Jane Powell RIP

[dirac]

miliosr reports the sad news that Jane Powell, one of the last survivors of Hollywood's Golden Age, has died at age 92. Here are his comments:

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I woke up to the news that Jane Powell died yesterday at the age of 92. She was a contract star at M-G-M from the War years to the mid-50s. After making musicals aimed at a teen audience in the late-40s, her big break came when she was paired with Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding (1951). (Both June Allyson and Judy Garland had been cast before Powell. Allyson had to drop out due to pregnancy and the studio fired Garland due to her personal issues.)

Powell's career apex in films came in 1954 with the release of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, which was a big, big hit that year. But despite having such success, the studio would release her in 1955 due to the decline of the studio system in general and the popularity of musicals in particular. Still, she went out with a bang -- Athena (1954), Deep in My Heart (1954) and Hit the Deck (1955).

In interviews she gave later in life, she gave the impression that she felt underappreciated in Hollywood and that she always felt on the outside looking in regarding the Hollywood social life. I hope she died knowing that she truly was beloved by generations of moviegoers.

 

 

[dirac]

Thanks to miliosr for the heads-up. Sorry to hear this, although 92 years is a good run. Obituaries and appreciations below.

The New York Times

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Her movie career appeared to be gaining steam. In fact, it was halfway over.

After “Royal Wedding,” Ms. Powell, to her frustration, found herself once again cast as the girl next door in lightweight musicals like “Rich, Young and Pretty” (1951) and “Three Sailors and a Girl” (1953). It would be three years before she had another role of substance — but it was a memorable one.

Variety

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The blonde, blue-eyed Powell usually played characters with a gentle mischievous streak in her musical comedies, but she would shatter the light-hearted atmosphere of her films when she sang: A surprisingly powerful coloratura would emerge from the diminutive (5-foot-1) thesp. (Interestingly, she never learned to read music.)

Her producer and mentor was MGM’s Joe Pasternak, who had earlier developed the talents of Deanna Durbin at Universal.

Newsweek

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Of her nearly lifelong work as an actress, Powell once told the Chicago Tribune: "It was exciting. You got to meet people you'd never otherwise get to meet. But there's something young people miss if they don't have the usual progression from kindergarten to grade school to high school, all of that. There were no sleepovers, no girls' nights. I didn't know anybody. It was a lonely life, really."

i know Powell mainly from Royal Wedding, not being a huge fan of Seven Brides.  She was a last minute replacement for Judy Garland and did a great job. Astaire noted, "She surprised everyone by her handling of the dances." Her rendition of "Too Late Now" is a highlight of the picture.

[miliosr]

I've been listening to Powell's contributions to Athena tonight. Such a beautiful score and Powell sings it wonderfully.

Powell and Astaire from Royal Wedding:

[HQ] How Could You Believe Me (Royal Wedding-1951) - YouTube

Powell is the real revelation here. Who knew at the time she could so considerably transform her image and singing style? And keep up so impressively with Astaire during the tap dance portion? (I can picture Judy Garland doing this but for the life of me I can't picture June Allyson doing it.)

Edited September 17, 2021 by miliosr

[dirac]

12 hours ago, miliosr said:

I've been listening to Powell's contributions to Athena tonight. Such a beautiful score and Powell sings it wonderfully.

Powell and Astaire from Royal Wedding:

[HQ] How Could You Believe Me (Royal Wedding-1951) - YouTube

Powell is the real revelation here. Who knew she could so considerably transform her image and singing style? And keep up so impressively with Astaire during the tap dance portion? (I can picture Judy Garland doing this but for the life of me I can't picture June Allyson doing it.)

Also  it's a lengthy number, with lots of opportunities to expose a (relatively) unskilled performer, and Powell seems to sail right through it. 

Shewas also a good actor, who could contribute depth and feeling to scenes when given the opportunity. 

 

[miliosr]

Fun fact: Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor were bridesmaids at each other's first weddings in, respectively, 1949 and 1950. Given the cloistered nature of M-G-M, it made sense for them to be bridesmaids for each other -- they didn't know many people outside the studio walls.

[dirac]

17 hours ago, miliosr said:

Fun fact: Jane Powell and Elizabeth Taylor were bridesmaids at each other's first weddings in, respectively, 1949 and 1950. Given the cloistered nature of M-G-M, it made sense for them to be bridesmaids for each other -- they didn't know many people outside the studio walls.

Twelve husbands between them!  I can't even. At least fifth time was the charm for Powell.

[Helene]

Maria Tallchief wrote in her memoir that, if she had met husband #2 at the time the book was written, they just would have lived together and the relationship would have flamed out, but, given the times, they had to get married.

I can't keep track of the number of pairings and unpairings that young celebrities are part of, constant and numerous, just by skimming the Teen Vogue newsletter.  Thankfully, few of them actually marry and have to de-tangle themselves from the legal messes.

[dirac]

Which could also account for Balanchine's marriages - young ballerinas tend to be accompanied by vigilant ballet mamas.

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Maria Tallchief wrote in her memoir that, if she had met husband #2 at the time the book was written, they just would have lived together and the relationship would have flamed out, but, given the times, they had to get married.

Bette Davis said something similar to Dick Cavett - she and her first husband wanted to sleep together, so they got married. At the time marriage was often the only way many young women could leave their parents' house. 

It used to be said that Taylor married all her lovers, but that was untrue; it was just something for her PR to provide a semblance of propriety for a love life that would be pretty combustible even today.

 

 

[miliosr]

On 9/21/2021 at 8:01 PM, dirac said:

At the time marriage was often the only way many young women could leave their parents' house. 

That was definitely true in Powell's case. She had an overbearing stage mother so marrying at 20 was a way of gaining some control over life. But getting married so young (and still under the studio's grip) resulted in a whole set of different problems.

[dirac]

Turner Classic Movies will honor Powell on October 16.