Once Upon a Screen is celebrating the life and career of Gene Tierney (November 19, 1920 – November 6, 1991) with a special, old-time radio triple-feature starring the Brooklyn-born beauty.
“I simply did not want my face to be my talent.”
♦
The first feature is a Screen Guild Players adaptation of “Laura,” from 1946 in which Tierney reprises her famous role from the 1944 film of the same name directed by Otto Preminger.
Co-starring in this presentation and also reprising their film roles as well are Dana Andrews and Clifton Webb.
- From 1948, Cavalcade of America brings you “The Indigo Girl”:
- This next show is really special. This is a new-to-me comedy series hosted by Harold Lloyd. Yes, THAT Harold Lloyd! It’s the Old Gold Comedy Theater, named after its sponsor (as was the practice), Old Gold Cigarettes. The series aired on NBC Radio and lasted only one season (1944-1945). Again, probably due to the format they chose, which emulated Lux Radio Theater productions, featuring half-hour episodes that were reduced versions of popular comedy films. Although cutting the scripts of full-length feature films that were in many cases still available in theaters didn’t appeal much to audiences at the time, these episodes are great fun to listen to today. So, without further ado, from March 18, 1945, starring Randolph Scott and Gene Tierney, here’s the Old Gold Comedy Theater adaptation of “A Lady Takes a Chance.”
- Sponsored by U.S. Steel, here is the Theater Guild on the Air presentation of “The First Year” from 1947 with Tierney and Betty Garde:
- Theatre Guild on the Air presents “The Age of Innocence” starring Gene Tierney with Arthur Kennedy and Estelle Winwood in support:
- Command Performance USA brings you Gene Tierney, Edgar Bergen and Betty Hutton:
- Gene Tierney visits “Duffy’s Tavern” in 1944 episode, “Policy for Finnegan”:
- From October 7, 1946 opposite Vincent Price, here is “Dragonwyck”
- From March 17, 1947 opposite Cornel Wilde, here is “Leave Her to Heaven”:
- In February 1954 Gene recreated the radio version of “Laura” for Lux with Victor Mature as her co-star:
“I learned quickly at Columbia that the only eye that mattered was the one on the camera.”
Gene Tierney
Once upon a screen... 
Even though Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews did 5 pictures together, they were never close friends. They liked each other well enough, but I can tell you as Dana’s biographer that he seldom took an interest in his leading ladies.
Any idea why he was so fastidious? I assume someone has suggested he was gay – because someone suggests *every* old time star was gay 🙂
Dana was not gay. He was very happily married. Studio work was his job.
That’s cool. I wasn’t suggesting he WAS gay, just reflecting on the fact the claim seem to have been made about almost everyone in the Golden Age at some time. 🙂
Lots were gay. Yes
I just realised you are Carl Rollyson! I read your stuff on reading/writing biography a while back. Loved your perspective and wanted to ask you at the time if you think it’s possible for biography to ever really tell the truth. I read a lot of biographies and I am thinking that in the end what we read is a sum of many things, but rarely any kind of literal truth about the subject.
There is no truth per se.
Thanks for your kind words about my work.
That is fascinating. Your book is on my Christmas wish list!! 🙂 Thanks for sharing that.
Aurora
Let me know how you enjoy the book Aurora