Mary Constance Moore (January 18, 1920 or January 18, 1921 – September 16, 2005) was an American singer and actress. She appeared in wartime musicals such as ''

Show Business Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz or showbiz (since 1945), is a vernacular term for all aspects of the entertainment industry.''Oxford English Dictionary'' 2nd Ed. (1989) From the business side (including managers, agents, produce ...

'' and ''

Atlantic City Atlantic City, sometimes referred to by its initials A.C., is a Jersey Shore seaside resort city in Atlantic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Atlantic City comprises the second half of the Atlantic City- Hammonton metropolitan sta ...

'' and the classic 1939 movie serial ''

Buck Rogers Buck Rogers is a science fiction adventure hero and feature comic strip created by Philip Francis Nowlan first appearing in daily American newspapers on January 7, 1929, and subsequently appearing in Sunday newspapers, international newspapers, b ...

'', in which she played

Wilma Deering Wilma Deering is a fictional character featured in the various iterations of Buck Rogers which have spanned many media over the years.Robert Jennings,"Bucking the Future: From 1928 to the 25th Century With Anthony Rogers". ''Comic Buyer's Guide'' ...

, its only female character.

Life and career

Moore was born in

Sioux City, Iowa Sioux City () is a city in Woodbury County, Iowa, Woodbury and Plymouth County, Iowa, Plymouth counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 85,797 in the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Iowa, fo ...

, but her family moved away before she was a year old. She spent most of her formative years in

Dallas Dallas () is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of Texas metropolitan areas, most populous metropolitan area in Texas and the Metropolitan statistical area, fourth-most ...

. She had two sisters, who both survived her. She got a job as a singer in the 1930s with

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio. Her work impressed a scout from

Universal Studios Universal Studios may refer to: * Universal Studios, Inc., an American media and entertainment conglomerate ** Universal Pictures, an American film studio ** Universal Studios Lot, a film and television studio complex * Various theme parks operat ...

and she signed a contract with the company. Among the stars she worked with was W. C. Fields in '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' (1939). She appeared on Broadway in the musical '' By Jupiter''. Beginning in mid-1945, Moore starred with

Dennis O'Keefe Dennis O'Keefe (born Edward Vance Flanagan; March 29, 1908 – August 31, 1968) was an American actor. Early years O'Keefe was born in Fort Madison, Iowa, as Edward Vance Flanagan, the son of Edward J. Flanagan and Charlotte Flanagan ( ...

on ''Hollywood Mystery Time'' on ABC radio. She retired from films in 1947 but made sporadic appearances over the next few decades. She appeared on a

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

tour with

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

and the

Nicholas Brothers The Nicholas Brothers were an entertainment act composed of brothers, Fayard (1914–2006) and Harold (1921–2000), who excelled in a variety of dance techniques, primarily between the 1930s and 1950s. Best known for their unique interpretati ...

in 1951. She painted still lifes and in 1976 was the chairwoman for the Braille Institute Auxiliary in

Beverly Hills, California Beverly Hills is a city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. A notable and historic suburb of Los Angeles, it is located just southwest of the Hollywood Hills, approximately northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Beverly Hills ...

. Moore guest starred as Doris in the episode "Just a Housewife" (1960) on the ABC sitcom, ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her Pediatrics, pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage childr ...

''. In the 1961–1962 season, Moore co-starred in ten episodes on

as Robert Young's romantic interest in his short-lived

nostalgia Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek language, Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word me ...

series, '' Window on Main Street''.Terrace, Vincent (2011). ''Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010''. McFarland & Company, Inc. . p. 1182.

Personal life

At age 18, Moore married her agent, John Maschio, who died in 1998. The couple had two children, son Michael and daughter Gina, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She was a Republican who campaigned for

Thomas Dewey Thomas Edmund Dewey (March 24, 1902 – March 16, 1971) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 47th Governor of New York from 1943 to 1954. He was the Republican Party's nominee for president of the United States in 1944 and ...

1944 Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January * January 2 – WWII: ** Free France, Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command First Army (France), French Army B, part of the Sixt ...

