Perhaps one of the most tragic beauties Hollywood ever created and discarded was Linda Darnell. At only 15, she was thrust to superstardom; she was considered a has-been before she ever reached the age of 30.
Linda's shockingly exquisite face almost guaranteed her success; and for the first half of the 1940's, she was one of 20th Century Fox's most popular contract players. She made her debut in the light programmer Hotel for Women, in a starring role, and never looked back. However, her marriage in 1943 to cameraman Pev Marley angered Fox head Darryl Zanuck so (Marley was over twice Darnell's age), she was "punished" with a non-speaking cameo role in The Song of Bernadette and a mediocre supporting part in the Western, Buffalo Bill.
The public clamored for more Linda, though, and fortunately, the majority of her fans seemed sympathetic to Linda's May-December marriage. She bounced back with a newly sultry screen image in the acclaimed dramas Summer Storm and Hangover Square; and she seemed poised to make the jump to legendary status when Zanuck awarded her the lead role in the highly-anticipated screen adaptation of the lusty novel, Forever Amber. But it was not to be; despite a lavish budget and reams of publicity, the critics destroyed the picture, despite its healthy box office. Darnell was crushed; but she redeemed herself with acclaimed turns in the Preston Sturges comedy Unfaithfully Yours and the snappy Joseph Mankiewicz ensemble comedy-drama, A Letter to Three Wives.
By now, Darnell's once-virginal screen image had been almost completely altered to that of the ultra-sophisticated glamour puss. Similarly, her once high-pitched voice was now a throaty, sexy purr; unfortunately, this could also be traced to Darnell's increased attachment to the bottle. As her marriage to Marley unraveled, Darnell fell victim to alcoholism and extreme mood swings; the same afflictions which had been the undoing of Darnell's infamous mother, Pearl.
Despite the critical and commercial success of her last few films, Linda found herself underappreciated at Fox; by 1952, she had her contract terminated, and was forced to take whatever freelance projects she could find: bad investments and duplicitous business managers ensured that, despite a decade of steady success, Linda Darnell was nearly flat broke. In 1954, desperate for money, with scant film offers available, Linda agreed to become the spokesmodel for Rhinegold beer; the brewery's scion, Philip Liebmann, fell head over heels for Darnell and married her. The union lasted less than a year.
Turning to the stage, Linda toured in several well-received productions of such challenging fare as Tea and Sympathy. She married a third time, in 1957, to a dashingly handsome pilot named Merle "Robbie" Robertson. He also became her manager, and guided Darnell into an ill-advised nightclub act, the run of which was canceled after Darnell threatened suicide and was admitted into an alcoholism rehabilitation clinic. The Robertson marriage lasted until 1963, when Darnell discovered that her husband not only had a younger mistress, but had also gotten her pregnant.
Broke and considered unemployable (Fox forced their one-time top leading lady to submit to a screen test for their production of Steinbeck's The Wayward Bus; Darnell was passed over in favor of young newcomer Joan Collins, and was devastated), Darnell bravely continued with her stage work. She also happily accepted a showy supporting role in a low-budget Western, Black Spurs. Years of drinking and disappointments showed; Linda still looked glamorous, but hardened. At 41, she looked several times older than her years, and her somewhat bloated appearance was a far cry from the sprightly 15 year old who first burst onto the screen with so much promise.
Linda Darnell never got to see herself on the screen that last time; Black Spurs was released posthumously. On April 9, 1965, while visiting friends in Chicago, Linda Darnell fell asleep while watching her 1940 starring vehicle, Star Dust, on television. She awoke to intense heat and flames; by the time firefighters found her, 90% of her body was covered in third degree burns. Linda Darnell died the next day.
Linda's shockingly exquisite face almost guaranteed her success; and for the first half of the 1940's, she was one of 20th Century Fox's most popular contract players. She made her debut in the light programmer Hotel for Women, in a starring role, and never looked back. However, her marriage in 1943 to cameraman Pev Marley angered Fox head Darryl Zanuck so (Marley was over twice Darnell's age), she was "punished" with a non-speaking cameo role in The Song of Bernadette and a mediocre supporting part in the Western, Buffalo Bill.
The public clamored for more Linda, though, and fortunately, the majority of her fans seemed sympathetic to Linda's May-December marriage. She bounced back with a newly sultry screen image in the acclaimed dramas Summer Storm and Hangover Square; and she seemed poised to make the jump to legendary status when Zanuck awarded her the lead role in the highly-anticipated screen adaptation of the lusty novel, Forever Amber. But it was not to be; despite a lavish budget and reams of publicity, the critics destroyed the picture, despite its healthy box office. Darnell was crushed; but she redeemed herself with acclaimed turns in the Preston Sturges comedy Unfaithfully Yours and the snappy Joseph Mankiewicz ensemble comedy-drama, A Letter to Three Wives.
By now, Darnell's once-virginal screen image had been almost completely altered to that of the ultra-sophisticated glamour puss. Similarly, her once high-pitched voice was now a throaty, sexy purr; unfortunately, this could also be traced to Darnell's increased attachment to the bottle. As her marriage to Marley unraveled, Darnell fell victim to alcoholism and extreme mood swings; the same afflictions which had been the undoing of Darnell's infamous mother, Pearl.
Despite the critical and commercial success of her last few films, Linda found herself underappreciated at Fox; by 1952, she had her contract terminated, and was forced to take whatever freelance projects she could find: bad investments and duplicitous business managers ensured that, despite a decade of steady success, Linda Darnell was nearly flat broke. In 1954, desperate for money, with scant film offers available, Linda agreed to become the spokesmodel for Rhinegold beer; the brewery's scion, Philip Liebmann, fell head over heels for Darnell and married her. The union lasted less than a year.
Turning to the stage, Linda toured in several well-received productions of such challenging fare as Tea and Sympathy. She married a third time, in 1957, to a dashingly handsome pilot named Merle "Robbie" Robertson. He also became her manager, and guided Darnell into an ill-advised nightclub act, the run of which was canceled after Darnell threatened suicide and was admitted into an alcoholism rehabilitation clinic. The Robertson marriage lasted until 1963, when Darnell discovered that her husband not only had a younger mistress, but had also gotten her pregnant.
Broke and considered unemployable (Fox forced their one-time top leading lady to submit to a screen test for their production of Steinbeck's The Wayward Bus; Darnell was passed over in favor of young newcomer Joan Collins, and was devastated), Darnell bravely continued with her stage work. She also happily accepted a showy supporting role in a low-budget Western, Black Spurs. Years of drinking and disappointments showed; Linda still looked glamorous, but hardened. At 41, she looked several times older than her years, and her somewhat bloated appearance was a far cry from the sprightly 15 year old who first burst onto the screen with so much promise.
Linda Darnell never got to see herself on the screen that last time; Black Spurs was released posthumously. On April 9, 1965, while visiting friends in Chicago, Linda Darnell fell asleep while watching her 1940 starring vehicle, Star Dust, on television. She awoke to intense heat and flames; by the time firefighters found her, 90% of her body was covered in third degree burns. Linda Darnell died the next day.
That poor lady..
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