Jody Lawrance
Encyclopedia
Jody Lawrance whose birth name was Nona Josephine Goddard , was an American actor who starred in many Hollywood adventures during the '50s through the early '60s.
, to Ervin Silliman "Doc" and Eleanor Goddard, née Roeck. In 1935 Marilyn Monroe
moved in with newlyweds Grace McKee and Ervin Goddard in Van Nuys, California and became her foster sister.
As a teenager, Jody attended Beverly Hills High School
and the Hollywood Professional School
training as an actress with Bento Schneider. In 1946, Jody performed as a swimmer in the Larry Crosby Water Show.
In 1949 she adopted the Screen name Jody (short for Josephine) Lawrance (her maternal Grandmother's maiden name) for her first role as Mary on The Silver Theater
television show.
Her first big break came in 1949 when she was signed to a 7 year contract with Columbia Pictures
, earning $250 per week. In 1951, Jody made her screen debut in Mask of the Avenger starring John Derek
. The Family Secret was her second film, again starring John Derek
, as well as Lee J. Cobb
. Ten Tall Men
starring Burt Lancaster
premiered in October 1951. As the leading lady in three major movies, Jody was on her way to becoming a star. In 1952 she won the lead role in The Son of Dr. Jekyll
with Louis Hayward
and The Brigand
starring Anthony Dexter
.
In 1953 Columbia Pictures
asked Jody to make a musical, All Ashore
with Mickey Rooney
. Unsure of her singing ability, Jody asked to be replaced by another actress who would be better suited for the role. Columbia refused, and Jody reluctantly made the movie, but the damage had been done. Jody was marked as a trouble maker, and in 1953 she was released from her contract.
Wanting to continue working, Jody took the role of Pocahontas
in the independent film Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
. Jody, on a budget, dyed her own hair black and suffered a horrible allergic reaction, but persevered and delivered one of her most memorable performances. It is interesting to note that she changed her last name to Lawrence for this film. It is unknown if it was because of contractual obligations, or just a spelling error.
In 1954, in order to make ends meat, Jody took jobs as a waitress at Robb's Restaurant in Westwood, California
and at Blum's Ice Cream and Candy Shop in Beverly Hills
. During one of her shifts, she waited on Burt Lancaster, her former co-star in Ten Tall Men
. Burt exclaimed "What is Jody Lawrance, a movie star, doing working as a waitress?" Jody explained her situation, and Burt vowed to help get her back into show business. A few weeks later, true to his word, Burt introduced Jody to his friend and director of Casablanca
Michael Curtiz
, who cast Jody in the film The Scarlet Hour with Carol Ohmart
and Tom Tryon
.
Now a blonde, Jody's career was reignited and Paramount Studios signed her to a contract, earning $300 a week. In October Jody was named as one of the Deb Stars of '55 along with Anita Ekberg
and Cathy Crosby. 1956 brought the release of The Leather Saint reuniting her with John Derek
and starring Cesar Romero
.
In 1957, just as her career was getting back on track, Paramount Studios suddenly released Jody from her contract. Studio Executives found out that she had secretly married Bruce Michael Tilton, an airplane parts company executive, in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 7, 1956, and was pregnant with their first child.
Her daughter, Victoria, was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1957.
Jody’s career and home life were at a crossroads, she still held on to the belief that she could once again resurrect her career, but her husband wanted a wife and mother to stay home and raise their family. Unsure about what path to choose, in April, 1958 Jody travels to Las Vegas twice to file, then dismiss a divorce complaint.
Both citing emotional cruelty, Bruce Tilton was granted a divorce from Jody Lawrance on March 26, 1958, and asked for custody of their daughter, Victoria, now 2 years old.
Jody continued to find work, even though her personal life was in turmoil, and landed a minor role opposite Shirley McLaine in The Hot Spell, and the lead in an episode of Perry Mason
"Case of the Perjured Parrot".
In 1959 Jody found another minor role in the mobster movie The Purple Gang
starring Barry Sullivan
and Robert Blake
.
