Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan star in Leo McCarey’s “Good Sam”

Good Sam (1948) is an American comedy-drama directed by Leo McCarey and starring Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan. The supporting cast includes Ray Collins, Edmund Lowe, Louise Beavers, and Ruth Roman.

Gary Cooper is Sam Clayton, a Good Samaritan who is so helpful to others that he neglects his own family. Sam’s wife Lucille “Lu” Clayton is frustrated with her husband’s efforts to help everyone he meets, including her free-loading brother who has lived with them rent-free for six months.

Will Sam’s “helpful” efforts destroy his career and family life or will he realize that he can’t save the entire world on his own?

Ann Sheridan and Gary Cooper

Leo McCarey (1898 – 1969) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. McCarey is perhaps most famous for his critically acclaimed and commercially popular comedies like Duck Soup (1933), The Ruggles of Red Gap (1935), and The Awful Truth (1937). Other popular films directed by McCarey include Going My Way (1944), The Bells of St. Mary’s (1945), and Good Sam (1948). McCarey won two Best Director Oscars for The Awful Truth and Going My Way.

Gary Cooper (1901 - 1961) was an American film actor who was known for his down-to-earth, understated acting style. He was a major star for almost four decades until his untimely death at age 60. Cooper got his start in silent film but easily made the transition to sound. During the early 1930s, he became a major star in films like A Farewell to Arms (1932), The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), and Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936). Other popular Cooper films include Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1952). Cooper won two Best Actor Academy Awards: Sergeant York and High Noon (1952).

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 when she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan in church

Good Sam trivia

• The film was a big commercial success which enabled Gary Cooper to negotiate a favorable contract with Warner Bros.
• Ann Sheridan was borrowed from Warner Bros. to co-star as Cooper’s wife, Lu.
• Director McCarey shot two different endings and let preview audiences decide which ending to use. The alternate ending is lost to film history.

 

Click HERE to watch the film on YouTube.

Click HERE to join us for an online discussion on January 6, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation along with a link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. How would you, categorize this film? Do you consider it a comedy-drama, romantic comedy, or something else?
2. What did you think of Gary Cooper and Ann Sheridan as a married couple?
3. Do you think there was a serious message amidst the comic situations?
4. Did this film remind you of any others you’ve seen?

Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan fight the Nazis in "Edge of Darkness"

Edge of Darkness (1943) is a World War II directed by Lewis Milestone and starring Errol Flynn and Ann Sheridan. Others in the impressive supporting cast include Walter Huston, Nancy Coleman, Ruth Gordon, Helmut Dantine, and Judith Anderson. The cinematography was by Sidney Hickox (Gentleman Jim, The Big Sleep, White Heat).

Gunnar Brogge (Flynn) and Karen Stensgard (Sheridan) head the Nazi resistance in their small fishing village in Norway. Against all odds, they push back against the Nazi control of their village.

Will their efforts help them gain their freedom?

Lewis Milestone (1895 – 1980) was a Russian-born American film director. He is a two-time Academy Award-winner for Best Director: Two Arabian Knights (1927) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1930). Other notable films directed by Milestone include The Front Page (1931), Of Mice and Men (1939), A Walk in the Sun (1945), Les Miserables (1952), and Ocean’s 11 (1960).

Errol Flynn (1909 – 1959) was an Australian-American actor who was one of the most popular actors during Hollywood’s Golden Age. He was famous for playing in romantic swashbuckler roles, often co-starring with Olivia de Havilland. Flynn obtained screen immortality early in his career with The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938). Other major films include Captain Blood (1935), The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), Dodge City (1939), and Santa Fe Trail (1940). Flynn’s hard-drinking and wild personal life seriously affected his career. He died on October 14, 1959, at age 50.

Ann Sheridan and Errol Flynn in an on-set publicity photo of them reading the novel.

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 when she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Walter Huston (1883 - 1950) was a Canadian singer, stage, and film actor. He is also the patriarch of the Huston clan which includes his writer-director son John, and his granddaughter, actress Anjelica. Huston worked in the theater, with roles on Broadway where he made his debut in 1924. Once talking pictures began in Hollywood, Huston worked as both a leading man and also a character actor. Some of Huston’s films include The Virginian (1929), Rain (1932), Gabriel Over the White House (1933), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948) for which he won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, directed by his son John. Huston’s last film was The Furies (1950) co-starring Barbara Stanwyck and Wendell Corey.

