Lola Albright
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Lola Jean Albright (July 20, 1924 – March 23, 2017) was an American singer and actress, best known for playing the sultry singer Edie Hart, the girlfriend of private eye Peter Gunn, on all three seasons of the TV series ''
Peter Gunn ''Peter Gunn'' is an American detective fiction, private eye television series, starring Craig Stevens (actor), Craig Stevens as Peter Gunn with Lola Albright as his girlfriend, lounge singer Edie Hart. The series was broadcast by NBC from Sept ...
''.


Early years

Albright was born in
Akron, Ohio Akron () is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 190,469 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Akron metr ...
, to Marion A. (née Harvey) and John Paul Albright, both of whom were gospel music singers. Lola's mother also was born in Ohio but her father was a native of
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
, who in 1930 supported the family by working as an inspector in a local insulating business."The Fifteenth Census of the United States: 1930"
Akron, Ohio, Ward 8, Block 136, Summit County, April 15, 1930. Bureau of the Census, United States Department of Commerce. Digital copy of original enumeration page available on
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, a free online genealogical database provided as a public service by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah; retrieved July 26, 2017.
Albright attended King Grammar School and was graduated from West High School in Akron in 1942.Aaker, Everett (2006). ''Encyclopedia of Early Television Crime Fighters''. McFarland & Company, Inc. , pp. 6–8. She sang in public at a young age and studied piano for 20 years. Beginning when she was 15 years old, she worked after school as a receptionist at radio station
WAKR WAKR (1590 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Akron, Ohio, and known as "Soft Hits 93.5 FM". Locally owned and operated by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily services the Akron metropol ...
in Akron. She left WAKR at the age of 18 and moved to Cleveland, taking a job as a stenographer at
WTAM WTAM (1100 AM broadcasting, AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, that airs a news/talk and sports radio format, commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of s ...
radio. Her first radio performance came on WJW in Cleveland. Moving to
Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, she worked as a photographer's model and was discovered by a talent scout, which led to her moving to Hollywood at the age of 23.


Film

Albright made her motion-picture debut with a small singing role in the 1947 musical comedy '' The Unfinished Dance'', and then appeared the following year in two
Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. Possessing a strong contralto voice, she was celebrated for her emotional depth and versatility across film, stage, and concert performance. ...
movies: '' The Pirate'' and '' Easter Parade''. She first gained studio and public notice in the 1949
film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...
production '' Champion'' with her portrayal of the wife of a manipulative boxing manager; she falls for a prizefighter played by
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. ...
. For the next several years, she appeared in secondary roles in over 20 films, including several B Westerns. Among them was a co-starring role in the slapstick comedy '' The Good Humor Man'' in 1950 with future husband Jack Carson. Some of the films in which Albright appeared were ''
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'' (1949), starring
Susan Hayward Susan Hayward (born Edythe Marrener; June 30, 1917 – March 14, 1975) was an American actress best known for her film portrayals of women that were based on true stories. After working as a fashion model for the Walter Clarence Thornton, Walt ...
; '' The Silver Whip'' (1953), in which she played Dale Robertson's love interest; and '' The Tender Trap'' (1955), in which she was one of several women trying to trap a bachelor, played by
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...
, into marriage. In the early 1950s, Albright was also a frequent model for pinup painter
Gil Elvgren Gillette Alexander Elvgren (March 15, 1914 – February 29, 1980) was an American painter of pin-up models, advertising and illustration. Best known for his pin-up paintings for Brown & Bigelow, Elvgren studied at the American Academ ...
.


''A Cold Wind in August''

In 1961, she starred in Alexander Singer's '' A Cold Wind in August''a low-budget, black-and-white, independent filmas a divorced
burlesque A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects.
show
stripper A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at private events. Modern forms of stripping m ...
in her 30s who becomes involved in a torrid romance with a 17-year-old boy. Critic
Pauline Kael Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael often defied the conse ...
offered high praise for Albright's performance. In 1985, ''The New York Times'' also lauded Albright's acting in the film. With respect to her personal assessment of her role in ''A Cold Wind in August'', Albright said in 1961, "Some people come up to me and say, 'Lola, you shouldn't play that kind of part. It isn't you.' Well, I count to 10, bite my tongue, and then tell them that I'm an actress: I don't want to play myself."


Later films

Her performance in ''A Cold Wind in August'' gave fresh impetus to her film career, leading to roles in
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
's musical '' Kid Galahad'' in 1962, in which she played the hard-boiled, long-time girlfriend of a cynical boxing manager played by Gig Young, and in French director
René Clément René Clément (; 18 March 1913 – 17 March 1996) was a French film director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the films ''The Battle of the Rails'' (1946), ''Forbidden Games'' (1952), ''Gervaise (film), Gervaise'' (1956), ''Purple No ...
's '' Joy House'' as a wealthy widow with a passion for handing out meals to the poor (albeit with an ulterior motive). In '' Lord Love a Duck'' (1966) she portrayed a cocktail waitress who turns suicidal when she thinks she has ruined her daughter
Tuesday Weld Tuesday Weld (born Susan Ker Weld; August 27, 1943) is a retired American actress. She began acting as a child and progressed to mature roles in the late 1950s. She won a Golden Globe Award, Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Female Newcome ...
's life. The next year, she was in the Western epic '' The Way West''. She gave up her feature-film career in 1968 after completing her work in '' The Impossible Years'', a generation-gap farce in which she performed as Alice Kingsley, the despairing wife of a professor of psychiatry played by David Niven and the mother of two teenaged daughters.


