Carol Ohmart - A brief story of Hollywood's last starlet and her filmography - Classic Movie Madness

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Carol Ohmart - A brief story of Hollywood's last starlet and her filmography

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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

Carol Ohmart Headshot
 
picture of Carol Ohmart in Voluptuous Vixens

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 36-24-35, made her a born beauty queen. She was crowned as Miss Utah at the Utah State Fair in Salt Lake City on September 6 1945. She began working as a vocalist on a local radio station and at night clubs. The next year, during September of 1946, she competed in the Miss USA Pageant where she was placed fourth, receiving a $1500 scholarship prize.

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-fated union annulled in 1951.

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

Carol Ohmart gazette cover
 
1949 esquire

in commercials and off-Broadway plays until she landed the part in "Kismet"as Joan Diener's understudy. One fateful night Miss Diener was unable to perform. Carol went on in her place, and caught the attention of a Paramount representative in the audience.

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-so-small fortune in 1955) in an effort to transform Ohmart into an instant star. On July 3 rd  1955, her 28 th  birthday, Carol Ohmart was revealed to the world at a studio press event that spared no expense or effort. She was touted as the next big star and the media and their cameras loved her for it. She was referred to as the "feminine Brando". Life and Newsweek ran feature stories on her. Her likeness appeared in full page spreads in trade papers, on billboards and in theater lobbies. There was even a newly registered strain of orchid named after her : the "Cymbidium Carol Ohmart". But instead of turning Carol into the next Marilyn Monroe as was intended, the Hollywood star system simply ran straight over her.

Carol Ohmar pool
 
 
picture of carol ohmart from scarlet hour

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-out refused. The writing seemed to be on the wall but Ohmart was powerless to do anything about it. So it came as quite a surprise when Freeman out of the blue agreed to let her star in United Artists' "The Wild Party" opposite Anthony Quinn.

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

publicity shot fron the scarlet hour with Carol Ohmart and Tom Tryon
 
 

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.

Carol Ohmart and Vincent Price

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 with Wayde Preston
Spider Baby

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-screen appearance was in the 1974 film "The Spectre of Edgar Allen Poe".

 
 

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."

carol ohmart advert
 
ohmartmirror

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-hate relationship to resume it's old patterns.

Carol soon attracted the attentions of a retired fireman by the name of Bill(William), who was 55 at the time. Unbeknownst to them though, and without his encouragement, Carol's mother had her sights set on the same man. When Carol accepted a marriage proposal from Bill it led to a screaming match between mother and daughter. The exchange ended when Merle yelled at her daughter "I am GOD!!" to which Carol replied "You'll never see me alive again!".

Carol kept her promise. She and Bill moved away shortly after. At the time of her mother's death in 1987 Carol Ohmart had been missing for nearly ten years. Neither family nor friends had any idea what had become of her or where she might be. She was not heard from again

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).

As of last account she was resident in Seattle, Washington. She has made peace with her past and remained happily married to the same Bill she met in 1978. In an open letter to the Los Angeles Times in response to the 1989 story about her she wrote : "My life is now serene and I'm healthy in body, mind and spirit. And my talents are actively at work in many areas".

 

Written by The Classic Movie Master
Posted 01 March 2013

 
 
 
 
 
 
ohmart signature
 
 
 
 
 
 

Year

Title

Character

Medium

1949

Versatile Varieties

Bonny Maid

TV (NBC)

1950

Lights Out S.2 Ep. 29 - Mary, Mary Quite Contrary

TV (NBC)

1952

Kismet

Theatre -

1956

The Scarlet Hour

Pauline 'Paulie' Nevins

Film (Paramount)

1956

Lux Video Theatre S.7 Ep. 4 - The Guilty

Estelle

TV (CBS)

1956

The Wild Party

Erica London

Film (United Artists)

1957

The 20th Century-Fox Hour S.2 Ep. 14 - The Still Trumpet

Nancy Kenniston

TV (CBS)

1958

Northwest Passage S.1 Ep. 10 - The Assassin

Nora Clayton

TV (NBC)

1958

Born Reckless

Liz

Film (Warner Bros.)

