Mari Blanchard
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Mari Blanchard (born Mary E. Blanchard, April 13, 1923 – May 10, 1970) was an American film and television actress, known foremost for her roles as a
B movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...
''
femme fatale A ( , ; ), sometimes called a maneater, Mata Hari, or vamp, is a stock character of a mysterious, beautiful, and Seduction, seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers, often leading them into compromising, deadly traps. She is an archetype ...
'' in American productions of the 1950s and early 1960s.


Early life and career

Blanchard was born on April 13, 1923, in
Long Beach, California Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
Walker, Brian J. (2017).
"Mari Blanchard (1923–1970)"
Brian's Drive-In Theater, biographical profile of Blanchard and numerous stills from her various films; updated March 14, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
(although some reference sources cite her birth year as 1927) A
polio Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...
survivor at age nine, Blanchard's health eventually improved enough that she ran away from home and joined a circus in her teens. She then attended the
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
,
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...
, and Santa Barbara State College. In the late 1940s, Blanchard became a successful print model and film extra, but after a producer saw her in an advertisement for bubble bath, she began to have some limited success as an actress on the "big screen". From 1950 to 1951, she took small roles in a number of films at
MGM 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 ...
,
RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...
, and
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, until she was signed by
Universal-International Universal City Studios LLC, doing business as Universal Pictures (also known as Universal Studios or simply Universal), is an American film production and distribution company headquartered at the Universal Studios complex in Universal City, ...
in 1952. Her first film at Universal was ''
Back at the Front ''Back at the Front'' (titled ''Willie and Joe in Tokyo'' in the UK) is a 1952 American comedy film directed by George Sherman and starring Tom Ewell, Harvey Lembeck and Mari Blanchard, very loosely based on the characters ''Willie and Joe'' by ...
'', followed by the 1953 romantic adventure '' The Veils of Bagdad'' in which she co-starred with
Victor Mature Victor John Mature (January 29, 1913 – August 4, 1999) was an American stage, film, and television actor who was a leading man in Hollywood during the 1940s and 1950s. His best known film roles include '' One Million B.C.'' (1940), '' My Darli ...
. One of Blanchard's more memorable film roles, however, was her portrayal of a Venusian queen, Allura, in the 1953 comedy ''
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars ''Abbott and Costello Go to Mars'' is a 1953 American science fiction film, science fiction comedy film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, Bud Abbott and Lou Costello and directed by Charles Lamont. It was produced by Howard Christ ...
''. She then starred in 1954 in '' Destry'', a
Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...
with
Audie Murphy Audie Leon Murphy (20 June 1925 – 28 May 1971) was an American soldier, actor, and songwriter. He was widely celebrated as the most decorated American combat soldier of World War II, and has been described as the most highly decorated enli ...
, reprising a character whom
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however, Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
had played in the story's original 1939 version, ''
Destry Rides Again ''Destry Rides Again'' is a 1939 American Western comedy film directed by George Marshall and starring Marlene Dietrich and James Stewart. The supporting cast includes Mischa Auer, Charles Winninger, Brian Donlevy, Allen Jenkins, Irene Her ...
'', but changing the character's name from "Frenchy" to "Brandy". Some other films of the 1950s in which she is featured include '' Son of Sinbad'' (1955), '' Stagecoach to Fury'' (1956), '' She Devil'' (1957), '' Jungle Heat'' (1957), '' No Place to Land'' (1958), and ''
Machete A machete (; ) is a broad blade used either as an agricultural implement similar to an axe, or in combat like a long-bladed knife. The blade is typically long and usually under thick. In the Spanish language, the word is possibly a dimin ...
'' (1958). Following her work on these films, Blanchard began to focus increasingly on performing on television, although she did appear in a few other films in the 1960s, including a small but flamboyant role as Camille in ''
McLintock! :''See also McClintock (disambiguation)'' ''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kr ...
'' (1963), directed by Andrew MacLaglen and starring
John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne, was an American actor. Nicknamed "Duke", he became a Pop icon, popular icon through his starring roles in films which were produced during Hollywood' ...
. On television, Blanchard appeared in "Escape from Fear" (1955), an episode of the anthology series ''
Climax! ''Climax!'' (later known as ''Climax Mystery Theater'') is an American television anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS pro ...
''. She made guest appearances in various television series through the late 1960s, including ''
Rawhide Rawhide may refer to: *Rawhide (material), a hide or animal skin that has not been tanned * Whip made from rawhide Entertainment * ''Rawhide'' (1926 film), a Western directed by Richard Thorpe * ''Rawhide'' (1938 film), a Western starring baseball ...
'' (1959 and 1961) – Laura Carter in "Incident of the Big Blowout", '' Bachelor Father'' (1959), ''
Tales of Wells Fargo ''Tales of Wells Fargo'' is an American Westerns on television, Western television series starring Dale Robertson in 201 episodes that aired from 1957 to 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until i ...
'' (1960), '' Laramie'' (1960), ''
Sea Hunt ''Sea Hunt'' is an American action adventure television series that aired in syndication from 1958 to 1961 and was popular for decades afterwards. The series originally aired for four seasons, with 155 episodes produced. It stars Lloyd Bridges ...
'' (1960), ''
Hawaiian Eye ''Hawaiian Eye'' is an American detective television series that ran from October 1959 to April 1963 on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC television network. Premise Private investigator Tracy Steele (Anthony Eisley) and his half-Hawaiian ...
'' (1961), ''
77 Sunset Strip ''77 Sunset Strip'' is an American private detective crime drama television series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Roger Smith, Richard Long (from 1960 to 1961) and Edd Byrnes (billed as Edward Byrnes). Each epis ...
'' (1961: two episodes, two different characters), ''
Perry Mason Perry Mason is a fictional character, an American criminal defense lawyer who is the main character in works of detective fiction written by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason features in 82 novels and four short stories, all of which involve a ...
'' (1963, as the murder victim Irene Chase in the episode "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman"), '' Burke's Law'' (1965), '' The Virginian'' (1967), and '' It Takes a Thief'' (1968). She was a series regular in the short-lived '' Klondike'' (1960–1961: 12 episodes).


