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Wanda McKay
1916-1996
NEW 4/14/2008!
biography
Born Dorothy Ellen Quackenbush in Portland, Oregon, on January 16, 1916 (some sources cite her birthday as June 22, 1915), actress Wanda McKay grew up in Texas and Missouri. While living in Missouri, McKay embarked upon a modeling career, eventually becoming a familiar face on billboards and magazine covers. Headquartered in Kansas City Missouri, she became Transcontinental Airline's official model hostess when she won the title "Miss American Aviation" in 1938. This exposure got McKay noticed by Paramount talent scouts, who quickly signed her to a contract.
Paramount publicity photos of Wanda McKay from the late 1930s.
McKay toiled, mostly uncredited, in more than a dozen Paramount releases between 1939 and 1941. After her contract with the studio ended, McKay headed to Columbia to make a couple of westerns including The Royal Mounted Patrol (1941; with Charles Starrett and Lloyd Bridges) before going to Monogram and Producers Releasing Corporation (PRC). Although these were poverty-row studios, McKay finally had starring roles. A number of McKay's films were from the horror genre, including Bowery at Midnight (1942; with Bela Lugosi, Tom Neal, and John Archer), The Black Raven (1943; with George Zucco and Robert Livingston), Voodoo Man (1944; with Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, and George Zucco), and The Monster Maker (1944; J. Carrol Naish and Ralph Morgan). Following World War II, horror films lost favor with audiences, and at the same time McKay's career began to go into decline.
the films of wanda mckay
Twilight on the Trail (1941)
With Brad King in the western Twilight on the Trail, released by Paramount
One Thrilling Night (1942)
From the Monogram comedy/mystery One Thrilling Night with John Beal
Danger! Women at Work (1943)
From the PRC wartime comedy Danger! Women at Work with Isabel Jewell, Betty Compson, Cobina Wright Sr., Mary Brian, and Patsy Kelly
The Monster Maker (1944)
With Terry Frost in the PRC horror flick The Monster Maker
Voodoo Man (1944)
From Monogram's horror flick Voodoo Man with Louise Currie, John Carradine, Bela Lugosi, George Zucco, Ellen Hall, and Terry Walker
There Goes Kelly (1945)
With Sidney Miller and Jackie Moran in the Monogram comedy There Goes Kelly
Kilroy Was Here (1947)
From the Monogram Pictures comedy Kilroy Was Here with Patti Brill, Jackie Cooper, Pat Goldin, and Jackie Coogan
The Golden Eye (1948)
From Monogram's late 1940s Charlie Chan series The Golden Eye with Roland Winters, Lois Austin, and Bruce Kellogg
Because of Eve (1948)
LEFT: McKay as Sally Stephens in the independently produced campy cautionary tale Because of Eve. RIGHT: With John Parker, Sally's husband and VD carrier, and Joseph Crehan
later years
McKay's career hit the skids by 1950, when she slid back into uncredited roles. Her last credited film role is the low-budget crime drama Roaring City (1951; with Hugh Beaumont). After a few roles in early television series, McKay called a halt to her acting career. In the early 1960s, McKay met famed composer Hoagy Carmichael, becoming his constant companion. They eventually married in May 1977, with the union lasting until Carmichael's death in December 1981. Sadly, Wanda McKay passed away in April 1996 at the age of 80.
Twilight On The Trail [VHS](1941) VHS
It's more like "Tea Time on the Trail," because Hopalong Cassidy and sidekicks Andy Clyde and Brad King are posing as English detectives as they try to uncover who's been rustling cattle from their rancher pals. With Jack Rockwell, Wanda McKay, and The Jimmy Wakely Trio. 56 min.
Bowery At Midnight [DVD](1942) DVD
Creepy mystery starring Bela Lugosi as a psychology professor who uses a mission as a front for his criminal deeds. When people become aware of his activities, Lugosi has them killed and buried in a basement, then revives them with a special drug. John Archer and Wanda McKay co-star. 60 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; scene access. Plays All Regions.
