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Was Ava Gardner a Good Actress?

I just finished reading the book by her friend/maid ("Living with Miss G") and the only memory I have of her is in Earthquake where she was cast as Lorne Greene's daughter ("Daddy!"). She wasn't very good in that, and as I went through this memoir it looks like her only real hit movie was a part in "Night of the Iguana" back in 1964. She was often described as wooden. Could she act?

The book is good, by the way. And I kind of got the feeling that Ava and her maid were definitely more than employer/employee and possibly more than "just friends."

by Anonymousreply 127January 18, 2020 7:13 PM

She was never hired for her acting talents. You need to go back, back, back to her MGM days. The Hucksters, Showboat, Pandora and the Flying Dutchman. She was one of the great beauties of Hollywood's golden age. She was not a bad actress and she really tried in some roles. She was pissed off and hurt, actually, when they did not use her real voice (she recorded the soundtrack) for the vocals in Showboat. She had zero education, was Southern farm girl, really. But was she a good actress? She was good in Night of the Iguana, for sure.

by Anonymousreply 1October 9, 2013 2:28 PM

Her acting in SHOW BOAT is excellent, especially the drunk scene towards the end of the film, when she confronts Ravenal. Too bad that movie has sort of fallen by the wayside and has never been properly restored. And yes, they should have used her own singing voice -- which is just fine -- rather than dubbing her.

by Anonymousreply 2October 9, 2013 2:38 PM

Did she ever do stage? Tome, that is the test of a good performer.

by Anonymousreply 3October 9, 2013 2:40 PM

"Dirk Bogarde told me you deal from a clean deck and you're not a f****t. Don't get me wrong, I get along fine with f**s, I just prefer to deal with guys who aren't." Ava Gardner to Peter Evans in "Ava Gardner: The Secret Conversations"

Dirk Bogarde? Reallllly?

by Anonymousreply 4October 9, 2013 5:14 PM

I don't get r4's comment. Ava was good friends with Dirk Bogarde (as he was with lots of divas - Bacall, Bergman, Capucine, Judy etc) he and Ava made 2 films together.

She's terrific in Pandora and the Flying Dutchman where here beauty will amaze you, and in Mankiewicz's The Barefoot Contessa, and Bhowani Junction for Cukor. Night of the Iguana is certainly her last good role.

Earthquake is amusing trash, where she gets trashed in it, Lorne Green playing her father must have been about the same age as her. Ava didnt care by then, she had made enough to retire on, and just did films - the Cassandra Crossing is another amusing one - for money, and maybe company.

by Anonymousreply 5October 9, 2013 5:20 PM

She's a bad actor and she's not that pretty.

The only reason anyone cares about her anymore is because she saw Sinatra's penis.

by Anonymousreply 6October 9, 2013 5:22 PM

Shes fun too in Mogambo with Gable and Grace.

by Anonymousreply 7October 9, 2013 5:24 PM

R6 = flyover moron

by Anonymousreply 8October 9, 2013 5:24 PM

Ask anyone, r8 motherfucker, they'll say I'm right.

Couldn't act, not so amazingly pretty, sucked Sinatra's dick. That's all.

By the way, I live in Brooklyn, motherfucker.

by Anonymousreply 9October 9, 2013 5:26 PM

By the way, I live in Brooklyn, motherfucker.

So little to be proud of.

by Anonymousreply 10October 9, 2013 5:33 PM

She seemed like such a gutsy broad, but in the book, she came off as kind of a masochist, esp. in her relationship with George C. Scott. He beat the crap out of her, followed her all around the globe to beat the crap out of her, and she kept going out with him. What the hell was wrong with George C. Scott?!

I heard that Sinatra supported her at the end of her life and I thought "what a guy! But I didn't realize she supported him all throughout his lean years.

According to the maid's memoir, she was the original cougar.

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by Anonymousreply 11October 9, 2013 6:44 PM

Her best performance (probably the closest to her real personality) is in "Night of the Iguana" - tough broad.

by Anonymousreply 12October 9, 2013 7:06 PM

She was better than Zsa Zsa but that ain't saying much, I mean when Green Acres is your career highlight, you're pretty mediocre.

by Anonymousreply 13October 9, 2013 7:57 PM

r13...? Oh, never mind.

And Ava Gardner was nominated for a supporting actress Oscar for Mogambo, which is a big, colorful MGM early 50's remake of 30's Red Dust.

She co-starred with Clark Gable and Grace Kelly and her character was beautiful and saucy, and she delivered several funny lines in that way of hers.

by Anonymousreply 14October 9, 2013 8:05 PM

r14 here. Ava was nominated for Best Actress and Grace was nominated for Best Supporting.

(Grace would go on to win Best Actress the following year for The Country Girl.)

by Anonymousreply 15October 9, 2013 8:19 PM

And Lorne Green was seven years older than Ava Gardner.

by Anonymousreply 16October 9, 2013 8:20 PM

I've never liked her in any film- too self-conscious. Like a poor man's Rita Hayworth. But she was gorgeous.