Edge of Darkness trivia

• When the film was announced it was going to star Anne Sheridan and Humphrey Bogart.
• Errol Flynn went on trial for rape while the film was in production.
• Ann Sheridan's marriage to George Brent collapsed at the same time as production due to Sheridan's affair with Flynn.
• Weather problems hinder production, keeping Ruth Gordon and Judith Anderson in Hollywood longer than they wanted due to stage commitments.
• Sheridan and Flynn co-starred in Dodge City (1939) and Silver River (1948).

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on October 17, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you'll receive an invitation and link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. How do you think this film ranks among World War II films you've seen?
2. Do you think the portrayals of the Norwegian freedom fighters were realistic?
3. What did you think of the film score by Fraz Waxman? Did it enhance or detract from the film in your opinion?
4. The supporting cast is exceptional. Did any one of the supporting characters stand out to you?
5. How do you think American audiences reacted to this film in 1943?

Ann Sheridan is a "Woman on the Run"

Woman on the Run (1950) is an American film noir directed by Norman Foster and starring Ann Sheridan and Dennis O’Keefe. Members of the supporting cast include Robert Keith, John Qualen, Ross Elliot, and Frank Jenks. The cinematography was by Hal Mohr (Captain Blood, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Phantom of the Opera).

Frank Johnson (Elliot), a down-on-his-luck painter is a witness to a murder while walking his dog. Because Frank got a good look at the killer, the police are anxious to get him into protective custody. Frank having second thoughts about possibly testifying against the killer goes missing. Inspector Martin Ferris (Keith) finds Johnson’s wife Eleanor (Sheridan) and tries to get her to reveal where he is hiding. The problem is that Eleanor has no idea. Ferris soon discovers that things between Eleanor and Frank aren’t perfect so maybe Eleanor is in no rush to find Frank. Enter Daniel Legget, a local reporter who tries to help her find her husband if he can get an exclusive on the story. During Frank’s absence, Eleanor learns things about her husband that she didn’t know anything about including a heart condition that he is taking medication for.

Will Frank eventually show up safe and sound, or is he doomed to die at the hands of the killer he saw the night he was walking his dog?

Norman Foster (1903 – 1976) was an American actor, film director, and screenwriter. Foster was a stage film actor. Foster was a popular film actor during the pre-Code era. One of his popular pre-Code efforts was Rafter Romance (1933) co-starring Ginger Rogers. During his directing career he directed several films in the Charlie Chan and Mr. Moto series. He directed feature films including Kiss the Blood off My Hands (1948) starring Joan Fontaine and Burt Lancaster and Rachel and the Stranger (1948) starring Loretta Young, William Holden, and Robert Mitchum. He also directed the Zorro and Davey Crockett television series for Walt Disney. Foster was married to Claudette Colbert from 1928 to 1935.

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 where she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Dennis O’Keefe (1908 – 1968) was an American film actor. O’Keefe started out as a film extra in 1931 under the name Bud Flanagan. He had a small role in Saratoga (1937) which led to a contract with M-G-M. At that studio, they changed his name to Dennis O’Keefe. He left M-G-M in 1940 but found work in low-budget films. In the mid-1940s, he was under contract to producer Edward Small. During this time, he made the film-noir classics T-Men (1947) and Raw Deal (1948). A heavy smoker, O’Keefe died of lung cancer at the age of 60.

Ann Sheridan and Dennis O'Keefe

Woman on the Run trivia

• The film was restored by Eddie Muller's own organization Film Noir Foundation and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association's Charitable Trust. in 2008.
• Ross Hunter who would go on to be the producer of melodramas like Magnificent Obsession (1954) and Imitation of Life (1959) was the dialogue director.
• Ann Sheridan hoped that this film would revitalize her career after she bought out her contract at Warner Bros. She also was hoping for a hit because she had a finacial stake in the film as well.
• The film was shot on location in San Francisco.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

To join the discussion on September 5, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and link to the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. Was the on-location shooting in San Francisco a plus?
2. Having a female protagonist in a film noir isn't the norm. Does the film work with Ann Sheridan as the central character?
3. What did you think of the film's cast? The film has some great character actors in it. Did you have any favorites?
4. Did you have a favorite scene or piece of dialogue?
5. Was there anything about this film that surprised you?
6. When the truth was revealed did it make sense to you?

Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan in Howard Hawks’ “I Was a Male War Bride”

 I Was a Male War Bride (1949) is a comedy directed by Howard Hawks and starring Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan. It was based on I Was an Alien Spouse of Female Military Personnel En route to the United States Under Public Law 271 of the Congress by Henri Rochard. Man, that is a title if there ever was one! Author Rochard was a Belgian who married an American nurse. Most of the filming took place in Heidelberg, Germany. Filming also took place at Shepperton Studios in London, and at 20th Century-Fox studios in Los Angeles.

