Carolyn Jones




































Carolyn Jones

Carolyn Jones 1956.jpg
Jones in 1956

Born
Carolyn Sue Jones[1]


(1930-04-28)April 28, 1930

Amarillo, Texas, United States

Died August 3, 1983(1983-08-03) (aged 53)

West Hollywood, California, United States

Resting place Melrose Abbey Memorial Park Cemetery, Anaheim, California
Education Amarillo High School
Occupation Actress, singer
Years active 1952–1983
Spouse(s)



  • Don Donaldson
    (m. 1950; div. 1951)

    [2]


  • Aaron Spelling
    (m. 1953; div. 1964)


  • Herbert Greene
    (m. 1968; div. 1977)

  • Peter Bailey-Britton
    (m. 1982; her death 1983)



Carolyn Sue Jones[3] (April 28, 1930 – August 3, 1983)[1] was an American actress of television and film. Jones began her film career in the early 1950s, and by the end of the decade had achieved recognition with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party (1957) and a Golden Globe Award as one of the most promising actresses of 1959. Her film career continued for another 20 years. In 1964, she began playing the role of Morticia Addams (as well as her sister Ophelia and the feminine counterpart of Thing, Lady Fingers), in the original black and white television series The Addams Family.




Contents






  • 1 Early life


  • 2 Career


  • 3 Personal life and illness


  • 4 Marriages


  • 5 Death


  • 6 Selected filmography


    • 6.1 Film


    • 6.2 Television




  • 7 Awards and honors


  • 8 References


  • 9 Bibliography


  • 10 Further reading


  • 11 External links





Early life


Carolyn Jones was born in Amarillo, Texas, the daughter of Chloe Jeanette Southern,[2] a housewife, and Julius Alfred Jones, a barber.[3][4][5] After her father abandoned the family in 1934, Carolyn and her younger sister, Bette Rhea Jones,[2] moved with their mother into her parents' Amarillo home.[6] Jones suffered from severe asthma that often restricted her childhood activities, and when her condition prevented her from going to the movies, she became an avid reader of Hollywood fan magazines and aspired to become an actress. She enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse in California at seventeen, with her grandfather, Charles W. Baker,[2] paying her tuition.[7][8]



Career




Jones and John Astin as Gomez and Morticia Addams in The Addams Family (1964)




Guest stars for the 1961 premiere episode of The Dick Powell Show, "Who Killed Julie Greer?". Standing, from left: Ronald Reagan, Nick Adams, Lloyd Bridges, Mickey Rooney, Edgar Bergen, Jack Carson, Ralph Bellamy, Kay Thompson, Dean Jones. Seated, from left, Carolyn Jones and Dick Powell.




Carolyn Jones and John Church in the Broadway play The Homecoming (1967)[9]


After being spotted by a talent scout at the Playhouse, Jones secured a contract with Paramount Pictures and made her first film, The Turning Point, in 1952.[8] In 1953, she married aspiring filmmaker Aaron Spelling. She appeared in several episodes of Dragnet, credited as Caroline Jones in at least one episode; had an uncredited bit part as a nightclub hostess in The Big Heat, and a role in House of Wax as the woman who is converted by Vincent Price's character into a Joan of Arc statue. In 1954, she played Beth in Shield for Murder, earning $500 per day for playing the role.[10]


Jones was cast in the film From Here to Eternity (1953) in the role of Alma "Lorene" Burke, which was written for her. However, a bout with pneumonia forced her to withdraw; the role earned Donna Reed the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.


Jones made her television debut on the DuMont series Gruen Playhouse in 1952. She appeared in two Rod Cameron syndicated series, City Detective and State Trooper, as Betty Fowler in the 1956 episode, "The Paperhanger of Pioche". She guest-starred in Ray Milland's CBS sitcom, Meet Mr. McNutley. She made five appearances on the crime drama series Dragnet, starring Jack Webb, between 1953 and 1955. In 1955, Jones appeared on the CBS anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents in the episode "The Cheney Vase" as a secretary assisting her scheming boyfriend Darren McGavin in attempting an art theft, and opposite Ruta Lee.


