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The story of Carol Ohmart reads like a script from one of her movies, but this story is true and here fact is indeed stranger than fiction. As we delve into Carol Ohmart's past, an often bizarre, sometimes tragic, but mostly cautionary tale unfolds.
Armelie Carol Ohmart was born on July 3 1927 in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Carl Thomas Ohmart, a failed actor turned dentist, and Armelia "Merle" Ohmart. Her parents' union was a troubled one, her father was her mothers senior by nearly 30 years, and they divorced when Carol was 15. Her mother was known to be an overbearing, controlling woman who lived vicariously through her daughter. Carol suffered physical abuse at her mother's hands as a child and struggled to escape her mother's meddling and mental torture for decades.
Wayde Preston, with whom Carol was briefly married in the late 1950's, later told how Merle would interfere in Carol's and his business affairs. She would allegedly make phone calls impersonating her daughter, make and break appointments, all in an effort to maintain her mental stranglehold over Carol.
Carol Ohmart's mother, Merle, was a lifelong and devout Mormon, her family being descendant from the earliest Mormon pilgrims. In later interviews Carol said that as a child she was told by her mother
that "It is God's command to love your mother" and if she did not do so that " God will kill you!".
Ohmart's father was largely absent in her life, employed as a traveling dentist by the "Painless Parker Dentists"(a.k.a. Painless Parker dental circus). When they settled in Seattle, Washington, her parents were frequently separated until their eventual divorce in 1942. Little else is known of Carol Ohmart's father other than that he died in Tacoma, Washington, in 1955 grasping a copy of a newspaper column by Louelle Parsons entitled : "Carol Ohmart to Star in Her First Picture".
Even as an infant Ohmart's mother had designs of stardom for Carol. She was entered and won a national baby contest at the tender age of one. At the age of three she appeared in her uncle's vaudeville routine in the Orpheum Theater in Seattle.
Carol Ohmart was a natural beauty : her serenely piercing blue eyes, a 5' 7'' frame, with measurements of 36-
Following the Miss USA pageant Carol moved to New York, her mother in tow, to pursue her career and use the pageant money to receive vocal and dramatic coaching. Carol quickly found work as a model, vocalist and actress. She appeared in several commercials and graced the covers of magazines. Such as the 1947 "National Police Gazette" wich was her first cover. Famed cartoonist Milton Caniff used her as a model to create his Copper Calhoon character for the "Steve Canyon" series. Illustrator Al Moore also used her as his 1949 Esquire calendar girl.
Carol, at the age of 21, married radio actor Ken Grayson, on August 17 1949. The couple later had the ill-
Continuing to find increasing success as an actress, she appeared on the NBC showcase "Vesatile Varieties" as the Bonny Maid alongside other emergent actresses such as Anne Francis and Eva Marie Saint. Ohmart continued to work
in commercials and off-
Hollywood had it's first look at Carol Ohmart on January 12 1955 when she was brought out from New York to do a screen test for Paramount executives. On the day of her screen test, 13 January 1955, she was suddenly strickened by appendicitis and was rushed to Ceders of Lebanon Hospital for emergency surgery. In spite of this, on January 18 1955, she was signed to a seven year contract by
Paramount. Earning $500 a week for the first year, her salary escalating to $2000 in the seventh year.
It was a whirlwind romance as Carol was shoved into the limelight. Paramount spent a reported $2 million(a not-
At the very least her success allowed her to create some degree of independence and separation between herself and her mother, who was working at this time as a beautician in Hollywood.
Her first, and as it turned out – last, film for Paramount was the film noir "The Scarlet Hour", directed by legendary director Michael Curtiz of "Casablanca" fame, wherein she portrays the femme fatale Paulie Nevens. It was later revealed that the role was initially offered to Barbara Stanwyck who had turned it down.(The film did not perform well at the box office.) Paramount made several mistakes here : the first was to over saturate the press with Carol Ohmart. Bob Fender – a Paramount publicist – admitted that they "murdered her with
exaggerated publicity". And the second mistake was to have her debut as a wholly unsympathetic character.
Paramount had Carol Ohmart tethered to an exclusive contract, but after the disappointment of "The Scarlet Hour" did not use her further. Both Harry Cohn from Columbia Pictures and MGM's Dore Schary contacted Y Frank Freeman, the president of Paramount, about loaning her out for other projects but he flat-
Thanksgiving day(25 th November) 1956 brought a surprise as Carol Omhart revealed that she had married William Strange, at St. Mark's Lutheran Church in San Fransisco. Strange was an aspiring actor who would shortly change his name to Wayde Preston. Preston
was an unknown name but his association with Ohmart was sufficient to get him cast in the lead role of the new Warner Bros. TV series "Colt .45". Their marriage scarcely lasted two years and she filed for divorce in July of 1958. Ohmart later confessed in an interview that they "could have been great friends" but that their greatest mistake was getting married.
