Tallulah Bankhead--Person to Person, 1953 TV

Tallulah Bankhead is interviewed by Edward R. Murrow in this 1953 edition of "Person to Person".

[@craigsmith4105]

My mother used to wake me up from a sleep...when I was only 7 to hear her on her radio show. She loved Tallulah so much. There was no one like her. Lifeboat was brilliant.

[@doveskylark]

Lifeboat was indeed brilliant. Tallulah's performance was so brilliant, but she made it look like "is that all there is to it?"

[@BikiniBanana]

Fun movie fact: The bracelet which she throws into the water was real and was hers 😊 But the funniest of all is that she wasn't wearing underwear and Hitchcock said "I don’t know if this is a matter for the costume department, makeup, or hair dressing"

[@diedonner299]

@@BikiniBanana in ordinary circumstances one could choose to not wear underwear and no one would know about it. What made the Tallulah’s underwear story funny was that she knew she’d have to climb a ladder to get into and out of the lifeboat they constructed on set for the filming. She was an exhibitionist and loved to shock more polite society.

[@JustinLHopkins]

They say never meet your heroes. She was a horrible woman.

[@bewiseasowls]

Always liked this lady. Classy, sincere and down to earth. Her warmth radiates and must mention hilarious! A true one of a kind. My favorite part she did was in Lucy Desi Comedy hour. I liked it because it allowed all the facets of her personality to shine.

[@BikiniBanana]

In this interview it's like watching a lovely aunty showing you her miniature collection. Only Tallulah has got wit and wisdom 😊

[@1leopardgrrl]

Tallulah is amazing and delightful. But I also have to admire how well choreographed this live show is. Both Morrow and Tallulah are pros as is the team that makes this all look so effortless.

[@bewiseasowls]

I like to burst balloons and show these geeks of “today” that PODCASTING is NOT their invention.

[@ruthnail915]

Ty. Love Tallulah

[@dagny8336]

Tallulah is so sweet and witty - I love her.

[@Celluloidwatcher]

It's hard to believe that the colorful, spontaneous redhead known as Tallulah Bankhead has been gone for nearly 53 years. Threw the one-liners in one breath, and advocated for equality the next (first white woman to appear on EBONY Magazine's cover). Was ahead of her time. And greatly missed.

[@sxnico]

one of a kind xo

[@goinggoinggone535]

She'd be labeled a "race-traitor" and a "communist" in today's insane media. Bankhead was one of a kind, and the world would be better off with more like her.

[@Tonymanero1960]

My girlfriend and I from Annapolis Md took a day trip to Chestertown Md to spend the day sightseeing. We knew that Tallulah Bankhead was buried at a graveyard in that general area. Her sister lived in that area when Tallulah died,...so that is where the body was sent when she passed away.We were able to find the grave after about 45 minutes of looking around. There obviously had been people there recently because there were some flowers and a few pictures placed on her grave,....which is in the first row closest to the water.

[@Flatanigatan]

She was not a redhead..she was a light brunette.

[@26MECH]

​@@Tonymanero1960just found her grave today. Take my dog to run around at that church grounds every other day. Met a guy who left some gifts at her grave site. R.i.p. dear.

[@emmap1159]

Thanks for this. Tallulah was one in a million.

[@danawinsor1380]

I realize this is an old fashioned concept, but Tallulah was a true lady. This program wass a delight. Thanks for posting.

[@SymphonyBrahms]

My favorite Tallulah quote is: "Dahling, I'm as pure as the driven slush!"

[@randysills4418]

I thought that was Mae West...but maybe Tallulah used that too...?

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

@@randysills4418 No, that’s pure Tallulah.

[@sandrakenney567]

Symphony Brahms.your reply in Tallulahs favourite quote in : "Dahling which i think should have been: Darling I'm as pure as the driving slush!".im a fan of Tallulah .i think she was one cool lady rest in peace to her amen.💖🙏.A happy 2023 newyear to you. Godbless. ✌🙏💖

[@randysills4418]

I love, "Daddy warned me about men and alcohol but he never warned me about women and cocaine"...

[@lotteweill]

Alan Darling, Thank you for posting this. Oh, to have seen her in The Skin Of Our Teeth, alongside Montgomery Clift, and Fredric March.

[@rachael7196]

It’s definitely fair to say, that even though Tallulah isn’t here, she still keeps on amazing us with her wonderful talents and beauty!

[@blackdunaway]

Such a splendid woman.

[@albertmorris6162]

What a special treat to see this, thank you, AE.

[@musiknutz]

One of the best interviews I have ever seen - with anyone!! She sure knew how to express herself!

[@Lester-w9q]

Brilliance! Sheer brilliance Ms Bankhead is 🫶🏽

[@partonlvr]

This is great............I wish she had done more television and movies so we could have something to watch on video. Can't do that with theatre.

