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Renee Haal Profile
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| 1 September 19 | is born in New York City |
| 37 | is "Miss New York State" in the "Miss America" pageant |
| 38 | goes to London as part of Danny Kaye’s club act. Actress June Lang is in attendance one evening and thinks Renee is one of the most beautiful girls she's ever seen. |
| 38 | in London she meets actor-director-screenwriter Peter Godfrey |
| ? | her best friend is Barbara Stanwyck |
| 40 | is under contract to RKO |
| 9 March 41 | her face has been driving men to drink, smiling down from Coca-Cola posters all over the land |
| 41 | studies with Oliver Hinsdell, RKO dramatic coach, who is whittling away the French accent she picked up in Paris. New York-born, she has spent most of her life abroad. |
| 41 | her features inspire Ace Eddie Ward to launch his R.A.F. bomber squadron with fiery abandon. He’s engaged to her and would like to end the war in a hurry so he can marry her. |
| 27 April 41 | her photo appears in newspapers across the country in a nifty one-piece bathing suit. Also mentioned is that she will be seen in the upcoming film Hurry, Charley, Hurry. The caption quips that “any Charley would be tempted to hurry, one opines.” |
| 28 June 41 | today in “Fidler in Hollywood” one reads to "expect an early Yumating of Director Peter Godfrey and foreign import Renee Haal" |
| 41 | marries Peter Godfrey |
| 41 | her hobbies include collecting match covers and photos of Joan Crawford |
| 18 January 42 | newspapers report that she has been given a term contract at RKO as a result of her performance in Unexpected Uncle |
| 16 April 42 | is photographed for newspapers calling on her local Mobil gas station to ask about Summer-proofing; she learns how to work the moving disks of the X-Ray Chart, which reveals vital parts of all cars and tells what lubricants to use for them. |
| 9 May 42 | "'Four O' in the Navy means 'perfection.' That's what the boys call her, their adopted sweetheart," is the newspaper caption to a pinup photo of her which graces papers across the country |
| 22 July 42 | her husband is quoted as saying that for a happy marriage, husbands and wives should take turns at being boss. He also says that he does not mind when his blue-eyed wife films a scene that demands she kiss the hero, no matter how thoroughly. “A kiss may not be strictly professional, but the fact that it is for the screen enables one to view it philosophically.” |
| Mid-40s | during the war, she and her husband are popular with the troops for the amateur magic shows that they put on through the USO |
| 44 | changes her name to Renee Godfrey |
| 44 | shares a dressing room with and becomes a close friend of June Lang when the two appear as Goldwyn Girls in Up In Arms |
| 2 May 46 | production came to a standstill for two hours the other day on the set of PRC’s Missouri Hayride set. She went home to have lunch with her husband, who, before he became a Warner Brothers director, was a professional magician. After lunch, he enlisted her help to rehearse a stunt in which his assistant escapes from a locked trunk. Something went wrong with the escape mechanism, and she, fortunately able to breathe through air holes in the trunk, remained a prisoner until a hastily summoned key maker succeeded in picking the lock. |
| 2 December 48 | the North Hollywood Council P.T.A. sponsors the “Magicals Mysteries” all-girl, all-magic show at the North Hollywood High School auditorium. She is the mistress of ceremonies for the Magicals Assembly No. 8 of Los Angeles. There will be ten acts of magic and a surprise guest, not to be announced until the last moment. A non-profit organization, the Magicals will give their portion of the proceeds to the Children’s Hospital. |
| 15-16 February 52 | rabbits, top hats, beautiful girls, black art from the times of the Pharaohs, and all other beguiling accoutrements necessary to keep theatergoers on the edge of their seats are at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, Los Angeles, for the “Night of Magic” revue, sponsored by the Society of American Magicians. Heading 8 outstanding world-famous acts are Peter and Renee Godfrey, Vic Perry, Bert Easley, the Haskells, and others who were chosen for their outstanding abilities as magicians by the Society’s members, which include Harold Lloyd, Edgar Bergen, and Chester Morris. Manny Harmon’s orchestra is featured in the Wilshire Ebell pit. |
| 27 February 60 | is excited about returning to acting after a 12-year absence; she has an uncredited part in Can-Can. Her husband has been in ill health, and she has taken a secretarial course and has studied for a real estate operator’s license. |
| 16 March 60 | resumes her career after a 12-year absence and is interviewed by Lydia Lane for the Oakland Tribune for an article to be titled “Aging is Merely a Matter of Neglect.” She chats with Lydia on the “Zane Grey Theater” set and extols the benefits of exercise. She has the same measurements as she did before her twins were born. “It is not how long you work but how regularly. Peter gave me a stationary bicycle that has a speedometer and a pressure gauge. In 8 minutes I can have the equivalent exercise of a two-mile ride. The exercise is good not only for your legs and hips, but the circulation in the whole body is stimulated. The bike takes up so little room and it takes such a little time to ride that I don’t mind the time spent every morning.” Asked if having been a model and beauty contest winner was an incentive to keep in shape, she replies, “Not especially. I think every woman should try not to lose interest in her appearance. You usually find that the ones who have let themselves slip have let their lives slip, too. An enthusiasm and interest in life is usually accompanied with an interest in keeping fit. Self-discipline is one of the most necessary traits a person should have. I explained to my children that we will love them no matter how they look or act, but the world won’t.” |
| 24 May 64 | dies in Los Angeles, California, after an extended battle against cancer. Her husband and three young daughters survive her. Barbara Stanwyck is made guardian of the three girls when Peter Godfrey becomes ill. Later one of the girls will have no kind words for Stanwyck, who she felt abandoned the girls after their mother died and their father became ill. Stanwyck refuses to return the girls’ phone calls, which in part is attributed to Stanwyck’s drinking problem. |
| 4 March 70 | Peter Godfrey dies in Hollywood, California, at the Motion Picture Home. Three daughters survive him. The Godfreys’ combined illnesses left them broke. |
| Sources: Kirk Crivello, www.IMDb.com, Oakland Tribune, Van Nuys News, Manitowoc Herald Times, Syracuse Herald Journal, Reno Evening Gazette, Long Beach Independent, Mountain Democrat, Nevada State Journal, Joplin Globe, Vidette Messenger | |
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| Links: Filmography | |