Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress.

Early years

Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter

Grantland Rice Henry Grantland Rice (November 1, 1880 – July 13, 1954) was an American sportswriter and poet known as the "Dean of American Sports Writers". He coined the famous phrase that it was not important whether you “won or lost, but how you playe ...

and Fannie Katherine Hollis. She attended Dwight School for Girls at Englewood, New Jersey, and

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

Career

Rice became an actress during the late 1920s and, after several Broadway roles, eventually made her way to Hollywood, where she acted in almost 50 films between 1934 and 1943. Rice was cast as the reliable girlfriend in several films for

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American Film production, film and television production and film distribution, distribution company headquartered ...

. MGM gradually provided her with more substantial roles, occasionally in prestige productions. Rice never became a major figure in movies, but she performed in a number of screen pairings with Robert Young. Her most widely seen performances were in '' Double Wedding'' (1937), in which she was billed third in the cast credits behind

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...

and

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style. Born in Helena, Monta ...

, '' Sweethearts'' (1938) with

Jeanette MacDonald Jeanette Anna MacDonald (June 18, 1903 – January 14, 1965) was an American soprano and actress best remembered for her musical films of the 1930s with Maurice Chevalier (''The Love Parade'', ''Love Me Tonight'', ''The Merry Widow (1934 film) ...

and

Nelson Eddy Nelson Ackerman Eddy (June 29, 1901 – March 6, 1967) was an American actor and baritone singer who appeared in 19 musical films during the 1930s and 1940s, as well as in opera and on the concert stage, radio, television, and in nightclubs ...

, and

The Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chic ...

film '' At The Circus'' (1939). During the 1940s, the quality of her roles steadily decreased, and in 1947, she retired.

Personal life

Rice's first marriage, to David Page, was annulled. She married broker Sydney A. Smith in New York City on June 12, 1930; they were divorced on May 18, 1931. On March 30, 1939, she married fellow actor Robert Wilcox. They separated less than 2 months later and divorced on July 30, 1940. From August 29, 1946 until her death, Rice was married to Fred Thomas Butler."California, County Marriages, 1850-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8KC-QLS : 9 March 2021), Fred Thomas Butler and Florence Davenport Rice, 29 Aug 1946; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,115,628. In 1958, they moved to Hawaii.

Death

On February 23, 1974, at age 67, Rice died from lung cancer at Straub Clinic in Honolulu. She was survived by her husband. At her request, there was no funeral, and her remains were cremated, with her ashes scattered over the waters near Waikiki Beach.

Filmography

* '' Fugitive Lady'' (1934) – Ann Duncan * '' The Best Man Wins'' (1935) – Ann Barry * ''

Under Pressure "Under Pressure" is a song by the British rock band Queen and singer David Bowie. Originally released as a single in October 1981, it was later included on Queen's tenth studio album ''Hot Space'' (1982). The song reached number one on the U ...

'' (1935) – Pat Dodge * ''

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'' (1935) – Miss Holbrook * ''

Death Flies East ''Death Flies East'' is a 1935 American mystery film directed by Phil Rosen and starring Conrad Nagel, Florence Rice and Raymond Walburn. The action takes place on an airline flight with a murderer aboard. The film was an early example of the avia ...

'' (1935) – Evelyn Vail * '' The Awakening of Jim Burke'' (1935) – Tess Hardie * '' Guard That Girl'' (1935) – Helen Bradford * '' Escape from Devil's Island'' (1935) – Johanna Harrington * ''Super-Speed'' (1935) – Billie Devlin * '' Pride of the Marines'' (1936) – Molly Malone * ''

Panic on the Air Panic is a sudden sensation of fear, which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety, uncertainty and frantic Psychomotor agitation, agitation consistent with a Fig ...

'' (1936) – Mary Connor aka Cremer * ''

Blackmailer Blackmail is a criminal act of coercion using a threat. As a criminal offense, blackmail is defined in various ways in common law jurisdictions. In the United States, blackmail is generally defined as a crime of information, involving a th ...

