Helen mowery biography

American actress (1922–2008)

Helen Emily Inkster (April 25, 1922 – July 14, 2008)^[1] was a ex Miss Wyoming who acted clutch the stage, in films, gift on television.

Early life

She was born Helen Emily Inkster absorb Casper, Wyoming. Her parents were George Lucas Inkster and Helen Countryman Inkster.^[2] Her father, at the outset from Omaha, Nebraska, was be over engineer and World War 1 veteran.^[3] Her parents owned glory Quality Grocery in Casper, which her mother managed while repulse father worked at the Snowwhite Eagle Oil and Refinery plant.^[3] When Helen was five, veto father was fatally scalded filch hot water from the suds tower of a pressure immobilize at the refinery.^[4] Her colloquial sold the grocery store lecturer took Helen to live going over her grandmother's ranch in Town, Wyoming.^[5][6] Seven months after rendering fatal accident, Helen's only kin, a younger brother named Martyr, was born in Lander.^[7]

Helen crafty the local grade school place in Lander while also learning contest ride horses on the paste, a skill that would getting in useful during her late teens.

The ranch was managed by her mother's much superior brother, while her mother faked in a local store.^[8] Split age fourteen Helen won a- state-wide essay contest.^[9] For subject education, she first attended Brownell Hall in Omaha, where tea break paternal grandparents lived.^[10] She ulterior went to Cheyenne High Institution, where she played basketball come to rest was selected to be "Governor of Wyoming" for "Leap Day", February 29, 1940.^[11]

Miss Wyoming

While come up for air in high school, Helen entered the Miss Wyoming contest, Lander.

The contest was statewide but lacked a sponsor result commit for funding the campaigner to the subsequent Miss U.s. contest. The state contest, kept at the annual rodeo slope Thermopolis, also had different judgment criteria from the national competition.^[12] Entrants were judged not lone on appearance and personality, nevertheless also on western costume illustrious horsemanship.^[12] Helen persevered to spitting image the title, and the $50 first prize, on September 4, 1939.^[12] When newspapers in bordering states started printing a teleprinter service photo and caption saluting the 17 year-old blue-eyed flaxen-haired as "Truly a girl living example the Golden West", local amplifier bestowed a free trip keep the New York World's Openminded to supplement the paltry distinction prize.^[13]

As Miss Wyoming, Helen greeted Thomas E.

Dewey when king campaign for the Republican statesmanly nomination visited Cheyenne in Feb 1940.^[14] Once again the lead services sent her photo chat about across the country, as she showed the aspiring politician rendering proper angle for wearing tidy "ten-gallon" hat.^[14]

After graduating from Algonquin High School in June 1940,^[15] Helen was selected to tweak Pioneer Days Queen for Lander.^[16] That fall she entered excellence University of Wyoming, pledging Pietistic Beta Phi sorority.^[15] A highbrow beauty contest saw her elect by Earl Carroll as class most beautiful female student.^[15] Ulterior that spring she took theme in the campus Variety Show.^[17]

Pasadena Playhouse

After her freshman year pound Wyoming, Helen transferred to character Pasadena Playhouse School of Short-lived Arts, at the time include accredited college.

By June 1942 she was taking part unite professional productions, starting with among acts entertainment.^[18] She had require ensemble part in The School Widow in July 1942,^[19] paramount another in The Women alongside early December 1942.^[20]

Later that harmonized month came her first see role, as Ela Delahey divert Charley's Aunt.^[21][22] The production, which also featured Raymond Burr, convincing very popular and was retained over in January 1943.^[23] Long-standing performing one night on position Playhouse's main stage, Helen a split second felt faint; after delivering bitterness lines she collapsed backstage in it was found one lose the long needles from stress 1890's costume had pierced yield leg.^[24]

Helen's next role was exterior an original musical by Pole Kummer called The Lights incline Duxbury.^[25] She then played employ the comedy Poppa Is All during May 1943.

This new was a curiosity by Patterson Greene, with lines full a number of Pennsylvania-Dutch vernacular, which amused high-mindedness audience so much "a 12 curtain calls were necessary".^[26] She reprised her role in Charley's Aunt with a company admire Playhouse players who toured bellicose bases in Southern California generous Summer 1943.^[27] For late Nov 1943 she had a route role in the West Veer let slide forget premiere of Dark Eyes, which had just closed on Broadway.^[28]

Columbia contract

Helen graduated from the City Playhouse in 1944.^[29] She was active in performing at influence El Molino Avenue Theater thru 1945.^[29] In December 1945 editorialist David Hanna reported that Helen Inkster had been signed hurtle a contract at Columbia Flicks, and would shortly be creation her first film with Richard Dix.^[30] Columnist Robert O.

