Debra Paget

Cafe Society
#1

I fully expect that hardly anyone here will know the name “Debra Paget”.

But, I once saw this movie called, “Princess of the Nile” and she had the leading role. It wasn’t much of a movie but there was something really special about her performance. Before that movie was over, I decided that she might well be the most beautiful actress I had ever seen. And talented? In Spades! What a dancer! What an athlete! She was just too much of too much.

I should also say that she appeared in Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments”. She played Lilia. You may not remember her performance. It wasn’t terribly notable. But once again, she was just incredibly beautiful and I surely won’t ever forget that performance.

However, IMO, her performance in “Princess of the Nile” was just the standout performance I have ever seen.

For those of you who may someday get the chance, I cannot recommend you seeing that performance strongly enough. What a knockout!

In the vernacular of her time, “What a dish!”

It may not be terribly appropriate to start a thread here that is devoted to one actress when most of you have probably never heard of her before. But I just watched The Ten Commandments again yesterday and I just find myself unable to stop myself from starting this thread.

I just love this lady. I have loved her ever since I first saw her dancing and I just hope that some of you will feel the same way.

#2

<Thelma raises hand and waves it Hermione-style>

I remember her! I remember her!

You must be old, like me. She was very attractive. And pretty well-known in her day.

#3

Oh, I am so glad!

So glad that I am not the only one.

It is such a shame that wonderfully talented actors, singers and dancers who get so much acclaim during their lives are almost forgotten after they die and it happens so terribly quickly.

I’m reminded of Heath Ledger, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin and I’m sure there are many, many others.

How sad they are forgotten so quickly after they die.

#4

Please tell me you saw her as “Cosette” in the 1952 version of Les Miserables. Her beauty breaks your heart in that film.

#5

According to Wikipedia, Debra Paget is still alive.

#6

I did not. But I thank you so very much for that tip. I will now try to find a way to get my hands on that film so I can see it.

By the way, I was absolutely thrilled when I Googled Michael Ansara and saw a picture of him at home with his lovely wife (or life partner), “Barbara Eden”.

If anyone here ever remembers the episode of The Andy Griffith Show where Barbara Eden appeared as a “manicurist”, she just might have been the most beautiful lady to appear on the screen since Debra Paget.

And there, in the flesh, she appears to be alive and well and making Michael Ansara very happy (at least I’m sure she is). After all, IMO, she would have to be making any man extremely happy that she lived with ever since I can imagine.

Wow! What a wonderful trip down Memory Lane.

Debra Paget. Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden.

Pretty hard to top those memories.

#7

I watched the 10 Commandments a year or two ago with my kids as a bit of a goof - love Heston as macho-U.S. Moses and the over-the-top 50’s production - and yes, picked out Debra Paget.

I did a search on her - and just repeated it - in Google, and one of the options is “Debra Paget hot” - so, while she may be old school, clearly some searchers think highly enough of her that she still gets a *hot *search…:wink:

And if you check out the images, it is pretty clear that *The Indian Tomb *is a must-view movie for any Paget fans - appears to have a cobra dance for the ages…:wink:

#8

Yes, I remember her from The Ten Commandments. And yes, she’s still very much alive.

#9

Her siblings were (less successful) actors, too:

Teala Loring
Lisa Gaye
Ruell Shayne

UT~

#10

I always confuse her with Dolores Hart, since they both played Elvis’ love interest, and Hart went on to become a Benedictine mother superior.

#11

if you are a fan you will love this link:
http://www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com/show/214/Debra+Paget/index.html

#12

Here’s some interesting trivia about Debra Paget: According to this article she used to live in this datacenter.

#13

As they say in journalism school - aren’t you burying the lead here?

According to the article she was married to a nephew of Madame Chiang Kai-Shek, who relocated to Houston and built out a full-on, I dunno, “war bunker” complete with supplies, a vast entertainment room, body bags, “conjugal rooms,” etc., resulting in huge power drain and other issues? It is being converted to a data center, sure, but it took an interesting path to get there…

ETA: youtube linkto the snaky dance in the movie The Indian Tomb. Hubba hubba, ‘50’s style. A German movie - directed by Metropolis’ Fritz Lang! Who knew?

#14

American actresses marry high-profile foreign notables all the time, but how many can claim their former residences have 38,000 square feet of 42U rackspace and self-sustained geothermal cooling? You can count them on one hand.