ALICE FAYE
BORN: May 5, 1915
DIED: May 9, 1998
AGED: 83 yrs
DIED FROM: Stomach Cancer
REAL NAME: Alice Jeanne Leppert
MARRIED: Twice - Tony Martin; Phil Harris( until his death- 54 yrs)
AFFAIRS: maybe Rudy Vallee but she Vehemently denied this and I believe her. Valee's wife put Faye's name in the divorce proceedings. Rudy Vallee took her on as his protégé which sounds wrong but I have not heard too many others say the wifeceas right. Bob Stevens- a producer she dated before meeting her 2nd husband. Apparently, Phil wanted to punch Bob's lights out.
CHILDREN: 2 daughters
NICKNAME: the Queen of Fox
FAMOUS PAIRINGS: Don Ameche and Tyrone Power often as a threesome ..not that kind! And John Payne
TALENT: her beautiful voice
KNOWN FOR: giving up her career at the height of her fame. Except for a turn in the remake "State Fair", a couple of guest spots in movies and "The Love Boat", she did not come back to film but she did venture back to Broadway in 1974 with her old costar, John Payne.
This is one strong lady who was born in the notorious Hell's Kitchen area of New York City. She said you either became a lady of the stage or a lady of the streets and she chose the former. She lied about her age so she could get on the stage as a showgirl but she was only 13. She claimed she was 16. She already had a shapely figure and her voice was sultry, so she was good to go in the theatre. Rudy Vallee heard her sing and gave her a job in the George White Scandals and, when Lillian Harvey dropped out of the movie version, Alice became the lead. At this time, she was looking like a Jean Harlow type, brassy and tough talking, but Darryl F. Zanuck groomed her into a more wholesome looking gal which is why I have 2 photos of her.
Her voice introduced 23 hits more than any other popular star of this time, even Judy Garland. Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Irving Berlin all preferred her singing and wanted her to introduce their songs. Her most famous is " You'll Never Know" which I showcased last week, but I didn't want her singing it because you would have guessed that won the Oscar for sure. That song and the song, " My Man" became her signature tunes even though she never made a recording of it due to her Fox Contract.
She was a big name in the 30s and 40s but when Darryl Zanuck cut many of her scenes in " Fallen Angel" preferring Linda Darnell over her, she was deeply hurt because she thought she gave one of her best performances. She handed in her trailer keys, wrote a note to Zanuck using a few expletives and left! Fox put her on suspension but she flipped them the bird( not literally) and said she has more to do in life than be in pictures like taking care of her children and learning to cook. Her 2nd husband, known for being being on the Jack Benny show, a comedian etc... started a radio show with his wife which ran for 8 years and showcased her singing and comedic timing.
She was a real trooper who did not think badly of people, had a great 2nd marriage that lasted 54 yrs, good children and a legacy that stands the test of time. More people need to know about her.
FILMS
1. George White Scandals of 1935-1935
2. Poor Little Rich Girl-1936
3. King of Burlesque-1936
4. On the Avenue-1937
5. In Old Chicago- 1938
6. Alexander's Ragtime Band- 1938
7. Rose of Washington Square-1939
8. Lillian Russell- 1940
9. That Night in Rio-1941
10. Hello, Frisco, Hello- 1943
Hi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteYessum, I was expecting your Star Of The Month feature today, dear friend, and happy to discover that you are shining the spotlight on Alice Faye, an actress I know little about. Your essay gives me an opportunity to learn about her life and career.
I will first tell you that I remember both of her husbands, singer - actor Tony Martin and actor, songwriter, recording artist and brash comedian Phil Harris. It's interesting that Alice & Phil had their own radio show from the late 1940s through mid 50s entitled The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show.
It seemed common for young women to lie about their age to get a start in various branches of show biz. A 13 year old with a sultry voice and a shapely figure landing a gig as a showgirl is one of the more eyebrow raising examples. I remember reading how the mother of the famous singing Paris Sisters got the underage trio singing engagements in Las Vegas casinos by falsifying the girls' birth certificates, applying sophisticated makeup and making them wear padded bras.
I had no idea Alice Faye was such an accomplished singer and responsible for the Academy Award winning recording of "You'll Never Know." Alice's performance in the 1943 movie Hello, Frisco, Hello brought tears to my eyes, as did her introduction of "My Man" in Rose of Washington Square, a thinly veiled bio of Broadway and movie star - slash - comedienne Fanny Brice. "My Man" was famously covered in the 60s by Barbra Streisand and performed in the 1968 film adaptation of Funny Girl, also based on the life and career of Fanny Brice. Alice's singing style, performing those two songs in movies, illustrates the power of a great actress to "sell" a song.
