Denise Darcel
Encyclopedia
Denise Darcel is a retired French actress who made a few films in Hollywood
.
Born as Denise Billecard in Paris, she was college educated. According to one of her friends who she met in Paris during WWII, she was a passenger in an L-5 Stinson light observation aircraft on VJ Day (8/14/1945) to see the celebration from the air. The pilot, James Helinger Sr., a US Army Air Corps glider pilot (the friend) was at the controls, while they flew under several bridges along the Seine and finally, under the Eiffel Tower, with the crowds below.
She was a cabaret singer in Paris after World War II before being spotted by Hollywood. Denise came to the United States in 1947 and became an American citizen in 1952.
Her first film appearance of note was in Battleground
(1949). She appeared on Broadway in the musical Pardon Our French in 1950. She made quite an impression in Tarzan and the Slave Girl
(1950) opposite Lex Barker
, then co-starred with Robert Taylor
in Westward the Women
(1952) and Glenn Ford
in Young Man with Ideas (1952). In 1953, she was seen in the swimming musical Dangerous When Wet
, which starred Esther Williams
(1953). Her most important film to date was Vera Cruz
(1954) where she played the female lead opposite Burt Lancaster
and Gary Cooper
. She only made one more film after that, Seven Women from Hell
(1961).
As her film and television career began to wane, Darcel at forty-one became an ecdysiast appearing in theatres in San Francisco, Las Vegas
, Oakland
, and Los Angeles. She retired from stripping after a few years.
She returned to the cabaret circuit, made a few appearances on television and, in 1995 was seen in the revival of the musical Follies
in Houston
and Seattle.
Married and divorced three times, Darcel remains close to her two sons, Chris and Craig. Online music store iTunes recently made Darcel's album "Banned in Boston" available for purchase alongside Lizabeth Scott
's album "Lizabeth".
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Born as Denise Billecard in Paris, she was college educated. According to one of her friends who she met in Paris during WWII, she was a passenger in an L-5 Stinson light observation aircraft on VJ Day (8/14/1945) to see the celebration from the air. The pilot, James Helinger Sr., a US Army Air Corps glider pilot (the friend) was at the controls, while they flew under several bridges along the Seine and finally, under the Eiffel Tower, with the crowds below.
She was a cabaret singer in Paris after World War II before being spotted by Hollywood. Denise came to the United States in 1947 and became an American citizen in 1952.
Her first film appearance of note was in Battleground
Battleground (1949 film)
Battleground is a 1949 American war film that tells the story of the 2nd Squad, 3rd Platoon of Item Company, 327th Glider Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, trying to cope with the Siege of Bastogne during the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. It stars Van Johnson, John Hodiak, Ricardo...
(1949). She appeared on Broadway in the musical Pardon Our French in 1950. She made quite an impression in Tarzan and the Slave Girl
Tarzan and the Slave Girl
Tarzan and the Slave Girl is a 1950 film starring Lex Barker as Tarzan, Vanessa Brown as Jane, and Robert Alda as big game hunter Neil. It was directed by Lee Sholem...
(1950) opposite Lex Barker
Lex Barker
Lex Barker was an American actor best known for playing Tarzan of the Apes and leading characters from Karl May's novels.-Early life:...
, then co-starred with Robert Taylor
Robert Taylor (actor)
Robert Taylor was an American film and television actor.-Early life:Born Spangler Arlington Brugh in Filley, Nebraska, he was the son of Ruth Adaline and Spangler Andrew Brugh, who was a farmer turned doctor...
in Westward the Women
Westward the Women
Westward the Women is a 1951 western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel and John McIntire.-Plot:...
(1952) and Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford
Glenn Ford was a Canadian-born American actor from Hollywood's Golden Era with a career that spanned seven decades...
in Young Man with Ideas (1952). In 1953, she was seen in the swimming musical Dangerous When Wet
Dangerous When Wet
Dangerous When Wet is an Technicolor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical starring Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, and Jack Carson, directed by Charles Walters, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the famous cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry.-Plot summary:Katie Higgins is...
, which starred Esther Williams
Esther Williams
Esther Jane Williams is a retired American competitive swimmer and MGM movie star.Williams set multiple national and regional swimming records in her late teens as part of the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team...
(1953). Her most important film to date was Vera Cruz
Vera Cruz (film)
Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Technicolor Western starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase...
