Farewell to Marsha Hunt

News broke of the passing of Marsha Hunt while I was at the D23 Expo last week.

Hunt, who was born October 17, 1917, passed away at her home in Sherman Oaks on September 7, 2022.

Though not really a surprise, given she was a few weeks away from turning 105, her passing saddened me greatly.

I was extremely fortunate to meet Marsha on several occasions over the years, including when I took this blurry but beloved photograph of Marsha with Eddie Muller and Alan K. Rode at the Noir City Film Festival in 2011. (Cell phone cameras have come a long way in the last decade!)

My account of that magical evening at Noir City may be read here. Alan Rode paid tribute to Marsha for Variety after her passing.

I had the honor of being invited to Coleen Gray's memorial service in 2015, and it was quite surreal to find myself sitting at a reception table with Marsha and Julie Adams -- who incidentally shared an October 17th birthday. I treasure that memory all the more since both of those wonderful ladies have now left us as well.

Here are links to obituaries from The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and ABC, as well as a tribute at Vienna's Classic Hollywood. TCM's lovely video tribute may be watched on YouTube.

Also of note: The 2015 documentary MARSHA HUNT'S SWEET ADVERSITY may be streamed via Amazon.

Seen above: Marsha with John Wayne in BORN TO THE WEST (1937), also shown under the title HELL TOWN.

Below: With Greer Garson in THE VALLEY OF DECISION (1945). Hunt and Garson also worked together in PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1940) and BLOSSOMS IN THE DUST (1941).

With Margaret O'Brien in MUSIC FOR MILLIONS (1942):

With Richard Carlson and Barry Nelson in THE AFFAIRS OF MARTHA (1942), a film that was a favorite of mine -- and a favorite of Marsha's too!

In another all-time MGM favorite, THE HUMAN COMEDY (1945), seen here with Katharine Alexander and James Craig:

With Claire Trevor and Dennis O'Keefe in the classic film noir RAW DEAL (1948):

I've paid tribute to Marsha several times over the years, including birthday tributes in 2012, 2016, and her centennial in 2017. She was also featured in my annual Halloween post in 2014.

In 2019 I wrote about Marsha and THUNDER TRAIL (1937) for my Western RoundUp column at Classic Movie Hub.

It's very sad that Marsha Hunt's bright light has now flickered out, but I'm so grateful she was here and that she left behind so many wonderful performances and films, which will continue to be enjoyed for as long as movies exist.

Marsha Hunt films reviewed at Laura's Miscellaneous Musings: THE VIRGINIA JUDGE (1935), THE ACCUSING FINGER (1936), DESERT GOLD (1936), EASY LIVING (1937) (bit part; also reviewed here), ANNAPOLIS SALUTE (1937) (also here), THESE GLAMOUR GIRLS (1939), WINTER CARNIVAL (1939), IRENE (1940) (also here), FLIGHT COMMAND (1940), I'LL WAIT FOR YOU (1941), UNHOLY PARTNERS (1941), KID GLOVE KILLER (1942) (also here), THE AFFAIRS OF MARTHA (1942), SEVEN SWEETHEARTS (1942), PILOT #5 (1943), LOST ANGEL (1943), MUSIC FOR MILLIONS (1944), BRIDE BY MISTAKE (1944), THE VALLEY OF DECISION (1945), A LETTER FOR EVIE (1946), THE INSIDE STORY (1947), RAW DEAL (1948), MARY RYAN, DETECTIVE (1949), TAKE ONE FALSE STEP (1949), THE HAPPY TIME (1952), and BOMBERS B-52 (1957).

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