Ann Savage, femme fatale in cult movies, dies at 87

Ann Savage, femme fatale in cult movies, dies at 87

LOS ANGELES — Ann Savage, who earned a cult following as a femme fatale in such 1940s pulp-fiction movies as “Detour,” has died at 87.

She died in her sleep at a nursing home Christmas Day from complications after a series of strokes, said her manager, Kent Adamson.

Her Hollywood career had largely been over since the mid-1950s, but she had a resurgence over the past year with a starring role in Canadian cult filmmaker Guy Maddin’s “My Winnipeg.”

Starting with her 1943 debut in the crime story “One Dangerous Night,” Savage made more than 30 films through the 1950s.

Savage was best-known for director Edgar G. Ulmer’s 1945 B-movie “Detour,” in which she played a woman ruthlessly blackmailing a stranger, played by Tom Neal.

Singer-songwriter Delaney Bramlett dies

LOS ANGELES — Singer-songwriter-producer Delaney Bramlett, who penned such classic rock songs as “Let it Rain” and worked with musicians George Harrison and Eric Clapton, has died. He was 69.

Bramlett died Saturday at UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center in Los Angeles as a result of complications from gallbladder surgery, his wife Susan Lanier-Bramlett said.

Born in Mississippi, Bramlett enjoyed a career in the music business that spanned 50 years. With his then-wife Bonnie Lynn, he created the Southern blues-rock band Delaney & Bonnie & Friends. The group opened for Blind Faith, which featured guitarist Clapton, in 1969.

He is perhaps best known for standards such as “Superstar,” co-written with Leon Russell, which was recorded by Usher, Luther Vandross, Bette Midler, The Carpenters and most recently, Sonic Youth.

Today’s birthdays

ABC newscaster Tom Jarriel is 74. Actress Mary Tyler Moore is 71. Actor Jon Voight is 70. Country singer Ed Bruce is 69. Rock musician Ray Thomas is 67. Singer Marianne Faithfull is 62. Actor Ted Danson is 61. Actor Jon Polito is 58. Actress Patricia Clarkson is 49. Comedian Paula Poundstone is 49. Rock singer Dexter Holland is 43. Actor Jason Gould is 42. Movie director Andy Wachowski is 41. Actress Jennifer Ehle is 39. Rock singer-musician Glen Phillips is 38. Actor Kevin Weisman is 38. Actor Jude Law is 36. Actor Mekhi Phifer is 34. Actor Shawn Hatosy is 33. Actor Diego Luna is 29. Country singer Jessica Andrews is 25.