Oh wait, I liked her as the real estate lady in "The Sentinel". Her scenes start at 0:14:50

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by Anonymousreply 17October 9, 2013 8:24 PM

R13, Zsa Zsa Gabor was never on Green Acres, that was her sister Eva.

Idiot.

by Anonymousreply 18October 9, 2013 8:25 PM

And don't forget she probably had an affair with Lena Horne just before doing Show Boat. Doing research.

by Anonymousreply 19October 9, 2013 8:33 PM

[quote[Like a poor man's Rita Hayworth

That's exactly what I was thinking. She kind of looked like her in some of the studio shots. But there was something kind of low class about her. Maybe it was all the booze. And if she was having affairs with women, what's with all the homophobic talk about working with gay writers.

by Anonymousreply 20October 9, 2013 8:40 PM

R20, many gay men dislike lesbian (Datalounge 101). So why would it be unusual that some lesbian/bi-sexual women are not fond of f*gs? Or say they aren't (see Katharine Hepburn).

by Anonymousreply 21October 9, 2013 8:52 PM

OP, I suggest you read Lee Server's biography of Ava Gardner. It is well researched, modern and encapsulates her persona and personality well in the forward alone. It's called "Love is Nothing."

Gardner was a tough and wild broad, beyond understanding. She was a hedonist and a masochist. A drunk. A great beauty. She had a feline quality to her and a beautiful speaking voice, but was not much of an actress. She never claimed to be. She cared more than she let on, a somewhat adolescent way to live.

She is worth watching in The Killers, and Bowani Junction, Showboat and even that Kramer film she did with Gregory Peck about nuclear destruction? Her beauty was fading by then and she turned out to care and be vain and frightened after all. She partied and fucked and loved wild as long as she could, that is for sure. The hard years showed up pretty much overnight on her. Night of the Iguana is her best performance I would say. She is the ultimate femme fatale in The Killers, and gorgeous in just about everything in between those two films.

Elizabeth Taylor called Ava Gardner the most beautiful woman in the world. Ava was a great beauty in a very sensual way.

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by Anonymousreply 22October 9, 2013 9:32 PM

In her prime, she woke up gorgeous. Perfect coloring, body, hair.

Beautiful women were jealous of her because she didn't work at it.

by Anonymousreply 23October 9, 2013 9:39 PM

+1 with r22.

Server's bio of Gardner is superb. Gardner perpetrated mental and emotional abuse on Sinatra, however, given his vileness, he had it coming.

It's a real page turner and yes, when it came to her sexual appetite, it's as though she had a male mentality.

by Anonymousreply 24October 9, 2013 9:39 PM

Is that film she made in the early 70's directed by Roddy MacDowell called TAM-LIN (aka THE DEVIL'S WIDOW)?

Speaking of her dealing with f****ts.

As others noted, she was effective in the right kind of role. As she wasn't as inept as Lana Turner.

by Anonymousreply 25October 9, 2013 9:40 PM

Meant to say:

Has anyone seen that film she made in the early 70's directed by Roddy MacDowell called TAM-LIN (aka THE DEVIL'S WIDOW)?

by Anonymousreply 26October 9, 2013 9:46 PM

The asshole on this thread who says Gardner "wasn't that pretty" is either blind as a bat or Mia Farrow.

Hi Mia, you withered old psychobitch, how's it hanging?

by Anonymousreply 27October 9, 2013 9:47 PM

Her head's too big and her personality doesn't come across. She has glamor but no magic. I don't get her at all, never have.

by Anonymousreply 28October 9, 2013 9:54 PM

1953 publicity photo (age 31)

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by Anonymousreply 29October 9, 2013 9:59 PM

[quote]But there was something kind of low class about her. Maybe it was all the booze.

My understanding is that she was from a dirt poor rural background.

I recall ready that Gardner grew up in a house with no running water and had to use an outhouse, by American standards, that's pretty much like coming from the Third World!

My mom grew up fairly poor on the LES, but at least her family had hot and cold running water and a toilet!

When I read about how some stars grew up in very dire circumstances, yet were able transcend them, I assume these celebrities must have been pinching themselves everyday. Especially how lucky they were to not only escape their very humble circumstances but become so wealthy.

by Anonymousreply 30October 9, 2013 10:04 PM

Because she'd had Sinatra's thick 12 inch cock in her. It had loosened her up.

by Anonymousreply 31October 9, 2013 10:09 PM

Pauline Kael was right when said she never seemed comfortable onscreen. I doubt she enjoyed acting. She's more lively in her "What's My Line" appearance (on youtube) than she ever was onscreen.

