Victor Mature was one of Hollywood’s swarthy leading men during the time period between black and white and colour film. For those who might not recognise the name, the photographs and film clips should introduce him. He was in some of Hollywood’s film noir ventures. He was in John Ford westerns and many of the biblical epics that sprouted from Technicolor. He was the first and the original “hunk”. He was Samson!
Victoria, his daughter, has brought a trunkful of treasures to the festival: photographs and film clips and stories of her father. She has even been able to manufacture a couple of clips of father and grown daughter together. They are playful and almost flawlessly convincing.
Victoria tells us that he was also very much a family man. According to her, he was an easy and noisy sobber: everything from her recitals to television movies.
She confides that he never took himself too seriously, was easily self-deprecating. He once applied for membership in an exclusive golf club. When he was told that they did not allow actors in the club, his response was, “I’m not an actor and I have 64 films to prove it.”
In between the Hollywood gossip, family stories and film clips, Victoria shows off her powerful mezzo voice, singing songs from his time period: the '40s, '50s and '60s.
Victoria is charming and extremely professional. When voices and music leaked in from other spaces, she acknowledged them, knowing everyone heard, and then moved on above it.
There are several shows in the Fringe this year that harken back to our grandparents’ days. “Victor’s Victoria” is so worth it, especially if you don’t know Victor Mature and the golden age of Hollywood.