Hazel Brooks: The Million Dollar Gamble

Here's a vintage newspaper article concerning actress Hazel Brooks from the summer of 1947.Though she had been one of the most popular pin-up girls for several years and had appearing uncredited in Hollywood productions since 1943, 1947 was the year when they tried to make Hazel Brooks a true screen star. 'They' is Charlie Einfeld, a former Warner Brothers publicity director who at this time was running an independent studio called Enterprise. After signing Hazel Brooks, he is quoted as telling his team "...you can spend anything up to a million dollars. But make Hazel Brooks a star."

Of course, it didn't work out very well. Hazel Brooks had a pair of relatively high-profile featured roles in two major motion pictures, Body and Soul in 1947 and Sleep, My Love in 1948, after which she suddenly became a lot less visible. It ranks as one of those Hollywood travesties that an actress this beautiful wasn't given more screen time.  

Ramsay Ames in Beauty and the Bandit

In 1946, actress Ramsay Ames appeared in her second Cisco Kid movie, Beauty and the Bandit. Let me begin by saying that the movie is not quite as bad as some reviewers have indicated. The performances and script are both competent and Beauty and the Bandit is fun to watch. It is a low-budget production and as such it comes off pretty well. What really elevates the film from sheer mediocrity is the presence of Ramsay Ames. The interplay between her and star Gilbert Roland is enjoyable and just her general demeanor and have-fun-with-it attitude adds a great deal to the proceedings. Obviously, Beauty and the Bandit is not a cinematic masterwork, but good may still be found within it.

Ramsay Ames dressed as a man in Beauty and the Bandit

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Here are some images of Ramsay Ames appearing in Beauty and the Bandit:

A photo of Jan Smithers

Jan Smithers poses for the camera. Not much needs to be said here....

Clip of Jill Townsend on Hawk

Here's a clip of Jill Townsend in her very first appearance on television, on the short-lived Burt Reynolds cop series Hawk. The episode, titled 'The Living End of Sisterbaby', originally aired in November, 1966 and serves as a very fine TV debut for the young Jill Townsend. Less than a year later she would become part of the core cast of another series, Cimarron Strip. Seeing her on Hawk, you can really get a sense of Jill Townsend's magnetic charm and its no wonder she went on to have a great acting career during the following decade.

Genevieve Bujold stars in Mistress of Paradise

In 1981, Genevieve Bujold starred in Mistress of Paradise, a TV movie made for the ABC network. The project also featured Chad Everett, Anthony Andrews and Olivia Cole. Some contemporary press indicated that this movie was Genevieve Bujold's television debut, which is not entirely accurate. Previously, in 1967 and 1976, she had appeared in two other TV projects which were both part of the Hallmark Hall of Fame series. However, Mistress of Paradise was Genevieve Bujold first proper TV movie, since her prior TV features, Saint Joan and Caesar and Cleopatra, were both adaptations of stage plays. The article included below makes the distinction that Mistress of Paradise is her "motion picture for television debut."

Genevieve Bujold and Chad Everett

Here are some vintage newspaper clippings concerning Mistress of Paradise:

And here is what the above image actually looks like:

Genevieve Bujold 1970 magazine feature

Here's a cool clipping from a 1970 issue of LIFE magazine from a feature titled 'Actress Who Are Real People'. Genevieve Bujold is one of 10 actresses who, after being prompted by an interviewer, "defines for herself just who and what she is." (Click the image below if you want to see it in a larger size)

Charlotte Rampling in the newspapers 1969-74

Throughout her career, Charlotte Rampling has always gotten a lot of press attention. Though she began acting in the UK in 1965, it took nearly a decade to really launch her as a 'name' in the US. Still, Charlotte Rampling did get coverage by the American papers in the early days and the following is a selection of various newspaper clippings concerning the actress and her rise to major fame.

1969

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1971

1972

One of the interesting things about the following article is that it mentions that Charlotte Rampling is slated to be Ryan O'Neal's co-star in the movie The Thief Who Came to Dinner. The role ended up being played by another British actress, Jacqueline Bisset.

1974

 

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