Centennial Alexis Smith / CLASSIC MOVIES ROUND-UP

Centennial Alexis Smith

9.6.21

This year I want to celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of some actors I like. I've already dedicated a tribute post to Lana Turner (here) and now it's Alexis Smith's turn. She had her centennial yesterday. I'll give a short bio first and then will list the films I've seen of her so far.

Alexis Smith (8 June 1921 – 9 June 1993) was Canadian-born, a tall and beautiful screen presence, with blue/green eyes and a husky voice. As a child she trained to be a dancer, taking ballet lessons and making her professional dance debut at the age of 13. She had also begun acting at age 10, performed in summer stock theater and high school productions, and graduated with a degree in drama. While performing in a play she was spotted by a Warner Bros talent scout and got signed to a contract. Her first roles were small uncredited parts and she landed her first credited role in Dive Bomber (1941) opposite Errol Flynn (I just recently watched this for the first time). Her performance in The Constant Nymph (1943) with Charles Boyer was well received and pushed her towards more important roles. The 1940s and 1950s became her most prolific decades and she would appear in westerns, comedies, dramas and musical films. Her co-stars were among Hollywood's greatest leading men, including Humphrey Bogart (Conflict and The Two Mrs. Carrolls), Clark Gable (Any Number Can Play), Fredric March (The Adventures of Mark Twain), Cary Grant (Night and Day), Bing Crosby (Here Comes the Groom) and William Holden (The Turning Point). Apart from Dive Bomber she would appear in more films with Errol Flynn (Gentleman Jim, Montana, San Antonio).

“In those days I was fresh out of school and delighted to be a movie star. Films were pretty much escapist entertainment, as opposed to the realism you see on screen today. Besides I was pretty much a utility girl at Warners. Anything Ann Sheridan or Ida Lupino or Jane Wyman didn't want to do, I sort of fell heir to. You know people frequently feel it was a shame Warner typecast me, but I don't believe that. I believe I typecast myself. I wasn't creative. Certain creative people — John Garfield, Bette Davis, Olivia de Havilland — didn't allow Warners to do that to them. So I don't blame the studio at all.” — Alexis about her first decade in films

When her contract with Warner Bros expired, she made some films for Paramount Pictures. In 1959, she returned to WB to make The Young Philadelphians with Paul Newman. During the 1960s, Smith took a break from the big screen and only appeared in a handful of TV-series and several stage productions. Her biggest artistic achievement came in 1971 when she won a Tony Award for her performance in Stephen Sondheim’s hit Broadway musical Follies. She continued to be productive, playing in more TV-series (like The Love Boat, Dallas and Cheers), and her last performance was in Martin Scorsese's The Age of Innocence (1993). She died of brain cancer on 9 June 1993, one day after her 72nd birthday and shortly before her final film was released.

While some of her film roles were far from exciting, you could count on Alexis to look beautiful and wear stylish dresses designed by the likes of Milo Anderson and Helen Rose. Still, she also proved to be equipped with acting talent and received favourable critical reviews for many of her performances. She was well loved among her peers, thanks to her relaxed and professional manner on the set, and Dirk Bogarde (her co-star in The Sleeping Tiger) said she was "fun, professional, loyal and courageous" and "the days are brighter for knowing her."

In her personal life Alexis was happily married to actor Craig Stevens. They met when Smith was under contract with Warner Bros, and by the time they were filming The Doughgirls they were dating and planning to tie the knot. They married in 1944, in a Presbyterian ceremony at the Church of the Recessional in Glendale, California, before some 300 guests. Errol Flynn, Alexis' frequent leading man and good friend, was also attending. Reports that Flynn was best man to Stevens appear to be false but he did perform an important task, namely taking Craig aside and telling him that if he didn’t treat Alexis right he’d have to answer to him.

Smith and Stevens played together in a couple of films: Dive Bomber (sharing no scenes together), Steel Against the Sky (marrying at the end of the film), The Doughgirls (playing a newlywed couple). They both had uncredited roles in Affectionately Yours (1941) and appeared in a French film called La Truite (1982). Stevens told columnist Louella Parsons in 1942: "I have been in love with her ever since we appeared together in Dive Bomber."

