Carole Landis

Her second husband, Willis Hunt, was stabbed to death by his sixth wife, Deannie Best, during a violent argument. Best, whose attorney claimed Hunt was "drunk and unstable" and picked up the butcher knife he was killed with, was acquitted in November 1970.

She was posthumously awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1765 Vine St. on February 8, 1960.

Her final two films, Brass Monkey (1948) and The Silk Noose (1948) were released in 1948.

Became friendly with future author Jacqueline Susann in 1944 when they appeared together in the Broadway revue "The Lady Says Yes". The character of fragile, blonde Jennifer North in "Valley of the Dolls" is partially based on Landis.

Her busiest year was 1942, with roles in Manila Calling (1942), The Powers Girl (1943), A Gentleman at Heart (1942), and three other movies. Unfortunately, critics took little notice of her films, and and when they did, reviewers tended to focus on her breathtaking beauty.

Had appeared with Cesar Romero in four films: Dance Hall (1941), A Gentleman at Heart (1942), Orchestra Wives (1942) and Wintertime (1943).

In 1940 she was cast as Loana in the Hal Roach production of One Million B. C.

(1940); she finally got noticed (the skimpy outfit helped), and her career began moving. She began getting parts in B pictures but didn't star in big productions -- although she had talent, the really good roles were given to the established stars of the day.

By the middle 1940s, Carole's career was beginning to short-circuit. Her contract with 20th Century-Fox had been canceled, her marriages to Willis Hunt Jr. and Thomas Wallace had failed, and her current marriage to Horace Schmidlapp was on the skids; all of that plus health problems spelled disaster for her professionally and personally.

By 1939, she was getting a few speaking roles, although mostly one-liners, and that year ended much as had the previous two years, with more bit roles; also, she and Wheeler were divorced.

She won a studio contract with Warner Brothers but was a bit player for the most part in such films as A Star Is Born (1937), A Day at the Races (1937), and The Emperor's Candlesticks (1937). The following year started out much the same way, with more bit roles.

The couple remarried in August 1934, and the two headed to California to start a new life. For a while she worked as a dancer and singer, but before long the glitter of show business drew her to Los Angeles.

Carole Landis was born on New Year's Day in 1919 in Fairchild, Wisconsin, as Frances Lillian Mary Ridste. Her father, a railroad mechanic, was of Norwegian descent and her mother was Polish. Her father walked out, leaving Carole, her mother and an older brother and sister to fend for themselves. After graduating from high school, she married Jack Robbins (Irving Wheeler), but the union lasted a month (the marriage was annulled because Carole was only 15 at the time).

Had four older siblings, two of whom survived her. Lawrence Bernard Ridste (1912-88), Lewis Andrew Ridste (1913-25), Jerome Arthur Ridste (1916-17) and Dorothy Anna Ridste Ross (1917-97). Her brother Lewis died after being accidentally shot in the abdomen by a friend. Her brother Jerome died in infancy after being burned by scalding water.