Editing Lana Turner (section)

==Life and career==

===1921–1936: Early life and education===
[[File:Lana Turner c. 1926.jpg|thumb|upright|right|alt=Young girl walking uphill|Turner at the age of five in Wallace, Idaho{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=65}}]]
Julia Jean Turner<ref name=newspref1>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1310&dat=19500507&id=Tx01AAAAIBAJ&pg=6996,6106468|title='Lana' Turner Official Now|date=May 7, 1950|page=6D|publisher=UP|work=Eugene Register-Guard|location=Eugene, OR |via=Google News}}</ref><ref name=squire>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Modern Screen]]|issn=0026-8429|title=The Strange Case of Lana Turner|url=https://archive.org/stream/modernscreen26unse#page/n553/|page=32|date=May 1943|via=Internet Archive|author=Squire, Nancy Winslow}}</ref>{{efn|Some sources claim Turner's birth name to be Julia Jean Mildred Frances Turner. However, Turner notes in her autobiography that her birth certificate lists Julia Jean Turner as her official birth name.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=9}} She writes that she later adopted the middle names Mildred and Frances (saints' names as well as the given and middle names of her mother) after converting to Catholicism.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=14}}}} was born on February 8, 1921,{{efn|Some sources (including the ''San Francisco Chronicle''<ref name=sfc/> and ''Los Angeles Times''{{'}}s Hollywood Walk of Fame series)<ref name=hwof/> erroneously report her birth year as 1920. However, in her memoir, Turner cited her birth certificate as reading 1921,{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=9}} and her daughter again confirmed this as her birth year in 2008.{{sfn|Crane|De La Hoz|2008|p=16}}}} at [[Providence Hospital (Wallace, Idaho)|Providence Hospital]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lmtribune.com/northwest/a-star-was-born-in-idaho-wallace-folks-remember-turner/article_404bbbc9-f885-53bd-8001-8a9bae6bcc1f.html|title=A star was born in Idaho; Wallace folks remember Turner's early years. Her family moved to San Francisco when she was 6 years old|date=July 3, 1995|work=Lewiston Tribune|location=Lewiston, Idaho|author=Fernandes, Charles|access-date=June 25, 2017}}</ref> in [[Wallace, Idaho]].<ref name="grever">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1338&dat=19410515&id=MeJXAAAAIBAJ&pg=7185,3777463|work=Spokane Daily Chronicle|location=Spokane, WA|title=Lana Turner, Born in Wallace, Idaho, Twenty Years Ago, Now a Star|author=Grever, Brindley|page=16|date=May 15, 1941|via=Google News}}</ref>{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=10–11}} She was the only child of Mildred Frances Cowan, who hailed from [[Lamar, Arkansas]], and John Virgil Turner, a miner from [[Montgomery, Alabama]]. Her mother had English, Irish, and Scottish ancestry, while her father was of Dutch descent. She was born four days before her mother's 17th birthday.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=9–10}} Her parents had first met while her mother was 14 and her father was 24; Mildred was the daughter of a mine inspector and was visiting [[Picher, Oklahoma]], a trip that was taken so her father could inspect the mines there.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=9}} Mildred's father objected to the courtship, but she and John eloped and moved west before settling in Idaho.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=10}}

The family lived in [[Burke, Idaho]], at the time of Turner's birth,<ref>{{cite book|issn=0019-1264|title=Idaho Yesterdays|volume=35–36|publisher=Idaho Historical Society|year=1991|page=26|chapter=Burke, Idaho, 1884–1925: The Rise and Fall of a Mining Community|author=Buenneke, Troy D.}}</ref> and relocated to nearby Wallace in 1925,{{efn|Per the official city of Wallace website, the Turner home in Wallace was located at 217 Bank Street, immediately west of downtown Wallace. The home is located within the Wallace Historic District, which is on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] (OMB no. 1024-0018).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wallace-id.com/lana.html|title=Lana Turner lived in Historic Wallace|work=City of Wallace, Idaho|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071213051616/http://wallace-id.com/lana.html|archive-date=December 13, 2007|access-date=August 26, 2017|author=Marsh, Greg}}</ref>}} where her father opened a dry cleaning service and worked in the local silver mines.{{sfn|Bamont|Jacobson|2017|p=161}} As a child, Turner was known to family and friends as Judy.{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=19}} She expressed interest in performance at a young age, performing short dance routines at her father's [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks chapter]] in Wallace.<ref name=laobit>{{cite news|title=Lana Turner, Glamorous Star of 50 Films, Dies at 75 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=June 30, 1995 |author=''Los Angeles Times'' Staff |url=http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-lana-turner-20160624-snap-htmlstory.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811055023/http://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/archives/la-me-lana-turner-20160624-snap-htmlstory.html |archive-date=August 11, 2016}}</ref> When she was three, she performed an impromptu dance routine at a charity fashion show in which her mother was modeling.<ref name=laobit/>

The Turner family struggled financially and relocated to [[San Francisco]] when she was six years old, after which her parents separated.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=164}} On December 14, 1930,{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=15}} her father won some money at a traveling [[craps]] game; he stuffed his winnings in his sock and headed home, but was later found bludgeoned to death on the corner of Minnesota and Mariposa Streets, on the edge of San Francisco's [[Potrero Hill, San Francisco, California|Potrero Hill]] and the [[Dogpatch, San Francisco|Dogpatch District]], with his left shoe and sock missing.{{Sfn|Basinger|1976|p=19}}{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|pages=164–165}} His robbery and homicide were never solved,{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=19}} and his death had a profound effect on Turner, who was only nine years old at the time.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=18}}<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Pahle |first=Rebecca |date=2021-02-08 |title=10 Dramatic Facts About Lana Turner |url=https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/641834/lana-turner-actor-facts |access-date=2025-03-28 |website=Mental Floss |language=en-us}}</ref> She later said, "I know that my father's sweetness and gaiety, his warmth and his tragedy, have never been far from me. That, and a sense of loss and of growing up too fast."{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=11}}

Turner sometimes lived with family friends or acquaintances so that her impoverished mother could save money.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=12}} They also frequently moved, for a time living in [[Sacramento]] and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=13}} Following her father's death, Turner lived for a period in [[Modesto, California|Modesto]] with a family who physically abused her and "treated her like a servant".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=11}} Her mother worked 80 hours per week as a beautician to support herself and her daughter,{{sfn|Fischer|1991|p=22}}{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=21}} and Turner recalled sometimes "living on crackers and milk for half a week".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=13}}

While baptized a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] at birth,{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=7}} Turner attended [[Mass in the Catholic Church|Mass]] with the Hislops, a Catholic family with whom her mother had temporarily boarded her in [[Stockton, California]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=14}} She became "thrilled" by the ritual practices of the church,{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=14}} and when she was seven, her mother allowed her to formally convert to [[Catholic Church|Roman Catholicism]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=14}}<ref name=donahue/> Turner subsequently attended the [[Immaculate Conception Academy (California)|Convent of the Immaculate Conception]]<ref name=sfc>{{cite web|work=San Francisco Chronicle|title=Editorial – Lana Turner: 1920–1995|url=https://www.sfgate.com/opinion/article/EDITORIAL-Lana-Turner-1920-1995-3029046.php|author=''San Francisco Chronicle'' Staff|date=July 3, 1995|access-date=July 28, 2018}}</ref> in San Francisco, hoping to become a nun.<ref name=laobit/> In the mid-1930s, Turner's mother developed respiratory problems and was advised by her doctor to move to a drier climate, upon which the two moved to [[Los Angeles]] in 1936.<ref name=laobit/>{{sfn|Wayne|2003|pages=164–165}}

===1937–1939: Discovery and early films===
{{quote box|align=left|width=22em|quote=Her hair was dark, messy, uncombed. Her hands were trembling, so that she could barely read the script. But she had that sexy clean quality I wanted. There was something smoldering underneath that innocent face.|source=– Mervyn LeRoy on Turner during her first audition, December 1936{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=165}} }}

Turner's discovery is considered a show-business legend and part of Hollywood mythology among film and popular cultural historians.{{Sfn|Valentino|1976|p=18}}{{Sfn|Basinger|1976|p=27}}{{efn |An article published in the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 1995 after Turner's death recounts the varied retellings of her discovery, and notes their status as show-business legends. A 2001 documentary on Turner refers to her discovery as the "most legendary star discovery story" in Hollywood.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 05:20}} Turner would dismiss the widely circulated version that had the event occurring at Schwab's Pharmacy, insisting she met William R. Wilkerson at the Top Hat Malt Shop while drinking a Coca-Cola.<ref name=lawilk />}} One version of the story erroneously has her discovery occurring at [[Schwab's Pharmacy]],{{sfn|Fields|2007|p=79}} which Turner claimed was the result of a reporting error that began circulating in articles published by columnist [[Sidney Skolsky]].<ref name=lawilk>{{cite news|url= https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-07-01-ca-19119-story.html|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 1, 1995|title=Writing the End to a True-to-Life Cinderella Story| author=Wilkerson, W.R. III|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref> By Turner's own account, she was a 16-year-old junior at [[Hollywood High School]] when she skipped a typing class and bought a [[Coca-Cola]] at the Top Hat Malt Shop<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=165}}{{Sfn|Lewis|2017|p=91}} located on the southeast corner of [[Sunset Boulevard]] and McCadden Place.{{Sfn|Lawson|Rufus|2000|p=41}} While in the shop, she was spotted by [[William Wilkerson|William R. Wilkerson]], publisher of ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=18}} Wilkerson was attracted by her beauty and physique, and asked her if she was interested in appearing in films, to which she responded: "I'll have to ask my mother first."<ref name=lawilk/> With her mother's permission, Turner was referred by Wilkerson to the actor/comedian/talent agent [[Zeppo Marx]].{{sfn|Busch|1940|p=64}} In December 1936, Marx introduced Turner to film director [[Mervyn LeRoy]], who signed her to a $50 weekly contract with [[Warner Bros.]] on February 22, 1937 (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|50|1937}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=165}} She soon became a protégée of LeRoy, who suggested that she take the stage name Lana Turner, a name she would come to legally adopt several years later.{{Sfn|Turner|1982|p=24}}

