Jennifer Jones, Oscar-winning actress, died on December 17, 2009 (she was 90). I am sadden by her passing and I was very fortunate to have the honor of her doing a wonderful favor for a friend of mine. It was in 1987 when I had a friend named Michael Spontak who absolutely adored Jennifer. So, I ventured into contacting her at the Norton Simon Museum and was very surprised to have a wonderful response. She autographed a picture that I had sent to her and I have always cherished that moment of her act of kindness. She was a true "Movie Star" and had a very delicate private life filled with many joys and sadness.
Below, I have a small biography of her life and I will remember all my favorite movies including: The Song of Bernadette, Since You Went Away (which I watch every holiday season), Carrie, The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit, Madame Bovary, Portrait of Jennie, The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Towering Inferno (last film) and most of all 2 not well notable performances of Cluny Brown and Good Morning, Miss Dove. She was nominated for five Oscars and took the prize home for "The Song of Bernadette". It is a real treat to watch her performances and remember back in movie history when actresses really acted and moved you watching them on the screen. I'm happy to report that most of her films are on DVD and available on Netflix. (Yes, I have all her films.).
Phylis Lee Isley (Jennifer Jones) was born March 2, 1919 (Pisces) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Her parents, Phil and Flora Mae (Suber) owned and operated a small acting troop called the Isley Stock Company. They would tour small towns outside of Tulsa and perform plays for ten cents a patron. It was in this environment that young Phylis decided she wanted to be an actress. By the time she was six, she was in her first grade play, playing a candy cane. In her free time and during summer vacations, she worked with her parents selling tickets and refreshments.
After she graduated from high school, she enrolled in Monte Cassino, a junior college for girls which was run by Benedictine sisters. Phylis was unlike most of the other girls in that she was more interested in a career than dating boys. She appeared in many of the school plays and usually played the leading role.
Phil Isley was impressed with his daughter's enthusiasm and suggested that she go to Hollywood where his connections might land her a movie contract. Phylis was more interested in Broadway (her curiosity had been peaked at the age of nine when her parents took her on a trip to New York). She made plans to attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, a college that was well known for its' drama department.
She was disappointed, however, with Northwestern. Her courses were not challenging and she felt as though she was wasting her time there. She wrote a letter to one of her idols, stage great Katherine Cornell, and asked her if she should continue with her schooling or get stage experience. Cornell suggested that she needed a "cultural background". Phylis took her advice but instead of returning to Northwestern, she decided that she wanted to attend the American Academy Of Dramatic Arts in New York.
Her parents accompanied her to New York and got her a room at the Barbizon Hotel For Women. To be admitted, Phylis had to audition and she chose one scene from Romeo And Juliet and another from Wingless Victory. Her audition went very well and she was admitted as a student in the fall of 1937. Phylis was much happier at the Academy than she had been at Northwestern and her first semester went well. Following the Christmas break and a trip back home to Tulsa, Phylis returned for the Winter semester in January of 1938. She was about to meet someone who would take her mind off of acting...
When Phylis Isley resumed her classes at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts on January 2, 1938, she met a fellow student from Utah named
Robert Walker. They immediately became very close friends. They both shared a passion for acting. As the semester progressed, Robert and Phylis were inseparable. They spent most of their spare time together discussing acting and the theater as well as taking long walks around New York. They shared a common dream - to make a living in the craft that they loved best. It was not long before they were in love. Toward the end of the semester, the students were required to audition again for the following year. Robert and Phylis decided to do their scene together and they chose one from The Barretts Of Wimpole Street, one of Phylis' favorites. Both passed the test and were invited back for another year.
Visit website to see Tribute to Robert Walker.
Phylis was to return to Tulsa for the summer and Robert stayed in New York to look for work. He was not very successful, and in a spur of the moment decision, decided to work on a banana boat. It was a subtle indication of Walker's restless nature and unpredictability. Phylis overlooked his odd career move but was surprised when they reunited in the Fall and Robert told her that he had decided to quit the Academy. He felt that it was a waste of his time and he thought he could find work on his own. Phylis agreed with him, and much to the dismay of her parents, she quit the school also.
They soon found that their prospects in the theater were bleak and they were unable to find work. Phil Isley, worried over his daughter's situation, lured her back to Tulsa with a $25 a week radio job. Phylis told him that she would accept only if Walker was offered the same deal. Isley agreed and the young couple moved to Tulsa. The new job would be a 13 week stint radio program called "The Phylis Isley Radio Theater". The Isleys soon became very fond of Robert Walker.