The Bela Lugosi Box: 15 Frightful Films [DVD] DVD
The seductively evil horror king Bela Lugosi appears in 15 chiller classics in this five-disc set. The silent soaper "The Midnight Girl" (1925) features a pre-Dracula Lugosi as the suave and shady patron of a Russian opera singer (Lila Lee) newly come to America. Also includes "White Zombie," "The Death Kiss," "Chandu on the Magic Island," "The Return of Chandu," "The Mysterious Mr. Wong," "The Dark Eyes of London (The Human Monster)," "The Devil Bat," "The Corpse Vanishes," "Bowery at Midnight," "The Ape Man," "Scared to Death" (1947), "Glen or Glenda?," "Bride of the Monster," and "Plan 9 from Outer Space"; also features the short documentary tribute "100 Years of Horror: Bela Lugosi," hosted by Christopher Lee.
Law And Order [DVD](1942) DVD
Buster Crabbe shines as Billy the Kid in this great horse opera. After the Kid and some associates are arrested and taken to Fort Culver, the outlaw is shocked to discover that he is an exact double for the post's commander. But when the Calvary officer dies, Billy takes his identity and helps foil a plot to swindle an old lady. With Al St. John, Dave O'Brien. Standard; Soundtrack: English.
Law And Order [VHS](1942) VHS
Billy'd do his poor ma proud...he winds up doubling for a U.S. Cavalry officer! Sound the charge with this fun series entry starring Buster Crabbe and Fuzzy St. John. 60 min.
The Black Raven [DVD](1943) DVD
A lonely roadside inn welcomes Death as a guest in this chilling story of maniacal murders among some stranded travellers. George Zucco, Charles Middleton, Noel Madison, Wanda McKay and Glenn Strange star. 65 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Corregidor [DVD](1943) DVD
Moving drama that focuses upon a hopeless love triangle between a trio of army surgeons during the blazing height of combat in the Philippines of World War II. Telling period romance stars Otto Kruger, Elissa Landi, Donald Woods, Frank Jenks. 71 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English. Plays All Regions.
Belle Of The Yukon [DVD](1944) DVD
Set in the days of the great Canadian Gold Rush, this rousing musical stars Randolph Scott as a "reformed" con artist-turned-dance hall owner whose girlfriend, singer Gypsy Rose Lee, tries to keep him on the straight and narrow. Dinah Shore, William Marshall, Bob Burns co-star; songs include "Like Someone in Love," "Sleigh Ride in July," "Ev'ry Girl Is Different." 84 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English, French.
The Monster Maker [DVD](1944) DVD
A deranged doctor infects a concert pianist with acromegaly germs, turning him into a deformed monster, and promises to cure him if he is given the victim's daughter's hand in marriage. J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Morgan, Wanda McKay star; from the director of ``Terror of Tiny Town.'' 62 min. Standard; Soundtrack: English mono; scene access. Plays All Regions.
Raiders Of Ghost City [DVD](1944) DVD
A Union Secret Service agent (Dennis Moore) smashes a ring of gold robbers posing as Confederate soldiers during the final stages of the Civil War. Lionel Atwill, Wanda McKay and Regis Toomey also star. 13 chapters; 3 2/3 hrs. Standard; Soundtrack: English; biographies; theatrical trailers.
Street Corner (1948)/Because Of Eve: The Story Of Life [DVD](1948) DVD
First, a high school girl finds she's pregnant, and, to make matters worse, her boyfriend dies in a car accident. Soon, a hash house waitress sends her to a neighborhood abortionist, but will she survive the operation? Marcia Mae Jones, Joseph Crehan star in "Street Corner." Next, during a visit to the doctor's before their wedding, Sally and Bob learn of each other's past and it ain't pretty: Sally had a child out of wedlock and Bob had V.D. So Doc shows them three films featuring nudity, gross sores and actual childbirth. John Parker, Wanda McKay star in "Because of Eve: The Story of Life." 164 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital mono; audio commentary; featurettes; interview; radio spots; theatrical trailers; more.
