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A tribute to this seemingly forgotten child actress of the 1940s, who gave memorable performances in several films but whose career in Hollywood was cut short due to health issues and the difficulty of transitioning to adult roles. Born Connie Beekman Marshall in New York City in 1933, the child with the sad blue eyes and golden hair began her career as a child model, appearing in newspapers and magazines, as well as on stage, and she was signed by 20th- Century Fox, who put her to work in several pictures, one of which, "Sentimental Journey" (1946) is considered by many to be her most memorable. As lonely and imaginative orphan Hitty who catches the eye of dying stage actress Julie (Maureen O'Hara), who loves her instantly and decides that the child would be able to help her husband Bill (John Payne) with her inevitable death. Connie's nickname, "The Queen Of The Pigtails" inevitably lead to her typecasting but she proved she could be comedic as well as touchingly vulnerable. As the 1950s began, Marshall saw her career slide but a bout with polio put a damper on her movie and television work permanently. After spending some months in an iron lung, Connie eventually married and had four children, and settled in Santa Rosa where she remained active in local theatre. Although Connie passed away of cancer in 2001, and her funeral was very well-attended, her death didn't become public knowledge until 2006. A naturally gifted young actress, she may not be as well recalled as her contemporaries but she certainly held her own and left her own imprint on classic film. This instrumental version of "Sentimental Journey" is not only a hommage to Connie but to the for which she is best remembered.
Clips from:
"Sentimental Journey" (1946)
"Dragonwyck" (1946)
"Home, Sweet Homicide" (1946)
"Mother Wore Tights' (1947)
"Daisy Kenyon" (1947)
"Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House" (1948)
"The Green Promise" (1949)
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