- Suzanne Kaaren
infobox actor
name = Suzanne Kaaren
imagesize = 150px
birthdate = birth date|1912|3|12
birthplace =Brooklyn ,New York City ,U.S.
deathdate = death date and age|2004|8|27|1912|3|12
deathplace =Englewood, New Jersey ,U.S.
occupation = Stage,film actress
yearsactive =Suzanne Kaaren (
March 12 ,1912 –August 27 ,2004 ) was an AmericanB-movie actress who starred in stock filmgenre s of the 1930s and 1940s: horror, western and romances. She was born inBrooklyn, New York .Education and athletics
Kaaren attended
Erasmus Hall High School andHunter College before being signed by20th Century Fox in September 1933. In 1931 she won a high-jumping contest in aNew York City school contest. Her parents refused to let her compete in theOlympic Games . She collectedbutterflies as a hobby and had several books filled with the insects.Early career
She acted with stock companies and posed as a model for commercial painters and cigarette advertising. Kaaren appeared in dramatic parts in New York theaters and trained at the Hedgerow Theater in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania . This was the same venue that produced actressAnn Harding .She was one of the original
Rockettes . Kaaren performed on stage onDecember 27 ,1932 , the nightRadio City Music Hall opened.Movie actress
She left for
Hollywood in October 1933. Her starting salary was $150 per week. She was cast oppositeTim McCoy in "Ridin' Gents" (1934), aMonogram Pictures production. She was signed byRepublic Pictures to play a character in "From Rags To Riches". "Ridin' Gents" (1934) was filmed without either McCoy or Kaaren. "From Rags To Riches" was filmed as "Rags To Riches" in 1941. Kaaren was not a part of the production.She joined a
troupe assembled by producerWalter Wanger , which also included Gloria Youngblood. The theatrical company was known as "Trade Winds". The episodic comedy "When's Your Birthday?" (1937) showcased the zanyJoe E. Brown . Kaaren was among the supporting players in anRKO Radio Pictures movie about an astrologer.In October 1941, Kaaren was added to the cast of "
I Married an Angel " (1942). She portrayed a maid named "Simone", and was uncredited. In October 1943, Pete Smith assigned Kaaren andHarry Barris the leading roles in an MGM motion picture which was to be called "Practical Joker". The film was never made.Kaaren figured prominently in several
Three Stooges comedy short films. They are "Disorder in the Court " (1936), "Yes, We Have No Bonanza " (1939), and "What's the Matador? " (1942). In the latter she depicts "Dolores Sanchez", and has the fourth lead afterCurly Howard ,Larry Fine , andMoe Howard ."I Married an Angel" (1942) was based on the novel "Death From A Tophat" by
Clayton Rawson . Kaaren plays a woman who is separated into halves and then joined together again suspensefully. Themurder mystery hasRobert Young andFlorence Rice in prominent roles.She starred opposite
Bela Lugosi in "The Devil Bat " (1940). Thecult film of the horror film genre is aPoverty Row production released byProducers Releasing Corporation . In the movie Lugosi breeds giant bats to attack people.Her final appearance on film is uncredited role as "The Duchess of
Park Avenue (Manhattan) " in 1984's "The Cotton Club ", directed byFrancis Ford Coppola .Marriage
She married stage and screen actor,
Sidney Blackmer , on June 13, 1943, in a civil ceremony inSanta Ana, California .Raquel Torres was a witness at the wedding. Blackmer was married previously toLenore Ulric .By this time, Kaaren was under contract to
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer . The marriage was a turbulent one from the outset. The couple separated in September 1943 and Blackmer instructed his attorney to file for divorce in October.Theater
Kaaren stepped into the character usually played by Ann Thomas in a Broadway presentation of "Chicken Every Sunday". Staged in September 1944, Thomas left the production to go to Hollywood. In July 1946 Kaaren's son, Brester, was in the play with her as an eight-month-old. She was also joined by her husband on stage at the
Bucks County Playhouse inNew Hope, Pennsylvania . In April 1953 Blackmer and Kaaren teamed as stars of "Glad Tidings" inAtlantic City, New Jersey . By May, the show moved to the Quarterback Theatre, also in Atlantic City.In 1959, Kaaren appeared in "The Royal Family" at the Hinsdale Summer Theater in
Chicago, Illinois .Linda Darnell starred andKaryn Kupcinet and Stuart Brent were in the cast. The theme was a famous family of the American stage.Death
Sidney Blackmer died in October 1973. Kaaren survived him and resided at 100
Central Park South. She and Blackmer had a second son, John. Kaaren died frompneumonia inEnglewood, New Jersey , in 2004.References
*
Bismarck Tribune , "New Browning Mystery Stars Suzanne Kaaren", September 9, 1939, Page 8.
* Fitchburg Sentinel, "News and Comment Of Stage and Screen", October 2, 1937, Page 5.
* Long Beach Independent, "Sidney Blackmer To Sue For Divorce", October 26, 1943, Page 2.
*New York Times , "Screen Notes", September 27, 1933, Page 24.
* New York Times, "Girl Athlete Gets Movie Job", November 11, 1933, Page 11.
* New York Times, "News Of The Screen", March 22, 1938, Page 18.
* New York Times, "Screen News Here And In Hollywood", August 29, 1938, Page 10.
* New York Times, "Screen News Here And In Hollywood", June 26, 1941, Page 27.
* New York Times, "Screen News Here And In Hollywood", October 24, 1941, Page 27.
* New York Times, "Sidney Blackmer Marries", August 9, 1943, Page 10.
* New York Times, "Three Plays Delay Broadway Debuts", September 15, 1944, Page 17.
* New York Times, "Vera Allen Named By Theatre Wing", July 4, 1946, Page 23.
* New York Times, "Atlantic City Bills Listed", April 17, 1953, Page 30.
* New York Times, "Early-Season Attractions In Jersey", May 3, 1953, Page X17.
* Ogden Standard-Examiner, "Photo Collector", February 4, 1934, Page 11.
* Olean Times-Evening Herald, "All Ready? Then Get Your Eyes Ready For A New Screen Beauty!", November 11, 1933, Page 3.
* Suburbanite Economist, "Linda Darnell Plays Hinsdale", August 5, 1959, Page 16.
* Syracuse Herald Journal. "In Step With:The Rockettes", December 27, 1992, Page 182.
*Washington Post , "Astrology, Boxing Bouts Mix In Latest Joe E. Brown Picture", March 4, 1937, Page 12.
* Washington Post, "Sidney Blackmer, Noted Actor, Dies", October 7, 1973, Page B6.External links
*imdb|0433947
*amg name|2:36589
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