Joan Collins

An Actor’s Life

Joan Collins lives an actor's life

issue 17 May 2008

Joan Collins lives an actor’s life

Channel surfing on a rainy afternoon, I zeroed in on an old black-and-white movie that looked quite interesting, and with a wonderful cast too — Stanley Baker, Gloria Grahame, Laurence Harvey, Robert Morley, Margaret Leighton, John Ireland, Freda Jackson and Richard Basehart — a veritable Who’s Who of wonderful 1950s movie actors. Then on sashayed a zaftig teenager in a tight sweater and a bun — both on her head and in the oven (in the film). ‘My God, it’s me!’ I squealed, then settled down to watch the long forgotten The Good Die Young. Three good men — a broken boxer (Stanley Baker), an American veteran (Richard Basehart) trying to win back his mother-dominated wife (Me), and an air force sergeant (John Ireland) married to a faithless actress (Gloria Grahame) are corrupted by Miles Ravenscourt (Laurence Harvey), an amoral ‘gentleman’.

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