Hollywood Studio Magazine (February 1972)

VV JEAN PARKER YESTERDAY - as she appeared in 1934 opposite Charles Boyer in Fox production, “Caravan.” Cukor’s production of the Louisa May Alcott classic, LITTLE WOMEN. The hand-picked cast from Hepburn to Jean’s “Beth,” performed flawlessly. LITTLE WOMEN won three Academy Award nominations; then to Paramount as a “livin-in girl” with George Raft in LIMEHOUSE BLUES - “I didn’t even know what the term, ‘livin-in’ meant.” In each picture there was a little more confidence, a little more mastery. However, what was to have been her first official starring picture, SEQUOIA — was more noted for its beautiful scenery than Jean’s performance. MGM kept her busy churning out programmers: A WICKED WOMAN, MURDER IN THE FLEET as Robert Taylor’s first leading lady and HAVE A HEART, one of her best early performances, as a crippled girl opposite James Dunn. Director Erik Charell wanted to borrow her for CARAVAN, but MGM refused. Jean fought; she was desperate to do it. And did. As the gypsy girl in love with Charles Boyer, she over-shadowed “countess” Loretta Young. The peak of her early film career was approaching. She left for England and Rene’ Clair’s THE GHOST GOES WEST (’36) with Robert Donat as the ghost accompaning the castle being removed brick by brick to the US by millionaire Eugene Palette, and daughter Jean. Rumors persisted that she had fallen madly in love with the then-married Donat. It was a friendship to last until his death in ’58. Also, during this British location, she became a close friend of Vivien Leigh and the two spent many weekends shopping in Paris. Next was Paramount’s THE TEXAS RANGERS with Fred MacMurray, a good Western directed by King Vidor. An unfortunate move to Columbia resulted in strictly B-picture stuff: PENITENTIARY, ROMANCE OF THE REDWOODS, PARENTS ON TRAIL (’39). David O. Selznick tested Jean for GONE WITH THE WIND, and for a time, she ran a close second to Olivia de Havilland to play Melanie. At Paramount, the prolific Pine-Thomas unit chose Jean as their. current redhead favorite (Rhonda Fleming, Arleen Whelan and Arlene Dahl would be others) for POWER DIVE, FLYING BLIND, NO HANDS ON THE CLOCK, TORPEDO BOAT, I LIVE ON DANGER, WRECKING CREW, ALASKA HIGHWAY, MINESWEEPER, HIGH EXPLOSIVE, THE NAVY WAY. The P-T productions weren’t strong on plotting or dialogue, and the action was only fair in most — the major factor, I think, was the interesting casting of familiar names. Jean thought it essential to have some theatre experience if she wanted to stay in the business, and went to New York to do stage work, announcing that she was quitting films. “This was the adult phase of my career and these years were the happiest of my life,” she said. She toured, to rave notices, in “CANDLE LIGHT,” “DREAM GIRL,” “RAIN” and “BORN YESTERDAY”; Broadway hailed her brilliant performance in “LOCO,” and the 1946 revival of “BURLESQUE.” Hence, she returned to the screen with greater assurance as the dance-hall queen friend of Gregory Peck in Henry King’s THE GUNFIGHTER for 20th Century-Fox and as the girl of condemned killer Edward G. Robinson in BLACK TUESDAY (’54). And then very quietly she married and dropped out. And she has enjoyed the role of mother. Her son, and only child, Robert Lowery, Jr., now 19 and is now attending Santa Barbara University. Jean took a vacation from her career “just being a mother and loving it.” She has said: “Part of my absence from films and the theatre was to give Robert a feeling of security after my divorce.” But she also discovered she enjoyed domesticity. “I love to cook and was cooking all the time.” She was always a pleasure to watch and hear and was never quite like anyone else. She never quite achieved the mystic status of superstar, maybe this time she will, because Jean Parker is where we all want her - back in the acting groove. *** 10