Cleo Moore
Encyclopedia
Cleouna "Cleo" Moore was an American actress, usually seen in the role of a blonde bombshell, in 1950s Hollywood films. She was known as Columbia Pictures
's clone of 20th Century Fox
's, Marilyn Monroe
. Moore was a serious actress, sharing the title "Hollywood's Bad Girl" with another blonde actress, Mamie Van Doren
.
Moore starred in movies such as One Girl's Confession
(1953); The Other Woman
(1954); Hold Back Tomorrow
(1955); Over-Exposed
(1956); and Hit and Run
(1957) all of which showcased Moore as a serious, dedicated actress. These B-movie
film noir
s, earned Moore the nickname "Queen of the B-movie Film Noir". Moore retired from acting in 1957.
and raised in nearby Gonzales, Louisiana
.
. She also played a supporting role in Congo Bill
and worked for Warner Brothers briefly in 1950. She worked for RKO Radio Pictures from 1950–52, making such films as
Hunt the Man Down and Gambling House. She signed with Columbia Pictures
in 1952. She first gained attention as a doomed gun moll in Nicholas Ray
's film noir
On Dangerous Ground
in 1952.
Moore began starring in films in 1952. In 1953, she made one of her most remembered movies, One Girl's Confession
, opposite Hugo Haas
, who would direct and appear opposite her in several other films. She went on to complete Thy Neighbor's Wife (1953), and Bait (1954). After the completion of these films, Moore was dubbed: "Queen of the B-movie Film Noir".
In 1954, she starred in The Other Woman
, playing a B-movie bit player
, who strikes at her movie director for revenge, when he declines the offer for her to be in his picture. Upon completing a supporting role in Women's Prison
, in 1955, Moore signed a brief deal with Universal Pictures
, to play opposite John Agar once more in, Hold Back Tomorrow
, also in 1955.
In 1956, she played in one of her final film appearances; the movie was called Over-Exposed
, with Richard Crenna
. The following year of 1957, Moore made her final film appearance in Hit and Run
. The movie was as other Moore movies dark and mysterious. After the release of Hit and Run, Moore retired from acting, never to return.
During this period of 1950s Hollywood Moore was one of several buxom blondes to achieve notability following to Marilyn Monroe
's major breakthrough; the others including Jayne Mansfield
, Mamie Van Doren
, Diana Dors
, Sheree North
, and Barbara Nichols
. In the mid 1950s Columbia considered starring Moore in a film biography on Jean Harlow
's life but the project did not come to pass. She made headlines with several publicity stunts, notably a five minute kiss on live Chicago television in 1954 and her tongue-in-cheek pledge to one day run for Governor of Louisiana, having been very briefly
married in 1944 to Palmer Long, the youngest son of Louisiana kingmaker Huey Long
.
Moore began attracting a cult following in the 1980s with the airings of her bad girl movies
on television and particularly in movie collectors circles via vintage posters and memorabilia issued for her films. Sony Pictures released three Moore titles Over-Exposed, One Girl's Confession, and Women's Prison in a DVD
set entitled Bad Girls of Film Noir Volume II. The set also included as a bonus feature a 1954 television drama starring Moore.
|}
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
's clone of 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
's, Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
. Moore was a serious actress, sharing the title "Hollywood's Bad Girl" with another blonde actress, Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
.
Moore starred in movies such as One Girl's Confession
One Girl's Confession
One Girl's Confession is a 1953 low-budget film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Cleo Moore and was written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas who also plays a supporting part in the film...
(1953); The Other Woman
The Other Woman (1954 film)
The Other Woman is a 1954 film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie was written and directed byHugo Haas. Haas, Cleo Moore, John Qualen, Jan Arvan and Lance Fuller starred in the film....
(1954); Hold Back Tomorrow
Hold Back Tomorrow
Hold Back Tomorrow is an American 1955 film released by Universal-International.-Plot:A death row inmate has one final request before his impending hanging: he wants to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a suicidal prostitute. After a night of lovemaking, the two are married by the...
