SHELLEY WINTERS
Movie Actress
Born August 18, 1920 in St. Joseph, Missouri
Died January 14, 2006
A major movie presence for more than five decades, she won two Academy Awards for best Supporting Actress. She began as a Blonde Bombshell but chose to wash off the makeup and get more serious about acting, which included attending Charles Laughton's Shakespeare Classes. In her early learning stages, she once shared living quarters with another newcomer, Marilyn Monroe. First Oscar came for her roll in The Diary of Anne Frank, 1959 and her second Oscar came in 1965 for A Patch of Blue. She was also nominated for an Oscar in the movie The Poseiden Adventure in 1972.
Shelley was born in my town, St. Louis. She also became a good writer. A very active person and involved in many causes, she was very outspoken and feisty. She had an opinion about everything: Acting, stormy marriages, annual rendezvous with William Holden, relationships with Burt Lancaster and Marlon Brando.
When I learned about her appearance in St. Louis the week of April 7, 1993, teaching acting classes at Washington University, I left a note for her at the front desk of her hotel around midnight one night, inviting her to sign The Tablecloth. Seven thirty the next morning, I received a yelling, stormy call from Shelley. "What do you mean waking me at 7:00 in the morning? Don't you know we actors need our sleep? We do not like to be called early in the morning." Man, she was mad. I explained the note and how it was the hotel's fault for that early call and not mine. When she calmed down I was able to arrange a meeting with her for that afternoon.
I took Joanne Petit with me to take the pictures as she was quite good with a camera and could get away from her office long enough to do this. Shelley Winters couldn't have been nicer. Maybe it was because of the presence and charm of Joanne with her friendly smile and quiet mannerism. The meeting went very smoothly. (Almost).
We sat at a small table which had a tall glass vase sitting right in the middle of the table with three small flowers coming out at the top. I put the folded Tablecloth in front of her and helped hold it steady as she signed a very nice signature. Joanne was busy taking pictures as Shelley kept moving and trying to avoid this flower. The poses and antics she went through to make sure she would be in at least one of the pictures was worth another Oscar for her. Joanne captured every pose. Not one of the three of us had enough sense to remove that pesky little flower. After the signing, we posed for one good picture facing the camera and holding The Tablecloth up in front of us. "Thank you for inviting me to sign your Tablecloth Mr. Light, sorry I yelled at you like that this morning." She shook hands with both of us and left. Shelley Winters has a Star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood. A movie star Legend and now a part of A Gathering of Legends.