[@diedonner299]

Most of her televised performances are available but very hard to find. First print recordings are in the hands of collectors but 2nd gen reproductions can be found although the quality is horrible. I’d love to know what happened to the leather bound presentation copy Harper’s sent her of the autobiography.

[@brucekrause2801]

The Big Show Radio broadcast from 1950 is fun. Lots of Big stars, Tallulah was the host

[@ReviewsChannel-e4r]

Well structured biographies on Tallulah Bankhead is heart rendering. It's an incredible back story. It's hard not to empathize with her journey.

[@collenekennedy]

What a personality! I remember reading either a biography or autobiography a millionty years ago and for some reason I remember her fave' lipstick was Victory Red by Elizabeth Arden!

[@MrJoseoz]

Great fun fact, Victory Red, ty

[@luzaguirre2830]

I'm looking for a memoir to read, thank you 😊

[@royal_glamour]

Thank you so much for sharing this! Love Tallulah. I think she was a very kind person

[@christosvlahos2196]

Alan Dahhhhhhling! I absolutely adore Tallulah Bankhead! Thanks for sharing.

[@CooganE]

I enjoyed that, thank you for uploading. What a character Tallullah was. I’m impressed with the technology for the time. Murrow had a beautiful smile, his face lights up and he looks 10 years younger.

[@Tomes23]

I love how they made it look like it was live but then at the end she lets on that his people have been there all day.

[@TheLolbot3000]

@@Tomes23 do you know how they made it work? I’m guessing his Questions would come in via something like telephone to her, she would respond on film, then they would edit out the gaps before broadcasting ?

[@kelloggs5473]

@Tomes 23 This was telecast live. Technical crew members spent the entire day in Tallulah’s home setting up lights and cords that were connected to multiple cameras.

[@frederickcombs8661]

so classy, literate and journalisric.

[@karlakor]

I appreciate your use of the term "literate" in reference to Tallulah Bankhead. Celebrities today don't know how to converse. They just string words together and think that is good English, but Tallulah was one who knew how to speak well and intelligently.

[@waimbuthia820]

"Classy" she wasn't; LOL She was vulgar as all hell & got away with it possibly because of her upper class social status. She was also quite liberated for her time, especially, when it came to matters of sex.& sexuality. Reportedly she loved to go commando--meaning she didn't wear drawers--& was bisexual. Billie Holliday was allegedly one of her many lovers.

[@Tomes23]

@@waimbuthia820 I would not be surprised. It must be something that is very prevalent in Hollywood and the arts.

[@seethevolcane]

@@waimbuthia820 That's all very classy to me....

[@waimbuthia820]

@@seethevolcane My comment wasn't necessarily meant to be disrespectful. In fact, Talulla was rather cool,. She was gutsy & didn't give a damn what anyone said about her & that's the definition of "badass." So she & women like Katharine Hepburn, Billie Holiday & a few others of the era whose names now escape me, have my respect.

[@jilltagmorris]

Enjoyed this 🎉😊

[@Themanwhocameback2]

Thanks for posting

[@jaminova_1969]

This is such an amazing interview! Thank You, Darling!

[@destineydevereux4722]

What a wonderful treat, there just aren't enough interviews of Tallulah, thank you very very much for posting!!🇫🇷💋

[@andrewhopf2628]

Thank you for the work you do! This is everything!

[@vino140]

Tallu: In a class of her own. Unique.

[@bestdisco1979]

My favorite quote…….” They told me Cocaine was terribly addictive,,,I said nonsense darling I’ve been taking it for years “.

[@michaelmitchell5098]

I always loved her voice!!

[@ruthnail915]

Ty. Love her

[@kallen868]

Loved this! Thank you.

[@bohdiiotzaranohealanijaiya7441]

A legend ❤

[@maryellengrayberg9146]

I have never seen E.R.M so happy during an interview.She was very familiar with N.Y places & people. Of course all due to her stage work. Definitely a force to be reckoned with, quite the exuberant personality. Thank you for posting.

[@madmeadow]

I just love her!!

[@bcarlosd]

Thank you so much for uploading this! It’s so rare to find anything new on Tallulah!

[@thursdaysgoldengoodies7122]

There will never be another Tallulah!

[@finddeniro]

Lindsey Lohan ?

[@thursdaysgoldengoodies7122]

@@finddeniro You're joking?

[@shelovezcandy2852]

Thanks for uploading. She comes across as very bright. I spent some time researching her life, and she was quite a character. I think she must have been very disciplined to appear nightly on stage, but that side of her has not really been publicised.

[@shizueleighhicks6174]

Tallilah Bankhead: “There have been only two geniuses in the world - Willie Mays and Willie Shakespeare.” 😊Genius!