(1955); Over-Exposed
Over-Exposed
Over-Exposed was a 1956 film directed by Lewis Seiler. The movie starred Cleo Moore and Richard Crenna and featured Raymond Greenleaf, Jack Albertson, Isobel Elsom, and Jeanne Cooper in supporting roles. This film was released on DVD by Sony Pictures in 2010 as part of the Bad Girls of Film Noir...
(1956); and Hit and Run
Hit and Run (1957 film)
Hit and Run is a 1957 low-budgeted Columbia Pictures film noir, starring, Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas, and Vince Edwards.The movie was Moore's final film appearance; she gained popularity earlier in the 1950s, in B-movie film noirs, all released by Columbia Pictures, for who Moore was a contract...
(1957) all of which showcased Moore as a serious, dedicated actress. These B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
s, earned Moore the nickname "Queen of the B-movie Film Noir". Moore retired from acting in 1957.
Early life
Cleouna Moore was born in Baton Rouge, LouisianaBaton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
and raised in nearby Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Gonzales is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.State...
.
Career
She made her film debut in 1948, playing a small role in Embraceable YouEmbraceable You (film)
Embraceable You is a 1948 romantic drama film starring Dane Clark and Geraldine Brooks, and directed by Felix Jacoves. A getaway car, leaving the scene of a murder, strikes and injures a woman. Afterward, the driver visits her in the hospital.-Cast:...
. She also played a supporting role in Congo Bill
Congo Bill (serial)
Congo Bill is a Columbia movie serial based on the DC Comics character Congo Bill.-Plot:Congo Bill searches Africa following rumours of a "White Goddess" and for an heiress, missing since her plane crashed in the wilderness...
and worked for Warner Brothers briefly in 1950. She worked for RKO Radio Pictures from 1950–52, making such films as
Hunt the Man Down and Gambling House. She signed with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
in 1952. She first gained attention as a doomed gun moll in Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray
Nicholas Ray was an American film director best known for the movie Rebel Without a Cause....
's film noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
On Dangerous Ground
On Dangerous Ground
On Dangerous Ground is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the novel Mad with Much Heart, by Gerald Butler...
in 1952.
Moore began starring in films in 1952. In 1953, she made one of her most remembered movies, One Girl's Confession
One Girl's Confession
One Girl's Confession is a 1953 low-budget film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Cleo Moore and was written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas who also plays a supporting part in the film...
, opposite Hugo Haas
Hugo Haas
Hugo Haas was a Czech film actor, director and writer. He appeared in over 60 films between 1926 and 1962, as well as directing 20 films between 1933 and 1962....
, who would direct and appear opposite her in several other films. She went on to complete Thy Neighbor's Wife (1953), and Bait (1954). After the completion of these films, Moore was dubbed: "Queen of the B-movie Film Noir".
In 1954, she starred in The Other Woman
The Other Woman (1954 film)
The Other Woman is a 1954 film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie was written and directed byHugo Haas. Haas, Cleo Moore, John Qualen, Jan Arvan and Lance Fuller starred in the film....
, playing a B-movie bit player
Bit part
A bit part is a supporting acting role with at least one line of dialogue . In British television, bit parts are referred to as under sixes...
, who strikes at her movie director for revenge, when he declines the offer for her to be in his picture. Upon completing a supporting role in Women's Prison
Women's Prison (1955 film)
Women's Prison is a 1955 film prison noir directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling and Cleo Moore. The movie was released through Columbia Pictures.-Cast:*Ida Lupino as Amelia van Zandt*Jan Sterling as Brenda Martin...
, in 1955, Moore signed a brief deal with Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
, to play opposite John Agar once more in, Hold Back Tomorrow
Hold Back Tomorrow
Hold Back Tomorrow is an American 1955 film released by Universal-International.-Plot:A death row inmate has one final request before his impending hanging: he wants to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a suicidal prostitute. After a night of lovemaking, the two are married by the...