The film concerns the relationship between Women’s Army Corps officer Catherine Gates (Sheridan) and French Army officer Henri Rochard (Grant). Officer Gates is assigned to transport Rochard by motorcycle (he has to ride in the sidecar) in an assignment to find Schindler (Martin Miller) a lens maker who Rochard is trying to recruit to work for France.

Gates and Rochard have a bumpy ride (both figuratively and literally) in their efforts to find Schindler. The two argue constantly and distrust each other. Will they be able to overcome their differences in order to bring their mission to a successful conclusion? 

Cary Grant and Ann Sheridan

Howard Hawks (1896 - 1977) was an American director, producer, and screenwriter. He is considered one of the great directors from the classic Hollywood era. Hawks excelled in directing films in all genres. His films were famous for featuring strong women characters. These tough-talking “Hawksian women” helped to define the director’s work. Some of Hawks’ popular films include Scarface (1932), Bringing Up Baby (1938), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), Ball of Fire (1941), To Have and Have Not (1944), The Big Sleep (1946), Red River (1948), and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953).

Cary Grant (1904 – 1986) was an English-born American actor who became one of the most popular leading men in film history. Grant started his career in vaudeville before heading to Hollywood. He became a superstar in the late 1930s in a series of screwball comedies including The Awful Truth (1937) with Irene Dunne. He was a memorable C. K. Dexter Haven in The Philadelphia Story (1940) opposite Katharine Hepburn and James Stewart. He received two Best Actor nominations for Penny Serenade (1941) and None but the Lonely Hearts (1944). Other classic Grant films include Gunga Din (1939), Only Angels Have Wings (1939), and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944). He made four popular films with Alfred Hitchcock: Suspicion (1941), Notorious (1946), To Catch a Thief (1955), and North by Northwest (1959). He was presented with an Honorary Oscar at the 42nd Academy Awards in 1970.

Grant and Sheridan on a pleasant motorcycle ride

Ann Sheridan (1915 - 1967) was an American actress and singer. Her movie career began in 1934 where she appeared in 19 films! Her roles were all small and mostly unbilled, but she appeared in another 20+ films before she was signed to Warner Bros. in 1938. She was given better roles and was groomed for major stardom. The studio dubbed her “The Oomph Girl,” a title she hated but helped contribute to her popularity. During World War II she was a popular pin-up girl. As a star, Sheridan starred in Angels Wash Their Faces (1939), Castle on the Hudson (1940), It All Came True (1940), They Drive by Night (1940), City for Conquest (1941), and The Man Who Came to Dinner (1942). During this time she starred opposite Warner’s top leading men including John Garfield, James Cagney, and George Raft. Her biggest success during this period came with Kings Row (1942), a film in which she received top billing over Robert Cummings, Ronald Reagan, and Betty Field. Sheridan made the transition to television and was starring in the weekly western series, Pistols 'n' Petticoats (1966-67) when she became sick with cancer. She died on January 21, 1967, at the age of 51.

Sheridan’s first starring vehicle; notice who is billed third!

 I Was a Male War Bride trivia:

• The production was beset with problems; Ann Sheridan caught pleurisy that turned into pneumonia, Cary Grant contracted hepatitis, and Hawks broke out in hives. The production was shut down for three months so Grant could recover and gain back the 30 pounds he lost while he was sick.
• Cary Grant did a lot of his own stunts.
• Ann Sheridan actually drove that motorcycle in the film without the use of a double.
• Ava Gardner was considered for the part of Catherine.
• The film was 20th Century-Fox’s biggest box office hit of the year.

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join a discussion of the film on Zoom on March 16, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation via email with a link to the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. What type of comedy genre do you think this film fits best?
2. What did you think of the pairing of Grant and Sheridan?
3. Did I Was a Male War Bride remind you of any other films?
4. Did anything about the film surprise you?

“They Drive By Night” to screen at PianoForte February 24

They Drive By Night (1940) starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, and Humphrey Bogart will screen February 24 at PianoForte, 1335 S. Michigan Ave. 2nd Floor. Admission is $5.