1958

The Millionaire S.5 Ep. 14 - The Pete Hopper Story

Phyllis

TV (CBS)

1959

Special Agent 7 S.1 Ep. 1 - Border Masquerade

Helen

TV (Revue Productions)

1959

House on Haunted Hill

Annabelle Loren

Film (William Castle Productions)

1959

Bronco S.1 Ep. 15 - Backfire

Laurie Callan

TV (ABC)

1959

77 Sunset Strip S.1 Ep. 34 - Strange Girl in Town

Nancy Costello

TV (ABC)

1959

The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp S.4 Ep. 31 - The Actress

Cora Campbell

TV (ABC)

1959

Man Without a Gun S.2 Ep. 9 - Devil's Acres

TV (20th Century Fox Television)

1959

Bachelor Father S.3 Ep. 2 - Bentley and the Dog Trainer

Minerva Witherspoon

TV (CBS)

1959

The Scavengers

Marion Allison

Film (Lynn-Romero Productions)

1959

Shotgun Slade S.1 Ep. 8 - Marked Money

TV (Shotgun Productions)

1959

Hawaiian Eye S.1 Ep. 9 - The Quick Return

Celia Lewin

TV (ABC)

1959

Bat Masterson S.1 Ep. 31 - Promised Land

Linda Beaudine

TV (NBC)

1959

M Squad S.3 Ep. 14 - The Ivy League Bank Robbers

Edna Reed

TV (NBC)

1959

77 Sunset Strip S.2 Ep. 11 - The Texas Doll

Ann Benson

TV (ABC)

Year

Title

Character

Medium

1960

Johnny Midnight - Token of Love

Susan Danviers

TV (Midnight Productions)

1960

Richard Diamond, Private Detective S.3 Ep. 33 - Seven Swords

Sally Chandler

TV (CBS)

1960

Bat Masterson S.2 Ep. 20 - Six Feet of Gold

Lisa Truex

TV (NBC)

1960

Men Into Space S.1 Ep. 22 - Dark of the Sun

Dr. Muriel Catherine Gallagher

TV (CBS)

1960

Lock Up S.1 Ep. 25 - Poker Club

Aggie Thorne

TV (ZIV Television Programs)

1960

Markham S.1 Ep. 43 - Anxious Angel

Helen Adamic

TV (CBS)

1960

Tombstone Territory S.3 Ep. 33 - The Siesta Killer

Lola Curtis

TV (ABC)

1960

The Chevy Mystery Show S.1 Ep. 15 - Murder by the Book

Diane

TV (NBC)

1960

Tales of Wells Fargo S.5 Ep. 8 - Leading Citizen

Lydia Canfield

TV (NBC)

1960

Tales of Wells Fargo S.5 Ep. 10 - The Wade Place

Lydia Canfield

TV (NBC)

1960

Dante S.1 Ep. 8 - The Bavarian Barbarians

Nora McKay

TV (NBC)

1961

77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 13 - The Affairs of Adam Gallante

Sheila Storm

TV (ABC)

1961

Michael Shayne S.1 Ep. 14 - The Man with a Cane

Sally

TV (NBC)

1961

Ripcord S.1 Ep. 1 - Air Carnival

Betty

TV (United Artists Television)

1961

Route 66 S.1 Ep. 12 - Sheba

Hanna Martin

TV (CBS)

1961

The Case of the Dangerous Robin S.1 Ep. 17 - Spell of Danger

Ravenna

TV (United Artists Television)

1961

Perry Mason S.4 Ep. 18 - The Case of the Angry Dead Man

Jenny Bartlett

TV (CBS)

1961

Michael Shayne S.1 Ep. 24 - Murder Is a Fine Art

Claire Eiler

TV (NBC)

1961

77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 27 - Open and Close in One

Rochelle Adrain

TV (ABC)

1961

77 Sunset Strip S.3 Ep. 35 - Designing Eye

Linda Gates

TV (ABC)

1961

coronado 9 S.1 Ep. 38 - Blonde Herring

Jeanne

TV (Revue Studios)

1961

Wild Youth

Madge

Film (Gold Air Shows)

1962

Everglades S.1 Ep. 36 - The Four Day Weekend

Cora Johnson

TV (ZIV Television Programs)

1962

The Third Man S.3 Ep. 2 - Mischka

Irene Portell

TV (BBC)

1964

One Man's Way

Evelyn Grace

Film (United Artists)

1965

Get Smart S.1 Ep. 13 - Aboard the Orient Express

The Countess

TV (CBS)

1966

Branded S.2 Ep. 30 - Headed for Doomsday

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 - The Crimson Halo

Lisa Grimaldi

TV (CBS)

1973

Barnaby Jones S.1 Ep. 12 - A Little Glory, a Little Death

Elly Hansen / Gloria Colby

TV (CBS)

1974

The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe

Mrs. Aspinall

Film (Cintel)

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