In the early 1950s everyone who went to the movies knew about Edmund Purdom. Here he is looking stern in the 1955 MGM Biblical epic, The Prodigal, with Lana Turner.
Hollywood considered Purdom perfect for the big and brassy extravaganzas it was churning out. He was blandly handsome, had Shakespeare on his resume, was well spoken — and British.
Remember, this was a time when Hollywood was convinced that English actors with stage backrounds could best pull off the histrionics required of leading actors in “prestige” box office pictures.
And like a few of these imports — somewhat like Michael Rennie, and Michael Wilding, although both had longer careers — Purdom pretty much came and went. While he was no Richard Burton, Purdom did manage to achieve top billing.
And an added bonus: his superactive love life kept Hollywood tongues wagging. (After all, how many actors could claim to have cuckholded Tyrone Power, for heavens sakes.)
Ok, let’s see how much you came recall about Purdom’s abrupt ascent and departure, As usual, questions today and answers tomorrow. Here we go:
1) Question: Purdom was for a time known as ‘the replacement star’ because he more than once took over for other leading actors in big pictures. Who did he replace in the 1954 production of The Student Prince? a) Bing Crosby; b) Errol Flynn; c) Tyrone Power; or d) Mario Lanza.
2) Question: Who did Purdom replace in perhaps his most famous film role as The Egyptian? a) John Derek; b) John Cassavetes; c) Cameron Mitchell; or d) Marlon Brando.
3) Question: Purdom did not receive a warm reception in Hollywood initially, and his auditions at which of these studios went over like a wet blanket? a) MGM; b) Universal; c) Warner Bros.; or d) 20th Century Fox.
4) Question: Purdom’s tangled personal life led to multiple marriages. Who was the most famous of his four spouses, and what has this to do with Tyrone Power? (Hint: She was a notorious playgirl.)
5) Question: Before he landed a big studio contract in Hollywood, Purdom claimed that despite his glittering stage resume he was dead broke and couldn’t afford to go back to his native England. a) True; or b) False.
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I look forward to reading the answers to this quiz tomorrow, as I know none of the answers, just as I know nothing about Edmund Purdom, except that his agent or Louis B. Mayer should have picked him a different stage name.
However, as often happens, an element in today’s posting has sent me down a wonderful rabbit hole.
The lobby card for The Prodigal is just fantastic…
“Two Years in the Making! A Fortune to Produce!” Totally Forgotten!
Hieronymus Bosch had nothing on the creator of this fabulous piece of art for “MGM’s Magnificent Cinemascope and Color Spectacle.” A wonderful depiction of earthly titillation and Biblical punishment, skirting the confines of the Production Code. The lobby card is far more exciting than the movie itself. But that was the point, wasn’t it? Are there coffee table books of great lobby card art? There should be. There must be.
Then there’s the suppoorting cast. What a marvelous list– Audrey Dalton, Neville Brand, James Mitchell (long time soap opera performer), Walter Hampden (who presented the Sarah Siddons Award to Anne Baxter in Three Face of Eve), the great screen villain Joseph Wiseman, and Sandra (Sandy) Descher, the traumatized girl in “Them.” Wow. Last but certainly not least, the formidable Louis Calhern. Yes, he always played himself, but he played himself better than anyone. I never miss a chance to catch him in any film he made. He was a stupendous contract player, character actor, and quasi-leading man. A Magnificent Yankee–from Brooklyn. And married for 10 years to Mrs. Thurston Howell III.
Thanks gentlemen, for another entertaining start to the day.
And Graham Hill notes
D
D Is this a Joe & Frank TRICK question?
Because Purdom didn’t REPLACE Marlon Brando, he turned it down first.
B, C, D
Tyrone Power and Linda Christian would later become husband and wife in 1949, but within two years they were on the rocks. In her 1962 memoirs Linda blamed her husband’s extramarital affairs, but admitted to having an affair herself with actor Edmund Purdom in 1955, despite the fact that his wife, Anita, was a childhood friend of hers. After divorcing Power in 1956, Linda announced that she and Purdom would marry. And they did – in 1963!
A