Rhonda Fleming

"Rhonda Fleming, film star...die at 97." https://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/celebrity/rhonda-fleming-film-star...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhonda_Fleming

Rhonda Fleming

Famed film, television and stage actress, with over 50 appearances to her credit, Rhonda Fleming is also a wife, mother, humanitarian and philanthropist, who is known as Rhonda Fleming Mann.

Born August 10, 1923 in Hollywood, California as Marilyn Louis. Her mother, Effie Graham, was a famous model and actress in New York. Rhonda has appeared in over 40 films, starting with featured roles in David O. Selznick's Spellbound(1945), directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past(1947) and Robert Siodmak's The Spiral Staircase(1946) then led in starring roles in such classics as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court(1949), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral(1957), Home Before Dark(1958), Pony Express(1953), Slightly Scarlet(1956), While the City Sleeps(1956) and The Big Circus(1959).

Surely Technicolor was invented for the express purpose of showing to fullest advantage the flaming red hair of actress Rhonda Fleming. Born into a theatrical family, Fleming made her film bow while still attending high school. She was briefly under contract to producer David O. Selznick, for whom she played her first important film role, the nymphomaniac mental patient in Hitchcock's Spellbound (1946). While working at Paramount from 1947 through 1957, Fleming played opposite such diverse leading men as Bing Crosby (A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court), Bob Hope (The Great Lover), Ronald Reagan (Hong Kong) and Donald O'Connor (The Buster Keaton Story). She fluctuated between good and bad girl roles throughout her Hollywood years, with most of her staunchest devotees preferring the "bad". Closing out her film career in 1969, Fleming briefly entered the business world before making comeback appearances in Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood (1976) and The Nude Bomb (1980). The last two of Rhonda Fleming's five husbands were producer/director Hall Bartlett and theatre-chain executive Ted Mann.

In 1957, Fleming left Paramount in order to freelance. She married her third husband, actor Lang Jeffries, in 1960, and the couple starred in the adventure flick Revolt of the Slaves in 1961. But the marriage was over by the following year. Afterward, Fleming cooled her acting career, taking on roles sporadically throughout the 1960s and 1970s. She married producer Hal Bartlett in 1966 and divorced him in the early 1970s. In 1977, she married producer and theatre-chain owner Ted Mann. Rhonda Fleming officially retired from the screen after her appearance in The Nude Bomb (1980). She is now a philanthropist whose contributions to society include the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer.

Films and pics:

http://www.briansdriveintheater.com/rhondafleming.html

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http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0281766/bio

A native-born Californian, Rhonda Fleming attended Beverly Hills public and private schools. Her mother, Effie Graham, was a famous model and actress in New York. She has a son, Kent Lane, two granddaughters, Kimberly and Kelly, and four great-grandchildren, Wagner, Page, Lane and Cole. She has appeared in over 40 films, starting with featured roles in David O. Selznick's Spellbound (1945), directed by Alfred Hitchcock , Jacques Tourneur's Out of the Past (1947) and Robert Siodmak's _Spiral Staircase, The (1946)_ and leading into starring roles in such classics as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957), Home Before Dark (1958), Pony Express (1953), Slightly Scarlet (1956), While the City Sleeps (1956) and The Big Circus (1959). While Fleming was always a competent actress, she was more renowned for her exquisite beauty, and the camera absolutely adored her. At one time a cameraman on one of her films remarked on how he was so struck by her beauty that, as a gag, he intentionally tried to photograph her badly; he was astonished to discover that no matter how deliberately he botched it, she still came out looking ravishing. Among her co-stars over the years were Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum, Kirk Douglas, Charlton Heston, Glenn Ford, Burt Lancaster, Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Rock Hudson and Ronald Reagan (with whom she made four films).

In addition to motion pictures, Fleming made her Broadway debut in Clare Boothe Luce's "The Women", essayed the role of Lalume in "Kismet" at the Los Angeles Music Center and toured as Madame Dubonnet in "The Boyfriend". She made her stage musical debut in Las Vegas at the opening of the Tropicana Hotel's showroom. Later, she appeared at the Hollywood Bowl in a one-woman concert of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin compositions. She also starred in a national ten-week concert tour with Skitch Henderson, featuring the music of George Gershwin. She has guest-starred on numerous television series, including "Wagon Train" (1957), _"Police Woman" (1974/I)_, "The Love Boat" (1977), Last Hours Before Morning (1975) (TV), and a two-hour special of _"McMillan and Wife" (1971)_. Waiting for the Wind (1990) reunited her with her former co-star, Robert Mitchum.

