Patrice Wymore
Encyclopedia
Patrice Wymore is an American television
, film
, and stage
actress of the 1950s and 1960s.
, and at the age of six she began touring with her family, who were vaudeville
performers. By the time she reached adulthood, she was pretty and had a good singing voice. She auditioned in New York City
for a part in Up in Central Park, in which she performed in 1947. She then performed in the Broadway musical Hold It!, for which she won a Theatre World Award
for "Promising Actress". Following her performance in All for Love in 1949, she was contacted by Warner Bros.
, and she moved to Hollywood.
, starring Doris Day
and Gordon MacRae
. That same year she starred in Rocky Mountain
opposite Hollywood legend Errol Flynn
, with whom she would become romantically involved. The two married in October 1950. They moved to Jamaica
, and had a daughter, Arnella Flynn, born in 1953. Their daughter would later become a fashion model in Europe
. Wymore continued to act, appearing in several films over the next few years, to include I'll See You in My Dreams, her second film alongside Doris Day. She also guest starred as herself in the 1951 film Starlift
, performing the song "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
." In 1953, she appeared alongside Virginia Mayo
in She's Back on Broadway, and that same year she starred opposite Randolph Scott
in The Man Behind the Gun. In 1955 she appeared with her husband Errol Flynn and Anna Neagle
in the film version of King's Rhapsody. Flynn was already in a physical and mental decline by the time they had married.
and drug
addictions, the couple separated. They never divorced, however, and were still married at the time of his death in October 1959.
Following Flynn's death, Wymore returned to acting, mostly in stock musicals. She appeared in the musicals Carnival!
, Guys and Dolls, Irma La Douce
, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
during this period. She had a minor role in the original Ocean's Eleven
in 1960. In 1965, she was cast in the short-lived soap opera
Never Too Young
, and in 1966 she appeared in the film Chamber of Horrors. Her last appearance was on the television series F Troop
in 1967.
Flynn had left her a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) coconut
plantation
in Jamaica, as well as a mansion
and a cattle ranch. After her retirement she returned to Jamaica, where she opened a boutique
and wicker
furniture manufacturing business. She continues to be active in Flynn's estate, and often appears at dedications in his honor.
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, and stage
Stage (theatre)
In theatre or performance arts, the stage is a designated space for the performance productions. The stage serves as a space for actors or performers and a focal point for the members of the audience...
actress of the 1950s and 1960s.
Early life and stage career
Wymore was born in Miltonvale, KansasMiltonvale, Kansas
Miltonvale is a city in Cloud County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 539.-History:Miltonvale was founded on December 1, 1881.From 1909 to 1972, it was the home of Miltonvale Wesleyan College....
, and at the age of six she began touring with her family, who were vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
performers. By the time she reached adulthood, she was pretty and had a good singing voice. She auditioned in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for a part in Up in Central Park, in which she performed in 1947. She then performed in the Broadway musical Hold It!, for which she won a Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
for "Promising Actress". Following her performance in All for Love in 1949, she was contacted by 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 she moved to Hollywood.
Film career
Wymore's first film appearance was in the 1950 film Tea for TwoTea for Two (film)
Tea for Two is a 1950 American musical film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Harry Clork and William Jacobs was inspired by the 1925 stage musical No, No Nanette, although the plot was changed considerably from the original book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, and the score by Harbach,...
, starring Doris Day
Doris Day
Doris Day is an American actress, singer and, since her retirement from show business, an animal rights activist. With an entertainment career that spanned through almost 50 years, Day started her career as a big band singer in 1939, but only began to be noticed after her first hit recording,...
and Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae
Gordon MacRae was an American actor and singer, best known for his appearances in the film versions of two Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals, Oklahoma! and Carousel and films with Doris Day like Starlift.-Early life:Born Albert Gordon MacRae in East Orange, New Jersey, MacRae graduated from...
. That same year she starred in Rocky Mountain
Rocky Mountain (film)
Rocky Mountain is a 1950 war film directed by William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn. It takes place during the American Civil War.-Plot:...
opposite Hollywood legend Errol Flynn
Errol Flynn
Errol Leslie Flynn was an Australian-born actor. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles in Hollywood films, being a legend and his flamboyant lifestyle.-Early life:...
