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Joan Bennett
1910-1990
Updated 4/21/2008 with more films and TV shows available on DVD!
biography
Born in New Jersey in February 1910, glamorous actress Joan Bennett was the daughter of stage and screen actor Richard Bennett. Unlike her sister Constance Bennett, she initially lacked an interest in performing onstage. However, when she divorced her first husband in the late 1920s, she turned to the family profession as a means to support her herself and her infant daughter. Surprisingly, Bennett found good roles quickly and became well known in a string of 1930s films. Bennett continued to work after her second marriage to writer Gene Markey and after giving birth to a second daughter. Filmgoers sometimes confused Joan Bennett with lookalike sister Constance Bennett, who was arguably a bigger star in the 1930s. In 1938, at about the time Bennett's marriage to Markey ended, she dyed her blond locks black for a lead role in the comedy Trade Winds; this set her apart from her more-famous sister and transformed her career virtually overnight.
LEFT: Late 1930s studio photo. RIGHT: With sister Constance Bennett in the late 1930s
Bennett remained a brunette for the rest of her life and became one of the 1940s most popular film noir femme fatales. Her best film noir titles include The Woman in the Window (1944) and Scarlett Street (1945). In 1940, she married her third husband, famed producer Walter Wanger, and the union produced two more daughters for Joan Bennett. She continued starring in numerous films through the late 1940s. By the turn of the decade, Bennett was nearing 40 and getting too mature to play temptresses, so she began a transition to matrons in the comedies Father of the Bride (1950) and Father's Little Dividend (1951). Unfortunately, just at that time her career hit an icy patch when Bennett's husband Walter Wanger suspected her of having an affair with her agent, Jennings Lang. In a jealous rage, Wanger shot Lang while Lang and Bennett were having a meeting. Although Lang survived the injury, the ensuing scandal and resulting bad publicity damaged Bennett's film career. Joan Bennett had no screen work for three years until she was approached by Roger Corman in 1954 to star as the villainous Mrs. Cummings in the excellent low-budget Allied Artists film noir release Highway Dragnet. Her film career picked up somewhat afterward, but her big comeback would have to wait until the mid 1960s.
the films of joan bennett
Disraeli (1929)
With George Arliss in the Warner Bros. sound feature Disraeli
Doctors' Wives (1931)
With Minna Gombell, Warner Baxter, and Cecilia Loftus in the Fox drama Doctors' Wives
Two for Tonight (1935)
With Bing Crosby in the Paramount musical Two for Tonight
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)
From James Whale's The Man in the Iron Mask, one of Whale's last directorial efforts
The House Across the Bay (1940)
With George Raft in the early film noir vehicle The House Across the Bay
Nob Hill (1945)
With frequent co-star George Raft in the musical Nob Hill
Scarlett Street (1945)
Bennett as femme fatale Kitty March in Fritz Lang's Scarlett Street
The Macomber Affair (1947)
From the United Artists release The Macomber Affair
Secret Beyond the Door (1948)
As Celia Lamphere in Fritz Lang's film noir thriller Secret Beyond the Door
The Reckless Moment (1949)
With James Mason in Columbia's film noir feature The Reckless Moment
There's Always Tomorrow (1956)
From the Douglas Sirk drama There's Always Tomorrow. LEFT: With Jane Darwell, Pat Crowley, and William Reynolds. RIGHT: With Fred MacMurray and Barbara Stanwyck
Desire in the Dust (1960)
With Brett Halsey in the steamy drama Desire in the Dust
later years
In the 1960s, Bennett made a big comeback portraying the matriarch Elizabeth Collins Stoddard on the 1966-1971 gothic horror soap opera Dark Shadows. After the show left the air, Bennett went into semi-retirement, working infrequently until finally calling it a day in the early 1980s. Sadly, Joan Bennett passed away in 1990 at the age of 80.