In private life, Fleming resides in Century City, California, and was married for 23 years to Ted Mann, producer and chairman of Mann Theatres, until his death in January 2001. She is a member and supporter of Childhelp USA, ARCS (Achievement Rewards For College Scientists); a Life Associate of Pepperdine University; a Lifetime Member of the Freedoms Foundation At Valley Forge; a Founding Member of the French Foundation For Alzheimer Research; a Benefactor of the Los Angeles Music Center: and a Member of the Center's Blue Ribbon Board of Directors. She is a Member of the Advisory Board of Olive Crest Treatment Centers For Abused Children and serves as a Board of Directors Trustee of World Opportunities International. Along with Ted Mann, she helped build the Jerusalem Film Institute in Israel. Miss Fleming also is a member of the Board of Trustees of The UCLA Foundation and a member of the Board of Advisors of the REVLON/UCLA Women's Health Research Program. In addition, she created at the City of Hope Hospital The Rhonda Fleming Mann Research Fellowship to further advance research and treatment associated with women's cancer.

In 1991, she and her husband established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic For Women's Comprehensive Care at UCLA Medical Center. This clinic provides a full range of expert gynecologic and obstetric care to women. Since 1992 she has devoted her time to a second facility at UCLA - the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center For Women With Cancer, which opened in early 1994. This Center is the fulfillment of her vision to create a safe, warm place where women cancer patients and their families might receive the highest quality psychosocial and emotional care as well as assistance with the complex practical problems that arise with cancer. In August 1997 the Center opened Reflections, a unique retail store and consultation suite that carries wigs, head coverings, breast prostheses and other items to help men, women and children deal with the physical appearance changes brought on by cancer and its treatments. The staffs of the clinic, center and store are guided by her belief that caring, compassion, communication and commitment are essential components of the healing process.

Rhonda Fleming is married currently to: Darol Wayne Carlson (2003 - present)

She was married to:

Ted Mann, producer, (March 11, 1978 - January 15, 2001) till his death, January 15, 2001

Hall Bartlett, producer, (March 27, 1966 - 1972) (divorced), he died September 7, 1993

Lang Jeffries, actor, (April 3, 1960 - January 11, 1962) (divorced), he died February 12, 1987

Dr. Lew Morrell (July 11, 1952 - 1958) (divorced)

Thomas Lane (? - 1948) (divorced) had 1 son

Trivia:

Mother of Kent Lane actor-

SEE- http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0485410/

Received the Women's International Center (WIC) Living Legacy Award in 1995.

A member of the Westwood Presbyterian Church.

Attended the same High School as Angelina Jolie, Michael Klesic, Nicolas Cage, Lenny Kravitz, David Schwimmer, Jonathan Silverman, Gina Gershon, Jackie Cooper, Rob Reiner, Antonio Sabato Jr., Pauly Shore, Michael Tolkin, Betty White, Corbin Bernsen, Elizabeth Daily, Albert Brooks and Crispin Glover.

She had an older sister, Beverly, who died of cancer. While caring for her sister who was battling ovarian cancer, Rhonda Fleming Mann came to have a first-hand understanding of the complex needs for women with cancer and their families. She was unable to find an effective means to take care of the emotional, spiritual and psychosocial aspects of cancer.

This experience led Rhonda and her husband, Ted Mann, to offer UCLA School of Medicine the means to provide the comprehensive care that she had otherwise found missing. They envisioned a warm, comfortable and safe place where women and their families could receive support and individual services which would be well integrated into expert medical care. In April, 1994, the Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women with Cancer, became a reality.

Rhonda's contributions to the Center continue to be substantial and unique. Her involvement and attention to the creation of a warm, comforting and feminine ambiance is evident throughout and in the spirit among the staff. Guided by Rhonda's vision, they are committed to helping each woman manage her disease with dignity and hope and to provide the highest quality of service.

Along with Ted Mann, producer and founder of Mann Theatres, Rhonda also established the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic for Comprehensive Care at the UCLA Medical Center and the Rhonda Fleming Mann Research Fellowship at the City of Hope to advance research and treatment associated with women's cancer.

