Virginia Leith (1932-)

biography

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, on October 15, 1932, gorgeous and talented Virginia Leith starred in all too few films, with her most productive period coming in the 1950s. Leith worked as a model before switching to acting in the early 1950s. Her first film appearance came in Stanley Kubrick's independent feature Fear and Desire (1953; with Frank Silvera). Fear and Desire was also director Stanley Kubrick's first feature-length film, which he shot on a shoestring budget of $13,000. The minimal budget did not allow for synchronized sound to be recorded when the film was shot, so it was filmed silent and later dubbed. This film is difficult to find today, as Kubrick buried it out of embarrassment later in his career, dismissing it as amateurish.

Leith signed a contract with 20th Century-Fox in 1954. Fox cast her in such films as White Feather (1955; with Jeffrey Hunter and Debra Paget) and On the Threshold of Space (1956; with Guy Madison). After Leith's contract with Fox ended in 1957, she worked in television and some low-budget independent features. Her best known film is also my personal favorite, The Brain That Wouldn't Die, shot in 1959 for about $60,000 but not released until 1962. This film has achieved a cult status and has been featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

the films of virginia leith

Fear and Desire (1953)

Violent Saturday (1955)

A Kiss Before Dying (1956)

On the Threshold of Space (1956)

Toward the Unknown (1956)

The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962)

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Leith left show business following her 1960 marriage to actor Donald Herron. After her divorce from Herron, in the 1970s Leith renewed her career and appeared in a few films and on popular TV shows, such as Starsky and Hutch, Barnaby Jones, and Baretta. She left the screen again in the early 1980s and is now retired.

virginia leith films available from movies unlimited

One Step Beyond: The Official First Season [DVD](1959) DVD
All 22 episodes from the debut season--including "The Bride Possessed," "Epilogue," "The Navigator," "Echo," and "The Riddle"--are featured in a three-disc set. 9 1/3 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; interviews; extended pilot. **22 episodes on 3 discs. 9 1/3 hrs.**
Black Widow [DVD](1954) DVD
When a young actress is found murdered in a Broadway producer's apartment, a detective tries to figure out if the showman or a temperamental stage star's long-suffering husband is to blame. While the lawman struggles to uncover the killer's identity, the producer attempts to clear his name--uncovering some shocking secrets about the victim along the way. Classic nailbiter stars Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, and George Raft. 95 min. Widescrean; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital 4.0; Subtitles: English, French, Spanish; art gallery; audio commentary; behind-the-scenes footage; featurettes; isolated music score; photo gallery; theatrical trailers.
White Feather [DVD](1955) DVD
Accompanying an army colonel (John Lund) as the U.S. military peacefully resettles a Cheyenne tribe away from valuable Wyoming land, a land surveyor (Robert Wagner) places the fragile truce between the whites and Indians in jeopardy when he falls in love with the daughter of tribesman Little Dog (Jeffrey Hunter). This scorching Western drama set in the 1870s also stars Debra Paget, Noah Beery, Jr., and Eduard Franz. 102 min. Standard and Widescreen; Soundtracks: English Dolby Digital Surround, French Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, Spanish; photo gallery; theatrical trailer.
Toward The Unknown (Remastered Edition) [DVD](1956) DVD
William Holden stars as Major Lincoln Bond, an Air Force pilot who suffers terrible disgrace after he succumbs to torture while being held as a POW in Korea. Now serving as a test pilot, Bond becomes determined to rebuild his career and restore his good name by getting himself assigned to try out a dangerous experimental plane. Lloyd Nolan, Virginia Leith, Murray Hamilton, and James Garner (in his film debut) star in director Mervyn LeRoy's engrossing drama. 115 min. Widescreen (Enhanced); Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono.
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (Widescreen Version) [DVD](1963) DVD
A demented (but hopelessly romantic) surgeon keeps his fiancee's disembodied head alive after an auto accident while he searches for a body transplant "donor." Outrageously bad sci-fi shocker, available in its uncut version to show the full, bloody vengeance of the "pinhead in the closet." Herb (Jason) Evers, Virginia Leith star. 85 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; theatrical trailer; photo gallery.
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Brain That Wouldn't Die [DVD] DVD
Dr. F and Frank have picked a real winner for Mike's first experiment, but will the sci-fi saga of "Jan in the Pan" and her mad doctor boyfriend break Mr. Nelson and the bots? Standard; Soundtrack: English stereo; watch the complete movie without Mike and the bots; scene access.
Starsky & Hutch: The Complete Third Season [DVD](1977) DVD
All 23 episodes from season three--including the two-part "Starsky & Hutch on Playboy Island," "Fatal Charm," "The Collector," "Satan's Witches," and "Hutchinson: Murder One"--are included in a five-disc set. 18 3/4 hrs. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; TV spots.

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filmography

FILM
Curtains (1983) with John Vernon and Samantha Eggar
Condominium (1980) with Barbara Eden, Dan Haggerty, Steve Forrest, Richard Anderson, Ralph Bellamy, Macdonald Carey, Dane Clark, Linda Cristal, Elinor Donahue, and Don Galloway
First Love (1977) with William Katt and Susan Dey
The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) with Jason Evers; once featured on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Toward the Unknown (1956) with William Holden, Lloyd Nolan, Charles McGraw, James Garner, and Bob Hover
A Kiss Before Dying (1956) with Jeffrey Hunter, Robert Wagner, Joanne Woodward, Mary Astor, and George Macready
On the Threshold of Space (1956) with Guy Madison, Ken Clark, John Hodiak, Martin Milner, Dean Jagger, and Warren Stevens
White Feather (1955) with Jeffrey Hunter, Hugh O'Brian, Robert Wagner, and Debra Paget
Violent Saturday (1955) with Victor Mature, Richard Egan, Stephen McNally, Tommy Noonan, Lee Marvin, Margaret Hayes, J. Carrol Naish, Sylvia Sidney, Ernest Borgnine, and Billy Chapin
Black Widow (1954) with Ginger Rogers, Van Heflin, Gene Tierney, George Raft, and Peggy Ann Garner
Fear and Desire (1953) with Frank Silvera and Paul Mazursky

TELEVISION GUEST APPEARANCES
Barnaby Jones, episode Gang War, originally aired October 27, 1977
Starsky and Hutch, episode Death in a Different Place, originally aired October 15, 1977
Baretta, episode Guns and Brothers, originally aired April 6, 1977
Great Ghost Tales, episode August Heat, originally aired August 3, 1961
One Step Beyond, episode The Bride Possessed, originally aired January 20, 1959
The Millionaire, episode The Frank Harrigan Story, originally aired December 3, 1958
The Fireside Theatre, episode The Bravado Touch, originally aired April 17, 1958
The 20th Century Fox Hour, episode The Last Patriarch, originally aired November 28, 1956

virginia leith links

Glamour Girls of the Silver Screen: Virginia Leith
Visit Glamour Girls for photos and biographical information for actress Virginia Leith

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Watch Virginia Leith's 1962 horror flick The Brain That Wouldn't Die