Turhan Bey(bornTurhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi,30 March 1922 – 30 September 2012)[1]was an Austrian-born[2]actor of Turkish and Czech-Jewish origins. Active in Hollywood from 1941 to 1953, he was dubbed "The Turkish Delight" by his fans.[3]After his return to Austria, he pursued careers as a photographer and stage director. Returning to Hollywood after a 40-year hiatus, he made several guest appearances in 1990s television series includingSeaQuest DSV,Murder, She WroteandBabylon 5as well as a number of films. After retiring, he appeared in a number of documentaries, including a German-language documentary on his life.
Turhan Bey | |
|---|---|
 Bey in 1946 | |
| Born | Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi 30 March 1922 Vienna,Austria |
| Died | 30 September 2012(aged 90) Vienna, Austria |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1941–1953; 1990–1998 |
Life and career
editBey was born Turhan Gilbert Selahattin Şahultavi in Vienna, Austria, on 30 March 1922, as the son of a Turkish diplomat and aCzechoslovakian-Jewish mother.[3][4][5]
After theAnschlussanne xing Austria to Nazi Germany and his parents' divorce, he and his mother immigrated to the United States in October 1938, initially settling in New Hampshire. In 1939, they moved to Los Angeles.[6][7]
Acting
editBey was an acting student at Ben Bard's School of Dramatic Art and was active in thePasadena Playhouse.[8]
When he enrolled in classes to improve his English, he was asked to play a role in a teacher's play.
Bey says it was Bard who helped come up with his stage name. He said, "He knew that 'Bey' was a term of respect in Turkey so said 'Why don't we just make it Turhan Bey?'"[7]
In December 1939, he appeared in Bard's Talent Scout Revue on stage. "Vivid playing and several fine characterizations distinguished the evening", reported theLos Angeles Times.[9]
A talent scout fromWarner Brotherswas in the audience, was impressed and signed him to a contract, under the name of Turhan Bey.[6]
Warner Bros
editBey appeared in a number of films in small roles, usually playing someone sinister:Shadows on the Stairs(1941), andFootsteps in the Dark(1941) withErrol Flynn.Warners then dropped him.
Universal
editBey moved to Universal, where he had small roles inRaiders of the Desert(1941) (which had an early appearance fromMaria Montez), andBurma Convoy(1941).[10]
He went to RKO to appear inThe Gay Falcon(1941), the first inThe Falconseries of B movies. He returned to Universal for a small role inBombay Clipper(1942), starring Montez and directed byJohn Rawlins.
Bey had a slightly bigger part inUnseen Enemy(1942), directed by Rawlins, playing a Japanese spy. He was in the serialJunior G-Men of the Air(1942). Bey was inDrums of the Congo(1942), then went back to RKO forThe Falcon Takes Over(1942), an adaptation ofFarewell My Lovely.
Bey played a South Sea islander inDanger in the Pacific(1942) and a Japanese officer inDestination Unknown(1942). He had a role as an Egyptian follower of Kharis inThe Mummy's Tomb(1942) withLon Chaney Jr.[11]which he later said was his favorite film.[12]
Bey's first "A" movie in color wasArabian Nights(1942) withMaria Montez,Jon HallandSabudirected by Rawlins; Bey had a support role as a captain. The movie was a huge success and led to a series of exotic adventure stories starring Montez. Bey was noticed too, with one reviewer's calling him "a handsome snake in the grass."[13]
Bey was inThe Adventures of Smilin' Jack(1942), then had his best chance to date withWhite Savage(1943). This was a follow-up toArabian Nights,reuniting Montez, Hall and Sabu; Bey was cast in the role of Montez's wastrel brother.Arthur Lubindirected and the movie was a hit.
Warner Bros borrowed Bey to play a small role inBackground to Danger(1943), aGeorge Raftmovie set in Turkey.
Stardom
editBey was receiving a lot of fan mail, and Universal began to build him into a star.Hedda Hoppercalled him a "Turkish Valentino."[14]
He was top billed in the horror filmThe Mad Ghoul(1943), withEvelyn Ankers.[15]
When Sabu enlisted in the army, Bey took his place inAli Baba and the Forty Thieves(1944), a Technicolor spectacular with Montez and Hall directed by Lubin. Bey was top billed, and the film was very popular. Bey had a cameo in Universal's all-starFollow the Boys(1944).
Bey was meant to be reunited with Montez and Hall inGypsy Wildcat(1944) whenMGMborrowed him to play a Chinese inDragon Seed(1944) starringKatharine HepburnandWalter Huston.His part inWildcatwent to Peter Coe.[16][17]
Dragon Seedearned over $4 million but lost money due to its high cost.[18]Bey said the experience of working at MGM was "very exciting" although he "almost preferred the way Universal worked, because it was faster and less time consuming."[19]
Back at Universal, Bey was the romantic male lead in the big-budgetThe Climax(1944) withBoris KarloffandSusanna Foster,an unsuccessful attempt to duplicate the success ofPhantom of the Opera(1943).[20]He had a key role in the musicalBowery to Broadway(1944), a vehicle forJack Oakie.