So You Wanna Be In Pictures? [DVD] DVD
Topping this collection of starstruck movie shorts is a 1947 entry from the popular ``Joe McDoakes'' series, starring George O'Hanlon as an inept Hollywood hopeful. Also included are ``Calling All Girls,'' a casting plea from Warner Bros.; the celebrity-laden cartoon, ``Hollywood Steps Out''; and Lustre Creme TV ads with Joan Bennett, Arlene Dahl and others. 45 min.
Little Women [DVD](1933) DVD
Louisa May Alcott's beloved story, focusing on the joys and sorrows of four sisters growing up in New England during the Civil War, is given a grand Hollywood treatment. Katharine Hepburn, Joan Bennett, Paul Lukas, Frances Dee and Edna May Oliver star. 116 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby mono; Subtitles: English, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish; filmographies; theatrical trailer; scene access.
Cary Grant: Screen Legend Collection [DVD] DVD
This three-disc set shines with five films starring the ever-suave Cary Grant. Newspaper publisher Porter Madison II (Grant) falls for a lookalike impersonating the "Thirty Day Princess" (1934), unaware that she's not royal...and not available! Silvia Sidney, Edward Arnold co-star. Grant plays a Paris beauty shop doctor more than pleased with the results of his work on Genevieve Tobin, in "Kiss and Make Up" (1934). Helen Mack, Edward Everett Horton also star. Blinded in a chemical accident, pilot Grant causes aviatrix Myrna Loy's heart to take flight, in "Wings in the Dark" (1935), with Roscoe Karns and Dean Jagger. Can copper Danny (Grant) and manicurist Eve (Joan Bennett) stop bickering long enough to nab jewel thieves together? Find out, in "Big Brown Eyes" (1936). Walter Pidgeon, Lloyd Nolan co-star. And Grant and Bennett play ace reporters, in love but resolutely staying single, in "Wedding Present" (1936). Conrad Nagel, Gene Lockhart also star. 6 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French.
Classic Western Round-Up, Vol. 2 [DVD] DVD
Prairie fires, snowstorms, hostile Indians, and a gun-smuggling Joan Bennett are just some of the problems trail boss Randolph Scott has to cope with on a 10,000-head cattle drive to Kansas, in "The Texans" (1938). With May Robson, Robert Cummings, Walter Brennan. Barbara Stanwyck is a gambling queen with a shady past who joins forces with an Army deserter and an old-time miner to face off against a powerful land baron, in "California" (1946). Ray Milland, Barry Fitzgerald also star. Then, Audie Murphy is a gunman who is wrongly accused of helping the Dalton gang in a train robbery--then joins them for real, in "The Cimarron Kid" (1952). With Beverly Tyler, James Best. Finally, Glenn Ford stars as "The Man from the Alamo" (1953), Branded a coward for his actions at the doomed fortress, Ford must fight to prove himself during the Mexican War. Julia Adams, Victor Jory, Hugh O'Brian co-star. 6 hrs. total on two discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English (SDH), French; theatrical trailers.
Artists And Models Abroad [DVD](1938) DVD
Side-splitting sequel to 1937's "Artists and Models" stars Jack Benny as the leader of a performance troupe that ends up stranded in Paris when their money runs out. In an effort to raise some quick cash, he decides to host a musical fashion show and hires an American father and daughter act to perform--with hilarious (and disastrous) results. Joan Bennett, Mary Boland, Charley Grapewin co-star. AKA: "Stranded in Paris." 90 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Vogues Of 1938 [DVD](1937) DVD
A rich, young debutante (Joan Bennett) leaves her intended at the altar and secures a job as a model. Wouldn't you know it--she then has the misfortune of falling for a handsome clothing designer (Warner Baxter)...who's very much off the market! Comedy, romance, and song light up this chic, early Technicolor musical that features tunes by Frank Loesser and Sammy Fain. Jerome Cowan, Hedda Hopper, and the Wiere Brothers co-star. 110 min. Soundtrack: English.
Vogues Of 1938 [VHS](1937) VHS
A chic fashion shop becomes the setting for comedy, romance and song in this early Technicolor musical that features tunes by Frank Loesser and Sammy Fain. Warner Baxter, Joan Bennett, Jerome Cowan, Helen Vinson, Hedda Hopper, and the Wiere Brothers star. 110 min.