She seems coarse and high-strung in the new Secret Conversations book. (To give her credit, she's also funny and smart.) She never really made a commitment to acting or family or love, and it's scary to read how badly that worked out for her.

by Anonymousreply 32October 9, 2013 10:50 PM

The book isn't that good-in her old age, Ava got very private and circumspect about her affairs. Didn't really talk in detail about Frank Sinatra, for example...Only said that Mickey Rooney opened her up to sex! That was the major revelation--wouldn't substantiate the size of Frank's cock... Not so bawdy as I hoped for!!

by Anonymousreply 33October 9, 2013 11:03 PM

She's no Shirley Jones.

by Anonymousreply 34October 9, 2013 11:06 PM

Here's an idea, OP.

Why don't you watch her in a few things and decide for yourself.

by Anonymousreply 35October 9, 2013 11:10 PM

R31, 12 inches can't go into a woman because there's no room for it. That's a totally inaccurate gay male fantasy. Additionally, in this new book, Ava claims she never said that "smutty" (her words) remark about Sinatra's member.

by Anonymousreply 36October 9, 2013 11:53 PM

Not Pretty! There has never been a bad picture of the woman (until her death prehaps). She couldn't look homely if she tried.

by Anonymousreply 37October 9, 2013 11:59 PM

How can anyone who watches her in that What's My Line? clip at r22 not find her stunning?

And that's from the mid-50s. So she'd been around Hollywood for over 10 years, no spring chicken, and yet she looks ravishing with just primitive TV studio lighting and everyday makeup.

And she's so naturally funny! Why didn't MGM cash in on her glorious sense of humor and star her in any comedies?

by Anonymousreply 38October 10, 2013 1:53 AM

Sinatra got canned from MGM because of his affair with Ava. L.B. told him to cool it because the affair was hurting his image as a family man. He was married to Nancy at the time but the affair was an open secret and it wasn't even a secret. The press had hold of the story and the gossip rags had a field day. Sinatra defied Mayer's orders and his contract was cancelled. His films were sliding at the box office anyway. Meet Danny Wilson was a flop, for instance. He was obsessed with Ava and made horrible career decisions because of her. He was able to finesse a divorce from Nancy and marry Ava but his career was already in shambles. And it stayed there for several years. It was Ava who called in some favors and who got him the audition for From Here to Eternity. It literally resurrected his career from the dead.

Part of what ruined their marriage is that Ava was a huge star at the time of their marriage and Frank was on the skids. There was a serious imbalance in the marriage. Ava was the top breadwinner and that did a number on BOTH of them.

by Anonymousreply 39October 10, 2013 2:34 AM

I never believed it when she fell into the sewer just because Chuck Heston stepped on her hand.

Overreact much?

by Anonymousreply 40October 10, 2013 2:38 AM

Here is a whole page of Ava pictures. How could anyone not think she was absolutely stunningly beautiful? At least for a window of time until she rather prematurely aged?

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by Anonymousreply 41October 10, 2013 2:39 AM

I believe in the latest book she states the worst day of her life happened when she started losing her looks. "In Hollywood men age, women get old."

by Anonymousreply 42October 10, 2013 2:49 AM

I love her reaction upon learning that Sinatra had married Mia Farrow:

"I always knew Frank would end up in bed with a little boy."

by Anonymousreply 43October 10, 2013 2:50 AM

Those are beautiful photos R41. Thanks.

by Anonymousreply 44October 10, 2013 3:02 AM

When the camera loves you as much as it loved Ava Gardner, who needs talent?

Movies like MOGAMBO and BAREFOOT CONTESSA are fun to watch. MOGAMBO is one of my favorite films, but let's face it, the movie is a straight middle-aged man's ultimate fantasy. Think about it ... 50something Clark Gable is pursued by 30something Ava Gardener and 20something Grace Kelly.

I have often wondered if stars from the Golden Age -- like Gardner, like Garland -- might have been better NOT going to Hollywood. Maybe Gardner should have stayed in North Carolina, met and married a nice guy and raised a family (as well as tobacco and corn)

by Anonymousreply 45October 10, 2013 3:02 AM

Wow R22. I think you just gave about as good an encapsulation of Ava Gardner as anyone.

by Anonymousreply 46October 10, 2013 3:31 AM

I love the pre-Hollywood pictures of her--when she was just the most beautiful country girl you've ever seen.

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by Anonymousreply 47October 10, 2013 3:33 AM

She was also very good in Seven Days In May.

by Anonymousreply 48October 10, 2013 3:40 AM

In Rene's book, she describes her last trip to London to see Ava. They took her dog, Morgan, out to the park. Ava had recovered from double pneumonia and a stroke and was slowly working her way back:

"Then Miss G said, "Rene, I'm tired. Let's sit down on that bench over there."

I said, "I agree."

