jamotto Posted November 10, 2004 Report Posted November 10, 2004 Link quote: In the pantheon of favorite motion pictures of all time, "Casablanca" rates, if not Numero Uno then certainly among the top two or three, right there with "Gone With the Wind" and "The Godfather." The 1943 "Casa" came in No. 1 in the AFI's recent list of the top romantic films, No. 2 (to "Citizen Kane") on its list of 100 greatest American movies and, even after 60-plus years, its popularity shows no hint of a slowdown. That makes this date particularly relevant because the last surviving cast member from that classic film celebrates her 80th birthday today. She's Joy Page. The actress played the raven-haired, beautiful Bulgarian bride who is rescued early in the film by Rick (Humphrey Bogart). He helps her win a stash at a roulette table at Rick's Cafe Americain so she can avoid the clutches of a lecherous Claude Rains and thus get out of town with her husband (Helmut Dantine). Joy was one of the 14 actors billed in the credits, and it marked her first film appearance. She was 17 and just out of high school when the "Casablanca" scenes set in Rick's Cafe began filming on Stage 8 at Warner Bros. studio in late May 1942. She got the part via a curious route; curiouser, as Alice would say in Wonderland, when you consider that she also was the stepdaughter of Warner Bros.' head honcho, Jack L. Warner. (Her mother was Warner's wife, Ann; her father was Ann's previous husband, movie heartthrob Don Alvarado.) According to Joy Page's son Gregory Orr, Warner wasn't at all keen to have his stepdaughter be an actress. He didn't encourage her in that direction, nor did he open doors for her. She had read an early draft of the script when her father brought one home, but she wasn't impressed. (She found it "old fashioned" and "cliched.") But acting did intrigue her, and Page began attending classes taught by Warner studio acting coach Sophie Rosenstein; it was Sophie R. who eventually suggested that Joy read for the role of the bride. She did, later reading for the film's casting director as well as the man directing the film, Michael Curtiz, and all agreed she'd be ideal. By this time, Joy herself was interested because Ingrid Bergman had been signed for the film, "and if Ingrid was in it, I knew it would be good," she reasoned. No one, however, initially could summon up the nerve to suggest to Warner that his stepdaughter be cast. But it was finally done, Warner gave a reluctant OK, and Page made the film -- and a strong impression in it. Jack L. thought she was fine but refused to sign her to a long-term contract or cast her in any subsequent Warner film. She did, however, soon go over to MGM to play the major role of Ronald Colman's daughter in William Dieterle's 1944 "Kismet," with Marlene Dietrich. Later starring roles included 1948's "Man-Eater of Kumaon," at Universal with Indian actor Sabu; Budd Boetticher's 1951 "The Bullfighter and the Lady" at Republic; and Jose Ferrer's 1955 "The Shrike." In the meantime, Page had married actor Bill Orr, who later became a major Warner Bros. exec; marriage and motherhood soon became her primary focus, and she retired as an actress. Her days on a soundstage may have been few, but the result of the work Page did on Warner Bros.' Stage 8 makes her an esteemed part of movie history forever. Happy 80th birthday, treasured lady.
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now