Summary

Joan Geraldine Bennett (Fort Lee, February 27, 1910 - Scarsdale, December 7, 1990) was an American actress.

She was active in theater, film and television and appeared in more than 70 motion pictures from the silent film era until the late 1970s.

Joan Bennett's long artistic career can be divided into three distinct phases: during the 1930s she played roles of captivating blonde ingénue, while in the following decade she revealed herself as a brunette and sophisticated femme fatale; from the 1950s she tackled more mature roles, playing figures of wife

Origins

Third of the three daughters of actor Richard Bennett and actress

Bennett first appeared in a silent film as a little girl with her parents and sisters in a drama starring her father, The Valley of Decision (1916), which he had adapted for the screen. She attended Miss Hopkins School for Girls in Manhattan, then St. Margaret's, a boarding school in Waterbury, then Hermitage, a behavioral school in Versailles, France. On September 15, 1926, when she was only 16, she married John Marion Fox in London. They had one daughter, Adrienne Ralston Fox (born February 20, 1928, later known as Diana Bennett Markey). The couple divorced on June 30, 1928, in Los Angeles.

Career

Bennett's debut on the theatrical stage came at the age of 18, when she starred with her father in Jarnegan (1928), which was revived on Broadway 136 times and for which she received excellent reviews. At 19, she became a film star thanks to such roles as Phyllis Benton in the thriller Seeking Adventure (1929), alongside Ronald Colman, which was her first major role, and Lady Clarissa Pevensey, George Arliss's partner in the biographical Disraeli (1929).

By the early 1930s she was already a star of the first magnitude and specialized in brilliant roles as a vivacious blonde (her natural hair color) that she would tackle throughout the decade. She covered the role of Dolores Fenton in Puttin' on the Ritz (1930), a United Artists musical opposite Harry Richman and Faith Mapple, and was John Barrymore's partner in the first sound version of Moby Dick, the White Monster (1930), filmed at Warner Brothers Studios.

Under contract with the Fox Film Corporation, her name was first on the bill in the film She Wanted a Millionaire (1932), in which she played the role of Jane Miller opposite Spencer Tracy. In the same year she starred again alongside Tracy, in My Girl and I (1932), as the beautiful maid Helen Riley, a role that allowed her to produce brilliant and ironic dialogue. On March 16, 1932, she remarried in Los Angeles to screenwriter

Bennett left Fox to play Amy, the irreverent younger sister competing with the Jo March played by Katharine Hepburn in Little Women (1933), directed by George Cukor for RKO Pictures. The latter film brought Bennett to the attention of independent producer Walter Wanger, who put her under contract and began managing her career. In Private Worlds (1935), the actress played the role of Sally MacGregor, the young wife of a psychiatrist who slowly slips into madness, opposite Claudette Colbert, Charles Boyer, and Joel McCrea. Later, Wanger and director Tay Garnett persuaded her to dye her hair from blond to brunette to play Kay Kerrigan in Cruise of Love (1938), with Fredric March.

Following her makeover, Bennett embarked on a new phase of her career as her film persona evolved into that of a charming and seductive femme fatale. She played Princess Maria Theresa in The Iron Mask (1939) with Louis Hayward, and Grand Duchess Zona of Lichtenburg in The Son of Monte Cristo (1940), also with Hayward.

While testing for the role of Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind (1939), Bennett auditioned for a role that impressed producer David O. Selznick. She was briefly considered the favorite for the role, but Selznick later changed his mind, turning his attention first to Paulette Goddard, and finally to Vivien Leigh, who was the chosen performer.

In 1939 she became a grandmother for the first time at age 39 to Diana's daughter Amanda.

On January 12, 1940, Bennett married producer Walter Wanger in Phoenix. Two daughters were born of the marriage, Stephanie (born June 26, 1943) and Shelley (born July 4, 1948). The couple would divorce in Mexico in September 1965. Bennett's new brunette look, along with her sensual gaze and raspy voice, helped to delineate a less angelic and more endearing personality. She was praised for her portrayal of Brenda Bentley in the mystery drama The Island of Lost Men (1940), starring George Raft, and for her portrayal of Carol Hoffman in The Man I Married (1939), a drama with strong anti-Nazi overtones in which she starred with Francis Lederer.

