From the 1950s: Separate Tables

1958 Drama
From United Artists
Directed by Delbert Mann

Starring
Deborah Kerr
Rita Hayworth
David Niven
Burt Lancaster
Wendy Hiller
Gladys Cooper
Cathleen Nesbitt
Rod Taylor
Audrey Dalton 
Felix Aylmer
May Hallatt

Howard Duff

In the fabulous fifties when movie stars were golden and fawned over in movie magazines, readers got a kick out of reading about married actors.  Right at the top of any such list was Howard Duff and Ida Lupino.  I list them in that rare order because Duff would have preferred it and after all this piece is about him.  It would depress him that he would be more remembered for an unhappy marriage than for anything he did on the screen.

From the 1950s: The Mating Season

1951 Romance Comedy
From Paramount
Directed by Mitchell Leisen

Starring
Gene Tierney
John Lund
Miriam Hopkins
Thelma Ritter
Jan Sterling
Larry Keating
James Lorimer
Cora Witherspoon
Ellen Corby
Billie Bird

Rossano Brazzi

For a number of years Brazzi personified the romantic aristocrat in nearly three dozen Italian movies.  He appeared briefly on the stage as well.  His Italian films never provided him with the worldwide acclaim he was seeking or thought he deserved.  It wasn't until the late 40s when he came to the U.S. that he made a name for himself.

From the 1970s: Emperor of the North

1973 Drama
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Robert Aldrich

Starring
Lee Marvin
Ernest Borgnine
Keith Carradine
Charles Tyner
Malcolm Atterbury
Harry Caesar
Matt Clark

Movie Biographies: With a Song in My Heart

1952 Musical Biography
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Walter Lang

Starring
Susan Hayward
Rory Calhoun
David Wayne
Thelma Ritter
Robert Wagner
Richard Allan
Helen Westcott
Una Merkel
Max Showalter

The Directors: Richard Fleischer

He was a soft-spoken, well-liked, respected craftsman who made quite a number of movies I enjoyed.  He was never as showy or as famous as a number of his contemporaries or forefathers but he got the job done.  He did not have a particular style that I could detect nor did he make a certain type of movie.  Richard Fleischer made some epics, sci-fi's, true-life crime, even horror and thrillers, and to my ever-lasting gratitude, some wonderful film noirs.

May Britt

She had her 15 minutes of fame in the late 50s and early 60s... oh yes she did, she certainly did.  Born in Sweden, she made some Italian movies before she came to the U.S.  She had starring roles in four American films for 20th Century Fox but most of us from those days know her for being far more famous/infamous for her personal life.

Visiting Film Noir: Pickup on South Street

1953 Film Noir
From 20th Century Fox
Directed by Samuel Fuller

Starring
Richard Widmark
Jean Peters
Thelma Ritter
Murvyn Vye
Richard Kiley
Willis Bouchey