Denise Darcel
Denise Darcel | |
---|---|
Born | Denise Billecard 8 September 1924[1] Paris, France |
Died | 23 December 2011 Los Angeles, California, U.S. | (aged 87)
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1948–1963 |
Spouses |
Francis Peter Crosby
(m. 1950; div. 1951)
George Simpson Jr.
(m. 1990; died 2003) |
Children | 2 sons (Chris and Craig) |
Denise Darcel (née Billecard, 8 September 1924 – 23 December 2011) was a French-American vaudevillian, actress and singer, who from 1948 and 1963, appeared in films in Hollywood, and briefly on the stage, television and radio.[2]
Early years
Born as Denise Billecard
A winner of the title "The Most Beautiful Girl in France,"[8] Darcel was a cabaret singer in Paris after World War II before being spotted by Hollywood. Denise came to the United States in 1947[9] and became an American citizen in 1952.[3]
On 15 February 1952 she was named "Miss Welder of 1952" by the National Eutectic Welders' Club. Presenting her with a scroll as "the girl we would like most to weld with" was R. D. Wasserman, President of the Eutectic Welding Institute. Wasserman hoped that her photograph would inspire women throughout the nation to join the ranks of the labor force and support the war effort in Korea.[10]
Stage
Darcel's debut on the legitimate stage came in 1950, when she appeared in Pardon Our French, premiering 5 October at the Broadway Theatre.[11]
Vaudeville
In 1950, Darcel had a Vaudeville act, which was panned by at least one reviewer. About Darcel's performance 5 May 1950, at the Strand in New York, the Billboard review said: "Denise Darcel showed her well-stacked chassis ... but her heavily accented English sounded like so much gibberish; it got laughs instead of attention. ... her singing is inadequate, her over-use of hands and arms is clumsy and she shows herself completely at a loss in handling hecklers."[12]
Film
Her first film appearance of note was in
Television
Darcel appeared on various TV shows in the 1950s. In 1954, she was hostess/MC of Gamble on Love, a summer program on the DuMont Television Network. Darcel asked questions of married couples who sought to win the grand prize of a mink coat. A review in Billboard described her as "Gallic to the point of unintelligibility."[14] Also in 1954, Colonel Productions produced a pilot of Chez Denise, a 30-minute "comedy-intrigue" program starring Darcel, which apparently did not sell.[15]
Later years
After her film and television career began to wane, Darcel, aged 41, became an
Personal life
Darcel's first husband, William Shaw,[13] was an American Army captain whom she married in 1947.[4] Darcel obtained a Mexican divorce from Peter Crosby 12 August 1951.[17] She married Robert Atkinson 24 April 1961.[18] They had two sons, Christopher[19] (born 17 November 1961[20]) and Craig. Husband George Simpson died in 2003.[4]
In the early 1950s, Darcel was linked romantically with singer Billy Eckstine.[21][22][23] In 1993, Jet magazine reported, "Eckstine's hot romance with actress Denise Darcel cooled off after their photo appeared on cover of Life Magazine, causing a White backlash."[24]
Recording
Online music store iTunes made Darcel's album, Banned in Boston (recorded in 1958[4]), available for purchase alongside actress Lizabeth Scott's album, Lizabeth.
Legal problems
On 23 June 1968, Darcel was arrested in
Darcel and her husband, Robert Gerard Atkinson, filed bankruptcy petitions in San Bernardino, California, in 1963. The petitions listed "total assets of $1,508 ($15,010 today) and individual and joint debts of $88,904 for her and $62,223 for him."(total of $1,504,000 today)[27]
Honors
In September 2009, she was honored with the Cinecon Career Achievement Award, presented in Hollywood at a banquet held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel. Prior to the ceremony, a new 35mm color print of her 1953 film, Flame of Calcutta, was screened at the Egyptian Theatre. After the screening, at the banquet, she cheerfully announced to the audience, "I'm back".