[[File:Edward Norris and Lana Turner.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|alt=Woman seated at a desk, being instructed by a man, crouching|[[Edward Norris]] and Turner in ''They Won't Forget'' (1937), her feature film debut]]

Turner made her feature film debut in LeRoy's ''[[They Won't Forget]]'' (1937),{{sfn|Busch|1940|p=63}} a crime drama in which she played a teenage murder victim. Though Turner only appeared on screen for a few minutes,{{sfn |Langer|2001|loc= at 6:05}} Wilkerson wrote in ''The Hollywood Reporter'' that her performance was "worthy of more than a passing note".{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=166}} The film earned her the nickname of the "[[Sweater girl|Sweater Girl]]" for her form-fitting attire, which accentuated her bust.{{sfn|Busch|1940|p=64}}{{sfn|Fischer|1991|p=187}} Turner always detested the nickname,{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 6:40}} and upon seeing a sneak preview of the film, she recalled being profoundly embarrassed and "squirming lower and lower" into her seat.<ref name= donahue/> She stated that she had "never seen myself walking before… [It was] the first time [I was] conscious of my body."<ref name=donahue/> Several years after the film's release, ''[[Modern Screen]]'' journalist Nancy Squire wrote that Turner "made a sweater look like something [[Cleopatra]] was saving for the next visiting [[Julius Caesar|Caesar]]".<ref name=squire/> Shortly after completing ''They Won't Forget'', she made an appearance in [[James Whale]]'s historical comedy ''[[The Great Garrick]]'' (1937), a biographical film about British actor [[David Garrick]], in which she had a small role portraying an actress posing as a chambermaid.{{sfn|Jordan|2009|p=221}}{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=63}}

In late 1937, LeRoy was hired as an executive at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] (MGM), and asked [[Jack L. Warner]] to allow Turner to relocate with him to MGM.{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=31}} Warner obliged, as he believed Turner would not "amount to anything".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=29}} Turner left Warner Bros. and signed a contract with MGM for $100 a week (${{formatnum:{{inflation|US|100|1937}}}} in {{inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 7:00}} The same year, she was loaned to [[United Artists]] for a minor role as a maid in ''[[The Adventures of Marco Polo]]''.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=166}} Her first starring role for MGM was scheduled to be an adaptation of ''[[The Sea-Wolf]]'', co-starring [[Clark Gable]], but the project was eventually shelved.{{sfn|Breuer|1989|p=129}} Instead, she was assigned opposite teen idol [[Mickey Rooney]] and [[Judy Garland]] in the [[Andy Hardy]] film ''[[Love Finds Andy Hardy]]'' (1938).{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 7:55}} During the shoot, Turner completed her studies with an educational social worker, allowing her to graduate high school that year.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=34–35}} The film was a box-office success,{{sfn|Dennis|2007|p=97}} and her appearance in it as a flirtatious high school student convinced studio head [[Louis B. Mayer]] that Turner could be the next [[Jean Harlow]], a [[sex symbol]] who had died six months before Turner's arrival at MGM.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 9:08}}

[[File:Lana Turner and Lew Ayres in These Glamour Girls.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|alt=Woman and man seated in car|Turner with [[Lew Ayres]] in ''[[These Glamour Girls]]'' (1939)]]

Mayer helped further<ref name=":1" /> Turner's career by giving her roles in several youth-oriented films in the late 1930s, such as the comedy ''[[Rich Man, Poor Girl]]'' (1938) in which she played the sister of a poor woman romanced by a wealthy man, and ''[[Dramatic School (film)|Dramatic School]]'' (1938), in which she portrayed Mado, a troubled drama student.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=33}} In the former, she was billed as the "Kissing Bug from the Andy Hardy film".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=33}} Upon completing ''Dramatic School'', Turner screen-tested unsuccessfully for the role of [[Scarlett O'Hara]] in ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]'' (1939).{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=33}} She was then cast in a supporting part as a "sympathetic bad girl" in ''[[Calling Dr. Kildare]]'' (1939), MGM's second entry in the [[Dr. Kildare]] series.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=33}} This was followed by ''[[These Glamour Girls]]'' (1939), a comedy in which she portrayed a [[taxi dancer]] invited to attend a dance with a male coed at his elite college.{{sfn|Conklin|2009|p=116}} Turner's onscreen sex appeal in the film was reflected by a review in the ''[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]'' in which she was characterized as "the answer to 'oomph{{' "}}.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]]|title=Thumbnail Reviews of New Movies|last=McPherson|first=Colvin|date=September 2, 1939|page=5|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22038903/st_louis_postdispatch/|via=Newspapers.com |location=St. Louis, MO}}</ref> In her next film, ''[[Dancing Co-Ed]]'' (1939), Turner was given first billing portraying Patty Marlow, a professional dancer who enters a college as part of a rigged national talent contest.{{sfn|Conklin|2009|p=170}} The film was a commercial success, and led to Turner appearing on the cover of ''[[Look (American magazine)|Look]]'' magazine.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=35}}

In February 1940, Turner garnered significant publicity when she eloped to Las Vegas with 28-year-old bandleader [[Artie Shaw]], her co-star in ''Dancing Co-Ed''.{{sfn|Crane|1988|pages=39–43}}{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 13:20}} Though they had only briefly known each other, Turner recalled being "stirred by his eloquence", and after their first date, the two spontaneously decided to get married.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=40}} Their marriage only lasted four months, but was highly publicized, and led MGM executives to grow concerned over Turner's "impulsive behavior".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971 |p= 40}} Turner later remarked that Shaw "stirred" her, but soon "flew into rages", adding "He was a very intelligent man, but he didn't treat women well. In the spring of 1940, after the two had divorced, Turner discovered she was pregnant and had an [[abortion]], at the insistence of studio executives.<ref name=":0" />{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=41}} In contemporaneous press, it was noted she had been hospitalized for "exhaustion".{{sfn |Morella|Epstein|1971|p=41}} She would later recall that Shaw treated her "like an untutored blonde savage, and took no pains to conceal his opinion".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p= 35}} In the midst of her marriage to Shaw, she starred in ''[[We Who Are Young]]'', a drama in which she played a woman who, against their employer's policy, marries her co-worker.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=42}}

===1940–1945: War years and film stardom===
[[File:Judy Garland, Lana Turner, and James Stewart.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|[[Judy Garland]], Turner, and [[James Stewart]] on the set of ''[[Ziegfeld Girl (film)|Ziegfeld Girl]]'' (1941), which precipitated her rise at MGM]]
In 1940, Turner appeared in her first musical film, ''[[Two Girls on Broadway]]'', in which she received top billing over established co-stars [[Joan Blondell]] and [[George Murphy]].{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=35}} A remake of ''[[The Broadway Melody]]'', the film was marketed as featuring Turner's "hottest, most daring role".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=35}} The following year, she had a lead role in her second musical, ''[[Ziegfeld Girl (film)|Ziegfeld Girl]]'', opposite [[James Stewart]], Judy Garland and [[Hedy Lamarr]].{{sfn|Barton|2010|p=101}} In the film, she portrayed Sheila Regan, an alcoholic aspiring actress based on [[Lillian Lorraine]].{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 15:18}}{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=97}} ''Ziegfeld Girl'' marked a personal and professional shift for Turner; she claimed it as the first role that got her "interested in acting",<ref>{{cite news|date=June 6, 1943|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981331/the_baltimore_sun/|via=Newspapers.com|title=Glamor Palling on Lana|last=Holliday|first=Kate|work=The Baltimore Sun|location=Baltimore, Maryland|page=55}}</ref> and the studio, impressed by her performance, marketed the film as featuring her in "the best role of the biggest picture to be released by the industry's biggest company".{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=49}} The film's high box-office returns elevated Turner's profitability, and MGM gave her a weekly salary raise to $1,500 as well as a personal makeup artist and trailer (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|1500|1940}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 17:10}} After completing the film, Turner and co-star Garland remained lifelong friends, and lived in houses next to one another in the 1950s.{{sfn|Crane|De La Hoz|2008|pages=34, 185, 331}}

