The only child of actress Marlene Dietrich and film production assistant Rudolf Sieber, Maria Elisabeth Sieber.

Maria Riva (born December 13, 1924). Maria Elisabeth Sieber was born in Berlin, the only child of actress Marlene Dietrich and film production assistant Rudolf Sieber (and later Paramount Pictures director of dubbing, Paris, France).

In 1930, at age five, she moved with her mother to America and by 1934, aged 9, she had a small role in Josef von Sternberg's film The Scarlet Empress
.

The Scarlet Empress (1934). A historical drama film about the life of Catherine the Great. It was directed and produced by Josef von Sternberg from a screenplay by Eleanor McGeary, loosely based on the diary of Catherine. Substantial historical liberties are taken. Cast: Marlene Dietrich John Davis Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser and Aubrey Smith. Dietrich's daughter Maria Riva plays Catherine as a child.

She was also an extra "Oasis Girl" (uncredited)in the 1936 David O Selznick production, The Garden of Allah.

She received acting training and during the Second World War entertained Allied troops in Europe for the USO from 1945-1946.

She also acted in theatre and summer stock (including a production of Tea and Sympathy).

Riva appeared at the Longacre Theatre on Broadway in the 1954 production The Burning Glass, opposite Cedric Hardwicke and Walter Matthau.

After a brief marriage to Dean Goodman (whom she married in 1943) ended in divorce, she married scenic designer William Riva in 1947. They had four sons. With the birth of her first child, J. Michael Riva in 1948. Her second son, Peter Riva, President and Owner of International Transactions, Inc., was her literary agent.

During the 1950's, Riva appeared in more than five hundred live teleplays for CBS, all broadcast from New York, including: The Milton Berle Show, Lux Video Theatre, Hallmark Hall of Fame, Your Show of Shows and Studio One.

She received Emmy nominations as best actress in 1952 and 1953, respectively. She semi-retired from acting in the mid-50's, but made a cameo appearance as Mrs. Rhinelander in Bill Murray's Scrooged.

In 2001, she was interviewed for Her Own Song, a documentary about her mother.

Video: First of 3.

Maria Riva talked about her career in live television as a contract player for CBS during the Golden Age of Television. Maria Riva was interviewed on March 17, 2009 by Gary Rutkowski , who conducted the two-and-a-half-hour interview.




In June 2012, her son Michael died, aged 63, following a stroke.

After her mother's death in 1992, Riva's biography about her mother was published in 1992 by Bertelsmann in Germany, and by Knopf in New York and in 12 other languages. Maria Riva edited a volume of Dietrich's poetry, Nachtgedanken, published in Germany and Italy in 2005.

The Garden of Allah (1936).

The Garden of Allah (1936), Is a dramatic film directed by Richard Boleslawski and produced by David O. Selznick. Based on the 1905 novel of the same name by Robert S. Hichens. Hichens's novel had been filmed twice before, as silent films made in 1916 and 1927. Cast: Marlene Dietrich and Charles Boyer with Basil Rathbone, C. Aubrey Smith, Joseph Schildkraut, John Carradine, Alan Marshal, and Lucile Watson. The music score is by Max Steiner. It was the second film to be photographed in three-strip Technicolor gaining an honorary Academy Award for cinematography. The filming locations were in Buttercup, California and Yuma, Arizona.

After the death of her father, Domini Enfilden returns to Le Couvent de Ste. Cecile, where she grew up, to reunite with her friend,  Mother Josephine. The Mother Superior, advises her to travel to the Sahara Desert, where she might find the answers she is looking for.

Meanwhile, at a Trappist monastery at el Lagarnine in Tunis in Northern Africa, a visitor, Captain de Trevignac, tastes the liqueur for which the monastery is best known for. The liqueur is made from a secret formula by Brother Antoine, who has just fled the monastery, taking the secret with him.

While traveling to the city of Beni Mora, Algeria, Domini meets Antoine on a train, but he says nothing to her.

Later, in a cafe, Antoine can not take his eyes off an exotic dancer named Irena.



When Irena pulls a knife on her lover, Hadj, who will not marry her, the situation gets out of control and Antoine helps Domini escape with her life, and this is when Boris introduces himself as, Boris Androvsky.

