Georgine Darcy

Georgine Darcy (January 14, 1931[n 1] – July 18, 2004) was an American dancer and actress best known for her role as "Miss Torso" in the 1954 Alfred Hitchcock film Rear Window. She also had a regular role in the 1960–1961 ABC sitcom Harrigan and Son.

Georgine Darcy
Darcy in 1960
Born
Georgine Darcy

(1931-01-14)January 14, 1931
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 18, 2004(2004-07-18) (aged 73)
Malibu, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Other names"Miss Torso"
OccupationDancer, Actor
Years active1954–1971
Spouse(s)
  • Jack Donohue (1955–?)
  • Edward I. Gelb (1967–1969)
  • Byron Palmer (1974–2004; her death)
[1]
Roger Perry and Georgine Darcy on TV's Harrigan and Son (1960)

Life and career

Darcy was born in Brooklyn, New York. Darcy's mother urged her to become a stripper, just like her character in Rear Window, to make a "fast buck".[11][14] She studied ballet, and danced with the New York City Ballet,[15] and was a model. At age 16, she left home and traveled by bus to California.[11]

In 1954 she was cast in Rear Window. She did not even know who Hitchcock was and did not consider herself an actress. Hitchcock had selected her based on a publicity photo of her wearing a black leotard and green feather boa.[14] In Rear Window, she played one of the neighbors of protagonist L. B. Jefferies (Jimmy Stewart), a wheelchair-bound photographer who passes the time spying on the other tenants of his neighborhood. Her nameless character, who was dubbed "Miss Torso", practiced her dance moves in a skimpy top and a pair of pink shorts with a 21-inch waistband, courtesy of famed costume designer Edith Head.[14][16] She had no lines in the film until the end when she greets Stanley who has returned from military service.[16]

During filming, Hitchcock asked her what kinds of pie she liked and disliked. She told him she loathed pumpkin pie. When it came time to film her character's reaction to finding a strangled dog, he presented her with pumpkin pie served with "crude Cockney jokes" to prompt an adverse response.[17] On the last day of filming, Hitchcock and some of the cast presented her with a cake in the shape of her voluptuous figure. "It had the breasts and everything!" she said.[15]

Hitchcock told Darcy that she should get an agent and that if she studied Anton Chekov in Europe, he could make her a movie star when she returned. She ignored both pieces of advice and thought he was joking about the latter. She was paid $350 for her work in Rear Window and had a sporadic acting career.[14] Her most substantive role was in the Chubby Checker film Don't Knock the Twist (1962). She played Madge Albright, a "dancing firestorm" who is part of a brother-sister dance team.[18] She also appeared in the films Women and Bloody Terror (1970) and The Delta Factor (1970).[14]

On television, she played Gypsy, an irreverent secretary for the title father-son team of lawyers in Harrigan and Son, played by Pat O'Brien and Roger Perry. She also had guest appearances on Lee Marvin's M Squad, the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse and Mitch Connors's Mannix.[14]

Darcy was the subject of the 2004 documentary short film Remembering Miss Torso by director Malcolm Venville.[19]

She died of natural causes and was survived by her husband of thirty years, actor Byron Palmer.[14] She was said to be the last surviving credited cast member of Rear Window.[15] However, Frank Cady, who appeared as the Thorwalds' upstairs neighbor, survived until 2012 and Harry Landers, who played the uncredited role of Miss Lonelyheart's guest, died in 2017. Rand Harper, who played the role of the honeymooning groom, also survives.

Filmography

Footnotes
  1. There are discrepancies regarding Darcy's year of birth. While most online sources cite 1931,[2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] one 2004 obituary says 1936,[11] while 1933[12] and 1937[13] are also given by some sources.
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References
  1. "Georgine Darcy - The Private Life and Times of Georgine Darcy. Georgine Darcy Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  2. "Georgine Darcy". Playbill. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  3. "Georgine Darcy". Rotten Tomatoes. 1931-01-14. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  4. "Georgine Darcy". BFI. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  5. "Georgine Darcy Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos". Broadwayworld.com. 1931-01-14. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  7. "Georgine Darcy - News - News". Moviefone. 1931-01-14. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  8. Georgine Darcy. "Georgine Darcy | Movies and Filmography". AllMovie. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  9. "Georgine Darcy : Actress - Films, episodes and roles on". Digiguide.tv. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  10. "Darcy, Georgine, 1931-2004 - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies | Library of Congress". Id.loc.gov. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  11. "Obituary of Georgine Darcy Dancer and model who was an object of James Stewart's voyeuristic interest in Hitchcock's classic thriller Rear Window". The Daily Telegraph. July 22, 2004. p. 25. "Georgine Darcy was born at Brooklyn, New York, on January 14, 1936."
  12. Write a comment Post. "Georgine Darcy (1933 - 2004) - Los Angeles, CA". Ancientfaces.com. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  13. "Georgine Darcy - The Private Life and Times of Georgine Darcy. Georgine Darcy Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2019-07-01.
  14. Oliver, Myrna (July 21, 2004). "Miss Torso in Rear Window: Ex-ballerina played across-the-court dancer in Hitchcock thriller". Los Angeles Times. pp. B13.
  15. Seiler, Andy (February 4, 2000). "'Window' of opportunity for body of work". USAToday. pp. 3E.
  16. "Poncho Sanchez's 'Latin Soul'; Ashley Judd Tries to Catch Your Eye in 'Eye of the Beholder'; The Push Toward Male Entertainment". Showbiz Today. CNN. January 27, 2000.
  17. Spoto, Donald. Spellbound by beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and his leading ladies. Random House. p. 211.
  18. Miller, John M. "Don't Knock the Twist". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 18, 2011.
  19. Bearn, Emily (June 13, 2004). "View from the room Georgine Darcy played the dancer living opposite Jimmy Stewart in Rear Window. Then the curtains fell on her career. Now Malcolm Venville, a lifelong Hitchcock fan, has made her the focus of a documentary. Emily Bearn meets 'Miss Torso'". Sunday Telegraph.
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