[Deathwatch] Jeanne Crain, actress, 78

[Deathwatch Central <cdw@slick.org>]

Another one from a loyal reader, Ed-

Crain went from pinup to Oscar-nommed star
Sun Dec 21
	
Jeanne Crain, who essayed winsome roles before landing an Oscar nom in
the controversial drama "Pinky," died Sunday, Dec. 14, in Santa Barbara
of a heart attack. She was 78.

Barstow, Calif., native grew up in Los Angeles and attracted the
attention of Fox when she won the Camera Girl of 1942 contest in Long
Beach. After appearing in a swimsuit in her debut pic "The Gang's All
Here," she became popular during WWII (especially as a pinup among
military personnel) and in the immediate postwar years, eventually
appearing in 64 films and many television shows.

As a leading lady, she starred onscreen in "Home in Indiana," "In the
Meantime, Darling," "Winged Victory," and the Rodgers & Hammerstein
musical classic "State Fair."

Additional films include "Margie," musical "You Were Meant for Me" with
Dan Dailey, "Apartment for Peggie" with William Holden, "Cheaper by the
Dozen," "Duel in the Jungle" and numerous other pics, both lesser and
better.

But she is perhaps best known for her Academy Award-nommed role as a
black girl passing for white in the controversial 1949 Elia Kazan film
"Pinky." The role was sought by Lena Horne and other black actresses,
but Fox's Darryl F. Zanuck decided on a white star with box office
appeal.

She married Paul Brinkman, an actor who later became a successful
businessman, in 1945; they had seven children and she took off time to
raise the family, returning to TV and film on occasion. Her last pic
was 1972's "Skyjacked," after which she retired to work on her two
ranches.

She is survived by two sons and three daughters; her husband died in
October, and two sons also predeceased her.