CORNEL WILDE TUSSLES WITH RUSSELL IN HOT BLOOD (1956)
Virile Cornel Wilde (October 13, 1915 - October 16, 1989) was a popular leading man of the 1940's and 1950's, but if he's remembered at all today, it's typically for his guest starring role on I Love Lucy ("The Star Upstairs"). Lucy schemes to catch a glimpse of the reclusive movie star who's hiding out in the penthouse suite of her hotel; mayhem ensues. Along the way, we catch a glimpse of Cornel's wilde torso, a surprisingly gratuitous bit of beefcake for the staid 1950's. However, Cornel was almost as well-known for his toned physique as he was for any of his film roles -- most of which exploited his hunkiness, anyway.
WILDE WITH SECOND WIFE, ACTRESS JEAN WALLACE, c. 1955
Cornel Wilde did garner one Academy Award nomination, for his 1945 role in A Song to Remember, in which he portrayed Frederic Chopin opposite Merle Oberon's George Sand. He also appeared in the prestigious Leave Her to Heaven (1945) with Gene Tierney, and the all-star epic The Greatest Story Ever Told (1952).
Wilde didn't just strip down for vanity's sake; his roles (particularly those in his self-directed and -produced films of the late 1950's and early 1960's) often called for strenuous, even dangerous stunts, all of which he performed himself. His penultimate film, The Naked Prey (1966), was a harrowing tale of man against nature and savages.
CORNEL WILDE IS THE NAKED PREY (1966)
We salute Cornel Wilde, his bodacious body, and his body of work.
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