The next day, they ride to the Oasis of the city Azur, where they meet Count Ferdinand Anteoni, who tells Domini to wait to travel into the desert until the urge is very strong. When native girls admire the crucifix around Boris' neck, he does not like them hanging on him, so he throws it into the water.

Domini, does not like his violent outbursts and Anteoni warns Domini, "a man who fears to acknowledge his God is unwise to set foot in the desert," and tells them that the Arabs have a saying that the desert is the garden of Allah.

Later, a man tells Domini that something glorious is waiting for her during her travels into the desert, but also gives her a warning.

While out riding, they come to a church. There, Father J. Roubier, who promised Mother Superior he would look out for Domini, notices Boris. Although, the priest warns Domini not to fall in love with Boris, he agrees to marry them the next day.

Following the wedding, Boris and Domini take a caravan into the desert with Domini's guide, Batouch, and Hadj.

One night, Domini lights a torch to guide Boris back to the camp and instead saves a patrol that has been lost for three days. Among the men is de Trevignac. Boris returns and de Trevignac is sure they have met before.

After Batouch serves a bottle of the Lagarnine liqueur, de Trevignac remembers who Boris is and leaves the table in anger. Domini, confused, pleads with Boris to tell her the truth about his past but, he refuses.

The next morning, before De Trevignac and his men leave, he tells Anteoni where the caravan is camped.

At dinner, Anteoni tells the story of the Lagarnine liqueur, which will never again be manufactured as the monk who knew the secret of the liqueur disappeared after taking his final vows. Boris, then states tearfully "that the man had a right to love".

Boris, then shares with Domini about his life at the monastery, where he had lived since childhood under the vow of silence, and spoke with people for the first time when, as an adult he was put in charge of the monastery's hotel.

Believing that no one who loves will be punished by God, Domini agrees to let Boris return to the monastery. At the gates of the monastery, Boris and Domini say good-by for the last time..

 

Fun Facts:

Merle Oberon was originally signed to play Domini, but was "bought off" by David O. Selznick at a cost of $25,000.

Marlene Dietrich's first film in Technicolor.

Gilbert Roland was originally cast as Boris Androvsky.

Among the actors David O. Selznick considered and tested for the role of the monk Boris Androvsky before casting Charles Boyer were Robert Taylor, Vincent Price, Basil Rathbone, George Brent, Laurence Olivier, Fredric March, Brian Aherne, Noel Coward, Maurice Evans, Robert Donat, Ivor Novello, John Gielgud and Jean Gabin.

For the role of Capt. De Trevignac, David Niven, Cesar Romero and Ray Milland were tested before 'Alan Marshal was cast.

The young girl sewing in the first scene at the convent is Marlene Dietrich's daughter, Maria Riva.

This was the first Technicolor film to be shot on location. Yuma, Arizona gave the film makers all the sand dunes they could desire, but contaminated drinking water and 135 degree heat soon had the company in revolt. When the daily rushes showed Boyer's face had burned a bright  red, the remainder of the film was shot on a Hollywood sound stage.

I usually do not enjoy watching movies with this storyline.. but, this film was such fun and beautiful to watch, that I just could not stop watching.. This maybe.. one of my favorite Boyer performances. Color films of the 1930's are a rarity and the cinematography in this film showcased the desert beautifully.

Lucile Watson (May 27, 1879 – June 24, 1962)  began her career on the stage debuting on Broadway in the play Hearts Aflame in 1902.

Her next play was The Girl With Green Eyes, the first of several Clyde Fitch stories.

At the end of 1903, Lucile performed in Fitch's "Glad of It". This play featured several young performers including Lucile who would move on to major Broadway or motion picture prominence: Robert Warwick, John Barrymore, Thomas Meighan and Grant Mitchell.

 For the rest of the decade she performed in several more Fitch stories into the 1910s.

Sometime in the 1910s she was briefly married to silent film star Rockliffe Fellowes.Her marriage to Fellows produced no children.

Watson's first film role was in the 1916 silent film The Girl with Green Eyes, a film version of the Clyde Fitch play she had performed in on Broadway in 1902.