, also in 1955.
In 1956, she played in one of her final film appearances; the movie was called Over-Exposed
Over-Exposed
Over-Exposed was a 1956 film directed by Lewis Seiler. The movie starred Cleo Moore and Richard Crenna and featured Raymond Greenleaf, Jack Albertson, Isobel Elsom, and Jeanne Cooper in supporting roles. This film was released on DVD by Sony Pictures in 2010 as part of the Bad Girls of Film Noir...
, with Richard Crenna
Richard Crenna
Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...
. The following year of 1957, Moore made her final film appearance in Hit and Run
Hit and Run (1957 film)
Hit and Run is a 1957 low-budgeted Columbia Pictures film noir, starring, Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas, and Vince Edwards.The movie was Moore's final film appearance; she gained popularity earlier in the 1950s, in B-movie film noirs, all released by Columbia Pictures, for who Moore was a contract...
. The movie was as other Moore movies dark and mysterious. After the release of Hit and Run, Moore retired from acting, never to return.
During this period of 1950s Hollywood Moore was one of several buxom blondes to achieve notability following to Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
's major breakthrough; the others including Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield
Jayne Mansfield was an American actress working both in Hollywood and on the Broadway theatre...
, Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
, Diana Dors
Diana Dors
Diana Dors was an English actress, born Diana Mary Fluck in Swindon, Wiltshire. Considered the English equivalent of the blonde bombshells of Hollywood, Dors described herself as: "The only sex symbol Britain has produced since Lady Godiva."-Early life:Diana Mary Fluck was born in Swindon,...
, Sheree North
Sheree North
Sheree North was an American actress, singer, and dancer. She was known for being 20th Century Fox's answer to Marilyn Monroe from 1954 to 1956...
, and Barbara Nichols
Barbara Nichols
Barbara Nichols was an American actress who often played brassy comic roles in a number of films in the 1950s and 1960s.-Early life and Career:...
. In the mid 1950s Columbia considered starring Moore in a film biography on Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow
Jean Harlow was an American film actress and sex symbol of the 1930s. Known as the "Blonde Bombshell" and the "Platinum Blonde" , Harlow was ranked as one of the greatest movie stars of all time by the American Film Institute...
's life but the project did not come to pass. She made headlines with several publicity stunts, notably a five minute kiss on live Chicago television in 1954 and her tongue-in-cheek pledge to one day run for Governor of Louisiana, having been very briefly
married in 1944 to Palmer Long, the youngest son of Louisiana kingmaker Huey Long
Huey Long
Huey Pierce Long, Jr. , nicknamed The Kingfish, served as the 40th Governor of Louisiana from 1928–1932 and as a U.S. Senator from 1932 to 1935. A Democrat, he was noted for his radical populist policies. Though a backer of Franklin D...
.
Moore began attracting a cult following in the 1980s with the airings of her bad girl movies
Bad girl movies
"Bad girl movies" are a subcategory of film noir labeled by latter-day movie buffs to describe the dark films of the 1940s and 1950s starring beautiful women on the wrong side of the spirit and/or the letter of the law...
on television and particularly in movie collectors circles via vintage posters and memorabilia issued for her films. Sony Pictures released three Moore titles Over-Exposed, One Girl's Confession, and Women's Prison in a DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set entitled Bad Girls of Film Noir Volume II. The set also included as a bonus feature a 1954 television drama starring Moore.
Personal life
Moore found success as a businesswoman as a real estate developer after her screen career ended in the late 1950s. She had been out of the limelight for many years when she died in her sleep at home, three days before her 49th birthday. She had three sisters: Mari, Voni, and Jonnie. Moore is interred at Inglewood Park Cemetery, Inglewood, California.Filmography
- Embraceable YouEmbraceable You (film)Embraceable You is a 1948 romantic drama film starring Dane Clark and Geraldine Brooks, and directed by Felix Jacoves. A getaway car, leaving the scene of a murder, strikes and injures a woman. Afterward, the driver visits her in the hospital.-Cast:...
