Eleanor Parker in Lizzie

In 1957, Eleanor Parker starred in Lizzie, a movie about a woman with multiple personalities. The actress was perfect for the role and deftly handled her three characters, helping to make the film an entertaining campy classic. Lizzie was made by Bryna Productions, the production company owned by Eleanor Parker's former Detective Story co-star Kirk Douglas.

One thing you might notice about Eleanor Parker in Lizzie is the sheer amount of facial expressions the actress goes through during the course of the movie. Eleanor Parker really goes all-out for her role as a woman with three personalities, willing to do whatever it takes to take her character over the top. So, why isn't Lizzie better remembered? One of the biggest reasons is that a more popular film covering the same basic material came out later the same year: The Three Faces of Eve (though I would rather watch Eleanor Parker than Joanne Woodward any day). Regardless, Lizzie remains a nice cult classic for those who have taken the time to find it and watch it.

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Here are some images of Eleanor Parker in Lizzie:

Lizzie in the newspapers

In 1957, Eleanor Parker starred in the camp classic Lizzie. Based on a book by author Shirley Jackson, Lizzie tells the story of a woman with multiple personalities. This allowed Eleanor Parker to really have fun with a triple role, though most of the film deals with battle between her weak, demure personality and her bad girl personality. Lizzie was made Bryna Productions, the production company owned by Kirk Douglas, and as such was afforded a wide release and a fair amount of newspaper coverage. The following are some examples of newspaper ads and articles concerning Eleanor Parker and the movie.

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Here are three original newspaper advertisements for Lizzie:

A pair of promo images of Eleanor Parker:

And some reviews and articles about Lizzie:

Promoting Escape from Fort Bravo

In 1953, Eleanor Parker starred in her first western, Escape from Fort Bravo. The long-time Warner Bros actress had recently moved to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and this was her third film for MGM. Eleanor Parker was top-billed in Escape from Fort Bravo alongside William Holden and John Forsythe. The following is a collection of newspaper clippings and promotional photos relating to Eleanor Parker and Escape from Fort Bravo:

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Here's a pair of original advertisements for Escape from Fort Bravo:

Here's a couple of contemporary newspaper clippings concerning Eleanor Parker and Escape from Fort Bravo:

Here are some promotional photographs of Eleanor Parker and her co-stars from Escape from Fort Bravo:

Voice of the Turtle in the newspapers

In 1947, Eleanor Parker starred alongside Ronald Reagan in the film adaptation of a popular play called The Voice of the Turtle. The following is a small selection of newspaper clippings concerning the movie.

One of the first things you might notice about Eleanor Parker in The Voice of the Turtle is her hair. She wears (depending on how you look at it) a somewhat cute or somewhat odd bob hairdo with prominent bangs. Some people liked the hairstyle, though one person in particular was not too fond of it:

Finally, here is a short and fluffy bit of press concerning Eleanor Parker and Ronald Reagan on the set of Voice of the Turtle:

How Eleanor Parker was cast in Of Human Bondage

Here's a great newspaper clipping in which the great writer/director Edmund Goulding tells the story of how Eleanor Parker came to be cast in the 1946 film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's Of Human Bondage. The role had originally been played by Bette Davis in the 1934 version so Eleanor Parker had some big shoes to fill by taking on the part.