George Reeves Double Feature [DVD] DVD
Two action-packed films starring a pre-Superman George Reeves! First, Reeves plays a pilot who ventures deep into the African jungle to find a rich man's daughter after her plane crashes. When he and his partner find her, worshipped by the native who rescued her, will they be able to escape with the "Jungle Goddess" (1948)? Ralph Byrd, Wanda McKay also star. Next, there's "Thunder in the Pines" (1948) when loggers Reeves and Byrd vie for the love of a mail-order bride. Which man gets to keep her is decided by a contest to see who can cut down the most trees! Lyle Talbot, Denise Darcel co-star. 164 min. total. Standard; Soundtrack: English Dolby Digital stereo; filmography; featurettes; photo gallery.
filmography
Roaring City (1951) with Hugh Beaumont and Greg McClure
The Golden Eye (1948) with Roland Winters, Mantan Moreland, Victor Sen Yung, Tim Ryan, and Evelyn Brent
Jungle Goddess (1948) with George Reeves, Ralph Byrd, Armida, and Smoki Whitfield; once aired on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Jinx Money (1948) with Leo Gorcey, Huntz Hall, Sheldon Leonard, and Donald MacBride
Stage Struck (1948) with Kane Richmond, Audrey Long, Conrad Nagel, Ralph Byrd, and Evelyn Brent
Because of Eve (1948)
Jiggs and Maggie in Society (1947) with Joe Yule, Renie Riano, Tim Ryan, and Lee Bonnell
Kilroy Was Here (1947) with Jackie Cooper, Jackie Coogan, Sid Melton, and Gil Stratton
Sensation Hunters (1945) with Robert Lowery, Doris Merrick, Eddie Quillan, Isabel Jewell, Nestor Paiva, and Minerva Urecal
Hollywood and Vine (1945) with James Ellison, Ralph Morgan, and Franklin Pangborn
There Goes Kelly (1945) with Jackie Moran and Dewey Robinson
Belle of the Yukon (1944) with Randolph Scott, Gypsy Rose Lee, Dinah Shore, William Marshall, Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams, and Robert Armstrong
Leave It to the Irish (1944) with James Dunn, Jack La Rue, Dick Purcell, and Barbara Woodell
Raiders of Ghost City (1944) with Dennis Moore, Lionel Atwill, Regis Toomey, and Virginia Christine
The Monster Maker (1944) with J. Carrol Naish, Ralph Morgan, and Glenn Strange
Voodoo Man (1944) with Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, George Zucco, and Tod Andrews
What a Man! (1944) with Johnny Downs, Robert Kent, and Lillian Bronson
Smart Guy (1943) with Rick Vallin, Veda Ann Borg, Bobby Larson, and Jack La Rue
The Deerslayer (1943) with Bruce Kellogg, Jean Parker, Larry Parks, Yvonne De Carlo, and Addison Richards
Danger! Women at Work (1943) with Patsy Kelly, Mary Brian, Isabel Jewell, and Betty Compson
The Black Raven (1943) with George Zucco, Robert Livingston, Byron Foulger, Charles Middleton, Robert Middlemass, and Glenn Strange
Corregidor (1943) with Otto Kruger, Donald Woods, and Rick Vallin
Bowery at Midnight (1942) with Bela Lugosi, John Archer, Tom Neal, and Dave O'Brien
Law and Order (1942) with Buster Crabbe, Al St. John, Dave O'Brien, and Kenne Duncan
One Thrilling Night (1942) with John Beal, Barbara Pepper, and Tom Neal
The Lone Rider in Texas Justice (1942) with George Houston, Al St. John, and Arch Hall Sr.
Rolling Down the Great Divide (1942) with Glenn Strange
The Royal Mounted Patrol (1941) with Charles Starrett, Russell Hayden, Donald Curtis, and Lloyd Bridges
Twilight on the Trail (1941) with William Boyd and Andy Clyde
The Pioneers (1941) with Tex Ritter
You're the One (1941) with Albert Dekker, Edward Everett Horton, and Jerry Colonna
Dancing on a Dime (1940) with Peter Lind Hayes, Eddie Quillan, Virginia Dale, William Frawley, and Phillip Terry
All Women Have Secrets (1939) with Virginia Dale, Jeanne Cagney, Peter Lind Hayes, Janet Waldo, Joyce Mathews, and Veronica Lake
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This page premiered April 14, 2008.
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