Elaine Riley (January 15, 1917 – December 7, 2015) was an American film and television actress.

Early years

The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. A.B. Riley, Riley was born in

East Liverpool, Ohio East Liverpool is a city in southeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,958 at the 2020 census. It lies along the Ohio River within the Upper Ohio Valley and borders Pennsylvania to the east and West Virginia to t ...

, on January 15, 1917. She won the Miss East Liverpool beauty title and was runner-up for the Miss Ohio title in 1937. Riley also was a graduate of the

Traphagen School of Fashion Traphagen School of Fashion was an art and design school in operation from 1923 to 1991, and was located at 1680 Broadway in New York City. The school was founded and directed by Ethel Traphagen Leigh (1883–1963) with a focus on the foundational ...

, and was a model for ''Powers and Hattie Carnegie'' model in New York at the age of 18. Using the name Elaine Gray, Riley sang with a dance-music orchestra in several cities, including

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Film

Riley entered Hollywood in 1943 as an extra for

RKO Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

, debuting in '' Higher and Higher''. She left her job as secretary to the managing director of WINS radio in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to pursue her career in movies. In 1946, she signed with Paramount Pictures, where she became a recurring leading lady for

Hopalong Cassidy Hopalong Cassidy is a fictional cowboy hero created in 1904 by the author Clarence E. Mulford, who wrote a series of short stories and novels based on the character. Mulford portrayed the character as rude, dangerous, and rough-talking. He was ...

. She worked with stars such as William Boyd, Charles Laughton,

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

and

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

Television

Riley appeared in two episodes of ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'' and in '' The Lineup'' in an episode broadcast on January 4, 1957. Riley also appeared as Mildred Stone in an episode of ''

The Cisco Kid The Cisco Kid is a fictional character found in numerous film, radio, television and comic book series based on the fictional Western character created by O. Henry in his 1907 short story "The Caballero's Way", published in '' Everybody's Magaz ...

''. She also appeared in ''

Highway Patrol A highway patrol, or state patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is prima ...

'', Episode 101, "Reformation". She appeared in a ''Superman'' episode "The Atomic Captive" in 1958.

Later years

She retired from acting in 1960, having more than 70 credits to her name. In 2004, Elaine Riley won the

Golden Boot Awards The Golden Boot Awards were an American acknowledgement of achievement honoring actors, actresses, and crew members who made significant contributions to the genre of Westerns in television and film. The award was sponsored and presented by the ...

, which honour actors, actresses, and crew members who have made significant contributions to the genre of Western television and movies. She died on December 7, 2015, aged 98.

Personal life

In 1946, Riley married actor Richard Martin, whom she met on the set of a film. Their marriage lasted until his death in 1994.

Selected filmography

*''

Gildersleeve on Broadway ''Gildersleeve on Broadway'' is a 1943 American film starring Harold Peary as his radio character The Great Gildersleeve. It is the third of four Gildersleeve features, others were ''The Great Gildersleeve'' (1942), ''Gildersleeve's Bad Day'' (19 ...

'' (1943) as Model *'' Higher and Higher'' (1944) as Bridesmaid *''

Show Business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produc ...

'' (1944) as Chorine *'' Step Lively'' (1944) as Lois *''

Two O'Clock Courage ''Two O'Clock Courage'' is a 1945 American film noir directed by Anthony Mann and written by Robert E. Kent, based on novel written by Gelett Burgess. The drama features Tom Conway and Ann Rutherford. It is a remake of ''Two in the Dark'' (1936). ...

'' (1945) as Cigarette girl *''

You Came Along ''You Came Along'' (working title ''Don't Ever Grieve Me'') is a 1945 romantic comedy-drama film set in World War II, directed by John Farrow. The original Robert Smith screenplay was rewritten by Ayn Rand. ''You Came Along'' stars Robert Cumming ...

'' (1945) as Showgirl *'' The Stork Club'' (1945) as Deb *'' Monsieur Beaucaire'' (1946) (uncredited) *''

Variety Girl ''Variety Girl'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Mary Hatcher, Olga San Juan, DeForest Kelley, Frank Ferguson, Glenn Tryon, Nella Walker, Torben Meyer, Jack Norton, and William Demarest. It was ...

'' (1947) as Cashier *''

The Big Clock ''The Big Clock'' is a 1946 novel by Kenneth Fearing. Published by Harcourt Brace, the thriller was Fearing's fourth novel, following three for Random House (''The Hospital'', ''Dagger of the Mind'', ''Clark Gifford's Body'') and five collections ...

'' (1948) as Lily Gold *''

Beyond Glory ''Beyond Glory'' is a 1948 American drama film directed by John Farrow and starring Alan Ladd and Donna Reed. Written by William Wister Haines, Jonathan Latimer, and Charles Marquis Warren, the film is about a former soldier who thinks he may have ...

'' (1948) as Nurse *''

False Paradise '' False Paradise '' is a 1948 American Western (genre), Western film starring William Boyd (actor), William Boyd as western character Hopalong Cassidy. This fi;m was the sixty-fifth of sixty-six Hopalong Cassidy movies and was the 11th of 12 H ...

'' (1948) as Anne Larson *''

Every Girl Should Be Married ''Every Girl Should Be Married'' is a 1948 American romantic comedy film directed by Don Hartman and starring Cary Grant, Betsy Drake and Franchot Tone. Grant and Drake married a year after the film's release. Plot summary Department store sales ...

'' (1948) as Young lady *'' Alias Nick Beal'' (1949) as Telephone girl *'' The Great Lover'' (1950) as Passenger *''

Rider from Tucson ''Rider from Tucson'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander for RKO Pictures and starring Tim Holt and Richard Martin. It was the only time Martin worked on screen with his wife Elaine Riley. The film was known earlier a ...

'' (1950) as Jane Whipple *''

Where Danger Lives ''Where Danger Lives'' is a 1950 film noir thriller directed by John Farrow and starring Robert Mitchum, Faith Domergue and Claude Rains. Plot Dr. Jeff Cameron (Mitchum) treats a mentally disturbed attempted suicide victim (Domergue). She signs ...

'' (1950) as Nurse Bates * ''

The Hills of Utah ''The Hills of Utah'' is a 1951 American Western (genre), Western film directed by John English (director), John English and starring Gene Autry, Elaine Riley and Donna Martell.Pitts p.152 The film's sets were designed by the art director Charl ...

'' (1951) as Karen McQueen *'' Sailor Beware'' (1952) as Commentator *'' Steel Town'' (1952) as Valerie *''

The Caddy ''The Caddy'' is a 1953 American semi- musical-comedy- sports film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It is noteworthy for Dean Martin introducing the hit song "That's Amore". Plot Harvey Miller, whose father was a famous golf pro, is ...

'' (1953) as Bathing beauty *''

Pardners ''Pardners'' is a 1956 American comedy western film starring the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. It was released on July 25, 1956 by Paramount Pictures. A western spoof directed by Norman Taurog, this was the penultimate film of the 16 screen c ...

'' (1956) as Dance hall girl *'' Wanted Dead or Alive'' (1960) as Panama in "The Partners" episode

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Elaine 1917 births 2015 deaths American film actresses American television actresses People from East Liverpool, Ohio Actresses from Ohio 20th-century American actresses Place of death missing Traphagen School of Fashion alumni 21st-century American women