Robert and Phylis were married on January 2, 1939, one year after they met. Phil Isley urged the young couple to go to Hollywood. In their brand new Packard convertible (a wedding gift from the Isleys), they headed West, stopping briefly in Utah to visit Walker's family. However, once in Hollywood, even with her father's letters of recommendation, work was hard to find. As a last resort, Phylis found work at the low budget Republic Studios. She was immediately assigned her first film role in a John Wayne "Three Mesquiteer" western called New Frontier. It was only a week's work and following that, she was put to work in a Dick Tracy serial called Dick Tracy's G-Men. Walker had only found work in a handful of bit roles. Disheartened, they decided to go back to New York. Phylis asked to be released from her contract at Republic. Republic at first refused but changed their minds after Phylis's father gave them a call and explained that the two merely wanted to leave Hollywood and not go to another studio.
Robert had better luck with job opportunities in New York. He found steady radio work but Phylis could only find a job modeling hats. She also found out that she was pregnant. Their first child,
Robert Walker, Jr. was born on April 15, 1940. She was soon pregnant again and a second son (Michael Ross) was born on March 13, 1941. Walker continued to find success with radio work but Phylis was becoming increasingly bored at home with the boys.
One night on a rare outing, the couple saw a new play called Claudia. Phylis learned that a search was being con- ducted for an actress to play the role for the Chicago production. She was convinced the part was made for her, so she secured an audition through Robert Walker's agent. The play's author, Rose Franken, was impressed with Phylis but she also liked another actress named Phyllis Thaxter. In the end, she chose Thaxter. However, a new prospect soon entered the picture.
Rose Franken knew that producer
David O. Selznick was searching for an actress for the film version of Claudia. She suggested that he see both Phylis Walker and Phyllis Thaxter. An audition was arranged with Selznick's secretary Kay Brown. She read for the part in Brown's office (with Selznick listening in his office) but became upset because she gave a bad reading and fled the office in tears. Selznick apparently was impressed because he told Kay Brown to phone her and invite her back.
Phylis returned to Selznick's office where he did not ask her to read again but wanted to know all about her. Phylis was cordial and told him all about her background but did not mention that she had appeared in earlier films for Republic. She went home and four days later she heard from the Selznick office again. They were offering her a personal seven year contract!
Phylis and Robert did not realize it but she had met a man who was about to change the course of both their lives...
David O. Selznick had been captivated by the "big-eyed girl" (as her referred to her in one of his famous memos). She would become his obsession and he would spend the rest of his life nurturing her career. Selznick had been married to Irene Mayer Selznick (Louis B. Mayer's daughter) since 1930. He was one of Hollywood's most brilliant independent producers and his resume included such memorable films as King Kong, Dinner At Eight, A Star Is Born, Anna Karenina, Rebecca and of course, Gone With The Wind. He had a keen eye for worthwhile projects and new talent but when he became obsessed with a project or a person, he tended to go overboard and his judgment was often erred.
Phylis left New York to go to Hollywood where she would test for Claudia. Robert stayed behind with the boys and continued his radio work. Selznick first wanted to test his new find with audiences so he put her in a small play in Santa Barbara called Hello Out There. The play was a success and Phylis received good notices. Selznick was pleased with everything but the name "Phylis Walker". He instructed his office staff to start thinking about a new name. He liked the name "Jennifer" and wanted a last name that would be simple. For three months, they pondered a new name and someone (no one knows exactly who) came up with "Jones". Selznick and Phylis both liked it so in late January 1942, "Jennifer Jones" was introduced as David Selznick's latest discovery. Her first project was yet to be announced.
Jennifer returned to New York after her Claudia test and her stint in Hello Out There. In the meantime, Robert had bought them a new house on Long Island. They were both making good money - he in radio and she with her new contract, even though she had no work to do. She was terribly crushed when Selznick informed her that the Claudia role would go to Dorothy McGuire but he told her not to worry, that her debut would be in a very important role. She finally told Selznick about her previous two Republic pictures and, though the matter greatly concerned him, he learned that the contract had indeed been canceled and was hoping that no one would remember Jennifer in those films.
