Joan Carroll
Child actress (1931–2016)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joan Carroll (born Joan Marie Felt, January 18, 1931 - November 16, 2016) was an American child actress who appeared in films until retiring in 1950.
January 18, 1931
Joan Carroll | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | Joan Marie Felt January 18, 1931 Elizabeth, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | November 16, 2016 (aged 85) Puerto Vallarta, Mexico |
| Years active | 1936–1969 |
| Spouse |
James Joseph Krack
(m. 1951; div. 1969) |
| Children | 4 |
Childhood career
Spring Byington, Joan Carroll and Tim Holt.
Carroll was born Joan Marie Felt to Wright and Freida Felt on January 18, 1931.[2]
Carroll developed into an excellent singer and tap dancer at the Fanchon and Marco Dancing School in Hollywood,[3] and became an accomplished child actress. Her stage name was changed to Carol and then Carroll.[4]
Between 1937 and 1940 she appeared in supporting roles in several movies. Her big break came the 1940 film, Primrose Path, as Ginger Rogers's younger sister, for which she won a Critics Award. The same year she became the first child star to be summoned from Hollywood in order to appear in the leading role in a Broadway musical, Panama Hattie, which ran from October 30, 1940, to January 3, 1942.[5]
Carroll became RKO Radio Pictures' resident juvenile personality in both "A" and "B" pictures. RKO starred Carroll in the leading role with Ruth Warrick in two zany comedy vehicles, Obliging Young Lady (1941) and Petticoat Larceny (1943). She continued to work in films as an adolescent, but less frequently. Two of her best-remembered pictures came from this period: Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) as Judy Garland and Margaret O'Brien's sister, and The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), in which she played "the sensitive child of separated parents."[6]
Later life and death
After 1950, Carroll retired. In 1951, she married James Krack.[7]
She and her brother donated a historic family lamp to the Nevada State Museum on July 7, 2011.[8]
Carroll died near her home in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on November 16, 2016, aged 85. She was survived by her four children and extended family.[2]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1936 | The First Baby | ||
| 1937 | One Mile from Heaven | Sunny | |
| 1938 | Walking Down Broadway | Sunny Martin | |
| Gateway | Child | (uncredited) | |
| Two Sisters | Sally, as a child | ||
| 1939 | Mr. Moto's Last Warning | Mary Delacour | (as Joan Carol) |
| Tower of London | Lady Mowbray | (uncredited) | |
| A Child Is Born | Little Girl | ||
| Barricade | Winifred Ward | ||
| 1940 | Laddie | Sister Stanton | |
| Primrose Path | Honeybell | ||
| Anne of Windy Poplars | Betty Grayson | ||
| 1942 | Obliging Young Lady | Bridget Potter | (starring role) |
| 1943 | Petticoat Larceny | Joan "Small Change" Mitchell | |
| 1944 | Meet Me in St. Louis | Agnes Smith | |
| Tomorrow the World | Pat Frame | ||
| 1945 | The Clock | Girl in Penn Station | (uncredited) |
| The Bells of St. Mary's | Patsy Gallagher | ||
| 1950 | Second Chance | Nurse Eva |
Bibliography
- Best, Marc. Those Endearing Young Charms: Child Performers of the Screen. South Brunswick and New York: Barnes & Co., 1971, pp. 20–24; ISBN 0498077292 / ISBN 9780498077296
