Margaret Yvonne Middleton (September 1, 1922January 8, 2007), known professionally as Yvonne De Carlo, was a Canadian-American actress, dancer and singer. She became a Hollywood film star in the 1940s and 1950s, made several recordings, and later acted on television and stage.
Born in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
, De Carlo was enrolled by her mother in a local dance school when she was three. By the early 1940s, she and her mother had moved to Los Angeles, where De Carlo participated in beauty contests and worked as a dancer in nightclubs. She began working in motion pictures in 1941, in short subjects. She sang "The Lamp of Memory" in a three-minute
Soundies
Soundies are three-minute American musical films, and each short displays a performance. The shorts were produced between 1940 and 1946 and have been referred to as "precursors to music videos" by UCLA. Soundies exhibited a variety of musical gen ...
Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
release produced by
Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of '' Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Para ...
, who described her as "the most beautiful girl in the world." The film's publicity and success turned her into a star, and she signed a five-year contract with Universal. Universal starred her in its lavish Technicolor productions, such as ''
Frontier Gal
''Frontier Gal'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Cameron.
Plot
Johnny Hart heads for Red Gulch, looking for the mystery man who murdered his partner. He quickly meets Lorena Dumon ...
'' (1945), ''
Song of Scheherazade
''Song of Scheherazade'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Walter Reisch. It tells the story of an imaginary episode in the life of the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Jean-Pierre Aumont), in 1865, when he was a young naval ...
'' (1947), and '' Slave Girl'' (1947). Cameramen voted her "Queen of Technicolor" three years in a row. Tired of being typecast as exotic women, she made her first serious dramatic performances in two film noirs, '' Brute Force'' (1947) and '' Criss Cross'' (1949).
The first American film star to visit Israel, De Carlo received further recognition as an actress for her leading performances in the British comedies ''
Hotel Sahara
''Hotel Sahara'' is a 1951 British war comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Peter Ustinov and David Tomlinson. It was produced and co-written by George Hambley Brown.
Plot
The Hotel Sahara, situated in a desert oasi ...
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...
Midian
Midian (; he, מִדְיָן ''Mīḏyān'' ; ar, مَدْيَن, Madyan; grc-gre, Μαδιάμ, ''Madiam'') is a geographical place mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and Quran. William G. Dever states that biblical Midian was in the "northwest Ar ...
ite wife, Sephora, her most prominent film role, in his biblical epic ''
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956), for which she won a Laurel Award for Topliner Supporting Actress. Her success continued with other notable starring roles in ''
Flame of the Islands
''Flame of the Islands'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff, and Zachary Scott.
Plot
In New York City, Rosalind Dee (DeCarlo) is a secretary longing to enter high society. ...
Band of Angels
''Band of Angels'' is a 1957 psychological drama film set in the American South before and during the American Civil War, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren. It starred Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Poitier ...
'' (1957), and ''
The Sword and the Cross
''The Sword and the Cross'' ( it, La spada e la croce) is a 1958 Italian religious drama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Yvonne De Carlo as Mary Magdalene. Shot in English and later dubbed in Italian, the film was released ...
'' (1958), in which she portrayed Mary Magdalene.
She starred in the CBS sitcom ''
The Munsters
''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...
'' (1964–1966), playing
Herman Munster
Herman Munster is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom '' The Munsters'', originally played by Fred Gwynne. The patriarch of the Munster household, Herman is one of Frankenstein’s monsters, created in a lab in Germany in the nineteenth ...
's glamorous
vampire
A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead creatures that often visited loved ones and caused mischief or deat ...
wife,
Lily
''Lilium'' () is a genus of herbaceous flowering plants growing from bulbs, all with large prominent flowers. They are the true lilies. Lilies are a group of flowering plants which are important in culture and literature in much of the world. M ...
, a role she reprised in the feature film '' Munster, Go Home!'' (1966) and the television film ''
The Munsters' Revenge
''The Munsters' Revenge'' is a 1981 American made-for-television science fiction comedy film based on the 1964–1966 sitcom ''The Munsters'' which reunited original cast members Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo and Al Lewis. It was the last film ...
'' (1981). In 1971, she played Carlotta Campion and introduced the popular song " I'm Still Here" in the Broadway production of the Stephen Sondheim musical ''
Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...
''. ''Yvonne'', her best-selling autobiography, was published in 1987. A stroke survivor, De Carlo died of heart failure in 2007. She was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures and television.
Early life
De Carlo was born Margaret Yvonne Middleton on September 1, 1922, at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her nickname was "Peggy" because she was named after the silent film star Baby Peggy. Her mother, Marie De Carlo, was born in France to a Sicilian father and a Scottish mother. Marie, a "wayward and rebellious" teenager, had aspired to become a dancer and worked as a milliner's apprentice until she met Peggy's father, William Shelto Middleton, a salesman from New Zealand with "piercing eyes of pale blue, and a wealth of straight black hair." Marie and William married in Alberta, where they lived for a couple of months before returning to Vancouver. They moved in with Marie's parents, but the marriage was troubled. Peggy had only two memories of her father: climbing up to his knee and crawling toward his feet. By the time Peggy was three, William was involved in various swindles and fled Canada aboard a schooner, promising to send for his wife and child. Marie and Peggy never heard from him again; rumors said that he remarried twice and had more children, worked as an actor in silent films, or died aboard a ship. Peggy later wrote, "My own assumption is that he died before he had the chance to discover that his Baby Peggy had become a Hollywood actress, or I think he would have tried to contact me."
After William's departure, Marie left her parents' home and found work in a shop. Marie and Peggy lived in a succession of apartments in Vancouver, including one that had no furniture or stove, and periodically returned to the De Carlo home, "a huge white frame house", at 1728 Comox Street in Vancouver's West End neighborhood. Marie's parents, Michele "Papa" De Carlo and Margaret Purvis De Carlo, were religious, attended church regularly, and held services in their parlor. Michele, a native of the city of Messina, had met Margaret in Nice, France. They married in 1897, had four children, and settled in Canada.
De Carlo attended Lord Roberts Elementary School, located a block away from her grandparents' home.
De Carlo originally wanted to be a writer. She was seven when a school assignment, a poem she wrote titled "A Little Boy", was entered in a contest run by the ''
Vancouver Sun
The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published s ...
''. She won and received a prize of $5, which according to De Carlo, meant as much to her at that time as if she had won the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
. She also wrote short plays, which she usually staged in her grandparents' house, and even adapted
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' '' A Christmas Carol'' for a neighborhood performance.
Marie wanted her daughter to have a career in show business and made sure Peggy received the necessary singing and dancing lessons. Peggy joined the choir of St. Paul's Anglican Church to strengthen her voice, and when she was ten (or three, according to a 1982 interview), her mother enrolled her in the June Roper School of the Dance in Vancouver. In May 1939, a ''Variety'' news item listed Yvonne de Carlo as one of the performers at the opening of Hy Singer's Palomar ballroom (also known as Palomar Supper Club) in Vancouver.
Early career
Beginnings in Hollywood (1940–1942)
De Carlo and her mother made several trips to Los Angeles. In 1940, she won second place in the Miss
Venice
Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...
beauty contest, and placed fifth in that year's
Miss California
The Miss California competition selects the representative for the state of California in the Miss America competition.
The pageant began in Santa Cruz in 1924 and was held there in 1925. During the years 1926 through 1946 in years when the Mi ...
competition (and can be seen in that pageant at 0:36 of the British Pathé film "A Matter of Figures"). At the Miss Venice contest, she was noticed by a booking agent who told her to audition for an opening in the chorus line at the
Earl Carroll Theatre
The Earl Carroll Theatre was a Broadway theatre at 753 Seventh Avenue near 50th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built by impresario Earl Carroll and designed by architect George Keister, it opened on Feb ...
on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
De Carlo and her mother arrived at Earl Carroll's for the audition, but after learning that Carroll would have to examine her "upper assets" before hiring her, De Carlo and her mother searched for work at another popular Hollywood nightclub, the Florentine Gardens. They met the proprietor,
Nils Granlund
Nils T. Granlund (September 29, 1890–April 21, 1957) was an American show producer, entertainment industry entrepreneur and radio industry pioneer. He was a publicist for Marcus Loew who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). ...
, and he introduced De Carlo to the audience before she tap danced to " Tea for Two". Granlund then asked, "Well, folks ... is she in or out?" The audience responded with "a rousing round of applause, with whistles and cheers", and De Carlo got the job. She started in the back of the chorus line, but after months of practice and hard work, Granlund featured her in a "
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
number." In it, she danced, and cast off several chiffon veils before being carried away by a gorilla. She was given more solo routines and also appeared in her first
soundie
Soundies are three-minute American musical films, and each short displays a performance. The shorts were produced between 1940 and 1946 and have been referred to as "precursors to music videos" by UCLA. Soundies exhibited a variety of musical ge ...
.
She had been dancing at the Florentine Gardens only a few months when she was arrested by immigration officials and deported to Canada in late 1940. In January 1941, Granlund sent a telegram to immigration officials pledging his sponsorship of De Carlo in the U.S., and affirmed his offer of steady employment, both requirements to reenter the country.
In May 1941, she appeared in a revue, ''Hollywood Revels'', at the Orpheum Theatre. A critic from the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' who reviewed it said the "dancing of Yvonne de Carlo is especially notable." She also made her debut on network radio with
Edmund Lowe
Edmund Dantes Lowe (March 3, 1890 – April 21, 1971) was an American actor. His formative experience began in vaudeville and silent film.