In 1944, a poll by exhibitors of "Stars of Tomorrow" listed Bey at number nine.[21]
In May 1944, Universal announced it would star him inReturn of the Sheik.[22]
Universal put Bey and Foster in the WesternFrisco Sal(1945). He was more comfortably cast inSudan(1945), with Montez and Hall.[23]
MGM wanted Bey for a part inWeekend at the Waldorf,but Universal andWalter Wangerwanted him for another film so he could not do it (George Zuccoplayed the role). The Wanger film wasNight in Paradise(1946), with Bey playingAesopoppositeMerle Oberonfor director Arthur Lubin.[24]Bey admitted to often arriving late on set, something he later regretted.[25]The movie was a box-office flop and damaged Bey's standing in Hollywood.[26]
Army service
editAs a Turkish subject, Bey had not been eligible to be called by the draft board. That changed whenTurkey declared war on Germanyin February 1945, and in June, Bey was inducted into the army atFort MacArthur.[27]
He served atSanta Ana Army Air Basefor a time[28]and performed in a version ofCarmenat Fort Roberts.[29]
Bey was in the army for 18 months, which halted his career's momentum.[7]
When he got out, Universal offered him a film that Bey refused, and he was put on suspension. It sold his contract, which had three years to go, toEagle-Lion.[30]
Bey later recalled his time at Universal as "very pleasant, very constructive; the end, unfortunately, a big flop but c'est la vie...It was a studio of cooperation where the biggest producer was never too big to listen to you...I should have been a little more serious about my work but I was very young."[30]
Eagle-Lion Productions
edit
Bey made four films with Eagle-Lion. The first was the comedyOut of the Blue(1947) withGeorge BrentandVirginia Mayo.[31]Bey followed it with the swashbucklerAdventures of Casanova(1948), supportingArturo de Córdova.Bey made the thrillerThe Amazing Mr. X(1948) withLynn Bari.[32]His fourth film for Eagle-Lion wasParole, Inc(1948) with Michael O'Shea.
In August 1948, he appeared on stage inThe Second Manin Princeton.[33]
Final films as star
editBey madeSong of India(1949) at Columbia with Sabu andGail Russell.The film was not a success.[34]
He bought an interest in a cafe in Palm Springs.[35]The same year, he tried to get financing for a film onSir Edward Coke,A Lion Under the Throne.[36]
In Austria he produced, but did not star in,Stolen Identity(1953).
He returned to Hollywood and was cast inSam Katzman'sPrisoners of the Casbah(1953), billed afterGloria GrahameandCesar Romero.[37][30]He announced he had set up his own production company, Metropolitan Pictures, and wanted to produce but not star in Dikov, a film about a boy and his bird.[38]
Return to Hollywood
editTurhan returned to the United States in the early 1990s. He appeared in episodes ofSeaQuest 2032,Murder, She Wrote,VR.5,andThe Visitor.He also guest-starred in two episodes of the TV seriesBabylon 5:first as the emperor of theCentauri Republic(who also had the name Turhan), and later as aMinbariRangernamed Turval.
Bey was in theFred Olen RaythrillerPossessed by the Night(1994), the dramaHealer(1994),The Skateboard Kid 2(1995), andGrid Runners(1995).
The documentaryVom Glück verfolgt. Wien – Hollywood – Retour,made in 2002 byAndrea Eckert,was about him.[citation needed]
Another documentary in which he appeared was film historian Scott MacQueen'sExtra Bonus,filmed in 2000.
Personal life
edit
Bey was romantically linked withLana Turnerat one time. In September 1944, he had a brawl over Turner with the latter's ex-husbandStephen Crane.[39]His relationship with Turner ended when he went into the army.[40][41]
Death
editTurhan died on 30 September 2012 fromParkinson's disease.[42]He was cremated atFeuerhalle Simmering,where his ashes are buried next to his mother's.
In popular culture
editIn the 1948 Warner Brothers "Merrie Melodies" cartoon, "A-lad-in-His Lamp", a map of the Bagdad area appears. On the map, there is a geographic feature called "Turhan Bay".
Turhan Bey's long absence from Hollywood was referenced in the first part of the 1969Get Smartepisode "To Sire, with Love". Maxwell Smart claims that after appearing in an unspecified movie involving mummies, Bey was cursed, and his career never recovered.[citation needed]
In a 1980 episode ofAlicetitled "Dog Day Evening", Vera uses Turhan Bey's name in a rhyming game.