, with whom she would become romantically involved. The two married in October 1950. They moved to Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, and had a daughter, Arnella Flynn, born in 1953. Their daughter would later become a fashion model in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Wymore continued to act, appearing in several films over the next few years, to include I'll See You in My Dreams, her second film alongside Doris Day. She also guest starred as herself in the 1951 film Starlift
Starlift
Starlift is an American musical film released by Warner Brothers in 1951, starring Janice Rule, Dick Wesson, Ron Hagerthy and Ruth Roman. The film was directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by Karl Lamb and John D. Klorer...
, performing the song "Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
Liza (All the Clouds'll Roll Away)
"Liza " is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and Gus Kahn. It was introduced in 1929 by Ruby Keeler in Florenz Ziegfeld's musical Show Girl. The stage performances were accompanied by the Duke Ellington Orchestra...
." In 1953, she appeared alongside Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo
Virginia Mayo was an American film actress.After a short career in vaudeville, Mayo progressed to films and during the 1940s established herself as a supporting player in such films as The Best Years of Our Lives and White Heat .Mayo remained an A-list actress into the mid-'50s, but then went...
in She's Back on Broadway, and that same year she starred opposite Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals , adventure tales, war films, and even a few...
in The Man Behind the Gun. In 1955 she appeared with her husband Errol Flynn and Anna Neagle
Anna Neagle
Forming a professional alliance with Wilcox, Neagle played her first starring film role in the musical Goodnight Vienna , again with Jack Buchanan. With this film Neagle became an overnight favourite...
in the film version of King's Rhapsody. Flynn was already in a physical and mental decline by the time they had married.
Later career and personal life
Following King's Rhapsody, Wymore took a break from acting to care for her now ailing husband, and to better raise their daughter. However, due to Flynn's alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and drug
Drug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
addictions, the couple separated. They never divorced, however, and were still married at the time of his death in October 1959.
Following Flynn's death, Wymore returned to acting, mostly in stock musicals. She appeared in the musicals Carnival!
Carnival!
Carnival is a 1961 musical with the book by Michael Stewart and music and lyrics by Bob Merrill. The musical is based on the 1953 film Lili.-Background:...
, Guys and Dolls, Irma La Douce
Irma La Douce (musical)
Irma La Douce is a musical with music by Marguerite Monnot and French lyrics and book by Alexandre Breffort. The English lyrics and book are by Julian More, David Heneker and Monty Norman. It was first produced in Paris in 1956.-Productions:...
, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (musical)
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is a musical with a book by Joseph Fields and Anita Loos, lyrics by Leo Robin, and music by Jule Styne, based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Loos...
during this period. She had a minor role in the original Ocean's Eleven
Ocean's Eleven (1960 film)
Ocean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop....
in 1960. In 1965, she was cast in the short-lived soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
Never Too Young
Never Too Young
Never Too Young is an American teen soap opera that aired on ABC from September 27, 1965 to June 24, 1966 and was the first soap opera geared towards a teen audience.-Synopsis:...
, and in 1966 she appeared in the film Chamber of Horrors. Her last appearance was on the television series F Troop
F Troop
F Troop is a satirical American television sitcom that originally aired for two seasons on ABC-TV. It debuted in the United States on September 14, 1965 and concluded its run on April 6, 1967 with a total of 65 episodes. The first season of 34 episodes was filmed in black-and-white, but the show...
in 1967.
Flynn had left her a 2000 acres (8.1 km²) coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
plantation
Plantation
A plantation is a long artificially established forest, farm or estate, where crops are grown for sale, often in distant markets rather than for local on-site consumption...
in Jamaica, as well as a mansion
Mansion
A mansion is a very large dwelling house. U.S. real estate brokers define a mansion as a dwelling of over . A traditional European mansion was defined as a house which contained a ballroom and tens of bedrooms...
and a cattle ranch. After her retirement she returned to Jamaica, where she opened a boutique
Boutique
A boutique is a small shopping outlet, especially one that specializes in elite and fashionable items such as clothing and jewelry. The word is French for "shop", via Latin from Greek ἀποθήκη , "storehouse"....
and wicker
Wicker
Wicker is hard woven fiber formed into a rigid material, usually used for baskets or furniture. Wicker is often made of material of plant origin, but plastic fibers are also used....
furniture manufacturing business. She continues to be active in Flynn's estate, and often appears at dedications in his honor.
