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Paula Raymond
1924-2003
Updated 6/29/2007.
biography
Born Paula Ramona Wright in San Francisco in November 1924, beautiful Paula Raymond had done some acting, mostly on stage, as a child. An early marriage to a Marine ended soon after Raymond gave birth to her only child, a daughter, in 1946. Newly single and with a daughter to support, she embarked upon a career as a model before first signing with Paramount and then Columbia in 1947, where she appeared in such films as Blondie's Secret (1948; with Arthur Lake and Penny Singleton) and Challenge of the Range (1949; with Charles Starrett). After a few years in supporting roles, Raymond left Columbia for MGM to try her luck in 1949. She fared well at MGM in bigger roles and better films, including Crisis (1950; with Cary Grant and Gilbert Roland), The Tall Target (1951; with Dick Powell and Marshall Thompson), and The Sellout (1952; with John Hodiak). Despite good notices, Raymond did not appear in the bona fide hit film she deserved, and the studio dropped her contract in 1952. Afterward, Raymond freelanced in pictures and on television.
Early 1950s MGM photo of Paula Raymond
Earlier in her career, Raymond acted in film noir thrillers such as City That Never Sleeps (1953; with Gig Young and Marie Windsor), but later in her career she developed a horror film reputation, starting with The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953; with Paul Christian and Lee Van Cleef). In 1955, Raymond called it quuits and took a three-year break from acting, preferring to work at a more traditional job but eventually tired of the daily grind and resumed her career in the late 1950s. This time, however, Raymond concentrated on television, where she guest-starred on many popular TV series including multiple appearances on 77 Sunset Strip and Hawaiian Eye. Indeed, some of Raymond's strongest performances were on television, particularly in her five appearances on Perry Mason (1957-1966 CBS series; with Raymond Burr, Barbara Hale, and William Hopper). In the early 1960s, she returned to films in the horror/sci-fi flicks The Flight That Disappeared (1961; with Craig Hill), Hand of Death (1962; with John Agar), and Blood of Dracula's Castle (1967; with Alexander D'Arcy and John Carradine).
the films of paula raymond
Crisis (1950)
From the MGM thriller Crisis with Cary Grant
Devil's Doorway (1950)
From the MGM western Devil's Doorway with Robert Taylor
Grounds for Marriage (1951)
Van Johnson begins to chicken out of marrying Paula Raymond in the MGM comedy Grounds for Marriage
The Tall Target (1951)
From MGM's period adventure The Tall Target. LEFT: With Ruby Dee and Marshall Thompson. RIGHT: A behind-the-scenes photo of Paula Raymond
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953)
From the science fiction classic The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, with effects by Ray Harryhausen. LEFT: With Paul Christian and Cecil Kellaway. RIGHT: With Kenneth Tobey, Donald Woods, Paul Christian, and Cecil Kellaway
The Human Jungle (1954)
With Gary Merrill in the Allied Artists film noir release The Human Jungle
The Flight That Disappeared (1961)
Raymond stars as Marcia Paxton in the intriging science fiction release The Flight That Disappeared. LEFT: With Craig Hill and Dayton Lummis. RIGHT: With love interest Craig Hill
Hand of Death (1962)
From the low budget horror flick Hand of Death, directed by Gene Nelson
Blood of Dracula's Castle (1967)
Images from Al Adamson's horror favorite Blood of Dracula's Castle. LEFT: Paula Raymond as the Countess, a vampire. RIGHT: With Alexander D'Arcy near the end of the film
later years
Paula Raymond's career was interrupted again in August 1962 when she was involved in a serious car crash; nearly dying in the accident, she suffered severe facial injuries and had to undergo a number of plastic surgery procedures. Although the surgeries were successful, Raymond did not look quite the same afterward. She resumed her acting career fifteen months after the accident but retired from the screen not long afterward. With the exception of an appearance in Fred Olen Ray's Mind Twister (1994; with Telly Savalas) and a brief stint on a soap opera, Raymond's career ended with a pair of Al Adamson flicks, Blood of Dracula's Castle (1969; with Alexander D'Arcy and John Carradine) and Five Bloody Graves (1970; with Robert Dix and Scott Brady). Sadly, Paula Raymond died in late December 2003 at the age of 79.
Have Gun Will Travel: The Complete Third Season [DVD](1959) DVD
All 39 episodes from season three--including "First, Catch a Tiger," "Shot by Request," "Charley Red Dog," "The Campaign of Billy Banjo," "The Search," and "Lady with a Gun" featuring Paula Raymond--are collected in a seven-disc set. 14 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: Spanish; biographies; more.