She did not appear in another movie until 1930, when she had an uncredited role in, The Royal Family of Broadway.

Watson was primarily a stage actress, starring in plays: Captain Jinks of the Horse Marines, Heartbreak House, Ghosts, The Importance of Being Earnest and Pride and Prejudice.

Her second husband was playwright Louis E. Shipman whom she married in 1928. She was widowed in 1933.

Watson reached the height of her adult acting career in playwright Lillian Hellman's anti-fascist dramatic stage play, Watch on the Rhine on Broadway (1941).

Two years later in Hollywood, she and Lukas reprised their roles in the film adaptation. In perhaps her best known film role, Lucile Watson's performance as 'Mrs. Fanny Farrelly' was also acknowledged with a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress, but she lost to actress Katina Paxinou for her performance as Pilar in, For Whom the Bell Tolls.

Watson died on June 25, 1962, after suffering a heart attack at age 83.

Beep Beep'm Beep Beep Yeah

The Rolls Royce Phantom given to Marlene Dietrich in 1930.

Before giving it to Dietrich, Paramount Studios commissioned a custom car body builder to turn it into a stylish convertible. One of the most expensive cars in the world at the time. The car still has a small shelf in the back with Dietrich's compact mirror and two bottles of perfume.

Dietrich, used the car in her first Hollywood movie, Morocco, in which she starred opposite Gary Cooper.

Battle of the Blondes: Marlene Dietrich VS Ursula Andress.

Marlene Dietrich (27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992,) remained popular throughout her amazing career by continually re-inventing herself, as an actress. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, brought her international fame and provided her a contract with Paramount Pictures in the film Shanghai Express, showcasing her glamour and exotic looks.

The Blue Angel (1930). Directed by Josef von Sternberg in 1930, based on Heinrich Mann's novel Professor Unrat. The film is considered to be the first major German sound film and it brought world fame to actress Marlene Dietrich. It also introduced her signature song, Friedrich Hollaender's "Falling in Love Again ".

Shanghai Express(1932). The pre-Code film stars Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook, Anna May Wong, and Warner Oland. It was written by Jules Furthman, based on a story by Harry Hervey. It was the fourth of seven teaming of Sternberg and Dietrich.

Ursula Andress (born 19 March 1936) is a Swiss actress and a sex symbol of the 1960s. She is known for her roles as Bond girl Honey Ryder in, Dr. No, for which she won a Golden Globe, and as Vesper Lynd in the 1967 James Bond parody Casino Royale. Ursula Andress first sought out film work while on a holiday to Rome. After a string of films, Andress was brought to the U.S. as the New Dietrich, although the only things she actually had in common with Marlene Dietrich were German heritage and a magnificent legs. She became an international sensation through her bikini-clad appearance as Honey Rider in the first James Bond movie Dr. No (1962). Within a year, Andress was sharing billings with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin in Four for Texas, and Elvis Presley in Fun in Acapulco (both 1963). After this her burst of super-celebrity, Andress settled into a series of films. During the making of 1981's Clash of the Titans, she linked up with the film's much younger leading man Harry Hamlin, who became the father of her child. Although Andress continued to make movies in the 1980s and '90s.

She(1965). Is based on the novel by H. Rider Haggard. It was directed by Robert Day and stars Sandahl Bergman, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

After, receiving honorable discharges from the British Army, Professor Holly, Leo Vincey and their servant Job, go on expedition to north-east Africa.



They find themselves in the lost city of Kuma, ruled by Ayesha, the immortal queen and former high priestess, who sees Leo as the reincarnation of her former lover, the priest Kallikrat.

Ayesha, tries to convince Leo, to walk into a bonfire after it has turned blue, which happens during special astronomical conditions. By entering the fire, Leo will become immortal.

Ayesha's army is attacked by Amahagger tribesmen, because Ayesha had the beautiful, Ustane executed. A young woman, who had fallen in love with Leo. Ustane's father Haumeid, had also befriended Leo, Holly and Job.

Leo, battles Bilali, Ayesha's priest, who wants immortality for himself. After battling Leo and giving him up for dead, Bilali enters the blue flames when he is killed by Ayesha.

