Maxine Cooper Gomberg
Encyclopedia
Maxine Cooper Gomberg was an American
actress, activist, and photographer. She was perhaps best known for her role as a secretary
in the 1955 film, Kiss Me Deadly
, which the Los Angeles Times
has called a "film noir
classic."
distributor
. She first became interested in the theater and acting
while she was enrolled as a student at Bennington College
in Vermont
. Cooper transferred to the Pasadena Playhouse
in Pasadena, California
, where she completed her education in drama.
Cooper travelled to Europe
in 1946 to perform for United States military troops stationed on the continent following the end of World War II
as part of the United States Overseas (USO). She travelled throughout post-war Europe entertaining the troops with an ensemble of other actors including Veda Ann Borg
, Rose Hobart
, and Ellen Corby
.
She remained in Europe for more than five years, performing in both theatrical production
s and television shows for the BBC
. Her BBC television play credits included I Killed the Count
in 1948, and You Can't Take it With You
in 1947, which co-starred Finlay Currie
. She often performed at the Café de Paris
in London
.
Cooper returned to the United States during the 1950s, and appeared in a number of television roles, including the 1959 Twilight Zone
episode "And When the Sky Was Opened
", Dragnet
and Perry Mason
.
, which was mildly based on a novel by Mickey Spillane
. Director
Robert Aldrich
cast Cooper in Kiss Me Deadly after seeing her turn as the character, Anitra,in the Los Angeles production of the play, Peer Gynt
. Aldrich would later cast Cooper in two of his other films, 1956's Autumn Leaves
and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
, which was released in 1962.
She portrayed the character Velda, a trustworthy secretary to Ralph Meeker
's Detective Mike Hammer, who stars as the film's main character. In the early 1970s, the original ending of the film in which Velda and Mike view an explosion which destroyed the beachouse had vanished. The real ending was rediscovered by a film editor in the 1990s, though no one is sure why the ending was tampered with.
Quentin Tarantino
was fascinated by the film as a teenager. Tarantino reportedly used Kiss Me Deadly as an inspiration for the main scenes in Pulp Fiction
, in 1994. Tarantino tried to cast Cooper in the Jack Rabbit Slim restaurant scene in Pulp Fiction, but she declined.
, a screenwriter
and producer
, in 1957. She left the acting profession in the early 1960s in order to raise her family.
Gomberg and her husband became active members of the Hollywood activist community. She helped to organize groups of actors, writers and studio executives
to participate in marches with Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Alabama
, during the 1960s. Cooper also led campaigns against House Un-American Activities Committee's Hollywood blacklists. She also spearheaded protests by those in the entertainment industry against nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War
, and other causes.
Gomberg briefly returned to her acting roots during the 1970s. She made a cameo appearance
as herself in the 1975 television series, Fear on Trial, which starred George C. Scott
as John Henry Faulk
, a blacklisted 1950s television and radio host.
Gomberg became a photographer during her later life. Her photographs were used to illustrate a book by Howard Fast
entitled, The Art of Zen Meditation. The Los Angeles Times
referred to the book as "beautiful" in a 1977 book review when referring to her photographs.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress, activist, and photographer. She was perhaps best known for her role as a secretary
Secretary
A secretary, or administrative assistant, is a person whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, communication & organizational skills. These functions may be entirely carried out to assist one other employee or may be for the benefit...
in the 1955 film, Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
, which the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
has called a "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...
classic."
Early life and career
Maxine Cooper was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1924 to Richard and Gladys Cooper. Her father was employed as a General ElectricGeneral Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
distributor
Distributor
A distributor is a device in the ignition system of an internal combustion engine that routes high voltage from the ignition coil to the spark plugs in the correct firing order. The first reliable battery operated ignition was developed by Dayton Engineering Laboratories Co. and introduced in the...
. She first became interested in the theater and acting
Acting
Acting is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
while she was enrolled as a student at Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. Cooper transferred to the Pasadena Playhouse
Pasadena Playhouse
The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engagements each year.-History:...
in Pasadena, California
Pasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, where she completed her education in drama.