[@MegaElvisd]

I grew up around a ton of women who talked and acted like this. Very entertaining.

[@josephrapp]

A true delight

[@jayhartbarger2793]

she would be a superstar today.

[@javiervalverde2374]

You're right. She would be even more famous now than in the old days.

[@javiervalverde2374]

And she was famous in the old days but today she would be in the stratosphere.

[@thecapricorn11]

she was a superstar when it was her time to be a superstar that's why we enjoy the nostalgia of old Hollywood

[@javiervalverde2374]

@@thecapricorn11 That is true

[@victoriajarvis2260]

No. She had class, elegance, real wit, could be sardonic and sarcastic without filthy language. Well read. A fine actress without face lifts, camera re - takes, politically corrupt attachments. She would be persecuted and denied the right to perform as an artist - mostly, because she was that, an artist as an actress and an artist at living.

[@drewdenning8243]

Such an original!

[@susanbrogan2517]

I wonder what happened to her artwork?

[@MicharlMcGarry-pn1fd]

A very special lady....

[@johnthrelfall5]

Fantastic OB (Outside Broadcast ) technology for 1953. Flawless presentation. :-)

[@MurineMischief]

Peace and Blessings to Tallulah B in Heaven, she was my 4th Cousin.

[@Leftofway]

She was delightful.

[@tothelighthouse9843]

Omg 6:58. She just seems like so much fun! And the fact that she explains to the famous Edward R Murrow that she calls people 'darling' because she can't remember their names...& then proceeds to call him 'darling' the whole time, lol. Super-charming, both of them, especially in the way that very charming people can make any conversation seem both extraordinary & effortless at the same time.

[@Jeffreym36]

She's very sweet and down to earth

[@trawlins396]

I wish I would've been alive in this era. Person to person seemed like a great show.

[@MissPerriwinkle]

she was the best !!!!

[@DeletedLadies]

That was wonderful to see, thank you so much for posting

[@miwelgonza1606]

MARAVILLOSA TALLULAH. ❤❤

[@philomalley1510]

The guy never stopped smoking. Tallulah was on her best behavior. It's amazing that she had such a maaahhvelous English accent yet she comes from the South. Love her. So excessive ♥️

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

That’s not an English accent. That’s pretty much how a good many people from that part of the Old South naturally spoke in those days and throughout the sixties and seventies. Old Childersburg, Sylacauga and those areas had a different affection in speech and that’s what you’re hearing. Tallulah has a coached stage speech but her natural Alabama comes through.

[@tallulahdahling5025]

An ICON! AMAZING lady!

[@timothyhopkins6960]

That was just wonderful indeed .

[@QNICORN79]

They face timing 😮?? She is amazing.

[@steplumpkin5432]

LOVED, HER!!!!!!!!

[@mousaresen7550]

She is so true so cute..I love her.

[@JJJBRICE]

TV icon Lucille Ball was an admirer of Bankhead's . She asked her permission to do an impersonation of her on an episode of ILL . Her opinion of her changed during an episode rehearsal of THE LUCY-DESI COMEDY COMEDY HOUR . Bankhead performed the episode as an veteran performer would -flawlessly .

[@vincentthomas7142]

That was one of the best episodes of the I love Lucy series

[@marcrobson6157]

Edward Morrow is EVERYTHING.

[@danawinsor1380]

I love seeing Ed Murrow speaking with a cigarette hanging out of the corner of his mouth. I was never able to master that.

[@Be12397]

Isn’t this delightful! I just finished “The Girls; Saphos goes to Hollywood”, I’m which she played a central role of the lesbian and bisexual women of old Hollywood. It was phenomenal and Tallulah was so lovable and feisty. I just adore her.

[@juliehoffman6292]

A very interesting woman,ahead of her time.

[@mynamedoesntmatter8652]

“Codeine, bourbon . . . “ Tallulah’s final words.

[@tonywest-o2r]

shes off her face love it

[@alvarogoncalveslemos]

I love her.

[@ramencurry6672]

Love her

[@brkitdwn]

She was born with a cigarette between her fingers

[@blackcosmos]

This interview was done by an early Zoom lol Anyway, Tallulah was such an eccentric, fascinating woman. I loved that she called her pet lion Winston Churchill lol

[@natalee217]

Yes, early Zoom. 😀

[@0rangeberri547]

The way that cigarette was hanging out of that interviewer's mouth it look like a white blunt😂😂😂😂

[@jlaw7842]

Tallulah’s good friend Estelle Winwood said that Tallulah had a wonderful brain and that she could have been in politics

[@capt.molyneaux7037]

Tallulah: a great personality! Super actress. (This 1953 intervu is pretty dim).

[@randysills4418]

Tallulah: "What's left of me is here, dahling..."

[@rickypilcher3618]

Tallulah was so charming during this interview. Not a single "fuck" or "goddamn" came out of her mouth.