Following the success of ''Ziegfeld Girl'', Turner took a supporting role as an [[ingénue]] in ''[[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1941 film)|Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde]]'' (1941) – a sanitized remake of the original [[pre-Code]] [[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931 film)|film from a decade earlier]] – remade as a [[Sigmund Freud|Freudian]]-influenced horror film, opposite [[Spencer Tracy]] and [[Ingrid Bergman]].<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Life (magazine)|Life]]|title=Speaking of Pictures&nbsp;... These Freudian Montage Shots Show Mental State of Jekyll Changing to Hyde|pages=14–16|publisher=Time, Inc|issn=0024-3019|date=August 25, 1941|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZE0EAAAAMBAJ&q=lana+turner+ingrid+bergman&pg=PA15|via=Google Books}}</ref> MGM had initially cast Turner in the lead, but Tracy specifically requested Bergman for the part. The studio recast Turner in the smaller role, though she was still given top billing.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=50}} While the film was financially successful at the box office,{{sfn|Schatz|1999|p=111}} ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine panned it, calling it "a pretentious resurrection of [[Robert Louis Stevenson]]'s ghoulish classic&nbsp;... As for Lana Turner, fully clad for a change, and the rest of the cast&nbsp;... they are as wooden as their roles."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|volume=XXXVIII|issue=6|date=August 11, 1941|title=Review: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde|page=4|author=''Time'' Staff|issn=0040-781X|publisher=Time, Inc}}</ref>

Turner was then cast in the Western ''[[Honky Tonk (1941 film)|Honky Tonk]]'' (1941), the first of four films in which she would star opposite [[Clark Gable]].{{sfn|Basinger|1976|pages=51–53}} The Turner-Gable films' successes were often heightened by gossip-column rumors about a relationship between the two.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=173}} In January 1942, she began shooting her second picture with Gable, titled ''[[Somewhere I'll Find You]]'';<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1983&dat=19421017&id=IwJgAAAAIBAJ&pg=998,3909798|work=San Jose Evening News|location=San Jose, California|date=October 17, 1942|page=4|title=Gable and Lana Turner Star|via=Google News}}</ref> however, the production was halted for several weeks after the death of Gable's wife, [[Carole Lombard]], in a plane crash.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=174}} Meanwhile, the press continued to fuel rumors that Turner and Gable were romantic offscreen, which Turner vehemently denied.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 21:05}} "I adored Mr. Gable, but we were [just] friends", she later recalled. "When six o'clock came, he went his way and I went mine."<ref name=donahue/> Her next project was ''[[Johnny Eager]]'' (1941), a violent mobster film in which she portrayed a socialite.{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=54}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=51}} [[James Agee]] of ''Time'' magazine was critical of co-star [[Robert Taylor (American actor)|Robert Taylor]]'s performance and noted: "Turner is similarly handicapped: Metro has swathed her best assets in a toga, swears that she shall become an actress, or else. Under these adverse circumstances, stars Taylor and Turner are working under wraps."<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|title=Cinema: The New Pictures|date=February 23, 1942|access-date=May 28, 2018|author=Agee, James|author-link=James Agee|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,884505-2,00.html}}</ref>

[[File:Lana Turner 1943.png|left|thumb|Turner in 1943]]

At the advent of US involvement in [[World War II]], Turner's increasing prominence in Hollywood led to her becoming a popular [[pin-up model|pin-up girl]],{{sfn|Fischer|1991|pages=187–189}} and her image appeared painted on the noses of U.S. fighter planes, bearing the nickname "Tempest Turner".{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 33:33}} In June 1942, she embarked on a 10-week [[war bond]] tour throughout the western United States with Gable.<ref name=pittsburghkiss/> During the tour, she began promising kisses to the highest war bond buyers; while selling bonds at the [[Pioneer Courthouse]] in [[Portland, Oregon]], she sold a $5,000 bond to a man for two kisses,<ref>{{cite news|title=Lana's Kisses Really 'Sell'|newspaper=Eugene Register-Guard|location=Eugene, Oregon|page=1|date=June 12, 1942|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981418/the_eugene_guard/|via=Newspapers.com}}Burnt Norton</ref> and another to an elderly man for $50,000.<ref name=pittsburghkiss/> Arriving to sell bonds in her hometown of [[Wallace, Idaho]], she was greeted with a banner that read "Welcome home, Lana", followed by a large celebration during which the mayor declared a holiday in her honor.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=81}} Upon completing the tour, Turner had sold $5.25 million in war bonds.<ref name=pittsburghkiss>{{cite news|work=The Pittsburgh Press|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|title=Lana's Kisses Sell Bonds Without Her Fancy Speech|page=1|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981391/the_pittsburgh_press/|via=Newspapers.com|date=June 25, 1942}}</ref> Throughout the war, Turner continued to make regular appearances at U.S. troop events and area bases, though she confided to friends that she found visiting the hospital wards of injured soldiers emotionally difficult.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 33:53}} During World War II, the Royal Canadian Air Force 427 Lion Squadron had been "adopted" by MGM. Many of the aircraft had dedications or nose art honoring MGM's stars. A Handley-Page Halifax bomber "London's Revenge" DK186 ZL L carried the name of Lana Turner into battle over Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.427squadron.com/news_file/photos_427_wwII.html |title=427 World War II Photos}}</ref>

In July 1942,{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} Turner met her second husband, actor-turned-restaurateur [[Joseph Stephen Crane|Joseph Stephen "Steve" Crane]], at a dinner party in Los Angeles.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=66}} The two eloped to Las Vegas a week after they began dating.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 24:20}} The marriage was annulled by Turner four months later upon discovering that Crane's previous divorce had not yet been finalized.{{sfn|Basinger|1976|pages=141–142}} After discovering she was pregnant in November 1942, Turner remarried Crane in [[Tijuana]] in March 1943.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} During her early pregnancy, she filmed the comedy ''[[Marriage Is a Private Affair]]'', in which she starred as a carefree woman struggling to balance her new life as a mother.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=69}} Though she wanted multiple children, Turner had [[Rh blood group system|Rh-negative blood]], which caused fetal [[anemia]] and made it difficult to carry a child to term.{{sfn|Parish|2011|p=249}}{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=9, 85, 142}} Turner was urged by doctors to undergo a [[therapeutic abortion]] to avoid potentially life-threatening complications, but she managed to carry the child to term. She gave birth to a daughter, [[Cheryl Crane|Cheryl]], on July 25, 1943. Turner's blood condition resulted in Cheryl being born with near-fatal [[Hemolytic disease of the newborn|erythroblastosis fetalis]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=70}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=69–70}}

[[File:Lana Turner - Suspense Radio (1945).jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|Turner performing on ''[[Suspense (radio drama)|Suspense]]'' radio show, 1945|alt=Woman speaking into a microphone]]

Meanwhile, publicity over Turner's remarriage to Crane led MGM to play up her image as a sex symbol in the comedy ''[[Slightly Dangerous]]'' (1943), with [[Robert Young (actor)|Robert Young]], [[Walter Brennan]] and Dame [[May Whitty]], in which she portrayed a woman who moves to New York City and poses as the long-lost daughter of a millionaire.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 27:00}} Released in the midst of Turner's pregnancy, the film was financially successful{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=68}} but received mixed reviews, with [[Bosley Crowther]] of ''The New York Times'' writing: "No less than four Metro writers must have racked their brains for all of five minutes to think up the rags-to-riches fable&nbsp;... Indeed, there is cause for suspicion that they didn't even bother to think."<ref>{{cite news|work=The New York Times|author=Crowther, Bosley|date=April 2, 1943|page=17|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1943/04/02/archives/-slightly-dangerous-a-comedy-wherein-lana-turner-robert-young.html|title='Slightly Dangerous,' a Comedy Wherein Lana Turner, Robert Young Appear, at Capitol – 'Saint' Film at the Palace|access-date=June 14, 2018|author-link=Bosley Crowther}}</ref> Critic [[Anita Loos]] praised Turner's performance in the film, writing: "Lana Turner typifies modern allure. She is the vamp of today as [[Theda Bara]] was of yesterday. However, she doesn't look like a vamp. She is far more deadly because she lets her audience relax."{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=68–69}}

In August 1944, Turner divorced Crane, citing his gambling and unemployment as primary reasons.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=77}} Turner was among 250 film notables listed by the Hollywood Democratic Committee as supporting the re-election of [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] incumbent President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] during the 1944 presidential election.{{sfn|Jordan|2011|p=232}}{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=267}} In 1945, she co-starred with [[Laraine Day]] and [[Susan Peters]] in ''[[Keep Your Powder Dry]]'', a war drama about three disparate women who join the [[Women's Army Corps]].{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=133}} She was then cast as the female lead in ''[[Week-End at the Waldorf]]'', a loose remake of ''[[Grand Hotel (1932 film)|Grand Hotel]]'' (1932) in which she portrayed a stenographer (a role originated by [[Joan Crawford]]).{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=82}} The film was a box-office hit.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=82}}{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=135}}