Ayesha takes Leo's hand and leads him into the fire. The same fire destroys Ayesha's immortality, and she dies as the centuries catch up with her and she ages in a few seconds.

Andress gives one of her best acting performance in this film. The settings look amazing and the score by composer James Barnard, creates wonderful music which enhances the action and romance in this film.

Fun Fact:

For the final stage of Ayesha's disintegration, makeup was not applied to Ursula Andress, but to an uncredited elderly actress who doubled for the star.

Clash of the Titans (1981). Fantasy/adventure film involving the Greek hero Perseus.

Please click here to read Clash of Ttitans(1981) movie review.

Marlene Dietrich.

Please click here to learn more about Marlene Dietrich.

The Lady Is Willing (1942). Directed by Mitchell Leisen. Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Fred MacMurray, Aline MacMahon and Stanley Ridges.

When famous Broadway actress Liza, finds an abandoned baby, she decides to take it home. The first thing she does, is call pediatrician Corey T. McBain, to examine the the baby. Liza, then announces her wish to adopt the baby, who she names "Corey". Her business manager, Kenneth Hanline, wants her to return the baby, because he thinks that the courts, will not give custody, to a unmarried woman. Ken, is also worried that Liza, could be arrested for kidnapping. It is not long, before Sgt. Barnes of the New York police department and the child welfare bureau, come knocking on Liza's door, looking for a woman who took a baby from a apartment building. Liza's, building manager accidentally lets the cat out of the bag, when he comes to inform Liza, that she has been given permission to build a nursery. Mrs. Cummings from the welfare bureau, allows her to keep the baby until the next morning.

Liza, decides on a marriage of convenience so she can adopt Corey. That evening, when the baby develops a rash, Liza, once again calls for the pediatrician. While the pediatrician, is looking over the baby, he shares with her that his true passion is research and that he only became a baby doctor, to make a living. Liza, shares with him her problem of wanting to keep the baby and proposes to him, a marriage of convenience. Liza, then promises the pediatrician, that he can use her renovated apartment to raise rabbits for his research, and he accepts. The pediatrician, leaves his medical practice to raise rabbits and things are going as planned, until one day, Joe and Nellie Quig and their lawyer, K. K. Miller, claim that they are child's real parents and offer to give them custody for $25,000, but pediatrician exposes the Quigs as frauds.

The marriage of convenience turns into a real marriage of love. When the pediatrician's ex-wife, also comes hanging around looking for money. Lisa, suspects that they are having an affair and leaves New York. The baby becomes seriously ill, will the illness bring the couple back together?

Fun Fact:

Early in the shooting, Marlene Dietrich severely injured her right ankle in a fall, and her entire right leg had to be placed in a cast. That's why in this film she is always shown in full-length outfits (gowns, slacks, etc.) and just one shot of her unclothed leg is seen, and that is in shadow.

Fred MacMurray, plays a very charming pediatrician and Dietrich showed how wonderful she was at comedy. Aline MacMahon, co-stars as a wise-cracking assistant to Dietrich.

Full Movie:

Morocco (1930).

Morocco (1930). Directed by Josef von Sternberg. Cast: Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. The story is from the novel Amy Jolly by Benno Vigny. The film is probably most famous today for a scene in which Dietrich performs a song dressed in a man's tuxedo.



It was nominated for four Academy Awards in the categories of: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Marlene Dietrich, who knew little English, and spoke her lines phonetically), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Director: Josef von Sternberg.

The movie begins when American Legionnaire Tom Brown, who is just out looking for a good time, catches the eye of cabaret singer Amy Jolly, who has many suitors, including the debonair Kennington.

Meeting up with her at her apartment, Tom finds her embittered with life and soon becomes tired of her. He decides to keep his date with an officer's wife. Amy, follows and the officer's wife tries to talk beggars into attacking Amy, but.. Tom defends her and is arrested and is sent on a dangerous mission.

Learning that she has been seeing Kennington while he was gone, Tom decides to stay at a desert outpost after his mission is completed. Amy hears that he is wounded and goes to the post, with Kennington not far behind. Realizing that they are in love, Kennington offers to help Tom, desert the Legion. Will Tom decide to stay with his men ?