Then she said, "I'm too tired to get to the bench. Let's sit on the grass for a few minutes, and then make it to the bench. That was a big mistake! Morgan was not very pleased. That was playtime, down time, ball throwing time. We ignored him. Then we started to get up, and we couldn't. We just couldn't move our various bits in synchronization to stand up. I said, "Well, I suppose we could scream for help." Miss G laughed and said, "Let's hope it won't come to that. Why don't we squiggle around onto our knees and crawl across to the bench?" I agreed, and we started our crawl across the grass. Morgan was bewildered. What were we doing imitating him? He started to circle us yapping his head off, and Miss G yelled, "Shut Up! You'll attract everybody's attention!" We reached the bench, hauled ourselves onto it, and collapsed in great gales of near hysterical laughter. We laughed until the tears poured down our faces. We laughed until it hurt. We laughed until we damn near wet our britches.

Miss G gasped, "Rene, did you ever think it would come to this?"

I sputtered, "No...never, never, never ..."

by Anonymousreply 49October 10, 2013 3:44 AM

She was fabulous in many roles, yet the best, as stated up thread, was " Night of the Iguana".

by Anonymousreply 50October 10, 2013 3:45 AM

Does anyone remember her guest appearences on Knots Landing? She was sublimely serpentine.

by Anonymousreply 51October 10, 2013 3:58 AM

R22 is correct in every way about the Lee Server bio.

For those of you with less time, David Denby's superb recent analysis of Ava in the New Yorker is an absolute must-read. He says MOGAMBO and THE NIGHT OF THE IGUANA are her 2 very best roles. I would add Julie Laverne in SHOWBOAT. (Dinah Shore, Lena Horne and Judy Garland all were discussed for the role.)

She was truly, hauntingly beautiful, and she lived life vivaciously and glamorously. Think of her husbands: Mickey Rooney, Artie Shaw and Frank Sinatra!!

Though she was a huge Hollywood star, she spent most of her glory days in Europe, which screwed up her finances due to tax issues. As had been mentioned, she never cared about her looks or taking care of herself until it was much too late.

Her What's My Line appearance publicizing MOGAMBO does show how magical she must have been in real life. She is luminous.

by Anonymousreply 52October 10, 2013 4:01 AM

I loved her in One Touch of Venus.

by Anonymousreply 53October 10, 2013 4:05 AM

Ava appealed to Mrs. Cohn, I believe, to help Frank get his From Here to Eternity audition.

I think she was easily the most gorgeous woman in films.

I don't think she was a bad actress, and I do think she got better with time. But it was never about her acting. It was about her beauty and her sexuality.

Like a lot of stars, she came from nothing. These were women who were intending to go to secretarial school or get married and have kids and they were discovered. Ava was discovered when her brother-in-law put her photo in the window of his photography studio.

Frank and Ava were hot together, but that means that they fought as passionately and hard as they made love. By the time Frank got his divorce, they both knew it was a mistake to get married, but there was so much publicity and scandal by then, they didn't really have much choice. In later years she referred to him as "my man Frank." Her own autobiography is a fun read.

by Anonymousreply 54October 10, 2013 4:28 AM

She had a great sense of humor, too. Artie Shaw was always marrying women and trying to educate them and turn them into intellectuals. When someone asked her what happened between her and Artie Shaw, she said, "I flunked."

by Anonymousreply 55October 10, 2013 4:32 AM

I wish I could answer your question, OP. I've only seen her in Earthquake.

She was certainly beautiful and many beautiful actresses are discounted for that reason--as we saw from the recent Sharon Tate thread.

by Anonymousreply 56October 10, 2013 4:42 AM

(R43) I've read that quote a lot. It always said, "with a boy", not "with a little boy". If she had said that, it would have caused a fierce backlash.

by Anonymousreply 57October 10, 2013 5:18 AM

they took my Max Factor makeup and put it all over Ava Gardner!!!

by Anonymousreply 58October 10, 2013 5:48 AM

Ava was excellent in "Showboat", whether or not her voice was used. THe last shot of her as the movie closes always makes me tear up.

by Anonymousreply 59October 10, 2013 6:54 AM

I just finished the Peter Evans "Secret Conversations" book and really loved it. She should've ignored Sinatra and gone with Evans for her book because it was much more real--down to earth and bawdy like she was. She was wild and insecure but so extremely beautiful--even that photo of her by Larry Tarr that got her entire career going was stunning. She cursed SO much, I can't really picture her that way when I watch her movies at all. I loved how she talked about that nasty racist Howard Hughes, her disdain for Bogart and her powerful sex drive and how she and Mickey Rooney couldn't stop going at it--I guess I'm a little surprised that people were so wild back then.

My favorite Ava movies are Night of the Iguana (her best acting performance), Pandora and the Flying Dutchman (a weird, mysterious little movie where she was her most beautiful) Mogambo (she's great with Gable) Snows of Kilimanjaro/On the Beach (good chemistry with Gregory Peck) and Barefoot Contessa (she was good with Bogie, they had a believable friendship on film, even though they hated each other in real life). I love Ava, there's no one else like her in movies OR in life for that matter.

by Anonymousreply 60October 10, 2013 7:17 AM

r4 That's an ugly comment. Disappointing. I wrote about it in another thread but I'm still reading her biography by Lee Server "Love Is Nothing". It's very good and detailed. She was a fascinating, complex person. She was also a huge whore.

