Posted on 05/01/2006 2:44:48 PM PDT by Borges
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - Glenn Ford, stalwart hero of Westerns, comedies and urban dramas during Hollywood's Golden Age, emerged from 15 years of seclusion to celebrate his 90th birthday with friends and co-workers at his home.
However, Ford, who turned 90 on Monday, was unable to enjoy the celebration, held the previous day. He was lucid and communicative in the morning, family members said, but his condition worsened in the afternoon. A few guests made visits to his bedroom, but he was unable to respond.
"Dad has had a series of ministrokes starting 15 years ago," said his son, Peter Ford. "For 12 years, my family has lived in the house to take care of him." Peter, whose mother was Eleanor Powell, the first of Ford's three wives, added that his father "has good days and bad days."
He reported that his father doesn't like many of today's movies-DVDs of Oscar-nominated films are sent to him because he is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
But he enjoys watching vintage films, including his own. "One picture that he didn't like was The Loves of Carmen with Rita Hayworth, which (Columbia boss) Harry Cohn forced him to make," Peter Ford said.
Ford's life and career were intertwined with Hayworth's. They met as young contract players at Columbia Pictures, and both achieved top stardom in the sensual Gilda. In 1960, Hayworth sold Ford her next-door property where he built his house, a javelin's throw from the Beverly Hills Hotel.
His Beverly Hills house is a virtual shrine to its owner. The entrance leads to a two-storey covered atrium with tropical foliage in the middle and balconies plastered with large posters, some in foreign languages, of Ford movies.
The lower level features a remarkably accurate life-size wax figure of Ford in The Teahouse of the August Moon. It was formerly in the Hollywood Wax Museum. The adjacent poolroom has four walls packed with photos, most of them autographed, of his fellow stars.
Ford was scheduled to appear Monday night at a celebration of his life and work presented by the American Cinematheque. The program was to feature comments by his co-stars and a screening of Gilda.
Ford was born in Quebec and moved to California with his family as a child.
"Gilda" is such a cool movie. Isn't this film the one in which Rita wears that famous skin-tight silver gown?
Give me the the old days with Glenn Ford instead of the new days with baby-faced pipsqueaks like Tom Cruise. Ugh!
Leni
Yeah. What an intense, beautifully acted film with a superb cast. It was Vic Morrow's first film and Sidney Poitier's fifth.
I think the screenplay was prophetic in its depiction of inner city schools and the hellish places they became since the film was made in 1955.
He was greatest in " Fastest Gun Alive"
But the made for TV "Brotherhood of the Bell" is a great secret society, and very scary movie.
BWT, can't mention 'Blackboard Jungle' without mentioning how it made Bill Haley and the Comets' 'Rock Around The Clock' the first rock anthem. It's still one of the rock songs ever.
One from the last of the greatest generation from Hollywood.
MORE on Glenn Ford....
He became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 1939, and served in two wars. In 1941, months before Pearl Harbor was attacked, Ford joined the Coast Guard Auxiliary, where he was on duty some evenings and occasional weekends. Already a movie star, he asked for "regular duty", to be treated as one of the guys, not a celebrity. He later put his acting career on hold to fight in World War II, serving in the U.S. Marines from 1943-45 and seeing action in the Pacific. When he was discharged he signed up with the U.S. Naval Reserves, where he served for decades, rising to the rank of captain.
He visited U.S. troops in Korea and Vietnam on well-publicized morale-building trips during those wars. And in a 1993 interview Ford confided that he had also been sent on five secret missions into Vietnam during that war. Asked for details, all he would say was, "They asked me to go, and I went." Asked if he was a war hero, Ford replied, "There's no heroes. Or everyone who serves is a hero. If you want the truth, there aren't enough medals to go around."
The following is from the Real Hollywood Heroes website:
Glenn Ford: When the United States entered World War II Glenn enlisted in the Marines. Among his numerous Medals and Commendations are, the Good Conduct Medal, the American Defense Service Ribbon, the European Theater Ribbon with three Battle Stars, one Overseas Service Bar, and the French Legion of Honor for his service in France during World War II. Following his WWII service, he transferred his commission to the U. S. Naval Reserves. He retired as a Captain in the US Naval Reserve.
As you can see, the synopsis doesn't mention anything about Vietnam. He turned 50 in 1966, so I doubt that he participated in that war.
However, like many men in Hollywood at the time, Glenn Ford gave up some of what would have been his best years in films to enlist during WWII. He was just 25 in 1941 when the United States entered the war, and his career was just taking off at the time.
For whatever reason, Hollywood has never honored Glenn Ford.
I didn't realize he was still alive.
Boy that brings back great memories...
Imitation General. He played a Master Sergeant who was a division commander's aid/batman who ran a battle after the general died to stop a German breakthrough. Red Buttons co-starred.
I vaguely remember that, that was a long time ago and don't think it was one of his better known movies.
Happy birthday to Mr. Ford.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Ford. May God bless you!
Yep, he played Admiral Spruance to a tee. Having read about Spruance, Ford fit into his personality very well.
For that matter so did Robert Mitchum as old gruff Admiral Halsey. And Henry Fonda as Admiral Nititz.
They were all cast well in that movie.
God bless Glenn Ford on his 90th! He's the complete opposite of today's dreck that are called "stars". 3:10 TO YUMA, FASTEST GUN ALIVE, BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, ETC...,I could watch his movies all day (and I would have yesterday if I didnt have to work). He had some great films in different genres, however my favorites are his westerns, done in that "golden era" of the fifties, particularly the late fifties. He brought a subtle "something extra" quality to his films, that made him so satisfying to watch. As long as they're still showing the movies of Glenn Ford, and all his great contemporaries, you have no need to patronize hollywood and be exposed to turgid, toxic crap they routinely pump out. BOYCOTT hollywood all the way!!
I'll have to look this up on IMDB, but he made a movie where he had to transport people while at the same time fearing he had contracted rabies. It was a good, tense film.
When they made the tv mini-series, The Winds of War, I thought they should have gotten Ford for the role Mitchum played.
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