I think this film helped Dietrich create the image that we now know her for.. standing by her man when all else fails. One thing about the film Morocco, that is different from most of other Dietrich films, is that she's not in control of the situation.

Eve Southern (October 24, 1898 – November 28, 1972). She performed in 38 films between 1916 and 1936, before breaking her back in a car accident.

Witness For The Prosecution(1957).

Witness For The Prosecution(1957). Courtroom drama, based on a short story by Agatha Christie dealing with the trial of a man accused of murder. Cast: Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton, and features Elsa Lanchester, Laughton's wife. Director: Billy Wilder.

Just after leaving the hospital Sir Wilfrid Robarts, returns to his office with his overbearing nurse, Miss Plimsoll, when Mayhew and his client, Leonard Vole, come to see him about an important case.

Mayhew believes that Leonard will be charged with the murder of wealthy widow Emily Jane French because it was well known that he was with her the day she was killed. Leonard says that he was in the army and stationed in Germany, where he met his wife German actress, Christine.

Leonard says that he is had been trying to find someone to help finance his new eggbeater invention and that is when he first met with Mrs. French. He had hoped that Mrs. French would finance his work.

Later, Sir Wilfrid questions Leonard on what happened on the night of the murder and his relationship with Mrs. French. Leonard does not change his story, making Sir Wilfrid believe he is innocent.

The case becomes complicated when Vole's only alibi is his wife, who agrees to be a witness for the prosecution.

Dietrich character is very calculating and she and Tyrone are the star attractions, but... Charles Laughton steals the show with his whit. The plot has many twists 'n' turns...


Fun Facts:

This was the final film for Tyrone Power.

This was Una O'Connor's last big screen motion picture.

William Holden was the first choice for Leonard, but he was unavailable. Other actors considered for the role included Gene Kelly, Kirk Douglas, Glenn Ford, Jack Lemmon, and even Roger Moore. Eventually, Tyrone Power accepted the role when he was offered both Witness for the Prosecution (1957) and Solomon and Sheba (1959). Before he could complete Solomon however, Power had a fatal heart attack and was replaced by Yul Brynner.

Ava Gardner and Rita Hayworth were also considered for the role of Christine Helm.

Elsa Lanchester (28 October 1902 – 26 December 1986). Studied dance as a child and began performing in theater and cabaret. She met the actor Charles Laughton in 1927, and they were married two years later. She began playing small roles with Laughton in, The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933).

Her role in, Bride of Frankenstein (1935), came to be one of the roles most closely associated with her throughout her life.

She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for, Come to the Stable (1949) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957), the last of twelve films in which she appeared with Laughton.

Following Laughton's death in 1962, Lanchester made appearances in Disney films: Mary Poppins (1964), That Darn Cat! (1965) and Blackbeard's Ghost (1968). The horror film, Willard, (1971) and one of her last roles was in, Murder By Death (1976).

Happy Birthday: Marlene Dietrich!

Marlene Dietrich(27 December 1901 – 6 May 1992), was born in Schöneberg, Germany. She was the younger of two daughters of Louis Erich Otto Dietrich and Wilhelmina Elisabeth Josephine Felsing. Dietrich's mother was from a well-to-do family who owned a clock making company and her father was a police lieutenant.  Afther her father died in 1911, her mother married  his best friend, Eduard von Losch, who died soon after as a result of injuries he received during World War I.

Dietrich went to Auguste Victoria School for Girls from 1906 to 1918. She studied the violin and became interested in theatre and poetry. Her dreams of becoming a concert violinist were cut short when she injured her wrist.

In 1921, Dietrich soon found herself working in his theatres as a chorus girl and playing small roles in dramas, without attracting any special attention at first. She made her film debut playing a bit part in the 1922 film, So sind die Manner. She met her future husband, Rudolf Sieber, on the set of another film made that year, Tragodie der Liebe. Dietrich and Sieber were married on 17 May 1924. Her only child was born on 13 December 1924.