===1946–1948: Expansion to dramatic roles===
[[File:Lana Turner on set of 'The Postman Always Rings Twice'.png|thumb|upright=.8|left|alt=Woman in white wearing a towel on her head, clutching her chest|Turner as Cora Smith in ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1946), considered by many critics to be her career-defining performance]]
After the war, Turner was cast in a lead role opposite [[John Garfield]] in ''[[The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946 film)|The Postman Always Rings Twice]]'' (1946), a [[film noir]] based on [[James M. Cain]]'s debut [[The Postman Always Rings Twice (novel)|novel of the same name]].<ref>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=The Story is the Same But Hollywood Has Changed|author=Maslin, Janet|date=April 26, 1981|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/26/movies/film-view-the-story-is-the-same-but-hollywood-has-changed.html|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref> She portrayed Cora, an ambitious woman married to a stodgy, older owner of a roadside diner, who falls in love with a drifter and their desire to be together motivates them to murder her husband.{{sfn|Brook|2013|p=120}} The classic film noir marked a turning point in Turner's career as her first [[femme fatale]] role.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 36:18}} Reviews of the film, including Turner's performance, were glowing, with Bosley Crowther of ''The New York Times'' writing it was "the role of her career".{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 38:45}} ''[[Life (magazine)|Life]]'' magazine named the film its "Movie of the Week" in April 1946, and noted that both Turner and Garfield were "aptly cast" and "take over the screen, [creating] more fireworks than the Fourth of July".<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Life|title=Movie of the Week: The Postman Always Rings Twice|date=April 29, 1946|via=Google Books|publisher=Time, Inc|issn=0024-3019 |page=129|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-FQEAAAAMBAJ&q=lana+turner+garfield&pg=PA129}}</ref> Turner commented on her decision to take the role:

{{blockquote|I finally got tired of making movies where all I did was walk across the screen and look pretty. I got a big chance to do some real acting in ''The Postman Always Rings Twice'', and I'm not going to slip back if I can help it. I tried to persuade the studio to give me something different. But every time I went into my argument about how bad a picture was, they'd say, "well, it's making a fortune". That licked me.<ref name="concentrate">{{cite news|title=Heavy Drama Her Dish Now, Says Lana|author=MacPherson, Virginia|work=[[Democrat and Chronicle]]|location=Rochester, New York|date=October 12, 1946|page=11|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981482/democrat_and_chronicle/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>}}

''The Postman Always Rings Twice'' became a major box office success, which prompted the studio to take more risks on Turner, casting her outside of the glamorous sex-symbol roles for which she had come to be known.<ref name="concentrate"/> In August 1946, it was announced she would replace [[Katharine Hepburn]] in the big-budget historical drama ''[[Green Dolphin Street (film)|Green Dolphin Street]]'' (1947), a role for which she darkened her hair and lost 15 pounds.<ref name="concentrate"/><ref name="dolphin">{{cite news|title=Lana Turner To Play Lead In 'Green Dolphin Street|author=Manners, Dorothy |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|date=August 3, 1946 | page=13|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981517/tampa_bay_times/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The film was produced by [[Carey Wilson (writer)|Carey Wilson]], who insisted on casting Turner based on her performance in ''The Postman Always Rings Twice''. In the film, she portrayed the daughter of a wealthy patriarch who pursues a relationship with a man in love with her sister.<ref name="dolphin"/> Turner later recalled she was surprised about replacing Hepburn, saying: "I'm about the most un-Hepburnish actress on the lot. But it was just what I wanted to do."<ref name=concentrate/> It was her first starring role that did not center on her looks. In an interview, Turner said: "I even go running around in the jungles of New Zealand in a dress that's filthy and ragged. I don't wear any make-up and my hair's a mess." Nevertheless, she insisted she would not give up her glamorous image.<ref name="concentrate"/> In the midst of filming ''Green Dolphin Street'', Turner began an affair with actor [[Tyrone Power]],{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 39:40}}{{sfn|Bellows|2006|p=192}} whom she considered to be the love of her life.{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=178}} She discovered she was pregnant by him in the fall of 1947, but chose to have an abortion.{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=178}}<ref name=donahue>Turner, Lana (September 29, 1982). "Guest: Lana Turner". ''[[The Phil Donahue Show]]'' (Interview). Interviewed by [[Phil Donahue]]. [[Multimedia Entertainment]].</ref> During this time, she also had romantic affairs with [[Frank Sinatra]]{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 32:44}} and [[Howard Hughes]], the latter of which lasted for 12 weeks in late 1946.{{sfn|Brown|Broeske| 2004 |pages=199–201}}
[[File:Lana Turner by Paul Hesse 1946.jpg|thumb|upright|Turner by Paul Hesse, appearing on the cover of ''Photoplay'' magazine, 1946
]]
Turner's next film was the romantic drama ''[[Cass Timberlane]]'', in which she played a young woman in love with an older judge – a role for which [[Jennifer Jones]], [[Vivien Leigh]], and [[Virginia Grey]] had also been considered.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[American Film Institute]] Catalog|title=Cass Timberlane|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180618033237/https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/25492?cxt=filmography|archive-date=June 18, 2018|url=https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/MovieDetails/25492?cxt=filmography}}</ref> As of early 1946, Turner was set for the role, but schedules with ''Green Dolphin Street'' almost prohibited her from taking it, and by late 1946, she was nearly recast.<ref>{{cite news|title=News Of The Movies|author=Manners, Dorothy|work= The San Antonio Light|location=San Antonio, Texas|date= August 3, 1946|page=6|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/san-antonio-light-aug-03-1946-p-6/|via=Newspaper Archive}}</ref> Production of ''Cass Timberlane'' was exhausting for Turner, because it was shot in between retakes of ''Green Dolphin Street''.{{sfn|McClelland|1992|p=292}} ''Cass Timberlane'' earned Turner favorable reviews, with ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' noting: "Turner is the surprise of the picture via her top performance thespically. In a role that allows her the gamut from tomboy to the pangs of childbirth and from being another man's woman to remorseful wife, she seldom fails to acquit herself creditably."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/1946/film/reviews/cass-timberlane-1200415122/|title=Cass Timberlane|date=December 31, 1946|access-date=May 25, 2018|author=''Variety'' Staff}}</ref>

In August 1947, immediately upon completion of ''Cass Timberlane'', Turner agreed to appear as the female lead in the World War II-set romantic drama ''[[Homecoming (1948 film)|Homecoming]]'' (1948), in which she was again paired with Clark Gable, portraying a female army lieutenant who falls in love with an American surgeon (Gable).<ref name="homecoming">{{cite news|title=Hepburn's Screen Career Unaffected by Frankness|author= [[Louella O. Parsons|Parsons, Louella]]|work=St. Petersburg Times|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|date= August 12, 1947|page=8|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981576/tampa_bay_times/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> She was the studio's first choice for the role, but it was reluctant to offer her the part, considering her overbooked schedule.<ref name="homecoming"/> ''Homecoming'' was well received by audiences, and Turner and Gable were nicknamed "the team that generates steam".{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=158}} By this period, Turner was at the zenith of her film career, and was not only MGM's most popular star, but also one of the ten highest-paid women in the United States, with annual earnings of $226,000.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=82}}{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 42:51}}

===1948–1952: Studio rebranding and personal struggles===
In late 1947, Turner was cast as Lady de Winter in ''[[The Three Musketeers (1948 film)|The Three Musketeers]]'', her first [[Technicolor]] film.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 44:12}}{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=77}} Around this time, she began dating Henry J. "Bob" Topping Jr., a millionaire socialite and brother of [[New York Yankees]] owner [[Dan Topping]], and a grandson of tin-plate magnate [[Daniel G. Reid]].{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} Topping proposed to her at the [[21 Club]] in New York City by dropping a diamond ring into her martini, and they married shortly after in April 1948 at the Topping family mansion in [[Greenwich, Connecticut]].{{sfn|Crane|1988|pages=93–97}}{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 43:47}} Turner's wedding celebrations interfered with her filming schedule for ''The Three Musketeers'', and she arrived to the set three days late.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 44:05}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=111–113}} Studio head Louis B. Mayer threatened to suspend her contract, but Turner managed to leverage her box-office draw with MGM to negotiate an expansion of her role in the film, as well as a salary increase amounting to $5,000 per week (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|5000|1947}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}).{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 44:45}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=112}} ''The Three Musketeers'' went on to become a box-office success, earning $4.5 million (${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|4500000|1947}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars {{inflation-fn|US}}),{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=122}} but Turner's contract was put on temporary suspension by Mayer after production finished.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=122}} After the release of ''The Three Musketeers'', Turner discovered she was pregnant; in early 1949, she went into premature labor and gave birth to a [[stillbirth|stillborn]] baby boy in New York City.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=115–116}}
[[File:George Cukor and Lana Turner 1950.png|thumb|left|upright=.9|alt=Woman sitting in chair beside a man|Turner with [[George Cukor]] on the set of ''[[A Life of Her Own]]'' (1950)]]
In 1949, Turner was to star in ''[[A Life of Her Own]]'' (1950), a [[George Cukor]]-directed drama about a woman who aspires to be a model in New York City. The project was shelved for several months, and Turner told journalists in December 1949: "Everybody agrees that the script is still a pile of junk. I'm anxious to get started. By the time this one comes out, it will be almost three years since I was last on the screen, in ''The Three Musketeers''. I don't think it's healthy to stay off the screen that long."<ref>{{cite news|title=Lana Turner Says She Is Now the Home-Girl Type|first=Bob|last=Thomas|location=Idaho Falls, Idaho|work=[[Post Register|The Post-Register]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981615/the_postregister/|via=Newspapers.com|date=December 7, 1949|page=9}}</ref> Although unenthusiastic about the screenplay, Turner agreed to appear in the film after executives promised her suspension would be lifted upon doing so.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=122}} ''A Life of Her Own'' was among the least successful of Cukor's films, receiving unfavorable reviews and low box-office sales.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=127}} On May 24, 1950, Turner left her handprints and footprints in cement in front of [[Grauman's Chinese Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://newspaperarchive.com/morning-avalanche-may-25-1950-p-24/|location=Lubbock, Texas|work=Morning Avalanche Newspaper|date=May 24, 1950| page=24|title=Lana Turner leaves Footprints At Grauman's Chinese Theater}}</ref>

