Joseph Stephen Crane
Encyclopedia
Joseph Stephen Crane was an American actor and restaurateur. A Columbia Pictures
actor in the early 1940s, Crane opened the Luau, a popular celebrity restaurant, in 1953 and established a successful 25-year career in the restaurant industry. In addition to his own accomplishments, Crane is often remembered as Lana Turner
's ex-husband.
, he was the son of William E. and Katheryn Stephenson Crane. The Crane family was well known in Crawfordsville due to their business, the Stephenson Crane Cigar Store.
In Crawfordsville, Crane was known to family and friends as "Joe". Active in drama and debate, Crane graduated from Crawfordsville High School in 1933. Crane was voted "Most Attractive" by his peers his senior year. Following high school, Crane enrolled in Wabash College, a men's liberal arts college in Crawfordsville. A member of the fraternity Sigma Chi and the dramatic theater Scarlet Masque, Crane graduated with a B.A. in Business in 1937.
Joe Crane and his younger brother, Billy, were on a trip to Mexico City when they decided to visit Hollywood on a whim in the summer of 1937. Crane briefly married Indianapolis native, Carol Ann Kurtz, and managed the family cigar store, but after separating from Kurtz, decided to take his chances in Hollywood in 1939.
, Crane was cast in the B-picture The Cry of the Werewolf. Starring alongside Nina Foch
and Osa Massen
, Crane starred as a scientist who discovers his father has been killed by a werewolf. The Crime Doctor's Courage (1945) proved to be another murder mystery B-picture. Crane's third and final film appearance was in Tonight and Every Night (1945). Starring Rita Hayworth
and Lee Bowman
, this World War II musical was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1946. Crane had several lines and walk-on appearances as character Leslie Wiggins, a friend of Lee Bowman's character.
Although he had successfully been involved in local Crawfordsville plays in his youth, Crane was the first to admit that his acting skills were less than par. In 1967, Crane would reflect, "To be honest, I was a very poor actor". Crane's daughter suggests that the abrupt end to her father's acting career may be attributed to his attraction to a Polish ballerina, who turned out to be Columbia Pictures President Harry Cohn's girlfriend.
In 1958, Crane expanded his company, Stephen Crane Associates, by forming a deal with Sheraton hotels across the country and in Canada. Crane's Polynesian-themed chain of restaurants called Kon Tiki were known for their elaborate decor and precise bar service. There were Kon Tikis in Sheraton Hotels in Montreal, Portland, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Honolulu, and Boston. Crane also operated Ports o' Call restaurants in Dallas and Toronto.
The Luau and Kon Tiki restaurants remained popular, iconic restaurants throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to these restaurants, Stephen Crane Associates owned and operated SCAM and Stephanino's in Beverly Hills. In 1978, Stephen Crane retired after selling the Luau.
at the Mocambo restaurant. Turner later described the meeting in her autobiography:
Crane and Turner were married on July 17, 1942, but the happy union was short-lived. Crane had failed to mention that he was not yet divorced from his first wife, Carol Ann Kurtz. Turner quickly annulled the marriage and Crane received a finalized divorce from Kurtz as the marriage mix-up became sensationalized in the gossip columns. After discovering that she was pregnant, Turner remarried Crane in March 1943. Their daughter, Cheryl Crane, was born on July 25, 1943. The marriage did not last and the couple was divorced a second time in August 1944.
In addition to Lana Turner, Crane was involved with many famous women. Crane was seen at hotspots with Ava Gardner
and Rita Hayworth
in the 1940s and Mamie van Doren
in the 1950s. Crane was engaged to starlet Lila Leeds
when, in 1948, she was arrested along with actor Robert Mitchum
for smoking marijuana. Crane quickly ended the relationship and moved abroad to avoid the scandal.
In 1948, Crane married French sex symbol and actress Martine Carol
, famous for her role in Lolas Montes (1955) but the couple were divorced in 1953. In the 1960s, Crane married and divorced Helen DeMaree and Leslie Deeb.