In a season three episode ofM*A*S*H,titled "Bombed," Henry Blake, after losing the first good toothbrush he's received in six months, laments that he had teeth like Turhan Bey while using it.
In the Hogan's Heroes episode "The Battle Of Stalag 13" (1966, Season 2, Episode 5), Hogan enlists Klink's secretary Hilda's help in signaling for Plan X; telling her "part of which includes a free autographed photo of Turhan Bey".
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1941 | Shadows on the Stairs | Ram Singh | |
| 1941 | Footsteps in the Dark | Ahmed | |
| 1941 | Raiders of the Desert | Hassen Mohammed | |
| 1941 | Burma Convoy | Mr. Yuchau | |
| 1941 | The Gay Falcon | Manuel Retana | |
| 1941 | Bombay Clipper | Captain Chundra | |
| 1942 | Unseen Enemy | Ito | |
| 1942 | Junior G-Men of the Air | Henchman Araka | |
| 1942 | The Falcon Takes Over | Jules Amthor | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Danger in the Pacific | Tagani | |
| 1942 | Drums of the Congo | Juma | |
| 1942 | Destination Unknown | Captain Muto | |
| 1942 | The Mummy's Tomb | Mehemet Bey | |
| 1942 | Arabian Nights | Captain of the Guard | |
| 1943 | The Adventures of Smilin' Jack | Kageyama | Serial film |
| 1943 | White Savage | Tamara | |
| 1943 | Captive Wild Woman | End Narrator | Voice, Uncredited |
| 1943 | Background to Danger | Hassan | |
| 1943 | Crazy House | Turhan Bey | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The Mad Ghoul | Eric Iverson | |
| 1944 | Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves | Jamiel | |
| 1944 | Dragon Seed | Lao Er Tan – Middle Son | |
| 1944 | The Climax | Franz Munzer | |
| 1944 | Bowery to Broadway | Ted Barrie | |
| 1945 | Frisco Sal | Dude Forante | |
| 1945 | Sudan | Herua | |
| 1946 | Night in Paradise | Aesop | |
| 1947 | Out of the Blue | David Gelleo | |
| 1948 | Adventures of Casanova | Lorenzo | |
| 1948 | The Amazing Mr. X | Alexis | |
| 1948 | Parole, Inc. | Barney Rodescu | |
| 1949 | Song of India | Gopal | |
| 1953 | Prisoners of the Casbah | Ahmed | |
| 1993 | SeaQuest DSV | Dimitri Rossovich | TV series (one episode: "Treasure of the Mind" ) |
| 1994 | Possessed by the Night | Calvin | |
| 1994 | Healer | Igor Vostovich | |
| 1995, Broadcast Jan.22, US. | Murder, She Wrote | Sherif Faris | TV series (one episode: "Death 'N Denial" ) |
| 1995 | VR.5 | Abernathy | TV series (one episode: "Reunion" ) |
| 1995 | Grid Runners | Dr. Cameron | |
| 1997 | The Visitor | TV series (one episode: "The Black Box" ) | |
| 1995, 1998 | Babylon 5 | Centauri Emperor Turhan / Turval | TV series (two episodes: "The Coming of Shadows"and"Learning Curve") |
| 2000 | The Skateboard Kid II | Zeno, an Angel | |
| 2002 | Vom Glück verfolgt. Wien – Hollywood – Retour | Himself | TV documentary |
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Stolen Identity | Producer |
References
edit- ^Garrett 2005,28.
- ^Monush, Barry (9 February 2019).Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965.Hal Leonard Corporation.ISBN9781557835512.Retrieved9 February2019– via Google Books.
- ^abFeramisco & Koster 2008,167.
- ^[1][permanent dead link]
- ^"Czech Boy Makes Good".The Voice.Vol. 18, no. 20. Tasmania, Australia. 19 May 1945. p. 4.Retrieved5 August2019– via National Library of Australia.
- ^abHevesi, Dennis (13 October 2012)."Turhan Bey, 90, Screen's 'Turkish Delight'".The New York Times.Retrieved13 October2012.
- ^abcVallance, Tom (22 October 2012)."Turhan Bey: Actor who worked with Hepburn and Montez".The Independent.
- ^Katz, Ephraim (1979).The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume.Perigee Books.ISBN0-399-50601-2.P.118.
- ^"ON APPROVAL: What's Doing in Little Theaters Katherine Von Blon".Los Angeles Times.10 December 1939. p. C4.
- ^"Pair Invade Film Desert".Los Angeles Times.9 July 1941. p. 16.
- ^"Turkish Actor Makes Debut in Mystery Film".Los Angeles Times.7 December 1942. p. 25.
