Jacqueline White

Summary

Jacqueline Jane White (born November 27, 1922)[1] is an American former actress, who had a brief career in Hollywood as a leading lady in motion pictures during the early and post-WW2 years from 1942 until 1952, with starring and playing smaller roles in around 25 feature films.

Jacqueline White
White in Crossfire (1947)
Born
Jacqueline Jane White

(1922-11-27) November 27, 1922 (age 101)
Alma materUniversity of California, Los Angeles
OccupationActress
Years active1942–1952
Spouse
Neal Anderson
(m. 1948; died 2000)
Children5
RelativesFrank Knox (cousin)

White, at the age of 17, signed on a film contract at MGM[1] and subsequently with RKO, where she found her greatest success and is perhaps best remembered for her roles in films Crossfire (1947), Banjo (1947) , Mystery in Mexico (1948) and The Narrow Margin (1952).[2] She is one of the last surviving actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

Early years edit

According to most sources, White was born on November 27, 1922, in Beverly Hills, California[3] (although she claimed in an interview her birth year was 1924)[4][5] to Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Garrison White.[6] Her cousin, Frank Knox, was a Secretary of the Navy and a newspaper owner and publisher. She was from Beverly Hills, California.[7] She attended Beverly Hills High School[6] and the University of California, Los Angeles.[8]

White and actress Lynn Merrick were childhood friends until White moved. They were reunited when both were in the cast of Three Hearts for Julia (1943).[9]

Film career edit

MGM films edit

White's film debut resulted from her work in a drama class at UCLA.

She appeared in a couple of small roles, but her first lead roles came in Air Raid Wardens in 1943 with comedy duo Laurel and Hardy (there debut at MGM as a duo).[4]

A casting director saw her in a production of Ah, Wilderness! and arranged for a screen test for her. That led to her film appearance, in Song of Russia (1944).[8]

White usually played either featured actresses in B-movies or supporting parts in A-movies. White was under contract to both Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, where she was cast mostly in uncredited small roles.

RKO Pictures edit

White had starring roles in RKO'S Banjo and Mystery in Mexico[4] and also appeared in Crossfire (1947).).[10][2] Her first western film was at RKO and starred in Return of the Bad Men (1948), opposite Randolph Scott, her nemesis in the film was Anne Jeffreys, those sister played the film stand-in for White[4].

White married in 1948, then moved with her husband to Wyoming in 1950. When she returned to Los Angeles for the birth of her first child, she was spotted in the RKO commissary visiting friends by director Richard Fleischer and producer Stanley Rubin, who offered her a featured role in The Narrow Margin (1952),[11] a B-picture film noir, which was her final picture.[12]

Personal life edit

On November 12, 1948,[6] White married Neal Bruce Anderson in Westwood Hills.[13] She left the film industry in 1952 and relocated to Wyoming with her husband, who started an oil business.[citation needed]

White has four sons and one daughter.[14] Her husband died in 2000. She currently resides in Houston, Texas, with family.[citation needed]

White occasionally appeared at film conventions. In 2013, she made an appearance at the annual TCM Classic Film Festival.[11]

Filmography edit

 
White with Randolph Scott in Return of the Bad Men (1948)
 
White with Lew Ayres in The Capture (1950)
Year Film Role
1942 Dr. Gillespie's New Assistant Telephone Operator
1942 Reunion in France Danielle
1943 Air Raid Wardens Peggy Parker
1943 Three Hearts for Julia Kay
1943 That's Why I Left You Mary Thompson
1943 Pilot ♯5 Party Girl
1943 Swing Shift Maisie Grace
1943 A Guy Named Joe Helen
1944 Song of Russia Anna Bulganov
1944 Easy Life Train Passenger
1944 Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo Emmy York
1944 Dark Shadows Nurse Jean Smith
1946 The Harvey Girls Harvey Girl
1946 Magic on a Stick (Short) Mrs. John Walker
1946 Our Old Car (Short) Mrs. Nesbitt
1946 The Show-Off Clara Harlin
1947 Banjo Elizabeth Ames
1947 Seven Keys to Baldpate Mary Jordan
1947 Crossfire Mary Mitchell
1948 Night Song Connie
1948 Return of the Bad Men Madge Allen
1948 Mystery in Mexico Victoria Ames
1949 Riders of the Range Priscilla "Dusty" Willis
1950 The Capture Luana Ware
1952 The Narrow Margin Ann Sinclair

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Cousin of Secretary Knox, Signs Hollywood Contract". The Los Angeles Times. 3 June 1942. p. 31.
  2. ^ a b "Jacqueline White | Biography, Movie Highlights and Photos". AllMovie.
  3. ^ Western Clippings - Jacqueline White interview
  4. ^ a b c d "Jacqueline White Interview".
  5. ^ "Jacqueline White". Lord Heath. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  6. ^ a b c "N.B. Anderson Takes Bride". Long Beach Independent. California, Long Beach. November 14, 1948. p. 19. Retrieved September 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  7. ^ "Wins Movie Contract". Deadwood Pioneer-Times. South Dakota, Deadwood. June 6, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved June 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.    
  8. ^ a b Jackson, Rebel (July 11, 1948). "For Your Pleasure". Abilene Reporter-News. Texas, Abilene. p. 62. Retrieved June 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  9. ^ "School Pals Meet as Film Starlets". The Daily Notes. Pennsylvania, Canonsburg. January 4, 1943. p. 6. Retrieved June 5, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.  
  10. ^ "Crossfire (1947) - Edward Dmytryk | Review | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
  11. ^ a b "2013 TCM Classic Film Festival Special Guest: Jacqueline White". TCM.com. Archived from the original on 2018-09-19. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  12. ^ "Jacqueline White". BFI. Archived from the original on August 15, 2018.
  13. ^ "Andersion-White". The Los Angeles Times. California, Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Times. November 15, 1948. p. 33. Retrieved September 18, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.  
  14. ^ "Jacqueline Jane White - Marriage certificate between Jacqueline Jane White and Neal Bruce Anderson on November 12, 1948. Father: Floyd G White, Mother: Gladys R Barnard". FamilySearch. Retrieved 13 March 2017.

External links edit

  • Jacqueline White at IMDb
  • Jacqueline White in a clip from the film Mystery in Mexico, from YouTube