Jeanne Elizabeth Crain (May 25, 1925 – December 14, 2003) was an American actress. She was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Actress The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year ...

for her title role in '' Pinky'' (1949). She also starred in the films '' In the Meantime, Darling'' (1944), '' State Fair'' (1945), '' Leave Her to Heaven'' (1945), '' Centennial Summer'' (1946), '' Margie'' (1946), ''

Apartment for Peggy ''Apartment for Peggy'' is a 1948 American comedy-drama film directed by George Seaton and starring Jeanne Crain, William Holden, and Edmund Gwenn. The plot is about a depressed professor whose spirits are lifted when he rents part of his home to ...

'' (1948), '' A Letter to Three Wives'' (1949), ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bestsel ...

'' (1950), '' People Will Talk'' (1951), '' Man Without a Star'' (1955), '' Gentlemen Marry Brunettes'' (1955), ''

The Fastest Gun Alive ''The Fastest Gun Alive'' is a 1956 MGM Western film starring Glenn Ford, Jeanne Crain, and Broderick Crawford directed by Russell Rouse. Plot Son of a notorious fast-drawing sheriff, George Kelby Jr. (Ford) and his wife Dora (Jeanne Crain) s ...

'' (1956), and ''

The Joker Is Wild ''The Joker Is Wild'' is a 1957 American musical drama film directed by Charles Vidor, starring Frank Sinatra, Mitzi Gaynor, Jeanne Crain, and Eddie Albert, and released by Paramount Pictures. The film is about Joe E. Lewis, the popular si ...

'' (1957).

Early life

Crain was born in Barstow, California, to George A. Crain, a schoolteacher, and Loretta Carr, who were Irish Catholics. By 1930, they were living in

Inglewood, California Inglewood is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 107,762. It was incorporated on February 14, 1908. The city is in the South Bay ...

at 822 S. Walnut Avenue. When her parents divorced in 1934, the family of three moved to 5817 Van Ness Ave in Los Angeles. An excellent ice skater, Crain first attracted attention when she was crowned Miss Pan-Pacific at the Pan-Pacific Auditorium in Los Angeles. Later, while still in high school, she was asked to take a

screen test A screen test is a method of determining the suitability of an actor or actress for performing on film or in a particular role. The performer is generally given a scene, or selected lines and actions, and instructed to perform in front of a came ...

with

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

, but she did not get the part. After high school, she enrolled at UCLA to study drama. In 1943, at age 18, she appeared in a bit part in the film '' The Gang's All Here''.

Career

20th Century Fox

''The Gang's All Here'' was produced by 20th Century Fox. Fox then cast Crain in her first sizable role, in the romantic drama '' Home in Indiana'' (1944) with

Walter Brennan Walter Andrew Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was an American actor and singer. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come and Get It'' (1936), ''Kentucky'' (1938), and '' The Westerner ...

, in which she played the love interest of Lon McCallister's character. The film, shot in Technicolor, was popular at the box office and established Crain as a film name. A delighted Darryl F Zanuck, head of Fox, gave Crain top billing in '' In the Meantime, Darling'' (1944), directed by

Otto Preminger Otto Ludwig Preminger ( , ; 5 December 1905 – 23 April 1986) was an Austrian-American theatre and film director, film producer, and actor. He directed more than 35 feature films in a five-decade career after leaving the theatre. He first gai ...

, where she played a war bride. Her acting was critically panned, but she gained nationwide attention. It resulted in her landing the lead role in ''

The Shocking Miss Pilgrim ''The Shocking Miss Pilgrim'' is a 1947 American musical comedy film in Technicolor written and directed by George Seaton and starring Betty Grable and Dick Haymes. The screenplay, based on a story by Ernest Maas and Frederica Maas, focuses on ...

'' in October 1944, a musical film which was eventually made with

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

as the star. Crain first received critical acclaim when she starred in '' Winged Victory'' (1944). She co-starred in 1945 with

Dana Andrews Carver Dana Andrews (January 1, 1909 – December 17, 1992) was an American film actor who became a major star in what is now known as film noir. A leading man during the 1940s, he continued acting in less prestigious roles and character parts ...

in the musical film '' State Fair'', where Louanne Hogan dubbed Crain's singing. After that, Crain often had singing parts in films, and they were invariably dubbed, usually by Hogan. ''State Fair'' was a hit, as was '' Leave Her to Heaven'' (1945), in which Crain played the "good" sister of her "bad" sibling, played by Gene Tierney, both of whom are in love with

Cornel Wilde Cornel Wilde (born Kornél Lajos Weisz; October 13, 1912 – October 16, 1989) was a Hungarian-American actor and filmmaker. Wilde's acting career began in 1935, when he made his debut on Broadway. In 1936 he began making small, uncredited app ...

