Marie Wilson

"Show business has been very good to me and I'm not complaining, but some day I just wish 
someone would offer me a different kind of role." ~ Marie

Marie Wilson was born Katherine Elisabeth White on August 19, 1916, in Anaheim, California. Her parents divorced and her father died when she was five years old. After graduating from highschool she worked as a sales girl in a department store. She made her film debut as an extra in the 1934 film Babes In Toyland . Marie started dating director Nick Grinde who helped her get a contract at Warner Brothers. She appeared in the hit films Satan Met A Lady, Fools For Scandal, and The Cowboy Quarterback. With her baby doll voice and voluptuous figure Marie found herself typecast as a dumb blonde. In 1942 she married actor Allan Nixon. They had a turbulent marriage and Allan was arrested several times for drunk and disorderly conduct. Marie costarred with James Cagney in Boy Meets Girl and with Groucho Marx in A Girl In Every Port.

She also spent seven years working with Ken Murray in his Black Out stage show. The highlight of the show was Marie's mock striptease number. Her greatest success came in 1949 when she starred in the radio program My Friend Irma. The show became so popular that it was adapted into a movie and a television show. Marie divorced Allan and married producer Robert Fallon in 1951. The couple adopted a son named Gregson. When Marilyn Monroe became a star some critics said she stole her image from Marie. During the 1950s she toured the country with her nightclub act and released an album. She also appeared on numerous television shows. Sadly Marie was diagnosed with cancer in 1967. She passed away on November 23, 1972 at the age of fifty-six. Marie is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood, California. She has been awarded three stars on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame for her work in movies, television, and radio.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2015

Barbara Nichols

"Homely men make the best dates. And handsome men make the worst date." ~ Barbara

Barbara Nichols was born Barbara Marie Nickerauer on December 10, 1928 in Queens, New York. When she was a teenager she danced at the Latin Quarter and was crowned "Miss Long Island". She began modeling and posed for dozens of cheesecake magazines. Her career really took off after she dyed her hair platinum blonde and had plastic surgery on her nose. With her voluptuous figure she became one of the most popular pin-up girls of the 1950s. She was featured on the cover of magazines like See and Man To Man. Barbara eventually moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. She made her film debut in the 1954 western River Of No Return. Over the next five years she appeared in more than a dozen films including The Pajama Game and Pal Joey. She was often compared to Marilyn Monroe but Barbara never became a major movie star.

Her romances with Steve Cochran, Jack Carter, and producer Bert Friedlob kept her name in the gossip columns. Although she had many boyfriends Barbara never married or had children. In 1960 she was seriously injured in a car crash. The accident caused liver damage which affected her health for the rest of her life. During her career she appeared on dozens of television shows. She got rave reviews for her performance in the Twilight Zone episode titled "Twenty-Two". Barbara continued to work steadily throughout the 1960s. She guest starred on Green Acres, The Beverly Hillbillies, and Hawaii Five-O. Her last role was in the 1976 movie Won Ton Ton: The Dog Who Saved Hollywood. On October 5, 1976 she died from liver failure. Barbara was only forty-seven years old. She is buried at Pinelawn Memorial Park in Farmingdale, New York.

~ Original biography by Elizabeth Ann 2014

An autographed photo (from my collection)

Actresses Who Had Abortions

Many classic actresses had to deal with unwanted pregnancies. Back then there weren't many options for birth control and having a baby out of wedlock was very controversial. These fourteen stars chose to have an abortion ...

 Ava Gardner had two abortions during her marriage to Frank Sinatra

Lana Turner had an abortion after leaving her husband Artie Shaw

Bette Davis had two abortions during her first marriage

 Marilyn Monroe had several abortions when she young


 Joan Crawford had an abortion when she was married to Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

Rita Hayworth had an abortion during her romance with Howard Hughes


Jean Harlow had her first abortion in 1919 and her second in 1936

Marion Davies had a few abortions during her long affair with William Randolph Hearst

Judy Garland had an abortion when she was married to composer David Rose

 Betty Grable had an abortion during her relationship with Artie Shaw

Virginia Rappe had several abortions which may have led to her untimely death

Mary Pickford had an abortion during her first marriage which left her unable to have children

Kay Francis had several abortions during her life

Elizabeth Taylor had an abortion when Frank Sinatra refused to marry her

Lesbian & Bi-Sexual Classic Actresses

There are many classic actresses who were gay or bi-sexual. Some of these ladies married men and all of them had to keep their sexuality a secret.

Patsy Kelly was a lesbian. She had many girlfriends and enjoyed a long relationship with Tallulah Bankhead.

Barbara Stanwyck was bi-sexual. She was married to actor Robert Taylor for years and also had several female lovers.

 Joan Crawford was bi-sexual. She had four husbands and many love affairs with women.
 

Lizabeth Scott was a lesbian. She dated women during the 1950s and her career was ruined when a tabloid exposed her secret.

Marie Dressler was a lesbian. She married a man but she was romantically involved with stage actress Claire DuBrey for many years.


 Lilyan Tashman was a lesbian and her husband Edmund Lowe was gay. One of her many lovers was Greta Garbo.

 Marilyn Monroe was bi-sexual. Most of her lovers were men but she also had an affair with her female acting coach.

Kay Francis was bi-sexual. She was married five times and had numerous romances with women.
 

 Janet Gaynor was bi-sexual and so was her husband Gilbert Adrian. She had a long term relationship with actress Mary Martin.

 Carole Landis was bi-sexual. She usually dated men but author Jacqueline Susann was also one of her lovers.