By Jessica Pickens
She was one of the most famous stars in Hollywood.
Lana Turner was the epitome of movie glamour queen. Never leaving the house unless she was “camera-ready,” she had nicknames throughout her career. From being a favorite of servicemen during World War II to being the queen of the nightclubs… and to the headlines, Turner was larger than life, even if she only stood 5’3”. While Turner was born more than a century ago on on Feb. 8, 1921, another like her won’t be born in 100 more years.
But she was also quite an actress, something that she may not be given much credit for since many are blinded by her glamour. Here are films that highlight Turner’s rise in career and image shift—showing as she started as a teen actress and shifted into an adult top actress. Rent the following films:
Love Finds Andy Hardy (1938)
Starring Mickey Rooney, Judy Garland, Lewis Stone, Lana Turner, Ann Rutherford
In the fourth film in the “Andy Hardy” series, Andy Hardy (Rooney) finds himself dividing his time between three girls: his girlfriend Polly Benedict (Rutherford), his best friend Beezy’s girlfriend Cynthia Porter (Turner), and Betsy (Garland), the granddaughter of his next-door neighbor. During the Christmas season, Andy wants to take Polly to the Christmas Eve dance. But Polly says she’s going to be out of town. Beezy wants Andy to keep an eye on Cynthia while he is out of town, and Betsy can’t wait to meet Andy after her grandmother told her so much about him. Andy ends up with all three girls on his hands for the dance and has to decide who he will take. At the same time, Andy’s mother is also away for the holidays because Mrs. Hardy's mother is ill.
Starting acting as a teenager, Turner was just 17 in this role. This was Lana Turner’s first significant role, and being a love interest in an Andy Hardy film could mean success for a young actress.
Ziegfeld Girl (1941)
Starring Lana Turner, Hedy Lamarr, Judy Garland, James Stewart, Tony Martin, Jackie Cooper
Three girls—Sheila (Turner), Susie (Garland), and Sandra (Lamarr)—are all discovered and selected to be in the latest production produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. Each lady handles her newfound fame differently and struggles in various ways on how to handle family, husbands, boyfriends as admirers, and the parties and money that surround them. They quickly learn that fame comes with a price.
In the grand scheme of films, Ziegfeld Girl may be considered a fluff, lavish MGM film. But it’s important in the career of Lana Turner, solidifying her as a star. After this film, Turner was considered an important star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Ziegfeld Girl is a visually stunning film with fantastic sets and astonishing costumes by Adrian. Watch this one alone for the visual aesthetic.
The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946)
Starring Lana Turner, John Garfield, Cecil Kellaway, Hume Cronyn, Leon Ames, Audrey Totter
In a film adaptation of James M. Cain’s noir novel, Cora Smith (Turner) is married to an older man, Nick Smith (Kellaway), who owns a filling station and diner. A drifter named Frank Chambers (Garfield) stops at the diner. Cora and Frank have an electric attraction and start an affair, planning how Cora can get rid of her husband, Nick.
Postman is one of Turner’s best film roles and was a rare bad girl role. Turner is continuously dressed in white throughout the film, and the vision of her in the white shorts, turban, and crop top is a striking look from this film.
Jessica Pickens is a North Carolina-based writer. She has a degree in print journalism and now works in public relations. Outside of work, she writes about pre-1968 films at CometOverHollywood.com with a special interest in musicals, films released in 1939, and World War II-era films. You can follow her on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.