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Carol Ohmart

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Carol Ohmart
Ohmart in trailer to House on Haunted Hill (1959)
Born
Armelia Carol Ohmart

(1927-06-03)June 3, 1927
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
DiedJanuary 1, 2002(2002-01-01) (aged 74)
Fort Collins, Colorado, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1950–1974

Armelia Carol Ohmart (June 3, 1927 – January 1, 2002), better known as Carol Ohmart, was an American actress who is best known for the Michael Curtiz film, The Scarlet Hour (1956). She's also known for lead roles in numerous film noir and horror films.

Early years

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, into a Mormon family her father was C. Thomas Ohmart, a dentist who was first a professional actor, and Armelia Ohmart. She attended East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington.[1]

Ohmart won the Miss Utah 1946 title (A September 27, 1945, newspaper article gives her title as "Miss Utah, 1945".)[2] at the age of 19. (An Associated Press news story published September 6, 1945, says that Ohmart won the Miss Utah title when she was 17).[3] She then won fourth place in the Miss America pageant. (An Associated Press news story published September 8, 1946, says Ohmart "placed fourth runner-up," which equates to fifth place.)[4]

In 1947, Ohmart became a model for the character "Copper Calhoun" in Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon comic strip.[5]

Singing

At age 12, Ohmart was a singer on KFRC in San Francisco, California. She also sang on KSL, KUTA and KDYL in her hometown of Salt Lake City. Additionally, she sang with dance bands, including that of Jan Garber.[2]

Television

Ohmart was seen on early television doing commercials, appearing on NBC's Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties[6] (1949–51), which aired Friday nights at 9 p.m. Ohmart was seen pitching floor wax along with Anne Francis and Eva Marie Saint, with the trio also hosting the show.[7] She also worked on The 20th Century Fox Hour.[8]

Ohmart moved to New York in 1955 where she worked as an understudy on Broadway.

Ohmart had steady work in television until the early 1970s, with guest roles in Bat Masterson, Ripcord, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Get Smart, Perry Mason and Barnaby Jones.

Film

Dubbed a "female Brando" by the press,[6] Paramount Pictures signed her in 1955 and promoted her as the next Marilyn Monroe. Ohmart had top billing in The Scarlet Hour, a Paramount film made by the distinguished director Michael Curtiz about a married woman who persuades her lover to commit a jewelry robbery. After spending nearly $2 million promoting her, Ohmart was released from her contract. She briefly retired from acting, only to return a year later, starring in numerous films and television series.

Ohmart co-starred with Anthony Quinn in a 1956 crime drama, The Wild Party. One of her most noted roles was in William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959), playing the murder-plotting wife of Vincent Price.[7] Her last film role was in 1974 with The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe.

Later years

Milton Caniff draws Steve Canyon's "Copper Calhoon", with Ohmart as his model (1947)[5]

After her acting career, Ohmart left Hollywood to study metaphysics.

Personal life

Ohmart was married three times, most notably to actor Wade Preston. They wed in 1956 and were divorced in 1958.[9]

Her first marriage, in 1949, was to actor Ken Grayson; it was annulled in 1951.[9]

In 1978, she married William Traberth, a veteran and former firefighter, and retired in Sequim, Washington. She changed her name to Kariomar S. Traberth and left her fame in the past.

Death

Ohmart died in Fort Collins, Colorado on January 1, 2002 of natural causes.[citation needed] She was cremated, and her ashes were scattered over Carter Lake in Loveland, Colorado. Her husband died on February 21, 2005 in Lake City, Florida.

Filmography

References

  1. ^ "Salt Lake Radio Singer Back From Northwest". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. June 28, 1944. p. 4. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  2. ^ a b "'Miss Utah' Was Beauty Even as One-Year-Old". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. The Salt Lake Tribune. September 27, 1945. p. 7. Retrieved July 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Carol Ohmart Is Winner of Miss Utah Crown". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. Utah, Ogden. Associated Press. September 6, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ^ "Miss Utah Wins 5th Place In U.S. Beauty Contest". The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah, Salt Lake City. Associated Press. September 8, 1946. p. 15. Retrieved July 22, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ a b San Francisco Examiner (1947)
  6. ^ a b Bacon, James (July 3, 1955). "Female Bombshell". The Daily Herald. Utah, Provo. p. 14. Retrieved July 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ a b Movies Unlimited: Carol Ohmart
  8. ^ Prickette, James (2012). Actors of the Spaghetti Westerns. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 9781469144290. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
  9. ^ a b Wagner, Laura (Summer 2015). "Carol Ohmart: "I've Found My Peace"". Films of the Golden Age (81): 56–58.
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