Luana Walters (July 22, 1912 – May 19, 1963) was an American motion picture actress from Los Angeles, California.

Biography

Walters was an expert horsewoman, which led to her discovery as an actress at a

rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

. She won a woman's bucking contest which was being watched by a movie scout, who noticed her. Her film career began when she visited a friend on a United Artists lot. Douglas Fairbanks, Sr. was excited about her screen possibilities and arranged for a film test. However, only three days later Fairbanks went to Europe, and the test was never completed. Not long afterwards Joe Schenck saw Walters on the dance floor at the Cocoanut Grove in Los Angeles, California. After viewing the abbreviated test made by Fairbanks, Schenck offered her a contract with United Artists. The studio did not make a movie in the next six months so Walters' option was not taken up. Luana Walters CM233

Walters' screen credits start with an uncredited role in '' Reaching for the Moon'' (1930). Her skill as an equestrian helped her in parts in westerns like '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' (1936), '' Where the West Begins'' (1938), '' Mexicali Rose'' (1939), and ''

Law of the Wolf ''Law of the Wolf'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Raymond K. Johnson and featuring Rin Tin Tin III, Dennis Moore and Luana Walters.Pitts p.212 The film was reissued in 1941 with the alternative title ''Law of the Wild''. It is ...

'' (1939). On several occasions Walters made films in which her work was left in the cutting room, from the final edit. This began when she made '' Reaching for the Moon'' with Fairbanks. Her parts were also deleted from '' Spawn of the North'' (1938) and '' Souls at Sea'' (1937). The former was a Henry Fonda feature and the latter paired Walters with Robert Cummings. Walters appeared in "Superman Comes to Earth", the first chapter of the 1948 ''

Superman Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...

'' movie serial starring Kirk Alyn as Superman. Portions of this depiction appear in flashback in "At the Mercy of Atom Man!", the seventh chapter of the 1950 serial '' Atom Man vs. Superman''. She worked in a number of

movie serials A serial film, film serial (or just serial), movie serial, or chapter play, is a motion picture form popular during the first half of the 20th century, consisting of a series of short subjects exhibited in consecutive order at one theater, ge ...

and

B-Movie A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...

s, especially in Westerns, featuring her riding skills, and sci-fi or horror genres. She played a female reporter on the trail of a fiend's story in '' The Corpse Vanishes'' (1942), with Bela Lugosi. She appears as a cellblock guard in '' Girls in Prison'' (1956). Her final role came in '' The She Creature'' (1956).

Death

Luana Walters died from effects of alcoholism May 19, 1963 in Los Angeles, California.

Selected filmography

* '' Reaching for the Moon'' (1930) - Minor Role (uncredited) * '' Two Seconds'' (1932) - Tart (uncredited) * '' Miss Pinkerton'' (1932) - First Nurse (uncredited) * '' End of the Trail'' (1932) - Luana * ''Fighting Texans'' (1933) - JoAnn Carver * ''Secrets of Hollywood'' (1933) - A Young Actress * '' Midshipman Jack'' (1933) - Gloria (uncredited) * '' The Merry Widow'' (1934) - Maid to Sonia (uncredited) * ''The Third Sex'' (1934) - Elinor Gordon * ''

Broadway Melody of 1936 ''Broadway Melody of 1936'' is a musical film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1935. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site of many prestigious MGM premieres. In New York, the film opened at the Capitol Theatre, the site ...

'' (1935) - Showgirl (uncredited) * ''

The Speed Reporter ''The Speed Reporter'' is a 1936 American crime film directed by Bernard B. Ray and starring Richard Talmadge, Luana Walters and Richard Cramer. It was produced as a second feature by the independent film, independent company Reliable Pictures.Pit ...

'' (1936) - May * '' Aces and Eights'' (1936) - Juanita Hernandez * '' Suzy'' (1936) - Check Room Girl (uncredited) * '' Ride 'Em Cowboy'' (1936) - Lillian Howard * '' Shadow of Chinatown'' (1936, Serial) - Sonya Rokoff, aka The Dragon Lady hs. 1-14* ''

Under Strange Flags ''Under Strange Flags'' is a 1937 American drama film directed by I. V. Willat and starring Tom Keene, Luana Walters, and Maurice Black. It was released on August 16, 1937. During production, it was also titled ''South of Sonora'' and ''Beyond ...

'' (1937) - Dolores de Vargas * '' A Star Is Born'' (1937) - (uncredited) * '' Souls at Sea'' (1937) - Eloise (uncredited) * '' Youth on Parole'' (1937) - Salesgirl (uncredited) * '' The Buccaneer'' (1938) - Suzette * ''

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

'' (1938) - Native Waitress (uncredited) * '' Where the West Begins'' (1938) - Lynne Reed * ''

Assassin of Youth ''Assassin of Youth'' is a 1937 exploitation film directed by Elmer Clifton. It is a pre-WWII film about the supposed ill effects of cannabis. The film is often considered a clone of the much more famous ''Reefer Madness'' (sharing cast member D ...

'' (1938) - Joan Barry * ''

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

'' (1938) - Woman in Gaming House (uncredited) * ''

Thanks for the Memory "Thanks for the Memory" (1938) is a popular song composed by Ralph Rainger with lyrics by Leo Robin. It was introduced in the 1938 film ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross, and recorded by Shep Fields and His Orchestra ...

'' (1938) - Model (uncredited) * '' Say It in French'' (1938) - Hat Check Girl (uncredited) * ''

Disbarred Disbarment, also known as striking off, is the removal of a lawyer from a bar association or the practice of law, thus revoking their law license or admission to practice law. Disbarment is usually a punishment for unethical or criminal conduct ...

