Linda Stirling
Encyclopedia
Linda Stirling was an American showgirl
, model
and actress. In her later years, she had a second career as a college English professor for more than two decades. She is most famous for her roles in movie serials.
, her first role was as a model in The Powers Girl
in 1943 and her first role in a serial was the title character in The Tiger Woman
(1944). In 1946, she married Republic
screenwriter
Sloan Nibley
. In 1947, she essentially retired from films to raise a family, although she later appeared in occasional episodes of television shows.
After her career as an actress ended, and her children had grown, Stirling enrolled at UCLA, eventually earning a BFA, an MA, and finally a PhD in English literature at the age of 50.
With her degree in hand, Stirling began a new career as a teacher of college English and Drama in the 1960s at Glendale College
in Glendale, California
between 1967 and 1990. In her later life, Stirling sought to distance herself in the classroom from her Hollywood past, but still remained active on the film convention circuit until the last years of her life. She also appeared in a 1990 documentary on Republic Pictures, the studio where she did the bulk of her work; her husband, Sloan Nibley
, who wrote many of her films, died the same year. Stirling herself died of cancer
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
in 1997.
Showgirl
A showgirl is a dancer or performer in a stage entertainment show. Showgirl is also often used as a term for a promotional model in trade fairs and car shows, etc...
, model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
and actress. In her later years, she had a second career as a college English professor for more than two decades. She is most famous for her roles in movie serials.
Career
Born Louise Schultz in Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, her first role was as a model in The Powers Girl
The Powers Girl
The Powers Girl, sometimes retitled Hello, Beautiful, is a 1943 musical comedy about women employed by John Robert Powers' modeling agency. Starring George Murphy, Anne Shirley, and Carole Landis, the film was directed by Norman Z...
in 1943 and her first role in a serial was the title character in The Tiger Woman
The Tiger Woman (1944 film)
The Tiger Woman is a 12-chapter Republic film serial starring Allan Lane and Linda Stirling . The serial was re-released in 1951 under the title Perils of the Darkest Jungle and, in 1966, it was edited into the 100-minute Century-66 film Jungle Gold.Linda Stirling is a jungle girl lost in the...
(1944). In 1946, she married Republic
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Sloan Nibley
Sloan Nibley
Alexander Sloan Nibley was an American screenwriter. He is the older brother of famed Latter Day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley.-Career:...
. In 1947, she essentially retired from films to raise a family, although she later appeared in occasional episodes of television shows.
After her career as an actress ended, and her children had grown, Stirling enrolled at UCLA, eventually earning a BFA, an MA, and finally a PhD in English literature at the age of 50.
With her degree in hand, Stirling began a new career as a teacher of college English and Drama in the 1960s at Glendale College
Glendale Community College (California)
Glendale Community College is a community college in Glendale, California, USA. It was founded to serve the needs of the people in the Glendale Union High School District which at the time included La Crescenta, Glendale, and Tujunga...
in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
between 1967 and 1990. In her later life, Stirling sought to distance herself in the classroom from her Hollywood past, but still remained active on the film convention circuit until the last years of her life. She also appeared in a 1990 documentary on Republic Pictures, the studio where she did the bulk of her work; her husband, Sloan Nibley
Sloan Nibley
Alexander Sloan Nibley was an American screenwriter. He is the older brother of famed Latter Day Saint scholar Hugh Nibley.-Career:...
, who wrote many of her films, died the same year. Stirling herself died of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City, Los Angeles, California
Studio City is an affluent residential neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California in the San Fernando Valley. Studio City expands over four ZIP code areas: 91604 and sections of 91602, 91607 and 90210....
