Beverly Michaels
Beverly Eileen Michaels | |
---|---|
Born | Beverly Eileen Michaels December 29, 1927[1] The Bronx, U.S. |
Died | June 9, 2007 Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | (aged 79)
Other names | Beverley Michaels |
Occupation(s) | Actress, model |
Years active | 1948–1956 |
Spouses | |
Children | 2, including Christopher Rouse |
Beverly Eileen Michaels (December 29, 1927 – June 9, 2007) was an American
Career
Michaels began her career at the age of 16 in 1944 as a showgirl at Billy Rose's Diamond Horseshoe Nightclub in New York. Her stage debut, also at age 16, was in the play Glad to See You which ran in Philadelphia and Boston from November 1944 to January 1945.[4] After that show closed, she was a dancer in Havana for about a year. Returning to the US, she worked as a chorus girl on Broadway.[5]
Arriving in Hollywood in 1948 at the age of 21 and standing at least 5 feet 9 inches tall
Michaels then appeared in two films by independent film director and producer
Michaels went on to win contracts with Columbia and, later, Universal Pictures.[5] She also appeared in a Bowery Boys film No Holds Barred, released by low-budget studio Monogram Pictures in 1952.[9]
In late 1952 Michaels toured Alaska for the
Later roles included the 1955 noir film Crashout,[9][14] Hammer Films' Women Without Men (1956)[9][15][16] and guest-starring roles in television shows.
In a 1954 newspaper interview, Michaels was questioned about her choice of racy roles:
"One of the penalties, she says, is that some people, especially the wolf type, can't forget it was just a movie. She has had, she says, to give several real-life brush-offs. However, Beverly says, they are things you have to accept. 'I get my share of wisecracks. But I ignore them. You have to. If you're going to play roles like I have, you have to expect to be a target for such remarks. I just pretend I don't hear them. If you're going to be supersensitive, you had better get out of the business...I always have hope that my next picture will make me a decent woman.'" [17]
Personal life
Michaels was one of six children of Denzil and Catherine Michaels.[18] Her father was a bus driver. She attended Cathedral City High School, where she played center on the girls' basketball team.[19]
In 1949, she married
In 1957, she married Russell Rouse,[23] director and screenwriter of Wicked Woman and many other films.[24] They had two sons.[25][26] One, film editor Christopher Rouse, won an Oscar in editing for The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007.[27] Michaels was a Democrat who supported Adlai Stevenson during the 1952 presidential election.[28]
In the 1980s, a cult following grew among fans of the "bad girl" 1950s melodrama genre. While this public interest centered mostly on Cleo Moore, Diana Dors and Mamie Van Doren, Michaels' contributions were duly noted, including a tribute to Wicked Woman written by Lily Tomlin in the short-lived magazine Movies. With the exception of an appearance at a film noir festival to honor her second husband,[29] Michaels mostly avoided follow-up interviews from that publicity or attempts to lure her back into the spotlight, opting instead to maintain her privacy in retirement.[citation needed]
Final years and death
After Rouse's death, Michaels moved from Southern California to Phoenix, Arizona, where she lived until her death from a stroke[25] at the age of 79.
Filmography
Year | Film title | Role | Notes |
1950 | East Side, West Side | Felice Backett | MGM. Producer: first husband Voldemar Vetluguin[30] |
1950 | Three Little Words | Shipboard Woman | MGM. Uncredited. |
1951 | Pickup[9] | Betty | Columbia |
1951 | The Girl on the Bridge | Clara | Hugo Haas Productions |
1952 | The Marrying Kind | Blonde on Life Cover | Columbia |
1952 | No Holds Barred | Blonde at Party (uncredited) | Monogram Studios |
1954 | Wicked Woman[9] | Billie Nash | Edward Small Productions. Director: second husband Russell Rouse |
1955 | Adventures of the Falcon | June Dennison | Episode: "The Wheel of Fortune" |
1955 | Crashout[9] | Alice Mosher | Standard Productions |
1955 | Betrayed Women[9] | Honey Blake | William F. Broidy Productions |
1956 | Alfred Hitchcock Presents | Goldie | Season 1 Episode 15: "The Big Switch" |
1956 | Cheyenne | Sheila Dembro | Episode: "The Storm Riders"[31] |
1956 | Women Without Men[9] (two versions filmed: UK & USA) | Angela Booth | Hammer Films. Alternate titles: Blonde Bait, Appointment at Midnight -She also starred in the U.S. release's alternate ending. |
References
- ^ Michaels, Beverly E. New York, New York Birth Index, 1910-1965. p. 283.
- ^ Vetluguin, Beverly Eileen Michael and Rouse, Russell Edwin. Carson City NV Marriage Index, 1855-1985. pp. marriage record #39669754.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ISBN 9781476625997– via Google Books.
- ISBN 9781593935214.
- ^ a b c d Stephens, Chuck. "A Face In The Crowd: Beverly Michaels". Film Comment. Film at Lincoln Center. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Koper op cit. pp. 204–205.
- ^ "Beverly Michaels Tallest Actress in Movie Colony", Johnson City Press, Johnson City, Tennessee, November 28, 1953.
- ^ Wilson, Earl. "It Happened One Night." Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. February 8, 1954
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Beverly Michaels Filmography". AFI Catalog. American Film Institute. Retrieved January 17, 2021..
- ^ "THE SCREEN IN REVIEW; 'Pickup,' Hugo Haas Film About Widower and Gold-Digger, Arrives at the World". The New York Times. August 31, 1951. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ Koper op cit. pp. 205–206.
- ^ T, -- H. H. (March 27, 1954). "At The Palace". The New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ Sarris, Andrew (December 4, 2019). "Those Wild and Crazy Cult Movies". The Village Voice. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ Kehr, David (July 26, 2013). "ON VIDEO:Escaping One Prison for Many". New York Times. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "Women Without Men". TV Guide. Retrieved January 17, 2021.
- ^ "BFI Catalog op cit".
- ^ "The Lady Is a Tramp". The Bunkie Record, Bunkie Louisiana. May 14, 1954. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Koper op cit. p. 203.
- ^ "Tallest Gal Film Star Basketball Courting". The Pittsburgh Press. February 4, 1954. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "AFI op cit".
- ^ Marriage License Nr.SM-1442, State of California and Certificate of Marriage, September 2, 1949, Judge of the Municipal Court, Santa Monica, Los Angeles.
- ^ "Vetluguin, Who Popularized Cover Girl Photos, Dies". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. May 18, 1953. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ Carson City NV Marriage Index, op. cit.
- ^ "AFI op cit".
- ^ a b Koper op cit. p. 207.
- ^ "Oscar-Winning Director and Writer Russell Rouse". The Los Angeles Times. October 4, 1987. Retrieved December 4, 2011.
- ^ "Academy Awards Acceptance Speech Database". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
- ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers.
- ^ "Discussion with Eddie Muller, March 7, 2002". The Danger and Despair Knitting Circle: A Resource for Classic Film Noir.
- ^ "East Side, West Side". American Film Institute. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
- ^ "BFI Reuben Library". British Film Institute. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
External links
- Beverly Michaels at IMDb