Movie Star Mystery Photo

Who's our mystery lady?

Aaron Kramer writes: I found this photo behind a wall in my house in Santa Monica during our recent renovation. I think a director or producer owned the house in the late '30's. She may be from Eastern Europe. Do you have any idea who this may be?

My guess is that this is Ingrid Bergman or Ingrid Bergman's twin sister. The photo above is from a Bergman fan site. I pulled some pictures from The Times' archives, but nothing that captures her in a similar pose.

Comments

[Arye Michael Bender]

Barbara Stanwyck -- when she was going out with Major Peroxide? She ditched the Major for most of her career. Although, she did briefly see him again in her 'Indemnity' period.

[Dewey Webb]

Joanne Woodward? (If this lady isn't ID'ed on back of photo--and apparently she isn't, or the reader wouldn't be asking--can there really be a definitive answer? Unless you know something he doesn't. This is a tough one.)

[Steven Bibb]

In order to know more about this, the homeowner needs to consult records to determine exactly who the owners of the house were. This would be the most logical starting point. The photo appears to have been taken in the late 1940s through the mid 1950s based upon the dress. Given the fact that the photo is a matte print and not a glossy, and that the photo appears to have possibly been smaller then a 8x10, one can possibly assume that the photo was not from a major studio, and is quite possibly a headshot from an independent agent...that is assuming the lady is even an actress. It is safe to assume that the photo was on display on the mantle of the fireplace and fell behind a crack somehow. Given this scenario, it is likely that the photo could be of a family member of the owner of the house. Think of Suzan Zanuck, daughter of Darryl, she had all types of glam shots taken of her, yet was not an actress....so this could simply be a family member of a prior owner of the house.

[J.A. Brady]

Francis Farmer

[Dru Duniway]

Joan Crawford

[MichaelRyerson]

Jarmila Novotna. This is my standard guess for vaguely exotic actresses of the period although, in this case, it does kinda look like her (except the hair, of course). Besides it doesn't sound like you really have any hard evidence as to her identity so I can assure you it's Jarmila Novotna.

[jany]

Ingrid Bergman

[gerald mccann]

I believe the photo is of French Star Michelle Morgan

[daisy]

I think Michelle Morgan is a good guess.
http://dvdtoile.com/Filmographie.php?id=2509
http://www.moviecovers.com/getjpg.html/LA%20SYMPHONIE%20PASTORALE.jpg

[zabadu]

No way, not Ingrid Berman, no way.

[Mary Mallory]

The photo is not of Ingrid Bergman and she didn't have a twin sister. She did birth twin daughters, but she wasn't a twin. I agree with Steven Bibb that this was a studio shot from a local photographer, but not a glamour studio shot from the studios and did probably just fall behind the mantle. The owner can easily track down previous owners through public records downtown with the address, instead of relying on hearsay or legend. The woman looks German or Eastern European. Many people came to Los Angeles during the thirties from these areas who didn't work in the entertainment industry.

[Dewey Webb]

I'm with the other Doubting Thomases on this one. (Doesn't look like early Berman to me, either--although that may well be what subject was aiming for.) From all available evidence, there's nothing to suggest that this woman was a famous actress--let alone an obscure one, or of Eastern European descent. In future, please stick with photo file stuff. It's tough enough, especially when, as has happened before, subject was misfiled or misidentified. Next Monday--play it again, Larry!