Darla Crane Age, Full Biography, Where Is She Now? It is possible she feels the same about me, but I believe I have the stronger claim.. I was always going to be somebody., It seems there was no one Davis loved more than her mother, Ruthie. She left Warner Bros. in 1939. She was also featured prominently in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945) and Nightmare Alley (1947). According to the July 24, 1944, issue of Time magazine, Blondell divorced. ArtAnd Lots of It, The actor, who plays a Bob Rossesque character in the new comedy, fabled dispute with co-star Joan Crawford. One year, she got too close to the candles, which lit the Christmas tree as she tried to find her presents, dressed in her highly flammable costume. An often-repeated myth is that Mike Todd left Blondell for Elizabeth Taylor, when in fact, she had left Todd of her own accord years before he met Taylor.[20][21]. In her last year on earth, she appeared in three films and one television series. She is 5 and Norman is 9. . Actress Joan Blondell was married to the film's cinematographer George Barnes at the time of filming. (1939); East Side of Heaven (1939); Good Girls Go to Paris (1939); Kid from Kokomo (1939); Off the Record (1939); I Want a Divorce (1940); Two Girls on Broadway (1940); Lady for a Night (1941); The Nurse's Secret (1941); Model Wife (1941); Three Girls About Town (1941); Topper Returns (1941); Cry Havoc (1943); A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945); Don Juan Quilligan (1945); Adventure (1945); Christmas Eve (1947); The Corpse Came C.O.D. Abbott, M. and Harper, P., 2000. getting away wit it. Joan was the daughter of Catherine/Kathryn Cecelia "Katie" Blondell (born Cain/Kane . That same year, Blondell co-starred in all 52 episodes of the ABC Western series Here Come the Brides, set in the Pacific Northwest of the 19th century. She did not feel the same about Dunaway, who she worked with in 1976s The Disappearance of Aimee. This marriage lasted three years and produced a son, Norman Scott Barnes who was later adopted by his future step-father and took the surname Powell. but he is too stubborn to listen to any new ideas or mount a new advertising campaign. She replaced Bea Benaderet, who was ill, for one episode on the CBS series Petticoat Junction. Mike Todd went on to a notorious union with actress Elizabeth Taylor and was killed in a plane crash in 1958. She was made up of so many things, my mother. Joan died of the blood cancer disease called leukemia. She describes the scene: Suddenly I was on fire. This was a 1930s period action drama starring Robert Forster in the title role. I was in complete command of the moment. Joans first credit screen appearance was in 1929 aged over twenty. Director: Michael Vejar | Stars: Ricardo Montalban, Herv Villechaize, Joan Blondell, Kathie Browne. https://www.encyclopedia.com/women/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/blondell-joan-1906-1979, "Blondell, Joan (19061979) Daughter of Edward Blondell (1865-1943), born Levi Bluestein in Poland, and raised in Columbus, Indiana, and Katherine (ne Cain) Blondell (1884-1952), born in the state of New Jersey. LIFE issues from Volume 16 Number 1 through Volume 18 Number 13 are in public domain as their copyright was not renewed. All structured data from the file namespace is available under the. Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. In this particular picture he played a dual role, so at least he was able to play with himself. A lifelong Democrat who worshipped FDR and the Kennedys, Davis heaped particular shade on Little Ronnie Reagan, her costar in Dark Victory, musing in This N That: In light of todays witch hunts, when all political figures are targets, it is amazing that President Reagandoes not have something in his past to be revealed. Her family was in vaudeville. Ruthie, bucking her patrician New England roots, went to school to become a photographer and moved the girls to a shabby apartment in New York City. Her performance the next year in The Blue Veil, starring Jane Wyman, earned Miss Blondell her only Academy Award nomination, for best supporting actress. In 1985, Daviss eldest daughter, B. D. Hyman, a born-again Christian, wrote a takedown called My Mothers Keeper, in the vein of Christina Crawfords Mommie Dearest. Remember that always and youll know how unimportant you are.. Michael claimed "we only put in men to relieve the strain - and only when they are called for. rcel.type = 'text/javascript'; Some of her notable credits include: The Blue Veil (1951 for which she got an Oscar nomination), Gold Diggers of 1933, The