In response to the poor reception for ''A Life of Her Own'', MGM attempted to rebrand Turner by casting her in musicals.{{sfn|Shipman|1970|p=526}} The first, ''[[Mr. Imperium]]'', released in March 1951, was a [[box office flop|box-office flop]], and had Turner starring as an American woman who is wooed by a European prince.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|pages=171–173}} "The script was stupid," she recalled. "I fought against doing the picture, but I lost."{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=124}} It earned her unfavorable reviews, with one critic from the ''St. Petersburg Times'' writing: "Without Lana Turner, ''Mr. Imperium''&nbsp;... would be a better picture."<ref>{{cite news|work=St. Petersburg Times|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|date=November 6, 1951|title=Pinza Is Tops, Lana Is Dull In 'Mr. Imperium'|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981628/tampa_bay_times/|page=8|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

During this period, Turner's personal finances were in disarray, and she was facing bankruptcy.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 53:37}} Suffering from depression over her career and financial problems, she attempted suicide in September 1951 by slitting her wrists in a locked bathroom.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=129}} She was saved by her business manager, Benton Cole, who broke down the bathroom door and called emergency medical services.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=129}} The following year, she began filming her second musical, ''[[The Merry Widow (1952 film)|The Merry Widow]]''. During the shoot, Turner began an affair with her co-star [[Fernando Lamas]], which ended after Lamas physically assaulted her; the incident also caused Lamas to lose his MGM contract upon the production's completion.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 56:23}} ''The Merry Widow'' proved more commercially successful than Turner's previous musical, ''Mr. Imperium'', despite receiving unfavorable critical reviews.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=135–136}}

Turner's next project was opposite [[Kirk Douglas]] in [[Vincente Minnelli]]'s ''[[The Bad and the Beautiful]]'' (1952), a drama focusing on the rise and fall of a Hollywood film mogul, in which Turner portrayed an alcoholic movie star.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=132–133}} ''The Bad and the Beautiful'' was both a critical and commercial success, and earned her favorable reviews.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=139–140}} A little over a week before the film's release in December 1952, Turner divorced her third husband, Bob Topping.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} She later claimed Topping's drinking problem and excessive gambling as her impetus for the divorce.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=126–134}} Her next film project was ''[[Latin Lovers (1953 film)|Latin Lovers]]'' (1953), a romantic musical in which Lamas had originally been cast. He was replaced by [[Ricardo Montalbán]].{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=136–139}}

===1953–1957: MGM departure and film resurgence===
In the spring of 1953, Turner relocated to Europe for 18 months to make two films under a tax credit for American productions shot abroad.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 59:00}} The films were ''[[Flame and the Flesh]]'', in which she portrayed a manipulative woman who takes advantage of a musician, and ''[[Betrayed (1954 film)|Betrayed]]'', an espionage thriller set in the [[Nazi]]-occupied Netherlands; the latter marked Turner's fourth and final film appearance opposite Clark Gable.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 59:49}} In ''The New York Times'', Bosley Crowther wrote of ''Betrayed'': "By the time this picture gets around to figuring out whether the betrayer is Miss Turner or Mr. Mature, it has taken the audience through such a lengthy and tedious amount of detail that it has not only frayed all possible tension but it has aggravated patience as well."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Crowther, Bosley|date=September 9, 1954|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1954/09/09/archives/the-screen-in-review-betrayed-war-story-opens-at-the-state.html|access-date=June 18, 2018|title=The Screen in Review; 'Betrayed,' War Story, Opens at the State|page=36}}</ref> Upon returning to the United States in September 1953, Turner married actor [[Lex Barker]],{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} whom she had been dating since their first meeting at a party held by [[Marion Davies]] in the summer of 1952.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=132}}
[[File:Lana Turner in The Prodigal.png|thumb|upright|left|Turner in ''[[The Prodigal]]'' (1955)]]
In 1955, MGM's new studio head [[Dore Schary]] had Turner star as a pagan temptress in the Biblical epic ''[[The Prodigal]]'' (1955), her first [[CinemaScope]] feature.{{sfn|Parish|Bowers|1973|p=777}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=155}} She was reluctant to appear in the film because of the character's scanty, "atrocious" costumes and "stupid" lines, and during the shoot struggled to get along with co-star [[Edmund Purdom]], whom she later described as "a young man with a remarkably high opinion of himself".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=146}} ''Variety'' deemed the film "a big-scale spectacle&nbsp;...End result of all this flamboyant polish, however, is only fair entertainment."<ref>{{cite web|work=Variety|title=The Prodigal|date=December 31, 1954|access-date=June 17, 2018|author=''Variety'' Staff|url=https://variety.com/1954/film/reviews/the-prodigal-1200417780/}}</ref> Turner was next cast in [[John Farrow]]'s ''[[The Sea Chase]]'' (1955), an adventure film starring [[John Wayne]], in which she portrayed a femme fatale spy aboard a ship.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=156}} The film, released one month after ''The Prodigal'', was a commercial success.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=160}}

MGM then gave Turner the titular role of [[Diane de Poitiers]] in the period drama ''[[Diane (1956 film)|Diane]]'' (1956), which had originally been optioned by the studio in the 1930s for [[Greta Garbo]].{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=211}} After completing ''Diane'', Turner was loaned to 20th Century-Fox to headline ''[[The Rains of Ranchipur]]'' (1955), a remake of ''[[The Rains Came]]'' (1939), playing the wife of an aristocrat in the [[British Raj]] opposite [[Richard Burton]].{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=158–159}}{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=207}} The production was rushed to accommodate a Christmas release and was completed in only three months, but it received unfavorable reviews from critics.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=161}} Meanwhile, ''Diane'' was given a test screening in late December 1955, and was met with poor response from audiences.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=161}} Though an elaborate marketing campaign was crafted to promote the film, it was a box-office flop,{{sfn|Parish|Bowers|1973|p=745}} and MGM announced in February 1956 that it was opting not to renew Turner's contract.{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=183}} Turner gleefully told a reporter at the time that she was "walking around in a daze. I've been sprung. After 18 years at MGM, I'm a free agent&nbsp;...I used to go on a bended knee to the front office and say, please give me a decent story. I'll work for nothing, just give me a good story. So what happened? The last time I begged for a good story they gave me ''The Prodigal''."{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=162}} At the time of her contract termination, Turner's films had earned the studio more than $50 million.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=162}}

[[File:Lana Turner and Betty Field - Peyton Place.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|alt=Two women facing one another|Turner and [[Betty Field]] in ''Peyton Place'' (1957), which earned Turner an [[Academy Award]] nomination]]
In 1956, Turner discovered she was pregnant with Barker's child, but gave birth to a stillborn baby girl seven months into the pregnancy.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=154}} In July 1957,{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} she filed for divorce from Barker after her daughter Cheryl alleged that he had regularly molested and raped her over the course of their marriage.{{sfn|Crane|1988|p=167}}{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:01:15}} According to Cheryl, Turner confronted Barker before forcing him out of their home at gunpoint.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2008/11/26/kid-stays-picture |work=[[The Advocate (LGBT magazine)|The Advocate]]|title=The Kid Stays in the Picture |first=Greg |last=Archer |date=November 26, 2008 |archive-date=January 5, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105050649/http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/books/2008/11/26/kid-stays-picture }}</ref> Weeks after her divorce, Turner began filming 20th Century-Fox's ''[[Peyton Place (film)|Peyton Place]]'', in which she had been cast in the lead role of [[Constance MacKenzie]], a New England mother struggling to maintain a relationship with her teenage daughter.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=175}} The film, directed by [[Mark Robson (film director)|Mark Robson]], was adapted from [[Grace Metalious]]' best-selling novel of the same name.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:08:20}} Released in December 1957, ''Peyton Place'' was a major [[blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] success, which worked in Turner's favor as she had agreed to take a percentage of the film's overall earnings instead of a salary.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:08:25}} She also received critical acclaim, with ''Variety'' noting that "Turner looks elegant" and "registers strongly",<ref>{{cite web|work=Variety|date=December 31, 1957|url=https://variety.com/1956/film/reviews/peyton-place-1200418280/|author=''Variety'' Staff|access-date=May 29, 2018|title=Peyton Place}}</ref> and, for the first and only time, she was nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Actress]].{{Sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2002|p=254}} Though grateful for the nomination, Turner would later state that she felt it was not "one of my better roles".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=181}}