On June 3, 1960 Jody temporarily lost custody of Victoria, after testimony in which each parent claimed to be the fit and proper guardian, but neither claimed the other was unfit.
Jody continued to try and find work, but the roles became increasingly smaller, and she resigned herself to bit parts in television programs like The Loretta Young Show, The Red Skelton Hour and The Rebel
. Her last film The Stagecoach to Dancer’s Rock starring Martin Landau
was released in 1962
It was during this time that Jody met and fell in love with Robert Wolf Herre. Unlike her previous relationships, Bob was not blinded by the limelights of Hollywood. Instead he was an avid outdoorsman who appealed to Jody’s adventurous side. Playing golf, camping and going on fishing trips, were a regular part of their lives together for almost 25 years.
Josephine Lawrance married Robert Wolf Herre on November 1, 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On May 16, 1961 Jody Lawrence gave birth to Robert Wolf Herre, Jr. Abigail Christian "Chrissy" Herre was born on October 10, 1963.
As Josephine Lawrance Herre, she died at age 55 in Ojai, California
on July 10, 1986.
– Episode #17.21 (1968) … Baton Twirler (as Jody Lawrence)
Biography
Born Nona Josephine Goddard in Fort Worth, TexasFort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, to Ervin Silliman "Doc" and Eleanor Goddard, née Roeck. In 1935 Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe
Marilyn Monroe was an American actress, singer, model and showgirl who became a major sex symbol, starring in a number of commercially successful motion pictures during the 1950s....
moved in with newlyweds Grace McKee and Ervin Goddard in Van Nuys, California and became her foster sister.
As a teenager, Jody attended Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School
Beverly Hills High School is the only major public high school in Beverly Hills, California. Beverly is part of the Beverly Hills Unified School District and located on on the west side of Beverly Hills, at the...
and the Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School
Hollywood Professional School was a private school in Hollywood, California, United States, for children working in show business, operating mornings only so that the children could work in the afternoon...
training as an actress with Bento Schneider. In 1946, Jody performed as a swimmer in the Larry Crosby Water Show.
In 1949 she adopted the Screen name Jody (short for Josephine) Lawrance (her maternal Grandmother's maiden name) for her first role as Mary on The Silver Theater
The Silver Theater
The Silver Theatre was a television series that was broadcast on the CBS television network from 1949 to 1950. It was a live anthology series consisting of dramatic teleplays about romance. It was sponsored by the International Silver Company....
television show.
Her first big break came in 1949 when she was signed to a 7 year contract with Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
, earning $250 per week. In 1951, Jody made her screen debut in Mask of the Avenger starring John Derek
John Derek
John Derek was an American actor, director and photographer.-Career:His matinee-idol good looks quickly got him supporting roles, most notably as Broderick Crawford's son in All the King's Men , but he also enjoyed leads such as "Nick Romano" in Knock on Any Door opposite Humphrey Bogart John...
. The Family Secret was her second film, again starring John Derek
John Derek
John Derek was an American actor, director and photographer.-Career:His matinee-idol good looks quickly got him supporting roles, most notably as Broderick Crawford's son in All the King's Men , but he also enjoyed leads such as "Nick Romano" in Knock on Any Door opposite Humphrey Bogart John...
, as well as Lee J. Cobb
Lee J. Cobb
Lee J. Cobb was an American actor. He is best known for his performance in 12 Angry Men his Academy Award-nominated performance in On the Waterfront and one of his last films, The Exorcist...
. Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men is a 1951 Technicolor comedy adventure film about the French Foreign Legion. It starred Burt Lancaster, Jody Lawrance and Gerald Mohr. Though co-written and directed by Willis Goldbeck, Goldbeck walked off the film due to disputes with Lancaster with the film being completed by Robert...
starring Burt Lancaster
Burt Lancaster
Burton Stephen "Burt" Lancaster was an American film actor noted for his athletic physique and distinctive smile...