Biography
Lowe was born in San Jose, California. His father was a local judge. His childhood home was a ...
and
Victor McLaglen
Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made sev ...
, who were performing extracts from a series based on their Flagg-Quint performances.
De Carlo wanted to act. At the encouragement of her friend
Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction.
Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led ...
, who offered to pay her wages for a month, she quit the Florentine Gardens and hired a talent agent, Jack Pomeroy. Pomeroy got De Carlo an uncredited role as a bathing beauty in a
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 ...
B film
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...
, ''
Harvard, Here I Come
''Harvard, Here I Come!'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Lew Landers and stars Max 'Slapsie Maxie' Rosenbloom, Arline Judge, Stanley Brown, Don Beddoe, Marie Wilson, and Virginia Sale. The film is also known as ''Here I Come'' in t ...
'' (1941). She had one line ("Nowadays a girl must show a front") in a scene with the film's star, boxer
Maxie Rosenbloom
Max Everitt Rosenbloom (November 6, 1906 – March 6, 1976) was an American professional boxer, actor, and television personality. Nicknamed "Slapsie Maxie", he was inducted into '' The Ring's'' Boxing Hall of Fame in 1972, the International Je ...
. Her salary was $25 and her work in the film got her into the
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild (SAG) was an American labor union which represented over 100,000 film and television principal and background performers worldwide. On March 30, 2012, the union leadership announced that the SAG membership voted to m ...
. When no other acting jobs came her way, she decided to return to the chorus line and auditioned for
Earl Carroll
Earl Carroll (September 16, 1893 – June 17, 1948) was an American theatrical producer, director, writer, songwriter and composer.
Early life
Carroll was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in 1893. He lived as an infant in the Nunnery Hill ( Fine ...
, who hired her. While working for Carroll, she won a one-line part in ''
This Gun for Hire
''This Gun for Hire'' is a 1942 American film noir crime film directed by Frank Tuttle and starring Veronica Lake, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Preston, Laird Cregar, and Alan Ladd. It is based on the 1936 novel ''A Gun for Sale'' by Graham Gr ...
'' (1942) at Paramount. Carroll found out and fired her, as he did not allow his dancers to work outside the nightclub without his permission. She asked Granlund if he could rehire her and he did. In December 1941, she was dancing in the revue ''Glamour Over Hollywood'' at the Gardens. America's entry into World War II saw De Carlo and other Florentine dancers busy entertaining troops at USO shows. A skilled horsewoman, she also appeared in a number of West Coast rodeos.
Paramount Pictures (1942–1944)
Following an interview at Paramount, De Carlo was cast as one of
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...
's handmaidens in ''
Road to Morocco
''Road to Morocco'' is a 1942 American comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, and featuring Anthony Quinn and Dona Drake. The film, which was written by Frank Butler and Don Hartman and directed by David Butler for Para ...
'' (1942). She was given a screen test for the role of Ata in ''
The Moon and Sixpence
''The Moon and Sixpence'' is a novel by W. Somerset Maugham, first published on 15 April 1919. It is told in episodic form by a first-person narrator providing a series of glimpses into the mind and soul of the central character, Charles Stric ...
'', but lost the part to
Elena Verdugo
Elena Angela Verdugo (April 20, 1925 – May 30, 2017) was an American actress who began in films at the age of five in '' Cavalier of the West'' (1931). Her career in radio, television and film spanned six decades.
Early life
Elena Angela V ...
. She returned to Paramount for a bit role in ''
Lucky Jordan
''Lucky Jordan'' is a 1942 film directed by Frank Tuttle, starring Alan Ladd in his first leading role, Helen Walker in her film debut, and Sheldon Leonard. The screenplay concerns a self-centered gangster who tangles with Nazi spies.
Plot
Dur ...
'' (1942) and found another small part in a Republic Pictures film, ''
Youth on Parade
''Youth on Parade'' is a 1942 comedy musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring John Hubbard, Ruth Terry, Martha O'Driscoll, Tom Brown, and Charles Smith.
Premise
A group of college students plan to create the ''perfect student'' ...
'' (1942), which she later called a "dreadful ... bomb". After recovering from a bout of bronchial pneumonia, she went to Paramount Pictures and signed a six-month contract, possibly going up to seven years, starting at $60 a week.
For her first assignment as a Paramount player, De Carlo was loaned out to Monogram Pictures to play a Florentine Gardens dancer in ''
Rhythm Parade
''Rhythm Parade'' is a 1942 American musical comedy film starring Gale Storm and Margaret Dumont.Nils Granlund
Nils T. Granlund (September 29, 1890–April 21, 1957) was an American show producer, entertainment industry entrepreneur and radio industry pioneer. He was a publicist for Marcus Loew who formed Loews Theatres and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). ...
(who had requested her for the role) and
Gale Storm
Josephine Owaissa Cottle (April 5, 1922 – June 27, 2009), known professionally as Gale Storm, was an American actress and singer. After a film career from 1940 to 1952, she starred in two popular television programs of the 1950s, '' My Litt ...
. She then appeared as an extra in Paramount's '' The Crystal Ball'' (1943), of which she wrote, "Only my left shoulder survived after editing". She asked director
Sam Wood
Samuel Grosvenor Wood (July 10, 1883 – September 22, 1949) was an American film director and producer who is best known for having directed such Hollywood hits as '' A Night at the Opera'', '' A Day at the Races'', '' Goodbye, Mr. Chips'', '' ...
for a part in his next film, ''
For Whom the Bell Tolls
''For Whom the Bell Tolls'' is a novel by Ernest Hemingway published in 1940. It tells the story of Robert Jordan, a young American volunteer attached to a Republican guerrilla unit during the Spanish Civil War. As a dynamiter, he is assigned ...
'' (1943), and he gave her a small role in the cantina scene with
Gary Cooper
Gary Cooper (born Frank James Cooper; May 7, 1901May 13, 1961) was an American actor known for his strong, quiet screen persona and understated acting style. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor twice and had a further three nominations, ...
.
De Carlo was also seen in ''
Let's Face It
'' Let's Face It'' is the fifth studio album by American ska punk band The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It was released on March 11, 1997 by Mercury Records and Big Rig Records.
The album sold very well due to the success of its single " The Impres ...
'' (1943), ''
So Proudly We Hail!
''So Proudly We Hail!'' is a 1943 American war film directed and produced by Mark Sandrich and starring Claudette Colbert, Paulette Goddard – who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance – a ...
'' (1943) and ''
Salute for Three
''Salute for Three'' is a 1943 American Comedy film, comedy musical film starring Macdonald Carey and Betty Jane Rhodes.
Plot
The singer Judy Ames's agent thinks she might get some favorable and helpful publicity if he can arrange for her to app ...
'' (1943), She kept busy in small roles and helping other actors shoot tests. "I was the test queen at Paramount", she said later. But she was ambitious and wanted more. "I'm not going to be just one of the girls", she said.
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...
, Paramount's most famous director, saw De Carlo in ''So Proudly We Hail!'' and arranged for a screen-test and interview for a part in his film '' The Story of Dr. Wassell'' (1943), and subsequently selected her for a key role. He ended up choosing Carol Thurston for the role of Tremartini and casting De Carlo in an uncredited part as a native girl, but he promised her another role in a future film.
Shortly after losing the role of Tremartini, De Carlo was loaned out to Republic Pictures to portray the Native American princess Wah-Tah in '' Deerslayer''. It was her first featured role in a full-length film. At Paramount, she played unbilled bit roles in '' True to Life'' (1943) and ''
Standing Room Only
An event is described as standing-room only when it is so well-attended that all of the chairs in the venue are occupied, leaving only flat spaces of pavement or flooring for other attendees to stand, at least those spaces not restricted by occup ...
'' (1944), and also made a screen test for the role of Lola in '' Double Indemnity'' (1944). She was billed in a short, ''Fun Time'' (1944) and went to
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
to play an uncredited lady-in-waiting in '' Kismet'' (1944).
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' later dubbed De Carlo "threat girl" for
Dorothy Lamour
Dorothy Lamour (born Mary Leta Dorothy Slaton; December 10, 1914 – September 22, 1996) was an American actress and singer. She is best remembered for having appeared in the '' Road to...'' movies, a series of successful comedies starring Bing ...
"when Dotty wanted to break away from saronging." This had its origin when De Carlo was set to replace Dorothy Lamour in the lead of '' Rainbow Island'' (1944); however Lamour changed her mind about playing the role. De Carlo was given a bit part in the final movie.
De Carlo played further unbilled roles in ''
Here Come the Waves
''Here Come the Waves'' is a 1944 American romantic comedy musical film directed by Mark Sandrich. It stars Bing Crosby and Betty Hutton.
Plot
The film opens with naval scenes and a chorus of WAVES singing ‘The Navy Song’ on stage, and conti ...
'' (1944), '' Practically Yours'' (1944), and '' Bring on the Girls'' (1945). Paramount then decided not to renew her contract option but did renew Lamour's contract.
Stardom
''Salome, Where She Danced'' (1944–1945)
De Carlo was screen tested by
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a ...
, who were looking for an exotic glamour girl in the mold of
Maria Montez
María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...
and
Acquanetta
Acquanetta (born Mildred Davenport; July 17, 1921 – August 16, 2004), nicknamed "The Venezuelan Volcano", was an American B-movie actress during the 1940s and 1950s. Acquanetta was most known for her "exotic" beauty.
Early years
The facts o ...
