Cathy Downs
Encyclopedia
Cathy Downs was an American
film actress.
Born in Port Jefferson, New York
, Downs began her film career with a small role in The Dolly Sisters
(1945) and the following year played the title role in My Darling Clementine
. Following the success of the latter, Downs was cast in a prison drama For You I Die (1947), an Abbott
& Costello
comedy The Noose Hangs High
, and several western films.
By the beginning of the 1950s she was appearing in lower budget films, including some science fiction
films, with one of these films Missile to the Moon
marking her last screen appearance, in 1958.
She worked sporadically in television
during the 1960s but was unemployed for several years before her death in Los Angeles, California
.
Downs has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
for her contribution to Television, at 6646 Hollywood Boulevard.
(1952–1955; divorced) who played the character Joe Palooka
in films and on TV. They had long been out of touch, when, in 1976 Kirkwood heard that Downs was in dire financial circumstances.
Kirkwood was setting up a trust fund for her when he learned she had died of cancer at the age of 52. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film actress.
Born in Port Jefferson, New York
Port Jefferson, New York
The Incorporated Village of Port Jefferson is located in the town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York on the North Shore of Long Island. As of the 2000 United States Census, the village population was 7,837...
, Downs began her film career with a small role in The Dolly Sisters
The Dolly Sisters
The Dolly Sisters is a 1945 American biographical film about the Dolly Sisters, identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the twentieth century. It starred Betty Grable as Jenny and June Haver as Rosie.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Yansci "Jenny"...
(1945) and the following year played the title role in My Darling Clementine
My Darling Clementine
My Darling Clementine is a 1946 western movie. It was directed by John Ford, and based on the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. It features an ensemble cast including Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan, and others.The movie...
. Following the success of the latter, Downs was cast in a prison drama For You I Die (1947), an Abbott
Bud Abbott
William Alexander "Bud" Abbott was an American actor, producer and comedian. He is best remembered as the straight man of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Lou Costello.-Early life:...
& Costello
Lou Costello
Louis Francis "Lou" Costello was an American actor and comedian best known as half of the comedy team of Abbott and Costello, with Bud Abbott...
comedy The Noose Hangs High
The Noose Hangs High
The Noose Hangs High is a 1948 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film is a remake of the Universal Pictures film For Love or Money .-Plot:...
, and several western films.
By the beginning of the 1950s she was appearing in lower budget films, including some science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
films, with one of these films Missile to the Moon
Missile to the Moon
Missile to the Moon is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Richard E. Cunha, and is a remake of the 1953 film Cat-Women of the Moon.-Plot:...
marking her last screen appearance, in 1958.
She worked sporadically in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
during the 1960s but was unemployed for several years before her death in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.
Downs has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
for her contribution to Television, at 6646 Hollywood Boulevard.
Personal life
She was married first to Joe Kirkwood, Jr.Joe Kirkwood, Jr.
Joe Kirkwood, Jr. is a former professional golfer on the PGA Tour, and a motion picture actor.Kirkwood was born in Melbourne, Australia. His father Joe Kirkwood, Sr., who was a golf pro and who taught him to play golf, is acknowledged as having put Australian golf on the world map. In 1948, he...
(1952–1955; divorced) who played the character Joe Palooka
Joe Palooka
Joe Palooka was an American comic strip about a heavyweight boxing champion, created by cartoonist Ham Fisher in 1921. The strip debuted in 1930 and was carried at its peak by 900 newspapers....
in films and on TV. They had long been out of touch, when, in 1976 Kirkwood heard that Downs was in dire financial circumstances.