During the 1940s the actress achieved great success in a series of critically acclaimed film noirs also directed by director Fritz Lang, with whom she and Wanger formed their own production company. The four films shot under Lang's direction established Bennett among the biggest Hollywood stars of the time: she was the London prostitute Jerry Stokes in Deadly Duel (the mysterious model Alice Reed in The Woman in the Portrait (the vulgar blackmailer Katherine "Kitty" March in The Scarlet Road (1945) also with Robinson. She was finally Celia Lamphere in Behind the Closed Door (1948), alongside Michael Redgrave, which many said was Lang's best Hollywood film.

Bennett was also acclaimed in the roles of Margaret Macomber in the melodrama Savage Passion (as Peggy, the fraudulent wife in The Woman on the Beach (by Lucia Harper, tormented blackmail victim in Max Ophüls' Sgomento (1949), starring James Mason.

Then, changing her image again, she changed her film guise to that of an elegant and witty wife and mother in two classic comedies directed by Vincente Minnelli. As Ellie Banks, wife of Spencer Tracy and mother of Elizabeth Taylor, Bennett starred in both The Father of the Bride (1950) and the sequel Daddy Becomes a Grandfather (1951).

She made several radio appearances between the 1930s and 1950s, appearing on such programs as The Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy Show, Duffy's Tavern, and the Lux Radio Theater series. As television grew in popularity, in 1951 Bennett appeared five times as a guest star, including an episode of Sid Caesar and Imogene Coca's Your Show of Shows.

The scandal

For twelve years Bennett was represented by agent Jennings Lang, former vice president of the Sam Jaffe Agency and in the early 1950s head of MCA. The actress and Lang met on the afternoon of December 13, 1951, to discuss a television show in production. Bennett parked her Cadillac convertible in the back parking lot of the MCA offices, and drove off with Lang in his car. Meanwhile, around 2:30 p.m., her husband Walter Wanger drove by and noticed his wife's Cadillac parked at the studios. Half an hour later he saw her car there again and stopped to wait. Bennett and Lang returned to the parking lot a few hours later, and he walked her to the car. As she started the engine, turned on the headlights and was about to drive away, Lang leaned against the car with both arms raised and spoke to her.

It was at that point that Wanger approached and fired twice, wounding the unsuspecting officer. One bullet struck Jennings in the right thigh, near the hip, and the other penetrated the groin area. Bennett stated that she did not notice Wanger initially and suddenly saw two flashes, then Lang curved to the ground. As soon as he recognized the shooter, he told Wanger, "Go away and leave us alone." He threw the gun into his wife's car. With the help of the parking lot manager, Lang was first taken to his doctor and soon after transported to the hospital, where he fortunately recovered. The police, who had heard the shots, arrived at the scene, found the gun in Bennett's car, and took Wanger into custody. The producer was booked, fingerprinted, and subjected to lengthy interrogations.

"I shot him because I thought he was dismembering my family," Wanger told the Beverly Hills police chief. He was charged with assault with murderous intent. Bennett, however, denied any love affair. "But if Walter thinks the relationship between Mr. Lang and me is romantic or any other kind rather than a business relationship, he is wrong," she declared. She blamed financial setbacks involving the film productions Wanger was involved in, and said he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. The following day Wanger returned to their Holmby Hills home, took his belongings and left. Bennett, however, declared that there would be no divorce.

The following Dec. 14, Bennett summoned a group of reporters to her residence and issued a statement saying that she hoped her husband "would not be blamed too much" for hurting her agent. She read the statement to reporters in her bedroom as television cameras recorded the scene.

"I hope Walter will not be blamed too much," he said. "He has been very unhappy and upset for so many months, because of financial worries, and because of his current bankruptcy proceedings that threaten to wipe out every penny he has ever earned during his long and established career as a producer. We have lived together in my Holmby Hills home for 11 years, along with our two daughters, who love Walter deeply. Jennings Lang is my agent and a longtime close friend. Walter and I have been very close friends with Jennings and his wife Pam, with whom we met often. I am confident that Walter would never have voiced the suspicions he expressed in the newspapers if not for the fact that he was so mentally confused by the complexities of the financial burden he had to bear for a long time. I had never dreamed of a successful 12-year marriage like ours, with a delightful family like ours, who should never be involved in such an unpleasant situation. Knowing Hollywood, knowing how good, wholesome and sincere most people in the film world are, I want to express my deep regret that this incident will not add to the already erroneous opinion many people have formed."

On the same page of the Los Angeles Times appeared Jennings Lang's first statement, given by his wife Pam

"I am appalled by the unfortunate and unprovoked event that occurred. I have represented Miss Bennett for many years as her agent, and I can only say that Walter Wanger misunderstood what was solely a business relationship. Since families and children are involved, I hope that this unfortunate incident can be completely forgotten as soon as possible."

