Cathy Downs
in The Dark Corner (1946)
Born
Catherine N. Downs[1]

(1926-03-03)March 3, 1926
Port Jefferson, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 8, 1976(1976-12-08) (aged 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Resting placeWoodlawn Memorial Cemetery, Santa Monica, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1945–1965
Spouses
Robert Brunson
​
​
(m. 1956; div. 1963)​
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1949; div. 1955)​

    Catherine N. Downs[1] (March 3, 1926 – December 8, 1976) was an American film actress.

    Biography

    Downs was born in Port Jefferson, New York. She was the daughter of James Nelson Downs and Edna Elizabeth Newman.[2]

    A model for the Walter Thornton Agency,[3] she was brought to Hollywood in 1944 by a 20th Century Fox talent scout.[4] The studio initially used her as a model, giving her limited opportunities to act.[5]

    She began her film career with small roles in State Fair (1945) and The Dolly Sisters (1945). In 1946, she played the title role in My Darling Clementine and Clifton Webb's unfaithful wife in The Dark Corner. Following the success of My Darling Clementine, Downs was cast in a prison drama For You I Die (1947), an Abbott and Costello comedy The Noose Hangs High, and several Western films. In 1947, Downs was dropped by Fox for unknown reasons, and was never employed by another major studio. In 1949, she participated in a later famous Life magazine photo layout, in which she posed with other up-and-coming actresses, Marilyn Monroe, Lois Maxwell, Suzanne Dalbert, Laurette Luez, Jane Nigh, and Enrica Soma. By the early 1950s, she was appearing in low-budget films, including some science-fiction (sci-fi) stories, including the 1958 sci-fi/fantasy Missile to the Moon. She appeared in a television episode of The Lone Ranger in 1952. She portrayed Ann Howe in the syndicated TV series The Joe Palooka Story (1954).[6] In 1959, she portrayed "Amelia Roberts" in the episode "Marked Deck" (S1E21) of the western TV series Bat Masterson. Downs worked sporadically on TV during the 1960s, with her final appearance in 1965 on Perry Mason as murder victim and title character Millicent Barton in "The Case of the Hasty Honeymooner".

    Downs eventually abandoned acting at age 40 and remained unemployed for the rest of her life. She is now a cult-figure among sci-fi fans for her work in these Poverty Row epics.

    Downs has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contribution to television, at 6646 Hollywood Boulevard.[7]

    Personal life

    On October 8, 1949, in Las Vegas, Downs married Joe Kirkwood Jr.,[8] who played the character Joe Palooka in films and on TV.[9] The couple divorced on February 24, 1955.[10] On July 21, 1956, Downs married Robert M. Brunson, an electronics executive. They divorced on July 29, 1963.[11]

    She is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, Santa Monica, California.[1]

    Filmography

    Year Film Role Other notes
    1945 Diamond Horseshoe Miss Cream Puff Uncredited
    State Fair Girl on carousel Uncredited
    The Dolly Sisters Miss Mascara Uncredited
    1946 The Dark Corner Mari Cathcart
    Do You Love Me Clothes model Uncredited
    My Darling Clementine Clementine Carter
    1947 For You I Die Hope Novak
    1948 The Noose Hangs High Carol Scott
    Panhandle Jean 'Dusty' Stewart
    1949 Massacre River Katherine 'Kitty' Reid
    1950 The Sundowners Kathleen Boyce
    Short Grass Sharon Lynch
    1951 Joe Palooka in Triple Cross Anne Palooka
    1952 Best Laid Plans Mary Seaton
    Gobs and Gals Betty Lou Prentice
    1953 Bandits of the West Joanne Collier
    The Flaming Urge Charlotte Cruickshank
    1955 The Big Tip Off Sister Mary Joan of Arc
    Kentucky Rifle Amy Connors
    The Phantom from 10,000 Leagues Lois King
    1956 The Oklahoma Woman Susan Grant
    The She Creature Dorothy Chappel
    1957 Curfew Breakers Mrs. Bowman
    The Amazing Colossal Man Carol Forrest
    1958 Missile to the Moon June Saxton
    1958 Tombstone Territory Patricia Camden

    Television

    Year Title Role Notes
    1961RawhideJenny StoneS3:E27, "Incident Before Black Pass"

    References

    1. 1 2 3 Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 206. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
    2. ↑ "Cathy Downs - The Private Life and Times of Cathy Downs. Cathy Downs Pictures". glamourgirlsofthesilverscreen.com. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
    3. ↑ Thornton, Walter (2022). "I've Been Wrong". Internet Archive.
    4. ↑ Women in the Films of John Ford
    5. ↑ Scott, John L. (January 11, 1948). "Cathy Downs Surmounts Her Handicap of Beauty". Los Angeles Times. p. 33. Retrieved February 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
    6. ↑ Terrace, Vincent (2011). Encyclopedia of Television Shows, 1925 through 2010 (2nd ed.). Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. p. 537. ISBN 978-0-7864-6477-7.
    7. ↑ "Hollywood Walk of Fame". hollywoodusa.co.uk. Archived from the original on June 7, 2012. Retrieved December 21, 2016.
    8. ↑ "Cathy Downs Married to Joe Kirkwood". Los Angeles Times. October 10, 1949. p. 2. Retrieved February 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
    9. ↑ Downs' biodata at The New York Times
    10. ↑ "Cathy Downs Divorces Actor Joe Kirkwood". Los Angeles Times. February 25, 1955. p. 2. Retrieved February 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
    11. ↑ "Cathy Downs Awarded Divorce". The News Journal. Wilmington, Delaware. Associated Press. July 30, 1963. p. 35. Retrieved February 3, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
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