As an aside, I want to say I think this Lee Server guy is a big homophobe.

As for her acting, at her best she was passable but nobody hired her for her acting skills. She was beautiful.

by Anonymousreply 61October 10, 2013 7:52 AM

Lovely profile. Amazing swan neck!

Was she a good actress? I don't care.

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by Anonymousreply 62October 10, 2013 8:15 AM

Try again.

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by Anonymousreply 63October 10, 2013 8:21 AM

For those of us who have not read the bios, what is the story with her and Bogart? Why didn't they get along? They would seem so similar in outlook.

Didn't Sinatra move on to the Widow Bacall after he and Ava were done?

by Anonymousreply 64October 10, 2013 12:05 PM

r64 From what I remember Eva was very excited to meet him and work with him but they didn't click at all. I think he was very condescending toward her.

by Anonymousreply 65October 10, 2013 12:15 PM

Sinatra moved on to his usual hookers, r64.

by Anonymousreply 66October 10, 2013 12:28 PM

[quote]Didn't Sinatra move on to the Widow Bacall after he and Ava were done?

She did. But then she blabbed about it to the press and it was all over.

by Anonymousreply 67October 10, 2013 1:52 PM

She's matronly and plain and she doesn't photograph well.

She looks like Jane Wyatt.

by Anonymousreply 68October 10, 2013 1:58 PM

Ok.

by Anonymousreply 69October 10, 2013 2:02 PM

Yes, Night of the Iguana was her best performance as Maxine. Does anybody know how it compared with Bette Davis on Broadway?

by Anonymousreply 70October 10, 2013 2:42 PM

She was very fine in 55 Days at Peking and Seven Days in May.

by Anonymousreply 71October 10, 2013 3:28 PM

I came to her late (Earthquake and The Sentinal) so I didn't know of her voluptuous beauty until much later.

Gorgeous (and implied naked) in Technicolor Mogambo, and still hot but earthier in black-and-white Night of the Iguana.

by Anonymousreply 72October 10, 2013 3:35 PM

[R60] I once spoke with someone who worked and wrote in Hollywood in the '40s and '50s. He said the reason everyone had so much sex was that some of them, men and women, were so damned good-looking that they turned themselves on! I can believe it.

by Anonymousreply 73October 10, 2013 3:46 PM

r72

Later Iguana.

by Anonymousreply 74October 10, 2013 3:53 PM

She was miscast in "On The Beach". Too old for the character and she barely managed an Aussie accent. But she did bring a world-weary vulnerability to the part. And she wasn't as bad as Fred Astaire, who was simply awful in his part.

by Anonymousreply 75October 10, 2013 5:09 PM

R73, wouldn't the same hold true today?

Good-looking people naturally have more sex because more people are physically attracted to them. In a place like Hollywood, with its high concentration of beautiful people, of course, there is going to be more fucking going on than in some podunk small town that has lost all its young, ambitious and better-looking people to urban America.

by Anonymousreply 76October 10, 2013 6:46 PM

r68, Jane Wyatt had an ingenue look in her early years---a cross of Mary Astor with the later Lee Remick. Wyatt had a wide face, though not quite as triangular as Remick's.

Gardner had an oval, almost egg-shaped face, with the point of the egg at the chin. This may be the secret of her appeal as it was close to an universal face, at least for Americans of European descent.

Gardner's face has a Breton undercurrent to it, possibly due to some Huguenot ancestry. Bretons are Celts related to the Welsh. Mara Corday has Welsh in her, so you can compare her to Gardner.

I second "Seven Days in May." She doesn't chew the scenery when she catches Kirk Douglas stealing the letters. Imagine Constance Ford doing that scene, ha-ha.

by Anonymousreply 77October 10, 2013 6:49 PM

"I'll always get you back up, baby."

Ava has the last line in "Iguana"

by Anonymousreply 78October 10, 2013 8:57 PM

Has anyone ever seen her in The Bible as Sarah, the mother of all Jewish people?

Seems like no one ever saw that film.

by Anonymousreply 79October 10, 2013 9:31 PM

I've always liked this happy shot of Ava from 1984 by Helmut Newton. I noticed her birthday as Dec. 24th 1922 while looking up this pic so she's probably 61 here.

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by Anonymousreply 80October 10, 2013 11:18 PM

She was a DAMN GOOD ACTRESS.

by Anonymousreply 81October 10, 2013 11:20 PM

[quote]Her What's My Line appearance publicizing MOGAMBO does show how magical she must have been in real life. She is luminous.

