Ah, Valentine’s Day is fast approaching (tomorrow, in fact); and it seems appropriate to take a look at one of classic Hollywood’s most romantic actors, Charles Boyer (aka, the great lover). Boyer actually hailed from France, and although his first stint in American films didn’t garner much praise or recognition, people soon began to take notice of him–especially women.
I’m not really sure where this whole “great lover” tag came from, but Boyer certainly did make some romantic movies, co-starring with some of Hollywood’s top female stars: The Garden of Allah (1936) with Marlene Dietrich, Conquest (1937) with Greta Garbo, Love Affair (1939) with Irene Dunne, All This and Heaven Too (1940) with Bette Davis, Hold Back the Dawn (1941) with Olivia de Havilland.
Also, there was Algiers (1938) with the very beautiful Hedy Lamarr. This is the one where Boyer plays Pepe Le Moko, the role Jean Gabin originated in France; although it is generally attributed to Boyer, the ubiquitious phrase “Come with me to the Casbah” does not appear in the movie. Sad, very sad.
Perhaps Boyer’s best known film, and perhaps his best performance, is in the 1944 thriller Gaslight with Ingrid Bergman. Deservedly I think, he was nominated for an Academy Award for this film (he had four nominations in his career); unfortunatley, he didn’t win. Bing Crosby won that year for his performance in Going My Way, one of those Leo McCarey feel-good films. (Not that I have anything against Leo McCarey or Going My Way; it’s just that I think Boyer’s performance is much more powerful than Crosby’s.) Boyer is another one of those great actors, like Cary Grant, who never won a competitve Oscar. Hard to believe!
Also, let us not forget that wonderfully hilarious gem from Neil Simon, Barefoot in the Park (1967) with Jane Fonda and Robert Redford. This has to be one of the funniest movies ever, not least because of the goofy and unexpected part played by Boyer as the upstairs neighbor, who woos Corie’s mother with such bizarre eccentricity.
Ironically, Hollywood’s so-called “great lover” was married to the same woman for 44 years. Pat Paterson, herself an actress, was his first and only wife. When she died of cancer in 1978, Boyer was so heart broken that he committed suicide with an overdose of barbituates just two days later. A tragic end, but he certainly left some great performances behind. Don’t forget to check some of them out when you get a chance.
