Lively, entertaining reviews of, and essays on, old and newer films and everything relating to them, written by professional author William Schoell.

Thursday, April 20, 2017

PATRICIA NEAL

Patricia Neal as she appeared in The Breaking Point 1950
PATRICIA NEAL (1926 - 2010).

Patricia Neal was an attractive and very gifted actress who had a kind of roller coaster life. She shot to prominence with The Fountainhead, had a long love affair with co-star Gary Cooper, married writer Roald Dahl, recovered from a stroke, had a comeback and won an Oscar for Hud, and won even more acclaim for her performance in The Subject Was Roses. Neal successfully went from movie star and sex symbol to accomplished and admired working actress. One of her favorite films -- and one of her best performances -- was in Three Secrets. This week we look at that film, as well as The Breaking Point, Happy Mother's Day, Love George, and The Hasty Heart. Oddly, Neal also wound up in a 99 cent item called Stranger From Venus, a rip-off of her The Day the Earth Stood Still -- we take a look at that film, too. There's also a review of an excellent biography of the actress.

2 comments:

angelman66 said...

Hi Bill - thanks for saluting this wonderful actress...as a fellow alum of Northwestern University, she has always been among my favorites. Her hubby Ronald Dahl was a childhood hero, of course. My favorite film performance of Neal is definitely The Fountainhead--glamour and smoldering intensity, plus obvious depth and intelligence.
- Chris

William said...

That was the role that put her over -- she certainly made her mark in that one! And she especially got Gary Cooper's attention.