# Sirens of the Silver Screen **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 3, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279 "2004-05-03T14:07:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/21 "2004-05-04T02:36:32Z")
Back in the mid-80s, Nick at Nite would show old movies along with old B&W tv shows. One I happened to catch was _[The Rage of Paris](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0030652/)_. It featured Danielle Darrieux as an out-of-work French model. She was quite the hottie. Amazingly, she still alive and still acting at age 87. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/22 "2004-05-04T03:43:40Z")
Am I the only Ingrid Bergman fan here? I also think that Katherine Hepburn was far more beautiful than she gets credit for. I just watched “Rear Window” again the other night and re-remembered how drop-dead gorgeous Grace Kelly was. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/23 "2004-05-04T04:34:42Z")
Eartha Kitt Kim Novak Ursula Andress Vanessa Redgrave ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/24 "2004-05-04T05:39:16Z")
[QUOTE=Maureen **zoogirl** , you’ve got good taste; I love Garbo in _The Blue Angel_.[/QUOTE] Aw, shucks! :o Thanks **Maureen**! Hey, how about Marlene Deitrich in “Morocco” (1930)?! Oh, **Eve** , can I grovel at your feet. Please? ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/25 "2004-05-04T06:22:21Z")
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of her movies, but I’ve always thought that [Hedy Lamarr](http://silverscreensirens.com/hedy.htm) was one of the most breathtakingly beautiful women ever. Then I find out that she’s supersmart too! Wow. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Sparky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac91a4/32.png) [@Saint\_Sparky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Sparky)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/26 "2004-05-04T07:30:20Z")
Maybe it was cause I saw “The Thorn Birds” before any of her old movies (yikes, I am showing my age), but I have always considered Barbara Stanwyck to be the ultimate in beautiful femme fatales. In terms of sheer sizzling beauty… Elizabeth Taylor, Sophia Loren and Joan Crawford. (And as a gay man, to say I would never kick Joan Crawford out of my bed says alot!) 😃 Of course I had the worlds biggest crush for years on Olivia de Havilland, who while may not set the screen on fire like some others, had a classic charm, beauty and grace that won me over. ---
**Author:** ![Walloon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/fbc32d/32.png) [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/27 "2004-05-04T07:51:58Z")
> [@Maureen](#): > > I love Garbo in _The Blue Angel_. Did she and Marlene Dietrich get along ok? **twickster** : Catherine Deneuve had been making movies for seven years before _Umbrellas_. ---
**Author:** ![Mycroft\_Holmes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a5b964/32.png) [@Mycroft\_Holmes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mycroft_Holmes)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/28 "2004-05-04T10:50:59Z")
> [@Equipoise](#): > > [Hedy Lamarr](http://silverscreensirens.com/hedy.htm) [Harvey Korman]It’s not Hedy, it’s Hedley. Hedley Lamarr[/Harvey Korman] 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/29 "2004-05-04T14:55:23Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > Did she and Marlene Dietrich get along ok? CURSES! :smack: Thank you, **Walloon**. Yep, musta been thinking of Dietrich, who was no slouch. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/30 "2004-05-04T15:17:37Z")
> [@Walloon](#): > > **twickster** : Catherine Deneuve had been making movies for seven years before _Umbrellas_. Yupper, she sure had. I read Ebert’s review of “Umbrellas,” but apparently not carefully – he called it her “first _major_ film.” My bad – thanks for correcting me. I notice you can’t argue with my point about her astonishing beauty, though! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerous_Nan_McGrew)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/31 "2004-05-04T21:32:37Z")
> [@PastAllReason](#): > > I’ve always thought that Myrna Loy, particularly during the Thin Man era, was stunning. But then, I’m very fond of the Thin Man movies, and would have like to have **been** Myrna Loy. I even considered naming my dog Asta. Get out of my brain. I was going to say exactly this. I don’t have a dog, but I would probably have named it Asta if I did. Myrna Loy. Absolutely gorgeous in the early _Thin Man_ movies. Still a knockout in later movies like _The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer_. Also, and I’m surprised no one has mentioned her yet, Norma Shearer. I think she qualifies as a siren, at least of the sassy variety. I’ve seen most of her movies, and I love watching her. Can’t look away when she’s on the screen. Since you asked about favorite roles, **CandidGamera** , I think I like her best in _The Divorcee_. Or maybe _Private Lives_. For Myrna, other than any movie in which she plays Nora Charles, I like her best in _Wife vs. Secretary_. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/32 "2004-05-04T22:44:13Z")
