Jane Greer was the post-WWII actress poised to become a noir film legend—then she ran afoul of one of Hollywood’s most enigmatic and vindictive star-makers.
1. She Faced Hollywood’s “Noir” Side
With one magazine cover, Jane Greer captured the imaginations (and hearts) of Hollywood’s hottest producers and actors. But, when the young ingénue rebuffed Howard Hughes’ advances, he embarked on a campaign of revenge to destroy her career. Nevertheless, Greer managed to take a peek behind the Hollywood curtain and discover its most sordid secrets.
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
2. She Had A Capital Start
Born in September of 1924 in Washington DC, Bettejane Greer was destined to become a noir film star. She was the dark-haired, dark-eyed female version of her blonde-haired, blue-eyed twin brother. Unfortunately, she suffered an early setback that nearly ended her Hollywood hopes long before they had even really begun.
RKO Pictures, Wikimedia Commons
3. She Suffered A Setback
At the age of 15, just as Greer was beginning to outgrow her teenage awkwardness, she suffered a terrible misfortune. The budding beauty was struck with a sudden case of facial palsy, leaving the left side of her face paralyzed. But, oddly enough, what should have spelled disaster for her career ambitions turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Studio Publicity, Wikimedia Commons
4. She Had An Iconic Look
Against the odds, Greer managed to recover from her attack of facial palsy—but, she never recovered fully. Turns out, that was a good thing. The condition likely contributed to Greer’s “calm, quizzical gaze” which later critics, fans, and producers called her “patented look”. It also, shockingly, made her a better actress.
5. She Learned The Art Of Acting
To help her recover from her facial paralysis, doctors gave Greer a set of facial exercises. A few years later, when the rave reviews started pouring in, Greer would claim that the exercises showed her how facial expressions were absolutely essential when it came to communicating human emotions. To be honest, though, no one was really paying to Greer’s face.
At least, not at first.
6. She Modeled For The Troops
Once she recovered from her episode of palsy, Greer began working as a model while her mother had started working in the War Department. Lucky for Greer, it just so happened that the Department was looking for models to show off the newly created Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) uniforms. A stroke of fate put her front and center.
Dan V. Smith, Wikimedia Commons
7. She Made The Cover Of Life
During the photoshoot for the WAAC uniforms, it started to rain. Concerned that her hair would have her looking like a wet rat, Greer pinned up her hair so that it was off of the collar of her uniform. That singular decision led to her becoming the head model for the photoshoot, landing her on the cover of Life magazine.
That single photo captured more than just her beauty.
8. She Hooked A Crooner
One of the many—and we do mean many—men who fell head over heels for the girl on the cover of Life with her hair pinned up was none other than the original crooner, and notorious playboy, Rudy Vallée. Once Vallée spotted Greer in the WAAC newsreel, he fell madly in love with her and hounded Life magazine for Greer’s number.
The phone call was, well, a little awkward.
Bain News Service, Wikimedia Commons
9. Her Mother Was Overprotective
Instead of Greer herself, it was Greer’s mother who answered Vallée’s call. He gushed to Bettie Greer that she reminded him dearly of his first wife, Fay Webb. But, far from being charmed by Vallée’s advances, Greer’s mother spurned the superstar singer. She said that Greer was simply too young to go to Hollywood “under his auspices”.
But she would go to Hollywood.
Midweek Pictorial, Wikimedia Commons
10. She Aced The Test
With the phones ringing off the hook with calls from Hollywood hotshots and the public interest mounting, Greer made her move. She did her first screen test in New York for Paramount Pictures. Unsurprisingly, the screen test was a resounding success and Paramount had her sign an “optional agreement”. Too bad the “option” was not hers.
De Carvalho Collection, Getty Images
11. She Was Out Before She Was Even In
Back in Washington, DC, with eyes full of Hollywood stardust and dreams, Greer threw herself a massive going away party. But, after gushing to all of her friends that she was off to become a major star, she got a disappointing phone call. Paramount canceled their agreement, deciding that she was too young. Too ashamed to face her friends, Greer hid in her bed.
But her mother wasn’t having it.
Sunset Boulevard, Getty Images
12. She Sang Her Heart Out
Regardless of her age, Greer’s mother knew one thing: Her daughter was a star. So she ordered her out of bed and back to work. In keeping with the noir films that she would go on to make, Greer found herself singing with the Enric Madriguera orchestra in “phonetic Spanish”. But someone in Hollywood still wanted her—more than ever.
13. She Charmed Selznick
Just one year after Paramount had dashed her hopes, Greer tried once again to crack into Hollywood. This time, she did a screen test for the powerful producer David O Selznick. While Selznick was chomping at the bit to have her, there was another big Hollywood player who would stop at nothing to sign Greer. And if he couldn’t have her, no one could.