In 1956, Jones appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers and in Alfred Hitchcock's remake of his own film, The Man Who Knew Too Much. In 1957, she had the lead in the episode "The Girl in the Grass" on CBS's Schlitz Playhouse, with once again Ray Milland and Nora Marlowe.


Jones appeared three times as a guest star on the television series Wagon Train, in the first-season episode "The John Cameron Story" (1957) and in the later color episodes "The Jenna Douglas Story" (1961) and "The Molly Kincaid Story" (1963).


In 1958, Jones was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for The Bachelor Party, and she also shared a Golden Globe Award for "Most Promising Newcomer" with Sandra Dee and Diane Varsi, and appeared with Elvis Presley in King Creole.


In 1959, Jones played opposite Frank Sinatra in Frank Capra's A Hole in the Head, Dean Martin in Career, and Anthony Quinn and Kirk Douglas in Last Train from Gun Hill. In 1960, she guest-starred with James Best and Jack Mullaney in the episode "Love on Credit" of CBS's anthology series The DuPont Show with June Allyson, a Four Star Television production.


In the 1962–1963 season, Jones guest-starred on CBS's The Lloyd Bridges Show, which Spelling created. While married to Spelling, she appeared on the NBC program Here's Hollywood.[11]


In the epic Western, How The West Was Won (1963), she played the role of Sheriff Jeb Rawlings' (George Peppard) wife. She appears with Peppard and Debbie Reynolds in the last speaking/singing scenes of the film.


In 1964, using a long coal-black wig, the brunette Jones began playing Morticia Addams on the television series The Addams Family, a role which brought her success as a comedian and a Golden Globe Award nomination. She guest-starred on the 1960s TV series Batman, playing Marsha, the Queen of Diamonds,[12] and in 1976 appeared as the title character's mother, Hippolyta, on the Wonder Woman TV series. In 1976, she played a madam running a rural whorehouse in Tobe Hooper's follow-up movie after The Texas Chain Saw Massacre which was Eaten Alive, and featured Neville Brand, Roberta Collins, and Robert Englund. Her last role was that of Myrna, the scheming matriarch of the Clegg clan, on the soap opera Capitol from the first episode in March 1982 until March 1983, though she already knew that she was dying of cancer. During her occasional absences, veteran actress Marla Adams subbed for her.



Personal life and illness


Jones was a Democrat and supported Adlai Stevenson's campaign during the 1952 presidential election[13].


Her acting career declined after The Addams Family ended in 1966. Sporadic roles in the 1970s included that of Mrs. Moore, the wife of the plantation owner in the miniseries Roots.


Jones landed the role of the power-driven political matriarch Myrna Clegg in the CBS daytime soap opera Capitol in 1981. The following year, shortly after Capitol debuted, she was diagnosed with colon cancer, and played many of her scenes in a wheelchair.[14] The cancer spread quickly to her liver and stomach. Despite the pain, Jones finished the first season.[15]



Marriages


Jones was married four times and had no children. While studying at the Pasadena Playhouse, Jones married Don Donaldson, a 28-year-old fellow student. The couple soon divorced.[16] Jones was subsequently married to television producer Aaron Spelling from 1953 until their 1964 separation and divorce;[17] Jones converted to Judaism when she married Spelling.[18]


Her third marriage, in 1968, was to Tony Award-winning Broadway musical director, vocal arranger and co-producer Herbert Greene (who was her vocal coach); she left him in 1977.


In September 1982, realizing she was dying, Jones married her boyfriend of five years, actor Peter Bailey-Britton. She wore a lace and ribbon cap to hide the loss of her hair from chemotherapy.



