Kristine Miller - Knowledge (XXG)

397:. After weeks of rehearsals on the Modjeska Canyon location, under the direction of Byron Haskin, Miller suddenly became the second leading lady. Lizabeth Scott, ever competitive with all actresses, grabbed the Kay role for herself. Miller later recalled, "(Wallis) planned to star me in 'I Walk Alone.' He tested me with Burt; it was a wonderful test. But then Lizabeth Scott decided she wanted the role, and Lizabeth got whatever she wanted—from Hal Wallis! So, I got the second part instead." The 21-year-old Miller was recast as the slumming socialite divorcée, Alexis Richardson. Miller was afraid that playing a "meanie" role might typecast her. She was also forced to cut her 22-inch hair into a shorter 564: 781: 290: 354:(1945), a noirish story of betrayal and vengeance. Wallis intended this to be Miller's breakout role. Yet Wallis would skip the usual publicity buildup for a budding actress. Miller was to play a torch singer, Kay Lawrence, who befriends a convict, Frankie Madison, who returns to New York after 14 years in prison. Kay's boyfriend, Noll "Dink" Turner, is the owner of the Regent Club, which Frankie claims to own half of. Tired of Kay, Noll sends her to sweet-talk Frankie in an effort to stall for time. Meanwhile, Noll intends to dump Kay and marry a socialite. Both men battle for control of the business that Turner built while Frankie was in prison. 343:. According to Doris Lilly, a former boarder and later society columnist, "The dignity of the house in general was presided over and encouraged by Kristine Miller, who was blonde haired, high of cheekbone, grey eyed. Kristine had balance, she would check some of our madder impulses, kept us calm when that was necessary. Her manner was quiet and refined, and she had a way of touching a grubby coffeepot as if it were the tiara of the Empress Josephine. In spite of her reserve, we all knew that Kristine had a fine future for her somewhere, and we felt that she was an excellent actress." 31: 913:. Of the genres and cross-genres spanning her film career, Miller participated in making five traditional noirs, one noir-thriller, four Westerns, two noir Westerns, one religious Western, three military dramas, two comedies, one comedy-drama, one soap opera, one religious drama and one musical. Seven of Miller's roles were walk-ons or deleted from the final film. Her television work involved similar genres. In contradistinction to being only a supporting actress as described by most film historians, she was leading lady in six of 22 films. 807:

bigger budget. Typically, the Jones character would do reconnaissance before Matt Clark (Jim Davis) arrived, misleading everyone into thinking the two were not working together. Originally Miller was to star in the series, but was unable due to her first pregnancy. As a result, Mary Castle, a Rita Hayworth lookalike, took her place for the first 26 episodes. Castle had portrayed Clark's fellow detective Frankie Adams. After Castle quit or was fired, Miller replaced her, much to the disappointment of the then director,

582:, though she would still work for the occasional big studio. Miller also made further incursions in the then-new medium of television, which she began before her contract with Paramount was dropped. Despite the demands of raising a family, the 1950s would be Miller's most prolific years, seeing her as a television regular. Throughout the '50s, she was able to display a broader acting range than when under Paramount and Hal Wallis. Although she missed out on playing Lizabeth Scott's character's younger sister in 423:, film historians tend to typecast her "as always playing the 'good girl.'" Typecasting reflected real life as Miller's name seldom appeared in gossip columns and when it did, it never involved scandal. Though Miller participated in the Hollywood dating circuit, the one name that invariably appeared in the press was William Haskel Schuyler, a television pioneer and consultant based in San Francisco. In late November 1947, it was announced that Miller and Schuyler would wed. But the marriage was postponed. 434: 4453: 555:. Miller ended up playing a bridesmaid at Nancy's wedding, dropping from 3rd to 10th place in billing. Production ran mid-October–late November 1948. The film would not be released until March 1950. In February 1949, it was announced that Miller's contact with Paramount was dropped due to the post-war slump in the film industry. That December, Miller's marriage with William Schuyler was again announced, then again postponed. 4620:, p. 42. "It was a big, rambling structure, built by the famous silent screen star, Wallace Reid, and situated in the very center of Hollywood, right off the famous Sunset Strip. We had christened it The House of the Seven Garbos, because, of course, there were seven of us who had come from all parts of the world to settle in it, and because we all wanted to be actresses, wanted to be Garbos." 5795: 495:, who felt sure that she could become a star. But Hellinger died suddenly in 1947, and Miller soon found herself making a living with the usual small roles that she had always been given. Of the nine films she would make under contract to Paramount, three were loan-outs to other studios, two of which were more significant than her Paramount films, with the exception of 792: 367:(1947). She played the priggish Claire Lindquist, daughter of a corrupt judge. Shooting took place from mid-August to early November, 1946. Unusual for such a small role, Wallis ensured Miller received 6th billing, after Wendall Corey, despite her role being little more than walk-on. The film was released August 15, 1947. 4388:(Fresno, California), p. 10. (Sunday, November 20, 1932). He was listed as a Standard Oil vice-president as early as April 1926. In Argentina he used the first name "Juan". After leaving Argentina, he went into the fruit import business in Europe, which later failed. He was later employed in Argentina as of May 22, 1938. 491:

overseas, either in uniform or the USO. Compounded by the economic slump after the war, rise of television and the breakup of the studio system, Miller's initial difficulties during the war years would be multiplied many fold. Miller's prospects began to look a little better when she met journalist and film producer

