“The Girl with the Peek-a-boo Bang"

Bette Davis once said that Veronica Lake was, “the most beautiful person who ever came to Hollywood.” Her sultry beauty and her infamous long, wavy platinum blonde hair with her trademark peek-a-boo bang made her an icon of the 1940s and beyond. In the 1940s most Hollywood actresses such as Rita Hayworth and Judy Garland wore their hair short with a permanent and then Veronica Lake came onto the scene with her unprecedented long, wavy hair. The men loved her and women wanted to be her; according to the Internet Movie Database many women lost their hair trying to imitate her platinum blonde color. Also her look was much more modern then most actresses during this time and she could easily star in films today.

Born Constance Frances Marie Ockleman, in 1941 she changed her name to Veronica Lake and created a new femme fatal persona. While she was typically cast as the seductive, vampy woman, such as in the film noir classics This Gun for Hire (1942) she also did some comedy such as Sullivan’s Travels (1941), I Married a Witch (1942) and Hold that Blonde (1945). One of her most memorable performances was her role as “The Girl” in Sullivan’s Travels. Her character was not even given a name which worked for the role since she had such a presence onscreen. When she first appears she is sitting in a diner dressed in very glamorous attire and she offers to buy McCrea, who is working on a social experiment and only has ten cents, ham and eggs. This is arguably the best scene in the movie. Lake delivers each line with such sharp wit, deadpan and cynicism. Also the banter between Lake and McCrea is wonderful. Some of the best lines of the film come from this scene such as, “You know the best thing about buying food for a man, is that you don’t have to laugh at his jokes,” which is ironic since she says this right after lauhing at McCrea’s comment about wanting to give her all she needs. Lake then sarcastically explains why she feels at ease talking to him in a rather straightforward way:

“Just think, if you were some big shot like a casting director or something I'd be staring into your bridgework saying, 'Yes Mr. Smearkase, No Mr. Smearkase, Not Really Mr. Smearkase! Oh Mr. Smearkase, that's my knee!”

This is a great example of dramatic irony, since the audience knows the true identity of McCrea and he is in fact a “big shot.” It was very easy to see why Lake was such a popular actress during this time since you cannot help but fall in love with her. In this role she was able to show audiences that not only could she be a sex symbol but also funny and charming. Even in the scenes where she is dressed up like a young boy she is still gorgeous.

Apart from being breathtakingly beautiful, Lake was also very short; she was barely five feet tall and a platform would often need to be built for her in close-up scenes to make up for the height difference since many of the actors were much taller. But once she began working with Alan Ladd, who was also short, this was no longer an issue. They made four films together (This Gun for Hire, The Blue Dahlia, The Glass Key and Saigon). Rob Winning writes that the pairing of Ladd and Lake was one of the best romantic duos of the ‘40s. Not only were the a hit at the box office but that they also created the style of the vamp and the tough guy paving the way for actors like Lauren Bacall and Humphrey Bogart.

Despite a short-lived career, Lake still has a big influence on Hollywood today. One of the most unforgettable was Kim Basinger’s Academy Award winning performance in the film L.A. Confidential, where she plays a high class prostitute who is supposed to look like Lake. She is even referenced in a song by Peter Hammill entitled “Like Veronica.” Her influence does not end there. In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Roger’s girlfriend Jessica was modeled after Lake and she even wears her hair in Lake’s trademark “peek-a-boo” style. Her hairstyle has also made a comeback and many popular female actresses and singers have been seen sporting her look such as Christina Aguilera, Kate Winslet, Amy Adams and Cate Blanchett. A recent article in The New York Times titled “Working Toward Veronica Lake” explains how to achieve her signature look and there are many other how-to videos and websites that elucidate this as well. This look has also been spotted on the runways such as on Gucci models. Lake became the epitome of classic Hollywood glamour.

What makes someone an icon? There are many factors that are included in this such as being able to withstand the test of time and not just being popular during a specific time period. Also someone who breaks a certain mold by creating a look that is fresh and different. They should be able to appeal not only to an older audience but also be appreciated by younger generations. Icons are people who define a generation and who live on long after they are deceased. Actresses such as Grace Kelly, Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe are icons and actors such as Humphrey Bogart, James Dean and Marlon Brando are also iconic. Veronica Lake with her very modern, sultry look and her unforgettable “peek-a-boo” hairstyle definitely makes this former leading lady an icon. Even though she is no longer alive she continues to inspire films and celebrities alike. She has this appeal and way about her that allowed her to withstand that test of time and her look was something that had never been seen before, it was somewhat rebellious. Lake once said, “I was always a rebel and probably could have got much farther had I changed my attitude. But when you think about it, I got pretty far without changing attitudes. I’m happier with that.” Younger generations have come to appreciate this starlet by attempting to recreate her look and by watching her films. She was with out a doubt beyond her time and much more modern then her fellow actors and actresses. The film Sullivan’s Travels, which was not only a comedy but also a film with a message: sometimes all people have is there sense of humor, fits in so well with movies from this era. Not only was she gorgeous, but she was also very talented and her films are still classics to this day. Contrariwise to her self-deprecating take on her talent, if one were to put it all in there left eye they would most certainly go blind.