===1958–1959: Johnny Stompanato homicide scandal===
{{Main|Johnny Stompanato homicide}}
[[File:Lana Turner and Johnny Stompanato.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Woman and man in bathing suits, embracing|Turner and Stompanato in [[Acapulco]] on April 1, 1958, four days before he was stabbed to death by Turner's daughter]]
In January 1958, [[Paramount Pictures]] released ''[[The Lady Takes a Flyer]]'', a romantic comedy in which Turner portrayed a female pilot.{{sfn|Basinger|1976|p=115}} While shooting the film the previous spring, she had begun receiving phone calls and flowers on the set from [[gangster|mobster]] [[Johnny Stompanato]], using the name "John Steele".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=158}} Stompanato had close ties to the Los Angeles underworld and gangster [[Mickey Cohen]], which he feared would dissuade her from dating him.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=200–203}} He pursued Turner aggressively, sending her various gifts.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=159–161}} Turner was "thoroughly intrigued" and began casually dating him.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=161}} After a friend informed her of who Stompanato actually was, she confronted him and tried to break off the affair.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=163–165}} Stompanato was not easily deterred, and over the course of the following year, they carried on a relationship filled with violent arguments, physical abuse and repeated reconciliations.{{Sfn|Feldstein|2000|p=120}}{{Sfn|Turner|1982|pages=160–191}} Turner would also claim that on one occasion he drugged her and took nude photographs of her while unconscious, potentially to use as blackmail.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=205}}

In September 1957, Stompanato visited Turner in London, where she was filming [[Another Time, Another Place (1958 film)|''Another Time, Another Place'']], co-starring [[Sean Connery]].{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|pages=177–182}} Their meeting was initially happy, but they soon began fighting. Stompanato became suspicious when Turner would not allow him to visit the set and, during one fight, he violently choked her.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=168–169}} To avoid further confrontation, Turner and her makeup artist, Del Armstrong, called [[Scotland Yard]] in order to have Stompanato deported.{{Sfn|Fischer|1991|p=217}}{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=169–172}} Stompanato got wind of the plan and showed up on the set with a gun, threatening her and Connery.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=185}} Connery answered by grabbing the gun out of Stompanato's hand and twisting his wrist, causing him to run off the set.{{sfn|Kohn|2001|p=388}} Turner and Armstrong later returned with two Scotland Yard detectives to the rented house where she and Stompanato were staying. The detectives advised Stompanato to leave and escorted him out of the house and to the airport, where he boarded a plane back to the U.S.{{Sfn|Turner|1982|p=170}}

On the evening of March 26, 1958, Turner attended the Academy Awards to observe her nomination for ''Peyton Place'' and present the award for [[Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=180}} Stompanato, angered that he did not attend with her, awaited her return home that evening, whereupon he physically assaulted her.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=183–187}} Around 8:00&nbsp;p.m. on Friday, April 4, Stompanato arrived at Turner's rented home at 730 North Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=190}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=186}} The two began arguing heatedly in the bedroom, during which Stompanato cut Turner's face and threatened to kill her, Cheryl, and her mother.<ref name=":0" />{{Sfn|Feldstein|2000|p=120}} Fearing that her mother's life was in danger, Cheryl – who had been watching television in an adjacent room – grabbed a kitchen knife and ran to Turner's defense.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=188}}

According to testimony provided by Turner, Stompanato died at the scene when Cheryl, who had been listening to the couple's fight behind the closed door, stabbed Stompanato in the stomach when Turner attempted to usher him out of the bedroom.{{Sfn|Lewis|2017|p=94}} Turner testified that she initially believed Cheryl had punched him, but realized Stompanato had been stabbed when he collapsed and she saw blood on his shirt.{{sfn|Lewis|2017|p=94}}
[[File:Stephen Crane, Lana Turner, and Mildred Turner.jpg|thumb|upright=1|right|alt=Two women wearing sunglasses seated next to a man|Turner (center) with ex-husband Steve Crane and mother Mildred at Cheryl's juvenile court hearing, April 24, 1958]]
Because of Turner's fame and the fact that the killing involved her teenage daughter, the case quickly became a media sensation.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=195}} More than 100 reporters and journalists attended the April 12, 1958 [[inquest]], described by attendees as "near-riotous".{{Sfn|Feldstein|2000|pages=120–121}} After four hours of testimony and approximately 25 minutes of deliberation, the jury deemed the killing a [[justifiable homicide]].<ref name=cnn/>{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=203}} Cheryl remained a temporary ward of the court until April 24, when a [[juvenile court]] hearing was held, during which the judge expressed concerns over her receiving "proper parental supervision".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=203}} She was ultimately released to the care of her grandmother, and was ordered to regularly visit a psychiatrist alongside her parents.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=203}}

Though Turner and her daughter were exonerated of any wrongdoing, public opinion on the event was varied, with numerous publications intimating that Turner's testimony at the inquest was a performance; ''Life'' magazine published a photo of Turner testifying in court along with stills of her in courtroom scenes from three of her films.{{Sfn|Feldstein|2000|p=122}} The scandal also coincided with the release of ''Another Time, Another Place'', and the film was met with poor box-office receipts and a lackluster critical response.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=221}} Stompanato's family sought a [[Wrongful death claim|wrongful death]] suit of $750,000 in damages against both Turner and her ex-husband, Steve Crane. In the suit, Stompanato's son alleged that Turner had been responsible for his death, and that her daughter had taken the blame.<ref>{{cite web|work=Los Angeles Times|title=In a 1958 inquest, killing of Lana Turner's boyfriend was detailed|author=Smith, Doug|date=August 15, 2015|access-date=July 27, 2018|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-stompanato-turner-20150810-story.html}}</ref> The suit was settled out of court for a reported $20,000 in May 1962.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=233}} A 1962 novel by [[Harold Robbins]] entitled ''[[Where Love Has Gone (novel)|Where Love Has Gone]]'' and its subsequent [[Where Love Has Gone (film)|film adaptation]] were inspired by the event.{{sfn|Erickson|2017|p=119}} Following the trial, Cheryl often ran away from home and [[attempted suicide]] several times. This led her parents to check her into a [[mental hospital]], where her mental health improved shortly.<ref name=":1" /> When she turned 21, she secured a job working for her father.<ref name=":0" />

===1959–1965: Financial successes===
In the wake of negative publicity related to Stompanato's death, Turner accepted the lead role in [[Ross Hunter]]'s remake of ''[[Imitation of Life (1959 film)|Imitation of Life]]'' (1959) under the direction of [[Douglas Sirk]].{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:19:15}} She portrayed a struggling stage actress who makes personal sacrifices to further her career.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=215}} The production was difficult for Turner given the recent events of her personal life, and she suffered a panic attack on the first day of filming.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=217}} Her co-star [[Juanita Moore]] recalled that Turner cried for three days after filming a scene in which Moore's character dies.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:20:05}} When she returned to the set, "her face was so swollen, she couldn't work", Moore said.{{sfn|Langer|2001|loc=event occurs at 1:20:09}}
[[File:Lana Turner in Imitation of Life 2.jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Blonde woman|Turner in ''[[Imitation of Life (1959 film)|Imitation of Life]]'' (1959)]]

Released in the spring of 1959, ''Imitation of Life'' was among the year's biggest successes, and the biggest of Turner's career; by opting to receive 50% of the film's earnings rather than receiving a salary, she earned more than two million dollars.<ref name=thomasmay1957/> ''Imitation of Life'' made more than $50 million in box office receipts.{{Sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2002|p=267}} Reviews were mixed,{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=219}} although ''Variety'' praised her performance, writing: "Turner plays a character of changing moods, and her changes are remarkably effective, as she blends love and understanding, sincerity and ambition. The growth of maturity is reflected neatly in her distinguished portrayal."<ref>{{cite web|work=Variety|title=Imitation of Life|date=December 31, 1959|access-date=June 17, 2018|author=''Variety'' Staff|url=https://variety.com/1958/film/reviews/imitation-of-life-3-1200419391/}}</ref> Critics and audiences could not help noticing that the plots of ''Peyton Place'' and ''Imitation of Life'' both seemed to mirror certain parts of Turner's private life, resulting in comparisons she found painful.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=208}} Both films depicted the troubled, complicated relationship between a single mother and her teenage daughter.{{Sfn|Kashner|MacNair|2002|p=257}} During this time, Turner's daughter Cheryl privately [[Coming out|came out]] as a [[lesbian]] to her parents, who were both supportive of her.<ref name=cnn>{{cite interview|work=CNN|title=Lana Turner's Daughter Tells Her Story|last1=Crane|first1=Cheryl|access-date=May 9, 2018|interviewer=[[Larry King]]|date=August 8, 2001|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0108/08/lkl.00.html}}</ref> Despite this, Cheryl ran away from home multiple times and the press wrote about her rebelliousness.<ref name=thomasmay1957/>{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=215–221}} Worried she was still suffering from the trauma of Stompanato's death, Turner sent Cheryl to the [[The Institute of Living|Institute of Living]] in [[Hartford, Connecticut]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=221}}

