Marian Carr (born Marion Dorice Dunn; July 6, 1926July 30, 2003), sometimes credited as Marion Carr, was an American actress who appeared in a number of films in the late 1940s through the 1950s.
Biography
Carr was born July 6, 1926 in
Providence, Kentucky
Providence is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in Webster County, Kentucky, in the United States. The population was 3,193 at the time of the 2010 United States Census.
History
In 1820, Richard B. Savage arrived from Virginia with ...
.
In her adolescence, she relocated with her family to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, coordinates =
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, Illinois, where she attended
Austin High School.
After graduating high school, Carr worked in an office as well as taking jobs
modeling
A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure.
Models c ...
in Chicago. She was spotted by a talent scout and was named "Chicago's Prettiest Office Worker" in 1946. Following this, Carr relocated
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, where she began acting in local theater productions. She subsequently signed a film contract with
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 ...
in 1946 under
Howard Hughes
Howard Robard Hughes Jr. (December 24, 1905 – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, record-setting pilot, engineer, film producer, and philanthropist, known during his lifetime as one of the most influential and richest people in th ...
. She made her feature film debut in ''
San Quentin
San Quentin State Prison (SQ) is a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation state prison for men, located north of San Francisco in the unincorporated place of San Quentin in Marin County.
Opened in July 1852, San Quentin is the o ...
'' (1946), followed by a minor part in
Frank Capra
Frank Russell Capra (born Francesco Rosario Capra; May 18, 1897 – September 3, 1991) was an Italian-born American film director, producer and writer who became the creative force behind some of the major award-winning films of the 1930s ...
's ''
It's a Wonderful Life
''It's a Wonderful Life'' is a 1946 American Christmas by medium#Films, Christmas Fantasy film, fantasy drama film produced and directed by Frank Capra, based on the short story and booklet ''The Greatest Gift'', which Philip Van Doren Stern se ...
'' (also 1946).
[ Carr had lead roles in several films, including the Westerns '']The Devil Thumbs a Ride
''The Devil Thumbs a Ride'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Felix E. Feist and featuring Lawrence Tierney and Ted North.
Plot
Steve Morgan (Tierney) is a charming sociopath who has just robbed and killed a cinema cashier. Seeking to escape, he ...
'' (1947) and ''Northern Patrol
The Northern Patrol, also known as Cruiser Force B and the Northern Patrol Force, was an operation of the British Royal Navy during the First World War and Second World War. The Patrol was part of the British "distant" blockade of Germany. Its ma ...
'' (1953). After marrying Frederick Levy, an executive for Blum Candy, Carr took a temporary hiatus from acting, and resided in San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,film noir
Film noir (; ) is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of American ' ...
by director Robert Aldrich
Robert Burgess Aldrich (August 9, 1918 – December 5, 1983) was an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. His notable credits include '' Vera Cruz'' (1954), ''Kiss Me Deadly'' (1955), ''The Big Knife'' (1955), '' Autumn L ...
: ''World for Ransom
''World for Ransom'' is a 1954 American film noir drama directed by Robert Aldrich and starring Dan Duryea, Patric Knowles, Gene Lockhart, Reginald Denny, and Nigel Bruce (in his final film role).
Many of the actors and sets used in the film wer ...
'' (1954) and ''Kiss Me Deadly
''Kiss Me Deadly'' is a 1955 American film noir produced and directed by Robert Aldrich, starring Ralph Meeker, Albert Dekker, Paul Stewart, Juano Hernandez, and Wesley Addy. It also features Maxine Cooper and Cloris Leachman appearing in the ...
'' (1955), in the latter of which she portrayed the sister of a mobster. Carr appeared in several other films, such as the Western ''Ghost Town
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
'' (1956), before making her final feature film appearance in ''Nightmare
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
'' (also 1956) before retiring. Carr later married television producer Lester Linsk in 1958, though the marriage ended in divorce in 1966.[
]
Death
Carr died in Palm Desert, California
Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately east of Palm Springs, northeast of San Diego and east of Los Angeles. The population was 48,445 at the 2010 census. The city has bee ...
on July 30, 2003.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
Sources
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Carr, Marian
1926 births
2003 deaths
Actresses from Chicago
Actresses from Kentucky
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
RKO Pictures contract players
People from Providence, Kentucky
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American women