Nancy Lou Saunders (June 29, 1925 – June 13, 2020) was an American actress of film, television and the stage.
Career
Saunders appeared in over 20 films between 1946 and 1957. She was discovered when a talent scout was looking for attractive actresses who could ride a horse.
Saunders was a contract actress first with
RKO Pictures and later with
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...
.
To modern viewers, Saunders is known for her roles in several
Three Stooges
The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical farce and slapstick. Six Stooges appeare ...
films from the
Shemp Howard
Samuel Horwitz (March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955), known professionally as Shemp Howard, was an American actor and comedian. He was called "Shemp" because "Sam" came out that way in his mother's thick Litvak accent.
He is best known as the ...
era, specifically ''
I'm a Monkey's Uncle'' (and its
remake ''
Stone Age Romeos'') and as
Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva (; died between 1066 and 1086), in Old English , was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who is relatively well documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a patron of various churches and monasteries. Today, she is mainly re ...
in ''
The Ghost Talks''.
Saunders entered the "Queen" competition at the 1972 ''
All American Quarter Horse Congress''.
Personal life
Saunders was born in
Hollywood, Los Angeles in June 1925. In December 1946, Saunders married used-car dealer Ray Russell Davioni in Las Vegas. The marriage was annulled in August 1947.
She died from leukemia in
Mission Viejo
Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...
, California in June 2020 at the age of 94.
ThreeStooges.net: Nancy Saunders profile
/ref>
Selected filmography
* ''The Bamboo Blonde
''The Bamboo Blonde'' is a 1946 American romantic comedy directed by Anthony Mann based on an original story "Chicago Lulu" by Wayne Whittaker. A low budget production, it stars singer Frances Langford in the title role, Ralph Edwards – fro ...
'' (1946) as glamour girl
* '' Lady Luck'' (1946) as manicurist
* ''The Secret of the Whistler
''The Secret of the Whistler'' is a 1946 American mystery film noir based on the radio drama '' The Whistler''. Directed by George Sherman, the production features Richard Dix, Leslie Brooks and Michael Duane. It is the sixth of Columbia Picture ...
'' (1946) as girl
* '' Slappily Married'' (1946) as bellhop
* '' Criminal Court'' (1946) as secretary
* ''The Locket The Locket may refer to:
*The Locket (1946 film), an American film directed by John Brahm
* ''The Locket'' (1970 film), a Spanish film directed by Rafael Gil
* ''The Locket'' (2002 film), an American television film directed by Karen Arthur
* "The L ...
'' (1946) as Miss Wyatt - Blair's secretary
* '' South of the Chisholm Trail'' (1946) as Nora Grant
* '' The Thirteenth Hour'' (1947) as Donna
* '' West of Dodge City'' (1947) as Anne Avery
* ''A Likely Story
''A Likely Story'' is a 1947 film directed by H. C. Potter. It starred real-life husband and wife Bill Williams and Barbara Hale. It is also known as ''A Fascinating Nuisance'' and ''Never Say Die''.
Plot
Bill Baker ( Bill Williams) has recent ...
'' (1947) as blonde on train
* ''Law of the Canyon'' (1947) as Mary Coleman
* ''The Millerson Case
''The Millerson Case'' is a 1947 American mystery drama film directed by George Archainbaud and starring Warner Baxter, Nancy Saunders and Clem Bevans. In the 8th film of Columbia's '' Crime Doctor'' series, Dr. Robert Ordway (Warner Baxter) is ...
'' (1947) as Belle Englehart
* '' Prairie Raiders'' (1947) as Ann Bradford
* ''The Woman on the Beach
''The Woman on the Beach'' is a 1947 film noir directed by Jean Renoir and starring Joan Bennett, Robert Ryan and Charles Bickford. It was released by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is a love triangle drama about Scott, a conflicted U.S. Coast ...
'' (1947) as girl at party
* '' Brideless Groom'' (1947) as former girlfriend
* ''When a Girl's Beautiful
''When a Girl's Beautiful'' is a 1947 musical comedy directed by Frank McDonald from a script by Brenda Weisberg. Actress Joi Lansing made her film debut on this film.
Plot
An advertising man begins a search for the "perfect woman" for a ne ...
'' (1947) as Sue Dennis, model
* '' Her Husband's Affairs'' (1947) as nurse
* ''The Lone Wolf in London
''The Lone Wolf in London'' is a 1947 American crime film directed by Leslie Goodwins and starring Gerald Mohr, Nancy Saunders and Eric Blore. The picture features the fictional Scotland Yard detective the Lone Wolf who travels to London, and ...
'' (1947) as Ann KlemscottSix-Gun Law
''Six-Gun Law'' is a 1948 American Western film directed by Ray Nazarro and written by Barry Shipman. The film stars Charles Starrett, Nancy Saunders, Paul Campbell, Hugh Prosser, Curly Clements and Smiley Burnette. The film was released on ...
'' (1948) as June Wallace
* ''Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone
''Mrs. O'Malley and Mr. Malone'' is a 1950 comedy/murder mystery film set on board a train. It stars Marjorie Main and James Whitmore. It is based on the short story "Once Upon a Train (The Loco Motive)" by Stuart Palmer and Craig Rice.
Plot
M ...
'' (1950) as Joanie
References
External links
*
Nancy Saunders
at the American Film Institute
Nancy Saunders interview
at Western Clippings
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saunders, Nancy
1925 births
2020 deaths
20th-century American actresses
Actresses from Los Angeles
American film actresses
Western (genre) film actresses
21st-century American women