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Tallulah Bankhead

Our topic this week is an America actress who was a star on the London stage at the age of 21, paying one of her rare visits on Datalounge is Tallulah Bankhead.

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by Anonymousreply 44September 20, 2023 12:49 AM

The laugh

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by Anonymousreply 1September 17, 2023 9:16 PM

Desert Island Discs

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by Anonymousreply 2September 17, 2023 9:16 PM

Throwing some money into Salvation Army girls' tambourines: 'Here you are, dahlings! I hear it's been a terrible season for you gypsy dancers!'.

by Anonymousreply 3September 17, 2023 9:18 PM

She was based on another DL fav: Cruella De Vil

by Anonymousreply 4September 17, 2023 9:21 PM

She was featured on an episode of the documentary series Omnibus as was Eric Porter.

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by Anonymousreply 5September 17, 2023 9:22 PM

Below is the IMDB entry for the Eric Porter Omnibus episode. Both episodes were in 1968.

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by Anonymousreply 6September 17, 2023 9:23 PM

She is Tallulah Bankhead!

by Anonymousreply 7September 17, 2023 9:23 PM

She was the funnier Margo Channing. IMO she gave the perfect reading of the character.

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by Anonymousreply 8September 17, 2023 9:24 PM

She's a gal who could hang out with the guys

by Anonymousreply 9September 17, 2023 9:25 PM

Darling!

by Anonymousreply 10September 17, 2023 9:29 PM

She called Billie Holiday a "great negro singer"

by Anonymousreply 11September 17, 2023 9:30 PM

She sounded drunk at r2 yet articulate and with it.

Definitely one-of-a-kind.

by Anonymousreply 12September 17, 2023 11:12 PM

R12 for sure!

by Anonymousreply 13September 18, 2023 10:41 PM

At 21, she has already snorted at least a shoebox full of cocaine. Which she knows isn’t habit forming because she’s been doing it for years.

by Anonymousreply 14September 18, 2023 10:44 PM

Her former personal secretary Ted Hook regaled me and a friend with Bankhead stories for an entire afternoon in circa 1991 Manhattan.

by Anonymousreply 15September 19, 2023 12:02 AM

R15 Can you share any?

by Anonymousreply 16September 19, 2023 12:19 AM

When I was her understudy on Broadway she mentored me in many ways.

by Anonymousreply 17September 19, 2023 2:54 AM

She was fabulous in the Lucy Desi Comedy hour. Matchless

by Anonymousreply 18September 19, 2023 2:56 AM

[quote] She called Billie Holiday a "great negro singer"

I don't think she meant that as an insult. Today that would be an insult. But that's what Black people were called back then. Besides, she and Billie were lovers at one time.

Bankhead was staunchly progressive.

by Anonymousreply 19September 19, 2023 2:58 AM

r18 yes!

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by Anonymousreply 20September 19, 2023 3:01 AM

Bea Arthur said she was a cunt.

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by Anonymousreply 21September 19, 2023 3:02 AM

That's rich coming from Bea when she was the biggest cunt on the seat of The Golden Girls.

by Anonymousreply 22September 19, 2023 3:03 AM

*set

by Anonymousreply 23September 19, 2023 3:04 AM

Looped

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by Anonymousreply 24September 19, 2023 3:23 AM

Was it wardrobe, make-up or hairdressing?

by Anonymousreply 25September 19, 2023 3:28 AM

Too bad she didn't get the film version of THE LITTLE FOXES.

by Anonymousreply 26September 19, 2023 3:35 AM

No doubt she would've won the Oscar for Best Actress had she got the chance to do the film version of The Little Foxes.

Pauline Kael (a major fan of Bette Davis) saw Bankhead play Regina on stage and said she was electrifying, and Davis was too stonefaced in her performance.

by Anonymousreply 27September 19, 2023 3:48 AM

Bette's Regina did look dour.

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by Anonymousreply 28September 19, 2023 3:51 AM

I only know the one famous anecdote about her wandering into St. Patrick's Cathedral at a Christmas Eve Midnight mass. She dropped into a pew just as the priest just as he came down the aisle waving his incense censer. She leaned over, plucked at his vestments and said, "Love the dress, but do you realize your clutch is on fire?"

by Anonymousreply 29September 19, 2023 9:10 AM

[quote] I only know the one famous anecdote about her wandering into St. Patrick's Cathedral at a Christmas Eve Midnight mass.

Is there more than one famous anecdote about her wandering into St. Patrick's Cathedral...?

by Anonymousreply 30September 19, 2023 10:25 AM

The one I remember most is R16, is One night, Ted came home from the bars and checked in on Tallu to say good night. She had a habit of smoking while reading. Usually wearing a sweater with small holes burned into it by her constant flicking of cig ashes rather than using an ashtray. Bankhead had a dog, Dolores, named after the actress Dolores del Rio that slept at the head of Tallulah's bed on her own pillow.

Well, Hook comes in and as he gets closer to the bed, he sees smoke rising from either Dolores. He immediately tries to awaken the sleeping actress, shaking her and loudly calling "Miss B.!" "Miss B!" "Dolores is on fire." He does this several times, at which point the perturbed actress, half-awake asks "What did you say?"

"Miss B., Dolores IS ON FIRE"

Bankhead immediately replied, "Well, for Christ'sake, PUT HER OUT!" And promptly went back to sleep.

Turns out it was the pillow, not the dog.

by Anonymousreply 31September 19, 2023 12:35 PM

[quote] She was based on another DL fav: Cruella De Vil

R4, you have that backwards.

by Anonymousreply 32September 19, 2023 12:45 PM

R32 you know what I mean

by Anonymousreply 33September 19, 2023 1:18 PM

Precision of language!

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by Anonymousreply 34September 19, 2023 1:23 PM

R8, thanks for posting those links to her radio performances. Something to listen to on the drive home tonight.

by Anonymousreply 35September 19, 2023 2:42 PM

Anita, DAHRLING!

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by Anonymousreply 36September 19, 2023 3:54 PM

Milk

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by Anonymousreply 37September 19, 2023 3:58 PM

She's the one who said: "My father made me promise never to touch men or liquor... too bad he never told me about women or cocaine!".

Her father was Speaker of the House.

by Anonymousreply 38September 19, 2023 4:16 PM

Mentored?

Dahling, men had nothing to do with it.

by Anonymousreply 39September 19, 2023 4:20 PM

Being blanked by a former lover who had his new girlfriend in tow: (loudly) 'What's the matter, dahling? Don't you recognise me with my clothes on?'

by Anonymousreply 40September 19, 2023 4:52 PM

Kathleen...

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by Anonymousreply 41September 19, 2023 10:17 PM

A panty-flashing Tallu...

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by Anonymousreply 42September 19, 2023 10:29 PM

Tullulah’s last coherent words:

“Codeine . . . Bourbon . . ."

by Anonymousreply 43September 20, 2023 12:16 AM

Women

by Anonymousreply 44September 20, 2023 12:49 AM
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