Death


Jones was diagnosed with colon cancer in March 1981, but continued to work while telling colleagues she was being treated for ulcers.[19] After a period of apparent remission, the cancer returned in 1982. In July 1983, she fell into a coma at her home in West Hollywood, California, where she died on August 3, 1983. She donated her Morticia costume and wig to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, while a collection of Addams Family scripts were donated by Bailey-Britton to UCLA.[20]



Selected filmography



Film




Jones and Aaron Spelling in 1960





















































































































































































































Year
Film
Role
Notes
1952

The Turning Point
Miss Lillian Smith
Uncredited
1952

Road to Bali
Eunice
Uncredited
1952

Off Limits
Deborah

1953

The War of the Worlds
Blonde Party Guest
Uncredited
1953

House of Wax
Cathy Gray

1953

The Big Heat
Doris

1953

Geraldine
Kitty

1954

Make Haste to Live
Mary Rose

1954

The Saracen Blade
Elaine of Siniscola

1954

Shield for Murder
Girl at Bar

1954

Three Hours to Kill
Polly

1954

Désirée
Mme. Tallien
Uncredited
1955

The Seven Year Itch
Miss Finch

1955

The Tender Trap
Helen

1956

Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Theodora 'Teddy' Belicec

1956

The Man Who Knew Too Much
Cindy Fontaine

1956

The Opposite Sex
Pat

1957

The Bachelor Party
The Existentialist
Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
1957

Johnny Trouble
Julie Horton

1957

Baby Face Nelson
Sue Nelson

1958

Marjorie Morningstar
Marsha Zelenko

Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actress
(with Sandra Dee and Diane Varsi)
1958

King Creole
Ronnie

1959

The Man in the Net
Linda Hamilton

1959

Last Train from Gun Hill
Linda

1959

A Hole in the Head
Shirl

1959

Career
Shirley Drake

1960

Ice Palace
Bridie Ballantyne

1961

Sail a Crooked Ship
Virginia

1962

How the West Was Won
Julie Rawlings

1963

A Ticklish Affair
Tandy Martin

1969

Heaven with a Gun
Madge McCloud

1969

Color Me Dead
Paula Gibson

1976

Eaten Alive
Miss Hattie

1979

Good Luck, Miss Wyckoff
Beth



Television





















































































































































































































Year
Film
Role
Notes
1952-1954

Mr. and Mrs. North
Various characters
3 episodes
1953-1955

Dragnet
Various characters
5 episodes; billed as Caroline Jones
1954

The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
Karen Brook
3 episodes
1954-1955

Studio 57
Various characters
4 episodes
1955

Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Pamela Waring
Episode: "The Cheney Vase"
1954-1957

Schlitz Playhouse of Stars
Various characters
4 episodes
1955-1957

The Millionaire
Carol Fletcher; Emily Short
2 episodes
1957-1961

Zane Grey Theater
Various characters
3 episodes
1957-1963

Wagon Train
Various characters
3 episodes
1961-1962

The Dick Powell Show
Various characters
3 episodes
1962

Dr. Kildare
Evy Schaller
Episode: "The Mask Makers"
1963-1964

Burke's Law
Richards quintuplets (1963); Carole Durand (1964)
2 episodes
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best TV Star - Female (1963)
1964-1966

The Addams Family

Morticia Addams; Ophelia Frump; Lady Fingers
64 episodes
1966-1967

Batman
Marsha, Queen of Diamonds
5 episodes
1969

The Mod Squad
Lisa Whittaker; Ginny
Episode: "Lisa"
1969

Storybook Squares
Morticia Addams
Series debut
1969

Love, American Style
Vera
Segment: "Love and the Geisha"
1971

The Men From Shiloh
Annie Spencer
Episode: "The Legacy of Spencer Flats"
1972

The New Scooby-Doo Movies
Morticia Addams (voice)
Episode: "Wednesday is Missing"
1974

Ironside
Justine Cross
2 episodes
1975

Kolchak: The Night Stalker
The Registrar
Episode: "Demon In Lace"
1976

Ellery Queen
Rita Radcliffe
Episode: "The Adventure of the Hardhearted Huckster"
1976-1977

Wonder Woman

Queen Hippolyta
3 episodes
1977

Roots
Mrs. Moore
Television miniseries
1977

Halloween with the New Addams Family
Morticia Addams; Ophelia Frump
Television film
1977

