SCREEN SIREN RITA HAYWORTH

Born Margarita Cansino in Brooklyn, N.Y. in 1918, Rita Hayworth began her career as a professional nightclub dancer before entering movies as a teenager in 1935’s “Dante’s Inferno.” In 1937, she was signed by Columbia Studios and was cast as Richard Barthelmess’ wife in Howard Hawks’ 1939 “Only Angels Have Wings.”

During the 1940s, Hayworth was known as “The Love Goddess” and starred in musicals -- although she was dubbed -- film noirs and period dramas.

On Dec. 21, Sony is releasing “The Films of Rita Hayworth” DVD collection. Three of the five films in the collection are new to DVD: 1945’s Technicolor musical “Tonight and Every Night” and 1953’s “Salome” and “Miss Sadie Thompson.” Rounding out the collection is the splashy 1944 Technicolor musical “Cover Girl” with Gene Kelly and the 1946 noir hit “Gilda.”

--Susan King