Irene Manning - A Warner Bros. Starlet
Irene Manning may not be a common household name today- but in the middle of the 1940's she starred in some of the biggest films at Warner Bros. with some of the biggest STARS of Warner Bros.
From Gene Autry to Dennis Morgan.. and Humphrey Bogart to James Cagney.. Irene Manning was more than just a pretty face. She was a bonafide star.
Born Inez Harvout on July 17th, 1912, Manning was initially billed to her audiences as 'Hope Manning' before a name change.
Her first film was a western called 'The Old Corral' in 1936 where she starred alongside none other than classic Western star Gene Autry.
While the next few years saw her in some forgettable affairs- it wasn't until 1942 when she broke out in a starring role in the War-era Warner Bros. classic 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' as Fay Templeton. The film also starred James Cagney, Joan Leslie and Walter Huston in this musical potrait to dancer/singer/composer George M. Cohan and proved to be a huge success for the studio.
That same year she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart in the often forgotten film noir 'The Big Sleep' where Bogart did what he did best- played a tough-as-nails hood wrestling with the law.
1943 saw Manning appear opposite Dennis Morgan in 'The Desert Song' before finishing out her contract with Warner a few years later.
Irene Manning may not be a common household name today- but in the middle of the 1940's she starred in some of the biggest films at Warner Bros. with some of the biggest STARS of Warner Bros.
From Gene Autry to Dennis Morgan.. and Humphrey Bogart to James Cagney.. Irene Manning was more than just a pretty face. She was a bonafide star.
Born Inez Harvout on July 17th, 1912, Manning was initially billed to her audiences as 'Hope Manning' before a name change.
Her first film was a western called 'The Old Corral' in 1936 where she starred alongside none other than classic Western star Gene Autry.
While the next few years saw her in some forgettable affairs- it wasn't until 1942 when she broke out in a starring role in the War-era Warner Bros. classic 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' as Fay Templeton. The film also starred James Cagney, Joan Leslie and Walter Huston in this musical potrait to dancer/singer/composer George M. Cohan and proved to be a huge success for the studio.
That same year she starred opposite Humphrey Bogart in the often forgotten film noir 'The Big Sleep' where Bogart did what he did best- played a tough-as-nails hood wrestling with the law.
1943 saw Manning appear opposite Dennis Morgan in 'The Desert Song' before finishing out her contract with Warner a few years later.
Manning passed away on May 28th, 2004.
This interview originally aired in 2001. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed giving it.
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