dual personalities

Lucky Julie Harris. Laughing it up with these guys:

Julie Harris with Elia Kazan, Marlon Brando and James Dean in 1955

Julie Harris died last month. She was, of course, an American stage, screen, and television actress of the first rank. She won five Tony Awards, three Emmy Awards and a Grammy Award, and was nominated for an Academy Award. In 1994 she was awarded the National Medal of Arts. She was a member of the American Theatre Hall of Fame and received the 2002 Special Lifetime Achievement Tony Award.

I remember watching my mother watch Julie play Emily Dickinson in The Belle of Amherst on television back in the 1976. My mother wept pretty much uncontrollably, which was quite unnerving to me. But Julie Harris was one of those actresses that loses herself in the part–she became Emily Dickinson. Awesome.

I haven’t had a Friday movie pick in some time, so I suggest we all watch Julie Harris in East of Eden, which introduced James Dean to the world. It was Julie’s second film. It only covers a small part of Steinbeck’s great novel, but it is a good movie taken on its own. James Dean’s performance is spectacular and he is ably supported by Raymond Massey, Jo Van FLeet, Burl Ives, and–of course–Julie Harris.

Today is also the birthday of Elia Kazan (September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003)–American director, producer, writer, actor, founder of the Actors Studio, and Williams College graduate. The New York Times described him as “one of the most honored and influential directors in Broadway and Hollywood history”. He was nominated for a Best Director Oscar for East of Eden, but lost to Delbert Mann, who won that year for Marty. C’est la vie.

Have a great weekend!