Although she was not a particularly prodigious actress due to the fact that she preferred to spend plenty of time with her husband, Eva Marie Saint had quite a few notable film and television roles over the last 60 years. In fact, she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in her feature film debut in On the Waterfront. Her various roles can be traced through the decade in such films as A Hatful of Rain, Loving, Nothing in Common, and Superman Returns. On TV, she might be seen in Suspense, The Love Boat, Frasier, and a recurring role on Moonlighting.
But most important to me was her role as Eve Kendall in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece North By Northwest, in which she plays the cool, calculated, double agent who becomes the object of Cary Grant’s affection. I have seen this movie countless times and count it as my very favorite movie. Eva Marie Saint returned to the scene of the crime, so to speak, when she hosted the documentary about the film entitled Destination Hitchcock: The Making of North By Northwest.
I purchased the photo seen at the top of the posting of Eva Marie Saint as seen in character from North By Northwest and sent it to her through the mail in the late Fall of 1997. She responded by not only signing the photo, but enclosing the more recent photo below, also signed and inscribed.
I didn’t get my chance to meet Eva Marie Saint until Saturday, April 24, 2010. She and Martin Landau were both appearing at a screening of North By Northwest at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The fascinating interviews were conducted on stage by TCM’s Robert Osborne. One the film began to roll, my friend Bob and I filed out into the lobby as Mr. Landau and Ms. Saint made their exits.
Since I already had great signatures of Eva Marie Saint, I only attempted to get a photo with her. Bob had her sign his cast shot of Academy Award winners (to which she added the first inscription “To Robert” much to his chagrin) as seen above. I jumped next to her and requested a photo with her only. She posed (somewhat) and then the security personnel asked for no photos. So I am especially thrilled to have gotten one with her.
Thank you so much, Ms. Saint…wherever you are.
Autographs of 1997 will continue…
Return to Saturday 2010 in Hollywood here…
See Martin Landau here…
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