The Painted Smile / Rag Doll

[CaptainWaggett]

Two films from cult director Lance Comfort, released on 18th May and offering a rare chance to see Liz Fraser as a dramatic actress.

[dpgmel]

name='CaptainWaggett']Two films from cult director Lance Comfort, released on 18th May and offering a rare chance to see Liz Fraser as a dramatic actress.

...and very good she is in The Rag Doll plus it also features a young David Hemmings

[cornershop15]

name='CaptainWaggett']Two films from cult director Lance Comfort, released on 18th May and offering a rare chance to see Liz Fraser as a dramatic actress.

Rare indeed. She was very good in this film, which I Watched Last Night, and deserved better opportunities in her career. And she DID get something better about fifteen years later - the lead role in an episode of Seven Faces of Woman She: Sight Unseen (1977). The title appears to confirm my dim memory that she played a blind woman. I only wish I could be reminded of how good she was with a DVD release of, one hopes. the complete series. Every time I've seen Liz since, her performance in this is what immediately comes to mind. I might have more to add (including a TV listing!/?) at her thread.

name='dpgmel']...and very good she is in The Rag Doll plus it also features a young David Hemmings

Or even The Painted Smile! I remember watching this B-movie a long time ago on ITV one weekday morning, circa 1984. This was before This Morning (with Richard and Judy) took over that time slot. And with the afternoon schedule also filled with contemporary shows these days, it's a shame the likes of The Painted Smile (1962) don't appear anymore on the channel.



Apart from the excellent Liz Fraser, the other main character was played by the mysterious Tony Wickert, who doesn't seem to have lasted long as a (screen) actor, instead going behind the camera. I wonder what happened there? Did he give up because he failed to make an impression in this film?



It was funny seeing a young Ray Smith and even younger David Hemmings as some kind of double-act helping Mr. Wickert to find Bad Girl Liz. This is their only joint credit, unfortunately. Here they all are, along with Mrs. Bryan Forbes (Tony's fiancee in the film), towards the end, in a scene set in St. Pancras Station:

L-R: Ray Smith, Nanette Newman, Liz Fraser, Tony Wickert and (just out of his teens) David Hemmings

Kenneth Griffith, who really stood out as ruthless killer Kleinie when I saw this first time round, didn't have the same impact this time. He wasn't in it for as long as I remembered. Other disappointments were the brief appearances of Grazina Frame (recently seen in Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)), Gerald Sim as a 'Plain Clothes Policeman', and an actor called Peter Reynolds, who my father told me he used to talk to regularly in a pub near a theatre I think. Have never quite got to know him myself - on screen - although there's still time. My favourite moment in the film was provided by the suddenly-ubiquitous Harold Berens, as a second-hand bookseller who lost his chance to persuade Messrs. Smith and Hemmings to buy something when he was interrupted by a policeman (probably Gerald)!



I hope to watch The Rag Doll later.