Articles and Interviews, part 8

Presented here are some newspaper articles published in 1947 where Agnes is mentioned in an interesting or significant way. [This is limited to newspapers that charge no fee to read articles in their archives.] Agnes received some nice press coverage this year for her film, radio, and social activities.

• In the 20 February 1947 issue of The Toledo Blade Bob Thomas in his column "The Hollywood Pipeline" explains that Agnes' character of Lise Meitner had been cut from MGM's atom bomb picture The Beginning or the End. What they don't mention is that the character was cut because the real Lise Meitner was still living and had not given approval for her inclusion in the film. Someone at Metro figured out that would be a problem shortly before the picture was to be released.
• The 13 April 1947 issue of The Milwaukee Journal published a nice profile of Agnes "The Woman of Many Parts." Columnist F. Louis Friedman reviews her recent film and radio projects and includes some biographical data (with a few errors). One interesting note is that when Muskingum College awarded Agnes an honorary doctorate in literature a few months prior, she had been their first such recipient to work in theater.
• Bob Thomas' column as published in the 26 April 1947 issue of the San Jose Evening News includes a blurb on the upcoming film adaptation of Sorry, Wrong Number. He wonders why Agnes would not be allowed to recreate her character from the original hit radio play.
• An article in the 4 October 1947 issue of The Pittsburgh Press, "Agnes Moorehead is Happy Over 'Glamour' Treatment," points out that her current role in Dark Passage is a departure for Agnes in that she gets to play a current-day beautiful woman. However, Agnes notes the change is only skin deep: "while I'm sweetened with glamour and such, it's merely to intrigue 'Bogey.' Underneath the glitter I'm more or less the same. With tantrums." One wonders what happened to the scene mentioned where she wore the negligee with orange belt.
• A blurb in the 6 October 1947 issue of The Southeast Missourian notes Agnes' attendance at Saint Louis' annual Veiled Prophet ball.
• The Milwaukee Journal's 11 October 1947 issue, in its review of Dark Passage, writes that Agnes "given an amazing glamour gloss, plays a menacing femme fatale." The Lewiston Evening News' review, in their 6 December 1947 issue, writes that "Agnes Moorehead as the double crossing friend, turns in an excellent performance."
• The 14 December 1947 issue of The Pittsburgh Press notes the release by Decca of the studio recording of Agnes' hit radio play Sorry, Wrong Number, which was edited, directed, and produced by William Spier who worked with Agnes on her original Suspense radio production.
• Edith Gwynn's column "Pre-Holiday Social Whirls Have Stars Near Collapse," as published in the 18 December 1947 issue of the St. Petersburg Times, notes that Agnes and Jack Lee hosted a holiday cocktail party for four hundred film and radio industry workers at a venue named Le Papillon, which was an annual event. Hedda Hopper, in her syndicated column as published in the 18 December 1947 issue of The Pittsburgh Press, also mentions this event, noting that guests included Howard Hughes and Mr. and Mrs. Van Heflin.
• The Pittsburgh Press' columnist Florence Fisher Parry seems to have had something in common with Hedda Hopper: she was a fan and supporter of Agnes' career. Here are a few good words she had for Agnes during 1947: 1) in her 16 February 1947 column she writes that only two actresses have achieved success in their struggles against the type-casting system in Hollywood -- Ingrid Bergman and Agnes; 2) in her 3 August 1947 column, when again speaking out against the type-casting system, writes of Agnes: "here is one of the most versatile actresses in Hollywood. I don't know how long she has been on the payroll of M-G-M, but this studio is certainly using not much more than five percent of this gifted woman's talent!"; and 3) in her 14 December 1947 column, when pointing out the lack of compelling fare in the cinemas of late, notes: "I had a notion to try 'The Lost Moment" if only because Agnes Moorehead was in it, by far the best character actress on the screen."

To be continued. . . .