On April 4, 1958, Stephen Crane's 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl, killed Lana Turner's boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato
. Sensationalized in the press, the case brought attention to Stephen Crane. At the inquest, Crane testified on behalf of his daughter and in the end, the killing was deemed a justifiable homicide.
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
actor in the early 1940s, Crane opened the Luau, a popular celebrity restaurant, in 1953 and established a successful 25-year career in the restaurant industry. In addition to his own accomplishments, Crane is often remembered as Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
's ex-husband.
Early life
Born Joseph Stephenson Crane in Crawfordsville, IndianaCrawfordsville, Indiana
Crawfordsville is a city in Union Township, Montgomery County, Indiana, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 15,915. The city is the county seat of Montgomery County...
, he was the son of William E. and Katheryn Stephenson Crane. The Crane family was well known in Crawfordsville due to their business, the Stephenson Crane Cigar Store.
In Crawfordsville, Crane was known to family and friends as "Joe". Active in drama and debate, Crane graduated from Crawfordsville High School in 1933. Crane was voted "Most Attractive" by his peers his senior year. Following high school, Crane enrolled in Wabash College, a men's liberal arts college in Crawfordsville. A member of the fraternity Sigma Chi and the dramatic theater Scarlet Masque, Crane graduated with a B.A. in Business in 1937.
Joe Crane and his younger brother, Billy, were on a trip to Mexico City when they decided to visit Hollywood on a whim in the summer of 1937. Crane briefly married Indianapolis native, Carol Ann Kurtz, and managed the family cigar store, but after separating from Kurtz, decided to take his chances in Hollywood in 1939.
Film career
Now known as Stephen, the young Indiana native began his brief film career in 1944. Signed to Columbia PicturesColumbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, Crane was cast in the B-picture The Cry of the Werewolf. Starring alongside Nina Foch
Nina Foch
Nina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...
and Osa Massen
Osa Massen
-Background and early career:Born Aase Madsen, she began her career as a newspaper photographer before becoming an actress. Massen notably appeared as Melvyn Douglas' unfaithful wife dealing with blackmailer Joan Crawford in A Woman's Face ....
, Crane starred as a scientist who discovers his father has been killed by a werewolf. The Crime Doctor's Courage (1945) proved to be another murder mystery B-picture. Crane's third and final film appearance was in Tonight and Every Night (1945). Starring Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
and Lee Bowman
Lee Bowman
Lee Bowman was an American film and television actor.Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Bowman graduated from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1936 and began his film career playing a bit part in Swing High, Swing Low .His many film appearances include A Man to Remember , Love Affair , Third...
, this World War II musical was nominated for two Academy Awards in 1946. Crane had several lines and walk-on appearances as character Leslie Wiggins, a friend of Lee Bowman's character.
Although he had successfully been involved in local Crawfordsville plays in his youth, Crane was the first to admit that his acting skills were less than par. In 1967, Crane would reflect, "To be honest, I was a very poor actor". Crane's daughter suggests that the abrupt end to her father's acting career may be attributed to his attraction to a Polish ballerina, who turned out to be Columbia Pictures President Harry Cohn's girlfriend.
Restaurant career
In the late 1940s, Stephen Crane, with the partnership of Al Mathes, bought and managed Lucy's, a popular celebrity restaurant, but quickly sold it to live abroad in Europe in 1948. Returning to America in the 1950s, Crane opened the Luau, a Polynesian-themed restaurant on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Quickly becoming a celebrity hotspot, the Luau was known for its innovative tiki decor and its high profile customers. As the host and owner, Crane became a well-known name in the restaurant industry. Crane's designs, on the tableware and dinnerware, became synonymous with the popular Polynesian trends of the decade.In 1958, Crane expanded his company, Stephen Crane Associates, by forming a deal with Sheraton hotels across the country and in Canada. Crane's Polynesian-themed chain of restaurants called Kon Tiki were known for their elaborate decor and precise bar service. There were Kon Tikis in Sheraton Hotels in Montreal, Portland, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Honolulu, and Boston. Crane also operated Ports o' Call restaurants in Dallas and Toronto.
The Luau and Kon Tiki restaurants remained popular, iconic restaurants throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In addition to these restaurants, Stephen Crane Associates owned and operated SCAM and Stephanino's in Beverly Hills. In 1978, Stephen Crane retired after selling the Luau.
Personal life
Stephen Crane was as well known for his high-profile relationships as he was for his successful career. In 1942, Crane met actress Lana TurnerLana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
at the Mocambo restaurant. Turner later described the meeting in her autobiography:
He mentioned nonchalantly that he was in the tobacco business, in a way that suggested that any kind of business bored him. Certainly it seemed that he had no money worries. We chatted for hours, and by the time he took me home, I was ready to fall in love. With my weakness for a certain kind of good looks, coupled with witty charm, I took him at face value. In no time we were a pair. Only three weeks later he asked me to marry him.
Crane and Turner were married on July 17, 1942, but the happy union was short-lived. Crane had failed to mention that he was not yet divorced from his first wife, Carol Ann Kurtz. Turner quickly annulled the marriage and Crane received a finalized divorce from Kurtz as the marriage mix-up became sensationalized in the gossip columns. After discovering that she was pregnant, Turner remarried Crane in March 1943. Their daughter, Cheryl Crane, was born on July 25, 1943. The marriage did not last and the couple was divorced a second time in August 1944.
In addition to Lana Turner, Crane was involved with many famous women. Crane was seen at hotspots with Ava Gardner
Ava Gardner
Ava Lavinia Gardner was an American actress.She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers . She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day...
and Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth
Rita Hayworth was an American film actress and dancer who attained fame during the 1940s as one of the era's top stars...
in the 1940s and Mamie van Doren
Mamie Van Doren
Mamie Van Doren is an American actress and singer; who rose to popularity as Universal Pictures's version of 20th Century Fox's Marilyn Monroe....
in the 1950s. Crane was engaged to starlet Lila Leeds
Lila Leeds
-Early life and career:Born Lila Lee Wilkinson in Iola, Kansas, Leeds ran away from home as a teen. She worked as a dancer in St. Louis before moving to Los Angeles. While working as a hatcheck girl at Ciro's, she met and married actor, composer, singer and conductor Jack Little. The marriage was...
when, in 1948, she was arrested along with actor Robert Mitchum
Robert Mitchum
Robert Charles Durman Mitchum was an American film actor, author, composer and singer and is #23 on the American Film Institute's list of the greatest male American screen legends of all time...
for smoking marijuana. Crane quickly ended the relationship and moved abroad to avoid the scandal.
In 1948, Crane married French sex symbol and actress Martine Carol
Martine Carol
-Biography:Born Marie-Louise Jeanne Nicolle Mourer in Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne, , she studied acting under René Simon , making her stage debut in 1940 and her first motion picture in 1943. One of the most beautiful women in film, she was frequently cast as an elegant blonde seductress...
, famous for her role in Lolas Montes (1955) but the couple were divorced in 1953. In the 1960s, Crane married and divorced Helen DeMaree and Leslie Deeb.
On April 4, 1958, Stephen Crane's 14-year-old daughter, Cheryl, killed Lana Turner's boyfriend, Johnny Stompanato
Johnny Stompanato
John "Johnny" Stompanato , also known as "Handsome Harry", "Johnny Stomp", "John Steele", and "Oscar", was a former United States Marine who became a bodyguard/enforcer for gangster Mickey Cohen...
. Sensationalized in the press, the case brought attention to Stephen Crane. At the inquest, Crane testified on behalf of his daughter and in the end, the killing was deemed a justifiable homicide.
Later life
After selling the Luau in 1978, Crane seemed to disappear from the public eye. By 1984, Crane was in ailing health and his ex-wife Helen Demaree cared for him in her home in Pauma Valley. On February 6, 1985, Crane died of anemia one day shy of his 69th birthday. While he did contribute to the entertainment field, Crane's legacy lies in his restaurants. Crane's innovative and high profile restaurants helped to solidify and remains a symbol of the Polynesian pop culture of the 1950s and 1960s.External links
- Stephen Crane at the Internet Movie Database
- Stephen Crane at Crawfordsville District Public Library