[@FrankButterfield]

That's a minor miracle although she always knew her audience.

[@jonthesYT]

Love it, Alan - do you have the Bea Lillie? I have the audio only.

[@aeichler]

No, sorry. I wish I did.

[@JustAThought155]

A prime example of the film industry’s version of truth: “it’s live; there is no film used,” said Ed Morrow; as I watch the treasured filmed interview 71 years later. 😉

[@aeichler]

The show was live. This is a kinescope of the live broadcast.

[@steplumpkin5432]

BIGTIME STUFF!!!!!!!!

[@diedonner299]

I wonder who owns her paintings now?

[@A.Krispy]

Were her and Betty Davis friends? Or rivals because they both had the elite type style.

[@aeichler]

Rivals.

[@viktoriaironpride4977]

Have you seen pictures of her when she was very young? She was really quite a beauty!

[@ImnotassweetasIusedtobe]

She's a beauty here! Time for an opthalmology as appointment buddy

[@publiusovidius7386]

Two fine people whom cigarette smoking killed prematurely.

[@davemiller4721]

...the alcohol didn't help much either...

[@diedonner299]

Neither did the drugs.

[@finddeniro]

Funeral for a Friend this Friday.. Thing Mount UP.

[@annajacob7981]

I wonder why so many people criticize others' vices - we all have them, don't we? - assuming those vices don't impact them (e.g., second hand smoke). Perhaps Tallulah and Edward decided to smoke and drink because they enjoyed it. Yes, cigarettes kill. But the manufacturers lied for decades about that and, at the time of this interview, I'm not sure the cancer-causing effects were known by the general public.

[@publiusovidius7386]

@@annajacob7981 What a strange reaction. I merely stated a fact. I didn't place moral blame on them. Back then most adults smoked. Though not to the excess that Bankhead and Murrow did. There was widespread ignorance. Doctors did commercials recommending cigarettes. Celebrities like Yul Brynner who ended up dying from lung cancer did PSA's regretting their tobacco use and warning people, "Now that I'm gone, I tell you: Don't smoke, whatever you do."

[@2ndAccountRiehl]

What are those beautiful huge flowers in back

[@Tomes23]

I noticed them too! Gorgeous!

[@eartherinfire]

My guess is either hydrangeas or peonies. Hard to tell in the high contrast video.

[@Eve_Y]

the one she called roses?

[@diesellove]

Darling ❤❤❤😅

[@andrewsharisky7259]

Excellent, Alan. Might you have the Dorothy Kilgallen P to P?

[@aeichler]

I don't think so, but I'll look.

[@aeichler]

Send your email address to [e-mail]

[@americanwoman445]

One of the few that had the trans-atlantic accent.

[@angelhead4096]

Tallulah was the original and Bette Davis was Hollywood copy.

[@BrianJosephMorgan]

Marvelous.

[@Filmdude0]

I am not sure that she was always that sweet to colleagues ;)

[@johnjames945]

Great technology for back then...satellite?

[@FrankButterfield]

Coaxial cable. They were both in NYC.

[@kevinbergin9971]

It is said that Edward R. Murrow died of cancer. Does anyone know more?

[@tracimarks8009]

He died of a brain tumor.

[@Moluccan56]

Story about an actress who was in bed with one of her little dogs had been smoking and fell asleep with the cigarette still lit. A house keeper entered the bedroom and exclaimed that the dog’s hair was on fire to which she replied, “ Well for goodness sake, put him out!” Was that Miss Bankhead?

[@WesænDēaþHȳdGrīma]

Aye it was.

[@JSB1882]

She was the female version of John Barrymore. lol

[@farrellmcnulty909]

Wow! Tallulah Bankhead knew Kukla Fran & Ollie?

[@DaisyPusher]

Are they FaceTiming?

[@gbtiling221]

Has the not been one special person miss bankhead

[@Boomersdth]

what would female impersonators do without her

[@Ka9radio_Mobile9]

Live, there is no file used? Lol

[@aeichler]

What he says is "no film is used". Live remotes were the gimmick. The use of the screen while they talk to each was very novel for live TV. And no computers!

[@Tomes23]

@@aeichler Was it pretaped and made to look live? Sorry for the ignorant question, I’m just confused about what the technological limitations would have been back then.

[@aeichler]

@@Tomes23 It was completely live and no film was used. A camera crew was in her apartment and it was seen via live remote. Video tape did not exist yet. It survived because of a kinescope that was made of the live broadcast.

[@johnthrelfall5]

I assume the link between the apartment and the tv station was via cable or by microwave dish or both. RCA OB vans were available equipped with microwave dishes.

[@frankpeter6851]

Is she really this masterful at interviews in conversation, or is this scripted?

[@aeichler]

That's Tallulah