The Son Of Monte Cristo [DVD](1940) DVD
Sword-slinging action with Louis Hayward as the son of Edmond Dantes, defending the country and the honor of duchess Joan Bennett against scheming George Sanders in a grand Napoleonic saga. 102 min. Plays All Regions.
The Woman In The Window [DVD](1945) DVD
Dazzling film noir from director Fritz Lang showcasing Edward G. Robinson as an amiable professor invited to join beautiful model Joan Bennett in her apartment when his wife and children are on vacation. His fantasies turn to terror when he kills her tough boyfriend and finds himself in the middle of a deadly blackmail plot. Raymond Massey, Dan Duryea, Bobby Blake, and Spanky McFarland also star. 99 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono, Spanish Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish.
Colonel Effingham's Raid [DVD](1945) DVD
Delightful comedy of an old Southern colonel (Charles Coburn) who mounts one last battle to save his town's lone historical landmark. Joan Bennett, Allyn Joslyn also star. 72 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Scarlet Street [DVD](1945) DVD
Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett star in director Fritz Lang's compelling drama concerning a lonely middle-aged bank cashier whose life is tragically changed when he becomes involved with a predatory, manipulating woman. 103 min. Plays All Regions.
Scarlet Street(1945) VHS
Edward G. Robinson and Joan Bennett star in director Fritz Lang's compelling drama concerning a lonely middle-aged bank cashier whose life is tragically changed when he becomes involved with a predatory, manipulating woman. 103 min.
The Scar [DVD](1948) DVD
Exceptional film noir entry stars Paul Henreid in a dual role. A sleazy ex-med student and con artist discovers a psychiatrist who, except for a scar on his face, is the crook's double. He launches a twisted scheme to take the doctor's place, only to get caught in his own scheme. With Joan Bennett, Eduard Franz and a young Jack Webb. AKA: "Hollow Triumph." 82 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Leading Ladies Of The Studio Era [DVD] DVD
Five-disc set includes "Now, Voyager," "For Me and My Gal," "Mildred Pierce," "Father of the Bride" (1950), and "Dial M for Murder."
Father Of The Bride [DVD](1950) DVD
Light-hearted comedy stars Spencer Tracy as the titular papa, coping with one emergency after another as daughter Elizabeth Taylor prepares to walk down the aisle. Sentimental gem, directed by Vincente Minnelli, also stars Joan Bennett, Don Taylor, Russ Tamblyn, Billie Burke. 92 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French, Bahasa, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Thai.
Elizabeth Taylor: The Signature Collection [DVD] DVD
Four-disc set includes "National Velvet," "Father of the Bride," "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," and "Butterfield 8."
Father's Little Dividend [DVD](1951) DVD
Spencer Tracy, Elizabeth Taylor, Don Taylor and Joan Bennett reprise their roles in this delightful sequel to "Father of the Bride," with the imminent arrival of a grandchild making Tracy much more nervous than mother-to-be Taylor! Vincente Minnelli directs. 83 min.
We're No Angels [DVD](1955) DVD
Classic offbeat comedy focuses on a trio of convicts (Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov) who escapes from Devil's Island and seeks refuge with a bumbling French shopkeeper (Leo G. Carroll) and his family. As they get mixed up in a plan to help Carroll get out from under the boot of his domineering cousin and boss (Basil Rathbone), the boys begin to wonder if life was easier on the inside. Joan Bennett, Gloria Talbott also star. 105 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English.