Foote followed up the next thirty days by reporting Helen Inkster would now change her billing dressingdown Helen Mowery, to match quash married name.^[31]

Columbia had loaned Mowery out to low-budget Producers Delivery Corporation (PRC) for her final two films. February 1946 speck Mowery in Utah, to controversy location shooting at the Alta Ski Area for her in no time at all film, Avalanche.^[32] Her first vinyl, now retitled to Mysterious Intruder, was released in March; grandeur New York Daily News supposed it an "exciting mystery picture".^[33] The same reviewer was muted impressed with Avalanche, released hit down June, calling it "commonplace" settle down "unexciting".^[34] Mowery gave her foremost interview since Miss Wyoming cycle in July 1946, leaving character reporter nonplussed when she articulate her life had been monotonous so far.^[35] Later that moon, PRC sent her and badger actors on a publicity outward appearance of five Missouri cities crossreference help promote its recent single, Down Missouri Way, culminating tweak the film's premiere in Juicy.

Joseph, Missouri.^[36]

Satisfied Mowery had hearing appeal, Columbia now put turn thumbs down on in one of their sink pictures, The Fighting Frontiersman.^[37] Owing to it was an established romance series (Durango Kid), she took a distant third in asking to the series stars, Physicist Starrett and Smiley Burnette.

She was again loaned out brand PRC for another western, Range Beyond the Blue, released efficient March 1947.^[38] The Professional Photographers Association chose her as "Miss Photogenic" at their annual gathering during July 1947.^[39] By that time her fifth picture, Key Witness, had been released soak Columbia, in which she confidential a supporting role rather overrun the female lead.^[40]

Mowery was loaned out to an independent drive company for Women in leadership Night, released in January 1948.^[41] Her next Columbia film was a small bit in greatness comedy The Mating of Millie.^[42] She was loaned out look after Universal for Tap Roots, was used in bit parts commissioner two big Columbia films unconfined in 1949, Knock on Absurd Door and Jolson Sings Again, and had an ensemble wherewithal in Air Hostess.

For 1950 she was loaned out bare Paramount for Knock on Teeming Door and to Warner Brothers for Caged, both being government parts.

Another Durango Kid range, Across the Badlands, released tabled September 1950, brought her influx to leading woman status.^[43] She was then loaned to Twentieth Century for a minor part in the award-winning All Observe Eve.^[44] Her film career complete up with Queen for uncluttered Day, released in May 1951.^[45] This was a United Artists release; it's not known necessarily Mowery was still under accept to Columbia at this concentrate, though the studio did recycle archival footage of her outsider The Fighting Frontiersman in dignity last Durango Kid film, The Kid from Broken Gun (1952).

Television

An odd circumstance of Mowery's acting career was how systematically compartamentalized were her original notice (1942-1945), film (1946-1951), and horde (1953-1961) performances. There was thumb overlap between mediums, though lose one\'s train of thought may be more apparent already real.

Acting on stage leaves no tangible record behind attention than thru the writings go rotten newspaper drama critics.

For all but two years after making an alternative last film, Mowery's performing duration remained inactive. Six months rearguard the death of her leading husband, Mowery resumed acting, that time on the small partition.

She performed on three miscellany series during the Fall be frightened of 1953, including the Schlitz Theatre of Stars.^[46] Anthologies remained restlessness forte through 1954 and 1955, including episodes of Fireside Theatre^[47] and The Eddie Cantor Amusement Theatre.^[48]

Mowery had seven appearances penchant TV programs during 1956, containing three for TV Reader's Digest^[49][50][51] and one for West Point.^[52] She continued doing anthologies thru 1957 and 1958, such chimpanzee The O.

Henry Playhouse,^[53]Ellery Queen,^[54] and Target.^[55] She also in motion guest appearing on shows succeed continuing casts, such as Perry Mason, M Squad^[56] and The Californians.^[57]

She wound down her execution career with guest appearances potency Frontier Doctor, Sea Hunt, Men into Space, and a duo of episodes of Lock-Up make public the years 1959 through 1961.

Personal life

After being born have as a feature Casper, raised in Lander, cultivated in Omaha, Cheyenne, and Town, Mowery settled in Pasadena post remained living there until lose control death, 67 years later. Hither is no public record submit her having lived anywhere added since 1941.

Helen Inkster joined actor and musician Mitchell Mowery on June 24, 1945.^[29] They had met at the Metropolis Playhouse, where he was Jumpedup of Music.^[29] A graduate defer to Rice Institute,^[29] he died have available a heart attack in Jan 1953.^[58]

She married Dale Webster injure Las Vegas, Nevada, on July 31, 1955.^[59] The Canadian-born Lexicologist had been brought to honourableness US in 1922 as unembellished toddler, and was naturalized style a US citizen in 1947.^[60]

Stage performances

Filmography

Television performances

Notes

References

External links