746:, who would be the male lead for the only television series that Miller had a continuing role in. During the 1950s, both Joan Leslie and Miller, by now friends, were involved with fundraising for St. Anne's maternity hospital in Los Angeles. During that year, Miller made two appearances on the television series 819:

in 1955. Despite the award and excellent ratings, the series was cancelled. Miller's favorite episode is "Jim Courtright," in which her character poses as a seductive barmaid while infiltrating a protection racket. In Miller's last episode of the series, she and Davis investigate a horse theft by the

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Having lived in Argentina and Denmark as a child, she spoke English, Spanish and Danish fluently, and had a working knowledge of Portuguese and German. During her formative years, she showed no interest in acting. Miller said of her childhood, "My mother was a professional singer and I think she was

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On February 4, 2016, a family spokesperson announced that Miller had died at the age of 90 in late 2015 at a hospital in Monterey, California. A memorial service for Miller was held at St. Dunstan's Episcopal Church in Carmel Valley, CA, on February 13, 2016. Her remains were cremated and her ashes

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talent scout was to attend one of her school's performances. The scout never showed up, so she sent a letter and photograph to the studio, and garnered a screen test at Warner, where she changed her name to Kristine Miller. When Miller set out for Hollywood, she recalled, "People said to my mother,

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to star in her most famous role—Margaret "Jonesy" Jones. The series concerned a pair of railroad detectives dealing with cases from the 1850s to the first decade of the 20th century, "wrapping them around previously shot films and serials to save money." This gave the series the illusion of a much

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After establishing herself as a "discovery" of Hal Wallis, Miller soon found herself left behind. In an interview with Mike Fitzgerald, she was quoted as saying, "Hal called me the 'Viking Girl.' He didn't know what to do with me." The situation was aggravated by the return of veteran actors from

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plays a misunderstood teenager, Cooncat, who creates a rift between Miller's rancher father and her fiancé, who believes Cooncat murdered his parents. Shooting took place early January–mid-January 1950 on location in Texas. Miller recalled the weather on the range being cold, not hot as the film

596:, discovers that her younger, married sister is having an affair with Sothern's fiancé, which leads to murderous results and short screen-time for Miller. Production ran from April 11th to mid-May, 1949. Though never leaving the noir genre, Miller would begin her reputation for Westerns with 469:. By happenstance, she ends up having to entertain the airmen by herself when she finds out the rest of her troupe is stranded. During an improvised "dinner dance," she learns about the pilots' wives and girlfriends and their hopes for the future, but equally learns about herself. 921:

Due to demands of family and her husband's business, Miller retired from acting. The Schuylers left Los Angeles for the San Francisco Bay Area in the early 1960s. Previous to the move, her husband was setting up television stations throughout Northern California, such as

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as Bill Longley—"The Gunfighter" (1959) and "The Accuser" (1960). In "The Gunfighter," Miller is a single mother with a rebellious teenage son, who challenges Longley to a gunfight. She rejoined Donna Reed in "Lucky Girl" (1959) and "Character Building" (1961) on the

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The Schuylers later lived in Idaho during the 1990s, where they started two television stations. They returned to Monterey in June 2001. Miller lectured on her experience in film and television in Monterey as well as participating in local charitable activities.

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squadron has been assigned to protect Australia and despite having inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese, they supernaturally had none themselves. Miller played Jean Gillis, a Broadway actress and former anti-war activist, who joined the

4845:(Huntingdon, Pennsylvania), p. 2. Miller claimed if she cut her hair, her father would disown her. "'He's Danish,' she explained. 'And back home nice girls just don't cut their hair, I mean. That's a sure sign of a loose woman in Denmark.'" 837:. In "The Strange Dr. Lorenz" (1955), she played the wife of a physician, whose debilitating condition is cured by a miraculous royal jelly. But the jelly has an unexpected side-effect. In "Operation Flypaper" (1956) she and 543:). In the last film she would do for Paramount, Miller was to play Nancy Langley, the younger modeling sister of Jane (Lizabeth Scott), a department store illustrator, who allows her younger sister to marry Bill Prentice ( 695:. But most of her footage ended up on the cutting room floor: "'I don't even say I made that one; I'm hardly in it. I think you see my arm; that's about it' (laughs)." Miller was more impressed by the performances of 547:), despite Jane's love for him. A few years later, Jane has an argument with Nancy, who catches Jane and Bill having an affair. Distraught, Jane backs up her car and accidentally kills her young niece. But as with 4500:, p. 375. In an alternative account of Miller being discovered: "(Miller) eventually made her way to San Francisco, where she commenced her acting career in little theaters. While appearing in a production of 4875:

he appears the same height as Miller, who wore flats in both episodes, which is typical of most of her Hollywood performances, except in cases where she costarred with leading men over six feet like Jim