Filmography
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1950 | Tea for Two Tea for Two (film) Tea for Two is a 1950 American musical film directed by David Butler. The screenplay by Harry Clork and William Jacobs was inspired by the 1925 stage musical No, No Nanette, although the plot was changed considerably from the original book by Otto Harbach and Frank Mandel, and the score by Harbach,... |
Beatrice Darcy | Credited as Pat Wymore |
| Rocky Mountain Rocky Mountain (film) Rocky Mountain is a 1950 war film directed by William Keighley and starring Errol Flynn. It takes place during the American Civil War.-Plot:... |
Johanna Carter | ||
| 1951 | I'll See You in My Dreams | Gloria Knight | |
| Starlift Starlift Starlift is an American musical film released by Warner Brothers in 1951, starring Janice Rule, Dick Wesson, Ron Hagerthy and Ruth Roman. The film was directed by Roy Del Ruth and written by Karl Lamb and John D. Klorer... |
Herself | Credited as Pat Wymore | |
| 1952 | The Big Trees The Big Trees The Big Trees is a 1952 film starring Kirk Douglas and directed by Felix E. Feist. It was Kirk Douglas's final film for Warner Brothers, a film he did for free in exchange for the studio agreeing to release him from his long-term contract.... |
Daisy Fisher/Dora Figg | |
| She's Working Her Way Through College | 'Poison' Ivy Williams | ||
| 1953 | The Man Behind the Gun | Lora Roberts | |
| She's Back on Broadway | Karen Keene | ||
| 1955 | King's Rhapsody King's Rhapsody (film) King's Rhapsody is a 1955 British musical film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Anna Neagle, Errol Flynn and Patrice Wymore. It was based on the musical King's Rhapsody by Ivor Novello.-Cast:* Anna Neagle - Marta Karillos... |
Princess Cristiane | |
| 1959 | The Sad Horse | Leslie MacDonald | |
| 1960 | Ocean's Eleven Ocean's Eleven (1960 film) Ocean's 11 is a 1960 heist film directed by Lewis Milestone and starring five Rat Packers: Peter Lawford, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and Joey Bishop.... |
Adele Ekstrom | |
| 1966 | Chamber of Horrors | Vivian (Delano's hostess) | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1953 | Lux Video Theatre Lux Video Theatre Lux Video Theatre, is a weekly television anthology series that was produced from 1950 until 1959. The series presented both comedy and drama in original teleplays, as well as abridged adaptations of films and plays.... |
1 episode | |
| 1957 | The Errol Flynn Theatre | Various | 5 episodes |
| 1958 | Jefferson Drum Jefferson Drum Jefferson Drum is an American Western television series starring Jeff Richards and Eugene Martin on the NBC network that aired from April 25 to December 11, 1958.-Overview:... |
Goldie | 1 episode |
| 1960 | The Roaring 20's | Maxine "Bunny" Mallory | 1 episode |
| The Deputy | Lucy Ballance | 1 episode | |
| 1961 | Cheyenne | Harriet Miller | 1 episode |
| Tales of Wells Fargo Tales of Wells Fargo Tales of Wells Fargo is an American Western television series that ran from March 18, 1957 to June 2, 1962 on NBC. Produced by Revue Productions, the series aired in a half-hour format until its final season when it expanded to an hour.-Synopsis:... |
Pearl Harvey | 1 episode | |
| 77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip 77 Sunset Strip is an hour-length American television private detective series created by Roy Huggins and starring Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Roger Smith, and Edd Byrnes.... |
Barbara Wentworth | 1 episode | |
| 1963–1965 | Perry Mason Perry Mason (TV series) Perry Mason is an American legal drama produced by Paisano Productions that ran from September 1957 to May 1966 on CBS. The title character, portrayed by Raymond Burr, is a fictional Los Angeles defense attorney who originally appeared in detective fiction by Erle Stanley Gardner... |
Various | 3 episodes |
| 1965 | Never Too Young | Rhoda | Unknown episodes |
| 1965–1967 | F Troop | Various | 2 episodes |
| 1966 | Mister Roberts Mister Roberts (TV series) Mister Roberts is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from September 17, 1965 to April 8, 1966. Based on the best selling novel, 1948 play, and the 1955 film of the same name, the series starred Roger Smith in the title role.-Synopsis:... |
1 episode | |
| 1967 | The Monkees The Monkees (TV series) The Monkees is an American situation comedy that aired on NBC from September 1966 to March 1968. The series follows the adventures of four young men trying to make a name for themselves as rock 'n roll singers. The show introduced a number of innovative new-wave film techniques to series... |
Madame Quagmyer | 1 episode |