Opposite Sex (1956), Opening Night (1977) and a guest-star in the CBS sitcom Family Affair (1968). Joans father on the 1880 U.S. Census https://www.familysearch.org, Death record of Joans father https://www.familysearch.org, Birth record of Joans mother https://www.familysearch.org, Tags: Ashkenazi JewishIrishJewishPolish Jewish. The photoplay presents most of the familiar faces in the Warner repertory group. rcel.id = 'rc_' + Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000); ." However, the date of retrieval is often important. It must mean that he was as dull as his first wife, Jane Wyman, said he was., Elizabeth Tudor was right. Place of Death: Santa Monica, California, U.S. Four months. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. By the time they divorced in 1950, Todd was on the brink of bankruptcy, and Blondell was out some $80,000. Sexiest pictures of Joan Blondell. : Joan Blondell (19061979)", "Blondell Divorce Bid Slated for Tomorrow", Here Come the Brides - 'The Complete 2nd Season': Shout! Rose Joan Blondell (August 30, 1906 December 25, 1979) was an American actress who performed in movies and on television for half a century. 2023 Cond Nast. But her father is convinced that women have no place in the business. Less than three weeks after the divorce, Powell married Allyson. Lyric Anderson Everything We Know About the Star, Ellen Pierson What You Didnt Know About Robert Kardashians Wife, Bridgette Cameron Is She A Twin, Spouse, Career Facts, Corinne Kingsbury Early Life, Career, Everything We Know, Tony Shawkat Everything We Know About The Actor, Shayla Rae Kelley All We Need To Know The Star Daughter, Kelenna Azubuike How Old, Where Is He From, What He Does Now, Chris Santo Age, Personal Life, Playing And Coaching Career, Erin Nayler Five Things We Know About The Goalkeeper, Brenda Warner Age, Relationship With Kurt Warner, Everything, Lamar Wright Everything We Know About Lorenzen Wrights Son, Tyler Herro His Age, Career, And That Snarl, Harrison Beck Early Life, High School, What Happened To His Career, Chase Hart Everything We Know About Him, Joao Maleck Five Fast Facts About The Rising Star. https://www.findagrave.com Copyright 2023 | WordPress Theme by MH Themes. Joans paternal grandfather was named Simon Bluestein/Bluestine. Initially a contract player with Warner Brothers, she was quickly stereotyped as a gun moll in such classic gangster films as Blonde Crazy and The Public, Enemy. In 1933 the studio, perhaps in appreciation, even allowed the actress to head her own ring of felons in Blondie Johnson. But then came musicals such. SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 25 (AP) Joan Blondell, the movie and television actress, died of leukemia today. Her family comprised a vaudeville troupe, the . Diahann Carroll has spent more than 40 years in show business, making a name for herself as a glamorous nightc, Merkerson, S. Epatha She was the envy of us all.. It amazes me how Rose Joan Blonde11 gave her birthday as Aug. 30, 1909. On a moving stage as her parents toured the whole country performing. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. It is then that you are called a bitch., Nicknamed Mother Goddam in Hollywood and La Lupe (the she-wolf) in Spain, Davis would stay decidedly herself throughout four tumultuous marriages, three children, and dozens of films. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tony Fontana . He then sold the rights to Warner Bros., with the proviso that Blondell and Cagney be cast in the film version, named Sinners' Holiday (1930). It was loosely based on Asa Mercer's efforts in the 1860s to import marriageable women (the Mercer Girls) from the East Coast cities of the United States to Seattle, where there was a shortage. When she suspects that Pat is taking an early train in order to make a sale on board the train, she boards the train herself and beats him to the customer. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); (function() { After their daughter Ellen was born in 1938, the Powells both left Warner Bros. in hopes of finding better parts elsewhere. On the road, Angela plans to outsell Pat. I love beautiful women. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Cond Nast. Born Ruth Elizabeth Davis in 1908, the legendary movie star was a tireless perfectionist and workaholic with little patience for those who did not share her vision. She was fearful of working with Maggie Smith, and recalled sputtering to stage star Ruth Chatterton during their first scene together, Im so damned scared of you, Im speechless!, Despite her pugnacious reputation, Davis also wasnt always the aggressor when she did butt heads. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hopkins was the star, and Davis merely a supporting actor. Blondell and Powell were divorced on July 14, 1944. [4] She played supporting roles in The Opposite Sex (1956), Desk Set (1957), and Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? After winning a beauty pageant, she embarked on a film career, establishing herself as a Pre-Code staple of Warner Bros. Pictures in wisecracking, sexy roles, appearing in more than 100 films and television productions. After this divorce, Blondell took her time and didnt marry for three years. Clemens, Samuel. Joan Blondell (born Rose Joan Bluestein; August 30, 1906 December 25, 1979)[a] was an American actress[3] who performed in film and television for 50 years. In 1930, she starred with James Cagney in Penny Arcade on Broadway. I would make believe I was blind. The Amazing Mr. Williams. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Musical or Comedy Picture in 1957. From Wikimedia Commons, the free media repository, Add a one-line explanation of what this file represents. Participating in the 1982 television event Night of 100 Stars, she found herself sharing a dressing room with movie stars Alice Faye (who had flown to NYC from her Palm Springs home), Lillian Gish, June Allyson, Ginger Rogers, and Joan Collins. I also became a patrol leader. In addition, she was a regular in the television series Banyon, about a 1930's private eye, which was shown in the early 1970's. Barbara Jo Allen had the distinction of being in both the 1939 and 1956 versionsin the first film, she had a small, uncredited part as a receptionist; in the second, she played gossip columnist Dolly DeHaven. (Western Arctic) Minister of State (Northern Development). As a young girl, she and her sister, Bobbie, were sent for a time to Crestalban, a progressive girls boarding school in the Berkshire Hills. Joan Blondell lived for 73 years, a majority of which was spent entertaining half of the viewers with her skills and charming the other half with her blonde hair, blue eyes, and shapely figure. I happened between a clap of thunder and a streak of lightning, Davis wrote in The Lonely Life. the 1979 remake The Champ, Joan Blonde11 personified an American cinema archetype: the selfreliant, breezy but slightly blowsy blonde who specializes in cracking wise. Joan Blondell Publicity photograph of Blondell, 1935 Born Rose Joan Bluestein (1906-08-30)August 30, 1906 Manhattan, New York City, U.S. Died December 25, 1979(1979-12-25)(aged 73) Santa Monica, California, U.S. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. Blondell began her career in vaudeville. In 1964, she appeared in the episode "What's in the Box?" })(); Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com 2023. Kay Hilliard, a former nightclub singer, discovers that her husband, theater producer Steven, is having an affair with showgirl Crystal Allen. 1934); (second marriage) Ellen Powell (b. 27 Apr. When he refuses to listen, she takes the idea to Schmidt, using an alias. Radio drama, short films, feature films, television shows and drama, theater performances, all Joan did them. And I do them so much better, Davis recalls in The Lonely Life. Jessi Nakles Heres Everything We Know About Her, Simon Jacques Bio, Career Highlights, Cause of Death. In the first place, she never looked at me, she recalled in The Lonely Life. Gave birth to her 1st child at age 23, a daughter Joan Ellen Powell on August 24, 1961. Encyclopedia.com. Blondell returned to Hollywood in 1950. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. By then, Miss Blonde11 had outgrown her brash, young image. Jo Ann Greer dubbed Allyson's ballad "A Perfect Love". She was born in New York to Ed and Kathyrn Blonde11, both vaudevillians. Andre Sennwald of The New York Times writes in his film review: "Traveling Saleslady is a lively and moderately diverting little comedy out of the stream of "Convention City" to which it is, however, inferior. Although Warner Bros. brought them both to Hollywood, the pair was regarded as inexperienced and were cast in much smaller roles. She received considerable acclaim for her performance as Lady Fingers in Norman Jewison's The Cincinnati Kid (1965), garnering a Golden Globe nomination and National Board of Review win for Best Supporting Actress. [9]:10. But she proceeded to reveal, in films like A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Adventure and Nightmare Alley, her capacity to perform effectively in character roles. Drama: Stellar Array Assured