. The test was seen by
Walter Wanger
Walter Wanger (born Walter Feuchtwanger; July 11, 1894 – November 18, 1968) was an American film producer active from the 1910s, his career concluding with the turbulent production of '' Cleopatra,'' his last film, in 1963. He began at Para ...
who was making an adventure film in Technicolor, '' Salome, Where She Danced'' (1945). Wanger later claimed he discovered De Carlo when looking at footage for another actor in which De Carlo also happened to appear ( Milburn Stone).
Wanger tested De Carlo several times and Universal signed her to a long-term contract at $150 a week. In September 1944, it was announced De Carlo was cast in the lead of ''Salome'' over a reported 20,000 other young women.
Another source says 21 Royal Canadian Air Force bombardier students who loved her as a pinup star campaigned to get her the role. De Carlo later said this was done at her behest; she took several pictures of herself in a revealing costume and persuaded two childhood friends from Vancouver, Reginald Reid and Kenneth Ross McKenzie, who had become pilots, to arrange their friends to lobby on her behalf, writing in her memoirs that the whole thing was Wanger's idea.
Though not a critical success, ''Salome'' was a box office favorite, and the heavily promoted De Carlo was hailed as an up-and-coming star. In his review for the film,
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
of ''The New York Times'' wrote:
Miss De Carlo has an agreeable mezzo-soprano singing voice, all the 'looks' one girl could ask for, and, moreover, she dances with a sensuousness which must have caused the
Hays office
The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the United States from 1934 to 1968. It is also popularly known as the ...
some anguish. The script, however, does not give her much chance to prove her acting talents.
Universal-International (1946–1950)
Universal signed de Carlo to a long-term contract. She was used by the studio as a backup star to
Maria Montez
María África Gracia Vidal (6 June 1912 – 7 September 1951), known professionally as Maria Montez, was a Dominican motion picture actress who gained fame and popularity in the 1940s starring in a series of filmed-in-Technicolor costume ...
, and her second movie for the studio saw her step into a role rejected by Montez: the Western ''
Frontier Gal
''Frontier Gal'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Yvonne De Carlo and Rod Cameron.
Plot
Johnny Hart heads for Red Gulch, looking for the mystery man who murdered his partner. He quickly meets Lorena Dumon ...
'' (1946) alongside Rod Cameron. In 1946, exhibitors voted De Carlo the ninth-most promising "star of tomorrow." Like ''Salome'', it was shot in Technicolor.
De Carlo followed ''Frontier Gal'' with a top-billed role in
Walter Reisch
Walter Reisch (May 23, 1903 – March 28, 1983) was an Austrian-born director and screenwriter. He also wrote lyrics to several songs featured in his films, one popular title is "Flieger, grüß mir die Sonne". He was married to the dancer and a ...
's Technicolor musical ''
Song of Scheherazade
''Song of Scheherazade'' is a 1947 American musical film directed by Walter Reisch. It tells the story of an imaginary episode in the life of the Russian composer Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Jean-Pierre Aumont), in 1865, when he was a young naval ...
'' (1947), co-starring
Brian Donlevy
Waldo Brian Donlevy (February 9, 1901 – April 6, 1972) was an American actor, noted for playing dangerous tough guys from the 1930s to the 1960s. He usually appeared in supporting roles. Among his best-known films are '' Beau Geste'' (19 ...
and
Jean-Pierre Aumont
Jean-Pierre Aumont (born Jean-Pierre Philippe Salomons; 5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001) was a French actor, and holder of the Légion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre for his World War II military service.
Early life
Aumont was born Jea ...
.
Tilly Losch
Ottilie Ethel Leopoldine Herbert, Countess of Carnarvon (''née'' Losch; November 15, 1903 – December 24, 1975), known professionally as Tilly Losch, was an Austrian dancer, choreographer, actress, and painter who lived and worked for most of ...
, an Austrian dancer and friend of Reisch, coached De Carlo in her three dancing solos. The film was a hit, making over $2 million.
De Carlo wanted to act in different types of movies. She applied to play the part of a waitress in '' A Double Life'' (1947) but lost out to
Shelley Winters
Shelley Winters (born Shirley Schrift; August 18, 1920 – January 14, 2006) was an American actress whose career spanned seven decades. She appeared in numerous films. She won Academy Awards for ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959) and ''A Patch o ...
. Instead, Universal put her back in Technicolor for '' Slave Girl'' (1947), made with the producers of ''Frontier Gal''. It was another solid commercial success. De Carlo was given a small role in '' Brute Force'' (1947), a prison movie starring Burt Lancaster and produced by
Mark Hellinger
Mark John Hellinger (March 21, 1903 – December 21, 1947) was an American journalist, theatre columnist and film producer.
Biography Early life
Hellinger was born into the Orthodox Jewish family of Mildred "Millie" (nee Fitch) and Pol Helli ...
. It was her first movie in black and white since becoming a star and her first to get good reviews.
She played
Lola Montez
Eliza Rosanna Gilbert, Countess of Landsfeld (17 February 1821 – 17 January 1861), better known by the stage name Lola Montez (), was an Irish dancer and actress who became famous as a Spanish dancer, courtesan, and mistress of King Ludwig ...
in '' Black Bart'' (1948), a Technicolor Western with
Dan Duryea
Dan Duryea ( , January 23, 1907 – June 7, 1968) was an American actor in film, stage, and television. Known for portraying a vast range of character roles as a villain, he nonetheless had a long career in a wide variety of leading and second ...
for director George Sherman. Duryea and Sherman worked with her again on '' River Lady'' (1948). De Carlo called these films "physically taxing but not creatively inspiring." ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' later summarised them as "a series of routine costume adventures as a tough but good-natured minx from across the tracks who wades into society and inevitably backtracks with a bloke of her own caliber."
She romanced Tony Martin in ''
Casbah
A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...
'' (1948), a musical remake of '' Algiers'' (1938) made for Martin's own production company but released through Universal. De Carlo was reluctant to be in it because, though she would receive top billing over Martin, she did not get the female lead. That part went to Swedish newcomer
Märta Torén
Märta Torén (21 May 1925 – 19 February 1957) was a Swedish stage and film actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
Torén's father was a Swedish military officer, and for three years, during World War II, she was a secretary in the Swedish war offic ...
. However, studio head
William Goetz
William B. Goetz (March 24, 1903 – August 15, 1969) was an American film producer and studio executive. Goetz was one of the founders of Twentieth Century Pictures, and later served as vice president of 20th Century Fox after the merger with ...
insisted that De Carlo play Inez, the role
Sigrid Gurie
Sigrid Gurie (born Sigrid Guri Haukelid; May 18, 1911 – August 14, 1969) was an American actress from the late 1930s to early 1940s.
Early life
Gurie was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was a civil engineer who worked for the N ...
acted in the 1938 version. She also sang the film's song ''For Every Man There's a Woman'', which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song. The film flopped at the box office, de Carlo's first flop since becoming a star.
De Carlo then received an offer from Mark Hellinger to make another film with Burt Lancaster: the film noir '' Criss Cross'' (1949). This time De Carlo had a larger role, as a femme fatale, Anna.
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
noted that De Carlo was "trying something different as Anna. The change is welcome, even though Miss de Carlo's performance is uneven. In that respect, she is right in step with most everything else about ''Criss Cross.''" The film has become regarded as a classic and De Carlo considered the role the highlight of her career to date.
Tony Curtis
Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...
made his debut in the movie, in a scene dancing with De Carlo.
De Carlo was keen to make more movies along this line but Universal put her back in Technicolor Westerns with ''
Calamity Jane and Sam Bass
''Calamity Jane and Sam Bass'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Yvonne de Carlo, Howard Duff and Dorothy Hart.
Plot
Sheriff Will Egan doesn't want any gamblers in Denton, Texas and is suspicious when str ...
'' (1949), playing
Calamity Jane
Martha Jane Cannary (May 1, 1852 – August 1, 1903), better known as Calamity Jane, was an American frontierswoman, sharpshooter, and storyteller. In addition to many exploits she was known for being an acquaintance of Wild Bill Hickok. Lat ...
, directed by Sherman, alongside Howard Duff.
She played a role intended for
Deanna Durbin
Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...
in ''
The Gal Who Took the West
''The Gal Who Took the West'' is a 1949 American Western film directed by Frederick de Cordova starring Yvonne De Carlo, Charles Coburn, Scott Brady and John Russell. It was nominated for an award by the Writers Guild of America 1950.
Plot
...
'' (1950), for director
Fred de Cordova
Frederick Timmins de Cordova (October 27, 1910 – September 15, 2001) was an American stage, motion picture and television director and producer. He is best known for his work on ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson''.
Early life
De Cordova ...
. The movie gave her a chance to show off her singing voice. Trained in opera and a former child chorister at St Paul's Anglican Church, Vancouver, De Carlo possessed a large
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...
. She was meant to be in '' Bagdad'' (1949) but suffered a miscarriage and was ill, so the studio cast Maureen O'Hara.
De Cordova directed de Carlo in ''
Buccaneer's Girl
''Buccaneer's Girl'' is a 1950 American Technicolor romantic adventure film directed by Frederick de Cordova starring Yvonne De Carlo and Philip Friend.
Plot
Deborah McCoy, a New Orleans singer, is on a ship that is captured by the forces of t ...
'' (1950), a pirate movie set in 1810s New Orleans opposite
Philip Friend
Philip Wyndham Friend (20 February 1915 in Horsham, Sussex – 1 September 1987 in Chiddingfold, Surrey) was a British film and television actor.
Career Britain
Friend went to Bradfield College where he became interested in acting. He began ...