I'll say.

by Anonymousreply 82October 11, 2013 3:19 AM

She has a scene with Fred Astaire in Band Wagon where she plays herself. And she is very friendly, natural, and absolutely the most beautiful woman in the movie. Of course, its a little cameo and she could have been a total bitch in real life, but she just glows.

by Anonymousreply 83October 12, 2013 2:57 PM

[quote][R4] That's an ugly comment. Disappointing. I wrote about it in another thread but I'm still reading her biography by Lee Server "Love Is Nothing".

I think the shorthand for what she said is that she wanted to work with a writer who might fuck her on occasion. And Peter Evans might have.

by Anonymousreply 84October 13, 2013 4:35 PM

Artie Shaw was a fantastic musician but seems to have been a pretentious nightmare of a husband. My favourite story about him is trashing his current wife (was it Lana or Ava?) for reading the trashy romantic bestseller, "Forever Amber". He then married the author of..."Forever Amber".

by Anonymousreply 85October 13, 2013 11:05 PM

R85. It was Ava.

She said of Shaw, "That bastard broke my heart." She credited him for making her very insecure, the beginning of her hard drinking and bettering her mind.

Of her time with Howard Hughes she said there was real blood in the Bloody Marys. His.

She said that SHE was Frank Sinatra in drag, and that he taught her to cry, but he was so good in the 'feathers.'

"You can sum up my life in a sentence, honey: She made movies, she made out, and she made a fucking mess of her life. But she never made jam."

by Anonymousreply 86October 13, 2013 11:37 PM

yes Ava Gardner was a great actress when they gave her roles that allowed her to showcase her skills (see Contessa). Unfortunately, hollywood wanted to turn this naturally cool, intelligent and "real" person into a cartoon. She wasn't having it!!!!

by Anonymousreply 87October 13, 2013 11:51 PM

She and Charlton were ridiculously over the top in "Earthquake". Genevieve Bujold, Lloyd Nolan, Richard Roundtree, Victoria Principal and George Kennedy knew they were in a popcorn disaster flick, but those two seemed to think they were doing "Intolerance" with better sets.

by Anonymousreply 88October 13, 2013 11:56 PM

She dated a married Robert Mitchum for a while and even asked his wife to divorce him, though the wife declined. In an act of self preservation, macho Mitchum reportedly hid from Ava because he knew she would bring out the worst addict in him.

by Anonymousreply 89October 13, 2013 11:57 PM

Disappointing to see she was a tad homophobic.

by Anonymousreply 90October 13, 2013 11:58 PM

No, r83, Cyd Charisse was more beautiful than Ava in the Band Wagon. ThatScene with Ava was totally contrived Comden_Green.

by Anonymousreply 91October 14, 2013 1:16 AM

Here is a fan made tribute to Ava from You Tube. It is long but includes lots of newsreel and candid footage as well as scenes from her films. In motion she is the most feminine animal. I don't think there was anyone more beautiful.

Add her clear soft timbered voice to these images. The legend of her beauty, sensuality and seismic ruination of men can only be understatement. She was graceful and stunning. A real life raven haired, green-eyed temptress. Napalm.

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by Anonymousreply 92October 14, 2013 1:49 AM

[bold]Was Ava Gardner a Good Actress?[/bold]

Yes.

by Anonymousreply 93October 14, 2013 1:52 AM

IIRC, there was an Ava Gardner thread in 2009-10 and there was a poster who said Ava lived in his parents home around 1978 in London while he was still a teen and that he was friends with her for a couple of years or so. Anyone else remember that? I wish I wasn't so fuzzy on details but it was quite interesting what he had to say since he posted several lengthy posts. If memory serves she had her own flat and she and he would walk the neighborhood with her pet dog. I forget the interesting parts.

by Anonymousreply 94October 14, 2013 2:35 AM

Can someone explain the Ava- Lena Horne relationship?

by Anonymousreply 95December 7, 2013 12:14 AM

Cyd Charisse was to Ava Gardner what Joan Collins was to Elizabeth Taylor.

by Anonymousreply 96December 7, 2013 12:18 AM

[R20], [R21], [R61], [R90]

I'll post extracts for you.

>“I’m told we’d get along fine, but who the hell knows? You’ve been a journalist; I hate journalists. I don’t trust them,” she said. “But Dirk Bogarde says you’re okay. So does Michael Winner. Dirk said you deal from a clean deck, and you’re not a f**got. Don’t get me wrong. I get on fine with f*gs, I just prefer dealing with guys who aren’t. Dirk reckons you’d break your ass to get the book right. That’s what I need—a guy who’ll break his ass to please me.”

