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Thread: Jean Hagen

  1. #1
    Guest Guest

    Smile Jean Hagen



    Jean Hagen (August 3, 1923 - August 29, 1977) was an Oscar-nominated American film actress.

    Hagen was born as Jean Shirley Verhagen in Chicago, Illinois, to Dutch immigrant Christian Verhagen (August 10, 1890 - April 1983) and his Chicago-born wife, Marie (b. May 25, 1896). The family moved to Elkhart, Indiana when she was 12 and she subsequently graduated from Elkhart High School. She studied drama and worked as a theater usherette before making her Broadway theatre debut in Another Part of the Forest in 1946. Her film debut was as a femme fatale in Adam's Rib (1949).

    The Asphalt Jungle (1950) provided Hagen with her first starring role, and excellent reviews. She is arguably best remembered for her comic performance in Singin' in the Rain (1952). As the vain and talentless silent movie star Lina Lamont, Hagen received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress nomination. MGM failed to provide her with a quality follow up role to enable her to build on her growing popularity, and by 1953 she had joined the cast of Make Room for Daddy. As the first wife of Danny Thomas, Hagen received three Emmy Award nominations, but after three seasons she grew dissatisfied and left the series. Thomas, who also produced the show, didn't appreciate Jean's departing the successful series, and her character was killed off rather than recast. This was the first TV character to be killed off a family sitcom. Marjorie Lord was cast a year later as Dannys second wife and played against Thomas successfully for several seasons. Hagen later made a notable appearance as Frida Daniels in The Shaggy Dog (1959 film) starring with Fred MacMurray.

    Although she made frequent guest appearances in various television series, she was unable to successfully resume her film career, and for the remainder of her career played supporting roles, such as the friend of Bette Davis in Dead Ringer (1964).

    In the 1960s Hagen's health began to decline and she spent many years hospitalised or in care.

    In 1976, she made a comeback of sorts playing character roles in episodes of the television series Starsky and Hutch and The Streets of San Francisco and made her final film appearance in a 1977 television movie (Alexander: The Other Side of Dawn) before her death from throat cancer, aged 54.

    Hagen has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television, at 1502 Vine Street. She is buried in Chapel of the Pines Crematory.

  2. #2
    FannyB1923 Guest
    I haven't heard of a woman having throat cancer. I associate it with older, lifelong smokers! Only 54- very sad.

    It sounds like television just wasn't her thing. Being an Oscar nominated actress she probably wanted more to do than kiss Danny on the cheek and say, "how was your day Dear?"

  3. #3
    Guest Guest
    Throat cancer offed a good number of the old actresses, it was quite common, I guess because they all seemed to smoke.

  4. #4
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    She was always very good but will but best remembered for playing
    Lina LaMont in SINGING IN THE RAIN.


    PHYLLIS KIRK, DEBRA PAGET, DEBBIE REYNOLDS, JEAN HAGEN, & NANCY OLSEN (1950)


    studio portrait




    from SINGING IN THE RAIN
    KELT' HOME FOR WAYWARD YOUTH-
    Helping Young Men To Turn Around For Over Twenty Years !

  5. #5
    Jod6cindy Guest
    After "Singing in the Rain" MGM should have kept her as a platinum blonde and featured her in more sexy and/or dumb blonde roles. Instead they put her in character parts. Why? She was very pretty.

  6. #6
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    I didn't hardly recognize her as a brunette. I like her better that way.
    "Go to Heaven for the climate - Hell for the company" - Mark Twain

  7. #7
    King Tut Guest
    ^^^me too

  8. #8
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    Nice pics KELT... especially like the studio portrait So sad to die at 54.. but I think Vlad is right, many were both heavy smorkers and drinkers which could cause throat cancer... she had a very special beauty about her. I like her best as a brunette.. suits her better IMO
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    Love is the answer - and you know that for sure.

  9. #9
    Guest Guest
    I agree - nice pics KELT - thanks

  10. #10
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    She aged fast too. When she played Dee Dee Marshall in
    DEAD RINGER she was all of 40 but looked like she was pushing 50. Having departed THOMAS' show didn't earn her any accolades either, and back then there was that caste distinction between the 2 mediums, so she was already considered down a few notches by the film industry.
    KELT' HOME FOR WAYWARD YOUTH-
    Helping Young Men To Turn Around For Over Twenty Years !

  11. #11
    Jod6cindy Guest

    She looks a lot like Barbara Payton here.

  12. #12
    LitaMalibu Guest
    Oh, I loved her in Singin' in the Rain. I tried out for the part of Lina Lamont in the play. It was VERY difficult to screech like that for a long time. Kudos to her!

  13. #13
    King Tut Guest
    I love Singin' in the Rain!! ...as long as it's the Clockwork Orange version.

  14. #14
    Guest Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by King Tut View Post
    I love Singin' in the Rain!! ...as long as it's the Clockwork Orange version.
    Haha, yes that version is so majestic isn't it!

  15. #15
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    I am resurrecting this thread because I always loved Jean Hagen in Singin' In The Rain .I've just looked up a few facts about her which kind of makes sense of people's comments .She was apparently blacklisted after leaving that TV show ,and found it very hard to find work .She had 2 children with Tim Seidel , her husband , but when he found out she was a hard drinker , he divorced her and took the children .
    I always wondered why she spent a long time ill and being cared for , and this was before throat cancer .Was this from alcohol or the rumour that someone she truly loved had died and left her bereft ?
    Anybody else know anything about her ?

  16. #16
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    Happy 100th birthday to the one and only Lina LaMont! If we bring a little joy into your humdrum lives, it makes us feel as if our work ain't been in vain for nothin'! Bliss you all ......

  17. #17
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    HA HA HA .Good one Dave .

  18. #18
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    Click image for larger version. 

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    One of Jean's costumes from Singin' in the Rain, at a free TCM event many years ago - they had props costumes etc.

  19. #19
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    Thanks Dave , that's amazing .

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