. The director later called De Carlo "a doll ... underrated as an actress. She was most professional, worked hard, was very good at her craft, possibly was not a first class star but came in on schedule. She knew her lines, she danced and sang rather well, and she wanted very much to be a bigger star than she ever became."
She toured US army bases singing, then was in '' The Desert Hawk'' (1950), an "Eastern" with
Richard Greene
Richard Marius Joseph Greene (25 August 1918 – 1 June 1985) was a noted English film and television actor. A matinée idol who appeared in more than 40 films, he was perhaps best known for the lead role in the long-running British TV series ' ...
. She made a Western with Sherman, ''
Tomahawk
A tomahawk is a type of single-handed axe used by the many Indigenous peoples and nations of North America. It traditionally resembles a hatchet with a straight shaft. In pre-colonial times the head was made of stone, bone, or antler, and Eur ...
'' (1951), opposite
Van Heflin
Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin Jr. (December 13, 1908 – July 23, 1971) was an American theatre, radio and film actor. He played mostly character parts over the course of his film career, but during the 1940s had a string of roles as a leading man. H ...
, which was popular.
De Carlo toured extensively to promote her films and entertained US troops in Europe. She also began singing on television.
She received an offer from England to make a comedy, ''
Hotel Sahara
''Hotel Sahara'' is a 1951 British war comedy film directed by Ken Annakin and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Peter Ustinov and David Tomlinson. It was produced and co-written by George Hambley Brown.
Plot
The Hotel Sahara, situated in a desert oasi ...
'' (1951) with Peter Ustinov. While in England, she asked Universal to release her from her contract, though it still had three months to go, and the studio agreed.
Post-Universal (1951–1954)
While in England, De Carlo recorded two singles, "Say Goodbye" and "I Love a Man". In March 1951 she signed a new contract with Universal to make one film a year for three years.
De Carlo went to Paramount to make a Western, '' Silver City'' (1951), for producer Nat Holt, co-starring alongside
Edmond O'Brien
Eamon Joseph O'Brien (September 10, 1915 – May 9, 1985) was an American actor and film director. His career spanned almost 40 years, and he won one Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
O'Brien w ...
for a fee of $50,000.
In 1951, De Carlo accepted an offer to open the thirtieth season of the Hollywood Bowl singing the
breeches role
A breeches role (also pants role or trouser role, or Hosenrolle) is one in which an actress appears in male clothing. Breeches, tight-fitting knee-length pants, were the standard male garment at the time these roles were introduced. The theatric ...
of Prince Orlovsky in five performances of the opera ''
Die Fledermaus
' (, ''The Flittermouse'' or ''The Bat'', sometimes called ''The Revenge of the Bat'') is an operetta composed by Johann Strauss II to a German libretto by Karl Haffner and Richard Genée, which premiered in 1874.
Background
The original li ...
'' (''The Bat''), from July 10 to 14. The performances were conducted by noted film composer
Franz Waxman
Franz Waxman (né Wachsmann; December 24, 1906February 24, 1967) was a German-born composer and conductor of Jewish descent, known primarily for his work in the film music genre. His film scores include ''Bride of Frankenstein'', ''Rebecca'', ' ...
. In her autobiography she described her participation in ''Die Fledermaus'' as "a rewarding experience, the aesthetic highlight of my life."
In August 1951, De Carlo became the first Canadian film star to visit the State of Israel, giving concerts in
Haifa
Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...
,
Ramat Gan
Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and man ...
,
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
,
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...
, and Jaffa. She drew capacity audiences and was "royally received" by the Israeli government and the public. Her performances consisted of singing and dancing routines from her films. Furthermore, she found that her films were extremely popular there, saying, "Every time I played a concert, someone would yell, 'Sing something from ''
Casbah
A kasbah (, also ; ar, قَـصَـبَـة, qaṣaba, lit=fortress, , Maghrebi Arabic: ), also spelled qasba, qasaba, or casbah, is a fortress, most commonly the citadel or fortified quarter of a city. It is also equivalent to the term ''alca ...
''.'" About the warm reception she received in Israel, she told columnist
Louella Parsons
Louella Parsons (born Louella Rose Oettinger; August 6, 1881 – December 9, 1972) was an American movie columnist and a screenwriter. She was retained by William Randolph Hearst because she had championed Hearst's mistress Marion Davies and s ...
:
De Carlo returned early from Tel Aviv to make ''
The San Francisco Story
''The San Francisco Story'' is a 1952 American Western film directed by Robert Parrish and starring Joel McCrea and Yvonne De Carlo. The rough and tumble Barbary Coast of San Francisco is recreated with attention to detail, including Florence ...
'' (1952) with
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea (November 5, 1905 – October 20, 1990) was an American actor whose career spanned a wide variety of genres over almost five decades, including comedy, drama, romance, thrillers, adventures, and Westerns, for which he bec ...
. It was the first of a two-picture deal with Fidelity Pictures; the second was to be ''The Scarlet Flame'' about Brazil's battle for independence, which was never made.
She made her live TV debut in "Another Country" for '' Lights Out'' (1952). De Carlo wanted to make a film for
Sydney Box
Frank Sydney Box (29 April 1907 – 25 May 1983) was a British film producer and screenwriter, and brother of British film producer Betty Box. In 1940, he founded the documentary film company Verity Films with Jay Lewis.
He produced and co- ...
called ''Queen of Sheba'' with Peter Ustinov as Solomon but it was never made.
She went back to Universal for the first movie under her new contract, ''
Scarlet Angel
''Scarlet Angel'' is a 1952 American Technicolor historical adventure film directed by Sidney Salkow and starring Yvonne de Carlo, Rock Hudson and Richard Denning. It was produced and distributed by Universal Pictures. The two leads appeared to ...
'' (1952) with
Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...
.
At Paramount she did another film for Nat Holt, '' Hurricane Smith'' (1952), then she appeared in "Madame 44" for ''
The Ford Television Theatre
''Ford Theatre'', spelled ''Ford Theater'' for the original radio version and known, in full, as ''The Ford Television Theatre'' for the TV version, is a radio and television anthology series broadcast in the United States in the 1940s and 1950 ...
'' (1952). She announced plans to form her own production company with her agent, Vancouver Productions. However, as she later wrote "absolutely nothing" came of this.
De Carlo went to MGM to make ''
Sombrero
A sombrero (Spanish , ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high pointed crown, an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck and shoulders of the w ...
'' (1953), mostly shot in Mexico. She liked her character because it was "almost madonnalike.It is a role that demands the most sincerity for its proper interpretation. Many pictures that I have done perhaps offered me typical outdoor parts or western, heroine parts. So long as I could convey a flashy sort of impression it was alright... I don't deny the importance of such parts for me. They are excellent. But is stands to reason that as one goes on one seeks less superficial assignments.
De Carlo was reunited with Hudson for '' Sea Devils'' (1953), a Napoleonic adventure tale shot in Britain and France released through
RKO
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-Orpheu ...
. This meant she had to postpone a film she was going to make for
Edward Small
Edward Small (born Edward Schmalheiser, February 1, 1891, Brooklyn, New York – January 25, 1977, Los Angeles) was a film producer from the late 1920s through 1970, who was enormously prolific over a 50-year career. He is best known for the movi ...
, ''Savage Frontier''. She was offered a role in ''
Innocents in Paris
''Innocents in Paris'' is a 1953 British-French international co-production comedy film produced by Romulus Films, directed by Gordon Parry and starring Alastair Sim, Ronald Shiner, Claire Bloom, Margaret Rutherford, Claude Dauphin, and Jimmy ...
'' (1953) but ultimately did not appear in the film.
Back in the US, she had an adventure film set in the desert, ''
Fort Algiers
''Fort Algiers'' is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Theodore St John. The film reused action sequences from ''Outpost in Morocco'' (1949) and starred Yvonne De Carlo, Carlos Thompson, Raymond Burr, Le ...
'' (1953), for
United Artists
United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the stud ...
, starring
Carlos Thompson
Juan Carlos Mundin-Schaffter, known as Carlos Thompson, (7 June 1923 – 10 October 1990) was an Argentine actor.
Career
Of German and Swiss descent, he played leading roles on stage and in films in Argentina. He went to Hollywood in the 1950s ...
, whom de Carlo had recommended.
She made her third film in Britain with '' The Captain's Paradise'' (1953), a comedy featuring the two wives a ship captain (played by Alec Guinness) keeps in separate ports. De Carlo played Nita, the sensual wife who lives in Morocco, while Celia Johnson played Maud, the demure wife who lives in Gibraltar. ''The New York Times'' critic
Bosley Crowther
Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though his ...
commended her performance by writing, "And Miss De Carlo, as the siren, 'the mate of the tiger' in Mr. G. uinness is wonderfully candid and suggestive of the hausfrau in every dame."
De Carlo made a fourth film in England, '' Happy Ever After'' (1954) with
David Niven
James David Graham Niven (; 1 March 1910 – 29 July 1983) was a British actor, soldier, memoirist, and novelist. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance as Major Pollock in '' Separate Tables'' (1958). Niven's other roles ...
, then was called back to the US to do a contemporary comedy on TV, '' The Backbone of America'' (1953) with
Wendell Corey
Wendell Reid Corey (March 20, 1914 – November 8, 1968) was an American actor and politician. He was President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and was a board member of the Screen Actors Guild.
Biography Early years
Corey was ...
. In 1954, after the success of ''The Captain's Paradise'', she expressed a desire to do more comedy:
I've had my share of sirens and am happy to get away from them, no matter what the part. Just to look pretty on the screen as a romantic lead is probably all right, but – so what? I'd much rather do something in a good Western provided there's plenty of action. Action is what I like.