14. She Bagged A Billionaire
Vallée and Selznick hadn’t been the only Hollywood hotshots dazzled by Greer’s Life magazine cover. The billionaire business magnate turned film producer, Howard Hughes, also became obsessed with Jane Greer. Once she was old enough, he invited her out to Hollywood to do a screen test for him. Based on what happened next, he had a lot more than movies on his mind.
15. She Had An Audacious Audition
Greer knew that Hughes could either make or break her Hollywood hopes. As such, according to a Life story in 1947, she prepared for the screen test meticulously. She learned the script for The Awful Truth—the script that Hughes had all aspiring actresses read. Next, she learned that Hughes was “a little deaf” so she practically screamed the lines at him.
Her trick worked... a little too well.
Michael Ochs Archives, Getty Images
16. She Was Basically A Babysitter
Greer’s screen test was a resounding success and Hughes ended up signing her—but he wanted more from her than great acting. The young actress and the brash billionaire began dating but, according to Greer herself, you’d have to put air quotes around that statement. From the sounds of it, she was more like Hughes’ babysitter.
17. Her “Date” Barely Noticed Her
Despite the media reports about Hughes’ new gal pal, Greer and the eccentric entrepreneur only ever went on one “date”. Hughes took her to an amusement park, but according to Greer, Hughes spent more time “throwing baseballs at glass bottles” and going on rides than engaging with her. He was definitely far from dating material.
18. She Had Pity On Hughes
In an interview with the comedian and talk show host Skip E Lowe, Greer made shocking revelations about Hughes’ character. She revealed that his awkward behavior on their date was because he “really had no childhood”. She also described the common portrayal of Hughes as “suave” as being inaccurate, instead saying that he was “vulnerable” and “insecure”.
However, she forgot to mention that he was also insanely jealous.
19. She Was Lonely—But Not For Long
When she arrived in Hollywood, Greer had been under strict instructions from Hughes not to contact anyone. He wanted to keep her a secret as much as possible before debuting her on-screen. But, given that he was such terrible company, Greer and her mother became lonely. That’s when they decided to call the only other person in Hollywood that they knew.
Rudy Vallée.
20. She Chose True Love
In an effort just to get out of the house, Greer arranged to attend one of Vallée’s shows with her mother. But she wasn’t expecting what happened next. Unlike on her date with Hughes, Vallée proved to be breathlessly charming and swept Greer off her feet. It wasn’t long after that that she “broke things off” with Hughes to pursue a relationship with Vallée.
21. She Had A WWII Wedding
Just months after moving to Hollywood and meeting Vallée, Greer made a shocking decision. In December of 1943, she spurned Hughes’ advances and married Vallée. Tabloids reported that the couple “walked from the altar under an arch of swords by Vallée's fellow officers” as he was, at the time, serving in the Coast Guard.
Even their honeymoon caused a stir in the papers.
De Carvalho Collection, Getty Images
22. Her Lover Was A “Vagabond”
The world was just as shocked by the marriage as Greer herself must have been. The ingénue, who had yet to star in a film, had somehow snagged Hollywood’s most infamous “vagabond lover”. But, while the couple were celebrating their marriage, honeymooning at a desert resort, someone else was plotting to end Greer’s career before it even started.
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23. She Was In For A Rude Awakening
The minute she returned from her honeymoon, Greer got a rude awakening. Hughes, jealous of Vallée, had turned on her. Thankfully, she had a powerful husband to protect her. According to some sources, Vallée “helped her get out of her contract with Hughes and secure another pact with RKO Studios”. But there was trouble in paradise.
Avery Slack, Wikimedia Commons
24. Her Marriage Was On The Rocks
Just when it appeared that Greer was getting everything she ever wanted, she made a move that scandalized the tabloids. Just three months after getting married, Greer and Vallée announced their separation. Greer tried to quiet the media storm, saying that she and Vallée “still love each other very much,” but confessed that “something about the possessiveness of marriage came between us”.
Russ-Field Corporation, Run for the Sun(1956)
25. She Called It Quits
While Greer and Vallée continued going out on the town together, her attorney made a devastating revelation. They claimed that the separation “might” lead to a divorce—but that was underselling it. By August of 1944, less than a full eight months after saying their “I dos," Greer and Vallée went their separate ways. Suffice to say, her way was a lot better.
Silver Screen Collection, Getty Images
26. She Was A Rising Star
By early 1945, Greer had already moved on from Vallée. She was making a name for herself at RKO Pictures, having received top billing and rave reviews for her work in Two O’Clock Courage and George White’s Scandals. But, as her star began to shine, she felt that it was time that she gave herself a name that matched her femme fatale persona on screen.