in 1997.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1943 | The Powers Girl | Model | Alternative title: Hello Beautiful |
| 1944 | The Tiger Woman The Tiger Woman (1944 film) The Tiger Woman is a 12-chapter Republic film serial starring Allan Lane and Linda Stirling . The serial was re-released in 1951 under the title Perils of the Darkest Jungle and, in 1966, it was edited into the 100-minute Century-66 film Jungle Gold.Linda Stirling is a jungle girl lost in the... |
Tiger Woman/Rita Arnold | Alternative title: Perils of the Darkest Jungle |
| The San Antonio Kid | Ann Taylor | ||
| Strangers in the Night | Cameo Appearance | Uncredited | |
| Sheriff of Sundown | Lois Carpenter | ||
| Vigilantes of Dodge City | Carol Franklin | ||
| Zorro's Black Whip Zorro's Black Whip Zorro's Black Whip is a 1944 Republic Pictures film serial starring Linda Stirling. The film was made after the popular 1940 20th Century-Fox remake of The Mark of Zorro and Republic was unable to use the character himself, but still wanted to capitalize on it. However, and despite the title,... |
Barbara Meredith/The Black Whip | ||
| 1945 | The Topeka Terror | June Hardy | |
| Sheriff of Cimarron | Helen Burton | ||
| Manhunt of Mystery Island Manhunt of Mystery Island Manhunt of Mystery Island is a Republic Movie serial. It was the thirty-sixth serial produced by Republic and the first released in 1945.It is the penultimate 15-chapter serial to be released by the studio... |
Claire Forrest | Alternative title: Captain Mephisto and the Transformation Machine | |
| Santa Fe Saddlemates | Ann Morton | ||
| The Purple Monster Strikes The Purple Monster Strikes The Purple Monster Strikes is a Republic Movie serial. It was also released as a television film under the title D-Day on Mars .The original production title for the serial was The Purple Shadow Strikes... |
Shelia Layton | Alternative titles: D-Day on Mars The Purple Shadow Strikes |
|
| The Cherokee Flash | Joan Mason | ||
| Wagon Wheels Westward | Arlie Adams | ||
| Dakota | Entertainer | Uncredited | |
| 1946 | The Madonna's Secret | Helen North | |
| Passkey to Danger | Cameo Appearance | Uncredited | |
| The Invisible Informer | Eve Rogers | ||
| The Mysterious Mr. Valentine The Mysterious Mr. Valentine The Mysterious Mr. Valentine is an American crime film noir directed by Philip Ford. The drama features William Henry, Linda Stirling, and Virginia Christine.-Plot:... |
Janet Spencer | ||
| Rio Grande Raiders | Nancy Harding | ||
| The Crimson Ghost The Crimson Ghost The Crimson Ghost is a Republic film serial directed by Fred C. Brannon and William Witney with Charles Quigley and Linda Stirling playing the leads. This was Witney's last serial, after a career that left him one of the most praised of all serial directors... |
Diana Farnsworth | ||
| The Magnificent Rogue | Cameo Appearance | Uncredited | |
| That Brennan Girl | Uncredited Alternative title: Tough Girl;; |
||
| 1947 | Jesse James Rides Again Jesse James Rides Again Jesse James Rides Again is a Republic film serial.-Cast:* Clayton Moore as Jesse James* Linda Stirling as Ann Bolton. It was during filming of this serial that Linda Stirling met her future husband Sloane Nibley.* Roy Barcroft as Frank Lawton... |
Ann Bolton | |
| The Pretender | Flo Ronson | ||
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1954 | The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins... |
Helen Blayne | 1 episode |
| The Adventures of Falcon | 1 episode | ||
| 1954–1955 | The Public Defender | Betty | 2 episodes |
| The Adventures of Kit Carson The Adventures of Kit Carson The Adventures of Kit Carson is an American Western series that aired in syndication from August 1951 to November 1955, originally sponsored by Coca-Cola. It stars Bill Williams in the title role as frontier scout Christopher "Kit" Carson... |
Various roles | 3 episodes | |
| 1955 | The Man Behind the Badge | Nettie Perry | 1 episode |
| Medic Medic (TV series) Medic is an American medical drama that aired on NBC beginning in 1954. Medic was television's first doctor drama to focus attention on medical procedures, establishing the style for later medical series.Created by its principal writer James E... |
Ellen McClure | 1 episode | |
| 1956 | Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America Cavalcade of America is an anthology drama series that was sponsored by the DuPont Company, although it occasionally presented a musical, such as an adaptation of Show Boat, and condensed biographies of popular composers. It was initially broadcast on radio from 1935 to 1953, and later on... |
1 episode | |
| The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp is a Western television series loosely based on the adventures of frontier marshal Wyatt Earp. The half-hour black and white series ran on ABC-TV from 1955 to 1961 and featured Hugh O'Brian as Earp. An off-camera barbershop quartet sang the theme song and hummed... |
Joan Laramie | 1 episode | |
| The Millionaire | Martha | 1 episode | |
| 1957 | On Trial | 1 episode | |
| 1959 | The Real McCoys The Real McCoys The Real McCoys is an American situation comedy co-produced by Danny Thomas' "Marterto Productions", in association with Walter Brennan and Irving Pincus's "Westgate" company... |
Mrs. Baker | 1 episode |
External links
- Linda Stirling at B-Westerns.com
- Linda Stirling Article at Todd Gault's Serial Experience
- WW2 Glamour Girl Parade at The Barracks Wall: World War Two Pin-ups