Crowley, Kathleen

Kathleen Crowley, birth name of Betty Jane Crowley, was born December 26, 1929 in Green Bank , Burlington County, New Jersey. ^[1] In 1946, she graduated from school in Egg Harbor , New Jersey. ^{[1] [2]}

In August 1949, Crowley won the Miss New Jersey title at the beauty pageant, and in September 1949 she won sixth place in the Miss America contest in Atlantic City and received the Miss Congeniality title ^{[2] [3] [1 ] ] [4]} . For the fee received for participating in the competition, she went to study at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York ^{[4] [1] [3]} .

Soon she began to be invited to participate in shows that were broadcast live on New York television ^[1] . The first success came to Crowley after playing the main role in the episode "A Star Is Born" (1951) of the television monograph "Robert Montgomery Presents" ^{[1] [2] [4]} . In the same year, a no less successful main role was followed in the episode “Jane Air” of the television anthology “Kraft Television Theater” (1951) ^[3] .

After the Jane Eyre TV show, Crowley’s photo was published on the cover of Cue magazine and on Life magazine page ^[5] , Hollywood movie studios drew attention to it, and Crowley herself began working at the prestigious Lee Strasberg Acting Studio in New York ^[5] . The actress herself wanted to make a theatrical career in Ireland , but because of the difficult financial situation of the family, she decided to accept the offer of one of the Hollywood studios ^[5] .

In 1952, Crowley signed a contract with Twentieth Century Fox Studios ^{[3] [1]} . In 1953, Crowley first appeared on the movie screen, playing a small role in the musical comedy with Betty Grabble “The Farmer Marries ” (1953), followed by the main female role in the western with Robert Wagner “ Silver Whip ” (1953) ^{[5] [6]} . Photoplay magazine named her one of the most promising actresses of the year, but a year later, Fox fired her ^{[5] [4]} .

After leaving the studio, Crowley chose to become a freelancer, playing on an ongoing basis only in the television series " Port " (1954-1955) ^{[3] [4]} . In 1954, she played in the independent sci-fi film “ The Target is Earth ” (1954), where, together with Richard Denning, she made up a romantic couple who survived in Chicago after the invasion of giant robots from Venus , who was trying to get out of an empty city. According to the contemporary critic Denis Schwartz, in this low-budget film there are a lot of “banal remarks and miserable-looking, not at all scary tin robots, and an unhappy story does not create any tension” ^{[7] [3]} .

A year later, Crowley appeared in small roles (without credits) in an independent western with Randolph Scott Ten Wanted Men (1955), Twentieth Century Fox historical adventure film with Anthony Quinn and Richard Egan , Seven Golden Cities (1955). She played more significant roles in two films of this year’s noir - Female Jungle (1955) and City of Shadows (1955). In the modest film of Republic Pictures studio “City of Shadows” (1955), Crowley played the main female role of a positive girl from the family of an influential judge who marries an enterprising young lawyer with a criminal past, after which he decisively changes his life and closes all his illegal enterprises ^{[ 8]} . Lawrence Tierney and Jane Mansfield played the lead roles in the movie American Women, a small film company American International (1955), while Crowley played an important role as a nightclub waitress and the wife of an artist suspected of murder, who is at the center of the investigation ^{[9] [6]} .

In 1956, Crowley played a major female role in the Disney Studios Family Western, Vans to the West! "(1956), and a year later, in two more Westerns -" On the Sight "(1957) at the Regal Films studio , where she has a supporting role, and also" Stagecoach-Ghost "(1957) at the Columbia Pictures studio , where She was the main female role ^{[10] [4] [6]} .