premiered in October 1951. As the leading lady in three major movies, Jody was on her way to becoming a star. In 1952 she won the lead role in The Son of Dr. Jekyll
The Son of Dr. Jekyll
The Son of Dr. Jekyll is a horror film made and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1951, directed by Seymour Friedman, based on a screenplay by Jack Pollexfen and Mortimer Braus. The film is a continuation of Robert Louis Stevenson's original classic novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,...
with Louis Hayward
Louis Hayward
Louis Charles Hayward was a British actor born in South Africa.-Biography:Born in Johannesburg, Hayward began his screen work in British films, notably as Simon Templar in Leslie Charteris' The Saint in New York.] In 1939 he played a dual role in The Man in the Iron Mask.During World War II,...
and The Brigand
The Brigand
The Brigand is a 1950s romantic adventure filmed in Technicolor and directed by Phil Karlson. It is the second film that Anthony Dexter made for producer Edward Small for Columbia Pictures after his debut in Valentino. Loosely based on The Brigand by Alexandre Dumas, the film is set in the...
starring Anthony Dexter
Anthony Dexter
Anthony John "Tony" Dexter was an American actor known for his resemblance of Rudolph Valentino, whom he portrayed in the 1951 biographic Valentino. Dexter sometimes used the pseudonym Walter Craig...
.
In 1953 Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
asked Jody to make a musical, All Ashore
All Ashore
All Ashore is a 1953 Technicolor musical comedy film directed by Richard Quine. It is the second of Mickey Rooney's three films for Columbia Pictures that was produced by Jonie Taps, directed by Richard Quine and written by Blake Edwards...
with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
. Unsure of her singing ability, Jody asked to be replaced by another actress who would be better suited for the role. Columbia refused, and Jody reluctantly made the movie, but the damage had been done. Jody was marked as a trouble maker, and in 1953 she was released from her contract.
Wanting to continue working, Jody took the role of Pocahontas
Pocahontas
Pocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia...
in the independent film Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas
Captain John Smith and Pocahontas is a 1953 American historical film directed by Lew Landers. The distributor was United Artists. It stars Anthony Dexter, Jody Lawrance and Alan Hale. It depicts the foundation of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia by English settlers and the relationship between...
. Jody, on a budget, dyed her own hair black and suffered a horrible allergic reaction, but persevered and delivered one of her most memorable performances. It is interesting to note that she changed her last name to Lawrence for this film. It is unknown if it was because of contractual obligations, or just a spelling error.
In 1954, in order to make ends meat, Jody took jobs as a waitress at Robb's Restaurant in Westwood, California
Westwood, California
Westwood is a census-designated place in Lassen County, California, United States. Westwood is located west-southwest of Susanville, at an elevation of 5128 feet...
and at Blum's Ice Cream and Candy Shop in Beverly Hills
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. During one of her shifts, she waited on Burt Lancaster, her former co-star in Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men
Ten Tall Men is a 1951 Technicolor comedy adventure film about the French Foreign Legion. It starred Burt Lancaster, Jody Lawrance and Gerald Mohr. Though co-written and directed by Willis Goldbeck, Goldbeck walked off the film due to disputes with Lancaster with the film being completed by Robert...
. Burt exclaimed "What is Jody Lawrance, a movie star, doing working as a waitress?" Jody explained her situation, and Burt vowed to help get her back into show business. A few weeks later, true to his word, Burt introduced Jody to his friend and director of Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
, who cast Jody in the film The Scarlet Hour with Carol Ohmart
Carol Ohmart
Armelia Carol Ohmart , better known as Carol Ohmart, is an American actress and beauty pageant title holder who appeared in B movies of the 1950s.-From pageants to Paramount:...
and Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon
Tom Tryon was an American film and television actor, best known for playing the title role in the film The Cardinal and the Walt Disney television character Texas John Slaughter...
.
