About
"Live television was me dashing from one set to another, hoping I'd make it in time and stop panting when it was a quiet love scene. Changing clothes in the middle of the set down to the nude, and back into clothes with nobody paying attention because everybody had his own job to do and get to the next scene. It was wild work, but very, very exciting."
In her three-hour interview, Kim Hunter (1922-2002) discusses her Broadway debut in A Streetcar Named Desire, in the role of "Stella Kowalski." She talks about reprising the role in the feature film and earning an Academy Award for that part. She speaks frankly of the effects of the "Red Scare" and how she found herself blacklisted from the industry. She recalls her emergence from the Blacklist with appearances on television series, including Climax!, Studio One, and Playhouse 90. Hunter details her roles in such classic Playhouse 90 episodes as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "The Comedian." She outlines her work in the Planet of the Apes films, playing the role of "Dr. Zira." She discusses her many other television appearances, including her regular role on the daytime serial The Edge of Night. Marc Wallace conducted the interview on October 27, 1999 in New York, NY.
Highlights
Kim Hunter on the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Kim Hunter on being blacklisted in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on learning of the Kennedy assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Kim Hunter on the Actors Studio anthology series
Kim Hunter on various television shows she was on after she got off the blacklist
Kim Hunter on how she'd like to be remembered
Full Interview
Chapter 1
On her early life and influences; on acting in plays in high school and her first acting teacher; on her professional acting debut and acting at the Old Mill Playhouse in North Carolina
On acting in plays at the Pasadena Playhouse; on being discovered by David O. Selznick; on being in the early Hollywood publicity machine and being released from her Selznick contract
Chapter 2
On changing her name from Janet Cole in 1942; on working with Alfred Hitchcock as a stand-in for the feature "Spellbound"; on various feature films
On playing "Stella Kowalski" in "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway and on film; on working with "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Elia Kazan; on the character of "Stella Kowalski" in "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Chapter 3
On working with Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy in the stage version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"; on the Actors Studio anthology series; on appearing on various live television broadcasts in the 1950s
On the film version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"; on winning an Oscar for "A Streetcar Named Desire"; on being blacklisted in the 1950s
Chapter 4
On acting on live television in the 1950s; on appearing in various productions on Playhouse 90
On appearing on Person to Person with Edward R. Murrow; on appearing on The Edge of Night; on appearing in the feature film "Planet of the Apes"; on being ubiquitous on television in the 1970s
Chapter 5
On working with Rod Serling; on working with Clint Eastwood on Rawhide; on guest-starring on The Defenders and Columbo
On learning of the Kennedy Assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour; on appearing on That Was the Week that Was; on receiving various Emmy Award nominations
On appearing in various made-for-television movies, and then-current projects; on appearing in "The Belle of Amherst"
Chapter 6
On the made-for-television movie Out of the Cold; on advice to aspiring actors; on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television
On how she would like to be remembered; on various people she encountered in her career; on her family
Shows
Actors Studio
Kim Hunter on the Actors Studio anthology series
Alfred Hitchcock Presents aka The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Kim Hunter on learning of the Kennedy Assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Columbo
Kim Hunter on working with Peter Falk on Columbo
Defenders, The
Kim Hunter on guest-starring on The Defenders
Edge of Night, The
Kim Hunter on appearing on The Edge of Night
Emmy Awards, The (Primetime and Daytime)
Kim Hunter on receiving various Emmy nominations
Murder, She Wrote
Kim Hunter on guest starring on Murder, She Wrote
Person to Person
Kim Hunter on appearing on Person to Person with Edward R. Murrow
Playhouse 90
Kim Hunter on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "The Comedian" directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Mickey Rooney
Kim Hunter on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "Requiem for a Heavyweight"
Playhouse 90: "Requiem for a Heavyweight"
Kim Hunter on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "Requiem for a Heavyweight"
Playhouse 90: "The Comedian"
Kim Hunter on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "The Comedian" directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Mickey Rooney
Rawhide
Kim Hunter on working with Clint Eastwood on Rawhide
That Was the Week that Was
Kim Hunter on appearing on That Was the Week that Was
Topics
Advice
Kim Hunter on advice to aspiring actors
Anthology Drama
Kim Hunter on appearing on various live television broadcasts in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on acting on live television in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on appearing on various Playhouse 90 productions
Emmy Awards
Kim Hunter on receiving various Emmy nominations
First Big Break
Kim Hunter on playing "Stella Kowalski" in "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway in on film
Historic Events and Social Change
Kim Hunter on learning of the Kennedy assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Hollywood Blacklist
Kim Hunter on being blacklisted in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television
Industry Crossroads
Kim Hunter on being blacklisted in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television
JFK Assassination and Funeral
Kim Hunter on learning of the Kennedy assassination while shooting The Alfred Hitchcock Hour
Pivotal Career Moments
Kim Hunter on playing "Stella Kowalski" in "A Streetcar Named Desire" on Broadway in on film
Television Industry
Kim Hunter on being blacklisted in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on advice to aspiring actors
Kim Hunter on the impact of the Hollywood Blacklist on television
TV's Golden Age (1940s & '50s)
Kim Hunter on appearing on various live television broadcasts in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on acting on live television in the 1950s
Kim Hunter on appearing on various Playhouse 90 productions
Professions
Actress
Kim Hunter on advice to aspiring actors
Performers
Kim Hunter on advice to aspiring actors
Genres
Classic Anthology Series
Kim Hunter on the Actors Studio anthology series
Kim Hunter on appearing on various Playhouse 90 productions
Comedy Series
Kim Hunter on appearing on That Was the Week that Was
Cop/Detective/Mystery Series
Kim Hunter on working with Peter Falk on Columbo
Kim Hunter on guest starring on Murder, She Wrote
Daytime/Primetime Serials
Kim Hunter on appearing on The Edge of Night
Legal Dramas
Kim Hunter on guest-starring on The Defenders
News and Documentary
Kim Hunter on appearing on Person to Person with Edward R. Murrow
TV Movies/Miniseries/Dramatic Specials
Kim Hunter on the made-for-television movie Skokie
Kim Hunter on the made-for-television movie Out of the Cold
Western Series
Kim Hunter on working with Clint Eastwood on Rawhide
People
Marlon Brando
Kim Hunter on working with Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy in the stage version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"
Fred Coe
Kim Hunter on working with Fred Coe and John Frankenheimer
Bob Cummings
Kim Hunter on co-starring with Bob Cummings in the feature "You Came Along"
Clint Eastwood
Kim Hunter on working with Clint Eastwood on Rawhide
John Frankenheimer
Kim Hunter on working with Fred Coe and John Frankenheimer
Alfred Hitchcock
Kim Hunter on working with Alfred Hitchcock as a stand-in for the feature "Spellbound"
Elia Kazan
Kim Hunter on working with "A Streetcar Named Desire" director Elia Kazan
Richard Kiley
Kim Hunter on the Playhouse 90 production of "Before I Die" with Richard Kiley
Edward R. Murrow
Kim Hunter on appearing on Person to Person with Edward R. Murrow
Mickey Rooney
Kim Hunter on appearing on the Playhouse 90 production of "The Comedian" directed by John Frankenheimer and starring Mickey Rooney
David O. Selznick
Kim Hunter on being discovered by David O. Selznick
Kim Hunter on being in the early Hollywood publicity machine and being released from her Selznick contract
Kim Hunter on the end of her contract with David O. Selznick
Rod Serling
Kim Hunter on working with Rod Serling
Jessica Tandy
Kim Hunter on working with Marlon Brando and Jessica Tandy in the stage version of "A Streetcar Named Desire"