Shortly before the release of ''Imitation of Life'' in the spring of 1959, Turner was cast in a lead role in [[Otto Preminger]]'s ''[[Anatomy of a Murder]]'', but walked off the set over a wardrobe disagreement, effectively dropping out of the production.<ref>{{cite news|work=La Grande Observer|location=La Grande, Oregon|title=Lana Turner Gives Up Movie Role|date=March 5, 1959|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981688/la_grande_observer/|page=7}}</ref>{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=263–265}} She was replaced by [[Lee Remick]].{{sfn|Thomas|1997|p=191}} Instead, Turner took a lead role as a disturbed socialite in the film noir ''[[Portrait in Black]]'' (1960) opposite [[Anthony Quinn]] and [[Sandra Dee]], which was a box-office success despite bad reviews.{{sfn|Wayne|2003|p=187}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=223}} Ray Duncan of the ''[[Pasadena Star-News|Independent Star-News]]'' wrote that Turner "suffers prettily through it all, like a fashion model with a tight-fitting shoe".<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Pasadena Star-News|Independent Star-News]]|location=Pasadena, California|date=July 3, 1960|title=Lana Turner Suspense Film Strains Credibility|last=Duncan|first=Ray|page=39|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981716/independent_starnews/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>

In November 1960, Turner married her fifth husband, Frederick "Fred" May, a rancher and member of the [[The May Department Stores Company|May department-store family]] whom she had met at a beach party in Malibu shortly after filming ''Imitation of Life''.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=210}} Turner moved in with him on his ranch in [[Chino, California]], where the two took care of horses and other animals.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=217}}{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=233}} The following year, she made her final film at MGM with [[Bob Hope]] in ''[[Bachelor in Paradise (film)|Bachelor in Paradise]]'' (1961), a romantic comedy about an investigative writer (Hope) working on a book about the wives of a lavish California community; the film received a mostly positive critical reception.{{Sfn|Wayne|2003|p=188}} Upon completing filming, Turner collected the remaining $92,000 from her [[pension]] fund with MGM.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=236}} The same year, she starred in ''[[By Love Possessed (film)|By Love Possessed]]'' (1961), based on a [[By Love Possessed (novel)|bestselling novel]] by [[James Gould Cozzens]].{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=234}} The film became the first [[In-flight entertainment#In-flight movies|in-flight movie]] to be shown on a regular basis on a scheduled airline flight when [[Trans World Airlines|TWA]] showed it to its first-class passengers.{{Sfn|Slide|1998|p=101}}

In mid-1962, Turner filmed ''[[Who's Got the Action?]]'', a comedy in which she portrayed the wife of a gambling addict opposite [[Dean Martin]].{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=240}} In September of that year,<ref>{{cite news|title=Lana Turner, Fifth Husband Separate; No Divorce Yet|date=September 23, 1962| page=C7| work=[[Deseret News|Deseret News and Telegram]]| location=Salt Lake City, Utah| url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=336&dat=19620923&id=O30vAAAAIBAJ&pg=5625,5145518|via=Google News}}</ref> Turner and May separated, divorcing shortly after in October.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} They remained friends throughout her later life.<ref name=donahue/> In 1965, she met Hollywood producer and businessman Robert Eaton, who was ten years her junior, through business associates.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=223}} The two married in June of that year at his family's home in [[Arlington County, Virginia]].{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=226}}

===1966–1985: Later films, television and theatre===
[[File:Lana Turner - Madame X publicity photo.jpg|thumb|upright=.8|right|alt=Woman in headscarf|Turner's role in ''[[Madame X (1966 film)|Madame X]]'' (1966), earned her a [[David di Donatello]] Golden Plaque]]
In 1966, Turner had her last major starring role in the courtroom drama film ''[[Madame X (1966 film)|Madame X]]'', based on the [[Madame X|1904 play]] by [[Alexandre Bisson]], in which Turner portrayed a lower-class woman who marries into a wealthy family.{{Sfn|Valentino|1976|pages=247–249}} A review in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' praised her performance, noting: "when she takes the stand in the final (with [[Keir Dullea]]) courtroom scene, her face resembling a dust bowl victory garden, it's the most devastating denouement since [[Barbara Fritchie]] poked her head out the window."<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Chicago Tribune]]|title=Lana Makes Melodrama 'Madame X' Credible|author=Terry, Clifford|date=March 14, 1966|page=59|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981732/chicago_tribune/|via=Newspapers.com|location=Chicago, Illinois}}</ref> Kaspar Monahan of the ''[[Pittsburgh Press]]'' lauded her performance, writing: "Her performance, I think, is far and away her very best, even rating Oscar consideration in next year's Academy Award race, unless the culture snobs gang up against her."<ref>{{cite news|work=Pittsburgh Press|location=Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981756/the_pittsburgh_press/|date=March 31, 1966|last=Monahan|first=Kaspar|page=32|title=Lana Turner at Her Peak in 'Madame X'|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> The role earned Turner a [[David di Donatello]] Golden Plaque Award for Best Foreign Actress that year.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=251}}

In late 1968, she began filming the low-budget thriller ''[[The Big Cube]]'', in which she portrayed a glamorous heiress being dosed with [[Lysergic acid diethylamide|LSD]] by her stepdaughter in hopes of driving her insane and receiving the family estate.{{sfn|Morella|Epstein|1971|p=260}} One critic deemed Turner's acting in the film "strained and amateurish", and declared it "one of her poorest performances".<ref>{{cite news|work=Des Moines Tribune|location=Des Moines, Iowa|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981788/des_moines_tribune/|via=Newspapers.com|date=September 13, 1969|title=Lana Turner Big Zero in 'Big Cube'|page=4|last=Kong|first=William T.}}</ref> In April 1969,<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900767,00.html?| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080406051952/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,900767,00.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=April 6, 2008|magazine=Time|title=Milestones: April 11, 1969|date=April 11, 1969|access-date=June 25, 2017}}</ref> Turner filed for divorce from Eaton after four years of marriage upon discovering he had been unfaithful to her.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=232}} Weeks later, on May 9, 1969, she married [[Ronald Pellar]], a nightclub [[hypnotist]] whom she had met at a Los Angeles disco.{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=286–287}} According to Turner, Pellar (also known as Ronald Dante or Dr. Dante){{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=232–233}} falsely claimed to have been raised in Singapore and to have a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in psychology.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=233}}

[[File:Lana Turner in The Big Cube (1969).jpg|thumb|upright|left|alt=Woman with short hair, with a lost face|Turner in ''[[The Big Cube]]'' (1969)]]
With few film offers coming in, Turner signed on to appear in the television series ''[[Harold Robbins' The Survivors]]''.<ref>{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 5, 1968|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981811/the_los_angeles_times/|via=Newspapers.com|title=All-Star Line-up for 'Love'|page=26}}</ref> Premiering in September 1969, the series was given a major national marketing campaign, with billboards featuring life-sized images of Turner.{{Sfn|Robbins|2008|p=222}} Despite ABC's extensive publicity campaign and the presence of other big-name stars, the program fared badly, and it was canceled halfway into the season after a 15-week run in 1970.{{Sfn|Robbins|2008|p=222}} Meanwhile, after six months of marriage, Turner discovered Pellar had stolen $35,000 she had given him for an investment.{{sfn|Jordan|2009|p=227}} In addition, she later accused him of stealing $100,000 worth of jewelry from her.{{sfn|Jordan|2009|p=227}} Pellar denied the accusations and no charges were filed against him.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060805/news_7m5dante.html |title=The amazing Dr. Dante has seen it all |last=Jones |first=J. Harry |date=August 5, 2006 |work=The San Diego Union Tribune|location=San Diego, CA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704221615/http://www.utsandiego.com/uniontrib/20060805/news_7m5dante.html|archive-date=July 4, 2014}}</ref> She filed for divorce in January 1970,{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=28}} after which she claimed to be [[celibate]] for the remainder of her life.<ref name=adelson>{{cite journal |last1=Chambers |first1=Andrea |last2=Adelson |first2=Suzanne |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20083504,00.html |journal=People |title=Lana Turner |volume=18|number=19|date=November 8, 1982 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203205021/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0%2C%2C20083504%2C00.html |archive-date=December 3, 2013}}</ref><ref name=thomasjuly1995/> Turner married a total of eight times to seven different husbands,<ref name=cnn/> and later famously said: "My goal was to have one husband and seven children, but it turned out to be the other way around."{{sfn|Parish|2011|p=249}}

