Announcing The Linda Darnell Centennial Blogathon!

My return to long-form blogging here at Musings of a Classic Film Addict has been a gradual one, especially with the seeming decline in Old Hollywood related blogathons since the pandemic, but now that I’ve come back for a few posts, I figured that it was finally time for me to host my first blogathon in four years! As many of you may know, the iconic and alluring Linda Darnell celebrates what would have been her 100th birthday on October 16th of this year, so I knew that I couldn’t let this momentous occasion pass us by without giving it some much deserved fanfare!

For those unfamiliar with Linda Darnell (which you certainly should be), Linda was born Monetta Eloyse Darnell on October 16th, 1923 in Dallas, Texas to a father who was a postal clerk and a mother who had previously had failed aspirations of becoming a star. Mother Pearl coaxed her daughter into a career as well, and little Linda was participating in beauty contests and modeling as early as eleven years old and acting onstage as early as thirteen. Though talent scouts initially believed Darnell to be too young for pictures, eventually she submitted a successful screen test to RKO, who signed her to a contract but neglected to cast her onscreen. Competition ensued when 20th Century Fox took notice of the ingenue and wanted to cast her in Hotel for Women (1939), which led to Fox securing her release from RKO in order for her to sign a contract with their studio instead, making Linda Darnell one of the youngest leading ladies onscreen at the time at only fifteen. Darnell immediately starred in a string of successful leading roles, most notably those opposite fellow 20th Century Fox idol Tyrone Power: Day-Time Wife (1939), Brigham Young (1940), The Mark of Zorro (1940), and Blood and Sand (1941).

At first the emerging starlet was eager to please her Fox boss Darryl F. Zanuck, but after he continuously overlooked Linda for leading roles that she desperately wanted, such as the lead in Swamp Water (1941) which would eventually go to Anne Baxter, the two became at odds and Darnell was put on suspension and regularly loaned out to other studios. This career change would prove to be a refreshing one for Linda, however, as she was pleased to be working for studios that treated her like an adult and gave her challenging and complex roles, such as Summer Storm (1944) for Angelus Pictures. After accusing Zanuck of undervaluing her, he allowed her to choose her own project for Fox, and she chose a film which would revitalize her career and redefine her as an actress: Hangover Square (1945). She followed that iconic role with one success after another in unforgettable parts in the classics Fallen Angel (1945), My Darling Clementine (1946), Forever Amber (1947), Unfaithfully Yours (1948), and A Letter to Three Wives (1949), but in spite of her incomparable filmography, Zanuck altered her contract in 1952, limiting her to only one film a year with the studio and essentially retiring her at only twenty-nine. Darnell used this newfound freedom to make a few more successful pictures for other studios like Angels of Darkness (1954) and Zero Hour! (1957), but her final swan song was ultimately the western Black Spurs (1965). Tragedy would end Linda Darnell’s brief life at just 41 years old after sustaining fatal burns from a fire in her secretary’s home.

RULES

1. Considering that Linda Darnell has about forty films to her credit, I will be allowing up to TWO authors to write about the same subject, and a maximum of  THREE entries per person. I encourage everyone to think outside of the box and write about a wide variety of topics related to Linda!
2. Anything relating to Linda Darnell is up for grabs! The possibilities are endless, but I insist that if you intend on writing about her passing that you do so in a manner that is respectful to her and her memory.
3. Once you think of a topic, please leave a comment here with your blog’s name, your blog’s link, and your subject (include the year if you’re choosing a movie).
4. Once you’ve been approved, I’d appreciate it if you help me spread the word! Please take one of my banners from below and put it somewhere on your blog, and make sure to tell your friends! We’d love to see all of Linda’s fans gathering together this October to make her centennial an unforgettable one!

NOTE: I will be out of town from September 15th- September 23rd so I will be slow to add you to the roster if you ask to join during that week! Thank you for understanding!

ROSTER

• Musings of a Classic Film Addict — Linda Darnell’s Collaborations with Tyrone Power
• Whimsically Classic — Hangover Square (1945)
• Moon in Gemini — A Letter to Three Wives (1949)
• The Totally Capable but Truly Furious American Blogger — Forever Amber (1947)
• Classic Film and TV Corner — Top Three Favorite Linda Darnell Performances
• Shadows and Satin — Fallen Angel (1945)
• Taking Up Room — City Without Men (1943)
• Let Yourself Go… To Old Hollywood — Hotel for Women (1939)
• The Everyday Cinephile — Brigham Young (1940)
• Crítica Retrô — Summer Storm (1944)
• Poppity Talks Classic Film — No Way Out (1950)
• 18 Cinema Lane — Blackbeard, The Pirate (1952)