Rhonda and Ted support many other charitable organizations as well, including: Childhelp USA, ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) and the French Foundation for Alzheimer Research. Rhonda is a Life Associate of Pepperdine University, a Lifetime member of the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, a benefactor of the Los Angeles Music Center, a Member of the Board of Trustees of World Opportunities International and a Trustee of The UCLA Foundation.

She, Jane Russell, Connie Haines and Beryl Davis were once part of a traveling gospel quartet at their church called "The Four Girls" and made an album called "Make a Joyful Noise" that sold over a million copies.

A one-time Las Vegas showroom singing act at the Tropicana, she also performed at the Hollywood Bowl in a one-woman concert of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin songs. Also did a 10-week tour with Skitch Henderson that focused on the music of George Gershwin. She recorded an album in 1958 for Columbia Records.

Was "discovered" by talent agent Henry Willson while a student at Beverly Hills High.

A lyric soprano, her early singing idol was Deanna Durbin. She was trained in voice by an aunt and entered singing contests.

Her grandfather on her mother's side was a well known actor in Utah, John C. Graham. He also owned a theater and was editor of the local newspaper.

Her mother was a famous Swedish blonde model in New York who made the cover of Harper's and other major magazines, and later appeared in the Al Jolson show "Dancing Around" at the Wintergarden Theater for two years and progressed from understudy to leading role. Her father was a non-professional (insurance man). Her parents divorced when Rhonda was ten.

According to an interview with Ms. Fleming which was featured in an issue of "Films of the Golden Age," writer Paul Phaneuf states that Rhonda's very first taste of Hollywood came when she was 15 years old. Her mother took some pictures of her in their backyard and sent them to big-time Hollywood producer Jesse Lasky for an upcoming show of his. She lost out in the final audition.

Personal Quotes

"What I didn't care for was everything made in those days was black and white, very hard black and white too, there was nothing really pretty about it, even my auburn hair became jet black".

"Mine was a very rare and wonderful Cinderella story, a complete Cinderella story that could have only happened during the studio system era"

Where she is Now - Living in Century City, and still active (since 1993) in the Established Rhonda Fleming Mann Resource Center for Women for Cancer at UCLA.

Nicknamed the "Queen of Technicolor" because her fair complexion and flaming red hair photographed exceptionally well in Technicolor, Rhonda Fleming acted in more than 40 films, mostly in the 1940s and 1950s, and became renowned as one of the most beautiful and glamorous actresses of her day. For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Fleming was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6660 Hollywood Blvd.

She was born Marilyn Louis in Hollywood, California on August 10, 1923 into a theatrical family. Fleming made her film bow while still attending Beverly Hills High School, from which she graduated in 1941.

After appearing uncredited in a several films, she received her first substantial role in the thriller Spellbound (1945), produced by David O. Selznick and directed by Alfred Hitchcock. She followed this with supporting roles in another thriller, The Spiral Staircase (1946), directed by Robert Siodmak, the Randolph Scott western Abilene Town (1946), and the film noir classic Out of the Past (1947) with Robert Mitchum. Her first leading role came in Adventure Island (1947), a low-budget action film made in the two-color Cinecolor process and co-starring Rory Calhoun.

The actress then co-starred with Bing Crosby in her first Technicolor film, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), a musical loosely based on the story by Mark Twain. Fleming exhibited her singing ability, dueting with Crosby on “Once and For Always” and soloing with “When Is Sometime.” She and Crosby recorded these songs for a 78 rpm Decca soundtrack album. She also sang on NBC's Colgate Comedy Hour during the same live telecast that featured Errol Flynn, on September 30, 1951, from the El Capitan Theater in Hollywood.

In 1953, Fleming portrayed Cleopatra in Serpent of the Nile. That same year she appeared in two films shot in 3-D, Inferno with Robert Ryan and the musical Those Redheads From Seattle with Gene Barry. The following year she starred with Fernando Lamas in Jivaro, her third 3-D release.