Selznick learned that Twentieth Century Fox was looking for a newcomer for the title role in The Song Of Bernadette. This was the kind of role that he was looking for for Jennifer's debut. In October of 1942, Jennifer received the call that she was to test for Bernadette (For more about Jennifer's screen test, see The Song Of Bernadette in the Films section). In early December, Jennifer was informed that the role was hers and she and her family were on their way to Hollywood.
At first, the turn of events in Robert and Jennifer's careers could not have been better. Jennifer started work on Bernadette and Walker (with the help of Selznick) was signed on at the prestigious MGM where his future also looked very promising. However, Selznick's attention toward Jennifer was becoming more and more intense. For her twenty fourth birthday on March 2, 1943, he gave her a beautiful leather bound copy of The Song Of Bernadette that had been autographed by the author Franz Werfel.
There are conflicting accounts as to when Robert and Jennifer's marriage began to unravel. Vincent Price claims that it began to happen during the filming of Bernadette. Whatever the case, their relationship grew very tense by the time The Song of Bernadette had wrapped in July of 1943. Jennifer and Robert were then both assigned to Since You Went Away where filming their love scenes was most difficult. By October, they had separated. The Song Of Bernadette opened in December of 1943 and Jennifer was an overnight star. Robert Walker too had gained star status with the film Bataan.
Walker and Jones began divorce proceedings in March of 1944 and Robert Walker did not cope with it well. He began to drink and his volatile temper got him into trouble with the police on several occasions. Despite his promise of a successful film career (he was well liked by the movie going public) he lost all interest in his work. He remarried in 1948 to Barbara Ford (director John Ford's daughter) but it only lasted six weeks. Later, Walker spent time at Menninger's Clinic for his alcohol problem and he suffered several nervous breakdowns. He made a memorable comeback in Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers On A Train but he died suddenly in 1951 when doctors gave him sedatives following an emotional outburst.
David Selznick's chief concern now was the career of Jennifer Jones. He wisely chose roles that would portray her in diverse characterizations and as a result she was not typecast. Her roles ranged from sweet and innocents like Bernadette, Jennie, and Miss Dove to sultry vixens like Pearl Chavez and Ruby Gentry. She would portray contemporary women as well as classic literary characters like Madame Bovary and Sister Carrie. Selznick's judgment sometimes faltered. In 1944, Jones was offered the part of the lead role in Laura and Selznick turned it down!
David and Jennifer's relationship intensified over the years but it was not until July 13, 1949 that they were finally married on a yacht off the coast of Italy. They moved into a beautiful home on Tower Road in Beverly Hills that had once belonged to John Gilbert. On August 12, 1954, Jennifer gave birth to their first child, Mary Jennifer. Her first pregnancy with Selznick had ended in a miscarriage in 1951.
Jennifer's career hit a slump in the late 40s and early 50s when her films did not do well at the box office (although these are some of her best films) but she rebounded in the mid 50s with Love Is A Many Splendored Thing and Good Morning, Miss Dove and she was very popular with the public. However, Selznick's overblown production of A Farewell To Arms was a disaster and did little to benefit Jennifer's career. She was off the screen for three years following A Farewell To Arms and returned in 1961 in Tender Is The Night which was also poorly received.
Selznick's health began to deteriorate (he had a bad heart) and he died on June 22, 1965. Jennifer was devastated but quickly accepted a film role in a low budget production called The Idol in order to keep herself occupied. She was a very lonely woman who had lost the driving force behind her life and career. When she learned that her close friend Charles Bickford had died, she took an overdose of pills and was found unconscious on Malibu Beach. She later claimed that the incident had been an accident but it was evident that the 60's were very troubled times for Jennifer.
Jennifer became very interested in the mental health field and especially The Manhattan Project, a program designed to help young people who were addicted to drugs. Jennifer opened her home for meetings and asked friends to donate money for the organization. Many of her friends claimed that she became a much stronger person during this time. During this time, she met multimillionaire art collector and businessman Norton Simon.
Norton Simon had made his fortune during the Depression years when he bought a bankrupt fruit and vegetable packing company and successfully turned the business around. He began buying stock in other undervalued companies with growth potential. One of these companies was Hunt Foods, which Simon gained a controlling interest in during the early 1940's. Simon was brilliant in the areas of marketing and advertising, and during the war years, he turned Hunt Foods Inc. into a billion dollar industry.
It was not until the 1950s that Simon developed an interest in art but once he did, his passion turned into an obsession and during the next twenty five years, he amassed one of the worlds greatest and most eclectic art collections. (For more about Simon, visit the
Norton Simon Museum web site.)