>“Are you gay?” “I thought you said Dirk Bogarde told you I wasn’t,” I said. “He said you weren’t a f**got. There’s a difference. I can’t stand f**gots, I get on well with gays.” “What’s the difference?” “Gays make the best ‘walkers.’ They are good company. You can tell them your secrets. They are useful to have around. They bathe a lot. A woman can even go to bed with a gay. At a pinch.” “But not with a f**got?” “F**gots . . . they’re something else. They are cruder.” “I’ve never heard that definition before.” “You have now. So, we’ve established you’re not a f**got . . . are you gay?” No woman had ever asked me that before. Was she softening me up for a confession? The idea offended my masculine pride, but I was curious. “Do you think I am?” “You can never tell these days,” she said. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.” I didn’t mind, I said. No, I was not gay. Bisexual? she asked, playfully. Not bisexual, either, I said. “I’ve known plenty of guys who are, you’d be surprised,” she said. “In Hollywood, a lot of guys don’t know whether they’re Arthur or Martha.”

by Anonymousreply 97December 9, 2013 4:29 PM

Ava Gardner ang her dog Morgan

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by Anonymousreply 98December 30, 2013 1:41 PM

Ava and her dogs

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by Anonymousreply 99December 30, 2013 1:43 PM

Ava with her bitch Lana

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by Anonymousreply 100December 30, 2013 1:45 PM

I am not surprised that she was homophobic. As has been lightly touched on already in this thread, she was very malicious to/about Frank for how sensitive and in touch with his "femininity" he was. She had an abortion, and he was full-stop devastated (he adored kids, was a progressive father for his time),, but she had no sympathy about it.

Also, it was Barbara Marx who hated Ava and all of Frank's past flames. I don't think Mia was that possessive. Certainly she and Nancy Sr. have a good relationship, and she has always had a great relationship with his kids as far as I know. But I think it was Tina who talked about how Frank had a statue of Ava that he kept at his home for many years, and Barbara got rid of it behind his back.

by Anonymousreply 101December 30, 2013 7:15 PM

She was homophobic because she was a lesbian.

by Anonymousreply 102October 11, 2014 11:55 AM

"She's a bad actor and she's not that pretty."

Wrong and pathologically wrong.

by Anonymousreply 103October 11, 2014 12:01 PM

Gotta love DL where so many have the silly knee-jerk reaction that Ava Gardner was a bad actress but try explaining why you never found someone like Norma Shearer or Ali McGraw to be a convincing actress and you're treated as if you are an Ebola patient at an orgy.

by Anonymousreply 104October 11, 2014 12:06 PM

I think calling people who lived so long ago "homophobic" is unfair.

They reflected the views of world they lived in. And so does their language.

by Anonymousreply 105October 11, 2014 12:38 PM

She's self-consciously trying hard to be coy and "feminine" in that What's My Line clip and suppress her strong masculinity.

But, that's the narrow frequency band leading ladies of Hollywood had to walk within to play the game, I guess.

I assume some men liked her because of that strong masculine side to her looks and personality.

There is a feminine softness and vulnerability she doesn't have. I guess that's why I don't find her that attractive. Not as harsh as Joan C's looks and persona, but reminiscent.

by Anonymousreply 106October 11, 2014 1:06 PM

She did a good job in her role as Baroness Natalie Ivanoff in "55 Days at Peking."

by Anonymousreply 107October 11, 2014 1:30 PM

I know this is not the thread for this but with all the Mia mentions I had to say it.

Mia is pretty wonderful in Love Letters. Not to be missed. My friend and I are hard to please and we were gobsmacked.

Love Ava in certain movies but she could be very wooden and charmless and even her great beauty is of no help. Watch Knights of the Round Table. What a disappointment that is.

by Anonymousreply 108October 11, 2014 1:32 PM

What about thr friggin' rumors that wanted Ava Gardner to be a whorehouse madam?

Do you know anything about that?

by Anonymousreply 109October 11, 2014 1:40 PM

[quote]And I kind of got the feeling that Ava and her maid were definitely more than employer/employee and possibly more than "just friends."

I can never decide if statements like these are more irritating or more sad?

by Anonymousreply 110October 11, 2014 1:59 PM

n June 1979 I was Ava Gardner's houseguest in London for ten days. My father was a good friend of hers. Ava was having an affair with George C. Scott in the late 1950s or so. They both drank and fought, a lot. One fight became particularly violent and George "beat the crap" out of Ava, breaking her clavicle. My Dad was an orthopaedist in Beverly Hills then, and he had taken care of Sinatra. Dad got a call one day from Sinatra personally. "Doc, that sonofabitch George Scott beat up my girl. I want you to take good care of her for me. Let me know how she's doing." as Dad recalled the call. Dad's exact words were that "he beat the crap out of Ava" and that it was all to be kept out of the press. Ava became a good friend of Dad's as a result. When Dad mentioned to Ava that I was going to be in England to study, she absolutely insisted that I stay as her houseguest at her flat before I went up to Cambridge. Her address was 76 Ennismore Gardens, Kensington. I stayed for ten days with her. She had a sweet chubby Corgi named Cara and my "rent" was to take Cara for her afternoon "walkies". Which I did. Ava loved Cara dearly, and while Cara was spoiled a bit, she was still "just a dog". I don't recall any "jeweled collars" or fancy dog bowls. Mostly Cara was always allowed on the furniture and given lots of love and treats. Cara is the one in the middle and right hand photo of the three. I went back to London in 1983 for an internship, and Ava hosted a cocktail party for me on my first Friday in town. We sat in the living room, which is where the right hand photo was taken. David Niven sat just behind where Ava is sitting with Cara in the right hand photo.

