Biography
During her heyday and later in character roles, she acted in remarkably few films that could be called first-class or even important. Given how campy many of her credits are, it is fitting that DeCarlo is best known, because of TV syndication, as the sensible but ghoulish Lily Munster on the silly if often funny horror spoof sitcom, "The Munsters" (CBS, 1964-66). As with many female stars of the 50s (Susan Hayward, Eleanor Parker, Anne Baxter) …
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Career Milestones
| Auditioned for the leading female role of the Stephen Sondheim musical, "Follies", bound for Broadway; lost the role to Alexis Smith but was engaged for a prominent supporting role; received special billing; Sondheim also wrote for her the song, "I'm Still Here" | ||
| TV series debut: played Lily Munster on the CBS horror-spoof sitcom, "The Munsters" | ||
1929 | Enrolled in a dancing school by her mother at age six (date approximate) | |
1933 | Joined the St. Paul Anglican Church choir in order to develop a singing voice | |
1938 | Helped support herself and her mother at age 15 when she got a job dancing as part of a chorus at the Palomar Supper Club | |
1940 | DeCarlo and her mother refused an immigration visa to the US, but sneaked across the border and settled in Hollywood | |
1941 | Signed by Paramount to a standard $60/week new player's contract | |
1941 | Won the title of Miss Venice Beach in a beauty contest; returned to Vancouver briefly in order to get legal visas for herself and her mother and then moved back to the Los Angeles area | |
1942 | Appeared in several short subjects produced by the Soundies Music Corporation | |
1942 | Film acting debut, on loan-out to Columbia, "Harvard, Here I Come"; appeared mostly as an extra in a series of films at Paramount over the next two years | |
1943 | First film to feature DeCarlo as more than an extra or in a bit part, "The Deerslayer", made while she was on loan to Republic Studios; played Wah-Tah, a Native American princess betrothed to Larry Parks | |
1945 | Dropped by Paramount; last film there, "Bring on the Girls", in which she can be spotted in a small role as a hatcheck girl | |
1945 | Signed by Universal; became a star in the leading role of the hit film, "Salome, Where She Danced" | |
1950 | After failure of "The Desert Hawk" at the box office, Universal ended her exclusive contract and offered instead to star her in one film a year | |
1951 | First film as free-lancer, "Hotel Sahara" | |
1953 | First non-US production, "The Captain's Paradise", a British comedy co-starring Alec Guiness and Celia Johnson | |
1953 | Played one of the starring roles on the NBC one-hour comedy playlet, "Backbone of America" | |
1959 | Did nightclub tour whose routines included parodies of some of her films; also did occasional TV work, but was semi-retired as she raised her family | |
1959 | Last film for four years, "Timbuktu" | |
1963 | Husband's loss of a leg and his long convalescence led DeCarlo to seek out more acting work | |
1963 | Returned to films in "McLintock"; played a supporting role and took below-the-title billing | |
1966 | Reprised her role as Lily Munster for the feature film, "Munster, Go Home" | |
1972 | Replaced Cyd Charisse on the Australian and New Zealand tour of the stage musical revival of "No, No Nanette" | |
1974 | First TV-movie, "The Girl on the Late, Late Show" | |
1981 | Again reprised the role of Lily Munster for the TV-movie, "The Munsters' Revenge" | |