A Birthday Tribute to Priscilla Lane

Lovely and talented Priscilla Lane was born 99 years ago today, on June 12, 1915, in Indianola, Iowa.

Priscilla was the younger sister of Leota, Lola, and Rosemary Lane, whose last name was originally Mullican. Priscilla and Rosemary were radio singers with Fred Waring and appeared with him in their first film, VARSITY SHOW (1937). Priscilla's film career took off from there, and she appeared on screen with Rosemary and Lola in several additional films, notably the FOUR DAUGHTERS series.

Priscilla is a real favorite of mine, and I've managed to collect all of her films, excepting a 1938 short, SWINGTIME IN THE MOVIES.

The FOUR DAUGHTERS films might be my favorites, but I'm also very fond of THREE CHEERS FOR THE IRISH (1940), in which Priscilla and Dennis Morgan are one of the cutest movie couples ever, and Hitchcock's SABOTEUR (1942).

Priscilla married Col. Joseph Howard in 1942 and eventually retired from the screen and moved to New England. The Howards had four children. Col. Howard died in 1976, and Priscilla passed on in 1995. They are both buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

There's a Lane Sisters Collection at Simpson College.

Visit the Priscilla Lane Fan Club on Facebook to enjoy many great photos and additional information on Priscilla and her family.

Priscilla Lane movies previously reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: VARSITY SHOW (1937), COWBOY FROM BROOKLYN (1938) (also here), FOUR DAUGHTERS (1938), MEN ARE SUCH FOOLS (1938), DAUGHTERS COURAGEOUS (1939), YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER (1939), THE ROARING TWENTIES (1939), FOUR WIVES (1939), THREE CHEERS FOR THE IRISH (1940) (also here), FOUR MOTHERS (1941), BLUES IN THE NIGHT (1941), MILLION DOLLAR BABY (1941), SILVER QUEEN (1942) (also here), SABOTEUR (1942), and BODYGUARD (1948).

Additional Priscilla Lane films include BROTHER RAT (1938), BROTHER RAT AND A BABY (1940), ARSENIC AND OLD LACE (1944), and DUST BE MY DESTINY (1939), which I'll be reviewing in the near future. (Update: Here is a review of DUST BE MY DESTINY.)

Related post: A Birthday Tribute to Rosemary Lane.