's character. Crain became established as one of Fox's bigger stars—so much so that Zanuck refused to let her play the comparatively small part of Clementine in ''

My Darling Clementine ''My Darling Clementine'' is a 1946 American Western film directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda as Wyatt Earp during the period leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral. The ensemble cast also features Victor Mature (as Doc Hol ...

'' (1946). Crain and Wilde were reunited in '' Centennial Summer'' (1946), directed by Preminger, Fox's attempt to match the success of ''

Meet Me in St. Louis ''Meet Me in St. Louis'' is a 1944 American Christmas film, Christmas musical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Divided into a series of seasonal vignettes, starting with Summer 1903, it relates the story of a year in the life of the Smith famil ...

'' (1944). More popular was '' Margie'' (1946), which displayed her ice skating ability, and where she and

Conrad Janis Conrad Janis (February 11, 1928 – March 1, 2022) was a jazz trombonist and actor who starred in film and television during the Golden Age Era in the 1950s and 1960s. He played the role of Mindy McConnell's father, Frederick, on television's ' ...

danced around the ice rink as her boyfriend, played by

Alan Young Alan Young (born Angus Young; November 19, 1919 – May 19, 2016) was a British, Canadian and American actor, comedian, radio host and television host, whom ''TV Guide'' called "the Charlie Chaplin of television". His notable roles includ ...

, slipped and stumbled after them. She made two films in 1948: '' You Were Meant for Me'', a musical with Dan Dailey that may have included

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

's first film appearance; and ''

'', with William Holden.

Career peak

In 1949, Crain was in three films. '' A Letter to Three Wives'' (1949), where she was top-billed, was a solid box-office hit that won Joseph L. Mankiewicz two Oscars and is considered a classic. '' The Fan'', directed by Preminger and based on '' Lady Windermere's Fan'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

, was poorly received. '' Pinky'' brought Crain a nomination for the

, and was one of the year's more popular films; however, it was controversial as it told the story of a light-skinned

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

woman who passed for white in the

Northern United States The Northern United States, commonly referred to as the American North, the Northern States, or simply the North, is a geographical or historical region of the United States. History Early history Before the 19th century westward expansion, the "N ...

. Although

Lena Horne Lena Mary Calhoun Horne (June 30, 1917 – May 9, 2010) was an American dancer, actress, singer, and civil rights activist. Horne's career spanned more than seventy years, appearing in film, television, and theatre. Horne joined the chorus of th ...

and other black actresses were considered, producer Darryl F. Zanuck chose to cast a white actress for fear of racial backlash. Crain had another big success when she starred with

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...

and

Clifton Webb Webb Parmelee Hollenbeck (November 19, 1889 – October 13, 1966), known professionally as Clifton Webb, was an American actor, singer, and dancer. He worked extensively and was known for his stage appearances in the plays of Noël Coward, i ...

in the 1950 biographical film ''

'', although hers was more of a supporting role. She had a cameo as herself in '' I'll Get By'' (1951) and starred in '' Take Care of My Little Girl'' (1951), a mildly popular drama about snobbery in college sororities. Next, Crain paired with

Cary Grant Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one of ...

in the Joseph L. Mankiewicz film of the offbeat comedy/drama '' People Will Talk'' (1951). Despite Crain's intense campaigning for the female lead,

Anne Baxter Anne Baxter (May 7, 1923 – December 12, 1985) was an American actress, star of Hollywood films, Broadway productions, and television series. She won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe, and was nominated for an Emmy. A granddaughter of Fr ...

was initially cast in the part; but when she had to forfeit due to pregnancy, Crain got the role after all. Shortly after, Crain starred in

Charles Brackett Charles William Brackett (November 26, 1892 – March 9, 1969) was an American screenwriter and film producer. He collaborated with Billy Wilder on sixteen films. Life and career Brackett was born in Saratoga Springs, New York, the son of ...