Personal life

Blanchard was married three times, to lawyer Reese Hale Taylor, Jr. (1960–1961), George Shepard (1965–1966), and photographer Vincent J. Conti (1967–1970). All the unions were childless. In an interview with ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' beauty columnist Lydia Lane in 1955, Blanchard was asked about how often she has had to change her hair coloring for various film roles, and the conversation led to not only an analysis by Blanchard about perceptions people have of "blonds vs brunettes", but also reveals that she had been studying international law at the University of Southern California. Lydia asks, "Were you seriously thinking of being a lawyer?" Blanchard responded, "I was until I discovered the extent to which they discriminate against women." Retiring from film work after the release of ''
McLintock! :''See also McClintock (disambiguation)'' ''McLintock!'' is a 1963 American Western comedy film, starring John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara, directed by Andrew V. McLaglen. The film co-stars Wayne's son Patrick Wayne, Stefanie Powers, Jack Kr ...
'' in 1963, Blanchard continued to perform on a few television series until her failing health finally forced her to end her career. Her last credited performance was in 1968, playing the part of Madame Gamar on the series '' It Takes a Thief''. Diagnosed with cancer in 1963, she struggled with the disease in those final performances and during her remaining years. On May 10, 1970, aged 47, she died in
Woodland Hills, California Woodland Hills is a neighborhood bordering the Santa Monica Mountains in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California, United States. History The area was inhabited for around 8,000 years by Native Americans in the United States, ...
, and in accordance with her wishes, her remains were cremated and scattered at sea.


Filmography


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blanchard, Mari 1923 births 1970 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Deaths from cancer in California Actresses from California Actresses from Greater Los Angeles 20th-century American actresses American people of French descent Polio survivors