Turner returned to feature films with a lead role in the 1974 British horror film ''[[Persecution (film)|Persecution]]'', in which she played a disturbed wealthy woman tormenting her son.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|pages=255–257}} ''Variety'' noted of her performance: "Under the circumstances, Turner's performance as Carrie, the perverted dame of the English manor, has reasonable poise."<ref>{{cite web|work=Variety|author=''Variety'' Staff|date=December 31, 1973|access-date=June 14, 2018|url=https://variety.com/1973/film/reviews/persecution-1200423200/|title=Persecution}}</ref> In April 1975, Turner spoke at a retrospective gala in New York City examining her career, which was attended by [[Andy Warhol]], [[Sylvia Miles]], [[Rex Reed]] and numerous fans.<ref name=camp>{{cite news|date=April 22, 1975|title=Camp followers|author=Quinn, Sally|location=London|work=The Guardian|page=15|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981866/the_guardian/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> Her next film was ''[[Bittersweet Love]]'' (1976), a romantic drama in which she portrayed the mother of a woman who unwittingly marries her half-brother.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=288}} [[Lawrence Van Gelder]] of ''The New York Times'' wrote that the film served "as a reminder that Miss Turner was never one of our subtler actresses".<ref>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|author=Van Gelder, Lawrence|author-link=Lawrence Van Gelder|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/24/archives/film-dilemma-of-incest.html|title=Film: Dilemma of Incest|date=March 24, 1977|access-date=May 23, 2018}}</ref>

In the early 1970s, Turner transitioned to theater, beginning with a production of ''[[Forty Carats]]'', which toured various East Coast cities in 1971.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=245}} A review in ''[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]'' noted: "Miss Turner always could wear clothes well, and her ''Forty Carats'' is a fashion show in the guise of a frothy, little comedy. It wasn't much of a play even when [[Julie Harris (actress)|Julie Harris]] was doing it, and it all but disappears under the old-time Hollywood glamor of Miss Turner's star presence."<ref>{{cite news|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|location=Philadelphia, Pennsylvania|date=July 21, 1971|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981890/the_philadelphia_inquirer/|via=Newspapers.com|title='40 Carats' Shines With Lana's Glamor|last=Collins|first=William B.|page=18}}</ref> In 1975, Turner gave a single performance as Jessica Poole in ''[[The Pleasure of His Company]]'' opposite [[Louis Jourdan]] at the Arlington Park Theater in Chicago.{{sfn|Valentino|1976|p=284}} From 1976 to 1978, she starred in a touring production of ''[[Bell, Book and Candle]]'', playing Gillian Holroyd.<ref name=sbs>{{cite news|work=San Bernardino Sun|location=San Bernardino, California|date=August 28, 1977|title=Lana's Lectures|page=113|author=Shearer, Lloyd|url=https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=SBS19770828.1.113|via=California Digital Newspaper Collection}}</ref><ref name=straw>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1977/07/22/archives/new-jersey-weekly-along-the-strawhat-trail-taking-stock-along-the.html|work=The New York Times|date=July 22, 1977|title=Along the Straw-Hat Trail|access-date=May 23, 2018|author=Gussow, Mel}}</ref> Critic Elaine Matas noted of a 1977 performance that Turner was "brilliant" and "the bright spot in an otherwise mediocre play".<ref>{{cite news|last=Matas|first=Elaine|title='Sweater Girl' of the '40s brilliant in 'Bell, Book and Candle' at Lakewood|page=26|work=Standard-Speaker|location=Hazleton, Pennsylvania|via=Newspapers.com|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981945/standardspeaker/}}</ref> In the fall of 1978, she appeared in a Chicago production of ''Divorce Me, Darling'', an original play in which she portrayed a San Francisco divorce attorney.<ref name=christiansen>{{cite news|work=Chicago Tribune|date=November 3, 1978|title=Lana Turner in 'Divorce' Entertains Just Being Lana|page=39|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981962/chicago_tribune/|via=Newspapers.com|last=Christiansen|first=Richard|author-link=Richard Christiansen (critic)}}</ref> During rehearsals, a stagehand told reporters that Turner was "the hardest working broad I've known".<ref name=detroit>{{cite news|work=Detroit Free Press|location=Detroit, Michigan|page=45|series=Names & Faces|title=Lana Turner|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21981990/detroit_free_press/|via=Newspapers.com|date=October 29, 1978}}</ref> [[Richard Christiansen (critic)|Richard Christiansen]] of the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' praised her performance, writing that, "though she is still a very nervous and inexpert actress, she is giving by far her most winning performance".<ref name=christiansen/>

Between 1979 and 1980, Turner returned to theater, appearing in ''Murder Among Friends'', a murder-mystery play that showed in various U.S. cities.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21982083/the_atlanta_constitution/|via=Newspapers.com|date=January 4, 1979|title=Music, Dance, Drama, Comedy Highlight Winter Play Season|author=Smith, Helen C.|work=The Atlanta Constitution|location=Atlanta, GA}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21982138/chicago_tribune/|work=Chicago Tribune|date=June 21, 1979|title=Tower Ticker|last=Gold|first=Aaron|page=6|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=Los Angeles Times|date=September 3, 1980|page=67|title=An Evening for Danish Honors|first=Jody|last=Jacobs|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21982163/the_los_angeles_times/|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> During this time, Turner was in the midst of a self-described "downhill slide".{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=248}} She was suffering from an [[Alcoholism|alcohol addiction]] that had begun in the late 1950s,{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=245}} was missing performances and weighed only {{convert|95|lb|kg}}.{{sfn|Turner|1982|p=248}} In 1980, Turner made her final feature film appearance, in the [[comedy horror]] film ''[[Witches' Brew (film)|Witches' Brew]]'', alongside [[Teri Garr]]. The same year, she had what she referred to as a "religious awakening", and again began practicing her Catholic faith.<ref name="nytobit">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/30/obituaries/lana-turner-the-sultry-actress-is-dead-at-75.html|title=Lana Turner, the Sultry Actress, Is Dead at 75|author=Flint, Peter B.|date=June 30, 1995|access-date=April 29, 2015|work=The New York Times}}</ref>{{sfn|Turner|1982|pages=248–249}} On October 25, 1981, the National Film Society presented Turner with an Artistry in Cinema award.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Letter from Hollywood|journal=Film Review|first1=F. Maurice|last1=Speed|first2=James|last2=Cameron-Wilson|page=118|issn=0957-1809|publisher=W.H. Allen|location=London|year=1982}}</ref> In December 1981, it was announced that Turner would appear as the mysterious Jacqueline Perrault in an episode of ''[[Falcon Crest]]'',<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1454&dat=19811223&id=mtdOAAAAIBAJ&pg=6899,5125826|title=Lana Turner takes to the tube|page=2C|date=December 23, 1981|work=Wilmington Morning Star|location=Wilmington, DE|via=Google News}}</ref> marking her first television role in 12 years.<ref name=fc>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/12/26/arts/lana-turner-to-appear-on-cbs-s-falcon-crest.html|work=The New York Times|title=Lana Turner to Appear On CBS's 'Falcon Crest'|date=December 26, 1981|access-date=March 21, 2017}}</ref> Her appearance was a ratings success, and her character returned for an additional five episodes.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=People|title=Falcon Crest Soars|url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-falcon-crest-soars-vol-18-no-16/|author=Gritten, David|date=October 18, 1982|volume=18|issue=16|access-date=May 29, 2018}}</ref>

In January 1982, Turner reprised her role in ''Murder Among Friends'', which toured throughout the U.S. that year; paired with [[Bob Fosse]]'s ''[[Dancin']]'', the play earned a combined gross of $400,000 during one week at Pittsburgh's [[Heinz Hall for the Performing Arts|Heinz Hall]] in June 1982.<ref name=anderson>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/21982188/pittsburgh_postgazette/|title=PPT's Shaktman led city's theatrical renaissance|page=19|date=June 28, 1982|work=Pittsburgh Post-Gazette|location=Pittsburgh, PA|last=Anderson|first=George|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref> In September, Turner released an autobiography entitled ''[[Lana: The Lady, the Legend, the Truth]]''.<ref>{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/05/books/screen-beauty-tells-all.html|title=Screen Beauty Tells All|access-date=May 24, 2018|date=September 5, 1982|author=Lawson, Wayne}}</ref> She subsequently guest-starred on an episode of ''[[The Love Boat]]'' in 1985,<ref name=davis>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/02/15/clear-seas-for-love-boat/|title=Clear Seas For 'Love Boat'|date=February 15, 1985|author=Davis, William|access-date=March 20, 2017|work=Chicago Tribune|location=Chicago}}</ref> which marked her final on-screen appearance. By this time, she had adopted a religion and told [[The New York Times|''The New York Times'']] that she was "very close to [[God in Christianity|God]]. I read the [[Daily Word]] and have learned to meditate. I'm still getting used to this New Woman - after all, she's only two years old!" She also thanked God for giving her happiness.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lawson |first=Wayne |date=1982-09-05 |title=SCREEN BEAUTY TELLS ALL |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/09/05/books/screen-beauty-tells-all.html |access-date=2025-03-28 |work=[[The New York Times]] |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>