Hollywood – Former pin-up queen, B-movie actress and trained trick shot golfer, Jeanne Carmen, died on Thursday, December 27, 2007, of lymphoma.
Jeanne Carmen, 77, died of lymphoma in her home. Jeanne Carmen was known for her platinum white-blond locks, her curvaceous body, and her trick golf shots.
Jeanne Carmen is survived by her three children, Melinda Belli, Brandon James, and Kellee Jade Campo, and three grandchildren. (AP)
Jeanne Carmen Trick Shots
How did Jeanne Carmen, a young girl from become a paid golfer doing trick shots?
According to American Heritage, Jeanne Carmen was introduced to golf trick shots while modeling. These golf trick shots also lead to golf hustling, according to American Heritage.
After running away from her family of cotton sharecroppers at the tender age of 13, Jeanne Carmen was able to find work as a dancer in the Broadway show Burlesque, and later as fashion model in New York City.
One of her modeling assignments in 1949 was to model clothing for then golf-pro and indoor golf range owner, Jack Redmond. During the photo shoot, she swung the golf club a few times for the camera, and Redmond was impressed at how well shoe could handle the club.
Although she had never played golf before, Redmond saw potential in her natural golfing talent and offered to train her as a “trick-shot artist.”
American Heritage further reports, based on information from Jeanne Carmen herself, that she trained with Redmond two or three times a week for six months.
“I could stack three balls on top of each other, which itself is very hard to do. I’d hit the middle ball 200 yards, the top ball would pop up and I’d catch it, and the bottom ball would rest, untouched. I could hit the ball 200 yards while standing on a chair on one leg. I could hit a flagpole 150 yards out,” Jeanne Carmen said, according to American Heritage.
Jeanne Carmen and Jack Redmond performed three shows a day, at golf courses along the east coast. They earned about $1,000 a day, according to American Heritage.
By different accounts, Jeanne Carmen and John Roselli hooked up and began hustling other golfers, as Jeanne Carmen would pretend she did not know how to golf, and other golfers would start betting on their games of golf in Las Vegas. (American Heritage)
After about two years of this, the game got too hot, Jeanne Carmen moved on to Los Angeles, California, and started her career as a B-Movie actress.
Jeanne Carmen B-Movie Actress
Jeanne Carmen never achieved the movie actress status of Marilyn Monroe, one of her peers, with whom she claims to have had a close friendship. At the height of her movie career, Jeanne Carmen played characters with names in classic B-movies including Portland Expose (1957) and Untamed Youth (1957).
She had many other acting roles, in which she was often cast as the “Blonde Glamour Girl,” as uncredited, or as herself (IMDB.com)
Sources
American Heritage, http://www.americanheritage.com
Associated Press, http://ap.google.com
IMDB.com http://www.imdb.com
Jeanne Carmen Official Web Site, http://www.jeannecarmen.com
Hollywood.com, http://www.hollywood.com