Both Norton and Jennifer were interested in mental health (Simon's son had committed suicide) and both shared an interest in helping others. Simon did not know much about Jennifer's show business world but he was familiar with the Robert Brackman portrait of her from Portrait Of Jennie because at one time he had tried unsuccessfully to buy it.
Their whirlwind romance included a trip to Europe, where Simon proposed. They were married on May 29, 1971 on a yacht in the English Channel. One of Simon's wedding presents to Jennifer was the Francisco de Zurbaran painting Still Life with Lemons, Oranges and a Rose. Jennifer was always fond of lemons and usually requested arrangements of lemons instead of flowers in her dressing rooms.
Jennifer was 52 and was about to embark on a new life. Simon taught her about art and she soon developed a critical eye and even bid on works for him at auctions that he could not attend. On one notable occasion, Jennifer, on Simon's behalf, successfully bid 3.7 million for a rare work by Dieric Bouts titled The Resurrection.
Simon encouraged Jennifer to do another film and she was enthusiastic about returning to the screen. She got a strong supporting part in the epic The Towering Inferno, a quality production that would hopefully erase all memories of Angel, Angel, Down We Go and The Idol. The film was a huge box office success and Jennifer received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Unfortunately she was overlooked for an Academy Award nomination. She looked forward to doing more films but a personal tragedy would take her mind off acting.
Mary Jennifer, Jones' daughter by Selznick, had developed deep emotional problems and had never fully gotten over her father's death. She was living in a dark fantasy world and according to one source, experimented with drugs and had had a nervous breakdown. While Jennifer was on a visit to Tulsa to visit her dying father, Mary Jennifer jumped to her death from a twenty two story building in Los Angeles. A few weeks later, Phil Isley died in Oklahoma.
Jennifer was devastated but her interest in mental health issues became even stronger and she donated one million dollars to establish the Jennifer Jones Simon Foundation For Mental Health And Education in 1980. She also donated many hours to the Wexler Hereditary Disease Foundation, founded by her personal analyst, Dr. Milton Wexler. In 1977, she spoke in Washington to the Senate Appropriations Committee to solicit more funds for the Foundation. In the early 1990s, Jennifer herself became a paraprofessional therapist and volunteered as a counselor at the Southern California Counseling Center in Beverly Hills.
There would be no return to the silver screen. She did talk with producers about portraying convicted murderess Jean Harris but the plans were abandoned when a television film was made with Ellen Burstyn. She bought the rights to Larry McMurtry's novel Terms of Endearment but lost interest when producer James Brooks hinted that she was too old to play the role. It became a smash hit with Shirley Maclaine in the role. She made appearances at the 1987 Academy Awards as well as American Film Institute Tributes to Lillian Gish and Gregory Peck.
Norton Simon was diagnosed with Guillain Barre syndrome in 1984 and the couple moved into the Beverly Hills Hotel so that he could receive around the clock medical treatment. The Beverly Hills Hotel closed for a renovation in late 1992 and the Simons moved into a house in Beverly Hills. Simon's health steadily got worse and he died on June 1, 1993.
Norton Simon had named Jennifer Chairman of the Norton Simon Museum in 1977 and she continued in this position after his death. She was instrumental in the renovation of the museum and its grounds in the late 90s.
She has also made rare public appearances on the Academy Awards in 1998 and 2003 in tributes to past winners. In 1997, she traveled to Germany to accept a Lifetime Achievement Award from the German Film Awards.
Jennifer is survived by her son Robert Walker Jr., eight grandchildren and four-great grandchildren. Her son Michael Walker died in 2007 and her only daughter Mary Jennifer died in 1975. For further information about the life of Jennifer Jones is there an very good biography "Portrait of Jennifer" by Edward Z. Epstein.
Jennifer at the 2003 Academy Awards as a Past Award winner with 58 other past winners.
GALLERY OF PICTURES OF A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN
Turner Classic Movies Tribute to Jennifer Jones
TCM is changing its previously scheduled programming for Thursday, January 7th in order to honor the late Jennifer Jones.
Here is the new schedule line-up:
8:00 PM Duel In The Sun (’46)
10:30 PM Beat The Devil (’54)
12:15 AM Madame Bovary (’49)
2:15 AM Indiscretion Of An American Wife (’54