's production '' The Model and the Marriage Broker'' (1951). Cast in May 1951, she was Brackett's first choice. She was reunited with Loy for '' Belles on Their Toes'' (1952), the sequel to ''Cheaper by the Dozen'', and got top billing this time. While still at

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...

, Crain played a young wife losing her mind amid high-seas intrigue in ''

Dangerous Crossing ''Dangerous Crossing'' is a 1953 American film noir mystery film directed by Joseph M. Newman and starring Jeanne Crain and Michael Rennie, based on the 1943 play ''Cabin B-13'' by John Dickson Carr. The plot of the film centers on the gaslig ...

'' (1953), co-starring Michael Rennie. She starred in '' Vicki'' (1953), a remake of '' I Wake Up Screaming''; and Fox tried her in a Western, ''

City of Bad Men ''City of Bad Men'' is a 1953 American Western film directed by Harmon Jones and starring Jeanne Crain and Dale Robertson. Plot A heavyweight championship fight between "Gentleman Jim" Corbett and Bob Fitzsimmons is coming to Carson City, Neva ...

'' (1954). Both films performed only mildly at the box office, and Crain left the studio.

Universal

Crain made '' Duel in the Jungle'' (1954) in Britain and then '' Man Without a Star'' (1955), a Western with

Kirk Douglas Kirk Douglas (born Issur Danielovitch; December 9, 1916 – February 5, 2020) was an American actor and filmmaker. After an impoverished childhood, he made his film debut in '' The Strange Love of Martha Ivers'' (1946) with Barbara Stanwyck. D ...

at Universal, where she played the lead female role of a hard-nosed ranch-owner. She showed her dancing skills in 1955's '' Gentlemen Marry Brunettes'', a quasi-sequel to '' Gentlemen Prefer Blondes'' based on Anita Loos' novel and co-starring Jane Russell. The film was shot partly in Paris and was released in France as ''A Paris Pour les Quatre'' (''To Paris for the Four''), and in Belgium as ''Cevieren Te Parijs''. Later in the 1950s, Crain, Russell, and another actress formed a short-lived singing and dancing lounge act on the Las Vegas Strip. Crain made the Western comedy ''

The Second Greatest Sex ''The Second Greatest Sex'' is a 1955 Western musical comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Jeanne Crain and George Nader. It is a Western version of the play ''Lysistrata'' by Aristophanes. Plot In 1880, men from three Kansas ...

'' (1956), then starred with

Glenn Ford Gwyllyn Samuel Newton "Glenn" Ford (May 1, 1916 – August 30, 2006) was a Canadian-American actor who often portrayed ordinary men in unusual circumstances. Ford was most prominent during Hollywood's Golden Age as one of the biggest box-offi ...

, Russ Tamblyn, and

Broderick Crawford William Broderick Crawford (December 9, 1911 – April 26, 1986) was an American stage, film, radio, and television actor, often cast in tough-guy roles and best known for his Oscar- and Golden Globe-winning portrayal of Willie Stark in ''All th ...

in ''

'' directed by

Russell Rouse Russell Rouse (November 20, 1913 – October 2, 1987) was an American screenwriter, director, and producer who is noted for the "offbeat creativity and originality" of his screenplays and for film noir movies and television episodes produce ...

. It was a big hit. At Universal, she starred with Jeff Chandler in the thriller '' The Tattered Dress'' (1957), then played a socialite who helps floundering singer and comedian Joe E. Lewis (

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the " Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular entertainers of the 1940s, 1950s, and ...

) redeem himself in ''

'' (1957). At this time, Crain began working in television, playing Daisy in a 1958 adaptation of ''

The Great Gatsby ''The Great Gatsby'' is a 1925 novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. Set in the Jazz Age on Long Island, near New York City, the novel depicts first-person narrator Nick Carraway's interactions with mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby ...

'' and Rose in 1959's all-star production of ''

'' alongside

, Walter Pidgeon, Jane Powell,

Ed Wynn Isaiah Edwin Leopold (November 9, 1886 – June 19, 1966), better known as Ed Wynn, was an American actor and comedian. He was noted for his ''Perfect Fool'' comedy character, his pioneering radio show of the 1930s, and his later career as a d ...

, and top billed Tab Hunter.

