I always love watching the Oscars, even as I always bitch about how long and boring the show is. This year I’m having people over for dinner to watch, so it should be lively no matter how good/bad the show is. But one of the things I’m really looking forward to is the appearance of Dolores Hart, the actress who gave Elvis his first screen kiss….and who later became a nun.
Hart is the subject of an Oscar-nominated short documentary, “God Is The Bigger Elvis,” which will air on HBO in April. (The New York Times has the story.) Despite being in poor health and despite the fact that she’s Mother Dolores now, living at a monastery in Connecticut, she’ll walk the red carpet on Sunday night. I really hope the film wins, so she’ll be on stage and receive a standing O from the audience.
In the meantime, I found a piece that “20/20″ did about her not that long ago. It gets cut off at the end, but it’s fascinating.
Imagine giving up a life in Hollywood at the height of your stardom. Hart’s honesty in the ABC segment is refreshing. She’s asked whether it was a difficult decision to leave the movie business and cloister herself away at the monastery, and she says it was.
And by the way, she’s still beautiful. Not every woman can wear that habit.
Photo: Wendy Carlson/New York Times
Tags: Academy Awards, Connecticut, Dolores Hart, Elvis, monastery
Thanks for bringing this to my attention…I hadn’t see this story and don’t anything about this year’s nominated documentaries. I think the best (and worst) part of the story is her relationship with Don…how sad (or great) that he never married. I’m conflicted…maybe if they had gotten married, things might not have worked out. What a story! I’ll be looking for this tomorrow. Enjoy the show…hopefully Billy C will make it a good one!
Wow – I am speechless. I can understand Dolores giving up her movie career, but to give up her marriage to Don? And the fact that he never married after she became a nun? That is just amazing. I definitely have to see the documentary on HBO in April.
I felt sad for Don too, Ruth, but I guess she was the true love of his love and he was content to maintain their friendship. I hope the show’s a good one and that Billy will keep it moving. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to the Independent Spirit Awards tonight.
It’s an amazing story, Jen. She seems like such a good person and I wonder how things would have turned out for her if she’d stayed in Hollywood. She had early success but the business isn’t kind to actresses who have the nerve to age!