Little Ladies of the Night
Marilyn Atkins
Television film
1977-1981

Quincy, M.E.
Various characters
3 episodes
1979

The French Atlantic Affair
Peg
Television miniseries
1979

The Love Boat
Margaret Jerome
Segment: "Cindy"
1979–1982

Fantasy Island
Various characters
3 episodes
1980

The Dream Merchants
Vera
Television miniseries
1981

Midnight Lace
Bernadette Chance
Remake of 1960 feature film
1982

Tattletales
Herself
5 episodes
1982

Capitol
Myrna Clegg
8 episodes; final acting role


Awards and honors



































Year
Award
Category
Title of work
Result
1957

Academy Award

Best Supporting Actress

The Bachelor Party
Nominated
1957

Golden Globe Award

New Star of the Year – Actress

Marjorie Morningstar
Won
1963
Golden Globe Award

Best TV Star - Female

Burke's Law
Nominated




References





  1. ^ ab Birth Certificate


  2. ^ abcd Pylant, 2012


  3. ^ ab The Addams Family's Carolyn Jones: A Descendant of Geronimo? Archived 2008-06-10 at the Wayback Machine


  4. ^ Stroder, Chris (2000). Swingin' Chicks of the '60s: A Tribute to 101 of the Decade's Defining Women. Cedco Publishing. ISBN 0768322324..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  5. ^ Donnelley, Paul (2003). Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries. Music Sales Group. ISBN 0711995125.


  6. ^ 1940 United States Census [Retrieved December 30, 2016].


  7. ^ Thise, Mark M. (2008). Hollywood Winners and Losers, A to Z. Limelight Editions. p. 97. ISBN 978-0879103514.


  8. ^ ab "Carolyn Jones Is Dead at 50; A TV Actress". The New York Times. United Press International. August 4, 1983.


  9. ^ Carolyn Jones at the Internet Broadway Database


  10. ^ Weaver, Tom (2010). A Sci-Fi Swarm and Horror Horde: Interviews with 62 Filmmakers. McFarland & Company. p. 174. ISBN 978-0-7864-4658-2.


  11. ^ "Carolyn Jones and Marshall Thompson". Here's Hollywood. Episode 1.39. 23 November 1960. NBC.


  12. ^ She was one of the stars on the hit TV game show Match Game (1973). Paul Donnelley, Fade To Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries, page 369 (Omnibus Press, 2003).
    ISBN 0-7119-9512-5



  13. ^ Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers


  14. ^ Del Vecchio, Deborah (2012). Beverly Garland: Her Life and Career. McFarland & Company. p. 149. ISBN 978-0786465019.


  15. ^ Christopher Schemering, The Soap Opera Encyclopedia (Ballantine Books, 1987).
    ISBN 0-345-35344-7



  16. ^ Milwaukee Sentinel August 9, 1959 p.27


  17. ^ Spelling, Aaron; Graham, Jefferson (1996). A Prime-Time Life: An Autobiography. New York: St. Martin's Press. p. 51. ISBN 0-312-14268-4.


  18. ^ "Do you think you know film? The 'TCM Classic Movie Trivia' book has more than 4,000 questions to test your knowledge", Los Angeles Times, September 19, 2011.


  19. ^ Bennett, Ray (April 28, 2015). "Why Carolyn Jones did not want to kiss Elvis Presley". The Cliff Edge. Retrieved January 26, 2018.


  20. ^ Pylant (2012), p. 207




Bibliography



  • Pylant, James (2012). In Morticia's Shadow: The Life & Career of Carolyn Jones. Jacobus Books. ISBN 978-0984185757.


Further reading



  • Jones, Carolyn (1971). Twice Upon a Time. Trident Press. ISBN 978-0671270742.


External links









  • Carolyn Jones on IMDb


  • Carolyn Jones at the Internet Broadway Database Edit this at Wikidata


  • Carolyn Jones at the Internet Off-Broadway Database


  • Carolyn Jones at AllMovie


  • Carolyn Jones at Film Reference










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