Priscilla Lane facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Priscilla Lane
Lane in 1939
Born	Priscilla Mullican (1915-06-12)June 12, 1915 Indianola, Iowa, U.S.
Died	April 4, 1995(1995-04-04) (aged 79) Andover, Massachusetts, U.S.
Years active	1937–1948, 1958
Height	5 ft 2+1⁄2 in (159 cm)
Spouse(s)	Oren W. Haglund ​ ​ (m. 1939; div. 1941)​ Joseph A. Howard ​ ​ (m. 1942; died 1976)​
Children	4

Priscilla Lane (born Priscilla Mullican, June 12, 1915 – April 4, 1995) was a famous American actress. She was the youngest of the "Lane Sisters," a group of sisters who were singers and actresses. Priscilla is most remembered for her roles in several classic movies. These include The Roaring Twenties (1939), where she acted alongside James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart. She also starred in Saboteur (1942), a thrilling film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Another well-known role was in Arsenic and Old Lace (1944), where she played Cary Grant's fiancée.

Early Life and Beginnings

Priscilla Mullican was born on June 12, 1915, in Indianola, Iowa. This was a small town near Des Moines. She was the youngest of five daughters born to Dr. Lorenzo Mullican, a dentist, and his wife, Cora Bell Hicks. Their family lived in a large 22-room house. They often rented out some rooms to students from nearby Simpson College.

Priscilla and her sister Rosemary loved to dance. They traveled to Des Moines every weekend to learn from a famous dance teacher, Rose Lorenz. They made their first public appearance on September 30, 1930. Priscilla, who was 15, performed on stage at Des Moines' Paramount Theater. This was part of a show for her sister Lola Lane's new movie, Good News.

After high school, Priscilla went to New York to visit her oldest sister, Leota. Leota was performing in a musical show there. Priscilla decided to study acting at the Fagen School of Dramatics. Leota helped pay for her classes. A talent agent named Al Altman saw Priscilla in a school play. He invited her to try out for a movie studio called MGM. Priscilla was only 16 years old. She wrote to a friend about seeing other famous people at the tryout, like Katharine Hepburn and Margaret Sullavan. However, Priscilla did not get a contract from MGM at that time.

In 1932, Priscilla's mother, Cora, and sister Rosemary joined her in New York. Cora encouraged her daughters to audition for Broadway shows. They didn't have much luck until they met Fred Waring. He was a bandleader and radio star. He heard them singing together and liked their voices. He soon signed them to a radio contract. Priscilla started using the last name Lane. She became known for her funny personality in the group. Rosemary sang the slow songs, while Priscilla sang swing music and joked with Fred Waring.

Starting a Film Career

Priscilla Lane in Cowboy from Brooklyn, 1938

Priscilla and Rosemary worked with Fred Waring for almost five years. In 1937, Fred Waring and his band were hired by Warner Bros. in Hollywood. They were to appear in a musical movie called Varsity Show, starring Dick Powell. Both Rosemary and Priscilla tried out and got important roles in the film. Rosemary had romantic scenes with Dick Powell, while Priscilla played a lively college girl.

Warner Bros. bought Priscilla and Rosemary's contracts from Fred Waring. They signed the sisters to seven-year movie deals. Priscilla's first movie after Varsity Show was Men Are Such Fools (1938). She starred with Wayne Morris. They also made Love Honor and Behave (1938) and Cowboy from Brooklyn together. The studio's publicity team wanted Priscilla and Wayne to be seen together often. They did date for a while, but Priscilla later said it was not very serious.

In 1938, Priscilla, Rosemary, and their sister Lola Lane appeared together in the movie Four Daughters. They played three of four sisters in the film. The fourth sister was played by Gale Page. This movie was very popular. They made a similar movie called Daughters Courageous the next year. Later, they made two sequels to Four Daughters: Four Wives and Four Mothers.

Priscilla then got the main role in Brother Rat. This movie was based on a very successful play. She again acted with Wayne Morris. Other young actors in the cast included Ronald Reagan, Jane Wyman, and Eddie Albert. When Brother Rat came out in October 1938, it was a big hit for all the young stars.