for 'Opposite Sex' Los Angeles Times 9 Dec 1955: B11. Kansas City Princess. [13] While there, she gave her name as Rosebud Blondell,[14] and when she attended North Texas State Teacher's College (now the University of North Texas) in Denton in 19261927[15] where her mother was a local stage actress. Joan Blondell died of leukemia in 1979. SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 25 (AP) Joan Blondell, the movie and television actress, died of leukemia today. Around that time, she caught the eye of Broadway producer Mike Todd, while her husband Dick Powell fell head over heels for June Allyson , a young dancer cast with him in Meet the People (1944). David Manners, Joan Blondell, Ina Claire, Madge Evans from The Greeks Had a Word for Them, 1932, David Manners, Madge Evans, Joan Blondell, Ina Claire from The Greeks Had a Word for Them, 1932, James Cagney, Ann Dvorak, and Joan Blondell in The Crowd Roars, 1932, Joan Blondell, Eric Linden, and James Cagney in The Crowd Roars, 1932, Gold Diggers of 1933: Ruby Keeler, Dick Powell, Joan Blondell, Guy Kibbee, and Aline MacMahon. I can imagine no circumstances under which I would work again with Miss Dunaway, Davis wrote in This N That. Joan's first credit screen appearance was in 1929 aged over twenty. Her eyes! A shudder of delight went through me. In 1943, Blondell returned to Broadway as the star of Mike Todd's short-lived production of The Naked Genius, a comedy written by Gypsy Rose Lee. The Opposite Sex is a remake of the 1939 comedy film The Women. American actress. in 1936. *Ashkenazi Jewish (father) She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Blue Veil (1951). They had one child, Norman Scott Barnes, who became an accomplished producer, director, and television executive known as Norman Powell. Unlike the 1936 play and the 1939 film adaptation, The Opposite Sex includes musical numbers and features male actors who portray the husbands and boyfriends, whose characters were only referred to in the previous film and stage versions. [7], Elaine Stewart was promised Joan Collins' role before filming. Blondell was married three times, first to cinematographer George Barnes in a private wedding ceremony on January 4, 1933, at the First Presbyterian Church in Phoenix, Arizona. No, this is not to say her parents were a joke. The masculine ego, outsized at birth, takes on gargantuan proportions in the actor, she wrote in The Lonely Life. John was Irish, and was the son of Garret/Garrett A. Madden, who was born in County Tyrone, and of Mary Ann Nancy, who was born in County Cork. Blondells last credit came in 1979 in the miniseries The Rebels. All Rights Reserved. American actress Joan Blondell (1906-1979) pictured with her two children Ellen Powell and Norman Powell as they attend a party at Walt Disney's Wonder House studio in Los Angeles, United States on 9th April 1941. In 1968, she guest-starred on the CBS sitcom Family Affair, starring Brian Keith. Joan's Hollywood career started in the 1930s at Warner Bros. She appeared in many classic films, such as gangster flick The Public Enemy (1931), and starred alongside some of the most legendary leading men, including James Cagney, Dick Powell, and Clark Gable. I agree with you, Miss Bankhead, I replied., In fact, in This N That, Davis (somewhat disingenuously) claims she only despised two of her female costars. This was Allyson's final film for MGM after having worked at the studio for nearly 15 years. They had a daughter, Ellen Powell, who became a studio hair stylist, and Powell adopted her son . She began to appear in short subjects and was named as one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1931. During the Great Depression, Blondell was one of the highest-paid individuals in the United States. There's a very fine line between underacting and not acting at all. A beautiful and accomplished stage and screen actress, Blondell was born on August 30, 1906 (some accounts say 1909), on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Joan Blondell Dick Powell Relatives Gloria Blondell (Aunt or Uncle) Norman S. Powell (Half Sibling) Trivia Older stepsister of Richard Powell and Pamela Powell. Her paternal grandparents were Polish Jewish immigrants to Indiana. She appeared in over 20 films, including Gold Diggers of 1933, The Blue Veil, and Opening Night. I always felt specialpart of a wonderful secret. Much of Daviss life could be seen as a rebuke to her father, Harlowa stern, Harvard-trained patent lawyer whom she could never please. (April 27, 2023). Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. Those who have heard the name will most likely picture either a blowsy, older woman playing the worldwise but warm-hearted saloon owner in the late 1960s television series Here Come the Brides, or a lively, fast-talking, no-nonsense, and unconventionally sexy gold digger in numerous Pre-Code Warner Bros. comedies and musicals of the early 1930s. "Blondell, Joan (19061979) For the 1956 version, the role was eliminated, and a new character was created instead - Amanda Penrose, a playwright who served as Kay Hilliard's kind friend confidante. I have long forgiven him for this, since that baby turned out to be Jane Fonda. Angela Twitchell (Joan Blondell), the daughter of Rufus Twitchell (Grant Mitchell), the founder of Twitchell's Toothpaste, wants to work for her father's New York company. Joan had spent a year in Honolulu (191415)[12] and six years in Australia and had seen much of the world by the time her family stopped touring and settled in Dallas, Texas when she was a teenager. She also kept her sense of humor. Shes also one of our great actorsand is at last getting her showcase. On August 30, 1906, Rose Joan Blondell was born. Writing in her biography, published Joan Blondell: A Life Between Takes, in 2007, Professor Matthew Kennedy wrote that despite her sex appeal and gold-digging roles in movies, Privately, she was unerringly loving and generous, while her life was touched by financial, medical, and emotional upheavals., Tim Rozon: Who, Where And What About The Star, Judy Reyes: Bio, Career, Spanish, Quick Facts. (1917), performer: "Broadway's Still Broadway' (1940), ("Here Comes the Bride" (a.k.a. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Always an eager voyeur, she was in stitches with what she saw: We were hysterical watching Lillian Gish, who is definitely from another world, looking at Joan Collins. Between the radio work and entertaining for the USO, Blondell did not return to film until 1943. some of these little numbers with dreamy looks and a dead pan are Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. I worked my patrol like a top sergeant. 1936) Learn how your comment data is processed. (Blondell worked until the seventh month of her pregnancy. Hope Davis Has Done Everything, and Shes Finally Everywhere. Joan had a son, producer, director, and television executive Norman Powell, with her former husband, cinematographer George Barnes; and a daughter with her former husband, actor, director, and producer Dick Powell. In addition to the MLA, Chicago, and APA styles, your school, university, publication, or institution may have its own requirements for citations. Two films of this period stand out: Public Enemy, in which she played a gangster's moll, and Gold Diggers of 1933, in which she offered a unique, non-singing rendition of "Remember My Forgotten Man.". Actress Ava Lavinia Gardner (19221990), who many still consider the most beautiful woman to have appeared on film, starred in such popu, Caan, James Cite this article Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Several times I wished I could have Dun-away with her. The two had a daughter, Ellen Powell, and Dick adopted her son from her earlier marriage. At the schools annual holiday festivities, Davis always played Santa Claus. Encyclopedias almanacs transcripts and maps, Women in World History: A Biographical Encyclopedia. She was 70 years old and had been hospitalized for several weeks. (1,184 1,090 pixels, file size: 458 KB, MIME type: absence of copyright renewal for Volumes 16 and 17, absence of copyright renewal for the first half of Volume 18; copyright renewal resumes with Volume 18 Number 14, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Joan-Blondell-Children-1944.jpg&oldid=498771168, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Time Inc.; photograph by Marie Hansen (19181969) (, replace original upload that documents publication in public domain issue with higher resolution image, {{Information |Description ={{en|1=Photograph of. With the advent of movies, the Blondells were struggling to obtain bookings, and the prize money helped Joan bring the family to New York. Typically playing the cynical, wisecracking blonde with a heart of gold, she became the studio workhorse, making some 20 films between 1931 and 1933. Nearly 60 of these movies were shot in the 1930s in an astonishing average of more than five screen appearances per year. [8] Eleanor Parker was cast as Kay Hilliard but replaced by Allyson.