Arleen Whelan(1914-1993)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Auburn-haired Arleen Whelan was born in Salt Lake City, but spent her
early childhood in Pueblo, Colorado, where she attended High School.
Her father was an electrician, who, upon opening his own electrical
store in Los Angeles, moved the family westward. Arleen was enrolled in
a beauty college and learned hairdressing and manicure, soon finding
work for $18 a week in a salon on Hollywood Boulevard. There, she was
'discovered' by director H. Bruce Humberstone,
who dropped in for a shave and ended up suggesting her name, as a
likely candidate for movie stardom to
Darryl F. Zanuck. In May 1937, she was
signed to a seven-year contract by 20th Century Fox, her salary now
between $50 and $300 per week.
Within a year, she had her first co-starring assignment, opposite
Warner Baxter in
Kidnapped (1938) . Next, she landed the
highly prized role of pioneer woman Hannah Clay in
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), and,
by 1942, Arleen also made the jump to Broadway, appearing as one of
"The Doughgirls" (the other two were
Virginia Field and
Doris Nolan). She was not cast in the 1944
film version, however - that part going to
Jane Wyman. Still, Hollywood's publicity
machine went into full gear, making the most out of Arleen's affairs
with actors Richard Greene and
Tyrone Power. In 1945, Arleen was voted
'the most perfect all-over beauty' by a panel of magazine illustrators,
but her career was already on the wane. Out of contract, and
dissatisfied with her roles thus far, Arleen left Hollywood to live
with her New York-based second husband, a Paramount executive. Her stay
was short-lived, as was her marriage.
There were still a couple of good screen roles to come for Arleen as a
free-lance actress. She popped up as busybody Valerie Shepherd in the
political satire
The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947),
a performance critic Bosley Crowther
described as
'cute' (December 27, New York Times). There was also another good lead, opposite Charles Winninger
in director John Ford's own favourite
among his films,
The Sun Shines Bright (1953).
For the remainder, at least, Arleen lent some glamour to the B-western
she made for Republic and for
Albert C. Gannaway's independent
production company. After 1957, one of Hollywood's best-looking
redheads called it a day and left the screen to improve her already
impressive golf handicap.
early childhood in Pueblo, Colorado, where she attended High School.
Her father was an electrician, who, upon opening his own electrical
store in Los Angeles, moved the family westward. Arleen was enrolled in
a beauty college and learned hairdressing and manicure, soon finding
work for $18 a week in a salon on Hollywood Boulevard. There, she was
'discovered' by director H. Bruce Humberstone,
who dropped in for a shave and ended up suggesting her name, as a
likely candidate for movie stardom to
Darryl F. Zanuck. In May 1937, she was
signed to a seven-year contract by 20th Century Fox, her salary now
between $50 and $300 per week.
Within a year, she had her first co-starring assignment, opposite
Warner Baxter in
Kidnapped (1938) . Next, she landed the
highly prized role of pioneer woman Hannah Clay in
Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), and,
by 1942, Arleen also made the jump to Broadway, appearing as one of
"The Doughgirls" (the other two were
Virginia Field and
Doris Nolan). She was not cast in the 1944
film version, however - that part going to
Jane Wyman. Still, Hollywood's publicity
machine went into full gear, making the most out of Arleen's affairs
with actors Richard Greene and
Tyrone Power. In 1945, Arleen was voted
'the most perfect all-over beauty' by a panel of magazine illustrators,
but her career was already on the wane. Out of contract, and
dissatisfied with her roles thus far, Arleen left Hollywood to live
with her New York-based second husband, a Paramount executive. Her stay
was short-lived, as was her marriage.
There were still a couple of good screen roles to come for Arleen as a
free-lance actress. She popped up as busybody Valerie Shepherd in the
political satire
The Senator Was Indiscreet (1947),
a performance critic Bosley Crowther
described as
'cute' (December 27, New York Times). There was also another good lead, opposite Charles Winninger
in director John Ford's own favourite
among his films,
The Sun Shines Bright (1953).
For the remainder, at least, Arleen lent some glamour to the B-western
she made for Republic and for
Albert C. Gannaway's independent
production company. After 1957, one of Hollywood's best-looking
redheads called it a day and left the screen to improve her already
impressive golf handicap.