Dietrich continued to work on stage and in film both in Berlin and Vienna throughout the 1920s. On stage, she had roles of varying importance in, Pandora's Box, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Back to Methuselah and Misalliance. It was in musicals and revues, such as Broadway, Es Liegt in der Luft and Zwei Krawatten, that she attracted the most attention. By the late 1920s, Dietrich was also playing sizable parts on screen, including Cafe Elektric (1927), Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame (1928) and Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen (1929).

Please click here to read more about Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene Dietrich.

Marlene Dietrich, first film performance was playing a bit part in the 1922 film, So sind die Männer (1922). She met her future husband, Rudolf Sieber, on the set of another film made that year, Tragödie der Liebe.

Dietrich continued to work on stage and in film both in Berlin and Vienna throughout the 1920s. On stage, she had roles in, Pandora's Box, The Taming of the Shrew and A Midsummer Night Dream, Back to Methuselah and Misalliance. It was in the musicals, Es Liegt in der Luft and Zwei Krawatten, that she received the most attention.

By the late 1920s, Dietrich was also performing on screen in, Cafe Elektric (1927), Ich küsse Ihre Hand, Madame (1928) and Das Schiff der verlorenen Menschen (1929).

In 1929, Dietrich landed the breakthrough role of Lola-Lola in the film, The Blue Angel (1930). The film was directed by Josef von Sternberg, who took credit for having "discovered" Dietrich. The film is best known for having introduced Dietrich's signature song "Falling in Love Again".



After The Blue Angel's success, Dietrich moved to the U.S. on contract to Paramount Pictures. Her first American film, Morocco(1930), Directed by von Sternberg, earned Dietrich her only Oscar nomination. The film is about a Foreign Legionnaire, who meets and falls in love with a singer. Cast: Gary Cooper, Marlene Dietrich and Adolphe Menjou. It was nominated for four Academy Awards in the categories of: Best Actress in a Leading Role (Marlene Dietrich, who knew little English, and spoke her lines phonetically), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography and Best Director (Josef von Sternberg).



Dietrich's other stylish cinema film performances that were directed by von Sternberg between 1930 and 1935: Dishonored, Shanghai Express, Blonde Venus, The Scarlet Empress, and The Devil is a Woman.

Dietrich was labeled "box office poison" after her 1937 film, Knight Without Armour. In 1939,  her stardom revived when she played the cowboy saloon girl Frenchie in the western, Destry Rides Again, opposite James Stewart.



The movie also introduced another favorite song, "The Boys in the Back Room".She played a similar role with John Wayne in The Spoilers(1942).

Dietrich also worked with directors: Billy Wilder, Fritz Lang, Alfred Hitchcock and Orson Welles, in films that included A Foreign Affair, Witness for the Prosecution, Rancho Notorious, Touch of Evil and Stage Fright .

My Halloween movie pick is the film, Stage Fright(1950). Directed and produced by Alfred Hitchcock. Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh, Hitchcock's daughter Patricia Hitchcock in her movie debut and Joyce Grenfell.

Actress Eve Gill, is interrupted in the middle of rehearsals by actor, Jonathan Cooper. He tells her that he is the secret lover of stage actress/singer, Charlotte Inwood. He also shares with her that Charlotte came to him after killing her husband. She was wearing a bloodstained dress and Jonathan agreed to go back to her house and find her blue dress to change into. While there He sees the body of Mr. Inwood laying on the floor. He tries to make it look like a burglary gone wrong, only to be caught in the act by Charlotte's maid.

Eve takes him to hide in a house near the coast owned by her father, Commodore Gill, who notices that the blood on Charlotte's dress has been put there not by accident. He and Eve believe that Jonathan has been framed. Eve decides to find out the truth by posing as a reporter, she bribes maid Nellie Goode, to pretend that she is ill and cannot work for Charlotte for a couple of days.



Soon after Eve becomes friends with Detective Inspector Wilfred Smith, who is now on the case.

Meanwhile, Charlotte continues to perform in her musical show. She is visited by Jonathan who wants her travel abroad with him. Charlotte makes it clear that she will not give up her career.

Eve continues to helps Jonathan hide from the police, but she is beginning to have second thoughts. Will Eve and Wilfred Smith ever get Jonathan and/or Charlotte to make a confession to the police?