Now a blonde, Jody's career was reignited and Paramount Studios signed her to a contract, earning $300 a week. In October Jody was named as one of the Deb Stars of '55 along with Anita Ekberg
Anita Ekberg
Kerstin Anita Marianne Ekberg is a Swedish model, actress and cult sex symbol. She is best known for her role as Sylvia in the 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita which features the legendary scene of her cavorting in Trevi Fountain alongside Marcello Mastroianni.-Biography:Ekberg was born in...
and Cathy Crosby. 1956 brought the release of The Leather Saint reuniting her with John Derek
John Derek
John Derek was an American actor, director and photographer.-Career:His matinee-idol good looks quickly got him supporting roles, most notably as Broderick Crawford's son in All the King's Men , but he also enjoyed leads such as "Nick Romano" in Knock on Any Door opposite Humphrey Bogart John...
and starring Cesar Romero
Cesar Romero
Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. was an American film and television actor who was active in film, radio, and television for almost sixty years...
.
In 1957, just as her career was getting back on track, Paramount Studios suddenly released Jody from her contract. Studio Executives found out that she had secretly married Bruce Michael Tilton, an airplane parts company executive, in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 7, 1956, and was pregnant with their first child.
Her daughter, Victoria, was born in Los Angeles on October 6, 1957.
Jody’s career and home life were at a crossroads, she still held on to the belief that she could once again resurrect her career, but her husband wanted a wife and mother to stay home and raise their family. Unsure about what path to choose, in April, 1958 Jody travels to Las Vegas twice to file, then dismiss a divorce complaint.
Both citing emotional cruelty, Bruce Tilton was granted a divorce from Jody Lawrance on March 26, 1958, and asked for custody of their daughter, Victoria, now 2 years old.
Jody continued to find work, even though her personal life was in turmoil, and landed a minor role opposite Shirley McLaine in The Hot Spell, and the lead in an episode of Perry Mason
Perry Mason
Perry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
"Case of the Perjured Parrot".
In 1959 Jody found another minor role in the mobster movie The Purple Gang
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
starring Barry Sullivan
Barry Sullivan (actor)
Barry Sullivan was an American movie actor who appeared in over 100 movies from the 1930s to the 1980s.Born in New York City, Sullivan fell into acting when in college playing semi-pro football...
and Robert Blake
Robert Blake (actor)
Robert Blake is an American actor who starred in the film In Cold Blood and the U.S. television series Baretta. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted for the 2001 murder of his wife, but on November 18, 2005, Blake was found liable in a California civil court for her wrongful death.-Early...
.
On June 3, 1960 Jody temporarily lost custody of Victoria, after testimony in which each parent claimed to be the fit and proper guardian, but neither claimed the other was unfit.
Jody continued to try and find work, but the roles became increasingly smaller, and she resigned herself to bit parts in television programs like The Loretta Young Show, The Red Skelton Hour and The Rebel
The Rebel (TV series)
The Rebel is an American Western television series that ran originally on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The program was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions, marking one of their few non-game show ventures...
. Her last film The Stagecoach to Dancer’s Rock starring Martin Landau
Martin Landau
Martin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
was released in 1962
It was during this time that Jody met and fell in love with Robert Wolf Herre. Unlike her previous relationships, Bob was not blinded by the limelights of Hollywood. Instead he was an avid outdoorsman who appealed to Jody’s adventurous side. Playing golf, camping and going on fishing trips, were a regular part of their lives together for almost 25 years.
Josephine Lawrance married Robert Wolf Herre on November 1, 1962 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
On May 16, 1961 Jody Lawrence gave birth to Robert Wolf Herre, Jr. Abigail Christian "Chrissy" Herre was born on October 10, 1963.
As Josephine Lawrance Herre, she died at age 55 in Ojai, California
Ojai, California
Ojai is a city in Ventura County, California, USA. It is situated in the Ojai Valley , surrounded by hills and mountains. The population was 7,461 at the 2010 census, down from 7,862 at the 2000 census.-History:Chumash Indians were the early inhabitants of the valley...
on July 10, 1986.