Cooper travelled to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in 1946 to perform for United States military troops stationed on the continent following the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
as part of the United States Overseas (USO). She travelled throughout post-war Europe entertaining the troops with an ensemble of other actors including Veda Ann Borg
Veda Ann Borg
Veda Ann Borg was an American film actress.Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Borg was the daughter of Gottfried Borg, a Swedish immigrant and Minna Noble. She became a model in 1936 before winning a contract at Paramount Pictures. A car crash in 1939 necessitated drastic reconstruction of her face by...
, Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart
Rose Hobart was an American actress.-Career:Born in New York City, her father was a cellist in the New York Symphony...
, and Ellen Corby
Ellen Corby
Ellen Corby was an American actress. She is most widely remembered for the role of "Grandma Esther Walton" on the CBS television series The Waltons, for which she won three Emmy Awards...
.
She remained in Europe for more than five years, performing in both theatrical production
Theatrical production
A theatrical production is any theatre stage play, musical, comedy or drama produced from a written book or script. These works are protected by common law or statuary copyright unless in the public domain....
s and television shows for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Her BBC television play credits included I Killed the Count
I Killed the Count
I Killed the Count is a 1939 British, black-and-white, comedy, crime, mystery film, directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Ronald Shiner as Mullet, Ben Lyon, Syd Walker, Terence de Marney, Barbara Blair and Athole Stewart. It was produced by Grafton Films...
in 1948, and You Can't Take it With You
You Can't Take It with You
You Can't Take It with You is a comedic play in three acts by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart. The original production of the play opened at the Booth Theater on December 14, 1936, and played for 837 performances...
in 1947, which co-starred Finlay Currie
Finlay Currie
Finlay Jefferson Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen and television.Currie was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1878. His acting career began on the stage. He and his wife Maude Courtney did a song and dance act in the US in the 1890s. He made his first film in 1931...
. She often performed at the Café de Paris
Café de Paris
-Establishments:*Café de Paris , West End-Leicester Square-Piccadilly nightclub which, since opening in 1924, has featured Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Gold, Maxine Cooper Gomberg, Ambrose, Harry Roy, Ken "Snakeships" Johnson and many others...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Cooper returned to the United States during the 1950s, and appeared in a number of television roles, including the 1959 Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode "And When the Sky Was Opened
And When the Sky Was Opened
"And When the Sky Was Opened" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It was first aired on December 11, 1959.-Synopsis:...
", Dragnet
Dragnet (series)
Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners...
and Perry Mason
Perry Mason (TV series)
Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner...
.
Kiss Me Deadly
Cooper made her film debut in the 1955 crime thriller film, Kiss Me DeadlyKiss Me Deadly
Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film...
, which was mildly based on a novel by Mickey Spillane
Mickey Spillane
Frank Morrison Spillane , better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American author of crime novels, many featuring his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally...
. Director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich
Robert Aldrich was an American film director, writer and producer, notable for such films as Kiss Me Deadly , The Big Knife , What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? , Hush… Hush, Sweet Charlotte , The Flight of the Phoenix , The Dirty Dozen , and The Longest Yard .-Biography:Robert...
cast Cooper in Kiss Me Deadly after seeing her turn as the character, Anitra,in the Los Angeles production of the play, Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt
Peer Gynt is a five-act play in verse by the Norwegian dramatist Henrik Ibsen, loosely based on the fairy tale Per Gynt. It is the most widely performed Norwegian play. According to Klaus Van Den Berg, the "cinematic script blends poetry with social satire and realistic scenes with surreal ones"...
. Aldrich would later cast Cooper in two of his other films, 1956's Autumn Leaves
Autumn Leaves (film)
Autumn Leaves is a 1956 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol and Hugo Butler, though it was credited to Jack Jevne, Rouverol and Butler being blacklisted at the time...
and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film)
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell...
, which was released in 1962.
She portrayed the character Velda, a trustworthy secretary to Ralph Meeker
Ralph Meeker
Ralph Meeker was an American stage and film actor best-known for starring in the 1953 Broadway production of Picnic, and in the 1955 film noir cult classic Kiss Me Deadly.-Career:...
