Whitney Bourne (May 6, 1914 – December 24, 1988) was an American

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

and

film actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

. She was a

leading lady A leading actor, leading actress, or simply lead (), plays the role of the protagonist of a film, television show or play. The word ''lead'' may also refer to the largest role in the piece, and ''leading actor'' may refer to a person who typica ...

in several B films of the 1930s, with occasional appearances in more prestigious films such as the British musical '' Head over Heels''. During WWII, she was an American Red Cross clubmobiler.

Early years

Bourne was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George G. Bourne. Her grandfather was businessman

Frederick Gilbert Bourne Commodore Frederick Gilbert Bourne (December 20, 1851 – March 9, 1919) was an American businessman. He served as the 5th President of the Singer Manufacturing Company between 1889 and 1905. He made the business "perhaps the first modern multinat ...

Career

Bourne's first work on Broadway was as an understudy in ''Eight Bells''. Her other work on Broadway included portraying Ann in ''Firebird'' (1932), Annie Brown in ''John Brown'' (1934), Alice Whitridge in ''O Evening Star'' (1936), and a party guest in ''Case of Clyde Griffiths'' (1936). Bourne's film debut came as leading lady in '' Flight From Glory''. Other films in which she appeared included '' Double Danger'', ''Love in a Basement'', and ''

The Mad Miss Manton ''The Mad Miss Manton'' is a 1938 American screwball comedy-mystery film directed by Leigh Jason and starring Barbara Stanwyck as fun-loving socialite Melsa Manton and Henry Fonda as newspaper editor Peter Ames. Melsa and her debutante friends h ...

''. On August 15, 1937, he joined other stars from ''Flight from Glory'' to re-enact some scenes from the film on the radio program '' The Magic Key of RCA''.

Personal life

Bourne married Stanton Griffis on July 19, 1939, in

Locust Valley Locust Valley is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, on the North Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 3,406 at the 2010 census. History The rollin ...

, Long Island. They were divorced on October 23, 1940, with Bourne resuming use of her maiden name. On July 3, 1946, Bourne married Arthur Osgood Choate Jr. in Locust Valley. They had a son, and their marriage ended in 1949. On February 4, 1956, Bourne married stockbroker Roy F. Atwood in North Conway, New Hampshire.

Selected filmography

* '' Crime Without Passion'' (1934) * '' Head over Heels'' (1937) * '' Flight from Glory'' (1937) * ''

Living on Love ''Living on Love'' (1937) is an American romantic comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures. Directed by Lew Landers, it stars James Dunn, Whitney Bourne, and Joan Woodbury. The film is a remake of the RKO film ''Rafter Romance'' (1933). It is ...

'' (1937) * ''

Blind Alibi ''Blind Alibi'' is a 1938 American drama film directed by Lew Landers and written by Lionel Houser, Harry Segall and Ron Ferguson. The film stars Richard Dix, Whitney Bourne, Eduardo Ciannelli, Frances Mercer and Paul Guilfoyle. The film was rele ...

'' (1938) * '' Double Danger'' (1938) * ''

'' (1938) * ''

Beauty for the Asking ''Beauty for the Asking'' is a 1939 film drama produced by RKO Pictures, and starring Lucille Ball and Patric Knowles. It tells the story of Jean Russell (Ball), a beautician who is jilted by her boyfriend (Knowles) so he can marry an older but ...

'' (1939)

References

Bibliography

* Goble, Alan. ''The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film''. Walter de Gruyter, 1999.

External links

* 1914 births 1988 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses 20th-century American actresses {{US-film-actor-stub