Beatrice Straight Movies
"Beatrice who?" This was the standard reaction of younger filmgoers when Beatrice Straight won the 1976 "Best Supporting Actress" Academy Award for her performance as Louise Schumacher, the wife of philandering TV producer William Holden, in Network. Older fans with longer memories knew full well who Beatrice Straight was--and also knew that she'd won her Oscar not merely for her brief Network stint, but for the work of a lifetime. Extensively trained in the Classics by such instructors as Tamara Daykarhanova and Michael Chekhov, Straight made her first Broadway appearance in 1935. She went on to appear in such New York stage productions as The Heiress, Ghosts, and A Streetcar Named Desire, winning the coveted Tony Award for her portrayal of Elizabeth Proctor in 1953's The Crucible. In films from 1951, she was often constrained by minor roles far beneath her talents; exceptions to this rule included her portrayal of Michael Rennie's widow in Phone Call from a Stranger (1952) and the wife of up-and-coming executive Van Heflin in Patterns (1956). Even after winning her Oscar, she found herself in so-so parts that any character actress could have played--though again, there were exceptions, notably her performance as the overconfident paranormal investigator in Poltergeist (1982). Like many another stage stalwart, Straight supplemented her Broadway income in such Manhattan-based TV soap operas as Love of Life. Her prime-time TV roles included Mrs. Hacker in Beacon Hill (1975), the Queen Mother in Wonder Woman (1976), Louisa Beauchamp in King's Crossing (1982), and Rose Kennedy in the 1985 miniseries Robert Kennedy and His Times. Beatrice Straight was at one time the wife of film and Broadway actor Peter Cookson. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1953
- G
- Add King Lear to Queue
One of the first important distinctions to be made about this version of King Lear is that it is not the same version directed by Peter Brook in 1971. Brook was responsible for the staging of this 1953 version, but it was Andrew McCullough who put it to film. Orson Welles portrays the titular character, one of the most memorable and important characters from the Shakespearean canon. The story begins with the famous request Lear makes of his daughters: to express how much they love him. In exchange, Lear will divide his land and power amongst them based on the extent of their answers. Cordelia (Natasha Parry), the youngest and the one whom Lear loves the most, answers very modestly -- yet honestly --and incurs the wrath of Lear, who not only withholds his gift to her, but banishes her as well. Lear divides his lands and power between the two older daughters, Goneril (Beatrice Straight) and Regan (Margaret Phillips), who intend to take swift and complete control of their father's power almost instantaneously. Lear is reduced to an angry, bitter man who realizes too late what has happened. After a series of indignities are inflicted upon him by his daughters, he retreats into a storm, vowing revenge. This film is an above-average adaptation with a very capable cast and a well-staged presentation. The subplot of Gloucester and his sons has been removed, however, presumably in interests of time conservation, but it doesn't seriously hinder the story. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orson Welles, Natasha Parry, (more)
David Trask (Gary Merrill), the sole survivor of an airplane crash, takes it upon himself to contact the families of the various victims. Though he's already formed preconceived notions of his deceased fellow passengers, he's in for quite a few surprises when he meets the relatives. His first visit is to the wife (Beatrice Straight) and son (Ted Donaldson) of a profoundly troubled doctor (Michael Rennie). His second stop is at a nightclub managed by the domineering mother-in-law (Evelyn Varden) of an aspiring actress (Shelley Winters). Finally, he meets the invalid wife (Bette Davis) of an outwardly obnoxious travelling salesman (Keenan Wynn). After his odyssey into other people's lives, Trask gains a new perspective on his own personal travails. Few studios could pull off the "multi-story film" format as well as 20th Century-Fox, and Phone Call From a Stranger is a grade-A example of that format. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Winters, Gary Merrill, (more)