The world's oldest drag queen, Walter W. Cole took the stage name of Darcelle XV, in honor of Denise Darcel.
In 1968, Denise was name Queen of the Saranac Lake Winter Carnival.
Death
Darcel died in December 2011, aged 87, after emergency surgery to repair a ruptured aneurysm.[28][29]
Selected filmography and television appearances
- To the Victor (1948) as Bar Singer (uncredited)
- Thunder in the Pines (1948) as Yvette Cheron
- Battleground (1949) as Denise
- Tarzan and the Slave Girl (1950) as Lola
- Westward the Women (1951) as Fifi Danon
- Young Man with Ideas (1952) as Dorianne Gray
- Dangerous When Wet (1953) as Gigi Mignon
- Flame of Calcutta (1953) as Suzanne Roget
- Vera Cruz (1954) as Countess Marie Duvarre
- Gamble on Love (DuMont game show, 1954; replaced by Ernie Kovacs) as Countess Marie Duvarre
- The Milton Berle Show(1956, TV Series)
- Tightrope! (1960, TV Series) as Terri
- Seven Women from Hell (1961) as Claire Oudry
- Naked City (1962, TV Series) as Madeleine Douvay
Radio appearances
Year | Program | Episode/source |
---|---|---|
1950 | Quick as a Flash | NA[30] |
1985 | Musical Comedy Theater | Going Hollywood[31] |
1952 | Lux Radio Theatre | Westward the Women[32] |
Television appearances
Year | Program | Episode/source |
---|---|---|
1950 | This Is Show Business | 21 May episode[33] |
1951 | Don McNeill's Breakfast Club | 7 November episode[34] |
1954 | Droodles | 21 June episode[35] |
1963 | Combat! | 19 November 1963 "A Distant Drum" |
Notes
- ^ "Denise Darcel". The Daily Telegraph. London. 10 January 2012.
- ^ Obituary for Denise Darcel in The Telegraph (UK)
- ^ better source needed]
- ^ a b c d e Bergan, Ronald (13 January 2012). "Denise Darcel obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
- ^ Denise Darcel at the TCM Movie Database
- ^ "The Adventures of Jim, Sr – Part III". Chaotic Synaptic Activity. 15 August 2005. Retrieved 17 July 2009.
- ^ Erickson, Hal (2007). "Denise Darcel". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 5 December 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2009.
- ^ Welding Journal 31(4), April 1952, p374.
- ^ Francis, Bob (14 October 1950). "Broadway Opening: Pardon Our French". Billboard. p. 57.
- ^ Smith, Bill (13 May 1950). "Vaudeville Reviews: Strand, New York". Billboard. p. 46.
- ^ a b c Bernstein, Adam (10 January 2012). "Denise Darcel, French-born actress, dies at 87". The Washington Post. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
- ^ Francis, Bob (31 July 1954). "Gamble on Love (TV)". Billboard. p. 49.
- ^ "Denise Darcel in Video Bid". Billboard. 6 March 1954. p. 4.
- ^ Bergan, Ronald (13 January 2012). "Denise Darcel obituary". The Guardian. London.
- ^ "(photo caption)". Jet. 1 (8): 31. 20 December 1951.
- ^ "People Are Talking About ..." Jet. 1 (20): 44. 13 March 1952.
- ^ "The Secret Love Life of Billy Eckstein". Jet. V (21): 24. 1 April 1954. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ "Billy ('Mr. B') Eckstine, A Stroke Victim, Dies of Cardiac Arrest at Age 78". Jet. 83 (21): 14–16, 54–57. 22 March 1993.
- ^ New York Times obituary for Denise Darcel
- ^ Variety report of Darcel's death
- ^ White, Sid (12 May 1950). "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ White, Sid (23 May 1950). "Main Street" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
- ^ "McNeill TV Seg Blacks Out on ABC for 17 Mins". Billboard. 17 November 1951. p. 5.
- ^ Morse, Leon (10 July 1954). "Droodles". Billboard. p. 38.