Virginia Mayo, 84, Glamour Queen and Comedy Actress
Tuesday January 18, 2005
Virginia Mayo died Monday, following pneumonia and heart failure. The blonde beauty rose from chorus girl to movie star, reigning high in the 1940s and '50s. She was especially accomplished as a light comedy personality, shining opposite Bob Hope in "The Princess and the Pirate" (1944), and other projects for producer Samuel Goldwyn, including the Danny Kaye favorites, "Wonderman" (1945), "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" (1947), and "A Song Is Born" (1948).
She moved into dramatic success, co-starring in major films, such as James Cagney's "White Heat" (1949) and "Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N." (1951) with Gregory Peck. Although only fifth billed, the greatest movie in which she appears is the 1946 Best Picture, "The Best Years of Our Lives," truly a tip-top American classic in every sense those words can muster. They don't come any better than this post-WWII drama of our soldiers returning home, and Virginia Mayo, although a villainess, is certainly a big plus.
Related: Top Bob Hope Comedy Movies
She moved into dramatic success, co-starring in major films, such as James Cagney's "White Heat" (1949) and "Captain Horatio Hornblower, R.N." (1951) with Gregory Peck. Although only fifth billed, the greatest movie in which she appears is the 1946 Best Picture, "The Best Years of Our Lives," truly a tip-top American classic in every sense those words can muster. They don't come any better than this post-WWII drama of our soldiers returning home, and Virginia Mayo, although a villainess, is certainly a big plus.
Related: Top Bob Hope Comedy Movies
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