Among Fleming’s subsequent cinematic credits are Fritz Lang’s While the City Sleeps (1956), co-starring Dana Andrews; Allan Dwan’s Slightly Scarlet, co-starring John Payne and Arlene Dahl; John Sturges’s Gunfight at the O.K. Corral (1957) co-starring Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas and the Irwin Allen / Joseph M. Newman production of The Big Circus (1959), co-starring Victor Mature and Vincent Price. Her most recent film was Waiting for the Wind (1990).

During the 1950s and into the 1960s, Fleming frequently appeared on television with guest-starring roles on The Red Skelton Show, The Best of Broadway, The Investigators, Shower of Stars, The Dick Powell Show, Death Valley Days, Wagon Train, Burke's Law, The Virginian, McMillan & Wife, Police Woman, Kung Fu, Ellery Queen, and The Love Boat. On March 4, 1962, Fleming appeared in one of the last segments of ABC's Follow the Sun in a role opposite Gary Lockwood, who was nearly 14 years her junior. She played a Marine in the episode "Marine of the Month".

In 1958, Fleming again displayed her singing talent when she recorded her only LP, entitled simply Rhonda. In this album, she blended then current songs like "Around The World" with standards such as "Love Me Or Leave Me" and "I've Got You Under My Skin".

In retirement, Fleming has worked for several charities, especially in the field of cancer care, and has served on the committees of many related organizations. In 1991, she and her late husband, Ted Mann, set up the Rhonda Fleming Mann Clinic For Women's Comprehensive Care at the UCLA Medical Center.

Personal life

Rhonda Fleming has been married to:

Darol Wayne Carlson (2003–present)

Ted Mann, producer, (March 11, 1978 - January 15, 2001) till his death, January 15, 2001

Hall Bartlett, producer, (March 27, 1966–1972) (divorced), he died September 7, 1993

Lang Jeffries, actor, (April 3, 1960 - January 11, 1962) (divorced), he died February 12, 1987

Dr. Lew Morrell (July 11, 1952–1958) (divorced)

Thomas Lane (? - 1948) (divorced) had 1 son

She is a devout Presbyterian.

Filmography

1943 In Old Oklahoma Dance-hall girl
1944 Since You Went Away Girl at Dance When Strangers Marry Girl on train 1945 Spellbound Mary Carmichael The Spiral Staircase Blanche 1946 Abilene Town Sherry Balder 1947 Adventure Island Faith Wishart Out of the Past Meta Carson 1949 A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court Alisande La Carteloise The Great Lover Duchess Alexandria 1950 The Eagle and the Hawk Mrs. Madeline Danzeeger 1951 Cry Danger Nancy Morgan The Redhead and the Cowboy Candace Bronson The Last Outpost Julie McQuade Little Egypt Izora Crosswinds Katherine Shelley 1952 Hong Kong Victoria Evans The Golden Hawk Captain Rouge 1953 Tropic Zone Flanders White Serpent of the Nile Cleopatra Pony Express Evelyn Hastings Inferno Geraldine Carson Those Redheads from Seattle Kathie Edmonds 1954 Jivaro Alice Parker Yankee Pasha Roxana Reil 1955 Queen of Babylon Semiramis Tennessee's Partner Elizabeth "Duchess" Farnham 1956 Slightly Scarlet June Lyons The Killer Is Loose Lila Wagner While the City Sleeps Dorothy Kyne Odongo Pamela Muir 1957 Gunfight at the O.K. Corral Laura Denbow The Buster Keaton Story Peggy Courtney Gun Glory Jo 1958 Bullwhip Cheyenne Home Before Dark Joan Carlisle 1959 Alias Jesse James Cora Lee Collins The Big Circus Helen Harrison 1960 The Crowded Sky Cheryl "Charro" Heath La Rivolta degli schiavi Fabiola 1964 Pão de Açúcar The Patsy Herself 1965 Una Moglie americana Nyta 1969 Backtrack! Carmelita Flanagan 1976 Won Ton Ton, the Dog Who Saved Hollywood Rhoda Flaming 1980 The Nude Bomb Edith Von Secondberg 1990 Waiting for the Wind

Television

Colgate Comedy Hour (1951) (guest with Abbott and Costello and Errol Flynn) What's My Line? (1955) (celebrity mystery guest) The Red Skelton Show (1955) (as Phyllis in "Freddy's Romance") Here's Hollywood (1961) (celebrity guest with third husband, Lang Jeffries) The Love Boat (1978) (celebrity guest)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhonda_Fleming