De Carlo went back to Universal to make a Western with McCrea, ''
Border River
''Border River'' is a 1954 American Western film directed by George Sherman and starring Joel McCrea, Yvonne De Carlo and Pedro Armendáriz.
Plot
During the US Civil War, Clete Mattson arrives in Zona Libre, a small territory across the river ...
'' (1954), directed by Sherman. She went to Italy for ''
The Contessa's Secret
''The Contessa's Secret'' (french: La Castiglione, it, La Contessa di Castiglione) is a 1954 French-Italian film starring Yvonne De Carlo as Virginia Oldoini, Countess of Castiglione.
Plot
Cast
* Yvonne De Carlo as Virginia Oldoini
* Georges ...
'' (1954) and returned to Hollywood for the independently produced '' Passion'' (1954). She wrote a 42-page treatment for a science-fiction film ''Operation Sram'', which was not made. De Carlo made the Western '' Shotgun'' (1955) with
Sterling Hayden
Sterling Walter Hayden (born Sterling Relyea Walter; March 26, 1916 – May 23, 1986) was an American actor, author, sailor and decorated Marine Corps officer and an Office of Strategic Services' agent during World War II. A leading man for mos ...
for Allied Artists. She did "Hot Cargo" for ''
Screen Director's Playhouse
''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadcas ...
'' (1956) with
Rory Calhoun
Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922April 28, 1999) was an American film and television actor. He starred in numerous Westerns in the 1950s and 1960s, and appeared in supporting roles in films such as '' How to Marry a Milli ...
directed by
Tay Garnett
William Taylor "Tay" Garnett (June 13, 1894 – October 3, 1977) was an American film director and writer.
Biography Early life
Born in Los Angeles, Garnett attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a naval aviator in Wo ...
.
De Carlo made her third film for Universal under her new contract in ''
Raw Edge
''Raw Edge'' is a 1956 American Western film directed by John Sherwood starring Rory Calhoun, Yvonne de Carlo, Mara Corday.
It marked the movie debut of John Gavin under the name "John Gilmore".
Plot
In 1842, before law and order has come ...
Magic Fire
''Magic Fire'' is a 1955 American biographical film about the life of composer Richard Wagner, released by Republic Pictures.
Directed by William Dieterle, the film made extensive use of Wagner's music, which was arranged by Erich Wolfgang Korng ...
'' (1956). On TV she was in "The Sainted General" for ''
Star Stage
''Star Stage'' is a half-hour American television anthology series that began on September 9, 1955, and ended on September 7, 1956.
It was sponsored on alternate weeks by Chesebrough-Ponds and Campbell Soup Company and hosted by Jeffrey Lynn, ...
Flame of the Islands
''Flame of the Islands'' is a 1956 American film noir crime film directed by Edward Ludwig and starring Yvonne De Carlo, Howard Duff, and Zachary Scott.
Plot
In New York City, Rosalind Dee (DeCarlo) is a secretary longing to enter high society. ...
'' (1956), shot in the Bahamas.
''The Ten Commandments'' and last notable film roles (1954–1963)
In September 1954, producer-director Cecil B. DeMille cast her as Sephora, the wife of Moses (played by Charlton Heston), in his biblical epic ''The Ten Commandments'', a Paramount Pictures production that premiered in November 1956. In his autobiography, DeMille explained he decided to cast De Carlo as Moses' wife after his casting director, Bert McKay, called his attention to one scene she played in ''Sombrero''. Even though the film "was a picture far removed in theme from ''The Ten Commandments''", wrote DeMille, "I sensed in her a depth, an emotional power, a womanly strength which the part of Sephora needed and which she gave it."
She prepared extensively for the role, taking weaving lessons at the
University of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California S ...
, and shepherding lessons in the San Fernando Valley. Months before filming began, she had worked on the part with a drama coach. Her scenes were shot on Paramount's sound stages in 1955. Her performance received praise from critics. Crowther, the ''New York Times'' critic, was impressed: "Yvonne De Carlo as the Midianite shepherdess to whom Moses is wed is notably good in a severe role." ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' wrote that she "is very fine as the simple Sephora," and '' New York Daily News'' noticed that she "plays the wife of Moses with conviction." De Carlo was expected to receive an
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Supporting Actress, but she preferred to be listed as a leading actress on the voting ballot and was not nominated in that category. However, she won a Laurel Award for Topliner Supporting Actress for her performance in the film.
She fell in love with stuntman Bob Morgan while visiting the filming of ''The Ten Commandments'' in Egypt in 1954. They married in 1955, and their first son, Bruce, was born in 1956. DeMille became Bruce's godfather. Her second pregnancy meant she had to turn down the role of the female pirate DeMille had given her in his next production, '' The Buccaneer'' (1958).
It was announced she would team with
Vittorio De Sica
Vittorio De Sica ( , ; 7 July 1901 – 13 November 1974) was an Italian film director and actor, a leading figure in the neorealist movement.
Four of the films he directed won Academy Awards: ''Sciuscià'' and ''Bicycle Thieves'' (honorary) ...
in an adaptation of ''
The Baker's Wife
''The Baker's Wife'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a shor ...
'' to be shot in English and Italian but the film was never made. Neither were two projects de Carlo was meant to make in Italy following ''Raw Edge'', ''The Mistress of Lebanon Castle'' with
Trevor Howard
Trevor Wallace Howard-Smith (29 September 1913 – 7 January 1988) was an English stage, film, and television actor. After varied work in the theatre, he achieved star status with his role in the film ''Brief Encounter'' (1945), followed by ''T ...
and ''Honeymoon in Italy''.
Instead De Carlo co-starred with
George Sanders
George Henry Sanders (3 July 1906 – 25 April 1972) was a British actor and singer whose career spanned over 40 years. His heavy, upper-class English accent and smooth, bass voice often led him to be cast as sophisticated but villainous chara ...
and
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva and Magda Gabor.
Gabor competed in the 1933 Miss Hungary pageant, where she ...
in '' Death of a Scoundrel'' (1956). ''The New York Times'' commended her performance as Bridget Kelly: "Yvonne De Carlo does a solid and professional job as the adoring petty thief who rises to eminence with him anders' character" On the small screen she was in "Skits & Sketches" for ''
Shower of Stars
''Shower of Stars'' (also known as ''Chrysler Shower of Stars'') is an American variety television series broadcast live in the United States from 1954 to 1958 by CBS. The series was broadcast in color which was a departure from the usual CBS pr ...
'' (1957). She was also in ''
Schlitz Playhouse
''Schlitz Playhouse of Stars'' is an anthology series that was telecast from 1951 until 1959 on CBS. Offering both Television comedy, comedies and Dramatic programming, drama, the series was sponsored by the Joseph Schlitz Brewing Company. The ti ...
'' (1957)
De Carlo released an LP record of standards called '' Yvonne De Carlo Sings'' on Masterseal Records, a subsidiary label of
Remington Records Remington Records was a low budget record label. It existed from 1950 until 1957 and specialized in classical music. Unfortunately, the discs suffered from considerable surface noise.Soundfountain website
History
The earliest Remington recordings ...
, in 1957. Orchestrated by future film composer John Williams under the pseudonym "John Towner", the album contains ten tracks, "End of a Love Affair", "
In the Blue of Evening "In the Blue of Evening" is a song by Al D'Artega and Tom Adair recorded by Frank Sinatra with the Tommy Dorsey Band and released in 1943. It was subsequently re-recorded by Sinatra, but did not feature on a release until a 1993 reissue of the albu ...
", "
I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good) "I Got It Bad (and That Ain't Good)" is a pop and jazz standard with music by Duke Ellington and lyrics by Paul Francis Webster published in 1941. It was introduced in the musical revue ''Jump for Joy'' by Ivie Anderson, who also provided the v ...
One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)
"One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" is a hit song written by Harold Arlen and Johnny Mercer for the movie musical '' The Sky's the Limit'' (1943) and first performed in the film by Fred Astaire.
Background
Harold Arlen described the so ...
".
As a result of the great success and positive reviews of ''The Ten Commandments'', De Carlo was offered lead roles in two
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
films that would be shot at the same time: ''
The Helen Morgan Story
''The Helen Morgan Story'', released in the UK as ''Both Ends of the Candle'', is a 1957 American biographical film directed by Michael Curtiz starring Ann Blyth and Paul Newman.
The screenplay by Oscar Saul, Dean Riesner, Stephen Longstreet, ...
'' and ''
Band of Angels
''Band of Angels'' is a 1957 psychological drama film set in the American South before and during the American Civil War, based on the 1955 novel of the same name by Robert Penn Warren. It starred Clark Gable, Yvonne De Carlo and Sidney Poitier ...
'', based on
Robert Penn Warren
Robert Penn Warren (April 24, 1905 – September 15, 1989) was an American poet, novelist, and literary critic and was one of the founders of New Criticism. He was also a charter member of the Fellowship of Southern Writers. He founded the liter ...
's novel. De Carlo chose the latter because her co-star would be
Clark Gable
William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American film actor, often referred to as "The King of Hollywood". He had roles in more than 60 motion pictures in multiple genres during a career that lasted 37 years, three decades ...
, one of her favorite actors. The title refers to the short life expectancy of the black soldiers who fought with the Union troops in the Civil War, but the story is mainly about Amantha "Manty" Starr, a mixed-race
Southern belle
Southern belle () is a colloquialism for a debutante in the planter class of the Antebellum South.
