Thursday, February 17, 2011

Great On Screen Couples: Glenn Ford and Rita Hayworth.


Some people believe that Glenn Ford's relationship with Rita Hayworth (Ginger Rogers cousin), his costar in five films, was more serious than was known publicly.

Rita admits that she was close to her co-star and next-door neighbor Glenn Ford. In an interview published in the New York Times, Hayworth denied she was romantically involved with Ford.

In a interview, Ford said he felt "The film remains so popular because people realize that it's a true story.. and that Rita and I were very much in love. And we remained terribly fond of one another. I guess that electricity came across on screen. I don't know. I really was in love with Rita".

Well.. It really doesn't matter, their on screen chemistry was amazing. Ford's break through role was in, Gilda(1946). He went on to be a leading man opposite her in five films:

Gilda (1946). Film noir. Rita Hayworth, in her signature role as the ultimate femme fatale. The film was noted for cinematographer Rudolph Mate's beautiful photography, costume designer Jean Louis' wardrobe for Hayworth and choreographer Jack Cole's staging of "Put the Blame on Mame" and "Amado Mio", sung by Anita Ellis.

The story is about, gambler Johnny Farrell, who is saved from a gunman by Ballin Mundson, who makes Johnny his right-hand man. But their friendship becomes complicated when Mundson returns home from a trip with his wife Gilda, a woman from John's pass.

Please click to read Gilda (1946) movie review.



The Money Trap (1965). Drama film. directed by Burt Kennedy.

The Loves of Carmen(1948). Cast Rita Hayworth as the gypsy Carmen and Glenn Ford as her doomed lover Don José. It was directed by Charles Vidor.
The story is about a wild Gypsy named Carmen, who's adventures as a bandit, lures a soldier to his unhappy ending.



The Lady in Question(1940). Is a remake of the French Gribouille, a Raimu from 1939.

Affair in Trinidad(1952). Is a film produced by Hayworth's Beckworth Corporation. It was to be Hayworth's "comeback" film with a fiery opening number danced to calypso music. Hayworth's singing voice is dubbed by Jo Ann Greer, who later also sang for Rita in the film, Miss Sadie Thompson and the film, Pal Joey.

The film begins when Chris Emery is working as a nightclub singer and dancer. One night after her performance she receives news from Inspector Smythe and Anderson, that her husband Neil was found dead. At first the police believed that Neil committed suicide. Later on in the investigation, they discover that Neil was murdered. Inspector Smythe and Anderson, inform her that Neil's boat was seen outside Fabian's property at the time of his murder. Chris learns that Fabian makes a living by trading secret information. Chris agrees to take advantage of Fabian's love for her to gather information. After Steve arrives in town he is shocked to learn that his brother committed suicide and begins to investigate matters on his own. After the inquest Chris and Steve spend some time together. Will they find enough proof of Fabian's involvement in Neil's death?



7 comments:

  1. Dawn, I've been watching your great screen couples reviews and enjoy them a lot! Tita Hayworth was so gorgeous in Gilda, and I like Gleen Ford. I did always wonder though, about his casting in that movie. He just doesn't have the kind of powerful presence or personality that I would think Gilda would need for this eletric relationship. That's just my opinion, and the fact is I love this movie anyway!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Becky, I was not going to say anything.. But,I agree.. I was just thinking.. I would have loved to have seen, Gregory Peck, playing Glenn Fords part. Do you remember Peck's performance in the film, Duel in the Sun?((sigh)).

    ReplyDelete
  3. I wrote about "Gilda" last year and agree with you that Ford and Hayworth's chemistry was electric. For people who think of Rita as a pin-up girl only, they should check out her performance here.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I think Glenn Ford (in Gilda) effectively portrayed his role of the post war drifter, threatened by the sexuality of the femme fatale-Rita Hayworth. He brought something very poignant to the film within his performance. I especially loved how he faught with hiself to bottle his emotions and keep a sense of pride- nevertheless finding the relief of love at the end

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I agree with you. They made 5 films together and both actors gave powerful performances. I read a post by some else that Glenn Ford was not a good match for her. I wholeheartedly disagree. To each his own. They made a stunning on Screen couple.

      Delete
  5. I agree.. the performances of Rita Hayworth and Glenn Ford in the classic film noir, "Gilda", is also one of my favorite films..

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.