Filmography
- The Red Skelton Hour (TV series)
– Episode #17.21 (1968) … Baton Twirler (as Jody Lawrence)
- Stagecoach to Dancers' Rock (1962) (uncredited) as Dr. Ann Thompson
- The RebelThe Rebel (TV series)The Rebel is an American Western television series that ran originally on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961. The program was produced by Goodson-Todman Productions, marking one of their few non-game show ventures...
as Kate /(2 episodes, 1959–1960) - Letter to Loretta as Miss Vivan (1 episode, 1960)
- The Purple GangThe Purple GangThe Purple Gang, also known as the Sugar House Gang, were a mob with predominantly Jewish members of bootleggers and hijackers in the 1920s, operating out of Detroit, Michigan, which was a major port for running alcohol products during Prohibition due to proximity to Canada.Many openly violent...
(1959) as Joan MacNamara - M SquadM SquadM Squad is an American police drama television series that ran from 1957 to 1960 on NBC. Its format would later inspire the creation of spoof TV show Police Squad! Its sponsor was the Pall Mall cigarette brand; Lee Marvin, the program's star, appeared in its commercials during the...
as Rebecca Traxler (1 episode, 1959) - State Trooper (1 episode, 1959)
- Perry MasonPerry MasonPerry Mason is a fictional character, a defense attorney who was the main character in works of detective fiction authored by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry Mason was featured in more than 80 novels and short stories, most of which had a plot involving his client's murder trial...
as Ellen Monteith (1 episode, 1958) - Hot Spell (1958) as Dora May
- The Millionaire as Peggy (1 episode, 1957)
- The Leather Saint (1956) as Pearl Gorman
- The Scarlet Hour (1956) as Kathy Stevens
- Fireside TheaterFireside TheaterFireside Theater is an American anthology drama series that ran from on NBC from 1949 to 1958, and was the first successful filmed series on American television. Stories were low budget and often based on public domain stories or written by freelance writers such as Rod Serling. While it was panned...
as Adelina /(2 episodes, 1953–1955) - Captain John Smith and PocahontasCaptain John Smith and PocahontasCaptain John Smith and Pocahontas is a 1953 American historical film directed by Lew Landers. The distributor was United Artists. It stars Anthony Dexter, Jody Lawrance and Alan Hale. It depicts the foundation of the Jamestown Colony in Virginia by English settlers and the relationship between...
(1953) (as Jody Lawrence) as PocahontasPocahontasPocahontas was a Virginia Indian notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. She was the daughter of Chief Powhatan, the head of a network of tributary tribal nations in Tidewater Virginia... - All AshoreAll AshoreAll Ashore is a 1953 Technicolor musical comedy film directed by Richard Quine. It is the second of Mickey Rooney's three films for Columbia Pictures that was produced by Jonie Taps, directed by Richard Quine and written by Blake Edwards...
(1953) as Nancy Flynn - The BrigandThe BrigandThe Brigand is a 1950s romantic adventure filmed in Technicolor and directed by Phil Karlson. It is the second film that Anthony Dexter made for producer Edward Small for Columbia Pictures after his debut in Valentino. Loosely based on The Brigand by Alexandre Dumas, the film is set in the...
(1952) as Princess Teresa - The Son of Dr. JekyllThe Son of Dr. JekyllThe Son of Dr. Jekyll is a horror film made and distributed by Columbia Pictures in 1951, directed by Seymour Friedman, based on a screenplay by Jack Pollexfen and Mortimer Braus. The film is a continuation of Robert Louis Stevenson's original classic novel Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,...
(1951) as Lynn Utterson - Ten Tall MenTen Tall MenTen Tall Men is a 1951 Technicolor comedy adventure film about the French Foreign Legion. It starred Burt Lancaster, Jody Lawrance and Gerald Mohr. Though co-written and directed by Willis Goldbeck, Goldbeck walked off the film due to disputes with Lancaster with the film being completed by Robert...
(1951) as Mahla - The Family Secret (1951) as Lee Pearson
- Mask of the Avenger (1951) as Maria d'Orsini
- The Silver TheaterThe Silver TheaterThe Silver Theatre was a television series that was broadcast on the CBS television network from 1949 to 1950. It was a live anthology series consisting of dramatic teleplays about romance. It was sponsored by the International Silver Company....
as Mary (1 episode, 1949)