Harrington, Wallace :: Themed Gallery - Sci Fi and Film Noir Actresses of the 1950's and 1960's

Jim SIlke - Gloria Grahame from Naked Alibi

Artist: Jim Silke (All)

2 Comments - 6,858 Views - 1 Like

Jim SIlke - Gloria Grahame from Naked Alibi Comic Art

Additional Images:

Promo Photo of Gloria Grahame at Premier

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Artwork Details

Title:	Jim SIlke - Gloria Grahame from Naked Alibi
Artist:	Jim Silke (All)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Commission
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	6,858
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	9/21/2014
Comic Art Archive:

Description

While Gloria Grahame started on the stage, she was better known for her film noir roles as a tarnished beauty with steamy allure. After making her debut in Blonde Fever (1944) she was cast in one of her most widely praised roles; the promiscuous Violet who was saved from disgrace by George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life (1946). Amazingly, MGM did not believe she had the potential for major success and sold her contract to RKO Studios who then cast her primarily in film noir projects like In a Lonely Place (with Humphrey Bogart; 1950), Sudden Fear (1952), Human Desire (1953), The Big Heat (1953) and Naked Alibi (1954). Gloria Grahame received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress for Crossfire (1947), and won this award for her work in The Bad and the Beautiful (1952) even though she was on-screen for a little over nine minutes.

Naked Alibi is a 1954 black-and-white film noir crime drama. It starred Sterling Hayden as a disgraced police chief who accused well-respected Al Willis (played by Gene Barry) of murdering several of his policemen. The town believed Barry, but afraid that Hayden would find more evidence he fled to a border town where he lived a double life - and still married back home he lived with his bar-singer mistress Marianna (Gloria Grahame), whom he treated abusively. As you'd expect, Hayden tailed Barry to the border city and recruited Marianna to help him. The film ends with a climactic rooftop shootout filmed in Tijuana, Mexico.

Jim's take on this is perfect capturing the steaminess of Grahame in a film noir motif... bad guy in the shadows and a smoking gun.

Can't beat Silke art... and a pleasure to work with.

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About the Owner

	Wallace Harrington ( 27 ) Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	December 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	wwh27539
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Comments on this Artwork

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Ray Cuthbert
Member Since 2003

Posted on 9/21/2014

The background section of this piece is very different graphically than most of Jim's work. Very nice!

E DLS
Member Since 2005

Posted on 9/21/2014

Her character of Violet in It's A Wonderful Life is where I first discovered Gloria Grahame and I've been in love ever since. Love Jim's work as well. And I was lucky enough to aquire my first Silke piece in San Diego this past summer. Anyway, congratulations on this wonderful commission Wally!

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