JOHN GAVIN

He was one of the most handsome actors of his time. He was once president of the Screen Actors Guild, as was his mentor Ronald Reagan. He served as Reagan’s Ambassador to Mexico 1981-86. He was a successful business man. Though he appeared in dozens of poor to fair movies, he had a stretch of winners in the middle of his career. Pull up a picture of John Gavin on Internet Movie Data Base or Google and you’ll understand why he was once labeled “the next Rock Hudson.”
Imitation Of Life (1959) is one of director Douglas Sirk’s six-handkerchief Hollywood weepers. Lana Turner, as actress Lora Meredith, is the big name, and John Gavin is on hand as her main squeeze Steve. The plot involves a mixed race girl passing for white, her heart-broken mother, the off-again-on-again romance between  
Steve and Lora and other hand-wringing. 
A Breath Of Scandal (1960) stars Maurice Chevalier, Sophia Loren and John Gavin. Gavin has called the film a turkey and I concur. During the shoot, Gavin said to Ms. Loren that director Michael Curtiz was a famous director but didn’t know what he was doing anymore. That appears to be the case. Vittorio De Sica was hired to reshoot some of Loren’s scenes. It didn’t help much. 
The actors you remember from Psycho (1960) are Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins. But John Gavin is quite important as Leigh’s boyfriend. You of course know that Leigh is stabbed to death in the famous shower scene. Gavin and Vera Miles (as Leigh’s sister) go looking for her. They find Perkins and his mother. That’s all I’m telling. 
But director Alfred Hitchcock and Vivian Leigh won Oscars. Beware tepid remakes of this classic. But if you haven’t seen the original, don’t watch it alone!
Spartacus (1960) is mostly famous for the scene in which Kirk Douglas says he is Spartacus, the leader of a slave rebellion. But then all the other slaves also say, “I am Spartacus.” John Gavin is on hand as tyrannical Julius Caesar. The film won four Oscars, including Peter Ustinov’s Best Supporting Actor. Pretty good but pretty long. Blacklisted Dalton Trumbo wrote the screenplay under an assumed name. When Douglas revealed this, there was lots of controversy, which no doubt helped ticket sales.
Midnight Lace (1960) completes Gavin’s incredible year. Doris Day is threatened by a mysterious stalker who says he is going to kill her. Rex Harrison plays her husband. John Gavin appears as a construction boss who saves her from a falling girder. The tension builds quite well in this thriller. 
Romanoff And Juliet (1961) is a modern take on the Shakespeare tragedy. John Gavin plays Igor Romanoff, son of the Russian ambassador. Sandra Dee plays Juliet Moulsworth, daughter of the American ambassador. They meet at a party and, of course, fall madly in love. Their romance seems doomed because of their parentage (sound familiar?) but somehow love conquers all. 
All of the films in this article are available on DVD. All are for grown-ups.