Joseph Cheshire Cotten born May 15, 1905 in Virginia would prove to be a loyal spouse to both of his wives first to Lenore Kipp who he wed in 1931 until her death in 1960 and then later that year to Patricia Medina a star in her own right until his death at age 88 in 1994. But let’s take our deep dive into our June star shall we?
Joseph Cotten’s movie career was hardly what one might call a yeoman effort as his first film was as some consider maybe the best movie every made: The Orson Welles epic Citizen Kane. And unlike most stars in the making Cotten wasn’t relegated to some bit part he landed a pivotal role-playing both best friend and toughest critic to Welles’s title character.
But let’s back up a bit. The part came most likely via Broadway starring opposite Katharine Hepburn in The Philadelphia Story. As most of you know that play moved to the big screen and Cotten’s part went to Cary Grant the bankable star, as Joe Cotten was a virtual unknown as yet. Bolstering his chances for Citizen Kane most likely came from his work with Orson and his Mercury Theater group on the radio and with Cotten’s velvety voice he was a natural for the medium. As an aside it was this Mercury group that pulled off one of the biggest hoaxes of all time when it staged the War of the Worlds in 1938 a supposed invasion by Martians. We might touch on that if we feature Orson Welles later this year.
After Citizen Kane Cotten’s follow up film The Magnificent Ambersons in 1942 which carries a 93 metascore at imdb.com (with several critics giving it a 100) has a story revolving around a Midwestern family facing decay in the latter part of the 19th Century In his first two films Cotton began to underscore his box office bank ability the Hollywood moguls. The Amberson film directed by Welles and two others was not exactly as Orson had planned it nonetheless has Cotton’s star was shining bright right quick. 1943 saw Joe being loaned out for the Hitchcock film Shadow of a Doubt wherein he stars as the menacing ‘Merry Widow’ killer opposite Teresa Wright. In Shadow of Doubt Joseph Cotton extends his acting ability from heartthrob to now deadly menace topped off with suaveness and charm.
Beside his voice age was on Joe’s side as well. Being in his late 30’s much of the heavyweight talent in Hollywood was had headed off to WWII leaving a dearth of leading men and therefore a wide open field for the handsome 6’2” Cotten and armed with a classy persona the stars were aligned for him to costar with the likes of Deana Durbin, Ginger Rogers, Claudette Colbert, Ingrid Bergman and the stunning Jennifer Jones who he starred with 4 times including my favorite in 1948’s Portrait of Jennie. It was in 1943’s Hers to Hold with Deanna Durbin that shot him to the front of the ranks as next up was 1944’s Gaslight opposite Ingrid Bergman in which his role had him comforting her after her maniacal husband played by Charles Boyer who was trying to drive her insane. Next up in gallant white uniform he took the place of Claudette Colbert’s deceased husband at the front in 1944’s Since You Went Away.
With a stellar resume in hand Joe Cotten lost no ground when the Hollywood veterans came home as Joe continued with the string of leading ladies: Loretta Young twice, Bette Davis also twice, Olivia de Havilland three times, thence Joan Fontaine, Barbara Stanwyck and newcomer Marilyn Monroe.
Joseph Cotten once said: “It was easy- I was tall and I could talk.” It of course wasn’t just those two attributes but his friendship with Orson Welles didn’t hurt things either. In fact following up their pairing in Citizen Kane in 1941 they would later costar in the 1949 zither dominated sound track epic The Third Man focusing on post-war Vienna. Some claim that it is a Noir classic. There is no doubt the novel by Graham Greene and director Carol Reed remains on of Hollywood’s masterpieces.
Joseph Cotten and Jennifer Jones a 5 time Oscar nominee and winner for Song of Bernadette costarred 4 times. She once said in a line from one of their films: “I think we were made for each other.” And if you watch Since You Went Away 1944, Love Letters 1945, Duel in the Sun 1946 and Portrait of Jennie in 1948 you might agree these two carried an onscreen magnetism that leapt off the screen. And their last collaboration in a fantasy entitled Portrait of Jennie an emotional grabber that holds my attention similarly to Random Harvest starring Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson if your lachrymal glands don’t start watering then you might have a heart of stone. It plays every so often on TCM I recommend it highly.
As it turned out by 1949 Cotten and his Selznick contract was over and his career began to sag a bit as he starred in several forgettable films. And after a dismal reunion with Hitchcock in Under Capricorn he met newcomer Marilyn Monroe in 1953’s Niagara playing the honeymooner she wants to rid herself of as she tries to persuade her lover to push him over the Falls. That same decade Joe returned to Broadway and met and married the aforementioned Patricia Medina where he found great happiness until his death. In 1964 as a scheming doctor he reunited with Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland where he made his last hurrah in the 7 time Oscar nominated film Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte directed by Robert Aldrich.
Joseph Cotten took talent, timing, looks, voice and opportunity and made his star on the Walk of Fame a brilliant body of work.