Characteristics
The image of a Southern belle is often characterized by fashion elements such as a hoop skirt, a corset, pantalettes, a wi ...
who is sold as a slave after her father's death and discovers that her deceased mother was a black slave on her father's plantation. Amantha is then taken to
where she is bought by plantation owner Hamish Bond (Gable), who falls in love with her. The film was both a critical and financial disappointment at the time of release.
De Carlo was in "Verdict of Three" for '' Playhouse 90'' (1958). She made a
French Foreign Legion
The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, Armoured Cavalry Arm, cavalry, Military engineering, engineers, Airborne forces, airborne troops. It was created ...
movie with
Victor Mature
Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include ''One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darlin ...
, ''
Timbuktu
Timbuktu ( ; french: Tombouctou;
Koyra Chiini: ); tmh, label=Tuareg, script=Tfng, ⵜⵏⴱⴾⵜ, Tin Buqt a city in Mali, situated north of the Niger River. The town is the capital of the Tombouctou Region, one of the eight administrativ ...
'', directed by
Jacques Tourneur
Jacques Tourneur (; November 12, 1904 – December 19, 1977) was a French film director known for the classic film noir ''Out of the Past'' and a series of low-budget horror films he made for RKO Studios, including ''Cat People (1942 film), Cat ...
(1958). She unsuccessfully auditioned for the Broadway musical ''
Destry Rides Again
''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Hervey ...
'' losing out to
Dolores Gray
Dolores Gray (born Sylvia Dolores Finkelstein; June 7, 1924 – June 26, 2002) was an American actress and singer. She was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Lead Actress in a Musical twice, winning once.
Early life
She was born as Sylvia ...
.
In May 1958, De Carlo was signed to play Mary Magdalene in the Italian biblical epic ''
The Sword and the Cross
''The Sword and the Cross'' ( it, La spada e la croce) is a 1958 Italian religious drama film directed by Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia and starring Yvonne De Carlo as Mary Magdalene. Shot in English and later dubbed in Italian, the film was released ...
'' (tentatively titled ''The Great Sinner'' and released in the United States as ''Mary Magdalene''), with
Jorge Mistral
Modesto Llosas Rosell (24 November 1920 – 20 April 1972) known professionally as Jorge Mistral was a Spanish film actor. During the 1940s, he became a star in films produced by CIFESA. In the 1950s, he lived and worked in México and ap ...
as her love interest, the Roman Gaius Marcellus, and
Rossana Podestà
Rossana Podestà (born Carla Dora Podestà; 20 June 1934 – 10 December 2013) was an Italian actress who worked mainly in Italy from the 1950s to the 1970s.
Biography
Podestà was born in Tripoli in the Italian colony of Libya. She spent her f ...
as her sister, Martha. The film's director,
Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia
Carlo Ludovico Bragaglia (8 July 1894 – 4 January 1998) was an Italian film director whose career spanned from the 1930s to the mid-1960s. He mainly directed adventure pictures and popular comedies, including some starring Totò. His 1942 ...
, later remembered that "producer, Ottavio Poggi, had sent the provisional script to America, so Yvonne De Carlo could read it and decide on her participation in the film. She read it and got very excited, agreeing to play the role of Magdalene." The film was shot in English and later dubbed in Italian.
De Carlo put together a nightclub act and toured with it in South America. She guest-starred on '' Bonanza'' ("A Rose for Lotta", 1959), '' Adventures in Paradise'' ("Isle of Eden", 1960), ''
Death Valley Days
''Death Valley Days'' is an American old-time radio and television anthology series featuring true accounts of the American Old West, particularly the Death Valley country of southeastern California. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program ...
'' ("The Lady Was an M.D", 1961), '' Follow the Sun'' ("The Longest Crap Game in History"
961
Year 961 (Roman numerals, CMLXI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Byzantine Empire
* March 6 – Siege of Chandax: Byzantine forces under Nikephoro ...
and "Annie Beeler's Place", 1962) and '' Burke's Law'' ("Who Killed Beau Sparrow?", 1963). She also played ''Destry Rides Again'' in summer stock.
De Carlo's husband had become permanently disabled while working as a stunt man on '' How the West Was Won'' (1963), eventually losing his leg. De Carlo took any job going, appearing in night club acts across the country as well as a play in stock, ''Third Best Sport''.
To help out, John Wayne offered her the supporting role of Louise Warren, the title character's cook in ''
McLintock!
:''See also McClintock (disambiguation)''
''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kru ...
'' (1963), with Wayne and Maureen O'Hara. She was second billed in a Western '' Law of the Lawless'' (1964) and played the Spanish dancer Dolores in the
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
comedy '' A Global Affair'' (1964).
De Carlo was in "The Night the Monkey Died" for '' The Greatest Show on Earth'' (1964). She took over a role on '' Enter Laughing'' on Broadway for a week, and played in it when the production went on tour.
Later career
''The Munsters'' (1964–1966)
She was in debt by 1964 when she signed a contract with
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Americ ...
to perform the female lead role in ''
The Munsters
''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...
'' opposite
Fred Gwynne
Frederick Hubbard Gwynne (July 10, 1926 – July 2, 1993) was an American actor, artist and author widely known for his roles in the 1960s television sitcoms ''Car 54, Where Are You?'' as Francis Muldoon and as Herman Munster in ''The Munsters'' ...
. She was also the producers' choice to play
Lily Munster
Lily Munster (née Dracula) is a fictional character in the CBS sitcom, ''The Munsters'', originally played by Yvonne De Carlo. The matriarch of the Munster household, Lily is a vampire. The role was later played by Lee Meriwether in ''The Munste ...
when
Joan Marshall
Joan Marshall (born Joan Schrepfermann; June 6, 1931 – June 28, 1992) was an American film and television actress. She is best known for her appearances in ''The Twilight Zone's'' " Dead Man's Shoes", and '' Star Trek's'' "Court Martial".
...
, who played the character (originally called "Phoebe"), was dropped from consideration for the role. When De Carlo was asked how a glamorous actress could succeed as a ghoulish matriarch of a haunted house, she replied simply, "I follow the directions I received on the first day of shooting: 'Play her just like ''
Donna Reed
Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger; January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in ...
''.'" She sang and played the harp in at least one episode ("Far Out Munsters") of ''The Munsters''.
After the show's cancellation, she reprised her role as Lily Munster in the
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
film '' Munster, Go Home!'' (1966), partially in hopes of renewing interest in the sitcom. Despite the attempt, ''The Munsters'' was cancelled after 70 episodes. Of the sitcom and its cast and crew, she said: "It was a happy show with audience appeal for both children and adults. It was a happy show behind the scenes, too; we all enjoy working with each other." Years later, in 1987, she said: "I think Yvonne De Carlo was more famous than Lily, but I gained the younger audience through ''The Munsters''. And it was a steady job."
Stage work and ''Follies'' (1967–1973)
After ''The Munsters'', she guest-starred in "The Moulin Ruse Affair" in '' The Girl from U.N.C.L.E.'' (1967) and "The Raiders" for ''
Custer
George Armstrong Custer (December 5, 1839 – June 25, 1876) was a United States Army officer and cavalry commander in the American Civil War and the American Indian Wars.
Custer graduated from West Point in 1861 at the bottom of his class, b ...
'' (1967) and episodes of '' The Virginian''.
She starred in ''
Hostile Guns
''Hostile Guns'' is a 1967 Western starring George Montgomery, Tab Hunter and Yvonne de Carlo.
Plot
Cast
* George Montgomery as Sheriff Gid McCool
*Tab Hunter as Mike Reno
*Yvonne De Carlo as Laura Mannon
*Brian Donlevy as Marshal Willett
* ...
'' (1967) and ''
Arizona Bushwhackers
''Arizona Bushwhackers'' is a 1968 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and starring Howard Keel, Yvonne de Carlo, John Ireland, Marilyn Maxwell, Scott Brady and Brian Donlevy.A. C. Lyles
Andrew Craddock Lyles Jr. (May 17, 1918 – September 27, 2013) was an American film producer for Paramount Pictures, who is best known for producing a variety of Westerns in the 1950s and '60s.
Career
Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Lyles began ...
and released by Paramount Pictures. During this time, she also had a supporting role in the 1968 thriller '' The Power''.
After 1967, De Carlo became increasingly active in musicals, appearing in off-Broadway productions of '' Pal Joey'' and ''Catch Me If You Can''. In early 1968 she joined
Donald O'Connor
Donald David Dixon Ronald O'Connor (August 28, 1925 – September 27, 2003) was an American dancer, singer and actor. He came to fame in a series of films in which he co-starred with Gloria Jean, Peggy Ryan, and Francis the Talking Mule.
His b ...
in a 15-week run of '' Little Me'' staged between Lake Tahoe and Las Vegas and she did a five-month tour in '' Hello Dolly''. Later she toured in '' Cactus Flower''.
De Carlo continued to appear in films such as '' The Delta Factor'' (1970) and had a notable part in
Russ Meyer
Russell Albion Meyer (March 21, 1922 – September 18, 2004) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. He is known primarily for writing and directing a series of successful sexploitation films that fea ...
's '' The Seven Minutes'' (1971). The ''Los Angeles Times'' said about the latter that De Carlo featured in "an improbable sequence pulled off with verve by the still glamorous star."
Her defining stage role was as "Carlotta Campion" in
Harold Prince
Harold Smith Prince (born Harold Smith; January 30, 1928 – July 31, 2019), commonly known as Hal Prince, was an American theatre director and producer known for his work in musical theatre.
One of the foremost figures in 20th century America ...
