What’s the Word: A rose by any other name
Being a movie buff, I have always been fascinated with the larger-than-life stars of the silver screen. Of course, most of us know those glamorous icons are, in most part, the creation of the much touted Hollywood image machine.
And we also know that one of the first things that the image-makers tend to change is the star’s name.
Now, you wouldn’t think that a name would make that much difference in a star’s cachet, at least until you hear the appellation some of our most masculine heroes and ravishing starlets were given at birth.
For instance, would the star of such films as “The Alamo,” “She Wore a Yellow Ribbon,” “McClintock,” and “True Grit,” have quite the same macho persona if the name on the credits had read Marion Michael Morrison instead of John Wayne? Somehow, I don’t think so.
And what about one of my favorite actresses, who was a wonderful singer as well, the squeaky clean star of all those double-entendre spouting romantic comedies of the 1950s opposite Rock Hudson. The demurely sexy blonde who, much to her chagrin, became known as “the eternal virgin.” Yep, that’s right, Miss Doris Day. Would we have fallen as totally in love with this pert and pretty comedienne if the name we saw up on the screen was Doris von Kappelhoff? I think not.
And speaking of old Rock, we already know how thoroughly he fooled almost a generation of doting female fans, only officially coming out on his true sexual orientation near the end of his life. But you’ve got to wonder, would he have been able to do so as easily if he had been known as Roy Harold Scherer Jr.? One wonders. Though I’m still curious how some studio pundit decided “Rock” was a good stage name? Oh well, it stuck, and it seems to have worked pretty well.
Oh, and if you think Rock is strange, how about Rip Torn? You might think Rip’s whole name was a creation of the Hollywood machine, but you’d be wrong. His real name is actually Elmore Rual Torn, Jr., so his stage name isn’t really that much of a stretch I suppose. Another interesting fact about this talented actor is the fact he is the cousin of another of my favorites, Sissy Spacek.
And what about Sissy? You would think surely her parents wouldn’t saddle her with that one, and you’d be right. Her real name is Mary Elizabeth Spacek, but her older brother called her Sissy and the name stuck.
And then there’s that ethereally beautiful, razor-thin actress for which the word “gamine” must have been invented. First gracing the screen in “Roman Holiday” with Gregory Peck, she was so captivating that though it was her first film, Peck insisted she get equal billing, saying that if anything he did to her was perceived as mean, the public would be bound to hate him forever. She went on to star in such classics as “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and “Charade.” One has to wonder, would we have been quite as captivated if the name beside Gregory Peck’s in “Roman Holiday” had been Edda Van Heemstra Hepburn-Rusten instead of Audrey Hepburn? Probably not.
Of course, some stars don’t change their names completely, retaining at least part of their birth names, like Hepburn.
Here’s one that I can certainly understand. Would we have laughed as hard at the star of such films as “Cactus Flower” and “Private Benjamin” if the marquee read Goldie Jean Studlendegehawn instead of simply Goldie Hawn?
And then there’s the gorgeous singer-actress-dancer who got rid of “a Olsson” to form her stage name when Ann-Margaret Olsson became the inimitable Ann-Margret.
So what’s in a name? As far as Hollywood is concerned, perhaps a better question is “what isn’t?”
(Charlie Johnson is news editor at the Standard. He can be reached at 473-2191.)