his own hand, he begins to kidnap people to steal their eyes for his grisly experiments. Gloria Grahame, Trish Stewart and Lance Henriksen co-star. AKA: "Eyes," "Eyes of Dr. Chaney," "House of Blood." 89 min. Soundtrack: English.
Melvin And Howard [DVD](1980) DVD
Irresistible American fable from director Jonathan Demme explores Nevada garage owner Melvin Dummar's claim that he once picked up eccentric billionaire Howard Hughes hitchhiking in the desert, and the skepticism that arose after a will turned up naming Dummar as an heir. Co-star Mary Steenburgen and screenwriter Bo Goldman won Oscars; Paul LeMat and Jason Robards play the title roles. 95 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French, Spanish; theatrical trailer.
The Merry Wives Of Windsor [DVD](1983) DVD
One of Shakespeare's funniest (and bawdiest) comic plays is performed live on stage, as the gregariously girthsome Sir John Falstaff gets his comeuppance from the title wives. Leon Charles, Valerie Seelie-Snyder, Joel Asher and Gloria Grahame star. 160 min.
gloria grahame dvds available from amazon.com
filmography
The Nesting (1981) with John Carradine
Melvin and Howard (1980) with Jason Robards and Paul Le Mat
Chilly Scenes of Winter (1979) with Mary Beth Hurt and John Heard
A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square (1979) with David Niven and Elke Sommer
The Dancing Princesses (1978) with Jim Dale
Mansion of the Doomed (1977) with Richard Basehart and Vic Tayback
Mama's Dirty Girls (1974) with Candice Rialson
The Girl on the Late, Late Show (1974) with Yvonne De Carlo, Don Murray, Bert Convy, John Ireland, Ralph Meeker, and Van Johnson
Tarots (1973) with Fernando Rey and Sue Lyon
The Loners (1972) with Scott Brady, Dean Stockwell, Tim Rooney, and Hortense Petra
Blood and Lace (1971) with Melody Patterson and Vic Tayback
The Todd Killings (1971) with Richard Thomas, Barbara Bel Geddes, Fay Spain, and Eve Brent
Chandler (1971) with Warren Oates and Leslie Caron
Black Noon (1971) with Roy Thinnes, Ray Milland, and Yvette Mimieux
Escape (1971) with Christopher George, William Windom, Huntz Hall, and John Vernon
Ride Beyond Vengeance (1966) with Chuck Connors, Michael Rennie, Claude Akins, Joan Blondell, Gary Merrill, and Bill Bixby
Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) with Harry Belafonte, Shelley Winters, and Robert Ryan
Ride Out for Revenge (1957) with Rory Calhoun, Vince Edwards, and Lloyd Bridges
The Man Who Never Was (1956) with Clifton Webb and Stephen Boyd
Oklahoma! (1955) with Shirley Jones, Gordon MacRae, and Gene Nelson
Not as a Stranger (1955) with Robert Mitchum, Olivia de Havilland, Frank Sinatra, Lon Chaney Jr., Broderick Crawford, and Whit Bissell
The Cobweb (1955) with Lauren Bacall, Richard Widmark, Adele Jergens, Charles Boyer, Lillian Gish, and Fay Wray
The Good Die Young (1954) with Laurence Harvey, Richard Basehart, John Ireland, and Joan Collins
Naked Alibi (1954) with Sterling Hayden, Gene Barry, Max Showalter, Chuck Connors, and Marcia Henderson
Human Desire (1954) with Glenn Ford and Broderick Crawford
Prisoners of the Casbah (1953) with Turhan Bey, Cesar Romero, and Nestor Paiva
The Big Heat (1953) with Glenn Ford, Lee Marvin, and Carolyn Jones
Man on a Tightrope (1953) with Fredric March, Terry Moore, Alexander D'Arcy, Cameron Mitchell, and Richard Boone
The Glass Wall (1953) with Vittorio Gassman and Ann Robinson
The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) with Lana Turner, Kirk Douglas, Gilbert Roland, Dick Powell, Elaine Stewart, Barry Sullivan, and Leo G. Carroll
Sudden Fear (1952) with Joan Crawford, Jack Palance, Bruce Bennett, and Mike Connors
Macao (1952) with Jane Russell, Robert Mitchum, and William Bendix
The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) with Cornel Wilde, Betty Hutton, Charlton Heston, and Dorothy Lamour
In a Lonely Place (1950) with Humphrey Bogart, Jeff Donnell, and Morris Ankrum
Roughshod (1949) with Robert Sterling, Martha Hyer, John Ireland, and Jeff Donnell
A Woman's Secret (1949) with Maureen O'Hara, Melvyn Douglas, and Bill Williams
It Happened in Brooklyn (1947) with Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, and Peter Lawford
Merton of the Movies (1947) with Red Skelton, Virginia O'Brien, and Hugo Haas
Song of the Thin Man (1947) with William Powell, Myrna Loy, Keenan Wynn, and Jayne Meadows
Crossfire (1947) with Robert Mitchum, Robert Young, Robert Ryan, Lex Barker, and Steve Brodie
It's a Wonderful Life (1946) with James Stewart and Donna Reed
Without Love (1945) with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, and Keenan Wynn
Blonde Fever (1944) with Mary Astor and Marshall Thompson
TELEVISION SERIES
Seventh Avenue, 1977 NBC miniseries. Grahame portrayed Moll
Rich Man, Poor Man, 1976 ABC miniseries. Grahame portrayed Sue Prescott
Click on the logo to go back to Brian's Drive-In Theater
This page premiered June 5, 2003.
Copyright and Disclaimer Information