Follies
''Follies'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman.
The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on the ''Ziegfeld Fol ...
'' in 1971–72. Playing a washed-up star at a reunion of old theater colleagues, she introduced the song " I'm Still Here". De Carlo said she was told the part was written especially for her.
In October 1972, De Carlo arrived in Australia to replace
Cyd Charisse
Cyd Charisse (born Tula Ellice Finklea; March 8, 1922 – June 17, 2008) was an American actress and dancer.
After recovering from polio as a child and studying ballet, Charisse entered films in the 1940s. Her roles usually featured her abilit ...
No, No, Nanette
''No, No, Nanette'' is a musical comedy with lyrics by Irving Caesar and Otto Harbach, music by Vincent Youmans, and a book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, based on Mandel's 1919 Broadway play ''My Lady Friends''. The farcical story involves t ...
''. Her opening night was on November 6, 1972, at
Her Majesty's Theatre
Her Majesty's Theatre is a West End theatre situated on Haymarket in the City of Westminster, London. The present building was designed by Charles J. Phipps and was constructed in 1897 for actor-manager Herbert Beerbohm Tree, who established t ...
in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. The show moved on to
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, Sydney, and then to several New Zealand cities. It closed in the fall of 1973, and De Carlo returned to the United States.
In late 1973 and early 1974, she starred in a production of
Ben Bagley
Ben Bagley (October 18, 1933 – March 21, 1998) was an American musical producer and record producer.
Career
Born in Burlington, Vermont, Bagley moved to New York during the early 1950s, and in 1955, at age 22, he produced his first hit, ''Shoe ...
's ''Decline and Fall of the Entire World as Seen Through the Eyes of Cole Porter'' in San Diego.
In May 1975, she starred in the San Bernardino Civic Light Opera's production of ''
Applause
Applause (Latin ''applaudere,'' to strike upon, clap) is primarily a form of ovation or praise expressed by the act of clapping, or striking the palms of the hands together, in order to create noise. Audiences usually applaud after a performanc ...
The San Bernardino Sun
''The San Bernardino Sun'' is a paid daily newspaper in San Bernardino County. Founded in 1894, it has significant circulation in neighboring Riverside County, and serves most of the Inland Empire in Southern California, with a circulation area ...
'' described her performance as "brilliant" and wrote, "a packed house watched Yvonne De Carlo give a new dimension to Margo Channing, a part she was playing for the first time, but nonetheless, a part she was very well suited for."
Later career (1974–1995)
De Carlo appeared in ''
The Girl on the Late, Late Show
''The Girl on the Late, Late Show'' is a 1974 American TV film directed by Gary Nelson. It was designed as a pilot of a weekly TV series starring Don Murray.
Plot
A man tries to track down an old screen star.
Cast
* Don Murray as William Martin ...
Satan's Cheerleaders
''Satan's Cheerleaders'' is a 1977 American comedy horror film directed by Greydon Clark and starring John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo, and John Carradine.Nocturna'' (1979), '' Guyana: Cult of the Damned'' (1979), ''Fuego negro'' (1979), '' The Silent Scream'' (1979) and ''
The Man with Bogart's Face
''The Man with Bogart's Face'' (also called ''Sam Marlowe, Private Eye'') is a 1980 American comedy film, released by 20th Century Fox and based on a novel of the same name. Andrew J. Fenady, author of the novel, produced the film and wrote the s ...
'' (1980). She guest-starred on shows like ''
Fantasy Island
''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. ...
''.
De Carlo was in ''
The Munsters' Revenge
''The Munsters' Revenge'' is a 1981 American made-for-television science fiction comedy film based on the 1964–1966 sitcom ''The Munsters'' which reunited original cast members Fred Gwynne, Yvonne De Carlo and Al Lewis. It was the last film ...
'' (1981), then ''
Liar's Moon
''Liar's Moon'' is a 1982 film directed by David Fisher and starring Matt Dillon, Cindy Fisher, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Hoyt Axton. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers in 1940s Texas—a working-class teen and the banker's daughter who ...
'' (1982), '' Play Dead'' (1982), ''Vultures'' (1984), ''
Flesh and Bullets
''Flesh and Bullets'' is a 1985 crime film written, produced, edited and directed by Carlos Tobalina (filmmaker), Carlos Tobalina. It features Yvonne de Carlo, Aldo Ray, Cesar Romero, Cornel Wilde, Colleen Brennan, Bill Cable, and Robert Z'Dar in ...
'' (1985), and ''
A Masterpiece of Murder
''A Masterpiece of Murder'' is a 1986 American TV movie starring Bob Hope and Don Ameche.
It was Hope's first and only made-for-TV movie.
Plot
A retired private eye teams up with a former jewel thief to solve a murder.
Cast
*Bob Hope as Dan Dola ...
'' (1986) (with
Bob Hope
Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
Cellar Dweller
''Cellar Dweller'' is a 1988 American monster horror film about a comic book artist who unleashes a demon after drawing it. It was directed by John Carl Buechler, written by Don Mancini (credited as Kit Du Bois), and stars Debrah Farentino and ...
'' (1988); and '' Mirror Mirror'' (1990). She had a supporting role as the title character's Aunt Rosa in the Sylvester Stallone comedy ''
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
'' (1991). Aunt Rosa is present when Oscar's father, played by Kirk Douglas, extracts "a deathbed promise" from his son. Of her role, De Carlo said, "Mine is a small part—but funny."
She appeared in '' Murder, She Wrote'' ("Jessica Behind Bars", 1985), '' The Naked Truth'' (1992), '' Seasons of the Heart'' (1993), and "Death of Some Salesmen" in ''
Tales from the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt may refer to:
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo
* ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s
** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
'' (1993). She had a small cameo role in ''
Here Come the Munsters
''Here Come the Munsters'' is a television film that aired on Fox October 31, 1995. It stars Edward Herrmann, Christine Taylor and Veronica Hamel. The film tells the story of the Munster family's arrival in the US from Transylvania. This is an ...
'', a 1995 television film remake of ''The Munsters''. De Carlo, along with Al Lewis, Pat Priest, and
Butch Patrick
Butch Patrick (born Patrick Alan Lilley; August 2, 1953) is an American actor and musician. Beginning his professional acting career at the age of seven, Patrick is perhaps best known for his role as child werewolf Eddie Munster on the CBS comed ...
, did not have to wear costumes "because the Munsters have several lives."
Her final performance was as Norma, "an eccentric
Norma Desmond
''Sunset Boulevard'' (styled in the main title on-screen as ''SUNSET BLVD.'') is a 1950 American black comedy film noir directed and co-written by Billy Wilder, and produced and co-written by Charles Brackett. It was named after a major street ...
lookalike", in the 1995 television film ''
The Barefoot Executive
''The Barefoot Executive'' (also known as ''The Rating Game'') is a 1971 American comedy film starring Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally Cox, Heather North, Harry Morgan, and John Ritter (in his film debut), about a pet chimpanzee, named Raffles, ...
'', a Disney Channel remake of the 1971 film of the same title. Norma, a former stand-in for film actors, "monkey-sits" the title character, a chimpanzee named Archie who is able to predict top-rated television series. "She has these outrageous costumes—six of them—and it's just a small part", De Carlo told ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
''. "But I like to do small things now."
In 2007, her son Bruce revealed that, before her death, she played supporting roles in two independent films that have yet to be released.
Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California. A notable and historic suburb of Greater Los Angeles, it is in a wealthy area immediately southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. ...
. De Carlo described it as her "dream home" and hired an architect to help her design "an English-style dining room, with paneling and stained-glass windows." She also built stables for her horses and a large swimming pool. She sold the property in 1975. In 1981, she moved to a ranch in the
Santa Ynez Valley
The Santa Ynez Valley is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley from east to west. The Santa Ynez Val ...
, near
Solvang, California
Solvang (; ) is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. The population was 6,126 at the 2020 census, up from 5,245 at the 2010 census. Solvang was founded in 1911 and incorporated as a city on May ...
.
Relationships
In her autobiography, De Carlo considered director
Billy Wilder
Billy Wilder (; ; born Samuel Wilder; June 22, 1906 – March 27, 2002) was an Austrian-American filmmaker. His career in Hollywood spanned five decades, and he is regarded as one of the most brilliant and versatile filmmakers of Classic Hol ...
"the first big love of my life". They met in 1943 when she was under contract to Paramount Pictures. Although she described him as the physical "antithesis of my lifelong dream man", she fell in love with him and admired his "endless charm and wit". He was separated from his wife and lived in a rented house while they were together. Their short-lived relationship ended when he left her for actress
Doris Dowling
Doris Dowling (May 15, 1923 – June 18, 2004) was an American actress of film, stage and television. Best known for the films ''The Crimson Key'' (1946) and ''Bitter Rice'' (1949). Also known for playing Irene Adams on ''My Living Doll'' (196 ...
.
In 1945, after the release of her second film, ''Frontier Gal'', De Carlo returned to Vancouver and attended a celebration held in her honor at her former workplace, the Palomar nightclub, where she was introduced to billionaire
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 later discovered he had flown directly from Los Angeles because he wanted to meet her outside of Hollywood. Hughes told her he had seen ''Salome, Where She Danced'' more than five times and was enthralled by her beauty. De Carlo initially "felt just kind of sorry" for the "lanky, underfed, and remarkably sad" Hughes. The following day they went out on a date and began a romantic relationship. Hughes preferred to keep their romance private and never mentioned it to the press. De Carlo wanted to marry him but he was not serious about their relationship. De Carlo later wrote, "Howard Hughes was one of the most important loves of my life".
