"impeccable grace and beauty"

October 18, 2007 5:02 PM

ObitFilter: Actress Deborah Kerr died.

New York Times obituary.

The kiss in From Here To Eternity

YouTube.

posted by nickyskye (32 comments total)

Oh man, I always liked her. :(

So what you're saying is I guess I shouldn't continue waiting up here at the Empire State Building to meet her then, huh?
posted by miss lynnster at 5:08 PM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Or for Cary Grant, right?
posted by miss lynnster at 5:09 PM on October 18, 2007

"everything from nuns to nymphos..."

Now that's range. Not many actresses alive today who can do both as convincingly as she could.

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posted by ZachsMind at 5:16 PM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

"The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city." - An Affair to Remember



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posted by crossoverman at 5:17 PM on October 18, 2007

No, miss lynnster, lol. But they reincarnated in Sleeping in Seattle and Love Affair, even before her death.

Tried to find that wonderful dance scene of her and Yul, which always gives me a rush, but all I came up with was this wonderfully vintage trailer for the King and I, one of my favorite old time film musicals.
posted by nickyskye at 5:20 PM on October 18, 2007

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posted by Astro Zombie at 5:23 PM on October 18, 2007 [3 favorites]

.

watch Black Narcissus if you never have--amazing.
posted by amberglow at 5:25 PM on October 18, 2007

"The Empire State Building is the closest thing to heaven in this city." - An Affair to Remember

And after 9/11, that statement is once again true.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:39 PM on October 18, 2007

"Years from now, when you talk about this — and you will — be kind," said Miss Kerr (rhymes with star) to costar John Kerr (rhymes with ... fleur).
posted by rob511 at 5:47 PM on October 18, 2007

Joey Bishop, too. Last of the Rat Pack.

I think my friends and I killed him, actually. We were camping out this weekend and talking about "Ocean's Eleven", which led to talking about the original Rat Pack and that Joey was the last surviving member.

Sorry, Joey.
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:58 PM on October 18, 2007

I'd forgotten that was her in Tea and Sympathy, which Turner showed as part of its "Screened Out" series this summer. To her credit, Deborah Kerr apparently hated how the Hollywood version of the play (which she starred in as well) fudged, if not outright eliminated, the gay element in John's character.

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posted by mediareport at 6:04 PM on October 18, 2007

Metafilter: I think my friends and I killed him, actually.

First tagline! The power!
posted by Faux Real at 6:05 PM on October 18, 2007 [1 favorite]

Class act. Memorable scenes. RIP.
posted by davidmsc at 6:09 PM on October 18, 2007

I think my friends and I killed him, actually. We were camping out this weekend and talking about "Ocean's Eleven", which led to talking about the original Rat Pack and that Joey was the last surviving member.
Regis still thinks he was part of it tho, and the women are alive, no (or do the women not count)?
posted by amberglow at 6:32 PM on October 18, 2007

Deborah Kerr and Yul Brynner in Shall We Dance? in The King and I (1956) — music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hammerstein. From the NYT movie review:

The point of the story, as all know, is that you should never underestimate a woman's power.

Indeed.
posted by cenoxo at 6:34 PM on October 18, 2007

Who? Is this something I would need Alzheimer's to know about?
posted by Eideteker at 6:44 PM on October 18, 2007

Watch Black Narcissus, Eide, and you'll regret those words, i bet.
posted by amberglow at 6:47 PM on October 18, 2007

I regret nothing (except more ObitFilter), but I always welcome movie recommendations. Thanks!*

* sincere, not sarcastic, in case that was ambiguous
posted by Eideteker at 6:55 PM on October 18, 2007

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posted by brandz at 6:56 PM on October 18, 2007

Regis still thinks he was part of it tho, and the women are alive, no (or do the women not count)?

The women in the Rat Pack? Uh, no.

Now, the Brat Pack would be nothing without Molly Ringwald.
posted by Epenthesis at 7:05 PM on October 18, 2007

I once had to deliver something to Regis' office and it was after his show. He was in there with a bunch of people and his shirt was off. I was more traumatized than the time I got tricked into clicking goatse.
posted by spec80 at 7:29 PM on October 18, 2007

Who? Is this something I would need Alzheimer's to know about?

No, merely a sense of something that happened outside your narrow existence.

Given the major works of film she was in, there's really no excuse for having not at least heard of her.
posted by crossoverman at 7:41 PM on October 18, 2007

.
The epitome of class and beauty.
posted by peacay at 8:23 PM on October 18, 2007

The women in the Rat Pack?

I think Shirley MacLaine and Angie Dickinson were considered "honorary" members of the Rat Pack.

But, back on topic, RIP Deborah Kerr. Here are a bunch of YouTube clips of her in various movies.
posted by amyms at 9:01 PM on October 18, 2007

Truman Capote wrote the screenplay for the Innocents....what was bowdlerized in the film version of Tea and Sympathy was the coach's latent homosexuality.
posted by brujita at 9:23 PM on October 18, 2007

Watch Black Narcissus
This is sad. It was only a few days ago that I was looking at Black Narcissus material on the Powell & Pressburger Pages.
posted by tellurian at 10:15 PM on October 18, 2007

The passing of a classy lady. And a beauty - here's a nice photo gallery of her many roles and some publicity stills.
posted by madamjujujive at 5:57 AM on October 19, 2007

She had a patrician bearing without seeming imposing.

And apparently a class act in person, as well. I heard an interview with Marni Nixon not long ago, talking about the people she'd dubbed. On King and I, Deborah Kerr was apparently effusively relieved to have her in the picture (apparently the producers originally wanter Kerr to sing her own numbers), and was happy to credit Marni whenever "her" singing came up.
posted by lodurr at 6:29 AM on October 19, 2007

This is sad. It was only a few days ago that I was looking at Black Narcissus material on the Powell & Pressburger Pages.

I need to get a hold of Colonel Blimp--they did that one with her too. (they so rock)
posted by amberglow at 4:05 PM on October 19, 2007

So much for the impeccable grace and beauty.
posted by dasheekeejones at 11:16 AM on October 21, 2007

what's that of? the link didn't work, daasheekee.
posted by amberglow at 11:42 AM on October 21, 2007

Alas, no doubt he happened upon the infamous Deborah Kerr porn ring. Honestly people... she was young! She needed the money! What, you think she was cast in The King & I just for her talent and grace as an actress?

Oh, wait... she was? Oh. Okay. Nevermind.
posted by miss lynnster at 12:32 PM on October 21, 2007