[9]. Simon was born in Lipowo, Podlaskie. I have always been driven by some distant musica battle hymn no doubtfor I have been at war from the beginning, Davis wrote. var rcds = document.getElementById("rcjsload_b42b6d"); Kylie Jenner Is Talking About Everything but Timothe Chalamet. The Blondell sisters had a brother, Ed Blondell, Jr. Joan's cradle was a property trunk as her parents moved from place to place and she made her first appearance on stage at the age of four months when she was carried on in a cradle as the daughter of Peggy Astaire in The Greatest Love. In 1944, she and Mr. Powell, by whom she had a daughter, were divorced. When the two reunited in 1939 for the film The Old Maid, Davis was now the star, and according to her, Hopkins did everything she could to upstage her. Joan was on the stage when she was three years old. I rode into the field with sword gleaming and standard flying. They also provide some glamour with their outfits and the sets are interesting. Joan spent part of her childhood in Honolulu, Hawaii; Australia; and Dallas, Texas. 'Opposite Sex' Being Filmed to Include the Opposite Sex, Scheuer, Philip K. Los Angeles Times 19 Feb 1956: D2. Blondell, Joan (1906-1979)American actress. . Back in New York, Pat and Rufus plan their strategy for the upcoming Chicago pharmacy convention, but once again, Angela uses every tactic to steal sales away from Twitchell's company. The series was replaced midseason. She had a passionate affair with frequent costar George Brent, who had an infectious giggle, and she had a long-term crush on Henry Fonda, whom she had known since her summer stock days. She Was In A Terrible Accident As if losing her father and having an absent mother wasn't heartbreaking enough, June suffered some pretty horrific injuries when she was just eight years old. Blondell died of leukemia in Santa Monica, California, on Christmas Day, 1979, with her children and her sister at her bedside. See the article in its original context from. We rocked with laughter. She wrote a novel titled Center Door Fancy (New York: Delacorte Press, 1972), which was a thinly disguised autobiography with veiled references to June Allyson and Dick Powell. John was born in New York or Connecticut. Perhaps Its Time For The Johnsons Sitcom To End, Hannah Cheramy What You Must Know About The Rising Star. "Born Reckless: The Story of Jeff Richards", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Opposite_Sex&oldid=1134198990, Films about adultery in the United States, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 17 January 2023, at 13:32. Born on August 30, 1906, in New York, New York; died of leukemia on December 25, 1979, in Santa Monica, California; daughter and one of three children of Eddie (a stage comedian, one of the original Katzenjammer Kids) and Kathryn (Cain) Blondell (a vaudeville performer); sister of Gloria Blondell , who also appeared in Source for information on . I would have tripped an old lady in order to pick her up, she wrote. But in a movie, which has the freedom to go out, the device would seem constrained and self conscious." Shortly after, on agent Lew Wasserman's advice, she left Metro after 14 years. Los Angeles Times 26 Nov 1955: A6. Joan married the actor, singer, director, and studio executive, Dick Powell the same year that she divorced Barnes. But her father is convinced that women have no place in the business. What Shows Have Been Renewed or Canceled? (1947); Nightmare Alley (1947); Without Honor (1949); For Heaven's Sake (1950); The Blue Veil (1951); The Opposite Sex (1956); Desk Set (1957); Lizzie (1957); This Could Be the Night (1957); Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter? Actress Blondell and Cagney were so good that they won a line or two from the critics and were cast together again in the stage melodrama, Penny Arcade. Her parents not only arranged their baby's stage debut at the age of 4 months (as a carryon in The Greatest Love"), but also took Miss Blondell, her brother and her sister on tours across the United States and to Australia and China. Since then, Miss Blonde11 was seen in supporting roles in such films as The Desk Set, The Cincinnati Kid, Support Your Local Gunfighter, Grease and, most recently, as a wealthy racehorse owner in The Champ, the 1979 Franco Zeffirelli remake, starring Jon Voight and Faye Dunaway, of the 1931 Wallace BeeryJackie Cooper film. Brother Orchid. She was 70 years old and had been hospitalized for several weeks. Warners was impressed with Blondell, however, and awarded her a five-year contract which jump-started her film career. She once accused him of holding her outside a hotel window by her ankles. When I first met Tallulah Bankhead, she said, So youre the woman who does all of my parts on the screen!