Kirkwood was setting up a trust fund for her when he learned she had died of cancer at the age of 52. She was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1945 | The Dolly Sisters The Dolly Sisters The Dolly Sisters is a 1945 American biographical film about the Dolly Sisters, identical twins who became famous as entertainers on Broadway and in Europe in the early years of the twentieth century. It starred Betty Grable as Jenny and June Haver as Rosie.-Cast:*Betty Grable as Yansci "Jenny"... |
Miss Mascara | uncredited |
| State Fair State Fair (1945 film) State Fair is a 1945 film directed by Walter Lang. The film a musical adaptation of the 1933 film of the same name, with original music by Rodgers and Hammerstein. The film starred Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes, Vivian Blaine, Fay Bainter and Charles Winninger... |
Girl on carousell | uncredited | |
| Diamond Horseshoe | Miss Cream Puff | uncredited | |
| 1946 | My Darling Clementine My Darling Clementine My Darling Clementine is a 1946 western movie. It was directed by John Ford, and based on the story of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral between the Earp brothers and the Clanton gang. It features an ensemble cast including Henry Fonda, Victor Mature, Ward Bond, Walter Brennan, and others.The movie... |
Clementine Carter | |
| Do You Love Me | Clothes model | uncredited | |
| The Dark Corner The Dark Corner The Dark Corner is a 1946 film noir directed by Henry Hathaway and starring Lucille Ball, Mark Stevens and Clifton Webb. The film is an example of a classic film noir and features a rare dramatic role for Ball.-Plot:... |
Mari Cathcart | ||
| 1947 | For You I Die | Hope Novak | |
| 1948 | The Noose Hangs High The Noose Hangs High The Noose Hangs High is a 1948 film starring the comedy team of Abbott and Costello. The film is a remake of the Universal Pictures film For Love or Money .-Plot:... |
Carol Scott | |
| Panhandle Panhandle (film) Panhandle is a 1948 film directed by Lesley Selander. This Western marked the writing and producing debuts of Blake Edwards and John C. Champion. Champion later reworked the story as the 1966 Audie Murphy western, The Texican. The team of Edwards, Champion, Selander, and star Rod Cameron reteamed... |
Jean 'Dusty' Stewart | ||
| 1949 | Massacre River | Katherine 'Kitty' Reid | |
| 1950 | Short Grass | Sharon Lynch | |
| The Sundowners (1950 film) The Sundowners (1950 film) The Sundowners is a 1950 American film directed by George Templeton.The film is also known as Thunder in the Dust in the United Kingdom.- Cast :*Robert Preston as James Cloud *Robert Sterling as Tom Cloud... |
Kathleen Boyce | ||
| 1951 | Joe Palooka in Triple Cross | Anne Palooka | |
| 1952 | Gobs and Gals | Betty Lou Prentice | |
| 1953 | Bandits of the West | Joanne Collier | |
| The Flaming Urge The Flaming Urge - Plot summary :A young man arrives in the small town of Monroe, Michigan where he finds a job in a department store. However he has an apparently irresistible urge to follow and observe fires. When there is a spate of arson attacks on the town, he becomes chief suspect.- Cast :*Harold Lloyd Jr. as... |
Charlotte Cruickshank | ||
| 1955 | The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues is a 1955 science fiction film. It was directed by Dan Milner and starred Kent Taylor. The movie was released December, 1955. It has had many DVD releases.-Plot:... |
Lois King | |
| The Big Tip Off | Sister Mary Joan of Arc | ||
| 1956 | The She Creature The She Creature The She Creature is a 1956 American black-and-white horror film produced by American International Pictures from a script by Lou Rusoff , produced by Alex Gordon and directed by Edward L. Cahn... |
Dorothy Chappel | |
| Kentucky Rifle | Amy Connors | ||
| The Oklahoma Woman | Susan Grant | ||
| 1957 | The Amazing Colossal Man The Amazing Colossal Man The Amazing Colossal Man is a 1957 black-and-white science fiction film, directed by Bert I. Gordon and starring Glenn Langan. The film revolves around a 60 foot mutant man produced as the result of an atomic accident.... |
Carol Forrest | |
| Curfew Breakers | Mrs. Bowman | ||
| 1958 | Missile to the Moon Missile to the Moon Missile to the Moon is a 1958 black-and-white science fiction film directed by Richard E. Cunha, and is a remake of the 1953 film Cat-Women of the Moon.-Plot:... |
June Saxton |