Eleanor Parker is one of those Hollywood stars who never starred in a true "classic" movie, and so has passed a bit into the void of historical amnesia, but who, in her prime, was a terrific actress who fought for and got great parts in serious movies. It seems amazing to me that someone who probably is often confused with the musical star and tap-dancer, Eleanor Powell, was nominated for three Academy Awards for Best Actress in the early 1950s (what was arguably the peak of American cinema): in
Caged,
Detective Story, and
Interrupted Melody. The only one I've seen is
Detective Story, and it was a very fine, albeit stagey film noir with Kirk Douglas. I suspect most people haven't seen any of them, which is a bit sad. As always,
tempus fugit. She's 89 and, I hope, still doing well.
