Victoria Horne

Not to be confused with Victoria Horn.

Victoria Horne
Horne in Secret Agent X-9 (1945)
Born(1911-11-01)November 1, 1911
New York City, U.S.
DiedOctober 10, 2003(2003-10-10) (aged 91)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Resting placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Other namesVictoria Horne Oakie
Alma materAmerican Academy of Dramatic Arts
OccupationActress
Years active1944–1959
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1978)​

Victoria Horne (November 1, 1911 – October 10, 2003) was an American character actress, appearing in 49 films (uncredited in 25 of these) during the 1940s and 1950s.

Early years

Horne was born on November 1, 1911, in New York City, to Ignatz Hornstein (who emigrated from Braila, Romania) and Mary Louise Schoenwetter Hornstein.[1] She was the second of four children. The family name was changed to "Horne" when she was a child.[citation needed]

She was a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts.[2]

Career

The films in which she appeared included Blue Skies, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, and Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff. Perhaps her best-known film roles were as James Stewart's love-searching niece Myrtle Mae Simmons in the 1950 film adaptation of Mary Chase's play Harvey, as Roberta in the 1952 Three Stooges short subject Cuckoo on a Choo Choo, and as Nabura, a villainous Japanese agent in the 1945 serial Secret Agent X-9.

Personal life

She married actor Jack Oakie in 1950 and remained with him until his death on January 23, 1978. After his death, she arranged the posthumous publication of her late husband's book, Jack Oakie's Double Takes and also published a number of other books about him.[citation needed]

Victoria and Jack Oakie lived their entire married life at "Oakridge", their 11-acre (45,000 m2) estate at 18650 Devonshire Street – 300 yards (270 m) west of Reseda Boulevard – in Northridge, Los Angeles, California. Oakridge, considered to be one of the last remnants of the large Northridge estates famed for thoroughbred breeding, was originally commissioned by Barbara Stanwyck and designed by Paul Williams; Stanwyck sold it to Oakie in 1944.[3] Victoria Oakie continued to live there after her husband's death and bequeathed the estate to the University of Southern California. After two failed attempts to develop the property, Oakridge was acquired by the City of Los Angeles in 2010.[4] The property was developed into the Oakridge Estate Park, which opened in December 2018.[5] The house has been maintained in the park, as both it and the grounds are listed as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #484.[6][7]

Death

Horne died on October 10, 2003, in a retirement home in Beverly Hills, California. She was 91.[2] She is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.[8]

Legacy

The Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation underwrites "lectures on comedy and scholarships for deserving film and theater students at some of the most prestigious institutions in the country."[9] An official of Syracuse University said that money provided by the foundation "was a godsend" in helping the university establish its semester-in-Los-Angeles program.[10]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1944 Phantom Lady Miss Payton Uncredited
Men on Her Mind Minor Role Uncredited
The Scarlet Claw Nora
San Diego, I Love You Mrs. Allsop Uncredited
Murder in the Blue Room Second Maid Uncredited
1945 Roughly Speaking Maid at Millwood Uncredited
The Unseen Lily Uncredited
Pillow to Post Mildred Henry Uncredited
That's the Spirit Patience
Secret Agent X-9 Nabura Serial
Love, Honor and Goodbye Miss Whipple
Pillow of Death Vivian Fletcher Voice, Uncredited
1946 The Scarlet Horseman Loma
Cinderella Jones Agnes Uncredited
To Each His Own Nurse Daisy Gingras
In Old Sacramento Ma Dodge Uncredited
She Wrote the Book The Maid Uncredited
Blue Skies Martha - Mary Elizabeth's Nanny
1947 Suddenly, It's Spring WAC Lt. Billings
The Guilt of Janet Ames Nurse Uncredited
Smash-Up, the Story of a Woman Woman Uncredited
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir Eva Muir
The Crimson Key Miss Phillips
Key Witness Nurse Sibley Uncredited
Forever Amber Quaker Woman Uncredited
Daisy Kenyon Marsha - Dan's Secretary Uncredited
1948 The Mating of Millie Nurse Uncredited
The Gentleman from Nowhere Miss Keams Uncredited
The Return of October Margaret Grant Uncredited
The Snake Pit Ward 33 Inmate Uncredited
1949 The Life of Riley Lucy Monahan
Streets of San Francisco Witness Uncredited
Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff Mrs. Hargreave
Mary Ryan, Detective Wilma Hall
1950 The Good Humor Man Bride
Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance Miss Tucker
The Men Paraplegic's Wife Uncredited
Never a Dull Moment Shivaree Partyer Uncredited
Harvey Myrtle Mae Simmons
1951 The Company She Keeps Marcia Guston Uncredited
Cuban Fireball The Maid
1952 Scandal Sheet Mary Uncredited
Dreamboat Waitress at Ruby's Uncredited
Cuckoo on a Choo Choo Roberta Short
1953 The Blue Gardenia Disturbed Woman with Big Feet Uncredited
Affair with a Stranger Mrs. Wallace
1959 The Wonderful Country Townswoman at Dance Uncredited, (final film role)

References

  1. ^ Foote, Lisle (2014). Buster Keaton's Crew: The Team Behind His Silent Films. McFarland. p. 89. ISBN 9780786496839. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  2. ^ a b McLellan, Dennis (October 17, 2003). "Victoria H. Oakie, 91; Gave Up Acting Career for Film Comic Husband". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  3. ^ "Help Friends Solve a Mystery". The Friends of Oakridge. June 1, 2023. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  4. ^ "City of Los Angeles Acquires Historic Oakridge Estate" (PDF). City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources. July 2010. p. 5. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
  5. ^ "The Oakridge Estate Park Has Opened!". The Friends of Oakridge. December 18, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2023.
  6. ^ Book description for Jack Oakie's Oakridge at Amazon.com. Accessed June 16, 2007. (This appears to be incorrect; California Historical Landmark #484 is Georgetown, while Oakridge is Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument #484.)
  7. ^ "Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) List" (PDF). City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, Office of Historic Resources. August 9, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2010.[permanent dead link‍]
  8. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  9. ^ "The Oakie Foundation". Syracuse University: Los Angeles Semester. Syracuse University. Archived from the original on August 13, 2017. Retrieved August 13, 2017.
  10. ^ Saval, Malina (July 19, 2017). "Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie Charitable Foundation Gives Back". Variety. Retrieved August 13, 2017.

Bibliography

  • Jack Oakie (1980). Jack Oakie's Double Takes. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 0-89407-019-3. Autobiography published posthumously by Oakie's widow on January 1, 1980. 240 pages.
  • Victoria Horne Oakie (1980). Jack Oakie's Oakridge. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 978-0-89407-102-7. A history of the Oakie family home, "Oakridge". 126 pages.
  • Victoria Horne Oakie (1994). "Dear Jack": Hollywood birthday reminiscences to Jack Oakie. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 978-0-89407-113-3. Letters of congratulation and reminiscence sent from almost 150 celebrities to Jack Oakie in celebration of his 70th birthday. Compiled & edited by Mrs Oakie to commemorate his 90th birthday. 140 pages.
  • Jack Oakie and Victoria Horne Oakie (1997). When the Line Is Straight: Jack Oakie's Comedy in Motion Pictures. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 978-0-89407-140-9.
  • Victoria Horne Oakie (2001). Life With Jack Oakie: Anecdotes. Strawberry Hill Press. ISBN 0-7862-3417-2.
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