Television

Unlike other film actors who were slow to begin acting in television, Albright was actively working in the medium from 1951. She appeared on the
anthology series An anthology series is a written series, radio, television, film, or video game series that presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a different ca ...
''
Lux Video Theatre ''Lux Video Theatre'' is an American television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1957. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays. Overview The ''Lux Vi ...
'' in the episode "Inside Story". Later she had a recurring role on '' The Bob Cummings Show'' in the 1950s, and made guest appearances on television series such as ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, airing on CBS and NBC, alternately, between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. Between 1962 ...
'', ''Tales of Tomorrow (episode - All the Time in the World)'', ''
The Thin Man ''The Thin Man'' (1934) is a detective novel by Dashiell Hammett, originally published in a condensed version in the December 1933 issue of '' Redbook''. It appeared in book form the following month. A film series followed, featuring the main ...
'', ''
Gunsmoke ''Gunsmoke'' is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman Macdonnell and writer John Meston. It centered on Dodge City, Kansas, in the 1870s, during the settlement of the American West. The central charact ...
'', '' Rawhide'', '' Laredo'', '' Burke's Law'', '' The Dick Van Dyke Show'', ''
My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was filmed in black-and-white and broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seve ...
'', ''
The Beverly Hillbillies ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on CBS from 1962 to 1971. It had an ensemble cast featuring Buddy Ebsen, Irene Ryan, Donna Douglas, and Max Baer Jr. as the Clampetts, a poor backwoods family ...
'', ''
Bonanza ''Bonanza'' is an American Western television series that ran on NBC from September 12, 1959, to January 16, 1973. Lasting 14 seasons and 431 episodes, ''Bonanza'' is NBC's longest-running Western, the second-longest-running Western series on ...
'' (two episodes, including S6 E21 "The Search" 1965), '' The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'', '' Medical Center'', ''
Kojak ''Kojak'' is an American Action film, action Crime film, crime Drama (film and television), drama television series starring Telly Savalas as the title character, New York City Police Department Detective Lieutenant Theophilus "Theo" Kojak. Tak ...
'', ''
Columbo ''Columbo'' is an American crime drama television series starring Peter Falk as Columbo (character), Lieutenant Columbo, a homicide detective with the Los Angeles Police Department. After two pilot episodes in 1968 and 1971, the show originall ...
'', '' McMillan & Wife'', '' Quincy, M.E.'', ''
Starsky & Hutch ''Starsky & Hutch'' is an American action television series, which consisted of a 72-minute pilot movie (originally aired as a '' Movie of the Week'' entry) and 92 episodes of 50 minutes each. The show was created by William Blinn (inspired ...
'', '' The Incredible Hulk'', and '' Branded''. In 1958, Albright was cast in ''Peter Gunn'', the television detective series produced by
Blake Edwards Blake Edwards (born William Blake Crump; July 26, 1922 – December 15, 2010) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Edwards began his career in the 1940s as an actor, but he soon began writing screenplays and radio scripts ...
and scored by Henry Mancini. She played sultry Edie Hart, a nightclub singer and the romantic interest of Peter Gunn ( Craig Stevens). "She was perfect casting for that role because she had an off-the-cuff kind of jazz delivery that was very hard to find," Mancini said in 1992. "Just enough to believe that she'd be singing in that club and that she shouldn't be on Broadway or doing movies." Over the course of 114 episodes produced for ''Peter Gunn'', Albright sang in 38 of them, covering jazz classics such as " How High the Moon", "A Good Man Is Hard to Find", "Easy Street", and "Day In, Day Out". When actress Dorothy Malone had to undergo emergency surgery, Albright filled in for her as the character Constance MacKenzie on the primetime soap opera '' Peyton Place''. At the time, Albright called the role "one of the biggest challenges of my theatrical career." She continued to perform in films and to make guest appearances on television until her retirement in 1984.


Music

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
signed Albright as a vocalist, leading to the release of her album ''Lola Wants You'' in 1957. Albright's subsequent role on ''Peter Gunn'' and her performances singing on that series led directly to her second album, ''Dreamsville'' (1959), which was arranged by Henry Mancini and featured his orchestra. Albright is one of the few nonmovie-soundtrack singers for whom Mancini arranged.


Recognition

In 1959, Albright was nominated for the
Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...
for Best Supporting Actress (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series for her work on ''Peter Gunn''. In 1966, she won the Silver Bear for Best Actress award at the 16th Berlin International Film Festival for her role in '' Lord Love a Duck''.


Personal life

Albright married and divorced three times. Her first marriage, to Cleveland radio announcer Warren K. Deem, occurred in 1944. They divorced in 1949. From 1951 to 1958, her second husband was actor Jack Carson, who had been her co-star in ''The Good Humor Man'' (1950). (Another source says that they married August 1, 1952, and divorced November 10, 1958.) Following her retirement from acting, Albright spent her remaining years living in
Toluca Lake, Los Angeles Toluca Lake is a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, located in the San Fernando Valley northwest of Downtown Los Angeles, downtown. The name is also given to a private natural lake fed by wells and maintained by neighboring ...
. In 2014, she fell and fractured her spine, an injury that contributed to a general decline in her health over the next three years. On March 23, 2017, Albright died at her home at the age of 92.McNary, Dave (2017)
''Peter Gunn'' Star Lola Albright Dies at 92
Variety.com, March 26, 2017; retrieved July 26, 2017.


Filmography

Short subjects: *''The Soundman'' (1950) *''Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Cowboy Stars'' (1955) *''Filmmaking on the Riviera'' (1964)


References


External links

* *
Profile with 1924 year of birth
familysearch.org; accessed November 25, 2014.
Lola Albright
Aveleyman.com; accessed September 2, 2017. {{DEFAULTSORT:Albright, Lola 1924 births 2017 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Akron, Ohio Actresses from Hollywood, Los Angeles American women singers American film actresses American television actresses Silver Bear for Best Actress winners Singers from Ohio Western (genre) film actresses 21st-century American actresses Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players