Wanger's lawyer, Jerry Geisler, prepared the defense by pointing to temporary insanity. He then decided to waive his right to a jury, and deferred to the court's mercy. Wanger served a four-month sentence at the County Honor Farm in Castaic, 63 kilometers north of Downtown Los Angeles, and then quickly returned to his career, scoring a string of successful films. Meanwhile, Bennett moved to Chicago to star in the theater as the young witch Gillian Holroyd in Bell, Book and Candle, and continued on the national tour with the production.

Virtually blacklisted because of the scandal, Bennett managed to make only five films in the following decade. The shooting that involved her was like an indelible stain that destroyed her career, so much so that the actress declared, "I might as well have pulled the trigger myself." Although longtime colleague and friend Humphrey Bogart lobbied the studio on her behalf, allowing her to land the role of Amelie Ducotel in the comedy We Are Not Angels (1955), this film was one of the last in Bennett's career.

The actress continued to tour with successful stage shows such as Susan and God, Once More With Feeling, The Pleasure of His Company and Never Too Late. Her next television appearance was in 1954 as Bettina Blane for an episode of General Electric Theater. Other roles were that of Honora in Climax! (1955) and that of Vickie Maxwell in Playhouse 90 (1957). She also starred on Broadway in the play Love Me Little (1958), which ran for only eight performances, however.

The last few years

Despite the scandal and the damage it had done to her career, Bennett remained married to Wanger until 1965. During that time she became involved with actor John Emery, whom she cared for during his illness that led to his death in 1964. She continued steadily to work in theater and television, joining the cast of the gothic soap opera Dark Shadows, which attracted a legion of fans and success for all five years of its run, from 1966 to 1971, earning her an Emmy Award nomination in 1968 for her portrayal of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard, mistress of the haunted Collinwood Mansion. In 1970 she appeared as Elizabeth in The House of Vampires, a film adapted from the series. However, she refused to appear in the sequel The House of Cursed Shadows, and in the film her character was listed as newly deceased.

Her autobiography, The Bennett Playbill, written with Lois Kibbee, was published in 1970. Another television guest appearance saw Bennett play the role of Joan Darlene Delaney in an episode of The Governor & J.J. (1970) and the role of Edith in an episode of Love, American Style (1971). Between 1972 and 1982 she starred in five television films, but she still appeared on a few occasions on the big screen, such as as as Madame Blanc in Suspiria (1977), a cult horror film by Italian director Dario Argento, for which she earned a Saturn Award nomination for best supporting actress.

On February 14, 1978, she remarried to now-retired publisher and film critic David Wilde (7 years younger). Their marriage lasted until her death. Famous for never taking herself too seriously, in an interview in 1986 Bennett stated, "I don't think much of most of the movies I've done, but being a movie star was something I really enjoyed."

Death

Joan Bennett died at age 80 of a heart attack at her Scarsdale residence. She is buried at Pleasant View Cemetery, Lyme, next to her parents.

He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6310 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood.

Sources

1. Joan Bennett
2. Joan Bennett
3. ^ Bennett, Joan; Kibbee, Lois (1970). The Bennett Playbill. New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston. ISBN 978-0030818400.
4. ^ "Wins Fight Over Daughter's Surname: Child Given New Name, Young Daughter Becomes Diana Markey Under Court Decision", Los Angeles Times, August 22, 1936, p. 3.
5. ^ "Wanger Moves to Adopt Child of Joan Bennett", Los Angeles Times, April 18, 1944, p. 2.
6. ^ "Bennett Sister Weds Here: Actress Becomes Scenarist's Bride", Los Angeles Times, March 17, 1932, p.A 2.
7. ^ "Actress' Marital Tie Cut: Joan Bennett Granted Divorce From Gene Markey, Writer", Los Angeles Times, June 4, 1937, p.3.
8. ^ Joan Bennett, Lois Kibbee, The Bennett Playbill, New York, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.
9. ^ Los Angeles Times, Aug. 22, 1936, "Wins Fight Over Daughter's Surname --- Child Given New Name --- Young Daughter Becomes Diana Markey Under Court Decision," p. 3
10. ^ Los Angeles Times, Apr. 18, 1944, "Wanger Moves to Adopt Child of Joan Bennett," p. 2
11. ^ Los Angeles Times, July 31, 1928, "Daughter Of Actor Divorced --- Joan Bennett Fox Wins Decree on Charges of Mate's Intoxication," p. A 20
12. Joan Bennett bei Allmovie
13. (en) The National World War II Museum