Merle Oberon

I'm prompted to remark on the superiority of the A&E's recent miniseries TV presentation of "Pride and Prejudice" over the current film "Sense and Sensibility." If "Pride and Prejudice" were in the Oscar competition, it would surely merit the same raves for script, costuming, acting, etc., as "Sense and Sensibility," and in this viewer's opinion would likely leave "Sense and Sensibility" in the dust. Not incidentally, the British cast in "Pride and Prejudice" was winsome and accomplished.

Anna Karen Morrow, 94, an actress who had a regular role on the 1960s prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" and also appeared on Broadway, in films and on other television shows, died Wednesday at a retirement home in Woodland Hills. The actress, a longtime resident of Encino, died from complications of old age, her daughter Lissa Morrow Christian said. As Anna Karen, her film credits included "The Price of Fear," which starred Merle Oberon, and "The Wrong Man" alongside Henry Fonda.

Anna Karen Morrow, 94, an actress who had a regular role on the 1960s prime-time soap opera "Peyton Place" and also appeared on Broadway, in films and on other television shows, died Wednesday at a retirement home in Woodland Hills. The actress, a longtime resident of Encino, died from complications of old age, her daughter Lissa Morrow Christian said. As Anna Karen, her film credits included "The Price of Fear," which starred Merle Oberon, and "The Wrong Man" alongside Henry Fonda.

Perhaps it was kismet. In 1939 the stars aligned in the heavens -- and Hollywood -- to create what many consider to be the greatest single year in cinema history. Starting Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences turns back the clock to re-create what a night at the movies would have been like in 1939.

The "Wuthering Heights" excerpt from Jan Herman's forthcoming book on William Wyler failed to mention the actress who finally did play Isabella, Geraldine Fitzgerald ("Withering 'Heights,' " Dec. 10). Though her film career spanned more than 50 years, it was her first and only Oscar nomination. She and Laurence Olivier remained friends until the end of his life, and it was one of her proudest compliments when she read in one of his last interviews, "I watched 'Wuthering Heights' on television the other night and the only performance that still holds up is Geraldine Fitzgerald's."

Merle Oberon, who died in 1979, was an extraordinarily beautiful actress, best remembered as Cathy in William Wyler's classic "Wuthering Heights." But, says her one-time nephew Michael Korda, "her greatest achievement was not in her roles but herself, as Merle Oberon." Korda has just written a lurid page-turner called "Queenie," which just happens to have been Oberon's early nickname and, although fiction, is clearly inspired by certain events--and a key secret--in Oberon's life.

Perhaps it was kismet. In 1939 the stars aligned in the heavens -- and Hollywood -- to create what many consider to be the greatest single year in cinema history. Starting Monday, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences turns back the clock to re-create what a night at the movies would have been like in 1939.

All across America, or so it seems, women are ready, willing and able to trim their hair to a manageable, sensible length, to snip it in a manner that looks both fashionably attractive and suitable to the demands of their current station in life. The only thing that stands in their way, apparently, is a race of primitive, doltish men who take a certain Neolithic delight in seeing it long.

Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind, blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily the architect had the foresight to build it strong.

British filmmaker Andrea Arnold's "Wuthering Heights," the newest chapter in the novel's long, on-screen history, is so earthy and intent on authenticity that like Heathcliff and Cathy you can never escape the wind that howls across the moors, or the mud, clinging so thick on boots and body that it's tempting to check your own. Even the actors, many plucked from the Yorkshire countryside where the Emily Bronte classic is set and the movie was shot,...

I'm prompted to remark on the superiority of the A&E's recent miniseries TV presentation of "Pride and Prejudice" over the current film "Sense and Sensibility." If "Pride and Prejudice" were in the Oscar competition, it would surely merit the same raves for script, costuming, acting, etc., as "Sense and Sensibility," and in this viewer's opinion would likely leave "Sense and Sensibility" in the dust. Not incidentally, the British cast in "Pride and Prejudice" was winsome and accomplished.

The "Wuthering Heights" excerpt from Jan Herman's forthcoming book on William Wyler failed to mention the actress who finally did play Isabella, Geraldine Fitzgerald ("Withering 'Heights,' " Dec. 10). Though her film career spanned more than 50 years, it was her first and only Oscar nomination. She and Laurence Olivier remained friends until the end of his life, and it was one of her proudest compliments when she read in one of his last interviews, "I watched 'Wuthering Heights' on television the other night and the only performance that still holds up is Geraldine Fitzgerald's."

All across America, or so it seems, women are ready, willing and able to trim their hair to a manageable, sensible length, to snip it in a manner that looks both fashionably attractive and suitable to the demands of their current station in life. The only thing that stands in their way, apparently, is a race of primitive, doltish men who take a certain Neolithic delight in seeing it long.

Pure, bracing ventilation they must have up there at all times, indeed: one may guess the power of the north wind, blowing over the edge, by the excessive slant of a few stunted firs at the end of the house; and by a range of gaunt thorns all stretching their limbs one way, as if craving alms of the sun. Happily the architect had the foresight to build it strong.

Merle Oberon, who died in 1979, was an extraordinarily beautiful actress, best remembered as Cathy in William Wyler's classic "Wuthering Heights." But, says her one-time nephew Michael Korda, "her greatest achievement was not in her roles but herself, as Merle Oberon." Korda has just written a lurid page-turner called "Queenie," which just happens to have been Oberon's early nickname and, although fiction, is clearly inspired by certain events--and a key secret--in Oberon's life.

Vera Brown, a skin care specialist with a star-studded clientele who sponsored beauty clinics for thousands of blind teens, delinquent girls, homeless women and cancer patients in Los Angeles, died Sept. 24 at her Westwood home. She was 90 and had been in poor health for the last year, said her daughter, Angela. For more than 25 years, Brown operated two luxurious spas ? Vera's Retreat in Tarzana and Vera's Retreat in the Glen in Bel-Air ? with a client list that included such celebrities as Chris Evert, Whitney Houston, Nicole Kidman and Jane Seymour.

"Wuthering Heights," one of Laurence Olivier's most memorable romantic films, will open Friday at the Samuel Goldwyn Pavilion Cinemas as a tribute to the acclaimed actor who died Tuesday at the age of 82. The 1939 film, which also stars Merle Oberon, David Niven and Geraldine Fitzgerald, is booked for a one-week engagement.