# Jeanne Crain, 1925-2003 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 15, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109 "2003-12-15T13:41:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/1 "2003-12-15T13:41:13Z")
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Jeanne Crain credited her mother for bringing her up in a household free of prejudice. As a Hollywood star, she won an Oscar nomination for a role that broke racial taboos of the day - a black girl passing for white. The winsome beauty who specialized in frothy comedies in the 1940s and whose career was capped by her starring role in the controversial Elia Kazan classic “Pinky,” died Sunday. She was 78. With her lovely features, slender figure and demure manner, Crain became a leading star in the wartime and postwar years. For faraway GI’s she seemed the ideal girl back home. At 20th Century-Fox studio, her fan mail was second only to that of pin-up queen Betty Grable. “Margie” (1946), an entertaining, nostalgic tale of a small-town girl in the 1920s who gets a crush on her French teacher, established Crain as an important Fox star. She followed with a musical, “You Were Meant for Me,” opposite Dan Dailey, and “An Apartment for Peggie,” a romance with William Holden. In her 70s she still received regular bundles of mail from fans who had seen her films on TV or video. “They write as if the films were just being released,” she said wonderingly. “The films must have aged well.” ---
**Author:** ![N.Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f19dbf/32.png) [@N.Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N.Sane)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/2 "2003-12-15T14:51:51Z")
Wasn’t she also in the good version of _State Fair_? She was a lovely woman. I’m sorry to read that she’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/3 "2003-12-15T14:59:52Z")
[“Good bone structure”](http://members.aol.com/alisaahunt/jeanne/jeanne.htm) doesn’t begin to cover her . . . ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/4 "2003-12-15T15:23:46Z")
Wow. Do they even make women who look like that any more? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![jovan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/0ea827/32.png) [@jovan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jovan)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/5 "2003-12-15T16:40:16Z")
You know, on that picture, she reminds me of Christina Ricci. Only much, much more beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2003, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/6 "2003-12-15T18:05:19Z")
**Pinky** (1949) is scheduled for this Friday morning, 6:55 A.M. (E.S.T.), on AMC. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/7 "2003-12-16T15:24:02Z")
I think she looks a little like Isabella Rossilini (and to a lesser extent her mother). –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/8 "2003-12-16T17:56:36Z")
_Margie_ is one of my favorite “happy” movies - I first saw it when I was 12 and oh-so-melodramatic. And this movie introduced me to Keats’ [La Belle Dame sans Merci](http://www.bartleby.com/126/55.html) . The films did age well, and so did she. I’m sorry she’s gone. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/9 "2003-12-16T18:06:41Z")
I enjoyed her work in **A Letter to Three Wives** and **People Will Talk**. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/10 "2003-12-16T18:12:16Z")
Dear god, she’s beautiful. (Correct tense-- celluloid immortality.) I regret to say that (after consulting the imdb,) the only film I recall seeing her in is _The Night God Screamed_, which, while a lot of fun, probably isn’t her best work. She was still _smokin’_ at 50, though. Another stack of “must see” movies. Thanks, **Eve**. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2003, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/11 "2003-12-16T18:14:52Z")
Hey, I just realized I have the _Lux Radio Theatre_ version of _People Will Talk_ around here somewhere, and it’s been a coupla of years since I heard it. Hooray! ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/12 "2003-12-17T03:55:50Z")
But the good news is: She didn’t live to see the upcoming bomb of a remake of “Cheaper by the Dozen.” ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/13 "2003-12-17T04:05:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slortar \* > \*\*Wow. Do they even make women who look like that any more? 🙂 \*\* Yup. I used to work with a woman who looks almost exactly like her. (No, I didn’t sleep with her, she being married and all.) Sorry, nothing else to add. I’m not familiar with Ms. Crain’s work, so I can’t comment on her acting ability, but if she could act half as good as she looks, then I can’t think of a single actress today who could be good enough to be considered her equal. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/14 "2003-12-17T04:59:41Z")
Spooky. I’d never heard of Jeanne Crain until today… when I was looking something up on the IMDB for [this thread.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=229573) And then I saw this thread. OoooWEEEoooo… ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/15 "2003-12-17T13:00:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tuckerfan \* > \*\*Yup. I used to work with a woman who looks almost exactly like her. (No, I didn’t sleep with her, she being married and all.) > > Sorry, nothing else to add. I’m not familiar with Ms. Crain’s work, so I can’t comment on her acting ability, but if she could act half as good as she looks, then I can’t think of a single actress today who could be good enough to be considered her equal. \*\* I hate you and your glamorous life. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/16 "2003-12-17T22:22:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by slortar \* > \*\*I hate you and your glamorous life. 🙂 \*\* Not **mine** , I’m not the lucky bastard married to her. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/17 "2003-12-17T22:28:22Z")
I hate you and your glamorous-by-association life. ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/18 "2003-12-17T23:14:16Z")
Push those tits, stomach in and _point_ those toes. [Good girl!](http://silverscreensirens.com/galleries/crain1.htm) Never heard of her, but I do appreciate **Eve** bringing these fascinating old birds to our attention as they’re dropping off their perches. [This is a rather well done Obit](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/12/16/db1603.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/12/16/ixportal.html)on the lady in question (the Telegraph always has great Obits): “At 15 she attracted the attention of Orson Welles on a school trip around RKO studios. But although Welles gave her a screen test for a part in The Magnificent Ambersons, he decided that she was too immature. Young Jeanne contented herself with entering beauty contests. She became Miss Long Beach, was a runner-up in the Miss America contest, and began modelling swimming costumes for magazines.” ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/19 "2003-12-17T23:49:30Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by London\_Calling \* > \*\* (the Telegraph always has great Obits)_\* Frequently premature, but great nonetheless . . ---
**Author:** ![London\_Calling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@London\_Calling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/London_Calling)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2003, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109/20 "2003-12-18T00:04:32Z")
That’s what my last girlfriend said to me . . . You ever thought of writing Obits to pay the bills, **Eve** - not your thing ? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeanne-crain-1925-2003/219109.md?page=2)