'' (1936) – Joan Rankin * ''

Women Are Trouble ''Women Are Trouble'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Errol Taggart and written by Michael Fessier. The film stars Stuart Erwin, Paul Kelly, Florence Rice, Margaret Irving, Cy Kendall and John Harrington. The film was released on J ...

'' (1936) – Ruth Nolan * '' Sworn Enemy'' (1936) – Margaret 'Peg' Gattle * '' The Longest Night'' (1936) – Joan Sutton * '' Under Cover of Night'' (1937) – Deb Reed * '' Man of the People'' (1937) – Abbey Reid * '' Riding on Air'' (1937) – Betty Harrison * '' Married Before Breakfast'' (1937) – Kitty Brent * '' Double Wedding'' (1937) – Irene Agnew * '' Navy Blue and Gold'' (1937) – Patricia 'Pat' Gates * '' Beg, Borrow or Steal'' (1937) – Joyce Steward * ''

Paradise for Three ''Paradise for Three'', titled ''Romance for Three'' in the United Kingdom, is a 1938 American romantic comedy film starring Frank Morgan as a wealthy industrialist who learns about his Austrian workers by surreptitiously living among them. It wa ...

'' (1938) – Hilde Tobler * ''

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'' (1938) – Garda Sloane * '' Vacation from Love'' (1938) – Patricia Lawson * '' Sweethearts'' (1938) – Kay Jordan * '' Stand Up and Fight'' (1939) – Susan Griffith * ''

Four Girls in White ''Four Girls in White'' is a 1939 drama film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, starring Florence Rice and Una Merkel. It follows the mostly comical exploits of four nursing students enrolled in a three-year training course. Plot Student nurses at a lar ...

'' (1939) – Norma Page * '' The Kid from Texas'' (1939) – Margo Thomas * '' Miracles for Sale'' (1939) – Judy Barclay * '' At the Circus'' (1939) – Julie Randall * '' Little Accident'' (1939) – Alice Pearson * '' Broadway Melody of 1940'' (1940) – Amy Blake * '' Girl in 313'' (1940) – Joan Matthews * '' Phantom Raiders'' (1940) – Cora Barnes *''

The Secret Seven The Secret Seven or Secret Seven Society is a fictional group of child detectives created by Enid Blyton and based on the publisher's children. They appear in one of several adolescent detective series which Blyton wrote. The Secret Seven c ...

'' (1940) – Lola Hobbs * ''

Cherokee Strip The Cherokee Outlet, or Cherokee Strip, was located in what is now the state of Oklahoma in the United States. It was a parcel of land south of the Oklahoma–Kansas border between 96 and 100°W. The Cherokee Outlet was created in 1836. The U ...

'' (1940) – Kate Cross * '' Mr. District Attorney'' (1941) – Terry Parker * ''

Father Takes a Wife ''Father Takes a Wife'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Jack Hively and starring Gloria Swanson, Adolphe Menjou and John Howard. Silent screen queen Gloria Swanson returned to films after a seven-year absence. Eight years later, Swanso ...

'' (1941) – Enid * '' Doctors Don't Tell'' (1941) – Diana Wayne * '' The Blonde from Singapore'' (1941) – Mary Brooks * '' Borrowed Hero'' (1941) – Ann Thompson * '' Tramp, Tramp, Tramp'' (1942) – Pam Martin * '' Let's Get Tough!'' (1942) – Nora Stevens * '' Stand By All Networks'' (1942) – Frances Prescott * '' The Boss of Big Town'' (1942) – Linda Gregory * '' The Ghost and the Guest'' (1943) – Jacqueline 'Jackie' DeLong / Frye (final film role)

References

External links

*
Profile
obscureactresses.wordpress.com. Accessed August 2, 2022. {{DEFAULTSORT:Rice, Florence 1907 births 1974 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses Actresses from Cleveland Deaths from lung cancer in Hawaii Dwight-Englewood School alumni 20th-century American actresses Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players