. Moore died September 16, 2005, of

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome caused by an impairment in the heart's ability to Cardiac cycle, fill with and pump blood. Although symptoms vary based on which side of the heart is affected, HF ...

following a long illness. She was interred at

Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary is a cemetery and Morgue, mortuary located in the Westwood, Los Angeles, Westwood area of Los Angeles. It includes a crematory for cremation services. Its location is at 1218 Glendon Av ...

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Filmography

* '' Prescription for Romance'' (1937) - Girl (uncredited) * '' You're a Sweetheart'' (1937) - (uncredited) * '' Border Wolves'' (1938) - Mary Jo Benton * '' Reckless Living'' (1938) - Girl Singer (uncredited) * ''

The Crime of Doctor Hallet ''The Crime of Doctor Hallet'' is a 1938 American drama film, directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ralph Bellamy, Josephine Hutchinson, William Gargan, Barbara Read, John 'Dusty' King, and Charles Stevens. The film was released by Universal ...

'' (1938) - Susan * ''

State Police State police, provincial police or regional police are a type of sub-national territorial police force found in nations organized as federations, typically in North America, South Asia, and Oceania. These forces typically have jurisdiction o ...

'' (1938) - Helen Evans * '' The Last Stand'' (1938) - Nancy Drake * '' Wives Under Suspicion'' (1938) - Elizabeth * ''

Prison Break ''Prison Break'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Paul Scheuring for Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox. The series revolves around two brothers: Lincoln Burrows (Dominic P ...

'' (1938) - Maria Shannon * '' Letter of Introduction'' (1938) - Autograph Seeker (uncredited) * '' The Missing Guest'' (1938) - Stephanie Kirkland * '' Freshman Year'' (1938) - Marian Stuart * '' Swing That Cheer'' (1938) - Marian Stuart * '' You Can't Cheat an Honest Man'' (1939) - Victoria Whipsnade * ''

'' (1939, Serial) - Wilma Deering * '' Ex-Champ'' (1939) - Doris Courtney * '' Mutiny on the Blackhawk'' (1939) - Helen Bailey * '' When Tomorrow Comes'' (1939) - Bride (uncredited) * '' Hawaiian Nights'' (1939) - Lonnie Lane * '' Laugh It Off'' (1939) - Ruth Spencer * '' Charlie McCarthy, Detective'' (1939) - Sheila Stuart * '' Framed'' (1940) - Phyllis Sanderson * '' Ma! He's Making Eyes at Me'' (1940) - Connie Curtiss * '' La Conga Nights'' (1940) - Helen Curtiss * '' Argentine Nights'' (1940) - Bonnie Brooks * '' I'm Nobody's Sweetheart Now'' (1940) - Betty Gilbert * '' Las Vegas Nights'' (1941) - Norma Jennings * ''

I Wanted Wings ''I Wanted Wings'' is a 1941 American drama film directed by Mitchell Leisen and based on a book by Lieutenant Beirne Lay Jr. The film stars Ray Milland and William Holden. The supporting cast includes Wayne Morris (American actor), Wayne Morris, ...

'' (1941) - Carolyn Bartlett * '' Buy Me That Town'' (1941) - Virginia Paradise * '' Take a Letter, Darling'' (1942) - Ethel Caldwell * ''

'' (1944) - Constance Ford * ''

'' (1944) - Marilyn Whitaker * '' Delightfully Dangerous'' (1945) - Josephine 'Jo' Williams / Bubbles Barton * '' Earl Carroll Vanities'' (1945) - Drina * '' Mexicana'' (1945) - Alison Calvert * '' In Old Sacramento'' (1946) - Belle Malone * '' Earl Carroll Sketchbook'' (1946) - Pamela Thayer * '' Hit Parade of 1947'' (1947) - Ellen Baker

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Moore, Constance Actresses from Iowa American film actresses American television actresses Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery Actors from Sioux City, Iowa Singers from Dallas Actresses from Dallas 20th-century American singers 1920s births 2005 deaths California Republicans 20th-century American women singers 20th-century American actresses Universal Pictures contract players 21st-century American women