13186. Peggie (Peggy Thomas Blair) Castle
She was an actress with the stage name "Peggie Castle." Sometimes
Credited As: Peggy Call, Peggy Castle
Cal Death Records: MORGENSTERN PEGGY S 12/22/1927 FVIRGINIA LOS
ANGELES(70) 08/10/1973 566-24-1211 ssn=566-24-1211 45 yrs
This tall, sultry, green-eyed blonde was actually spotted by a talent
scout while she was lunching in a Beverly Hills restaurant. In her
films she was usually somebody's "woman" rather than a girl-friend and
her career was confined to colorful co-features mostly B grade: "Harem
Girl", "Wagons West", "The Prince Who Was A Thief", "Jesse James
Women" etc. She did have some good roles inin such films as "Payment
On Demand" with Bette Davis, "99 River Street" with John Payne, "I The
Jury", "The White Orchid", Miracle In The Rain" with Jane Wyman and
"The Seven Hills Of Rome" with Mario Lanza. After four seasons playing
sexy femme lead Lily Merrill in the TV western series "Lawman" she
left show business in 1962. She later developed an alcohol problem and
died ofcirrhosis of the liver in 1973 at age 45.
Pretty Peggie Castle got her start in Hollywood playing bit parts in a
few minor films; by 1950, she was signed to Universal-International,
which began putting her in meatier roles in comedies and westerns. She
made only two science fiction films during her career---Invasion U.S.A
(1952) and Beginning of the End (1957)---yet it is in these films that
she is best-remembered. After making more than 30 films and landinga
plum role in the television series The Lawman (1958-1962), Castle
retiredfrom acting and married director William McGarry. She passed
away in 1973 atthe age of 45.
The archetypal "gangster's mistress," American actress PeggieCastle
started out as a magazine model. She made her first film in 1947, and
within three years, she was prominently cast as a succession of gun
molls,b-girls and murderesses. With her bleached-blonde hair, garish
makeup and tight-fitting sweaters, Peggie Castle seemed to have
stepped out of the pages ofMickey Spillane , and in fact starred in
two films based on Spillane's works: I, the Jury (1953) and The Long
Wait (1954). She cleaned up her image a bit to co-star in two Warner
Bros. TV westerns of the 1960s: The Lawman and TheOutlaw . Peggie
also popped up unexpectedly as a no-nonsense newspaper reporter in the
sci-fi cheapie The Beginning of the End (1957). She was married for a
time to producer William McGarry. After abruptly ending her career in
1962, Castle,died in obscurity of cirrhosis of the liver at the age of
46.
(Peggie Thomas Blair)
22 December 1926 / 27 born in Appalachia, Virginia. Her father is
director of industrial relations for a large corporation.
? attendsprivate school in Pittsburgh
1936 her family starts moving along; finally, herfather becomes
studio manager of the Goldwyn Studios; and they settle in Hollywood
? attends Hollywood High School
lying about her age, she gets some modeling assignments
during summer, she works as an usherette at the Hollywood Bowl at age
14
1944 moves with her family to Oakland where she enrolls in Mills
College
in her sophomore year she wins the schools highest scholastic award
leaves Mills College after two years to appear on the radio soap opera
Todays Children for $375 a week
1945 marries Los Angeles businessman Revis Call at age 19
? adopts the professional name Peggie Call
1949 is spotted by an agent while eating a shrimp cocktail at the
seafood bar in the Farmers Market, which leads to a screen test at
20th Century Fox. Her partner in the test is young actor John Russell.
? is signed to a contract with Universal-International. On her first
day at the studio, she falls in love at first sight with casting
director Robert H. Rains.
1950 divorces Call after five years of marriage
1951 along with Piper Laurie, Mona Freeman, Barbara Payton, Mala
Powers, and Barbara Bates, she is chosen as a Hollywood Pr
Cal Death Records: MORGENSTERN ARTHUR S 07/13/1921 M WASHINGTON LOS
ANGELES(70) 04/30/1973 ssn=531-26-2381> 51 yrs