'' (1939) - Office Worker (uncredited) * '' Paris Honeymoon'' (1939) - Angela * '' St. Louis Blues'' (1939) - Dancer (uncredited) * '' Cafe Society'' (1939) - Cigarette Girl (uncredited) * ''

King of Chinatown ''King of Chinatown'' is a 1939 American crime film directed by Nick Grinde and written by Lillie Hayward and Irving Reis. The film stars Anna May Wong, Akim Tamiroff, J. Carrol Naish, Sidney Toler, Philip Ahn, Anthony Quinn and Bernadene Hayes ...

'' (1939) - Nightclub Girl (uncredited) * '' I'm from Missouri'' (1939) - Hat Check Girl (uncredited) * '' Mexicali Rose'' (1939) - Anita Loredo * '' Hotel Imperial'' (1939) - Nurse (uncredited) * '' Undercover Doctor'' (1939) - Nurse (uncredited) * ''

'' (1939) - Ruth Adams * '' The Magnificent Fraud'' (1939) - Brunette (uncredited) * '' Fangs of the Wild'' (1939) - Carol Dean * ''

Mutiny on the Blackhawk ''Mutiny on the Blackhawk'' is a 1939 American adventure film, directed by Christy Cabanne. It stars Richard Arlen, Andy Devine, and Constance Moore, and was released on September 1, 1939. Cast list *Richard Arlen as Captain Robert Lawrence *A ...

'' (1939) - (uncredited) * '' Honeymoon in Bali'' (1939) - Girl Having Her Fortune Told (uncredited) * '' Eternally Yours'' (1939) - Girl at Shower (uncredited) * '' Drums of Fu Manchu'' (1940, Serial) - Mary Randolph * '' Millionaire Playboy'' (1940) - Resort Girl (uncredited) * ''

The Return of Wild Bill ''The Return of Wild Bill'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Robert Lee Johnson and Fred Myton. The film stars Wild Bill Elliott, Iris Meredith, George Lloyd, Luana Walters, Edward LeSaint and Frank La ...

'' (1940) - Kate Kilgore * '' The Durango Kid'' (1940) - Nancy Winslow * '' The Tulsa Kid'' (1940) - Mary Wallace * '' The Range Busters'' (1940) - Carol Thorp * '' Blondie Plays Cupid'' (1940) - Millie * ''

Misbehaving Husbands ''Misbehaving Husbands'' is a 1940 American comedy film directed by William Beaudine for Producers Releasing Corporation. The film had the working titles of ''At Your Age'' and ''Dummy Husbands''. Harry Langdon, Betty Blythe, Esther Muir, and ...

'' (1940) - Jane Forbes * '' The Kid's Last Ride'' (1941) - Sally Rowell * '' Across the Sierras'' (1941) - Anne Woodworth * '' Arizona Bound'' (1941) - Ruth Masters * ''No Greater Sin'' (1941) - Sandra James * '' Road Agent'' (1941) - Teresa (uncredited) * '' The Lone Star Vigilantes'' (1942) - Marcia Banning * ''

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a United States, U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into ...

'' (1942, Serial) - Fury Shark * ''

Lawless Plainsmen ''Lawless Plainsmen'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William Berke and written by Luci Ward. The film stars Charles Starrett, Russell Hayden, Cliff Edwards, Luana Walters, Ray Bennett and Gwen Kenyon. The film was released on ...

'' (1942) - Baltimore Bonnie Dixon * '' The Corpse Vanishes'' (1942) - Patricia Hunter * '' Inside the Law'' (1942) - Dora Mason * '' Down Texas Way'' (1942) - Mary Hopkins * '' Thundering Hoofs'' (1942) - Nancy Kellogg * ''

Bad Men of the Hills ''Bad Men of the Hills'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by William Berke and written by Luci Ward. The film stars Charles Starrett, Russell Hayden, Cliff Edwards, Luana Walters, Alan Bridge and Guy Usher. The film was released on Augu ...

'' (1942) - Laurie Bishop * '' Shoot to Kill'' (1947) - Marian Langdon * '' Bells of San Angelo'' (1947) - Lodge Clerk (uncredited) * ''

Arthur Takes Over ''Arthur Takes Over'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair and written by Mauri Grashin. The film stars Lois Collier, Richard Crane, Skip Homeier, Ann E. Todd and Jerome Cowan. The film was released on April 7, 1948, by 2 ...

'' (1948) - Newspaper Woman * ''

'' (1948, Serial) - Lara (uncredited) * '' Mighty Joe Young'' (1949) - Nightclub Patron (uncredited) * '' Girls in Prison'' (1956) - Cellblock Guard * '' The She-Creature'' (1956) - Party Guest (final film role)

References

Sources

* The Helena Independent, ''Harrison In Hollywood'', December 23, 1938, Page 11. * Ironwood, Michigan Daily Globe, ''In Hollywood'', December 8, 1936, Page 6. * Mansfield, Ohio News Journal, ''Theaters'', June 29, 1942, Page 13. *Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune, ''At The Theaters'', March 3, 1938, Page 13.

External links

*
Luana Walters
at Rotten Tomatoes
Some videos available for Luana Walters
on-line, via IMDb {{DEFAULTSORT:Walters Luana American film actresses Western (genre) film actresses Actresses from Los Angeles 1912 births 1963 deaths Alcohol-related deaths in California Deaths from liver disease 20th-century American actresses