Suspiria (2-Disc Special Edition) [DVD](1977) DVD
A dancing school in a small German town is the setting for unholy terror, as modern-day witches seek to resurrect their coven's long-dead founder, in this fright fave from Italian scaremaster Dario Argento. Jessica Harper, Alida Valli, Joan Bennett and Udo Kier star; music by Argento and his band, Goblin. 98 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtracks: English DTS 6.1, Dolby Digital 5.1 EX, Dolby Digital stereo, French Dolby Digital stereo, Italian Dolby Digital stereo; interviews; poster gallery; photo gallery; biographies; radio spots; TV spots; music video; theatrical trailers. Two-disc set.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 1 [DVD] DVD
Includes highlights from episodes 1-209, plus the complete episodes 210-250 on four discs. 15 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interviews; featurette.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 2 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 251-290 on four discs. 14 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interviews.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 3 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 291-330 on four discs. 14 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interviews.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 4 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 331-371 on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; interviews.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 5 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 372-412 on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Dark Shadows: DVD Collection 6 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 413-452 on four discs. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 7 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 453-492 on four discs. 14 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 8 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 493-533 on four discs. 14 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 9 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 534-573 on four discs. 14 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 10 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 574-613 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 11 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 614-655 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 12 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 656-695 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 13 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 696-735 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono. English; theatrical trailer.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 14 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 736-775 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 15 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 776-816 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 16 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 817-857 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 17 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 858-898 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 19 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 942-981 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 18 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 899-941 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 20 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 982-1021 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 21 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 1022-1061 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 22 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 1062-1101 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 23 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 1102-1141 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 24 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 1143-1185 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 25 [DVD] DVD
Includes episodes 1186-1226 on four discs. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews; more.
Dark Shadows DVD Collection 26 [DVD] DVD
Includes the final 19 episodes on four discs, plus the bonus programs "Dark Shadows Tribute," "Dark Shadows 25th Anniversary," "Dark Shadows: Vampires and Ghosts," "Dark Shadows Scariest Moments," and "The Best of Barnabas." 12 1/2 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; documentaries; featurettes; TV spots; more.
Dark Shadows: Special Edition [DVD] DVD
Three special compilations: "Dark Shadows on Location," "Inside the Shadows" and "Dark Shadows Nightmares & Dreams," plus vintage promotional spots, music montage, photo gallery, trivia; scene access. 210 min.
House Of Dark Shadows/Night Of Dark Shadows CD [CD]
Guaranteed to send shivers up your spine, both soundtracks to the "Dark Shadows" movies are available on one CD. Among the 50 frightfully good tracks are "Main Title (Dark Shadows Theme)," "Barnabas Meets the Family," "The Old House Basement," "Barnabas' Rampage," "Main Title (Love Theme from Night of Dark Shadows)," "Arrival at Collinwood" and "Nightmare in the Past." Spooky!