306:(1945). Miller played a showgirl and was billed as "Jacqueleen Eskeson." The pair would appear together in five films, four of them produced by Hal Wallis. Production ran February 6–April 6, 1945. 270:. Under acrimonious circumstances, Wallis left Warner Brothers for Paramount Pictures. Wallis brought with him Miller and another actress that also failed a screen test at Warner, the 21-year-old 4828:(Indiana, Pennsylvania), p. 3. Publicity photos of Miller when she still had the Kay Lawrence role show her wearing a standard black evening gown, but a crown braid atypical of torch singers. 953:, the latter being of special interest to Miller. The Schuylers eventually settled on the Monterey peninsula in 1969, where William became president of the Schuyler Broadcasting Corporation. 262:'Are you letting that girl go to that awful place?'" But her mother replied, "I know that girl, and she'll be all right." Although she failed the screen test, she was noticed by producer 641:, Miller's familiarity with non-English languages enabled her to mimic foreign accents, which she used to various effect on television episodes where she played Europeans ( 5985: 614:

depicted. In November 1950, after years of avoiding femme fatale roles, she finally played against type as Lady DeWinter in "The Three Musketeers", the pilot episode of

4504:, she was spotted by producer Hal B. Wallis, who placed her under personal contract and developed her potential as an actress before she made her screen debut in 1946." 257:(1939), her taste for show business began to form. In one version of how she was discovered by Hollywood, in 1944 the 18-year-old Miller saw an opportunity when a 633:. Miller played Marlina, a young woman who hides a student protester (McDowall) from the communists. Production ran late August–September 4, 1951. Similar to the 4858:, p. 6. Miller's statistics are given as "five feet six, weighs 118 pounds. Her measurements: Bust 36, waist 26, hips 35½, calf 12, ankle 8." But see next cite. 473:

makes his film debut as Miller's love interest. The next morning, all but the squadron leader and Jean are killed after an attack on the airstrip. Similar to

5975: 505:(1948), she was cast as the wife of the investigating detective but was recast as the mistress of the physician, dropping from 3rd to 13th place in billing. 5960: 867:. Miller is married to a mild-mannered, bespectacled Davis, who is accused by the Chicago police of being a jewel thief. Miller's last film role was in 707:. That October, it was announced that the Schuylers were expecting their first baby. Their daughter, Linda Elizabeth, was born on February 22, 1954. 487:(1948), the sole film that Miller had 1st-place billing. Despite Miller's preference for Bowers' original title, the film is her personal favorite. 4644: 5970: 703:, whom she watched working before the camera. Production ran March 7–May 5, 1953. On July 27, 1953, Miller finally married William Schuyler in 5950: 5640: 780: 5990: 5980: 563: 520:—Miller played Kathy Palmer, the sister-in-law of Jane Palmer (Scott), whom she suspects has murdered her brother. As she is romanced by 30: 4344:"Press Club Develops Latent Talent, Minstrels Will Spring Surprises: 'Twelve Years after' Show at Orpheum Opens at Midnight Tonight", 2770: 2330: 841:

are scientists trying to catch a thief who can suspend time. During this period, Miller would make three Western films in succession:

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was impressed by Miller's physique, describing it as "the most exciting figure since Betty Grable." The resulting film was renamed

323:, where she appears as a party guest. Production ran mid-October–early December 1945. Around this time, Miller moved into the old 5955: 5611:

The Schuylers first daughter, Linda, died in Oakland on December 25, 1962, at the age of eight. The Schuylers later adopted Lisa

331:, then converted into a boarding house for aspiring actresses known as "The House of the Seven Garbos". Among the boarders were 5965: 5403:

Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959

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Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959

415:). Shooting took place early December 1946–mid-February 1947. The film was released January 16, 1948. She was 5th-billed after 5912: 791: 726:. Miller is a fellow officer of Leslie, involved in a romantic triangle with two pilots. Production ran May 14–mid-June 1953. 202:

Miller was born Jacqueline Olivia Eskesen, the younger of two daughters of Johannes Bach Eskesen, a Danish oil executive, and

1581: 588: 184: 524:, the pair quietly investigate the shady dealings of Jane. Though shooting took place mid-September to mid-October 1948 at 249:

eager for me to go into the entertainment field." However, after she played a main role in her high school's production of

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Encyclopedia of early television crime fighters: all regular cast members in American crime and mystery series, 1948-1959

811:, who left after directing a few episodes with Miller. Despite the change of leading lady and the replacement of Witney, 5595: 2220: 462: 3866: 670: 2726: 3960: 2379: 1369: 1117: 704: 242: 172: 754:, but is shot by her cuckolded husband instead. She made a guest appearance as Mrs. Manning on Republic's first 4318: 2830: 2369: 1483: 674:

episode, "The Anton Bohrman Story." Later in the year, Miller was the second female lead in her first musical,

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