Goodbye Jean... I'll surely miss those beautiful "Doe" eyes...
sorry this is late, I needed to gather my composer...
My 65th birthday was on Janurary 27th 2010. I was passing some time at the
house waiting to cruise over to son Harry's and later his sister Dannie's
to stuff myself with Italian pasta, cake and well wishes. I decided to check
out my favorite TV channel TCM, and just happened to catch one of their
beautifully edited, outstanding "Tribute" clips... as it dissolved to black
I clicked off the set... a solitary tear rolling down my cheek as I realized
one of my youth's great heart throb's must have just died... bummer... not
the message I wanted that day.
The wonderful, alluring, "Doe eyed" Jean Simmons had passed away on the
22th, but I didn't become aware of it until that moment, alone in my dark
livingroom. Silent, like that great gut wretching scene of her's with Peck
in THE BIG COUNTRY... just her face, those eyes, scene after scene, memories
flipping by at 24 frames a second... a fantastic editing exercise for a
fantastic actress, a fantastic screen personiality.
Jean Simmons was born Janurary 31, 1929 in London, England the daughter of
an Olympic champion. She died Janurary 22, 2010 in Santa Monica California,
USA. She had been married to a man in an iron mask, Stewart Granger, annnnd
the word spinning Richard Brooks. With them she had created 2 lovely
daughters, Tracey & Kate.
Jean's film career took root in Britain... three films in paticular brought
attention to her on our shores... 1946's Dicken's classic GREAT
EXPECTATIONS, 1947's artful BLACK NARCISSUS, and her outstanding Ophelia to
Olivier's lead in 1948's HAMLET.
I first took notice of her in 1953's THE ROBE in the sculpted palace of San
Antonio's Majestic Theatre. I was just about 9 years old, but those eyes of
her's worked their magic even then. Two year's later I revisited those big
dark eyes in the Majestic during Brando's GUYS AND DOLLS. I was hooked by
the time THIS EARTH IS MINE hit the screen, and Jean's charms had totally
had their way with me by the time Lancaster and ELMER GANTRY exploded at
the packed 4000 seat Majestic. By the time her signature film, Kubrick's
SPARTACUS hit I had my own real flesh & blood, raven haired, soulful eyed
love, but I remained tied to Jean well into the 70's and occasional work
right up to 2009's SHADOWS IN THE SUN.
Of course there was all that wonderful TV work of her's as well, much of it
phantastic genre pieces: "North & South," "Inherit the Wind," "Murder She
Wrote," "Star Trek," "Dark Shadows," "Angel Falls," "In the Heat of the
Night."
Jean has said one of her fondest movie making memories occurred during the
long (multi year) shoot of SPARTACUS. Kirk Douglas was hanging on the cross,
lunch was called, the whole crew left, buuuut Kirk, hanging above them all,
loosing character, finally.
It will be tough looking into those eyes of yours on TCM, Jean, knowing
you're gone now. Hope you're finally at peace, at least.