In the independent science fiction film " Fire Barrier " (1958), Crowley played the main female role as the wife of a space explorer who disappeared in the Mexican jungle while searching for a spaceship that fell to Earth. Together with her companion ( Arthur Franz ), she goes to search for her husband, discovering the remains of a ship and a dangerous creature from outer space that threatens to destroy life on the planet ^{[11] [6]} . In the unusual Universal Western, “ The Curse of the Dead ” (1959), she was the mistress of a ranch who hires a worker who turns out to be a vampire who kills people in a small town. The vampire subordinates her to her will, but the local priest, by faith, manages to prevail over the vampire ^{[3] [12]} . As the popular journalist Hedda Hopper wrote in December 1958: “Kathleen Crowley, who is so good at television, plays in a story like Dracula against a western background. She so wanted to act in it that she refused roles in such popular television shows as Perry Mason and General Electric Theater. But this is understandable - films with monsters are in great demand, especially among young people ” ^[1] .

In the 1960s, Crowley appeared on the big screen only twice, playing the main female role in the Universal Western “ The Duel ” (1963) with Odi Murphy in the title role, as well as a small role as a reporter in the sports drama “ Downhill ” (1969) with Robert Redford and Gene Hackman starring. She played her last movie role in the crime drama Lawyer (1970) ^{[10] [2]} .

After leaving the studio Twentieth Century Fox in 1954, Crowley worked simultaneously in film and television, where she played in 118 episodes of 68 different series.

In 1954-1955, she played a regular role in the family-crime series " Port " with Preston Foster in the title role of a tugboat captain. In 17 episodes of this series, she was the bride of the son of the protagonist, working as a port detective ^[13] .

According to The Daily Herald , Crowley is best remembered for appearing in eight episodes of the television series Western Maverick (1957-1962), where “she played a new seductive siren each time, and her partners were such famous actors as James Garner , Jack Kelly and Roger Moore. ” ^[14] In total, Crowley played in 24 western series, including Lone Ranger (1954), Cheyenne (1957), Colt 45th Caliber (1958), Caravan of Wagons (1958), and Restless Weapons "(1958)," Tomstone Territory "(1958)," Bronco "(1958-1962)," Rawhide "(1959)," Days in the Valley of Death "(1959)," Bet Masterson "(1959-1960), “The Stories of Wells Fargo” (1959-1962), “Laramie” (1960), “ Bonanza ” (1960-1968), “Virgin” (1965) and “Tall Shrub” (1969) ^[15] .

She also starred in episodes of such popular TV shows as Perry Mason (1958-1966), Sunset Strip 77 (1958-1961), Hawaiian Detective (1960-1961), and Highway 66 ( 1963), “My Three Sons” (1964), “ Batman ” (1966) and “Family Affair” (1966-1969) ^{[2] [6]} .

Kathleen Crowley was a blue-eyed brunette ^[1] , who attracted attention in the Miss America contest in 1949, and later - starring in a 1951 television show “A Star Is Born” and “Jane Eyre” ^[2] .

In 1952, she began acting in Hollywood, where she played in films of various genres, including westerns, science fiction films and noir films. Often she was given the main roles in category B films , and although she was an experienced and reliable actress, she still could not rise to a higher level and become a star. As movie historian Tom Weaver noted, “in her best years, she was known for“ extraordinary emotional power ”with which she“ lived ”every role (including horror films and science fiction films)” ^{[3] [6]} . She achieved greater success on television, where she was invited to play major roles in many TV shows, however, as Hal Erickson noted, “after many years of working on television, Crowley remained only a“ guest “, not a real star” ^[4] .

In 1969, Crowley married John John Robsam, and in 1970 the couple had a son, Matthew. The family moved to Green Bank in Burlington County , New Jersey , where Crowley took care of the family and raised her son Matthew. ^[2]

Kathleen Crowley died on April 23, 2017, at her home in Green Bank at the age of 87. ^{[2] [4] [1]}

• Tom Weaver It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition . - McFarland, 2010 .-- ISBN 9780786482160 .

• Kathleen Crowley at IMDb
• Kathleen Crowley at AllMovie
• Kathleen Crowley at Turner Classic Movies