I was amazed how wonderful  this movie is. It is suspenseful, humorous and touching. Jane Wyman and Richard Todd are wonderful in this film. Marlene Dietrich, was very believable as the flamboyant theater star.  It is too bad "Stage Fright" is not more well known.

* Spoiler* Alfred Hitchcock's cameo in, Stage Fright, is walking on the street turning to look at Eve as she rehearses her scripted introduction speech to Mrs. Inwood.*

Marlene Dietrich- During the 1960's, performed with Burt Bacharach.

Marlene Dietrich played the violin and piano. By the time she was in her mid-teens, Marlene had discovered the stage. Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself. In 1920s Berlin, she acted on the stage and in silent films. Her performance as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel, brought her international fame. Hollywood films such as Shanghai Express and Desire capitalised on her glamour and exotic looks, she was one of the highest paid actresses of the era. Although she still made occasional films in the post-war years, Dietrich spent most of the 1950s to the 1970s touring the world as a successful show performer. Once said that her favorite meal was hot dogs and champagne.
Marlene Dietrich, was best known for wearing men's tuxedoes, hats and tailored suits.

Dietrich's only child, Maria Elisabeth Sieber, was born in Berlin on 13 December 1924. She would become an actress, working in television, known as Maria Riva. When Maria gave birth to a son in 1948, Dietrich was dubbed "the world's most glamorous grandmother". After Dietrich's death, Riva published a biography of her mother, titled Marlene Dietrich (1992).


The only show-business friend she ever had was Mae West.



In 1929, Dietrich performed as Lola-Lola, a cabaret singer who causes the downfall of a schoolmaster, in UFA's production, The Blue Angel (1930). The film was directed by Josef von Sternberg, who took credit for having "discovered" Dietrich. The film is also best known for having introduced Dietrich's signature song "Falling in Love Again".
Marlene Dietrich Website.

Manpower(1941).

Manpower(1941). Cast: Edward G. Robinson, Marlene Dietrich, and George Raft. The memorable posters for the movie stated, "Robinson - He's mad about Dietrich. Dietrich - She's mad about Raft. Raft - He's mad about the whole thing." The film was written by Richard Macauley and Jerry Wald. Director: Raoul Walsh. Robinson and Raft, got into a fistfight on the set that made the front pages of the newspapers. Victor McLaglen, was going to play Robinson's role, which would have made it a supporting part and Raft did not want to share the leading man status on the film. As a result Robinson was cast instead.

Raft chose Manpower over the remake of the 1931 Pre-Code version of, The Maltese Falcon and the role of "Sam Spade" went to Humphrey Bogart instead.

The script is one of many reworkings of the plot line for a 1932 Robinson movie called Tiger Shark, in which Robinson played the same part, only as a tuna fisherman instead of an electric power lineman. The supporting cast of Manpower includes Alan Hale, Sr., Frank McHugh and Eve Arden.

The story begins, while lineman Hank McHenry, is working on a high power line during a rain storm, he falls ending up with a permanent leg injury. No longer able to work on the lines, he is made foreman.

A bad storm downs some lines and one of his men is killed on the job. Hank, must tell his friends daughter Fay, who just got out of prison. Hank, hands her some money, claiming that it came from her fathers insurance.

Fay, who works in a nightclub, isn't fooled by Hank's kind gesture, but takes the money anyway. Johnny's warns Hank not to see Fay.

After a short time, Hank asks Fay to marry him, although she is not in love with him, she agrees. Trying to protect his friend Hank, Johnny, offers to buy her off, but fails.

Soon after, Johnny is seriously injured at work and Hank brings him home so they can help him with his recovery.. Fay falls in love with Johnny, but when she tells him about her feelings, he becomes angry with her.

Hank's team travels to work at Boulder Dam and Fay decides this would be the best time to leave Hank. Looking for work at the nightclub where she used to work, Fay is caught in a raid. Rivalry between the two friends Hank and Johnny get out of hand.. Who will come to Fay's rescue?

Manpower (1941) Movie Clip.

I thought it was a very entertaining movie with a strong cast. I also enjoyed Eve Arden, in her usual role as the wisecracking best friend of the leading lady..