's Detective Mike Hammer, who stars as the film's main character. In the early 1970s, the original ending of the film in which Velda and Mike view an explosion which destroyed the beachouse had vanished. The real ending was rediscovered by a film editor in the 1990s, though no one is sure why the ending was tampered with.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
was fascinated by the film as a teenager. Tarantino reportedly used Kiss Me Deadly as an inspiration for the main scenes in Pulp Fiction
Pulp Fiction (film)
Pulp Fiction is a 1994 American crime film directed by Quentin Tarantino, who co-wrote its screenplay with Roger Avary. The film is known for its rich, eclectic dialogue, ironic mix of humor and violence, nonlinear storyline, and host of cinematic allusions and pop culture references...
, in 1994. Tarantino tried to cast Cooper in the Jack Rabbit Slim restaurant scene in Pulp Fiction, but she declined.
Later career
Cooper married her husband, Sy GombergSy Gomberg
Sy Gomberg was an Oscar-nominated film screenwriter and producer who taught screenwriting to University of Southern California students for over ten years....
, a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, in 1957. She left the acting profession in the early 1960s in order to raise her family.
Gomberg and her husband became active members of the Hollywood activist community. She helped to organize groups of actors, writers and studio executives
Studio executives
The studio executive is an employee of a film studio or a corporation doing business in the entertainment industry.A studio executive may be a Chief executive officer, a Chief financial officer, a Chief operating officer, or be employed to serve in a variety of Vice presidential capacities, such as...
to participate in marches with Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
, during the 1960s. Cooper also led campaigns against House Un-American Activities Committee's Hollywood blacklists. She also spearheaded protests by those in the entertainment industry against nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, and other causes.
Gomberg briefly returned to her acting roots during the 1970s. She made a cameo appearance
Cameo appearance
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief appearance of a known person in a work of the performing arts, such as plays, films, video games and television...
as herself in the 1975 television series, Fear on Trial, which starred George C. Scott
George C. Scott
George Campbell Scott was an American stage and film actor, director and producer. He was best known for his stage work, as well as his portrayal of General George S. Patton in the film Patton, and as General Buck Turgidson in Stanley Kubrick's Dr...
as John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk
John Henry Faulk from Austin, Texas was a storyteller and radio show host. His successful lawsuit against blacklisters of the entertainment industry helped to bring an end to the Hollywood blacklist.-Early life:...
, a blacklisted 1950s television and radio host.
Gomberg became a photographer during her later life. Her photographs were used to illustrate a book by Howard Fast
Howard Fast
Howard Melvin Fast was an American novelist and television writer. Fast also wrote under the pen names E. V. Cunningham and Walter Ericson.-Early life:Fast was born in New York City...
entitled, The Art of Zen Meditation. The Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
referred to the book as "beautiful" in a 1977 book review when referring to her photographs.
Death
Maxine and Sy Gomberg remained married until his death in 2001, aged 82. She died on April 4, 2009, from natural causes at her home in Los Angeles, aged 84, and was survived by her daughters, Katherine and Marsha, her son, Chris, and five grandchildren.Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | Kiss Me Deadly Kiss Me Deadly Kiss Me Deadly is a 1955 film noir drama produced and directed by Robert Aldrich starring Ralph Meeker. The screenplay was written by A.I. Bezzerides, based on the Mickey Spillane Mike Hammer mystery novel Kiss Me, Deadly. Kiss Me Deadly is often considered a classic of the noir genre. The film... |
Velda | Alternative title: Mickey Spillane's Kiss Me Deadly |
| 1956 | Autumn Leaves Autumn Leaves (film) Autumn Leaves is a 1956 Columbia Pictures drama film starring Joan Crawford and Cliff Robertson in an older woman/younger man tale of mental illness. The screenplay was written by Jean Rouverol and Hugo Butler, though it was credited to Jack Jevne, Rouverol and Butler being blacklisted at the time... |
Nurse Evans | |
| 1957 | Zero Hour! Zero Hour! Zero Hour! is a 1957 movie whose screenplay was written by Arthur Hailey, starring Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden, and released by Paramount Pictures. Zero Hour! was an adaptation of Hailey's 1956 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation play Flight into Danger... |
