Ella Raines

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Ella Raines
Sherman Oaks, California, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Washington
Years active1943–57, 1984
Spouses
Kenneth Trout
(m. 1942; div. 1945)
(m. 1947; div. 1976)
Children2

Ella Wallace Raines (August 6, 1920[

Westerns
, thrillers, and romance.

Among the leading men she starred with were

.

Raines appeared as a

G.I. magazine Yank, and on the cover of Life magazine twice, in 1944 for her work in Phantom Lady, and in 1947 for Brute Force
.

Early life

Born in Snoqualmie Falls, Washington to logging engineer Ernest N. Raines and his wife Bird Zachary,[1][2][3] Raines studied drama at the University of Washington and was appearing in a play there when she was seen by director Howard Hawks. She achieved stardom almost overnight in Hollywood when she was made the sole contract star[1] of a $1-million new production company Hawks had formed in 1943 with actor Charles Boyer, B-H Productions. She made her film debut in Corvette K-225 (1943), which Hawks produced.

Acting career

Film

Raines on the cover of Life magazine (February 28, 1944)

Immediately following her debut in Corvette K-225 opposite Randolph Scott, Raines was cast in the all-female war film Cry "Havoc" (also 1943). She starred in the film noir Phantom Lady with Franchot Tone,[4] the Preston Sturges comedy Hail the Conquering Hero, and the John Wayne western Tall in the Saddle (all 1944).

Still in 1944 she appeared in the unusual Edwardian noir The Suspect opposite Charles Laughton, then starred in films such as the romantic suspense The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry (1945) with Geraldine Fitzgerald and George Sanders, the thriller The Web (1947) with Edmond O'Brien, and the prison drama Brute Force (1947) with Burt Lancaster. Some regard all of these as noirs.

Also in 1947 she starred in the comedy The Senator Was Indiscreet with William Powell. In 1949 she starred opposite Brian Donlevy in the noirish Impact, then took the lead role originally intended for Jean Wallace in the noir A Dangerous Profession, as Wallace had made a suicide attempt following her divorce from Franchot Tone. None of her later pictures were as successful as her earlier movies and her film career began to decline.

Following some years in television, her final film role was starring as the female lead in a British-made thriller The Man in the Road in 1956. Apart from a single television appearance in the 1980s, she retired from acting altogether the following year.

Television

In 1954 and 1955 she starred in the

After a nearly three decade hiatus, Raines' final appearance as an actress was in a guest role in the crime drama series Matt Houston in 1984.

Personal life

Pin-up photo of Raines for the Aug. 17, 1945 issue of Yank, the Army Weekly

On August 11, 1942,[6] a few days after her graduation from the University of Washington, Raines married her high school sweetheart, United States Army Air Forces Major Kenneth William Trout. The couple divorced December 18, 1945.[7]

On February 6, 1947,[8] Raines married then double-ace World War II fighter pilot Robin Olds,[9] who went on to become a triple-ace during the Vietnam War, was eventually promoted to United States Air Force brigadier general, and served as commandant of the United States Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. The couple had two daughters, Christina and Susan.[10] She also suffered two miscarriages and a stillbirth.[11] They separated in 1975 and divorced in 1976.

Known for her traditional family values, Raines was quoted at the height of her Hollywood career extolling them: "I am naturally captivated with the rewards that Hollywood bestows on those who are successful. But I’m going to do my best to see that these [rewards] never disturb the essential values in my life--love of husband, family, home; the things that really count."[1]

Raines adored John Wayne,

Dwight Eisenhower, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, and Ronald Reagan in their presidential elections.[citation needed
]

She died from

Sherman Oaks, California on May 30, 1988, aged 67.[13]

Legacy

Raines has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for her contribution to motion pictures at 7021 Hollywood Boulevard, and for television at 6600 Hollywood Boulevard.[5]

Filmography

Raines and Alan Curtis in Phantom Lady (1944)
Raines and Charles Laughton in The Suspect (1944)
Raines and Brian Donlevy in Impact (1949)
Year Title Role Notes
1943 Corvette K-225 Joyce Cartwright
Cry 'Havoc' Connie
1944 Phantom Lady Carol Richman
Hail the Conquering Hero Libby
Tall in the Saddle Arleta 'Arly' Harolday
Enter Arsène Lupin Stacie Kanares
The Suspect Mary
1945 The Strange Affair of Uncle Harry Deborah Brown
1946 The Runaround Penelope 'Annabelle' Hampton
White Tie and Tails Louise Bradford
1947 Time Out of Mind Clarissa 'Rissa' Fortune
The Web Noel Faraday
Brute Force Cora Lister
The Senator Was Indiscreet Poppy McNaughton
1949 The Walking Hills Chris Jackson
Impact Marsha Peters
A Dangerous Profession Lucy Brackett
1950 Singing Guns Nan Morgan
The Second Face Phyllis Holmes
1951 Fighting Coast Guard Louise Ryan
1952 Ride the Man Down Celia Evarts
1956 The Man in the Road Rhona Ellison

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Becklund, Laurie (June 7, 1988). "Obituaries : Ella Raines; 'Sultry' Star of '40s-Era Films". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021.
  2. ^ "Ella Raines' Father's Funeral Held Tuesday". The Van Nuys News and Valley Green Sheet. January 4, 1951. p. 24. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  3. ^ "Movie Star Ella Raines' Mother Dies". Asheville Citizen-Times. February 2, 1957. p. 5. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  4. ^ Hanson, Helen (2007). Hollywood Heroines: Women in Film Noir. 6 Salem Road, London: I.B. Tauris &Co. pp. 20–23.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. ^ a b "Ella Raines". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved June 19, 2016.
  6. Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ "Ella Raines, a Star of Westerns And Dramas in the 40's, Dies at 67" New York Times, June 9, 1988
  8. .
  9. ^ John Wayne, The Man Behind the Myth
  10. ^ "Throat cancer kills Ella Raines, film star of '40s". Orlando Sentinel. The New York Times. June 8, 1988. Archived from the original on March 11, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.

External links