Adam's Rib [DVD](1949) DVD
Husband-and-wife lawyers Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn face the biggest case of their professional lives when they take opposite sides in the trial of a woman accused of trying to shoot her philandering husband. Witty "battle of the sexes" comedy from Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin also stars Judy Holliday, Tom Ewell, David Wayne. 100 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; theatrical trailer; scene access.
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms [DVD](1953) DVD
Atomic testing in the Arctic revives a gigantic "rhedosaurus" frozen in the ice for millions of years, and soon the creature is cutting a path of destruction down the streets of New York. Classic sci-fi thriller, based on a Ray Bradbury story, features stop-motion animation by Ray Harryhausen. Paul Christian, Paula Raymond star. 79 min. Standard; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital mono, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish, French; audio commentary; theatrical trailers.
paula raymond films available from amazon.com
filmography
FILM
Mind Twister (1994) with Telly Savalas, Gary Hudson, Richard Roundtree, and Nels Van Patten; directed by Fred Olen Ray
Five Bloody Graves (1970) with Robert Dix, Scott Brady, Jim Davis, and John Carradine; directed by Al Adamson
Blood of Dracula's Castle (1967) with Alexander D'Arcy, Robert Dix, and John Carradine; directed by Al Adamson
The Spy with My Face (1965) with Robert Vaughn, David McCallum, Senta Berger, Leo G. Carroll, Donna Michelle, and Harold Gould; was originally an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Hand of Death (1962) with John Agar, Stephen Dunne, Joe Besser, Butch Patrick, and Ruth Terry
The Flight That Disappeared (1961) with Craig Hill
The Gun That Won the West (1955) with Dennis Morgan and Richard Denning; directed by William Castle
The Human Jungle (1954) with Gary Merrill, Jan Sterling, Regis Toomey, and Chuck Connors
King Richard and the Crusaders (1954) with Rex Harrison, Virginia Mayo, George Sanders, and Laurence Harvey
City That Never Sleeps (1953) with Gig Young, Mala Powers, William Talman, Chill Wills, Marie Windsor, and Tom Poston
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms (1953) with Paul Christian, Cecil Kellaway, Kenneth Tobey, Lee Van Cleef, and Steve Brodie
The Story of Three Loves (1953) with Pier Angeli, Ethel Barrymore, Leslie Caron, Kirk Douglas, Farley Granger, James Mason, Agnes Moorehead, and Zsa Zsa Gabor
The Bandits of Corsica (1953) with Richard Greene, Raymond Burr, Dona Drake, Lee Van Cleef, Nestor Paiva, and Clayton Moore
The Sellout (1952) with Walter Pidgeon, John Hodiak, Audrey Totter, Cameron Mitchell, Karl Malden, Frank Cady, Burt Mustin, and Whit Bissell
Texas Carnival (1951) with Esther Williams, Red Skelton, Howard Keel, Ann Miller, Keenan Wynn, Tom Tully, Glenn Strange, and Hans Conried
The Tall Target (1951) with Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Marshall Thompson, Ruby Dee, Will Geer, and Leif Erickson
Inside Straight (1951) with David Brian, Arlene Dahl, Barry Sullivan, Mercedes McCambridge, Lon Chaney Jr., John Hoyt, Barbara Billingsley, and Hayden Rorke
Grounds for Marriage (1951) with Van Johnson, Kathryn Grayson, Barry Sullivan, and Lewis Stone
Devil's Doorway (1950) with Robert Taylor, Louis Calhern, Marshall Thompson, Edgar Buchanan, and Spring Byington
Duchess of Idaho (1950) with Esther Williams, Van Johnson, John Lund, Mel Tormé, Amanda Blake, and Tommy Farrell
Crisis (1950) with Cary Grant, José Ferrer, Signe Hasso, Ramon Novarro, and Gilbert Roland
East Side, West Side (1949) with Barbara Stanwyck, James Mason, Van Heflin, Ava Gardner, Cyd Charisse, Nancy Davis, Gale Sondergaard, and William Conrad
Adam's Rib (1949) with Spencer Tracy, Katharine Hepburn, Judy Holliday, Tom Ewell, David Wayne, Jean Hagen, and Hope Emerson
Challenge of the Range (1949) with Charles Starrett, Smiley Burnette, and Billy Halop
Blondie's Secret (1948) with Penny Singleton, Arthur Lake, and Jerome Cowan
Racing Luck (1948) with Gloria Henry, Stanley Clements, and David Bruce
Sealed Verdict (1948) with Ray Milland, Florence Marly, John Hoyt, and Broderick Crawford
Rusty Leads the Way (1948) with John Litel, Ann Doran, and Peggy Converse
Night Has a Thousand Eyes (1948) with Edward G. Robinson, Gail Russell, John Lund, Virginia Bruce, William Demarest, and Jerome Cowan
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This page premiered March 2, 2005.
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