Sick Woman on Plane | |
| 1962 | What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? (film) What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? is a 1962 American psychological thriller film produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The screenplay by Lukas Heller is based on the novel of the same name by Henry Farrell... |
Bank teller | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1948 | The Front Page | Peggy Grant | Television movie |
| 1954 | The New Adventures of China Smith | 1 episode | |
| 1954–1956 | Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, is a weekly CBS anthology television series, was telecast on Friday nights from 1951 until 1959. Offering both comedies and drama, the series was sponsored by Schlitz beer... |
Various roles | 5 episodes |
| 1955 | The Star and the Story | Mary Rainey | 1 episode |
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents Alfred Hitchcock Presents Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades... |
Mary | 1 episode | |
| Studio 57 | 1 episode | ||
| The Millionaire | Virginia Hewett | 1 episode | |
| You Are There | 1 episode | ||
| 1956 | Chevron Hall of Stars | Rob | 1 episode |
| Matinee Theatre Matinee Theatre Matinee Theatre is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George... |
1 episode | ||
| Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse Four Star Playhouse is an American television anthology series that ran from 1952 to 1956, sponsored in its first bi-weekly season by The Singer Company; Bristol-Myers became an alternate sponsor when it became a weekly series in the fall of 1953... |
Millie Barr Carol |
2 episodes | |
| Wire Service Wire Service Wire Service is an American drama series that aired on ABC as part of its 1956-57 season lineup.-Synopsis:Wire Service focuses on three reporters for the fictional Trans-Globe wire service, which was similar to real-life news wire services such as the Associated Press and United Press International... |
1 episode | ||
| Dragnet Dragnet (series) Dragnet is a radio and television crime drama about the cases of a dedicated Los Angeles police detective, Sergeant Joe Friday, and his partners... |
3 episodes | ||
| The Count of Monte Cristo The Count of Monte Cristo (TV series) The Count of Monte Cristo was a 1956 ITC Entertainment/TPA television series adapted very loosely from the novel by Alexandre Dumas, adapted by Sidney Marshall. It premiered in the UK in early 1956 and ran for 39 thirty minute episodes... |
Susan | 1 episode | |
| State Trooper State Trooper (TV series) State Trooper is a half-hour television crime drama set in the 1950s American West, starring Rod Cameron as Rod Blake, an officer of the Nevada State Troopers. The series aired 104 episodes in syndication from September 25, 1956, to June 25, 1959... |
Mary Herndon | 1 episode | |
| General Electric Theater General Electric Theater General Electric Theater is an American anthology series hosted by Ronald W. Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.-Radio:... |
Helen | 1 episode | |
| 1957 | Soldiers of Fortune | Diane Graham | 1 episode |
| Maverick Maverick (TV series) Maverick is a western television series with comedic overtones created by Roy Huggins. The show ran from September 22, 1957 to July 8, 1962 on ABC and stars James Garner as Bret Maverick, a cagey, articulate cardsharp. Eight episodes into the first season, he was joined by Jack Kelly as his brother... |
Donna Seely | 1 episode | |
| 1958–1959 | Perry Mason Perry Mason (TV series) Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner... |
Gladys Strome Edith Devoe |
2 episodes |
| 1959 | Peter Gunn Peter Gunn Peter Gunn is an American private eye television series which aired on the NBC and later ABC television networks from 1958 to 1961. The show's creator was Blake Edwards... |
Maria Matzi | 1 episode |
| The D.A.'s Man | Ina | 1 episode | |
| Richard Diamond, Private Detective | Edith Beldon | 1 episode | |
| The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist... |
Amy | 1 episode | |
| 1960 | Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Philip Marlowe, Private Eye is a mystery series that aired on ITV in the United Kingdom and on HBO in the United States from April 16, 1983 through June 3, 1986. The series featured Powers Boothe as Raymond Chandler's titular character, and was the first drama produced for HBO.-Synopsis:The series... |
Janet | 1 episode |
| Wanted: Dead or Alive | Constance Howard | 1 episode | |
| 1975 | Fear on Trial | Television movie | |
| 1980 | High Ice | Peggy | Television movie |
External links
- Maxine Cooper - Daily Telegraph obituary