Later career

Crain appeared in fewer films in the 1960s as she entered semiretirement. She starred as

Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...

in the Italian production of ''Nefertiti, Queen of the Nile'' (1961) with Edmund Purdom and

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

; and in ''

Madison Avenue Madison Avenue is a north-south avenue in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, United States, that carries northbound one-way traffic. It runs from Madison Square (at 23rd Street) to meet the southbound Harlem River Drive at 142nd Str ...

'' (1962) with

and

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story'' (1951), and ''Interrupted Melody'' (1955), the first ...

. During this period, Crain appeared—for the second time—as a mystery guest on ''

What's My Line? ''What's My Line?'' is a panel game show that originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, originally in black and white and later in color, with subsequent U.S. revivals. The game uses celebrity panelis ...

'', and made guest appearances on the ''

Riverboat A riverboat is a watercraft designed for inland navigation on lakes, rivers, and artificial waterways. They are generally equipped and outfitted as work boats in one of the carrying trades, for freight or people transport, including luxury un ...

'' and '' Burke's Law''. She again co-starred with

in ''

Hot Rods To Hell ''Hot Rods to Hell'' is a 1967 American suspense film, the last by director John Brahm. The film was based on a 1956 ''Saturday Evening Post'' story by Alex Gaby, "52 Miles to Terror",p. 170 Goble, Alan ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources i ...

'' (1967). Her last films were '' The Night God Screamed'' (1971) and '' Skyjacked'' (1972) with

Charlton Heston Charlton Heston (born John Charles Carter; October 4, 1923April 5, 2008) was an American actor and political activist. As a Hollywood star, he appeared in almost 100 films over the course of 60 years. He played Moses in the epic film ''The Ten ...

Personal life

At the height of her stardom in the late 1940s and early 1950s, Crain was known as "Hollywood's Number One party girl", and she was quoted as saying she was invited to at least 200 parties a year. Against her mother's wishes, on December 31, 1945, Crain married Paul Brinkman, a former contract player at

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

who was credited as Paul Brooks. He later became a top executive with an arms manufacturing company. They had seven children. The marriage was rocky. In the mid-1950s, Crain obtained an

interlocutory Interlocutory is a legal term which can refer to an order, sentence, decree, or judgment, given in an intermediate stage between the commencement and conclusion of a cause of action, used to provide a temporary or provisional decision on an iss ...

divorce decree. Each claimed the other was unfaithful, and she alleged he was abusive. However, they reconciled on December 31, 1956. In the early 1960s, she was one of many conservative actors who spent their time promoting the

Republican Party Republican Party is a name used by many political parties around the world, though the term most commonly refers to the United States' Republican Party. Republican Party may also refer to: Africa * Republican Party (Liberia) *Republican Party ...

. Crain and her husband remained married, although they lived separately in Santa Barbara until Brinkman's death in October 2003. Crain died two months later from a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

. Her funeral mass was held at the Old

Santa Barbara Mission Mission Santa Barbara ( es, link=no, Misión de Santa Bárbara) is a Spanish mission in Santa Barbara, California. Often referred to as the ‘Queen of the Missions,’ it was founded by Padre Fermín Lasuén for the Franciscan order on Decembe ...

. She is buried in the Brinkman family plot at Santa Barbara Cemetery.

Legacy

Crain's career is documented in the Jeanne Crain Collection of memorabilia assembled by Charles J. Finlay, a longtime 20th Century Fox publicist, which resides at the Cinema Archives at

Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...

Middletown, Connecticut Middletown is a city located in Middlesex County, Connecticut, United States, Located along the Connecticut River, in the central part of the state, it is south of Hartford. In 1650, it was incorporated by English settlers as a town under its ...

. Her son Paul F. Brinkman Jr., a television executive, is most known for his work on the television series '' JAG''.

Filmography

Film

Television

Radio performances

Awards and nominations

Sources

* ''Girl Next Door: The Life and Career of Jeanne Crain'' by Rupert Alistair CreateSpace

References

External links

* * * *
jeannecrain.org
a Jeanne Crain tribute website by Crain's granddaughter Bret Crain Csupo
Photographs and literature
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Crain, Jeanne 1925 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American television actresses People from Barstow, California Actresses from Santa Barbara, California American people of Irish descent 20th Century Studios contract players California Republicans Catholics from California Burials at Santa Barbara Cemetery