- ^"Interview with Turhan Bay".You Tube.1995.Archivedfrom the original on 13 December 2021.
- ^Tinee, Mae (22 January 1943). "Film, 'Arabian Nights,' Brimful of Fascination".Chicago Daily Tribune.p. 16.
- ^Hedda Hoppers (8 May 1943). "LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD".Los Angeles Times.p. 7.
- ^Hedda Hopper (8 May 1943). "LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD".Los Angeles Times.p. 7.
- ^"SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Turhan Bey, Czech Actor, Will Appear Opposite Katharine Hepburn in 'Dragon Seed'".New York Times.2 October 1943. p. 19.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (4 October 1943). "DRAMA AND FILM: Sacrosanct Chaplin Studio Stage Invaded Long Hiatus in Lana Turner Career Approaching End; Coe Gets Bey Role".Los Angeles Times.p. A8.
- ^The Eddie Mannix Ledger,Los Angeles: Margaret Herrick Library, Center for Motion Picture Study.
- ^Weaver p 78
- ^Stephen Jacobs,Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster,Tomahawk Press 2011 p 290-291
- ^"SAGA OF THE HIGH SEAS".The Mercury.Hobart, Tasmania. 11 November 1944. p. 9.Retrieved24 April2012– via National Library of Australia.
- ^"SCREEN NEWS HERE AND IN HOLLYWOOD: Blanche Thebom and Leonard Warren Signed for Fox Film -- Two Openings Today".New York Times.19 May 1944. p. 15.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (11 September 1944). "'Willie' Will Bring Return of John Payne: Turhan Bey, Susanna Foster Thrice Costarred; Tenor Discovery Hailed ".Los Angeles Times.p. 8.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (10 November 1944). "'A Night in Paradise' Will Star Turhan Bey: Winfield Sheehan Signs Darryl Hickman to Play Eddie Rickenbacker as Boy ".Los Angeles Times.p. 13.
- ^"Weaver p 79".
- ^Matthew Bernstein,Walter Wagner: Hollywood Independent,Minnesota Press, 2000 p442
- ^"Rehabilitation Urged".Los Angeles Times.5 June 1945. p. A12.
- ^"TURHAN BEY BECOMES STAGEHAND IN ARMY".Los Angeles Times.14 November 1945. p. A2.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (11 September 1945). "Bey called Candidate for Bullfighter Role".Los Angeles Times.p. 11.
- ^abcWeaver p 81
- ^"BRENT, BEY WILL DO COMEDY MYSTERY".New York Times.19 February 1947. p. 32.
- ^Hedda Hopper (29 November 1947). "LOOKING AT HOLLYWOOD".Los Angeles Times.p. 7.
- ^"STRAW HAT TRAIL".New York Times.29 August 1948. p. X2.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (11 May 1948). "Sturges to Guide Betty; 'Song of India' Jells".Los Angeles Times.p. 23.
- ^Hopper, Hedda (21 January 1949). "Stewart Will Do Good Scout Deed".Los Angeles Times.p. 14.
- ^Schallert, Edwin (7 July 1949). "Kramer Signs Zinnemann; Build-up for Thompson; Carey, O'Hara in 'Bowie'".Los Angeles Times.p. 23.
- ^Lamparski, p.93
- ^Schallert, Edwin (3 October 1952). "Turhan Bey to Produce and Star; Anna Sten Named Film Consultant".Los Angeles Times.p. B9.
- ^"Land Turner's Ex-Mate and Turhan Bey Scuffle".Los Angeles Times.18 September 1944. p. A1.
- ^"Lana Turner Has New Heart Throb".Los Angeles Times.31 October 1945. p. A1.
- ^"Lana Turner Loses Out In 'Perfect' Affair With Turhan Bey".The Dowerin Guardian and Amery Line Advocate.Vol. XIX, no. 39. Western Australia. 20 September 1946. p. 9 (Modern Weekly News Magazine).Retrieved10 June2018– via National Library of Australia.
- ^Hevesi, Dennis (11 October 2012)."Turhan Bey, Actor, Dies at 90".The New York Times.
Bibliography
edit- Feramisco, Thomas M.; Koster, Peggy Moran (2008),The Mummy Unwrapped: Scenes Left on Universal's Cutting Room Floor,McFarland,ISBN978-0-7864-3734-4.
- Garrett, Eddie (2005),I Saw Stars in the 40s and 50s,Trafford Publishing,ISBN1-4120-5838-4.
- Lamparski, R. (1980)Jane Russell Presents Whatever Became Of,Bantam Premium: New York.
- Weaver, Tom (2003).Double Feature Creature Attack: A Monster Merger of Two More Volumes of Classic Interviews.McFarland.ISBN9780786482153.
External links
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