Image of Carole Landis

Carole Landis

In 1935, after high school and a brief marriage in San Bernardino, California, Frances Ridste ran away to San Francisco to work as a nightclub dancer and band singer under the stage name Carole Landis. She got to Hollywood at age 17 in 1936 and got mostly extra work, but in 1937 she landed a contract with Warner Bros. However, Warners gave her mostly bit parts in B pictures and in the chorus of Busby Berkeley pictures for the 15 films she made for them. Her "break" came when Hal Roach cast her as the skin-clad lead in his hit One Million B.C. (1940) and in three fine comedies, then sold her contract to 20th Century-Fox. She played "B" leads and "A" supporting roles in her first 12 Fox films, with a notable dramatic performance in I Wake Up Screaming (1941). Critics dwelled on her fresh-faced beauty, seldom mentioning her acting and comedy potential. Carole wrote a book about her first wartime USO tour, entertaining troops in England and North Africa; in the film version, Four Jills in a Jeep (1944), you can get a glimpse of the kind of talent she really had, and which Fox was wasting. Absent from film work most of that year because of USO tours in the Pacific, Carol returned to Hollywood weakened by amoebic dysentery, malaria, and near-fatal pneumonia only to find the film dismissed as "self-praise". After Having Wonderful Crime (1945)--perhaps her best comedy--and two B pictures, her Fox contract was dropped. Ostracized in Hollywood due to her ardent feminism and rumors about sexual peccadillos, she made her last two films in England. With a stalled career, poor health, failed marriages, financial problems, and the ending of a torrid affair with married Rex Harrison, Carole Landis committed suicide with Seconal in 1948. Intelligent, generous, talented and gorgeous, she was only 29.


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Born:
Jan 1, 1919 In Fairchild, Wisconsin, USA
Movie/TV Credits:
62
First Appeared:
In the movie Gold Diggers of 1937 1936-12-28
Latest Project:
Movie The Casting Couch 1995-01-01
Known For
Filmography
Movie The Casting Couch (archive footage) 1995-01-01
Movie Noose Linda Medbury 1948-09-28
Movie Brass Monkey Kay Sheldon 1948-12-01
Movie Out of the Blue Mae Earthleigh 1947-04-21
Movie Behind Green Lights Janet Bradley 1946-02-15
Movie It Shouldn't Happen to a Dog Julia Andrews 1946-07-01
Movie A Scandal in Paris Loretta de Richet 1946-07-19
Movie Having Wonderful Crime Helene Justus 1945-04-12
Movie Secret Command Jill McCann 1944-07-30
Movie Four Jills in a Jeep Carole Landis 1944-03-17
Movie The Powers Girl Kay Evans 1943-01-15
Movie Show-Business at War Self 1943-05-21
Movie Wintertime Flossie Fouchere 1943-09-17
Movie My Gal Sal Mae Collins 1942-04-30
Movie A Gentleman at Heart Helen Mason 1942-01-16
Movie Orchestra Wives Natalie Mercer 1942-09-04
Movie It Happened in Flatbush Kathryn Baker 1942-05-28
Movie Manila Calling Edna Fraser 1942-10-16
Movie Topper Returns Ann Carrington 1941-03-21
Movie Road Show Penguin Moore 1941-02-18
Movie Dance Hall Lili Brown 1941-07-18
Movie Moon Over Miami Barbara Latimer, aka Miss Sears 1941-07-04
Movie I Wake Up Screaming Vicky Lynn 1941-10-31
Movie Hedda Hopper's Hollywood No. 2 1941-12-05
Movie Cadet Girl Gene Baxter 1941-11-28
Movie One Million B.C. Loana 1940-04-05
Movie Mystery Sea Raider June McCarthy 1940-10-26
Movie Turnabout Sally Willows 1940-05-17
Movie Three Texas Steers Nancy Evans 1939-05-12
Movie Daredevils of the Red Circle Blanche Granville 1939-06-10
Movie Cowboys from Texas June Jones 1939-11-29
Movie Reno Mrs. Humphrey 1939-12-01
Movie Love, Honor and Behave Wheel Watcher at Party (uncredited) 1938-03-12
Movie Women Are Like That Cocktail Party Guest (uncredited) 1938-04-23
Movie A Slight Case of Murder Partygoer Leaning on Piano During Song (uncredited) 1938-02-26
Movie Over the Wall Peggy - Girl at Beach 1938-04-02
Movie Hollywood Hotel Hat Check Girl with Coat (uncredited) 1938-01-15
Movie The Patient in Room 18 Woman on Stairs (uncredited) 1938-01-08
Movie The Invisible Menace Woman Wanting to Go with Her Johnnie 1938-01-11
Movie Torchy Blane in Panama Miss Leopard 1938 (uncredited) 1938-05-07
Movie Blondes at Work Carol 1938-02-05
Movie Four's a Crowd Lansford's 2nd Secretary 1938-08-04
Movie Girls on Probation Extra 1938-10-22
Movie The Adventures of Robin Hood Guest at Banquet (uncredited) 1938-05-13
Movie Penrod's Double Trouble Girl at Fair (uncredited) 1938-07-23
Movie Boy Meets Girl Commissary Cashier 1938-08-27
Movie Gold Diggers in Paris Golddigger 1938-06-11
Movie When Were You Born Ship Passenger (uncredited) 1938-06-18
Movie Men Are Such Fools June Cooper (uncredited) 1938-06-15
Movie The Emperor's Candlesticks Bidder (uncredited) 1937-07-02
Movie A Day at the Races Party Guest (uncredited) 1937-06-11
Movie Fly Away Baby Blonde at Airport (uncredited) 1937-06-19
Movie A Star Is Born Girl in Beret at Santa Anita Bar (uncredited) 1937-04-27
Movie Broadway Melody of 1938 Chorus Girl (uncredited) 1937-08-20
Movie The King and the Chorus Girl Chorine (uncredited) 1937-03-27
Movie The Adventurous Blonde Bit Role (uncredited) 1937-11-13
Movie She Loved a Fireman Blonde Sunbather 1937-12-18
Movie Missing Witnesses Girl on Pier (uncredited) 1937-12-11
Movie Over the Goal Co-ed 1937-10-16
Movie Varsity Show Student (uncredited) 1937-09-04
Movie Alcatraz Island Party Girl (uncredited) 1937-10-13
Movie Gold Diggers of 1937 Chorus Girl (uncredited) 1936-12-28