Turner Classic Movies states that Linda Darnell spent much of her early career acting in the less serious, more escapist films of 20th Century Studios, which they specialized in at the time. When big opportunities began to come her way, they seemed to slip through her fingers. Notably, she was passed for the lead female role in 1941's "Swamp Water" in favor of Anne Baxter. "Right under your very nose someone else is brought in for that prize part you wanted so terribly," she said of the experience (per "Hollywood Beauty"). However, her career finally saw an upturn when she was loaned out to United Artists to appear in 1944's "Summer Storm," an adaptation of Anton Chekhov's "The Shooting Party." It was a transformative role for Darnell as, up until that point, she was mostly playing sweet and innocent characters, but "Summer Storm" saw her portray the sexy femme fatale that would typify most of the rest of her career in the 1940s.

The rest of the decade saw her taking on a range of characters that displayed her talent beyond mere good looks while also not straying too far from the seductress persona that she'd cultivated. Some of her standout films from this period include 1945's "Hangover Square," 1946's "Anna and the King of Siam," and 1949's "A Letter to Three Wives," for which she garnered high praise (via The New York Times). Unfortunately, as recounted in TCM, Darnell fell victim to Hollywood's habit of neglecting its actresses who it believes no longer have the sex appeal they once had, no matter how talented they are, and in the 1950s offers started to dry up, a situation that wasn't helped by her growing alcohol abuse.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB9j2xocGtjZMGpsYytqZqfmZh6pbHArZ9mp5ZifnqAj6xkn6Gconq0wMCrZKWhnpmubrDAq6WepJxk