> [@Dangerous Nan McGrew](#): > > Also, and I’m surprised no one has mentioned her yet, Norma Shearer. I think she qualifies as a siren, at least of the sassy variety. I’ve seen most of her movies, and I love watching her. Can’t look away when she’s on the screen. Since you asked about favorite roles, **CandidGamera** , I think I like her best in _The Divorcee_. Or maybe _Private Lives_. For Myrna, other than any movie in which she plays Nora Charles, I like her best in _Wife vs. Secretary_. Norma was hugely underrated as a dramatic actress–she was amazing as _Marie Antoinette._ As for _Wife vs. Secretary_, I also think it was Jean Harlow’s only really good dramatic performance–she was terrific in it. Though they screwed up the ending: should have cut the last 30 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/33 "2004-05-05T00:34:32Z")
The original Peter Cook/Dudley Moore _Bedazzled_ was on TCM this morning. With Raquel Welch as Lust. Odysseus just crashed his ship. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/34 "2004-05-05T02:02:10Z")
Am I the first to mention Loretta Young? Those eyes… Or how about Merle Oberon? That was a different era: the studio covered up her (Asian) Indian ancestry, even while they profited from that touch of the exotic. And I assume somebody has already brought up Greta Garbo, who was in a class by herself. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/35 "2004-05-05T02:25:44Z")
They were a bit before the timeframe we’re using here, but two of the screen’s most beautiful faces belonged to [Olive Thomas](http://www.silentladies.com/PThomas1.html) and [Florence La Badie](http://www.silentsaregolden.com/photos/florencelabadiephoto.html). ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/36 "2004-05-05T03:33:45Z")
I’ve always been rather fond of **Paulette Goddard** and **Olivia de Havilland** but I’m not so sure these two are generally what would be defined as sirens, I’lll leave that up to you all to decide. Has **Bo Derek** been mentioned yet? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@Dangerous\_Nan\_McGrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerous_Nan_McGrew)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/37 "2004-05-05T06:40:27Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Norma was hugely underrated as a dramatic actress–she was amazing as _Marie Antoinette._ Which is on TCM today (May 5) along with _The Last of Mrs. Cheyney_, _Strangers May Kiss_, _Private Lives_, _Strange Interlude_, _The Barretts of Wimpole Street_, and _Romeo and Juliet_ – all starring Norma Shearer. Set your TiVos and VCRs! ---
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/38 "2004-05-05T13:06:49Z")
I was glad to see a Kim Novak mention above. She’s too often overlooked. And perhaps the sexiest woman ever to grace the screen is Charlotte Rampling. ---
**Author:** ![x27](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/7993a0/32.png) [@x27](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/x27)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/39 "2004-05-05T16:17:35Z")
I’m going to go “traditional” for my number one and two spots: Marlene Deitrich and Marilyn Monroe. Can’t beat that flesh impact! I’ll go with who I consider to have the most beautiful face for #3: Gene Tierney. _Laura_ blew me away when I was a kid. But how do you choose, really? Who delivers lines better than Roz Russell? Who had more luminous skin than Garbo? Who had better tits than Jean Harlow? (j/k. sorry.) Who is more tender and feminine than Joan Fontaine or more chilly and erotic than Grace Kelly (Hitchcock, I guess!) Who looks better in her clothes than Myrna Loy? They are _all_ amazing! ---
**Author:** ![CandidGamera](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/candidgamera/32/2878_2.png) [@CandidGamera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CandidGamera)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279/40 "2004-05-05T16:39:33Z")
All interesting answers… I suppose my goal here is (ultimately) to get more recommendations of movies I have to go see to see these gals in action. And to tout the infinite superiority of the smart and beautiful Claudette Colbert, of course. 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sirens-of-the-silver-screen/243279.md?page=1)