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Sally Forrest

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Sally Forrest
Forrest in Vengeance Valley, 1951
Born
Katherine Feeney

(1928-05-28)May 28, 1928
San Diego, California, U.S.
DiedMarch 15, 2015(2015-03-15) (aged 86)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Years active1946–1967
SpouseMilo O. Frank Jr (1951–2004; his death) [1][2]

Sally Forrest (born Katherine Feeney; May 28, 1928 – March 15, 2015), was an American film, stage and TV actress of the 1940s and 1950s. She studied dance from a young age and shortly out of high school was signed to a contract by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[3]

Early life

Forrest was born in San Diego [4] to Michael and Marguerite (née Ellicott) Feeney. Her father was a U.S. Navy career officer who moved his family to various naval bases, finally settling in San Diego. He and his wife later became ballroom dancers and taught dance classes, where their daughter began learning her lifelong craft.[5]

Career

Forrest began her film career in the 1940s as a chorus dancer in MGM musicals.[3] She made her acting debut in Not Wanted (1949), written and produced by Ida Lupino. Its controversial subject of unwed motherhood was a raw and unsentimental view of a condition rarely explored by Hollywood at the time. Forrest starred in two more Lupino projects, Never Fear (1949) and Hard, Fast and Beautiful (1951), as well as other films noir, including Mystery Street (1950), directed by John Sturges, and the star-studded While the City Sleeps (1956), directed by Fritz Lang.[3] Her musical background and training as a jazz and ballet dancer brought roles in the transitional musicals that rounded off the golden age of MGM; most notable was Excuse My Dust (1951).[6]

Most of her films were made under contract to MGM, which prided itself as family entertainment, but RKO, headed by the eccentric and controlling Howard Hughes, presented a very different creative challenge. Son of Sinbad (1955), now a cult classic, was one of his many pet projects where he had a personal interest in redesigning the star's skimpy wardrobe. With each rehearsal, Forrest noticed her harem dance costume slowly disappearing, until it was barely compliant with the Motion Picture Production Code.[citation needed]

In 1953, after moving to New York with her husband, writer and producer Milo Frank (who was hired to be head of casting for CBS), her film work transitioned to theatre and TV. She starred on Broadway in The Seven Year Itch, and appeared in major stage productions of Damn Yankees, Bus Stop, As You Like It and No No Nanette.[7] Later she returned to Hollywood and continued working at RKO and Columbia Pictures. Her final film was RKO's While the City Sleeps in 1956, a murder mystery co-starring Dana Andrews, Rhonda Fleming, Vincent Price and her frequent collaborator Ida Lupino.

Personal life

Forrest married Frank in 1951. They had no children and remained wed until his death in 2004.[8]

Other

Forrest and Frank were owners of the former Benedict Canyon home of Jean Harlow and Paul Bern on Easton Drive in Beverly Hills. They rented it to Jay Sebring prior to his murder at the nearby home of Sharon Tate.[9]

Death

Forrest, a widow from 2004 on, died of cancer on March 15, 2015, aged 86, at her home in Beverly Hills, California.[7] She was survived by a niece and two nephews.[6]

Filmography

Television

References

  1. ^ Obituary 2004 June 23, 2004), variety.com; retrieved 2018-02-19
  2. ^ Bio, imdb.com; retrieved 2018-02-19
  3. ^ a b c Sally Forrest, Actress in 1940s and '50s Film Musicals" [obituary] (March 27, 2015), nytimes.com; retrieved 2015-03-29.
  4. ^ Colker, David (March 28, 2015). "Sally Forrest, dancer lifted to dramatic roles by Ida Lupino, dies at 86", latimes.com; retrieved 2015-03-29.
  5. ^ Sally Forrest biography, artsmeme.com, December 8, 2013; accessed August 14, 2015.
  6. ^ a b Sally Forrest at IMDb
  7. ^ a b Barnes, Mike (March 25, 2015). "Sally Forrest, Actress and Protege of Ida Lupino, Dies at 86". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
  8. ^ "Sally Forrest, actress - obituary". The Telegraph. April 6, 2015. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2018.
  9. ^ Fleming, E.J. (2009). Paul Bern: The Life and Famous Death of the MGM Director and Husband of Jean Harlow. McFarland; 1st Edition (January 9, 2009). p. 299. ISBN 978-0786439638.
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