Amelita Ward

Amelita Ward
Ward in Clancy Street Boys (1943)
BornJuly 17, 1923
DiedApril 26, 1987(1987-04-26) (aged 63)
Resting place
Ivy Hill Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia)[1]
Other nameLita Ward
OccupationActress
Years active1943–1949
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1949; div. 1956)​
Children2

Amelita Ward (July 17, 1923 – April 26, 1987) was an American film actress. She played supporting roles in over 20 films between 1943 and 1949, generally in B Pictures such as Gangway for Tomorrow[2] and The Falcon in Danger (1943). She was sometimes credited as Lita Ward.

Life and career

Ward's father was Claude "Bud" Ward, a production manager for NBC.[3]

Two producers discovered Ward while they were in Harlingen, Texas, filming scenes on location. That led to her first film role, in Aerial Gunner (1943).[4]

Ward married Leo Gorcey on February 10, 1949, in Ensenada, Mexico. They had two children and later divorced in February 1956.[5]

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1943Aerial GunnerPeggy Lunt
Clancy Street BoysJudy Monahan
The Sky's the LimitSouthern GirlUncredited
The Falcon in DangerBonnie Caldwell
Let's Face ItChorus GirlUncredited
Gangway for TomorrowMary Jones
The Falcon and the Co-edsJane Harris
1944Seven Days AshoreLucy Banning
Gildersleeve's GhostMarie
1945Rough, Tough and ReadyKitty Duval
The Jungle CaptiveAnn Forrester
Swingin' on a RainbowBarbara Marsden
Come Out FightingRita Joyce
Who's Guilty?Ruth Allen
1946The Best Years of Our LivesCounter GirlUncredited
1947When a Girl's BeautifulBunty McGregor
1948Smugglers' CoveTeresa Mahoney
1949Rim of the CanyonLilyUncredited
Slattery's HurricaneMarieUncredited, (final film role)

References

  1. ↑ Sec. 31, lot 8, site 1, Ivy Hill Cemetery, Alexandria, VA., Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Location 49545). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  2. ↑ Fyne p.9
  3. ↑ "Actress Will Spend Birthday in Capital". The Daily Notes. Pennsylvania, Huntingdon. June 28, 1943. p. 4. Retrieved October 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  4. ↑ "Newcomer Given 'Aerial Gun' Lead". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. November 22, 1942. p. 32. Retrieved October 23, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ↑ Getz, Leonard (2006). From Broadway to the Bowery: A History and Filmography of the Dead End Kids, Little Tough Guys, East Side Kids and Bowery Boys Films, with Cast Biographies. McFarland. p. 291. ISBN 9780786460922. Retrieved 24 October 2016.

Bibliography

  • Fyne, Robert. Long Ago and Far Away: Hollywood and the Second World War. Scarecrow Press, 2008.