Carole Landis
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| Carole Landis | |
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 in Topper Returns (1941) |
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| Born | Frances Lillian Mary Ridste January 1, 1919 Fairchild, Wisconsin, USA |
| Died | July 5, 1948, age 29 Pacific Palisades, California, USA |
| Years active | 1937-1948 |
Carole Landis (January 1, 1919 – July 5, 1948), born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste, was an American film actress.
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[edit] Early life and family
Carole Landis was born Frances Lillian Mary Ridste in Fairchild, Wisconsin to a Norwegian father, Alfred Ridste, and Polish mother, Clara Stentek Ridste. Her father abandoned the family before Carole was born. It would later be revealed by author E. J. Fleming that Alfred Ridste may not have been Carole's biological father. Her real father was most likely Charles Fenner, Clara Ridste's second husband. Carole was the youngest of five children, though two of her brothers died in childhood (Jerome was burned by scalding water and Lewis was accidentally shot). She had an unhappy childhood filled with poverty and sexual abuse. She blossomed into a stunning teenager and began winning local beauty contests. She was an early feminist who tried to form an all-female football team in high school. Landis married a neighbor named Irving Wheeler in January 1934 but this marriage was annulled in February 1934 (they later remarried on 25 August 1934, but divorced in 1939). She quit high school at age fifteen and set herself on a path towards a career in show business.
[edit] Early career
She worked as a nightclub singer and a hula dancer in San Francisco before her 1937 film debut as an extra in A Star Is Born. Throughout her career she would be plagued by rumors that she had worked as a prostitute but these rumors were false. She dyed her hair blonde and changed her name to "Carole Landis" after her favorite actress, Carole Lombard. Carole landed a contract with Warner Brothers and had a high profile engagement to choreographer Busby Berkeley. She continued appearing in bit parts until 1940 when Hal Roach cast her as a cave girl in One Million B.C. The movie was a sensation and turned Carole into a star. She was nicknamed "The Ping Girl" (which was supposed to be short for purring) and "The Chest" due to her impressive 36 DD inch bust. Although she desperately wanted to be taken seriously as an actress she was willing to pose for endless cheescake photos if it helped her career. Carole's trademark was a gold cross she always wore around her neck. The cross had been a gift from her friend Diana Lewis.
[edit] 1940s
Tall, lean, glamorous and with a strong singing voice, Landis appeared in a string of successful films in the early forties, usually as the second female lead. In a time when many actresses were dubbed in their singing roles, Landis' own voice was considered good enough and was used in her few musical roles. Carole landed a contract with 20th Century Fox and began a sexual relationship with Darryl F. Zanuck. She had two roles playing opposite fellow pin-up girl Betty Grable in Moon Over Miami and I Wake Up Screaming both 1941. When Carole ended her relationship with Zanuck, her career suffered and she was assigned roles in B-movies.
Her second marriage, to yacht broker Willis Hunt Jr. lasted just four months. She married an Army Air Corps captain named Thomas Wallace in 1943, but this marriage also ended in divorce. Carole's many boyfriends included Franchot Tone, Charlie Chaplin, and George Montgomery. Landis became a popular pin-up with servicemen during World War II. In 1942, she toured with comedienne Martha Raye, dancer Mitzi Mayfair, and actress Kay Francis with a USO troupe in England and North Africa. Two years later, she entertained soldiers in the South Pacific with Jack Benny. Carole traveled more than 100,000 miles during the war and would spend more time visiting troops than any other actress. She nearly died from amoebic dysentery and malaria she contracted while traveling overseas.
Besides being an actress, Landis was also an accomplished author. She penned several newspaper and magazine articles about her experiences during the war. She wrote the 1944 book Four Jills In A Jeep, which was later made into a movie. She also wrote the foreword to Victor Herman's cartoon book Winnie The Wac. In 1945, she starred on Broadway in the musical A Lady Says Yes and began a romantic relationship with her female costar Jacqueline Susann. Jacqueline would base the character of Jennifer North in her book Valley of the Dolls on Landis. In 1945, Landis married Broadway producer W. Horace Schmidlapp. She desperately wanted to become a mother, but according to numerous biographies, she suffered from endometriosis and was unable to have children.
[edit] Depression and death
Landis was plagued by depression her entire life and attempted suicide in 1944 and 1946. By 1948, her career was fading and her marriage with Schmidlapp was failing. She entered into a romance with actor Rex Harrison, who was at the time married to actress Lilli Palmer. Landis was reported to be crushed when Harrison refused to divorce his wife for her and, unable to cope any longer, she committed suicide at Pacific Palisades, California, by taking an overdose of Seconal. She was 29 years old. Her final night alive had been spent with Harrison. Rex found her when she was still alive but her pulse was very weak. Instead of immediately calling an ambulance, he spent half an hour thumbing through her address book looking for her private doctor, in the hope of keeping a scandal at bay. By the time he had found it, it was too late. And it was Harrison who found her body the next morning. She left two suicide notes, one for her mother and the second to Harrison, who bribed a police officer to destroy it.
After her death, there were rumors she had been pregnant with Harrison's child; however, her autopsy disproved that. Her mother, Clara Ridste Fenner, and her sister, Dorothy Ross, never believed that Landis committed suicide. They tried for years to prove that Harrison had been responsible for her death, but could not find any evidence.
Carole Landis was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California in plot 814 of the "Everlasting Love" section. Among the celebrities at her funeral were Cesar Romero and Pat O'Brien. She was buried wearing her favorite blue dress and her trademark gold cross, given by her best friend Diana Lewis.
[edit] Honors
She was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to Motion Pictures, at 1765 Vine St.
[edit] Filmography
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[edit] References
- E.J. Fleming, Carole Landis: A Tragic Life In Hollywood, (Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2005)
[edit] External links