Alan Hale, Ida Lupino, and George Raft in They Drive By Night

George Raft and Humphrey Bogart play brothers and independent truck drivers. It’s tough going for the two, battling against the big trucking companies, but somehow they always come through. Along the way they meet waitress Ann Sheridan and Ida Lupino, the latter bent on a romance with Raft in spite of the fact he’s in love with Sheridan. The film did wonders for Lupino’s career with audiences supposedly clapping during her courtroom scenes. After this film, she was one of the biggest stars on the Warner Bros. lot.

Raft, Ann Sheridan, and Humphrey Bogart

It would take High Sierra (1941)—screening March 11—to make Bogart a star. Raft turned down the role of Roy “Mad Dog” Earle because he was tired of playing bad guys. Bogart thought the part could move him from playing second leads to major star status. He was right and after High Sierra, Bogart never received second billing ever again.

Lupino came to Hollywood in 1933 under contract to Paramount. She was dubbed “the English Jean Harlow.” When she came to the states, she was a bleached blond with thinly tweezed eyebrows, which was a typical look during the early 1930s. After receiving good notices for her role in The Light That Failed (1939), on loan-out to Columbia, Lupino got noticed by Mark Hellinger at Warner Bros. Her role in They Drive By Night resulted in Lupino being signed by the studio to a long-term contract, becoming one of their fastest rising stars.

Raft and Sheridan were established stars at Warner Bros. with Sheridan being dubbed “The Oomph Girl.” Raft was part of Warner’s Bros. “Murderers Row” that also included other movie tough guys James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson. Both had long successful careers in film. 

Interested in classic film? Consider joining the Chicago Film Club. It’s free to join and you’ll be made aware of classic movies screened in Chicago.

For a complete schedule of films and information on PianoForte, click the link here.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Ann Sheridan gets ready to carve the turkey. Save a leg for me!

Ida Lupino: A Lasting Legacy in Hollywood

Ida Lupino was a major movie star during Hollywood’s Golden Age. Born in England to a show business family with roots going back to the Renaissance, she came to Hollywood in 1933 as a bleached blond Jean Harlow look-a-like. After a breakout performance in The Light That Failed (1939), Lupino moved on to starring roles at Warner Brothers as one of their top contract players. When she left the studio in the late 1940s, she began thinking about working behind the scenes as a director. Lupino eventually formed her own production company and directed a series of low-budget melodramas. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, she was the only female director of note working in Hollywood.

The story goes that Lupino was signed on at Warner Brothers to keep the lot’s top female star, Bette Davis in line. The truth behind that tale is open to speculation, but Lupino bolstered it by self-deprecatingly calling herself “the poor man’s Bette Davis.” It’s true that some of the roles Davis turned down went to Lupino, but this type of thing happened regularly during the height of the studio system.

In 1940, Lupino starred in They Drive By Night alongside Warner heavy-hitters George Raft and Ann Sheridan. The film also starred Humphrey Bogart, but he was billed fourth behind Lupino. As Lana Carlsen, the unfaithful wife of Alan Hale, Lupino literally tore up the screen. So compelling was her characterization, that movie audiences supposedly applauded when her character breaks down in front of a packed courtroom. With that performance, Lupino showed she was a talent to be reckoned with.

As one of the hottest new stars in the movies, Lupino was cast next as Marie, a hard luck dame with a soft spot for career criminal, Roy “Mad Dog” Earle (Humphrey Bogart ) in High Sierra (1941). So hot was Lupino that she received top billing over Bogart. The movie is credited with making a major star out of Bogart, but Lupino gives a multi-layered performance that showed she could hold her own opposite anyone. As the film progresses and Marie’s love for Earle grows, Lupino’s characterization becomes more complex. We see her vulnerability, her tenderness. A classic that holds up today, High Sierra’s success owes as much to Lupino’s performance as Bogart’s. And you gotta love her close-up at the end, looking luminous in her grief, tinged with happiness for her love who is free at last in death.

Lupino starred in three other films in 1941: The Sea Wolf, Out of the Fog, and Ladies in Retirement on loan to Columbia. Once again, she proved that she could hold her own against the bigger-than-life Edward G. Robinson and John Garfield in The Sea Wolf and Garfield again in Out of the Fog. And like Davis, she wasn’t afraid to immerse herself into the character she was playing even if it meant downplaying her looks, as she did in Ladies in Retirement. Of her performance in that film, The New York Times wrote, “Give Ida Lupino the largest measure of credit, for her role is the clue to the suspense. Perhaps she is too slight to portray the stolid threat that lay in Flora Robson’s original [stage] performance, but she is none the less the thin ribbon of intensity that makes the film hair-raising.”

