Shirley Patterson
Shirley Patterson | |
|---|---|
 Shirley Patterson in 1930s | |
| Born | Shirley Gladys Patterson December 26, 1922 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Died | April 4, 1995; aged 72 Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S. |
| Other names | Shawn Smith |
| Occupation(s) | Film, television actress |
| Years active | 1942–1959 |
| Spouse(s) | Alfred Fuller Smith, Jr. (m. 1947; div. 1971) John Laurence Bodette (m. 1979) |
Shirley Gladys Patterson[1][2] (December 26, 1922 – April 4, 1995), sometimes billed as Shawn Smith, was a Canadian-born B-movie actress of the 1940s and 1950s.
Early years
[edit]Born on December 26, 1922,[3] in Winnipeg, Canada,[4] Patterson grew up in Eastend, Saskatchewan. She was the daughter of druggist Benjamin Patterson. The family moved to Los Angeles because of her father's health problems, and she finished her education there.[5]
Career
[edit]Patterson began her acting career after being a beauty contestant in pageants in California from 1939 to 1940. In 1940, she won the Miss California Pageant, making a total of 15 contest victories.[6] She was disqualified later when it was found she was underage. The second-place contestant (Rosemary LaPlanche) won the Miss America Pageant in 1941.
She signed a contract with Columbia Pictures after a talent scout saw her perform in a little theater production.[7] Her career spanned 40 films, a few television appearances, and a serial.
Patterson played the role of heroine, Linda Page, in the 1943 15-chapter Batman serial. In 1944, she starred in The Vigilantes Ride with Russell Hayden and Bob Wills. In 1946, she accompanied Eddie Dean and Roscoe Ates in the movie Driftin River, and starred with them again the same year in Tumbleweed Trail, as well as Stars Over Texas. She also was Dean's object of affection in the song "Let's Go Sparkin'" from the 1947 movie Black Hills.
[5] Patterson played Poppea, Nero's consort, in a nonspeaking role in The Silver Chalice (1954).[4] Two of her last films were the 1957 movie The Land Unknown and the 1958 science-fiction movie It! The Terror from Beyond Space. Shortly after the close of filming in 1958 while skiing at Lake Arrowhead, California, she suffered a severely broken leg. She was in a full leg cast for a year and then a half cast for another six months, effectively ending her acting career.[citation needed]
Personal life and death
[edit]From September 10, 1947 until their divorce in February 1971, Patterson was married to Alfred Fuller Smith, Jr.[2][8] They had one child, Alfred F. Smith III (nickname,”Tory”).[5] In April 1979, she married John Laurence Bodette.[9]
On April 4, 1995, at age 72,[10] following a long battle with cancer,[11] Patterson died at Hospice House, North Broward Medical Center[10] (located in Pompano Beach, Florida[12]), where she had been brought from her home in nearby Fort Lauderdale. She was survived by Bodette, by her son Alfred Smith III, and by four stepsons from her second marriage.[10]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1942 | North of the Rockies | Lydia Rogers | |
| 1942 | They All Kissed the Bride | Receptionist | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Riders of the Northland | Sheila Taylor | |
| 1942 | Parachute Nurse | Katherine Webb | |
| 1942 | Sabotage Squad | Miss Cole | Uncredited |
| 1942 | A Man's World | Nurse Bentley | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Lucky Legs | Chambermaid | Uncredited |
| 1942 | The Spirit of Stanford | June Rogers | |
| 1942 | Riding Through Nevada | Gail Holloway | |
| 1942 | Boston Blackie Goes Hollywood | Stewardess | Uncredited |
| 1942 | Laugh Your Blues Away | Mrs. Knox | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Spook Louder | Perkins | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Let's Have Fun | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Redhead from Manhattan | Telephone Operator | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The More the Merrier | Girl | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Law of the Northwest | Michele Darcy | |
| 1943 | Good Luck, Mr. Yates | Secretary | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Batman | Linda Page | Serial |
| 1943 | Destroyer | Bigbee's Girl | Uncredited |
| 1943 | Dangerous Blondes | Bride | Uncredited |
| 1943 | My Kingdom for a Cook | Elevator Girl | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The Texas Kid | Nancy Drew | |
| 1943 | Klondike Kate | Dancer | Uncredited |
| 1943 | The Vigilantes Ride | Jane Andrews | Uncredited |
