Anita Louise: Stunner not Star

When I view classic movies, I do find myself wondering why certain actors and actresses never quite became BIG stars. I have often wondered why Anita Louise never had her moment as a leading lady. In the 1930's, she appeared in a number of quality films. Anita was a gorgeous blonde, the camera absolutely loved her. She had a wonderful voice, so she was well suited to "talkies." Her eyes were very expressive, and she used them well. So again, I have to ask: why didn't Anita Louise ever became a true leading lady?

There is not a great deal of information on this lovely lady. She was born in 1915 in New York City. I also discovered that she started off as a child star. Under the name Anita Fremault, the actress did juvenile roles on Broadway and in silent movies. By the mid 1930's, she had landed some good supporting roles at Warner Brothers (by now, she was using the name Anita Louise). Her credits included: The Story of Louis Pasteur, Anthony Adverse, and A Midsummer Night's Dream. These high profile film led to second leads in: That Certain Woman and The Sisters (both starred Bette Davis) and Tovarich (which starred Claudette Colbert). Unfortunately, these roles did not lead to starring roles at Warner Brothers or any other studio. Yes, she did co-star in the highly success The Little Princess in 1939. However, the star of that film was Shirley Temple so Louise did not truly get a chance to shine in that film either.

The 1940's did not afford Anita Louise any further opportunities either. Yes, she continued to work. However, she was relegated to the second lead in any "A" pictures. She did find TV fame in the 1950's on My Friend Flicka. However, she only made a handful of guest appearances on TV after the show ended after one season in 1956. In her private life, Anita was married to producer Buddy Adler for 20 years. Unfortunately, she was widowed in 1960 when Adler passed away at the age of 51. [Adler was a producer. His most famous film being From Here to Eternity] Anita died 10 years later at age 55. While she was not a big star onscreen, she was socially prominent offscreen. It is said that the parties given by the Adlers during their marriage were attended by all the big names in Los Angeles.

So I guess I need to speculate as to why the beautiful wife of a successful producer did not herself become more famous?  I think the fact that Anita was at Warner Brothers during the mid to late 1930's is significant. Warners had a few other actresses who were approximately the same age as Anita Louise namely Jane Bryan, Priscilla Lane, and Olivia DeHavilland. These were the women who she competed with for roles. DeHavilland despite her youth, had polish and a natural grace in front of the camera. In addition, she and Errol Flynn had magnificent chemistry. Therefore, while Olivia was given second leads, she was usually the female lead in any Flynn film. Jane Bryan was dark haired and had a gentle quality that came across the screen. She also had "spark" which emerged when called for -- such as her wonderful portrayal as Tina in The Old Maid. Louise costarred with Bryan in The Sisters which starred Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. If you've ever seen that film, you may know that Bryan gave the stronger performance of the two. Therefore, I wonder if studio executives noticed it too and decided that Anita was a good second lead period. Unfortunately for Anita, Priscilla Lane was a beautiful blonde ingenue too. In 1938, Lane showed her star quality in Four Daughters. Lane also had great chemistry with a young up and comer named John Garfield. As a result, Lane got better roles and she & Garfield made several very good films together.

Anita Louise certainly  had talent but was competing with a very strong pool of young actresses for parts. Still, she had a filmography that included solid supporting performances. If you get a chance, catch one of them on TCM when it's being played. I've listed her films below. Enjoy!

Filmography
The Sixth Commandment (1924)
Lend Me Your Husband (1924)
The Music Master (1927)
Memories (1927)
4 Devils (1928)
The Spirit of Youth (1929)
Square Shoulders (1929)
Wonder of Women (1929)
The Marriage Playground (1929)
The Florodora Girl (1930)
What A Man (1930)
Just Like Heaven (1930)
The Third Alarm (1930)
Everything's Rosie (1931)
The Great Meadow (1931)
Millie (1931)
The Woman Between (1931)
Heaven On Earth (1931)
The Phantom of Crestwood (1932)
Our Betters (1933)
The Most Precious Thing in Life (1934)
Are We Civilized? (1934)
Cross Streets (1934)
I Give My Love (1934)
Judge Priest (1934)
Madame DuBarry (1934)
The Firebird (1934)
Bachelor of Arts (1934)
Lady Tubbs (1935)
Here's to Romance (1935)
Personal Maid's Secret (1935)
A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935)
The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936)
Brides Are Like That (1936)
Anthony Adverse (1936)
Green Light (1937)
Call It a Day (1937)
The Go Getter (1937)
That Certain Woman (1937)
First Lady (1937)
Tovarich (1937)
My Bill (1938)
Marie Antoinette (1938)
The Sisters (1938)
Going Places (1938)
The Little Princess (1939)
The Gorilla (1939)
These Glamour Girls (1939)
Hero For a Day (1939)
Main Street Lawyer (1939)
Reno (1939)
Wagons Westward (1940)
Glamour For Sale (1940)
The Villain Still Pursued Her (1940)
The Phantom Submarine (1941)
Two in a Taxi (1941)
Harmon of Michigan (1941)
Dangerous Blondes (1943)
Nine Girls (1944)
Casanova Brown (1944)
Love Letters (1945)
The Fighting Guardsman (1946)
The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946)
The Devil's Mask (1946)
Personality Kid (1946)
Shadowed (1946)
Blondie's Big Moment (1947)
Bulldog Drummond at Bay (1947)
Stars Over Hollywood (1950)
Retreat, Hell! (1952)