In her later years, Smith played in several stage hits, all co-starring with Stevens. By the time of her death in 1993, she was survived by her husband of 49 years. They had no children.

My first acquaintance with Alexis Smith was in Gentleman Jim with Errol Flynn (I'm pretty sure I've seen this before Montana).

So far I've seen 19 of her films in total, here listed in watching order:

*Gentleman Jim (seen in childhood, last rewatched April 2016)

*Montana (seen in childhood)

*Any Number Can Play (November 2016)

*The Turning Point (November 2016)

*The Two Mrs. Carrolls (November 2016)

*Conflict (November 2016)

*Stallion Road (December 2018)

*The Constant Nymph (February 2020)

*One More Tomorrow (April 2020)

*The Smiling Ghost (June 2020)

*The Woman in White (August 2020)

*Cave of the Outlaws (August 2020)

*The Young Philadelphians (January 2021)

*One Last Fling (January 2021)

*The Eternal Sea (February 2021)

*Here Comes the Groom (May 2021)

*Steel Against the Sky (June 2021)

*Dive Bomber (June 2021)

*Split Second (June 2021)

Of these films Gentleman Jim is by far my favourite. Alexis and Errol Flynn have wonderful chemistry and there's a nice romance story with a lovely ending (cannot count the times I've rewatched that ending!). I've also enjoyed Montana way back when but can't remember much of it. Definitely needs a rewatch!

One Last Fling with Zachary Scott ranks at the bottom of my watched Alexis films. It's an unfunny comedy with a miscast Scott, and Smith couldn't save this film despite looking beautiful. One More Tomorrow is not very good either but Smith has the best part, she plays nasty and does this very well. Cave of the Outlaws has Macdonald Carey as Smith's love interest and they make an unlikely couple. The film is not very exciting either, and though Smith looks great in Technicolor, she wears some gaudy dresses. The Smiling Ghost with Wayne Morris and Brenda Marshall is an enjoyable mystery comedy with a not very likeable role for Smith. The Woman in White (an adaptation of Wilkie Collins' famous novel of the same title) is also enjoyable, but I was a bit disappointed that they'd changed the romantic interest, with Gig Young ending up with Alexis Smith instead of Eleanor Parker. With Smith having first billing she was probably the bigger star at the time.

Of the two films Smith made with Humphrey Bogart (The Two Mrs. Carrolls and Conflict), Conflict is the better one. The Two Mrs. Carrolls (also with Barbara Stanwyck) is entertaining but also very predictable and has some unintentional laughable scenes. Conflict is a compelling noir and less predictable, with a great performance by Bogart. The Turning Point with William Holden was pretty underwhelming, with Smith underused and not particularly good. I didn't care much for Holden's blooming romance with Smith either. The Eternal Sea with Sterling Hayden is a solid biopic of Vice Admiral John Madison Hoskins with Smith playing Hayden's wife. They had nice chemistry. Stallion Road with Ronald Reagan and Zachary Scott vying for Smith's love was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be, and though Smith has only a small part in The Young Philadelphians starring Paul Newman and Barbara Rush, she made an impression and looks good at an older age.

Any Number Can Play, The Constant Nymph and Here Comes the Groom are among the better Alexis Smith films I've seen so far. Any Number Can Play is a fine drama with Clark Gable probably giving one of his best and most convincing performances, playing the owner of a gambling house, struggling with his failing health (heart condition) and trying to win his son's affection. Smith plays Gable's estranged wife. I really liked The Constant Nymph, which is undeniably Joan Fontaine's film, playing a 14-year-old teenager in love with a musician friend of the family (Charles Boyer). In comparison with Fontaine's girly character Smith looks all woman and very tall, and fortunately she has a couple of good scenes. Here Comes the Groom I just watched last month. It's a totally enjoyable affair with Bing Crosby and Jane Wyman. Smith is good and delightful in her light comedy role.

Steel Against the Sky, Dive Bomber and Split Second I watched this month, of which I enjoyed Split Second the most (read my notes on these films with the June round-up). I might watch more Alexis films this month, so stay tuned for the next round-up!

Happy 100th birthday, Alexis!