Harriet Parsons
Harriet Parsons | |
|---|---|
 Louella Parsons and her daughter Harriet Parsons, 1959 | |
| Born | Harriet Oettinger Parsons 1906 Burlington, Iowa, US |
| Died | 1983 (aged 76–77) |
| Education | Wellesley College |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, actress, and director |
| Spouse |
King Kennedy
(m. 1939; div. 1946) |
| Children | 1 |
| Mother | Louella Oettinger |
Harriet Oettinger Parsons (1906 – 1983) was an American film producer, actress, director, and magazine writer; one of the few female producers in the United States at the time. Her mother was famed gossip columnist Louella Parsons.
Biography
Beginnings
Harriet Oettinger Parsons was born in 1906 in Burlington, Iowa,[1] the daughter of Louella Parsons and Harry Martin.[2]
She appeared as "Baby Parsons" in several movies, which included The Magic Wand (1912), written by her mother.[3] Harriet attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1928.[2][4]
Writing
She began working as writer for
Producer career
In 1933, she began working for Columbia Pictures producing their
Personal life
In 1931, she and actor Edward Woods announced their engagement; it was broken off by 1932.[2][15] She married actor and playwright King Kennedy in September 1939; the couple separated in 1944.[16][17] Parsons sued him for divorce in March 1945, citing cruelty.[18] Parsons' marriage was a classic "cover" for her lesbianism and she and King hardly ever lived together, and by the 1950s she was living with publicist Lynn Bowers.[19]
Parsons adopted a daughter, Evelyn Farney, who became a dancer.[11]
She was a co-founder (with her mother) of the Hollywood Women's Press Club and was a director and member of the entertainment committee member of the Hollywood Canteen during World War II.[3]
Death
Parsons died in 1983 at the age of 76 after suffering from cancer for two years. She was interred at the Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City, California.[citation needed]
Selected filmography
- Joan of Ozark (1942)
- The Enchanted Cottage (1945)
- Night Song (1947)
- I Remember Mama (1948)
- Never a Dull Moment (1950)
- Clash by Night (1952)
- Susan Slept Here (1954)
References
- ISBN 9781414412672.
- ^ Newspapers.com.
- ^ Daily Variety. January 4, 1983. p. 8.
- ^ Roper, Virginia Bruce; Dyson, Helen (1928). The Wellesley Legenda. Boston: Senior class of Wellesley College. p. 81. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
- ^ ISBN 978-0190840839.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ^ "Harriet Parsons' Work Praised". The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 6, 1941. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "Newspaperwoman Gets New Contract". The Hackensack Record. September 25, 1934. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Parsons, Louella (April 22, 1941). "Zanuck and RKO Will Share Maureen O'Hara's Contract". The San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ISBN 978-0520964242.
- ^ ISBN 978-0520249851.
harriet parsons daughter evelyn.
- ^ "Parsons, Harriet (1906–1983) | Encyclopedia.com". www.encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2024-01-19.
- ISBN 978-1479328598.
- ^ Harriet Parsons at the Internet Broadway Database
- ^ "Reviewing 1931 in Filmdom". The New York Daily News. January 3, 1932. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "Louella Parsons' Daughter Marries". The Austin American-Statesman. September 29, 1929. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Hopper, Hedda (August 8, 1944). "Film Producer and Writer Separated". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ "Harriet Parsons Sues for Divorce". The Pittsburgh Press. March 13, 1945. Retrieved January 16, 2019.
- ^ Mann, William J. Behind the Scenes: How Gays and Lesbians Shaped Hollywood 1910-1969. New York: Viking, 2001. pp. 195.
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