GOLDEN YEARS – More on Hollywood divas during its golden years, which Highspeed started yesterday.
“I am not a fan of Meryl Streep. Or I call her, Meryl Creep. I think she’s creepy. Anyway, life is difficult enough without Meryl Streep movies.” – Truman Capote
“Take Joan Collins. She’s common, she can’t act, yet she’s the hottest female property around these days. If that doesn’t tell you something about the state of our industry today, what does?” – Stewart Granger
“I am not a diva or a legend. To be either, I think you have to be dead, or at least as old as Marlene Dietrich or Lillian Gish.” – Catherine Deneuve
“Deborah Kerr is nice…Greer Garson is nice, and Julie Andrews and…All those English actresses are so damned nice! Except Hayley Mills. Thank God.” – John Huston
“Liv Ullmann is an undeniable talent, but what a brooding presence. Seems as if all the ladies out of Scandinavia have to make an effort to be happy.” – Vincent Price
“Who Streisand? The face, that’s a matter of opinion. But the voice is beautiful, the ego rather ugly. She’ll never be nominated for another Oscar, – she’s alienated too many people in the town.” – Lee Remick
“Princess Grace’s legacy is those charming films she was in and those scandalous daughters of her.” – Gilda Radner
“We had personalities then… Carmen Miranda was colorful in black-and-white!” – Betty Grable
“Diva-this, diva that. It’s practically a new buzzword for any female star who acts eccentric. Most divas die young; who would want to be a diva? I saw a play called ‘A Star Is Torn,’ about diva singers, and Judy Garland, Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday – they all died before fifty! Plus others I can’t recall…It boils down to what you want – an unlined, ever-youthful image like Marilyn, who died in her thirties, or to survive your youth and beauty like Jane Russell (Monroe’s ‘Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ costar), who goes on to become not famous, not young, not beautiful, but on the other hand, she’s still there.” – Joan Hackett
