Gene Tierney - Cultural References

Cultural References

• Tierney was ranked number 71 in Premiere Magazine's list of "The 100 Sexiest Movie Stars of All Time". They said, "Tierney, a classic beauty, may at first seem too elegant to be a sex symbol, but her Oscar-nominated performance as the femme fatal in Leave Her to Heaven firmly established her sexy cred. Plus, Tierney owned her look. She didn't let studio executives mess with her hair color or length, and refused to fix a slight overbite, earning extra sexy points for confidence."
• When Grauman's Chinese Theatre resumed cement handprints and footprints after World War II ended in 1945, Tierney was the first actress asked to continue the tradition.
• A famous comedy routine between Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis involved Lewis (in boxing shorts and gear) stating that he's fighting Gene Tierney. Martin corrects Lewis and suggests that he must mean Gene Tunney (the heavyweight boxing champion). Lewis then quips, "You fight who you wanna fight, I'm fight'n who I wanna fight; I'm fight'n Gene Tierney."
• Contrary to some published reports, Gene's birth name was never "Jean." Tierney was named after a beloved uncle, who died young as told in her autobiography, Self-Portrait.
• In House Arrest, a third-season episode of M*A*S*H*, Henry Blake remarks to an oblivious Hawkeye Pierce while watching Leave Her to Heaven that "Cornel Wilde just kissed Gene Tierney." When Hawkeye asks, "On the teeth?" and Trapper John MacIntyre tells him "Right smack on," Hawkeye replies, "If he's straightened out that overbite, I'll kill him."
• Tierney was the heroine of a novel, Gene Tierney and the Invisible Wedding Gift, written by Kathryn Heisenfelt, published by Whitman Publishing Company in 1947. While the heroine is identified as a famous actress, the stories are entirely fictitious. The story was probably written for a young teenage audience and is reminiscent of the adventures of Nancy Drew. It is part of a series known as "Whitman Authorized Editions," 16 books published between 1941 and 1947 that featured a film actress as heroine.
• Tierney negotiated a unique contract with a raise every six months, and she was to be given half a year off—with written notice to the studio—to appear on Broadway.