After getting a pay raise, Priscilla continued to make movies. Some of her next films were Brother Rat and a Baby (1940) and Three Cheers for the Irish (1940). A British magazine called Picturegoer often supported the Lane Sisters. In 1940, they wondered why Priscilla was not yet a major star. They felt Warner Bros. was giving her smaller roles next to actors like John Garfield and James Cagney. The magazine believed Priscilla had great charm and deserved bigger roles.

Priscilla Lane and Robert Cummings in Saboteur, 1942

On April 28, 1941, Priscilla was on a radio show called Lux Radio Theater. She also appeared with Ronald Reagan in the comedy Million Dollar Baby (1941). She played a nightclub singer in Blues in the Night (1941).

Director Frank Capra specifically asked for Priscilla to star opposite Cary Grant in Arsenic and Old Lace. This comedy film was finished in early 1942. However, it was not released until 1944 because of a contract. The movie could not be shown until the play it was based on finished its long run on Broadway. This was Priscilla's last film with Warner Bros. Her contract with the studio ended after five years.

Priscilla then worked as a freelance actress, meaning she worked for different studios. She signed a deal with Universal Studios for one movie. This was Alfred Hitchcock's thriller Saboteur (1942), where she starred with Robert Cummings. Hitchcock initially didn't want Priscilla for the role. He thought she was too much like "the girl next door." But Universal insisted. When the film was released, Priscilla's acting was praised.

She then made two more films. The first was Silver Queen (1942), where she played a gambling house owner in 1870s San Francisco. The other was a comedy with Jack Benny called The Meanest Man in the World, released in January 1943. After these films, Priscilla decided to stop acting for a while. During World War II, she traveled across America with her husband, who was in the military. She often performed at shows for soldiers.

Later, she accepted a lead role in Fun on a Weekend (1947). When the movie came out, a magazine called Variety said she gave a good performance and should get more roles. However, Priscilla decided to return to her family life. She later took on another role in a detective film called Bodyguard (1948). She said she missed acting and hoped to make many more movies. But Bodyguard turned out to be her last film.

In 1958, Priscilla briefly returned to show business. She had her own television show in Boston called The Priscilla Lane Show. She chatted with and interviewed celebrities visiting the area. She enjoyed the show, but family needs made her stop after a year.

Family Life

Priscilla Lane dated Oren W. Haglund, who was an assistant director. They got married quickly in Yuma, Arizona, on January 14, 1939. But she left him the very next day. They divorced in May 1941.

In early 1942, Priscilla met Joseph Howard. He was a 27-year-old Army Air Corps lieutenant. They met at a ranch in the Mojave Desert. Joseph was looking for places for air bases and was on a short vacation. Priscilla and Joseph got married on May 22, 1942, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After the war ended in 1945, Priscilla and Joseph were living in New Mexico. Their first child, Joseph Lawrence, was born on December 31, 1945. In 1946, Joseph left the military, and the family moved back to California. Joseph, who had an engineering degree, became a building contractor. The family moved to Van Nuys and later to Studio City.

Priscilla became pregnant again in 1949. Her daughter Hannah was born on April 17, 1950. By 1951, Joseph's construction work led the family to move to his home state of Massachusetts. Joseph let Priscilla decide if she wanted to continue her acting career. She later said she never regretted choosing her family. She loved New England, and they settled in Andover. Priscilla was very busy with her family. She had a second daughter, Judith, on August 22, 1953. Their fourth and youngest child, James, was born on December 4, 1955. During the 1952 United States presidential election, Priscilla and her sisters, who were all Democrats, supported Adlai Stevenson II for president.

Outside of her family, Priscilla stayed active. She became a Catholic, like her older sister Lola. She went to church regularly and helped with Catholic charities. She enjoyed gardening, growing flowers and vegetables. She also led a Girl Scout troop and volunteered at local hospitals.

In July 1972, Joe Howard retired from his business. He and Priscilla moved to their summer home in Derry, New Hampshire. Joseph died suddenly on May 18, 1976, at age 60. He was buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Priscilla was heartbroken. She stayed in Derry and kept busy with volunteer work and her garden.

Priscilla Lane was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1994. She moved to a nursing home in Andover, near her son Joe. She passed away there on April 4, 1995, at age 79, from lung cancer and heart failure. A funeral service was held at St. Matthew's Church in Windham, New Hampshire. She was buried next to her husband.

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Priscilla Lane para niños