Saturday, July 20, 2024

Jane Greer: RKO’s ‘woman with the Mona Lisa smile’


The model, actress, and fair beauty Jane Greer is laid bare before our eyes in LIFE magazine, 8 June 1942. It was this very photoshoot that compelled Howard Hughes—a man of immeasurable wealth and influence, and one with a keen eye for talent—to take the young aspirant under his wing and bring her to Hollywood stardom. Their business relationship endured roughly a decade but was not without its share of tribulations. Arguably, her best-known role was in 1947’s 'Out of the Past', starring opposite Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas.

She was born Bettejane Greer in Washington D.C. on 9 September 1924 but legally changed her name to Jane Greer in 1945, proclaiming to the press: 'Mine is a sissy name. It's too bo-peepish, ingenueish, for the type of role I've been playing. It's like Mary Lou or Mary Ann.' For a very brief time (separating after just three months), she was the wife of saxophonist and bandleader Rudy Vallee. Her talents were recognised in 1960 when a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was bestowed upon her. She continued to work in television into the 1980s.

Photo: Verily, Jane Greer is smoking in this relaxed and alluring pose. Seated against a dark backdrop, a playful smile dances upon her lips. She is draped in a dark sheet that covers her torso. In her dexter hand, a slender cigarette rests, with a wisp of smoke curling upwards like the very tendrils of desire. Her other hand, a vision of creamy flesh, finds a gentle resting place upon her breast. Her hair is a cascade of soft waves, amplifying her natural beauty.

Copyright 2024, Arthur Newhook. @Sunking278 and @FloydEtcetera on X, and at the same handles on FACEBOOK. MASTODON - @ArthurNewhook@mastodon.world, BLUESKY - @arthurnewhook.bsky.social. DONATIONS GRATEFULLY ACCEPTED at https://tinyurl.com/ArthurNewhook.

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