Mystery photo–answered!

2008_0424_mystery_pix

OK, here’s another picture of our mystery woman. Surely someone will recognize her sooner or later.

Patricia Blair? (Rotter). Absolutely right. This is Patricia Blake (a.k.a. Patricia Blair). She was photographed with Marlon Brando in November 1955 at the Ambassador, where they attended a charity dance. Congratulations! That’s was a tough one!   

2008_0424_mystery_pix02

How about now?

2008_0421_mystery_pix_2

OK, who are they? (Update: Hint — she’s still alive, as far as I can tell. And you can find her on imdb).

Update No. 2: Look, folks, at least try to guess who this is instead of picking random names of 1950s starlets — there were hundreds of actresses who did an episode of "Wagon Train" or "Have Gun, Will Travel" and vanished. This woman looks nothing at all like Vera Miles or Marian Seldes, let alone Virginia Mayo! I mean please

  • Marlon Brando (Rob Case). That’s right. He’s the easy one.
  • Barbara "Bride of the Gorilla" Payton? Alas, no.
  • Grace "Mogambo" Kelly? Sorry, no.
  • Anita "Brute Force" Colby? I’m afraid not.
  • Ursula "Monsoon" Thiess? Interesting guess. But no.
  • Peggy "The Bad and the Beautiful" King? Alas, no.
  • Jean "Viva Zapata!" Peters? Sorry, no.
  • Nina "Cry of the Werewolf" Foch? Interesting guess. But no.
  • Mary "Wild One" Murphy? Good guess. But no.
  • Rosanna "Hell Canyon Outlaws" Rory? Sorry, no.
  • Sondra "Peter Pan" Lee? Interesting guess. But no.
  • Hazel "Devil Girl From Mars" Court? Alas, no.
  • A Gabor sister? Sorry, no.
  • Ursula Andress? I’m afraid not.
  • Jocelyn Brando, Frances Brando, Anna Kashfi? Sorry, no.
  • Charlotte "Gorilla at Large" Austin? Unfortunately not.
  • Allison "Attack of the 50 Foot Woman" Hayes? A big no on that one.
  • Peggy "Yellow Tomahawk" Castle? Sorry, no.
  • Nancy "No Man’s Woman" Gates? Alas, no.
  • Karen "Man Crazy" Steele? I’m afraid not.
  • Lizabeth "Stolen Face" Scott? No, sorry.
  • Kim "Seance on a Wet Afternoon" Stanley? No, alas.
  • Martha "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" Hyer? I’m afraid not.
  • Dora "French Can Can" Doll? Mais non.
  • Mara "Prehistoric Women" Lynn? Sorry, no. Remember, the mystery woman is still alive.
  • Coleen "Kiss of Death" Gray? Alas, no.
  • Phyllis "Ruby Gentry" Avery? I’m afraid not.
  • Virginia "Best Years of Our Lives" Mayo? Sorry, no.
  • Marian "M Squad" Seldes? Sorry no.
  • Patrice "I’ll See You in My Dreams" Wymore? No, sorry.
  • Vera "For Men Only" Miles? No, alas.
  • Dolores "Underworld U.S.A." Dorn? Sorry.
  • Angela "Tenth Avenue Angel" Lansbury? (Does this lady look at all like Angela Lansbury to you?) Not!
  • Rhonda "Odongo" Fleming? (Does this lady look remotely like Rhonda Fleming?) Not!
  • June "Timber Queen" Havoc? No, alas.
  • Kathryn "The Vanishing Virginian" Grayson? C’mon! Kathryn Grayson was a brunette! No.
  • Mala "Rose of Cimarron" Powers? Uh, Mala Powers was a brunette. No.

2008_0423_mystery_pix

OK, here she is again. And who’s he? Note the heavy retouching. Back in its day, this was considered "an art."

  • George "Tonga Tika" Fenneman? Sorry, no. And who’s the mystery woman?
  • Dennis "Getting Gertie’s Garter" O’Keefe? (Alexa Foreman). Absolutely right!

Email me

Unknown's avatar

About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

22 Responses to Mystery photo–answered!

  1. Arye Michael Bender's avatar Arye Michael Bender says:

    Wild guess: Jocelyn Brando? Or Allyn Joslyn in a wig?

    Like

  2. A Scanner Darkly's avatar A Scanner Darkly says:

    Rosanna Rory?

    Like

  3. A Scanner Darkly's avatar A Scanner Darkly says:

    Sondra Lee?

    Like

  4. jetpiloteyes's avatar jetpiloteyes says:

    a Gabor sister?

    Like

  5. Jack H.'s avatar Jack H. says:

    Ursula Andress?

    Like

  6. Carol Gwenn's avatar Carol Gwenn says:

    Nancy Gates? Karen Steele?

    Like

  7. A Scanner Darkly's avatar A Scanner Darkly says:

    Kim Stanley?

    Like

  8. Lorenzo's avatar Lorenzo says:

    Martha Hyer?

    Like

  9. Cindy W.'s avatar Cindy W. says:

    Jeanne Martin ? Ex -wife of Dean Martin.

    Like

  10. Steven Bibb's avatar Steven Bibb says:

    Phyllis Avery? A former actress who went into LA Real Estate.

    Like

  11. Mona Freeman (no mother of Morgan)

    Like

  12. Anne's avatar Anne says:

    Rhonda Fleming, June Havoc, or Kathryn Grayson??

    Like

  13. Kate Mahan's avatar Kate Mahan says:

    Angela Lansbury

    Like

  14. Rance Ryan's avatar Rance Ryan says:

    Mala Powers

    Like

  15. Chris Regan's avatar Chris Regan says:

    Jane Howard?

    Like

  16. rotter's avatar rotter says:

    I think the mystery woman is Patricia Blair, who I remember from the Daniel Boone tv series

    Like

  17. rotter's avatar rotter says:

    Patricia Blair

    Like

  18. Nathan's avatar Nathan says:

    Hey, at least she looked like Brando galpal Nina Foch. Gimmee props for that one! And didn’t he wear the same suit to the 27th Academy Awards? You’d think the guy would own more than one tux.
    I still hold by my “that’s Wally Cox in drag” contention…

    Like

  19. I only vaguely remember her from an appearance in the greatest gland movie of all time, ‘The Black Sleep’. She decorated the set while John Carradine, Lon Chaney, Jr, Lobo (Tor Johnson), and Basil Rathbone camped around. Poor Bela Lugosi could no longer speak, and looked like a sad, shrunken mute. Who could look at a blonde with all those once great actors collecting paychecks all around. Forgot to mention the always interesting Akim Tamiroff. He was there too.

    Like

  20. wolf's avatar wolf says:

    the lady is pat blaire

    Like

  21. Eddie's avatar Eddie says:

    This is Patricia Blair…ONE of THE most beautifulest women ever to have been born…EVER!!

    Like

Comments are closed.