Mari Blanchard

Mari Blanchard (born Mary E. Blanchard, April 13, 1923 – May 10, 1970) was an American film and television actress, known foremost for her roles as a B movie femme fatale in American productions of the 1950s and early 1960s.

Mari Blanchard
Blanchard on the CBS television series Rawhide, 1959.
Born	April 13, 1923 Long Beach, California, U.S.
Died	May 10, 1970 (aged 47) Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1947–1968
Spouse(s)	Reese Hale Taylor, Jr. (1960–1961) (divorced) George Shepard (1965–1966) (divorced) Vincent J. Conti (1967–1970) (her death)[1]

Early life and career

Although some reference sources cite Mari Blanchard's birth year as 1927 or 1932, she was actually born on April 13, 1923, in Long Beach, California.[2] A polio victim at age nine,[3] Blanchard's health eventually improved enough that she ran away from home and joined a circus in her teens. She then attended the University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara State College.[4]

In the late 1940s, Blanchard became a successful print model and film extra; however, after a producer saw her in an advertisement for bubble bath, she began to have some limited success as an actress on the "big screen." From 1950 to 1951, she took small roles in a number of films at MGM, RKO, and Paramount, until she was signed by Universal-International in 1952. Her first film at Universal was Back at the Front, followed by the 1953 romantic adventure The Veils of Bagdad in which she co-starred with Victor Mature.[5]

One of Blanchard's more memorable film roles, however, was her portrayal of a Venusian queen, Allura, in the 1953 comedy Abbott and Costello Go to Mars.[6] She then starred in 1954 in Destry, a Western with Audie Murphy, reprising a character whom Marlene Dietrich had played in the story's original 1939 version, Destry Rides Again, but changing the character's name from "Frenchy" to "Brandy."

Some other films of the 1950s in which she is featured include Son of Sinbad (1955), The Cruel Tower (1956), Stagecoach to Fury (1956), She Devil (1957, Jungle Heat (1957), No Place to Land (1958), Machete (1958), and Karasu (1959). Following her work on these films, Blanchard began to focus increasingly on performing on television, although she did appear in a few other films in the 1960s, including a small but flamboyant role as Camille in McLintock! (1963), directed by Andrew MacLaglen and starring John Wayne.[7]

On television, Blanchard appeared in "Escape From Fear" (1955), an episode of the anthology series Climax!. She made guest appearances in various television series through the late 1960s, including Rawhide (1959 and 1961: two episodes, two different characters), Bachelor Father (1959), Tales of Wells Fargo (1960), Laramie (1960), Sea Hunt (1960), Hawaiian Eye (1961), 77 Sunset Strip (1961: two episodes, two different characters), Perry Mason (1963, as the murder victim Irene Chase in the episode "The Case of the Melancholy Marksman"), Burke's Law (1965), The Virginian (1967), and It Takes a Thief (1968). She was a series regular in the short-lived Klondike (1960–1961: 12 episodes).

Personal life

Blanchard was married three times: to lawyer Reese Hale Taylor, Jr. (1960–1961); George Shepard (1965–1966); and to photographer Vincent J. Conti (1967–1970; her death).

Retiring from film work after the release of McLintock! in 1963, Blanchard continued to perform on a few television series until her failing health finally forced her to end her career. Her last credited performance was in 1968, playing the part of Madame Gamar on the series It Takes a Thief. Diagnosed with cancer in 1963, she struggled with the disease in those final performances and during her remaining years.[2] On May 10, 1970, she died in Woodland Hills, California; and in accordance with her wishes, her remains were cremated and scattered at sea.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1947	Copacabana	Copa Girl	Uncredited
1950	Mr. Music	Chorine	Uncredited
1951	On the Riviera	Eugenie	Uncredited
1951	No Questions Asked	Natalie
1951	Bannerline	Eloise	Uncredited
1951	Ten Tall Men	Marie DeLatour
1951	The Unknown Man	Sally Tever
1951	Overland Telegraph	Stella
1952	Something to Live For	Hat Check Girl	Uncredited
1952	The Brigand	Dona Dolores Castro
1952	Assignment – Paris!	Wanda Marlowe	(scenes deleted)
1952	Back at the Front	Nina - Johnny Redondo's Accomplice
1953	Abbott and Costello Go to Mars	Queen Allura
1953	The Veils of Bagdad	Selima
1954	Rails Into Laramie	Lou Carter
1954	Black Horse Canyon	Aldis Spain
1954	Destry	Brandy
1955	Son of Sinbad	Kristina
1955	The Return of Jack Slade	Texas Rose
1955	The Crooked Web	Joanie Daniel
1956	The Cruel Tower	Mary 'The Babe' Thompson
1956	Canasta de cuentos mexicanos	Gladys Winthrop	(segment "Canasta")
1956	Stagecoach to Fury	Barbara Duval
1957	She Devil	Kyra Zelas
1957	Jungle Heat	Ann McRae
1958	No Place to Land	Iris Lee LaVonne
1958	Machete	Jean Montoya
1958	Karasu
1962	Don't Knock the Twist	Dulcie Corbin
1963	Twice Told Tales	Sylvia Ward
1963	McLintock!	Camille Reedbottom

References

1. "Mari Blanchard - The Private Life and Times of Mari Blanchard. Mari Blanchard Pictures". Glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
2. Walker, Brian J. (2017). "Mari Blanchard (1923–1970)", Brian's Drive-In Theater, biographical profile of Blanchard and numerous stills from her various films; updated March 14, 2017. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
3. "Five Starlets Model In March of Dimes". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. Associated Press. January 30, 1947. p. 4. Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Thomas, Bob (August 27, 1951). "Conquers Polio, Becomes Star". The Hutchinson News. Kansas, Hutchinson. Associated Press. p. 1. Retrieved September 2, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
5. The Veils of Bagdad, American Film Institute (AFI) catalog; plot summary, production details, and cast and crew. Retrieved May 26, 2017.
6. Abbott and Costello Go to Mars, AFI catalog. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
7. McLintock! AFI catalog. Retrieved May 26, 2017.

External links

• Mari Blanchard at IMDb
• Mari Blanchard at AllMovie