After her breakup with Hughes, De Carlo dated
Robert Stack
Robert Stack (born Charles Langford Modini Stack; January 13, 1919 – May 14, 2003) was an American actor. Known for his deep voice and commanding presence, he appeared in over forty feature films. He starred in the highly successful ABC tele ...
and Burt Lancaster, her ''Criss Cross'' co-star. During the filming of ''Brute Force'', De Carlo fell in love with her co-star, fellow Universal contract player Howard Duff. Despite the fact that they "had almost nothing in common," Duff was interested in marrying De Carlo and the studio approved their relationship. In April 1947, De Carlo announced her engagement to Duff, but they eventually separated due to his alcoholism.
De Carlo met Prince
Abdul Reza Pahlavi
Abdul Reza Pahlavi ( fa, عبدالرضا پهلوی; 19 August 1924 – 11 May 2004) was a member of Iran's Pahlavi dynasty. He was a son of Reza Shah and a half-brother of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Early life and education
Abdul Reza Pahlavi was ...
of Iran when he visited Beverly Hills in 1947. A week later, they traveled to New York and spent some time together. After the completion of her film ''Casbah'', De Carlo embarked on her first trip to Europe, reuniting with Prince Abdul in Paris. They vacationed in Switzerland and Italy, and, several months later, De Carlo also visited the royal palace in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
.
In the late 1940s, De Carlo began a relationship with
Jock Mahoney
Jacques Joseph O'Mahoney (February 7, 1919 – December 14, 1989), known professionally as Jock Mahoney, was an American actor and stuntman. He starred in two Action/Adventure television series, ''The Range Rider'' and ''Yancy Derringer''. He ...
, a stuntman who worked on her film ''The Gal Who Took the West''. While she was engaged to Mahoney, De Carlo became pregnant and also discovered she had a large
ovarian cyst
An ovarian cyst is a fluid-filled sac within the ovary. Often they cause no symptoms. Occasionally they may produce bloating, lower abdominal pain, or lower back pain. The majority of cysts are harmless. If the cyst either breaks open or causes ...
. The tumor was surgically removed and, as a result, she lost the baby. Her relationship with Mahoney ended when De Carlo found out he was seeing another woman, actress
Margaret Field
Margaret Field (née Morlan; May 10, 1922 – November 6, 2011) was an American film actress usually billed as Maggie Mahoney after her marriage to actor Jock Mahoney. The mother of actress Sally Field, she was best known for her work in two scie ...
.
In the 1950s, one of her fiancés was English photographer Cornel Lucas. In early 1954, she informed columnist Erskine Johnson about her engagement to Scottish actor Robert Urquhart, her co-star in ''Happy Ever After''. She said, "I'm just getting settled down into feeling that I'm ready for marriage. Before, I felt that I wasn't ready."
In the spring of 1954, she told a journalist:
I think it is wonderful to work. I dedicate more time now than ever to study. I really like to delve deeply into the characters and the stories in order to make the most of each part I play. It seems best to remain free of any serious romantic attachments under these circumstances. I will have to meet an exceptional and understanding person, indeed, before I think of marriage. I haven't met such a person yet.
Marriage
De Carlo met stuntman Robert Drew "Bob" Morgan on the set of ''Shotgun'' in 1955, but he was married and had a child, daughter Bari Lee, and De Carlo had "no intention of causing that marriage to break up." However, they met again, after the death of Morgan's wife, on the set of ''The Ten Commandments'' in Egypt, where they "seemed immediately attracted to each other." They were married on November 21, 1955, at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church in
Reno, Nevada
Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...
. De Carlo raised Bari as her own and had two sons with Morgan: Bruce Ross, whose godfather was
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cine ...
; and Michael.
Bob Morgan was seriously injured and almost died while performing a stunt in the film ''How the West Was Won'' (1962). Toward the end of the film, there is a gunfight on a moving train between the marshal and a gang of train robbers. Doubling for the actor who played the marshal, Morgan was told to hold on to a log and sway between two flatcars, one of them carrying several tons of timber. The chains holding the logs together snapped, and Morgan was crushed by the falling logs. He was so badly hurt it took him five years to recover to the point where he was able to move by himself and walk unaided. Because his contract with
MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
assumed no responsibility for the accident, De Carlo and Morgan filed a $1.4 million lawsuit against the studio, claiming her husband was permanently disabled.
After the accident, De Carlo worked arduously to support her family and was often away from home, touring with stage productions or performing in nightclubs. Morgan's constant arguing strained their marriage and De Carlo even considered divorcing her husband in 1968. When she returned home after a New Zealand tour of ''No, No, Nanette'', she filed for divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences. They were divorced in July 1973.
Political views
De Carlo, a
naturalized citizen
Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-citizen of a country may acquire citizenship or nationality of that country. It may be done automatically by a statute, i.e., without any effort on the part of the in ...
of the United States, was an active
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
who campaigned for
Richard Nixon
Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...
,Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford. In her autobiography, she recounted the time when she "loved to give interviews, and enjoyed being outspoken, or 'good copy,' openly discussing my survival instincts and admitting my to-the-right-of-right politics."
A conservative, she stated in a 1976 television interview with the CBC: "I'm all for men and I think they ought to stay up there and be the bosses, and have women wait on them hand and foot and put their slippers on and hand them the pipe and serve seven-course meals; as long as they open the door, support the woman, and do their duty in the bedroom, et cetera."
Religion
De Carlo's maternal grandparents came from distinct religious backgrounds: He was
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
and she was
Presbyterian
Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...
. They raised her as an Anglican; she was a member and chorister of Vancouver's St. Paul's Anglican Church.
In her autobiography, De Carlo wrote about her faith in God: "God has saved me and mine from some pretty sticky situations. For me, religion is a little like being a Republican or a Democrat. It's not the party that counts, it's the man. Therefore, I care not what house of worship I enter, be it Catholic, Presbyterian, or Baptist. I elected God a long time ago and I'll stick with Him, because I don't think His term will ever be up."
Health and death
De Carlo suffered a minor stroke in 1998. She later became a resident of the
Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital
In physics, motion is the phenomenon in which an object changes its position with respect to time. Motion is mathematically described in terms of displacement, distance, velocity, acceleration, speed and frame of reference to an observer and me ...
, in Woodland Hills, where she spent her last years. She died from heart failure on January 8, 2007, and was cremated.
Awards and honors
* In 1946, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' named her one of the three "top new Hollywood stars" of 1945, along with
Lizabeth Scott
Lizabeth Virginia Scott (born Emma Matzo; September 29, 1921 – January 31, 2015) was an American actress, singer and model for the Walter Thornton Model Agency, known for her "smoky voice" and being "the most beautiful face of film noir durin ...
and Lauren Bacall: "Miss de Carlo is definitely a personality. She has proved this in Universal's ''Salome, Where She Danced'', and followed this appearance as star in hesame company's ''Frontier Gal''. She is a controversial figure, but she's managed to come out a star during discussions."
* She was a medalist in '' Boxoffice Barometer'' The All-American Screen Favorites of 1946 list.
* She was a medalist in ''Boxoffice Barometer'' The All-American Screen Favorites of 1947 list.
* In 1947,
Max Factor
Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Maksymilian Faktorowicz.
Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billion in 2017 dolla ...
's chief hair stylist, Fred Fredericks, named her one of the 10 "best tressed" film actresses.
* In 1950, the Camera Club of America voted her "Sexnicolor Queen of the Screen" "for putting more sex ppealinto
Technicolor
Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades.
Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...
than any other star."
* In 1957, she won a Laurel Award for Topliner Supporting Actress for ''
The Ten Commandments
The Ten Commandments ( Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...
'' (1956).
* In 1957, she received a BoxOffice Blue Ribbon Award for ''The Ten Commandments'' (1956).
* In 1960, she was awarded two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The motion picture star is on the south side of the 6100 block of Hollywood Boulevard. The television star is on the north side of the 6700 block of Hollywood Boulevard.
* In 1964, she received a second BoxOffice Blue Ribbon Award for ''
McLintock!
:''See also McClintock (disambiguation)''
''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kru ...
TV Land Award
The TV Land Icon Awards was an American television awards ceremony that generally commemorates shows now off the air, rather than in current production as with the Emmys. Created by Executive Producer Michael Levitt, the awards were hosted and bro ...
for ''
The Munsters
''The Munsters'' is an American sitcom depicting the home life of a family of benign monsters. The series starred Fred Gwynne as Frankenstein's monsterEpisodes referring to the fact that Herman is Frankenstein's monster include #55, "Just Anoth ...
''.
In popular culture
* In the 1954 ''
I Love Lucy
''I Love Lucy'' is an American television sitcom that originally aired on CBS from October 15, 1951, to May 6, 1957, with a total of 180 half-hour episodes, spanning six seasons. The show starred Lucille Ball, her husband, Desi Arnaz, along wit ...
'' episode "Ricky's Screen Test", Lucy reads in a newspaper that MGM is considering several Hollywood actresses, including Yvonne De Carlo, for the female lead role in Ricky's film ''Don Juan''.
Filmography
Discography
Singles
* "I Love a Man" / "Say Goodbye" ( Columbia, 1950)
* "Take It Or Leave It" / "Three Little Stars" (
Capitol
A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity.
Specific capitols include:
* United States Capitol in Washington, D.C.
* Numerous ...
, 1955)
* "That's Love" / "The Secret of Love" ( Imperial, 1957)
* "I Would Give My Heart" / "Rockin' In The Orbit" (Imperial, 1958)