"I hadn't played the Hollywood game very much and a certain resentment built around that. As I've explained, I'd adopted a cockiness to cover my obvious inadequacies...I truly did not like the usual Hollywood life to which everyone seemed to gravitate...when I felt something was wrong or when someone pushed me around, I pushed back. And that goes just so far in movie land."

from "Veronica: The Autobiography of Veronica Lake"


Lake started as an extra in movies when she was 16-years-old (or 19, her birth date is given as 1922 in the autobiography but as 1919 in other sources). If Lake is to be believed, she attended auditions and meetings on her own and then was subject to sexual advances and harassment. Although she adopts a blase attitude regarding the unwelcome attention, it is obvious that it affected her. In another section of the book she states, "Nothing really hurts you except people."

Lake reminds me of Errol Flynn, whom she mentions in her book. Both revealed somewhat shocking details of their life in autobiographies, both suffered from drug and alcohol addictions, and both died in their fifties. I find Lake a sympathetic individual, although it's difficult to read her admissions of bad behavior regarding her children. Her hard-boiled attitude, however, is what makes her performances on film worth watching. In "Ramrod", she avoids any melodramatic excesses.

If her story is too downbeat for some, actor Sam Neill had a new memoir published this year. Titled "Did I Ever Tell You This?", the book is an enjoyable read filled with stories regarding most of Neill's co-stars. Neill also reveals that he wrote the book while being treated for cancer. The news alarmed his fans so he put out a statement clarifying that the treatment worked and he is currently in remission. Neill currently has two television series and two films in the pipeline.

Finally, a word regarding advertising on the site. The owner of Bellaonline controls the ads. I have no input over what appears and I make no money from it. I mention this because I checked on the site one day and an ad from Temu appeared that sickened and disgusted me. Please ignore the ads and focus on the articles. Thank you!


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Veronica Lake and Ramrod
"Ramrod" (1947) is a Western that ventures into noir territory, but is Veronica Lake's character your typical femme fatale?

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art308826.asp


Angela K. Peterson, Drama Movies Editor
http://dramamovies.bellaonline.com

Twitter - AngelaKPeterso1