Lana Turner (1921–1995) was an American actress who appeared in over fifty films during her career, which spanned four decades. Discovered in 1937 at age 16, she signed a contract with Warner Bros. but soon transferred to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[1] The studio's co-founder, Louis B. Mayer, helped further her career by casting her in several youth-oriented comedies and musicals, including Dancing Co-Ed (1939)[2] and Ziegfeld Girl (1941), the latter of which was a commercial success and helped establish her as one of the studio's leading performers.[3] Turner subsequently co-starred with Clark Gable in the drama Somewhere I'll Find You (1943), the first of four films she would appear in with him.[4]
Turner's role as a femme fatale in the film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946) advanced her career significantly and established her as a dramatic actress.[5] It earned her acclaim with Bosley Crowther of The New York Times deeming it "the role of her career."[6] In addition to her film roles, Turner frequently appeared on radio programs throughout the 1940s, including Suspense and The Orson Welles Almanac.[7][8] In 1952, she co-starred in the drama The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) opposite Kirk Douglas, portraying an alcoholic actress.[9] Turner made her final film appearance with Gable[10] in the drama Betrayed (1954).[11] After the critical and commercial failure of Diane (1956), MGM opted not to renew Turner's contract.[12] At the time, her films with the studio had collectively earned over $50 million[13]
In 1957, she took a leading role portraying Constance MacKenzie in 20th Century Fox's Peyton Place, a film adaptation of the Grace Metalious novel of the same name.[14] The film was a major box office success,[15] and Turner earned her first and only Academy Award nomination for Best Actress for her performance.[14] In 1959, she accepted the lead role in Douglas Sirk's remake of Imitation of Life, a drama for Universal Pictures in which she portrayed a struggling stage actress, which was another commercial success at the box office.[16] Turner's final leading role was in 1966's Madame X, for which she earned a David di Donatello award for Best Actress.[17] She spent the majority of the 1970s in semiretirement, appearing in touring stage plays, such as Forty Carats[18] and Bell, Book and Candle.[19] In 1982, she was cast in a recurring guest role on the television soap operaFalcon Crest.[20] She made her final film appearance in the comedy horror film Witches' Brew in 1980.[21]
^MacPherson, Virginia (October 12, 1946). "Heavy Drama Her Dish Now, Says Lana". Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. p. 11. Archived from the original on November 6, 2018. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Crowther, Bosley (September 9, 1954). "The Screen in Review; 'Betrayed,' War Story, Opens at the State". The New York Times. p. 36. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved June 18, 2018.
^ abShearer, Lloyd (August 28, 1977). "Lana's Lectures". San Bernardino Sun. San Bernardino, California. p. 113. Archived from the original on August 26, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
^Gritten, David (October 18, 1982). "Falcon Crest Soars". People. 18 (16). Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
^ ab"Lana Turner Credits". TV Guide. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
^Parsons, Louella (March 28, 1940). "Lana Turner Given Three Weeks Vacation For Trip to New York With Artie Shaw". The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. p. 16. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Parsons, Louella (December 5, 1940). "Clark Gable, Lana Turner Form M-G-M Oomph Team". The Courier. Waterloo, Iowa. p. 19. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Thomas, Bob (December 5, 1947). "Allyson, Heflin To Star In MGM's 'Bedeviled'". The Miami News. Miami, Florida. Associated Press. p. 10-A. Archived from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^Parsons, Louella (July 16, 1959). "Lana Turner To Star As Mother Of Utrillo". The Indianapolis Star. Indianapolis, Indiana. p. 19. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved July 27, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Return of Lana". Star-Gazette. Elmira, New York. May 6, 1967. p. 20. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^"Lana Turner to Appear On CBS's 'Falcon Crest'". The New York Times. December 26, 1981. Archived from the original on March 21, 2017. Retrieved March 21, 2017.
^"This Weekend in Chicago". The Pantagraph. Chicago. December 14, 1978. p. 11. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Christiansen, Richard (November 3, 1978). "Lana Turner in 'Divorce' Entertains Just Being Lana". Chicago Tribune. p. 39. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Gussow, Mel (July 22, 1977). "Along the Straw-Hat Trail". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 24, 2018. Retrieved May 23, 2018.
^Blank, Ed (May 30, 1982). "Lana Turner: Still All Glamour". The Pittsburgh Press. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. p. 69. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved August 25, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^Chambers, Andrea; Adelson, Suzanne (November 8, 1982). "Lana Turner". People. 18 (19). Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
^Wedman, Les (October 16, 1959). "Laurel Awards Announced". The Province. Vancouver, British Columbia. p. 35. Archived from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ abc"Awards". Official Licensing Website of Lana Turner. CMG Worldwide. Archived from the original on December 16, 2017. Retrieved September 4, 2019.
^"Dossier de Presma" (PDF). Sitges Film Festival. p. 15. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 3, 2019. Retrieved September 3, 2019.
Sources
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Clements, Cynthia; Weber, Sandra (1996). George Burns and Gracie Allen: A Bio-Bibliography. Vol. 72. New York: Greenwood Press. ISBN 978-0-313-26883-0.
Fischer, Lucy (ed). (1991). Imitation of Life. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 0-8135-1644-7.
Grams, Martin (2000). Radio Drama: A Comprehensive Chronicle of American Network Programs, 1932–1962. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-40051-5.
Greene, Heather (2018). Bell, Book and Camera: A Critical History of Witches in American Film and Television. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-1-476-63206-3.
Heyer, Paul (2005). The Medium and the Magician: Orson Welles, the Radio Years, 1934–1952. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-742-53797-2.
Jordan, Jessica Hope (2009). The Sex Goddess in American Film, 1930–1965: Jean Harlow, Mae West, Lana Turner, and Jayne Mansfield. Cambria Press. ISBN 978-1-60497-663-2.
Kashner, Sam; MacNair, Jennifer (2002). The Bad & the Beautiful: Hollywood in the Fifties. New York: W.W. Norton & Company. ISBN 978-0-393-32436-5.
Langer, Carole (dir.) (2001). Lana Turner ... a Daughter's Memoir(Documentary). Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 2018-11-06. Retrieved 2019-09-12.
McKay, James (2012). The Films of Victor Mature. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-44970-5.
Morella, Joe; Epstein, Edward Z. (1971). Lana: The Public and Private Lives of Miss Turner. New York: Citadel Press. ISBN 0-8065-0226-6.
O'Neil, Thomas (2003). Movie Awards: The Ultimate, Unofficial Guide to the Oscars, Golden Globes, Critics, Guild & Indie Honors. New York: Perigee Book. ISBN 978-0-399-52922-1.
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Shearer, Stephen Michael (2010). Beautiful: The Life of Hedy Lamarr. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 978-1-429-90820-7.
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Wayne, Jane Ellen (2003). The Golden Girls of MGM: Greta Garbo, Joan Crawford, Lana Turner, Judy Garland, Ava Gardner, Grace Kelly and Others. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers. ISBN 0-7867-1303-8.