filmography
Divorce Wars: A Love Story (1982) with Tom Selleck and Jane Curtin
This House Possessed (1981) with Parker Stevenson
Suddenly, Love (1978) with Cindy Williams and Lew Ayres
Suspiria (1977) with Jessica Harper and Udo Kier
The Eyes of Charles Sand (1972) with Bradford Dillman, Barbara Rush, Peter Haskell, and Adam West
Gidget Gets Married (1972) with Don Ameche, Elinor Donahue, and Paul Lynde
House of Dark Shadows (1970) with Jonathan Frid and Grayson Hall
Desire in the Dust (1960) with Raymond Burr, Martha Hyer, Brett Halsey, and Irene Ryan
Navy Wife (1956) with Gary Merrill
There's Always Tomorrow (1956) with Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, and William Reynolds
We're No Angels (1955) with Humphrey Bogart, Aldo Ray, Gloria Talbott, Peter Ustinov, Basil Rathbone, and Leo G. Carroll
Highway Dragnet (1954) with Richard Conte, Mary Beth Hughes, Wanda Hendrix, and Reed Hadley
The Guy Who Came Back (1951) with Paul Douglas, Linda Darnell, and Don DeFore
Father's Little Dividend (1951) with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor
For Heaven's Sake (1950) with Clifton Webb, Robert Cummings, and Joan Blondell
Father of the Bride (1950) with Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor
The Reckless Moment (1949) with James Mason
Hollow Triumph (1948) with Paul Henreid
Secret Beyond the Door (1948) with Anne Revere, Michael Redgrave, and Natalie Schafer
The Woman on the Beach (1947) with Robert Ryan
The Macomber Affair (1947) with Gregory Peck and Robert Preston
Colonel Effingham's Raid (1945) with Charles Coburn
Scarlet Street (1945) with Edward G. Robinson and Dan Duryea
Nob Hill (1945) with George Raft and Vivian Blaine
The Woman in the Window (1945) with Edward G. Robinson, Dan Duryea, and Raymond Massey
Margin for Error (1943) with Milton Berle and Otto Preminger
Girl Trouble (1942) with Don Ameche and Vivian Blaine
Twin Beds (1942) with George Brent and Una Merkel
The Wife Takes a Flyer (1942) with Franchot Tone
Wild Geese Calling (1941) with Henry Fonda and Ona Munson
Confirm or Deny (1941) with Don Ameche and Roddy McDowall
Man Hunt (1941) with Walter Pidgeon, George Sanders, Roddy McDowall, and John Carradine
She Knew All the Answers (1941) with Franchot Tone and Eve Arden
The Son of Monte Cristo (1940) with Louis Hayward, George Sanders, Ralph Byrd, and Clayton Moore
The Man I Married (1940) with Francis Lederer and Lloyd Nolan
The House Across the Bay (1940) with Walter Pidgeon, George Raft, and Lloyd Nolan
Green Hell (1940) with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Vincent Price, John Howard, and George Sanders
The Housekeeper's Daughter (1939) with Adolphe Menjou and Victor Mature
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) with Louis Hayward and Albert Dekker
Trade Winds (1938) with Fredric March, Ann Sothern, and Ralph Bellamy
Artists and Models Abroad (1938) with Jack Benny
The Texans (1938) with Randolph Scott and Robert Cummings
I Met My Love Again (1938) with Henry Fonda and Tim Holt
Vogues of 1938 (1937) with Warner Baxter and Penny Singleton
Wedding Present (1936) with Cary Grant
Two in a Crowd (1936) with Joel McCrea and Nat Pendleton
Thirteen Hours by Air (1936) with Fred MacMurray, Brian Donlevy, Zasu Pitts, and John Howard
Big Brown Eyes (1936) with Cary Grant, Walter Pidgeon, and Lloyd Nolan
The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo (1935) with Ronald Colman and Colin Clive
She Couldn't Take It (1935) with George Raft and Lloyd Nolan
Two for Tonight (1935) with Bing Crosby and Thelma Todd
Mississippi (1935) with W.C. Fields, Bing Crosby, and Ann Sheridan
Private Worlds (1935) with Charles Boyer, Claudette Colbert, and Joel McCrea
The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934) with Claude Rains and Lionel Atwill
The Pursuit of Happiness (1934) with Francis Lederer
Little Women (1933) with Katharine Hepburn, Frances Dee, and Spring Byington
Arizona to Broadway (1933) with J. Carrol Naish
Me and My Gal (1932) with Spencer Tracy
Wild Girl (1932) with Charles Farrell and Ralph Bellamy
Weekends Only (1932) with Ben Lyon
The Trial of Vivienne Ware (1932) with Zasu Pitts
Careless Lady (1932) with John Boles and Minna Gombell
She Wanted a Millionaire (1932) with Spencer Tracy and Una Merkel
Hush Money (1931) with Myrna Loy and George Raft
Doctors' Wives (1931) with Warner Baxter and Minna Gombell
Many a Slip (1931) with Lew Ayres and Slim Summerville
Scotland Yard (1930) with Edmund Lowe
Maybe It's Love (1930) with Joe E. Brown
Moby Dick (1930) with John Barrymore
Crazy That Way (1930) with Regis Toomey
Puttin' on the Ritz (1930) with Aileen Pringle
Mississippi Gambler (1929)
Disraeli (1929) with George Arliss
Three Live Ghosts (1929) with Robert Montgomery
Bulldog Drummond (1929) with Ronald Colman
TELEVISION SERIES
Dark Shadows, 1966-1971 ABC TV series. Bennett portrayed Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, Naomi Collins, Judith Collins Trask, and Flora Collins during the run of the series
Too Young to Go Steady, 1959-1960 TV series. Bennett portrayed Mary Blake
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This page premiered May 23, 2003.
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