(19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) - Congo BillCongo Bill (serial)Congo Bill is a Columbia movie serial based on the DC Comics character Congo Bill.-Plot:Congo Bill searches Africa following rumours of a "White Goddess" and for an heiress, missing since her plane crashed in the wilderness...
(1948) - Dynamite Pass (19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush...
) - Bright LeafBright LeafBright Leaf is a 1950 film drama based on a 1949 novel by Foster Fitzsimmons. It stars Gary Cooper, Patricia Neal and Lauren Bacall, directed by Michael Curtiz....
(1950) - This Side of the Law (1950)
- 711 Ocean Drive711 Ocean Drive711 Ocean Drive is an American crime film noir directed by Joseph M. Newman. The drama features Edmond O'Brien, Joanne Dru and Otto Kruger.-Plot:...
(1950) - The Great Jewel Robbery (1950)
- Rio Grande Patrol (1950)
- Hunt the Man Down (1950)
- Gambling House (1950)
- On Dangerous GroundOn Dangerous GroundOn Dangerous Ground is a film noir directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by John Houseman. The screenplay was written by A. I. Bezzerides based on the novel Mad with Much Heart, by Gerald Butler...
(19521952 in filmThe year 1952 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 10 - Cecil B. DeMille's circus epic, The Greatest Show on Earth, premieres at Radio City Music Hall in New York City....
)
- The Pace That Thrills (1952)
- Strange Fascination (1952)
- One Girl's ConfessionOne Girl's ConfessionOne Girl's Confession is a 1953 low-budget film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie stars Cleo Moore and was written, produced, and directed by Hugo Haas who also plays a supporting part in the film...
(19531953 in filmThe year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
) - Thy Neighbor's Wife (1953)
- Bait (19541954 in filmThe year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
) - The Other WomanThe Other Woman (1954 film)The Other Woman is a 1954 film noir released by Columbia Pictures. The movie was written and directed byHugo Haas. Haas, Cleo Moore, John Qualen, Jan Arvan and Lance Fuller starred in the film....
(1954) - Women's PrisonWomen's Prison (1955 film)Women's Prison is a 1955 film prison noir directed by Lewis Seiler and starring Ida Lupino, Jan Sterling and Cleo Moore. The movie was released through Columbia Pictures.-Cast:*Ida Lupino as Amelia van Zandt*Jan Sterling as Brenda Martin...
(19551955 in filmThe year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
) - Hold Back TomorrowHold Back TomorrowHold Back Tomorrow is an American 1955 film released by Universal-International.-Plot:A death row inmate has one final request before his impending hanging: he wants to spend the night with a woman. The police bring him a suicidal prostitute. After a night of lovemaking, the two are married by the...
(1955) - Over-ExposedOver-ExposedOver-Exposed was a 1956 film directed by Lewis Seiler. The movie starred Cleo Moore and Richard Crenna and featured Raymond Greenleaf, Jack Albertson, Isobel Elsom, and Jeanne Cooper in supporting roles. This film was released on DVD by Sony Pictures in 2010 as part of the Bad Girls of Film Noir...
(19561956 in filmThe year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
) - Hit and RunHit and Run (1957 film)Hit and Run is a 1957 low-budgeted Columbia Pictures film noir, starring, Cleo Moore, Hugo Haas, and Vince Edwards.The movie was Moore's final film appearance; she gained popularity earlier in the 1950s, in B-movie film noirs, all released by Columbia Pictures, for who Moore was a contract...
(19571957 in filmThe year 1957 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 21 - The movie Jailhouse Rock, starring Elvis Presley, opens.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue-Awards:...
)
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