In 1942 Lupino was loaned out to Twentieth Century Fox for two films. The first was Moontide, costarring French star Jean Gabin, making his American movie debut. The second, Life Begins at Eight-Thirty, costarring Monty Wooley. Both films featured stronger male than female roles, but Lupino’s presence in both did not go unnoticed. Of her performance in Moontide, The New York Times’s Bosley Crowther had this to say: “Miss Lupino makes a taut and sleazy slattern who is prettily revivified by love.” And as Wooley’s handicapped daughter in Life Begins at Eight-Thirty, Crowther said, in his December 10, 1942 review in the Times, that “Miss Lupino plays the crippled daughter with compassion and simplicity.” In 1943, Lupino would star in a film that would bring her great critical acclaim.

The Hard Way (1943) is a tough tale of two sisters trying to escape their dreary and impoverished existence. Ironically the mining town from which they want to escape is called Green Hill, where there is nothing green or leafy. Under the sharp direction of Vincent Sherman, Lupino gives one of her most complex and nuanced performances as Helen Chernen, Katie’s (Joan Leslie) pushy success-driven sister. Lupino is Katie’s “stage sister,” exploiting the younger sibling’s talent while vicariously living through her. So compelling was Lupino’s performance that she won the New York Film Critics Circle Award in 1943. For some unknown reason, she was overlooked come Oscar time. (Lupino was never nominated for an Academy Award.) In the hands of a lesser actress, Helen would have been merely a villain. The beauty of Lupino’s performance is that while you don’t necessarily like her actions, you understand them. She isn’t perfect for sure, but neither is her sister or the others in the rough and tumble world of show business that they inhabit.

Now an established star at Warner Brothers, Lupino was not always offered the best roles on the lot. Bette Davis was still the queen of the studio and had first refusal on the choicest scripts. Not one to take just any role, Lupino was often put on suspension by the studio. It was during these periods that she became interested in working behind the scenes. A naturally friendly individual, calling everyone she knew “darling,” Lupino learned from the contract directors, cinematographers, and others about the technical side of filmmaking. It would be a while before Lupino would move behind the camera.

In the mid-to late 1940s, Lupino starred alongside some of the top talent at the studio, including Errol Flynn, Olivia DeHavilland, and Paul Henried. One of her best roles during this period was as Petey Brown in The Man I Love (1947), directed by the legendary Raoul Walsh. As the tough-talking club singer, her Petey is the epitome of independence. As the take-charge career woman, Lupino showed she could carry a picture. The Man I Love was popular enough for Jack Warner to offer the actress a four-year exclusive contract. Lupino decided to try her hand as a freelance artist and turned down Warner’s offer.

Her first role after leaving Warner Brothers was the enjoyable and popular success Road House (1948). Released by Twentieth Century Fox and directed by the underrated Jean Negulesco, the film costarred Cornel Wilde, Celeste Holm, and Richard Widmark at his loony best. Lupino plays Lily Stevens, a torch singer from Chicago, slumming at Jeffty’s road house and bowling alley, owned by Widmark’s character. A predatory Widmark stalks Lupino when he finds out that she favors his “best friend,” Wilde, over him. As interesting as this triangle is, some of the film’s most enjoyable moments are when Lupino sings and plays the piano. Her modest gravely voice has an appealing style that is hard to resist.

As the 1940s came to a close and with good roles harder and harder to come by, Lupino formed her own production company with second husband Collier Young. She produced and directed a series of low budget films utilizing the skills she gleaned from working with the male directors at Warner Brothers. The movies Lupino made during this period were gritty and for the time, groundbreaking. Not Wanted (1949) dealt with unwanted pregnancy and Outrage (1950) told the story of a young woman raped on her way home from work, hardly popular themes at the time. Lupino was now the only working woman director and the second to become a member of the Director’s Guild. When television came on the scene, Lupino hit her stride. She directed numerous episodes of popular TV series, including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Have Gun Will Travel, The Rifleman, The Untouchables, and Lupino has the distinction of being the only woman to ever direct and star in an episode of The Twilight Zone. Not only did she direct in television, she guest starred on many TV shows herself, staying busy throughout the 1960s and 1970s.

Ida Lupino is the only woman to direct an episode of the classic  TV series.

Ida Lupino’s legacy is a long one. As an actress, she has a body of work that holds up alongside the best of her contemporaries. As a director, she paved the way for future generations of women. It’s amazing that the small fragile-looking Lupino had such a strong and wide-reaching influence that continues today. 

Lupino died of a stroke while being treated for colon cancer on August 3, 1995. She was 77 years old.