Carole Landis(1919-1948)
- Actress
- Writer
- Soundtrack
Carole Landis was born on New Year's Day in 1919 in Fairchild,
Wisconsin, as Frances Lillian Mary Ridste. Her father, a railroad
mechanic, was of Norwegian descent and her mother was Polish. Her
father walked out, leaving Carole, her mother and an older brother and
sister to fend for themselves.
After graduating from high school, she married Jack Robbins (Irving Wheeler), but the
union lasted a month (the marriage was annulled because Carole was only
15 at the time). The couple remarried in August 1934, and the two
headed to California to start a new life. For a while she worked as a
dancer and singer, but before long the glitter of show business drew
her to Los Angeles.
She won a studio contract with Warner Brothers but was a bit player for
the most part in such films as
A Star Is Born (1937),
A Day at the Races (1937), and
The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937).
The following year started out much the same way, with more bit roles.
By 1939, she was getting a few speaking roles, although mostly
one-liners, and that year ended much as had the previous two years,
with more bit roles; also, she and Wheeler were divorced.
In 1940 she was cast as Loana in the
Hal Roach production of
One Million B.C. (1940); she
finally got noticed (the skimpy outfit helped), and her career began
moving. She began getting parts in B pictures but didn't star in big
productions -- although she had talent, the really good roles were
given to the established stars of the day.
Her busiest year was 1942, with roles in
Manila Calling (1942),
The Powers Girl (1943),
A Gentleman at Heart (1942),
and three other movies. Unfortunately, critics took little notice of
her films, and when they did, reviewers tended to focus on her
breathtaking beauty. By the middle 1940s, Carole's career was beginning
to short-circuit. Her contract with 20th Century-Fox had been canceled,
her marriages to Willis Hunt Jr. and Thomas Wallace had failed, and her
current marriage to Horace Schmidlapp was on the skids; all of that
plus health problems spelled disaster for her professionally and
personally.
Her final two films,
Brass Monkey (1948) and
The Silk Noose (1948) were released in 1948. On July
5, 1948, Carole committed suicide by taking an overdose of Seconal in
her Brentwood Heights, California, home. She was only 29 and had made
49 pictures, most of which were, unfortunately, forgettable. If
Hollywood moguls had given Carole a chance, she could have been one of
the brightest stars in its history.
Wisconsin, as Frances Lillian Mary Ridste. Her father, a railroad
mechanic, was of Norwegian descent and her mother was Polish. Her
father walked out, leaving Carole, her mother and an older brother and
sister to fend for themselves.
After graduating from high school, she married Jack Robbins (Irving Wheeler), but the
union lasted a month (the marriage was annulled because Carole was only
15 at the time). The couple remarried in August 1934, and the two
headed to California to start a new life. For a while she worked as a
dancer and singer, but before long the glitter of show business drew
her to Los Angeles.
She won a studio contract with Warner Brothers but was a bit player for
the most part in such films as
A Star Is Born (1937),
A Day at the Races (1937), and
The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937).
The following year started out much the same way, with more bit roles.
By 1939, she was getting a few speaking roles, although mostly
one-liners, and that year ended much as had the previous two years,
with more bit roles; also, she and Wheeler were divorced.
In 1940 she was cast as Loana in the
Hal Roach production of
One Million B.C. (1940); she
finally got noticed (the skimpy outfit helped), and her career began
moving. She began getting parts in B pictures but didn't star in big
productions -- although she had talent, the really good roles were
given to the established stars of the day.
Her busiest year was 1942, with roles in
Manila Calling (1942),
The Powers Girl (1943),
A Gentleman at Heart (1942),
and three other movies. Unfortunately, critics took little notice of
her films, and when they did, reviewers tended to focus on her
breathtaking beauty. By the middle 1940s, Carole's career was beginning
to short-circuit. Her contract with 20th Century-Fox had been canceled,
her marriages to Willis Hunt Jr. and Thomas Wallace had failed, and her
current marriage to Horace Schmidlapp was on the skids; all of that
plus health problems spelled disaster for her professionally and
personally.
Her final two films,
Brass Monkey (1948) and
The Silk Noose (1948) were released in 1948. On July
5, 1948, Carole committed suicide by taking an overdose of Seconal in
her Brentwood Heights, California, home. She was only 29 and had made
49 pictures, most of which were, unfortunately, forgettable. If
Hollywood moguls had given Carole a chance, she could have been one of
the brightest stars in its history.