The Femme Fatale Actresses of the 1940's

In the 1940's as well as the 1950's Hollywood studios were turning out murder and drama mysteries by the dozen. It was the era when these type of movies were very popular with the public and what made the box offices click and made the studios huge profits. In these particular movies you always seemed to have a tough guy, a nice guy, or someone in between who was always there for the taking by the femme fatale. This female character was always very charming, beautiful, seductive, with looks that melted men's hearts and caused them to do things they would not normally do. Their irresistible charm always made these men compromise their values and led them into very dangerous or even deadly situations. The femme fatale acheived her goals by using her beauty, charm, and allure. She sometimes was evil through and through and other times just appeared that way. Whatever the motive of the femme fatale character, the men in these movies seemed to fall for it everytime and would go to any lengths to please these women and be in their favor. These movies made superstars of many women actresses of that era who are still well known and adored today. There were other actresses very popular and in demand for roles in their time who had great, but short careers. These women also made their mark in roles as femme fatales and many of those performances were absolutely astounding and is why many of these films are considered classics and impress not only upon the remainder of the generation who actually watch them in their time, but also is why so many of every generation seek out these films to see these roles and these actresses themselves. We all know the names of Stanwyck, Crawford, Davis, and Colbert. They were and are still considered superstars. Other very well known femme fatale parts were played by Virginia Mayo, Susan Hayward and even Betty Grable. These actresses all worked for the major studios got more publicity and it was of course well deserved as all were outstanding. Then there are the ones who although only had their moments still left us with some outstanding performances and films that are still watched and enjoyed today.