About this episode
Actress CAROLE LANDIS was a rising star in the 1940s, but her bright light was short-lived. She came from a troubled background and learned early that her looks and sex appeal were valuable commodities that could help her dreams of fame come true. She scratched and clawed her way to Hollywood stardom only to find the dream was hollow. Her quest for love led her to all the wrong men. Her ill-fated love affair with the very-married star REX HARRISON drove her to her untimely death at age 29. Ruled a suicide at the time, years later, Landis’ family thinks otherwise. Today, she serves as a cautionary tale about the dark side of the Hollywood dream. SHOW NOTES: Sources: Carole Landis: A Tragic Life In Hollywood (2005), by E.J. Fleming; Carole Landis: A Most Beautiful Girl (2008), by Eric Gans; Buzz: The Life and Art of Busby Berkeley (2011), by Jeffrey Spivak; Fatal Charm: The Life Of Rex Harrison (1993), by Alexander Walker; Change Lobsters and Dance (1976) by Lilli Palmer; Lovely Me: The Life of Jacqueline Susann (1996), by Barbara Seaman; Morbid Curiosity: The Disturbing Demises of the Famous and Infamous (2009), by Alan W. Petrucelli; “Carole Landis Does Not Want to Be The Ping Girl,” June 17, 1940, Life magazine; “Meet The New Carole Landis,” November 1943, Silver Screen Magazine , by Gladys Hunt; “Harrison Tells Story of Long Friendship With Actress,” July 7, 1948, L.A. Examiner; “Schmidlapp Shocked at Wife’s Death,” July 6, 1948, L.A. Examiner; “Mystery Cloaks Last Hours of Carole Landis,” July 7, 1948, Los Angeles Times; “Scores Attend Funeral of Carole Landis,” July 11, 1948, Oakland Tribune , by Aline Mosby; “Carole Landis,” November 1973, Film Fan Monthly , by Kirk Crivello; “Was Carole Landis Murdered ?” , July 8, 2011, www.CaroleLandisOfficial.com , by Tammy Powell; “The Ping Girl: The Story of Carole Landis,” August 21, 2018, Vintage Leisure; “The Astonishing Life and Tragic Death of Carole Landis,” December 3, 2022, Cinema Scholars , by Ben McVay; www.imdb.com ; www.glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com --------------------------------- http://www.airwavemedia.com ; Please contact sales@advertisecast.com if you would like to advertise on our podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices