Notable Passings

...It has been announced this week that actress Barbara Lawrence passed away last November 13th.

She was 83.

As I wrote in a review of THE STREET WITH NO NAME (1948), Lawrence was "an interesting actress who should have had a bigger career."

Lawrence's film and TV career ran from 1945-62, including a number of films for 20th Century-Fox; she was always a colorful and interesting addition to a film, regardless of the size of her role.

Lawrence's films included MARGIE (1946), in which she played Marybelle, Jeanne Crain's neighbor; YOU WERE MEANT FOR ME (1948), where she again played a friend of Crain's; Preston Sturges' UNFAITHFULLY YOURS (1948) in which she had a very nice role as Rudy Vallee's wife; MOTHER IS A FRESHMAN (1949), in which she's the roommate of Loretta Young's daughter, played by Betty Lynn; A LETTER TO THREE WIVES (1949), reuniting her with her UNFAITHFULLY YOURS costar, Linda Darnell; and MAN WITH THE GUN (1955) in which she was a dance hall girl.

One of Lawrence's most notable roles, mentioned in her obituaries, was the small but flashy part of giggling Gertie Cummings in OKLAHOMA! (1955).

...Alicia Rhett, whose sole film credit was GONE WITH THE WIND (1939), has passed away at the age of 98.

Rhett, who was born in Georgia and later lived in South Carolina, had a small but memorable role as India Wilkes, the sister of Ashley (Leslie Howard).

Rhett was the oldest surviving cast member of the film. 97-year-old Olivia de Havilland, whose sister Joan Fontaine just passed away three weeks ago, is now the film's oldest surviving cast member.

Other remaining cast members include Mary Anderson (Maybelle Merriwether), who is also the widow of Oscar-winning cinematographer Leon Shamroy, and Mickey Kuhn (Beau Wilkes).