I can almost feel the burn when Alice discovered that some of the best scenes of her acting career had been cut from Fallen Angel. She had guts to walk away from a major studio at the height of her career. I admire this principled woman. She came from a tough neighborhood and was a tough cookie in some respects, but she but kept her head on straight, made something of herself, had a kind heart and was a devoted wife and mother.
You're right, Birgit. More people should know about and appreciate Alice Faye. I enjoyed learning about her this morning. I'll be back to see you tomorrow right here at the BBC when you present your weekly song fest. I hope you are feeling better today. Have a terrific Tuesday, dear friend BB!
My comment vanished, BB!
ReplyDeleteYay - glad you found it. Thanks, BB!
DeleteYes! I found it and have no clue why that is and why I can’t seem to sign into my own blog on my new iPad.
DeleteAlice had a great voice and funny that we don’t know more about her since the main composers loved her. She could put a tear in one’s eye. Thanks for coming over as always
Great voice!
ReplyDeleteAmazing voice and so emotive but with hope which wa much needed during war time.
DeleteI remember Alice Faye. Mostly I remember my mother saying she couldn't understand someone divorcing Tony to marry Phil. My mother was a tad shallow.
ReplyDeleteFor looks..yes but Phil probably made her laugh. Actually most people thought they would only last 6 months.
DeleteFascinating. Thanks for sharing, I had no idea. Stomach cancer, ghastly. Hope you are feeling much better today.
ReplyDeleteYes, I’m feeling better. Yes, the poor lady suffered. I hate cancer but, who doesn’t. I hope you are well, Sandra
DeleteI didn't know about her until reading this post. So- thanks for the introduction! :)
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome and she deserves to be known. Very rare to leave a successful career behind
DeleteI've heard of her, but I didn't know much about her. Interesting stuff. If she walked away from Hollywood, that's why I'm not as aware of her as other stars who made more films.
ReplyDeleteYou are right that she is not as well known as others and I think the studio helped in that. She is a fine actress and an excellent ainger
DeleteShe did!
ReplyDeleteI had never heard of her, which is sad, since she had a lovely voice.
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss your monthly star pick!!! Actually I know, the beginning of this month has been a rocky one so keeping up has been tough.
ReplyDeleteAnyway LOVE Alice Faye!! Fox like most studios at the time took most any starlet who looked halfway decent with blonde hair (and some who didn't) and obliterated their natural looks in the hunt for the next Jean Harlow rarely realizing what made both Jean and the others unique. I mean look at early Ida Lupino who once she came into her own couldn't have been further from Harlow in every way. The certainly tried to cover Alice's natural charm with a pound of foundation and those dreadful eyebrows which even on Jean looked odd.
Fortunately Alice's personality shone through and she was slowly able to redefine her appearance (only to see the studio try to turn the girls who came after turned into clones of her!).
Her movies pretty much without exception are lovely fluffy things but I think like Betty Grable after her she realized her strengths and limitations and didn't deviate too far afield and it worked for her for a very long time.
Over the years I have been successful in tracking down all her films (a snap with something like In Old Chicago not always the easiest task when you're talking about Barricade or Tail Spin!) Most of her early films are weaker than her peak years but her absolute worst came at the end-Won Ton Ton-the Dog Who Saved Hollywood and a dreadful thing called Every Girl Should Have One-(though in both she only had cameos so it they don't really count.
My top 10 of her films (based on her participation) would run this way:
1. Hello, Frisco, Hello (This is where her signature tune "You'll Never Know" was introduced.....and one of her costars is June Havoc-Dainty June herself!
2. The Gang's All Here
3. Tin Pan Alley
4. Week-End in Havana
5. Every Night at Eight
6. Little Old New York
7. In Old Chicago
8. Alexander's Ragtime Band
9. That Night in Rio
10. Poor Little Rich Girl & Stowaway-she's wonderful in both but competing with Shirley Temple at her peak would make it tough for anyone to stand out.
Though it was a sore spot for her I adore "Fallen Angel" but honestly she's the weaker link in the picture which belongs to Dana Andrews and my girl Linda Darnell.
It’s me, Birgit and I am writing now… and I love what you wrote about Alice. I have t seen Won Ton Ton in decades and would like to see it again. Just about everyone was in this movie. I have a soft spot for Alice because she is quite forgotten now
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