Louise Stanley
Encyclopedia
Louise Stanley, born Louise Keyes (January 28, 1915 – December 28, 1982), was an actress of the mid-20th century. Born in Springfield, Illinois
, Keyes changed her name to Stanley when she decided to embark on an acting career. Although obtaining many minor roles, her career never lifted her to major stardom, but she did star in roughly twenty-four B-movie
s during her short career, most of which were B-Westerns. In 1935 she signed a contract with Paramount
, which was not renewed after the initial six months. She then began working for Warner Bros.
, and was from time to time "loaned out" for use in westerns. In 1937 she was cast in the leading role, starring alongside Tex Ritter
, in the western Riders of the Rockies, directed by Robert N. Bradbury
.
Also in 1937, she began working for Columbia Pictures
, where she made two films starring alongside Charley Chase
and Andy Clyde
. Her first husband was actor, writer
and director
Dennis O'Keefe
, whose career spanned more than thirty five years before he died at age 60. Their marriage was short lived, ending in divorce
. In 1939 she starred in The Oregon Trail
, starring alongside Johnny Mack Brown
. She starred in several films with cowboy star Bob Steele
and others with Tex Ritter.
Following the end of her first marriage, Stanley married singing cowboy
, and romantic lead for many B-Westerns, Addison Randall
. She and Randall would divorce, then remarry. The second marriage between the two ended after Randall became involved in a notorious affair with actress Louise Brooks
. Following their divorce, Randall went on to marry actress Barbara Bennett
, mother of Morton Downey Jr. Stanley then married a Navy pilot
named Charles Munn. That marriage also was short lived, ending in divorce only a short time later with allegations that he beat her.
Louise Stanley retired from acting, and died from cancer
in Cocoa Beach, Florida
in 1982.
Springfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
, Keyes changed her name to Stanley when she decided to embark on an acting career. Although obtaining many minor roles, her career never lifted her to major stardom, but she did star in roughly twenty-four B-movie
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s during her short career, most of which were B-Westerns. In 1935 she signed a contract with Paramount
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
, which was not renewed after the initial six months. She then began working for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, and was from time to time "loaned out" for use in westerns. In 1937 she was cast in the leading role, starring alongside Tex Ritter
Tex Ritter
Woodward Maurice Ritter , better known as Tex Ritter, was an American country music singer and movie actor popular from the mid-1930s into the 1960s, and the patriarch of the Ritter family in acting...
, in the western Riders of the Rockies, directed by Robert N. Bradbury
Robert N. Bradbury
Robert N. Bradbury was an American film director and screenwriter who directed 125 movies between 1918 and 1941...
.
Also in 1937, she began working for 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...
, where she made two films starring alongside Charley Chase
Charley Chase
Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
and Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
. Her first husband was actor, writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
and director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Dennis O'Keefe
Dennis O'Keefe
Dennis O'Keefe was an American actor. Born as Edward Vance Flanagan he was the son of Irish vaudevillians working in the United States...
, whose career spanned more than thirty five years before he died at age 60. Their marriage was short lived, ending in divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
. In 1939 she starred in The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail (1939 serial)
The Oregon Trail is a Universal movie serial.-Plot:Jeff Scott is sent to investigate problems with wagon trains attempting to make the journey to Oregon...
, starring alongside Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown
Johnny Mack Brown was an All-American college football player and film actor originally billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career.-Early life:...
. She starred in several films with cowboy star Bob Steele
Bob Steele (actor)
Bob Steele was an American actor. He was born Robert Adrian Bradbury in Portland, Oregon, into a vaudeville family. After years of touring, the family settled down in Hollywood in the late 1910s, where his father, Robert N...
and others with Tex Ritter.
Following the end of her first marriage, Stanley married singing cowboy
Singing cowboy
A singing cowboy was a subtype of the archetypal cowboy hero of early Western films, popularized by many of the B-movies of the 1930s and 1940s...
, and romantic lead for many B-Westerns, Addison Randall
Addison Randall
Addison Byron Owen Randall was an American film actor, chiefly in Westerns...
. She and Randall would divorce, then remarry. The second marriage between the two ended after Randall became involved in a notorious affair with actress Louise Brooks
Louise Brooks
Mary Louise Brooks , generally known by her stage name Louise Brooks, was an American dancer, model, showgirl and silent film actress, noted for popularizing the bobbed haircut. Brooks is best known for her three feature roles including two G. W...
. Following their divorce, Randall went on to marry actress Barbara Bennett
Barbara Bennett
Barbara Jane Bennett was an American silent film actress.Born into an acting family, she was the daughter of actor Richard Bennett and actress Adrienne Morrison, whose father was the stage actor Lewis Morrison. Her sisters were actresses Constance and Joan Bennett.Bennett would never succeed to...
, mother of Morton Downey Jr. Stanley then married a Navy pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
named Charles Munn. That marriage also was short lived, ending in divorce only a short time later with allegations that he beat her.
Louise Stanley retired from acting, and died from 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 Cocoa Beach, Florida
Cocoa Beach, Florida
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 12,482 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau estimates of 2008, the city had a population of 11,920...
in 1982.