The Directors: Charles Vidor

He will be remembered, at least by me, for directing one of those magnificent film noirs you hear so much about. The fact is that noir aficionados know that Charles Vidor directed the dazzling Gilda and he will be forever in our gratitude. He also directed some musicals, a number of comedies, a few biographies and a whole lot of early forgettable stuff. He was a major music lover, particularly of classical, and managed to make two films about composers. He had no discernible style which keeps him off the list of the more famous directors but five of his films I much enjoyed. That's good enough for me.

Evelyn Keyes

I once spoke with Evelyn Keyes in Westwood Village, an artsy-fartsy little enclave in West Los Angeles, California, north of famed Wilshire Blvd and butting up against U.C.L.A.  I will never forget the time for a couple of reasons.  Just minutes before seeing her, I passed John Kerr and minutes before that, Henry Fonda.  My lucky day, I mused.  She was colorfully dressed with a funky touch and wore a cute hat.  I hadn't bothered Kerr or Fonda but determined I would say something to this mystical-looking creature that looked like she might be receptive.

Yvonne De Carlo

A triple-threat she was.  She could act, sing and dance.  From early childhood she developed a fierce ambition that she would professionally be able to do all three.  She turned into a very attractive woman who had an exotic look when the occasion called for it.  With all said, it's a wonder that she rarely rose above B pictures.