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Florence Rice
Florence Rice
	Rice, pictured in 1940
Born	Florence Davenport Rice; February 14, 1907; Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Died	February 23, 1974 (aged 67); Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1927–1947
Spouses	; David Page (annulled) ; Sydney A. Smith (m. 1930; div. 1931) ; Robert Wilcox (m. 1939; div. 1940) ; Fred Thomas Butler (m. 1946)
Father	Grantland Rice

Florence Davenport Rice (February 14, 1907 – February 23, 1974) was an American film actress.^[1]

Early years

Florence Davenport Rice was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the only child of the noted sportswriter Grantland Rice and Fannie Katherine Hollis.^[2] She attended Dwight School for Girls at Englewood, New Jersey,^[3] and Smith College.^[4]

Career

Rice became an actress during the late 1920s and, after several Broadway roles, eventually made her way to Hollywood, where she acted in almost 50 films between 1934 and 1943.

Rice was cast as the reliable girlfriend in several films for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. MGM gradually provided her with more substantial roles, occasionally in prestige productions. Rice never became a major figure in movies, but she performed in a number of screen pairings with Robert Young.^[1]

Her most widely seen performances were in Double Wedding (1937), in which she was billed third in the cast credits behind William Powell and Myrna Loy, Sweethearts (1938) with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, and The Marx Brothers film At The Circus (1939).

During the 1940s, the quality of her roles steadily decreased, and in 1947, she retired.

Personal life

Rice's first marriage, to David Page, was annulled.^[5] She married broker Sydney A. Smith in New York City on June 12, 1930;^[6] they were divorced on May 18, 1931.^[5] On March 30, 1939, she married fellow actor Robert Wilcox.^[7] They separated less than 2 months later and divorced on July 30, 1940.^[8] From August 29, 1946 until her death, Rice was married to Fred Thomas Butler.^[9] In 1958, they moved to Hawaii.^[4]

Death

On February 23, 1974, at age 67, Rice died from lung cancer at Straub Clinic in Honolulu.^[10] She was survived by her husband.^[4] At her request, there was no funeral, and her remains were cremated, with her ashes scattered over the waters near Waikiki Beach.^[10]

Filmography

Fugitive Lady (1934) – Ann Duncan
The Best Man Wins (1935) – Ann Barry
Under Pressure (1935) – Pat Dodge
Carnival (1935) – Miss Holbrook
Death Flies East (1935) – Evelyn Vail
The Awakening of Jim Burke (1935) – Tess Hardie
Guard That Girl (1935) – Helen Bradford
Escape from Devil's Island (1935) – Johanna Harrington
Super-Speed (1935) – Billie Devlin
Pride of the Marines (1936) – Molly Malone
Panic on the Air (1936) – Mary Connor aka Cremer
Blackmailer (1936) – Joan Rankin
Women Are Trouble (1936) – Ruth Nolan
Sworn Enemy (1936) – Margaret 'Peg' Gattle
The Longest Night (1936) – Joan Sutton
Under Cover of Night (1937) – Deb Reed
Man of the People (1937) – Abbey Reid
Riding on Air (1937) – Betty Harrison
Married Before Breakfast (1937) – Kitty Brent
Double Wedding (1937) – Irene Agnew
Navy Blue and Gold (1937) – Patricia 'Pat' Gates
Beg, Borrow or Steal (1937) – Joyce Steward
Paradise for Three (1938) – Hilde Tobler
Fast Company (1938) – Garda Sloane
Vacation from Love (1938) – Patricia Lawson
Sweethearts (1938) – Kay Jordan
Stand Up and Fight (1939) – Susan Griffith
Four Girls in White (1939) – Norma Page
The Kid from Texas (1939) – Margo Thomas
Miracles for Sale (1939) – Judy Barclay
At the Circus (1939) – Julie Randall
Little Accident (1939) – Alice Pearson
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940) – Amy Blake
Girl in 313 (1940) – Joan Matthews
Phantom Raiders (1940) – Cora Barnes
The Secret Seven (1940) – Lola Hobbs
Cherokee Strip (1940) – Kate Cross
Mr. District Attorney (1941) – Terry Parker
Father Takes a Wife (1941) – Enid
Doctors Don't Tell (1941) – Diana Wayne
The Blonde from Singapore (1941) – Mary Brooks
Borrowed Hero (1941) – Ann Thompson
Tramp, Tramp, Tramp (1942) – Pam Martin
Let's Get Tough! (1942) – Nora Stevens
Stand By All Networks (1942) – Frances Prescott
The Boss of Big Town (1942) – Linda Gregory
The Ghost and the Guest (1943) – Jacqueline 'Jackie' DeLong / Frye (final film role)

References

^ ^a ^b Nugent, Frank S. (August 10, 1939). "Miracles for Sale (1939) THE SCREEN; Murder in Magicians' Row Is the Theme of 'Miracles for Sale,' the New Mystery at the Criterion". The New York Times.
^ Harper, William Arthur (1999). How You Played the Game: The Life of Grantland Rice. University of Missouri Press. p. 130. ISBN 9780826212047. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
^ Niemeyer, H.H. (May 15, 1938). "No Help from Famous Father". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Missouri, St. Louis. p. 45. Retrieved January 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Florence Rice Dies; Screen Actress, 67". The New York Times. New York, New York City. February 26, 1974. Archived from the original on January 27, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Florence Rice Obtains Decree". The New York Times. Associated Press. May 19, 1931. p. 11. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ "Miss Rice weds Sydney A. Smith". The New York Times. June 13, 1930. p. 32. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Associated Press (March 31, 1939). "Grantland Rice's Daughter Honeymoons With Film Star". The Buffalo News. p. 1. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ Associated Press (July 31, 1940). "Florence Rice Wins Divorce—Mate Cruel". New York Daily News. p. 32. Retrieved August 22, 2023.
^ "California, County Marriages, 1850-1953," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8KC-QLS : 9 March 2021), Fred Thomas Butler and Florence Davenport Rice, 29 Aug 1946; citing Los Angeles, California, United States, county courthouses, California; FHL microfilm 2,115,628.
^ ^a ^b "Obituaries: Florence R. Butler, Former Actress, 67". Asbury Park Press. Associated Press. February 25, 1974. p. 11. ProQuest 2010105108. Miss Rice, who died Saturday at Straub Clinic, appeared in 25 movies between 1938 and 1947, including top roles with James Stewart in "nave Blue and Gold" and with William Powell in the "Thin Man' series. [...] There will be no funeral services. She requested that she be cremated and that her ashes be scattered over the waters off Waikiki Beach.