RKO, Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
27. She Changed Her Whole Identity
After the premieres of Two O’Clock Courage and George White’s Scandals, Greer changed her first name from Bettejane to simply Jane. “Mine is a sissy name,” she later explained. “It's too bo-peepish, ingenueish, for the type of role I've been playing. It's like Mary Lou or Mary Ann”. Her biggest role—and most memorable stories—were still ahead.
RKO, Two O'Clock Courage (1945)
28. She Had Behind-The-Scenes Secrets
By 1947, Greer had racked up a string of credits with RKO Pictures, firmly cementing her place as a noir film “heavy”. But it was on the set of 1947’s Out of the Past that she finally broke out alongside Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. However, the behind-the-scenes stories that she later told about her two male co-stars left everyone’s jaws on the floor.
29. She Noticed Something Odd
Greer's first scene in Out of the Past with Mitchum was the iconic beach kissing scene. Greer remembered noticing something odd on Mitchum's lips and mustered up the courage to mention it, saying, “Excuse me, Bob, but they've done something with your makeup; I think they messed it up. Your lips, that brown lip liner, or whatever it is, is smeared”.
What happened next didn’t exactly help to set the mood for the romantic scene.
Dell Publishing, Wikimedia Commons
30. She Had To Kiss A “Tabbacky” Mouth
Mitchum, confused, called for the makeup artist and asked for a mirror. Mitchum’s next words must have left Greer somewhere between wanting to laugh and wanting to throw up. “He takes a look into the mirror,” Greer recalled, “and he says, ‘Oh, honey, that's just chawin' tabbacky'”. Mitchum then casually wiped his mouth and got back on his mark, ready to lay a kiss on Greer.
31. She Was In For A Wild Ride
At that moment, Greer realized that working with Mitchum and Douglas on Out of the Past was going to be a unique experience. She thought to herself, "Well, this movie is going to be different”. The truth is, she had absolutely no idea how different it was going to be. In fact, it’s safe to say that she was working with a couple of pranksters.
32. Her Co-Stars Didn’t Know Their Lines
In 1947’s Out of the Past, Greer noticed that Robert Mitchum’s cool on-screen presence matched his relaxed off-camera demeanor. She figured that Mitchum came to the set without having prepared himself to deliver a more natural performance. At one point, she remembered Mitchum asking the script supervisor, “What are the lyrics?” and confessing to her, “I never know the lyrics”.
She thought she'd found the secret to better acting.
33. She Tried The Mitchum Method
Greer asked Mitchum, “You don't learn your lines beforehand?” Mitchum, cool as ever, replied, “Naah”. Given that Greer usually memorized her lines a week in advance, she thought that she might try to emulate Mitchum’s methodology in order to improve her own acting. The ensuing result, however, was nothing short of comical.
34. She Was The Victim Of A Practical Joke
To emulate Mitchum, Greer began memorizing her lines while in hair and makeup, just hours before the day’s filming began. She hoped that she might appear more thoughtful on camera as she tried to recall her lines. However, when the cameras started rolling, she kept requiring take after take while Mitchum casually prattled off his lines.
Eventually, she realized that Mitchum had been having her on—he always memorized his lines. Luckily for her, he was quite the gentleman when he wasn’t playing jokes.
35. She Left Herself Exposed
Greer reported an incident on the set of Out of the Past in which the wardrobe department dressed her in an incomplete outfit. They left the back of the dress unfinished since they only planned to film her front side. Now, Greer being a young actress and a new star, didn’t want to complain, saying, “I was just happy to be in a movie”.
However, her co-star, Robert Mitchum had something else to say about the matter.
36. She Had A Knight In Shining Armor
The wardrobe’s mistreatment of Greer as a rising star incensed Mitchum. In a display of chivalry—or pure anger—he burst out in Greer’s defense. “This is the leading lady of the film!” he shouted, “Take this dress and don't come back until it's finished”. Unfortunately, not all of Greer’s co-stars were nearly as gracious or protective as Mitchum.
37. Her Co-Stars Were Too Rough
Greer also spilled the beans about what it was like working with Kirk Douglas. Suffice to say, he was far less of a gentleman than Mitchum. “He bruised my arms grabbing me,” she said about a scene they filmed together, “and my face was roundly slapped. How he did Champion (1949) without maiming his partner is a miracle”.
But the role was worth all of the bruises.
38. She Was RKO’s Mona Lisa
Half-sewn dresses and bruises aside, Out of the Past turned out to be Greer’s vehicle to superstardom and noir film legend status. RKO Pictures, capitalizing on Greer’s “enigmatic expression” left over from her bout of facial palsy years earlier, promoted her as “The Woman with the Mona Lisa smile”. Someone else was definitely smiling.
William Rose, Wikimedia Commons
39. She Found Love Again
According to The Hollywood Reporter, things weren’t just looking up in Greer’s professional life. Her romantic life was also on the rebound. While filming Station West, Greer left the set for two weeks to go on a honeymoon with her new husband, businessman and lawyer, Edward Lasker. Unfortunately, fate had another twist in store for her—and it involved a spurned lover.