| 1944 | Riding West | Alice Morton | |
| 1944 | Marriage Is a Private Affair | Mary Saunders | |
| 1945 | Keep Your Powder Dry | WAC Brooks | |
| 1945 | Between Two Women | Nurse Thorsen | |
| 1946 | The Harvey Girls | Harvey Girl | Uncredited |
| 1946 | Tumbleweed Trail | Robin Ryan | |
| 1946 | Driftin' River | J. C. 'Jenny' Morgan | |
| 1946 | Stars Over Texas | Terry Lawrence | |
| 1947 | Black Hills | Janet Hadley | |
| 1953 | Second Chance | Uncredited | |
| 1953 | The French Line | Model | Uncredited |
| 1954 | The Long Wait | Carol Shay | |
| 1954 | The Silver Chalice | Poppaea | Uncredited |
| 1955 | The Shrike | Celia Johns | Uncredited |
| 1956 | The Bottom of the Bottle | Gossipy Woman | Uncredited |
| 1956 | World Without End | Elaine | |
| 1957 | The Land Unknown | Margaret Hathaway | |
| 1958 | It! The Terror from Beyond Space | Ann Anderson |
References
[edit]- ^ Belser, Emily (September 4, 1954). "Mansion Owner, Bored With Money, Takes Job as Extra in Movietown". The Sandusky Register. p. 2. Retrieved April 28, 2025. "Shawn Smith, who is playing the minor role of a grapeeater at the court of Nero in a film, says she's tired of current, pastimes of the idle rich. [...] Shawn, whose real name is Shirley Patterson Smith, wife of Alfred Smith, an Oregon-born timber tycoon, added that she never was much of a girl for bridge, either."
- ^ a b Lomen, Edna M. (September 18, 1947). "Society: Smith, Patterson Nuptials". Eagle Rock Sentinel. p.6. Retrieved April 28, 2025. "In the gardens of Mr. and Mrs. Alfred F. Smith, 901 N. Camden Drive, Beverly Hills, Shirley Gladys Patterson, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin F. Patterson of Beverly Hills, formerly of Eagle Rock, recited her nuptial vows Wednesday evening September tenth, with Alfred Fuller Smith Jr., with Dr. Lewis Evans officiating."
- ^ "United States, Social Security Numerical Identification Files (NUMIDENT), 1936-2007", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6K4S-358M : Sat Apr 26 15:00:06 UTC 2025), Entry for Shawn Smith and Shirley J Patterson.
- ^ a b Willett, Bob (April 23, 1955). "Lucky Nero: His Wife Doesn't Talk". The Ottawa Citizen. p. Weekend Magazine - 14. Retrieved September 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Lucky Nero". The Ottawa Citizen. Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. April 23, 1955. p. Weekend Magazine - 16. Retrieved September 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Archery Champ Shoots Her Way Into Motion Picture Career". The Sacramento Union. November 30, 1941. p. 32. Retrieved April 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Little Theater Star Gets Film Role". The Salt Lake Telegram. United Press. September 10, 1941. p. 8. Retrieved September 11, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "California, Divorce Index, 1966-1984", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VPY4-HZ7 : Tue Feb 25 17:12:37 UTC 2025), Entry for Shirley Patterson and Alfred F Smith, Feb 1971.
- ^ "More Parties (Continued from Second Page)". The Los Angeles Times. May 27, 1979. pt. III, p. 3. Retrieved April 28, 2025. "at Virginia McIntire's home last month to witness the marriage of Shirley Patterson Smith, a mainstay up to now in Who's Who International, and John Laurence Bodette. Since Bodette is president of U.F.C. Ltd. based in Toronto, Can., the newlyweds are planning to do a lot of commuting."
- ^ a b c "Obituaries: Broward County". South Florida Sun Sentinel. April 6, 1995. p. 12. Retrieved April 28, 2025. "BODETTE - Shirley P., 72 of Ft. Lauderdale, died Tuesday, April 4, 1995 at Hospice House, North Broward Medical Center. [...] Bodette is survived by husband, John L. Bodette: her son, Alfred "Tory" Smith of Davis, CA; four step-sons"
- ^ "The Heroines: Shirley Patterson/Shawn Smith". b-westerns.com. Retrieved April 28, 2025.
- ^ "Obituaries: Broward County". South Florida Sun Sentinel. April 7, 1992. p.16. Retrieved April 28, 2025. "In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to Hospice, Inc. of North Broward Medical Center, 201 E. Sample Rd., Pompano Beach, FL" See also:
- "Obituaries: Broward County". South Florida Sun Sentinel. February 26, 1998. p. 53. "In lieu of flowers contributions may be made to the Hospice House at North Broward Medical Center in Pompano Beach, FL."
External links
[edit]
Media related to Shirley Patterson at Wikimedia Commons
- Shirley Patterson at IMDb
- Shirley Patterson at b-westerns.com
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