Then, in early 1957, Paramount informed Ohmart that they would not be renewing her contract for a third year, stating that they could not afford her automatic yearly increase due to budgetary constraints. After being under contract for two years Paramount had only put her in one film and borrowed her to United Artists for another, neither of which were hits. She was now a free agent but the damage to her reputation had been done.
She had no difficulty finding work however, as she appeared next in Warner Bros.' 1958 film "Born Reckless". 1959 saw her in "The Scavengers" and William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill". Her portrayal of Annabelle Loren in "House on Haunted Hill" is still one of her best remembered roles. The next feature she would appear in was "Wild Youth" in 1961 where she played a sex obsessed heroin addict.
Carol Ohmart also appeared in a slew of television shows until around 1962, when apparently she became disillusioned with Hollywood. She briefly moved back to New York before returning to California. She appeared in 1964's "One Man's Way" and on episodes of the TV's
"Get Smart" and "Branded". She also took the role of Emily Howe in "Cannibal Orgy", but due to legal reasons this film was delayed until 1968 when it was released as "Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told". "Spider Baby" has become known as a bizarre little cult gem to horror movie fans over the years. The last role Ohmart would accept in that decade was with "Caxambu!" in 1967.
Ohmart began studying spirituality at the Institute of Religious Science and joined the Church of Devine Consciousness. Carol left Hollywood to return to Salt Lake City after the Woodland Hills/Malibu fires in 1970. This however put her back under the control of her mother, with whom she had been largely estranged for nearly a decade prior. After only 14 months Carol decided that she would rather face Hollywood alone than spend any more time with Merle.
Carol Ohmart again returned to Hollywood in 1972 with her star now faded, her fortune spent, having not worked as an actress for five years(and barely worked at all for nearly ten); without an agent she managed to land a part on an episode of "Mannix". Then, in a grimly ironic and perhaps eerily prophetic 1973 episode of "Barnaby Jones", entitled "A Little Glory – A Little Death", she plays the part of a former starlet who ends up getting murdered. The show used her own publicity shots from the '50's in the story. Carol Ohmart's final on-
At this point the somewhat sad story turns abysmally tragic. Ohmart was attacked and brutally beaten<assaulted> by three men. After receiving emergency treatment for her injuries she would be diagnosed with partial amnesia, short term memory loss, narcolepsy and she suffered from chronic back pain amongst various other ailments. She subsequently became addicted to pain medication. All this prevented her from obtaining further work as an actress. Seeking help from a drug abuse hotline she overcame her drug addiction and was placed on disability.
The once bright future of a Hollywood starlet with the world at her feet had in two decades been reduced to poverty and destitution. In a 1976 letter to her mother Carol Ohmart wrote of her receiving $174 a month in financial aid, her 3 year battle to recovery and sobriety as well as her desire to seek employment again. She wrote : "Still, I can't afford to be proud. I'll work as a nude model for art schools. For bust shots only. It pays $12 per hour for 3 hours, but it's something. I'm so in need, I'll drive the 45 miles for the $36."
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Following her recovery she finally retreated from Hollywood for good in 1978. She was 51 years old. Returning home to Salt Lake City to live with her mother, who was now 75 years of age and wheelchair bound, it did not take long for their love- |
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until 1989, when a reporter called Gregg Barrios published a two part article in the Los Angeles Times entitled "The Last Starlet". He wrote of how he managed to, by sheer determination and luck, track down Carol Ohmart and convinced her to grant him an interview on the condition that her husband's full name and her exact whereabouts not be revealed. If you are interested in Carol Ohmart, I highly recommend you read his LA Times story(published January 1 st and 8 th 1989). |
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Written by The Classic Movie Master |
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Year |
Title |
Character |
Medium |
1949 |
Versatile Varieties |
Bonny Maid |
TV (NBC) |
1950 |
Lights Out S.2 Ep. 29 - |
TV (NBC) |
|
1952 |
Kismet |
Theatre - |
|
1956 |
The Scarlet Hour |
Pauline 'Paulie' Nevins |
Film (Paramount) |
1956 |
Lux Video Theatre S.7 Ep. 4 - |
Estelle |
TV (CBS) |
1956 |
The Wild Party |
Erica London |
Film (United Artists) |
1957 |
The 20th Century- |
Nancy Kenniston |
TV (CBS) |
1958 |
Northwest Passage S.1 Ep. 10 - |
Nora Clayton |
TV (NBC) |
1958 |
Born Reckless |
Liz |
Film (Warner Bros.) |
1958 |
The Millionaire S.5 Ep. 14 - |
Phyllis |
TV (CBS) |
1959 |
Special Agent 7 S.1 Ep. 1 - |
Helen |
TV (Revue Productions) |
1959 |
Annabelle Loren |
Film (William Castle Productions) |
|
1959 |
Bronco S.1 Ep. 15 - |
Laurie Callan |
TV (ABC) |
1959 |
77 Sunset Strip S.1 Ep. 34 - |
Nancy Costello |
TV (ABC) |
1959 |
The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp S.4 Ep. 31 - |
Cora Campbell |
TV (ABC) |
1959 |
Man Without a Gun S.2 Ep. 9 - |
TV (20th Century Fox Television) |
|
1959 |
Bachelor Father S.3 Ep. 2 - |
Minerva Witherspoon |
TV (CBS) |
1959 |
The Scavengers |
Marion Allison |
Film (Lynn- |
1959 |
Shotgun Slade S.1 Ep. 8 - |
TV (Shotgun Productions) |
|
1959 |
Hawaiian Eye S.1 Ep. 9 - |
Celia Lewin |
TV (ABC) |
1959 |
Bat Masterson S.1 Ep. 31 - |
Linda Beaudine |
TV (NBC) |
1959 |
M Squad S.3 Ep. 14 - |
Edna Reed |
TV (NBC) |
1959 |
77 Sunset Strip S.2 Ep. 11 - |
Ann Benson |
TV (ABC) |
Year |
Title |
Character |
Medium |
1960 |
Johnny Midnight - |
Susan Danviers |
TV (Midnight Productions) |
1960 |
Richard Diamond, Private Detective S.3 Ep. 33 - |
Sally Chandler |
TV (CBS) |
1960 |
Bat Masterson S.2 Ep. 20 - |
Lisa Truex |
TV (NBC) |
1960 |
Men Into Space S.1 Ep. 22 - |
Dr. Muriel Catherine Gallagher |
TV (CBS) |
1960 |
Lock Up S.1 Ep. 25 - |
Aggie Thorne |
TV (ZIV Television Programs) |
1960 |
Markham S.1 Ep. 43 - |
Helen Adamic |
TV (CBS) |
1960 |
Tombstone Territory S.3 Ep. 33 - |
Lola Curtis |
TV (ABC) |
1960 |
The Chevy Mystery Show S.1 Ep. 15 - |
Diane |
TV (NBC) |
1960 |
Tales of Wells Fargo S.5 Ep. 8 - |
Lydia Canfield |
TV (NBC) |
1960 |
Tales of Wells Fargo S.5 Ep. 10 - |
Lydia Canfield |
TV (NBC) |
1960 |
Dante S.1 Ep. 8 - |
Nora McKay |
TV (NBC) |
1961 |
77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 13 - |
Sheila Storm |
TV (ABC) |
1961 |
Michael Shayne S.1 Ep. 14 - |
Sally |
TV (NBC) |
1961 |
Ripcord S.1 Ep. 1 - |
Betty |
TV (United Artists Television) |
1961 |
Route 66 S.1 Ep. 12 - |
Hanna Martin |
TV (CBS) |
1961 |
The Case of the Dangerous Robin S.1 Ep. 17 - |
Ravenna |
TV (United Artists Television) |
1961 |
Perry Mason S.4 Ep. 18 - |
Jenny Bartlett |
TV (CBS) |
1961 |
Michael Shayne S.1 Ep. 24 - |
Claire Eiler |
TV (NBC) |
1961 |
77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 27 - |
Rochelle Adrain |
TV (ABC) |
1961 |
77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 35 - |
Linda Gates |
TV (ABC) |
1961 |
coronado 9 S.1 Ep. 38 - |
Jeanne |
TV (Revue Studios) |
1961 |
Wild Youth |
Madge |
Film (Gold Air Shows) |
1962 |
Everglades S.1 Ep. 36 - |
Cora Johnson |
TV (ZIV Television Programs) |
1962 |
The Third Man S.3 Ep. 2 - |
Irene Portell |
TV (BBC) |
1964 |
One Man's Way |
Evelyn Grace |
Film (United Artists) |
1965 |
Get Smart S.1 Ep. 13 - |
The Countess |
TV (CBS) |
1966 |
Branded S.2 Ep. 30 - |
Laureen Macklin |
TV (NBC) |
1967 |
Caxambu! |
Peggy Garrat |
Film (W. Lee Wilder Productions) |
1968 |
Spider Baby or, The Maddest Story Ever Told |
Emily Howe |
Film (American General Pictures) |
Year |
Title |
Character |
Medium |
1972 |
Mannix S.6 Ep. 3 - |
Lisa Grimaldi |
TV (CBS) |
1973 |
Barnaby Jones S.1 Ep. 12 - |
Elly Hansen / Gloria Colby |
TV (CBS) |
1974 |
The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe |
Mrs. Aspinall |
Film (Cintel) |