In MemoriamSome Came Running by Glenn Kenny

Joan Fontaine, 1917-2013

By December 15, 2013January 12th, 20266 Comments

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With Louis Jourdan in Letter From An Unknown Woman, Max Ophuls, 1948. Image stolen from Gary Tooze. Sorry!

I can't even discuss Tom Laughlin. So many feelings. I'm going to go to bed before someone else dies. 

My poor friend the Self Styled Siren has good O'Toole stuff, and will likely have good Joan stuff. 

UPDATE: Dan Callahan, who is a saint and a genius, has a great piece on Fontaine at RogerEbert.com. The site, which I must say does quite a bit right, is also featuring a vintage interview its founder conducted with Peter O'Toole.  

FURTHER UPDATE: The Siren has indeed given us a wonderful Fontaine post, but you'll likely feel as bad as I do that she had to write it. 

6 Comments

  • Teeritz says:

    This year sucks! Gandolfini, Elmore Leonard, Mandela, O’Toole, and now Fontaine (plus others that I can’t think of right now). I know that these stars get older just like the rest of us, but come on! Space them out a little. Jimmy Stewart and Bob Mitchum three days apart in 1997 was bad enough.
    I’m gonna choke up when the “In Memoriam” segment comes on at next year’s Oscars.
    What next? Chloe Moretz!? Is no one safe? 2013 can’t end soon enough.

  • george says:

    And Audrey Totter died a few days ago.
    I wonder how Fontaine’s sister, Olivia DeHavilland, is doing these days. She’s 97.

  • Chris L. says:

    George: The saddest part of this news is that they apparently never resolved their feud. Not sure precisely what it was about, but I’m off to read the Siren’s post next and I’m sure she knows all about it.
    Caught up with Letter from an Unknown Woman about a year ago on TCM. It should be up front in everyone’s remembrances along with the two Hitchcocks. Suffice to say that the word “lyricism” means considerably less today, as it is tossed in the direction of all things “pretty,” than in Ophuls’ time. We are losing so much of our history so rapidly.

  • george says:

    They apparently hadn’t spoken since their mother’s funeral in 1975.
    Here’s a Fontaine comment from 1978: “I married first, won the Oscar before Olivia did, and if I die first, she’ll undoubtedly be livid because I beat her to it!”

  • Kurzleg says:

    George – Thanks for that link. The photo of the two that goes with the piece couldn’t be more perfect.

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