What is a crowning achievement of star status?

Stardom in the eyes of the directors who know more about the subject than anyone else equate the rare phenomenon with the ability to generate interest.  They explain that while studying one's craft will make one a better performer that this is a different element than stardom.

There are those with inferior diction and emphasis who have electrified screen audiences.  On the other hand, many who have mastered the basic elements of the acting craft were unable to generate the level of excitement that enthralled cinema audiences.

Hollywood born and bred Gloria Grahame was a combination of both, someone who had that indefinable electricity that prompted fans to buy tickets to her films while at the same time delivering her lines in the most professional fashion, her emphasis on consistent perfection.

Universal producer Ross Hunter is famous for high budget spectacles featuring the studio's staple acting duo, Rock Hudson and Doris Day, but early in his career he did a low budget film noir nugget featuring noted femme fatale Gloria Grahame in a different type of role.

"Naked Alibi" was released in 1954.  That same year Hunter scored with one of his major high budget triumphs with the adaptation of the Lloyd Douglas bestseller "Magnificent Obsession," which propelled Rock Hudson into the top ranks of international stardom playing opposite former "Best Actress" Academy Award recipient Jane Wyman.

Built around a tight budget, "Naked Alibi" proved once more the adage that with a sharply honed film noir script combined with good casting, along with disciplined direction and perceptive camera work, success can be achieved.  

"Naked Alibi" was a product of its time and as one observes members of the cast an immediate connection is made toward television since so many o achieved starring status in the home screen medium.