(1954) where she played the female lead opposite Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
and Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper
Frank James Cooper, known professionally as Gary Cooper, was an American film actor. He was renowned for his quiet, understated acting style and his stoic, but at times intense screen persona, which was particularly well suited to the many Westerns he made...
. She only made one more film after that, Seven Women from Hell
Seven Women from Hell
Seven Women From Hell is a 1961 war drama starring Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel and Cesar Romero about women prisoners in a Japanese World War II prison camp, interned with other prisoners.-Plot:...
(1961).
As her film and television career began to wane, Darcel at forty-one became an ecdysiast appearing in theatres in San Francisco, Las Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, and Los Angeles. She retired from stripping after a few years.
She returned to the cabaret circuit, made a few appearances on television and, in 1995 was seen in the revival of the musical Follies
Follies
Follies is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The story concerns a reunion in a crumbling Broadway theatre, scheduled for demolition, of the past performers of the "Weismann's Follies," a musical revue , that played in that theatre between the World Wars...
in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
and Seattle.
Married and divorced three times, Darcel remains close to her two sons, Chris and Craig. Online music store iTunes recently made Darcel's album "Banned in Boston" available for purchase alongside Lizabeth Scott
Lizabeth Scott
Lizabeth Scott is an American actress and singer widely known for her film noir roles.-Early life:She was born Emma Matzo in the Pine Brook section of Scranton, Pennsylvania, one of six children, to Ruthenian parents who had emigrated from Uzhgorod, in what is now Ukraine...
's album "Lizabeth".
Filmography
- To the VictorTo the VictorTo the Victor is a 1948 drama film directed by Delmer Daves. It stars Dennis Morgan and Viveca Lindfors. The plot revolves around an American that falls in love with a Nazis wife-Cast:*Dennis Morgan as Paul Taggart...
(1948) (uncredited) as Bar Singer - Thunder in the Pines (1948) as Yvette Cheron
- Battleground (1949) as Denise
- Tarzan and the Slave GirlTarzan and the Slave GirlTarzan and the Slave Girl is a 1950 film starring Lex Barker as Tarzan, Vanessa Brown as Jane, and Robert Alda as big game hunter Neil. It was directed by Lee Sholem...
(1950) as Lola - Westward the WomenWestward the WomenWestward the Women is a 1951 western film directed by William A. Wellman and starring Robert Taylor, Denise Darcel and John McIntire.-Plot:...
(1951) as Fifi Danon - Young Man with IdeasYoung Man with IdeasYoung Man with Ideas is a film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and starring Ruth Roman and Glenn Ford. A young small-town lawyer played by Ford moves his family from the country to Los Angeles in the hope of passing the bar in California to ensure that his family can have a more prosperous...
(1952) as Dorianne Gray - Dangerous When WetDangerous When WetDangerous When Wet is an Technicolor Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical starring Esther Williams, Fernando Lamas, and Jack Carson, directed by Charles Walters, and featuring an animated swimming sequence starring Williams with the famous cat-and-mouse duo, Tom and Jerry.-Plot summary:Katie Higgins is...
(1953) as Gigi Mignon - Flame of Calcutta (1953) as Suzanne Roget aka The Flame
- Vera CruzVera Cruz (film)Vera Cruz is a 1954 American Technicolor Western starring Gary Cooper and Burt Lancaster, and featuring Denise Darcel, Sara Montiel, and Cesar Romero. The movie was directed by Robert Aldrich from a story by Borden Chase...
(1954) as Countess Marie Duvarre - The Martha Raye ShowThe Martha Raye ShowThe Martha Raye Show is an hour-long comedy/variety show which aired live on NBC from January 23, 1954, to May 29, 1956. The series was hosted by the late Martha Raye, a Montana native, who often called herself "The Big Mouth." Her boyfriend on the program and a foil for her humor was portrayed by...
(1954) as herself - The Milton Berle Show (1 episode, 1956)
- Tightrope as Terri (1 episode, 1960)
- Seven Women from HellSeven Women from HellSeven Women From Hell is a 1961 war drama starring Patricia Owens, Denise Darcel and Cesar Romero about women prisoners in a Japanese World War II prison camp, interned with other prisoners.-Plot:...
(1961) as Claire Oudry - Naked CityNaked City (TV series)Naked City is a police drama series which aired from 1958 to 1963 on the ABC television network. It was inspired by the 1948 motion picture of the same name, and mimics its dramatic "semi-documentary" format....
as Madeleine Douvay (1 episode, 1962) - Combat! as Annette (1 episode, 1963)