The Joseph Cotten Appreciation Thread

No scandals that I'm aware of, but Shirley Temple in her autobiography confessed that when they were filming "Since You Went Away," she had a massive teenage crush on him.

In "Citizen Kane" there was a scene in which Cotten, as The New York Inquirer's music critic Jedidiah Leland, is sitting at his typewriter reviewing Susan Alexander Kane's disastrous operatic debut. Leland is supposed to be drunk in the scene. In order to make it look authentic, Cotten stayed up all night and was actually drunk during that scene. He blew a line, saying "crimitism" instead of criticism, but it suited the scene so well that Welles left it in.

I loved him in Shadow of a Doubt. I don’t think it was typical of what he usually played. He is just so sinister in it. He played against Theresa Wright as his niece and he seemed to add some sexual tension that made it even weirder, especially for the time. I can watch that movie again and again.

He had a wonderful voice.

Wonderful, versatile actor, with an incredible career--he was in the original stage production of "The Philadelphia Story," with Katharine Hepburn--then acted with her again at the end his career in the filmed play of "A Delicate Balance." Worked in two of the best movies ever made ("Citizen Kane" and "The Magnificent Ambesons"), "The Third Man"....incredible.

His autobiography is unreadable. Take it from me.

Whaddya wanna know?

and he did star in the 1, 2, 3 super punch of monroe's stardom with "niagara" as her evil character's husband, this movie was then followed by gentlemen prefer blondes and how to marry a millionaire, that cemented monroe's career and fame into the white heat stratosphere.

It was rumored that he was actually light skinned black. Seriously.

Bette Davis opined that one of the reasons "Beyond the Forest" was so ridiculous was because her character was supposed to be miserable while married to Joseph Cotten.

"Who would leave that darling, lovely man?" she said.

Agreed, Miss Davis.

She also said the role should have gone to Virginia Mayo.

I wanna know why you dusted your face with baby powder in that pic, Patsy Medina at r5.

R7, I heard the same rumor. He does look biracial.

R8 , YOU STOLE MY REPLY .

OP is contributing to the thread count.

He was also known for being homophobic.

It was a B movie, hence the suggestion of Virginia Mayo by Davis.

Have heard the homophobic comment but no specific events.

He did threaten--and made good on the threat--to kick Hedda Hopper "up the ass" if she wrote one word about his wife (Lenore). She did, so he did. And she never tried to make him suffer for it. Probably the only decent thing she did.

Never understood why he speaks with an American accent while playing a detective from Scotland Yard in "Gaslight".

And I think he the best thing in Citizen Kane.

His autobiography was the first thing I bought on eBay. I have never read it.

He had that delicious accent. I wonder if he was part black.

Weird, ugly guy. My mother ADORES him. Never could figure out why. He's good in Niagara. But it's Monroe's picture.

he was reduced to doing Bufferin commercials in the late 50s/early 60s.

I did not like his face.

Also very good being restrained while Greg Peck and Jennifer Jones tear up the scenery in Duel in the Sun. And I like him opposite Joan Fontaine in September Affair.

Sexy guy.

He appeared in TWO Bette Davis campfests - Hush Hush Sweet Charlottee and Beyond The Forest. Can't be all bad.

I agree with the previous poster about Shadow of a Doubt. Do you think Blue Velvet was inspired by it? Teresa Wright was tremendous and Cotten was suavely scary. His speech at the family dinner table about rich women eating their money should have been a warning to the family!

Astonishing that he wasn't even nominated for Shadow of a Doubt; only thing I can presume is that it was released in January of 1943 and thus the Academy forgot about it by the end of the year. Surely he was better than Walter Pidgeon in Madame Curie and/or Mickey Rooney in The Human Comedy?

Mickey Rooney was actually really good. I would have kicked Walter Pidgeon and Gary Cooper to the curb for sure.

SOAD got a screenplay nomination but maybe Cotten didn’t do enough press.

He got soaked in Airport ‘77 opposite DL legend Olivia De Havilland.

He's a good actor, nice looking guy.

I don't think he ever displayed a lot of range.

To me he always just seemed cool, in the modern sense of the term. And smart. He's great in The Third Man.

Love him also in Portrait of Jennie.

He was wonderfully menacing in Niagara as Marilyn Monroe's enraged, cuckolded husband.

"Married only twice, and both marriages ended due to death."

How did he die twice?

Geez, after this can we do a Methuselah appreciation thread?