by Anonymousreply 111October 11, 2014 3:03 PM

Ava was a shitty actress. She made up for it with sex appeal, out of this earth beauty and a lot of charisma.

by Anonymousreply 112October 11, 2014 3:26 PM

She defines the Sondheim lyric, "First, you're another sloe-eyed vamp." But she was more than that--gorgeous, earthy, almost tragic.

The rich man's Yvonne de Carlo.

by Anonymousreply 113October 11, 2014 3:37 PM

Dear Ava *friend* Lena Horne said that Ava considered herself to be a shitty actress.

by Anonymousreply 114October 11, 2014 4:23 PM

The alcohol took a toll on Ava's looks as she aged. She was only really stunning in her 20s.

Agree with R108 about Mia in Love Letters. I was never a fan but she was amazing. Her stint in the show is done but go see her if she does any more theatre.

And from someone sitting in row 2, she looks pretty good for her age.

by Anonymousreply 115October 11, 2014 4:52 PM

Ava wasn't homophobic. Its a ridiculous claim. She herself appreciated the ladies and Dirk Bogarde was one of her dearest friends amongst other gay men. Capucine could have told you a thing of two about Ava.

Before long there'll be nobody left to dish the real dirt about actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

by Anonymousreply 116October 11, 2014 4:59 PM

"It's a real page turner and yes, when it came to her sexual appetite, it's as though she had a male mentality."

A lot of women do, actually, but she was rich enough, beautiful enough and famous enough to get away with it.

by Anonymousreply 117October 11, 2014 5:04 PM

Somethinh kept nagging at me and then I realized there was another woman that resembled her. Not as beautiful as she was but still beautiful and resembled her.

Soraya Esfandiary-Bakhtiari

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by Anonymousreply 118October 11, 2014 6:10 PM

She was a good actress and a stunning woman. Case closed.

by Anonymousreply 119October 11, 2014 6:26 PM

"Pandora And The Flying Dutchman" was on TCM last Thursday. Acting might be a skill, but being a movie star who tge camera adores is a gift. Astonishibg beauty.

Young Monkeywits mentioned that Gardner said the film was influential because it introduced her, a Borth Carolina, to Spain, Europe. "After that, I never looked back" Good fir her.

by Anonymousreply 120October 11, 2014 6:47 PM

Ava enjoyed Spain alright. For years and years. There is a very beautiful picture of her in a Mantilla, watching a bull fight with her bullfighter of the moment in the ring. She knew a few...

There is a anecdote in the Server biography, when Ava is older and having some drinks with a young actress. She told her, "Stay away from Spain honey, the men are beautiful but they all have small dicks and want to fuck you in the ass."

Ava was one wild broad. She danced all night on table tops for real. Something very sad and very gallant about her at once.

by Anonymousreply 121October 11, 2014 11:34 PM

Ava Gardner was a great actress however the roles offered to her were weak and far beneath her acting ability. She was too real of a woman to be satisfied with those cartoon roles offered to her. Barefoot Contessa was a great film of hers as was Mogambo. For some reason, Hollywood insisted on pigeon holing her into those "tough broad" roles and even though she was a tough broad in real life, she was an ACTress and wanted a challenge.

by Anonymousreply 122October 12, 2014 5:51 AM

She was great on "Knots Landing".

by Anonymousreply 123October 12, 2014 7:32 AM

Wasn't she mixed with indigenous blood? I read Tuscarora

by Anonymousreply 124October 12, 2014 12:56 PM

It's interesting that Lena Horne was said to have found Miriam Hopkins and Tallulah Bankhead (both famously southern) to have been patronizing but was a pal with Ava. About Gardner's career, she was beautiful and lush in "Meyerling" when she played the Empress Elizabeth and this was in 1968, middle aged for Ava in those days. She was also slimmed down and shapely in "Priest of Love," a little seen bio pic about D H Lawrence. But I cannot forget a quote from Adela Rogers St. John where she claimed Ava once confided "Nice men don't want to go out with me." Did she really say it?

by Anonymousreply 125January 18, 2020 6:51 PM

Ava was touched by the tar brush, according to some members of her father’s family.

by Anonymousreply 126January 18, 2020 7:08 PM

- What's she got that I don't! - What she's got, you can't spell. And what you got, you used to have.

by Anonymousreply 127January 18, 2020 7:13 PM
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