Silver Screen Magic with Tallulah Bankhead

American actress Tallulah Brockman Bankhead was primarily a stage actress and also had a brief but successful career on radio and made appearances on TV. During her career she appeared in 300 film, stage, television, and radio roles. She was posthumously inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame and the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.

Director George Abbott directed the 1931 American pre-Code drama “The Cheat." The film starred Tallulah Bankhead and Harvey Stephens.

The storyline revolves around Elsa Carlyle (Tallulah Bankhead) and her loving relationship with her indulgent husband Jeffrey (Harvey Stephens), a compulsive gambler.

Director Marion Gering directed the 1932 American pre-Code drama “Devil and the Deep." It is based on the novel “Sirenes et Tritons” by Maurice Larrouy. The film starred Tallulah Bankhead, Gary Cooper, Charles Laughton, and Cary Grant.

The storyline follows a naval commander Charles Sturm (Charles Laughton) who has alienated his wife Diana (Tallulah Bankhead) due to his insane jealousy over every man she speaks to. After his obsessive behavior drives her to the arms of a handsome lieutenant, tragic drama ensues.

Director Silvio Narizzano directed the 1965 British horror film "Fanatic," but it was released in the US as “Die! Die! "My Darling!" The film starred Tallulah Bankhead (in her final feature film), Stefanie Powers, Donald Sutherland, and others. It was based on the 1961 novel “Nightmare” by Anne Blaisdell. (pictured above)

The storyline revolves around an American woman, Patricia Carroll (Stefanie Powers), who arrives in England to marry her lover, Alan Glentower (Maurice Kaufman). She first visits her late fiancé Steven’s mother, Mrs. Trefoil (Tallulah Bankhead), who is deranged and kidnaps her and holds her against her own will.

Director Harry Beaumont directed the 1932 American pre-Code romantic drama "Faithless." The film is based on the novel “Tinfoil” by Mildred Cram. It starred Tallulah Bankhead and Robert Montgomery.

The storyline revolves around Carol Morgan (Tallulah Bankhead), a spoiled NY socialite who breaks her engagement with advertising executive Bill Wade (Robert Montgomery) over her refusal to live on his modest salary rather than on her own wealth.

Director Alfred Hitchcock directed the 1944 American survival film "Lifeboat." The film starred Tallulah Bankhead and William Bendix. It was based on a story by John Steinbeck.

The entire film is set entirely on a lifeboat launched from a freighter torpedoed and sunk by a Nazi U-boat.

Director George Abbott directed the 1931 American pre-Code drama “My Sin." It was adapted from the play “Her Past” by Frederick J. Jackson. The film starred Tallulah Bankhead, Fredric March, Harry Davenport, and others.

The storyline is set in Panama, where the infamous nightclub hostess Carlotta (Tallulah Bankhead) kills a man in self-defense and is put on trial for murder. Her defense counsel is Dick Grady (Fredric March), a lawyer who has become an alcoholic.

Director Otto Preminger directed the 1945 American comedy-drama “A Royal Scandal." The film was based on the play “Die Zarin” (The Czarina) by Lajos Bíró and Melchior Lengyel. The film starred Tallulah Bankhead, Charles Coburn, Anne Baxter, and William Eythe.

The storyline is about the love life of Russian empress Catherine the Great (Tallulah Bankhead).

Director George Cukor directed the 1931 American pre-Code drama “Tarnished Lady." It is based on the short story “A Story of a New York Lady” by Donald Ogden Stewart. The film starred Tallulah Bankhead and Clive Brook.

The storyline revolves around Nancy Courtney (Tallulah Bankhead), who struggles to maintain a facade of prosperity since the death of her father. She loves writer DeWitt Taylor (Alexander Kirkland), but her mother urges her to marry stockbroker Norman Cravath (Clive Brook).