40. Her Past Caught Up With Her
Greer’s professional and personal bliss was about to come to a shocking and unexpected end. In a move that left everyone in Hollywood scratching their heads, the billionaire Howard Hughes purchased RKO Pictures. But Greer knew exactly why Hughes had purchased the studio she worked for—he wanted control over her fate again.
Library of Congress, Wikimedia Commons
41. She Would Never Work Again
After leaving everyone stunned with his decision to buy RKO Pictures, Hughes called Greer into his office. He wasn’t planning on having a very long meeting—just a very unpleasant one. In no uncertain terms, he told Greer, “While you’re under contract to me, you’ll never work”. The blunt statement left Greer stunned—but not speechless.
Ernest Hamlin Baker, Wikimedia Commons
42. Her Career Was Over
With a string of successes under her belt, culminating with the noir classic Out of the Past, Greer felt that she was poised to take over Hollywood. So, she could barely believe her ears when Hughes told her that she would never work again under contract with him. Incredulous, she stammered, “But that would be the end of my career”.
What was even more chilling, however, was Hughes’ response.
43. She Reaped The Whirlwind
If Greer’s star potential had no limits, then so too did Hughes’ capacity for jealousy and vindictiveness. The spurned billionaire couldn’t handle seeing Greer achieve success in her career and personal life without him. After she protested that his decision would end her career, Hughes coolly responded, “Yes I guess it will, won’t it?”
44. Her Career Stalled
Much to Greer’s dismay, Hughes stuck to his promise. As long as she was at RKO Pictures which he owned, he wouldn’t give her a role. And just like that, as her career had been about to launch her into superstardom status along with the likes of Ava Gardner, everything stalled. Then Hughes went a step further and tried to sabotage her.
45. Her Producer Tried To Set Her Up
In 1949, it looked like Hughes was finally getting over his grudge against Greer when he gave her the female lead in The Big Steal. But it wasn’t the favor Greer thought it was. Hughes was afraid that the public had turned on the male lead, Greer’s former co-star Robert Mitchum, after a 50-day stint in the clink for possession of marijuana.
Hughes certainly didn't mind if the stain on Mitchum’s reputation rubbed off on Greer. Funny enough, Greer was a kind of saboteur herself.
46. She Tried To Hide Something On Set
Greer was only too happy to get back to work—but she had a deep secret to conceal. She was pregnant with her third child from her marriage to Lasker. In an effort to hide her pregnancy, she kept taking pills against morning sickness and hoped that the filming would end before she began to show. But she was almost found out.
47. Her Pills Worked Like Magic
On the set of The Big Steal, William Bendix, one of Greer’s co-stars, saw her taking her pills and asked what they were for. Thinking quickly, Greer said that the pills were for fighting off "Montezuma’s Revenge”. Impressed, Bendix asked if he could have some. Still wanting to conceal her pregnancy, Greer agreed. But the joke was on both of them.
Bendix later thanked Greer for the pills because he never got sick. Unfortunately, Greer could not say the same.
48. She Fell Gravely Ill
Hughes didn’t really give up his grudge against Greer until the 1950s. But, by that time, she had lost the momentum that would otherwise have carried her straight to the top of the box office. She also appeared to have lost her nerve. On the set of 1956’s Run for the Sun, Greer became gravely ill with a tropical virus.
She almost didn’t live to tell the tale.
Russ-Field Corporation, Run for the Sun (1956)
49. She Had A Close Coccyx Call
Still infected with the unknown virus, Greer’s condition worsened. Eventually, her health deteriorated so badly that she had to have heart surgery. Thankfully she recovered, but it wasn’t the only painful experience that she had on that set. She also managed to fracture her tailbone while filming various scenes in a swamp.
The real injury, however, was her career.
50. She Never Attained Stardom Again
Greer’s film career never truly recovered from Hughes’ vendetta. From the late 1950s through to her final appearance in 1996, Greer focused mainly on television shows and made-for-TV movies, far away from Hughes’ wrath. She became a family woman, raising three kids with Lasker until their divorce in 1967, eventually settling down with Frank London.
One man, however, still had her heart—or, at least, some of it.
51. She Forgave Hughes
Like a true noir film star, Greer settled into retirement in Bel Air, Los Angeles. When her domestic partner, London, passed in 2001, she knew she wasn’t long for this world. She passed only months later from cancer. In the end, Greer appeared to have forgiven Hughes for effectively shooting down her star before it had fully risen.
In an interview with Skip E Lowe, Greer said that Hughes “could be ruthless”. Nevertheless, she stated emphatically that, “as a man” she “liked him”.
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