Jennifer Holt
Birth : 1920-11-10, Hollywood, California, USA
Death : 1997-09-21
History
From Wikipedia
Born Elizabeth Marshall Holt in Hollywood, California to actor Jack Holt and his wife, Margaret Woods. She and her brother Tim would both have careers in acting.
She made her film debut using the stage name "Jacqueline Holt" in a 1941 western starring Hopalong Cassidy and went on to make forty-seven films during the 1940s. All but eight of her roles were in western films in which she appeared opposite cowboy stars such as Lash LaRue, Tex Ritter and Johnny Mack Brown.
Holt made her final film in 1949 then in 1950 co-hosted a television show called Panhandle Pete and Jennifer which ran for one season. During the remainder of the 1950s she made occasional guest appearances on television western series such as The Gabby Hayes Show and Tales of Wells Fargo starring Dale Robertson. Although the popularity of western films had faded by the mid-1950s, during the 1970s western film festivals became popular with fans of the genre and she occasionally participated as a guest.
Jennifer Holt was married several times, living for a while in Mexico and was in Dorset in England at the time of her death in 1997.
Jennifer made a batch of westerns in the 1940s, primarily at Universal and PRC as the heroine to Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Rod Cameron, Buster Crabbe, Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue. Her first western was the Hopalong Cassidy STICK TO YOUR GUNS (Paramount, 1941). She also played the female lead in a couple of cliffhangers, ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS (Universal, 1943) and HOP HARRIGAN (Columbia, 1946).
THE HAWK OF POWDER RIVER (Eagle-Lion/PRC, 1948) was Holt's favorite western role, as she portrayed the masked leader of a band of outlaws. She and most of her gang are gunned down by singing cowboy Eddie Dean in the film-ending shootout.
Holt had several marriages, lived in the United States and Mexico, and resided in England at the time or her death in 1997. One of her marriages was to movie actor William Bakewell (1908-1993) whom she starred with in the HOP HARRIGAN chapter play. Bakewell may be best remembered as "Major Tobias Norton" in the 1950s Disney Fess Parker/Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier TV show.
Even though her father Jack and brother Tim made scores of westerns and outdoorsy type films, Jennifer was never in any of their movies. And despite many reports throughout the years, an actor named David Holt (1927-2003) was NOT the brother of Jennifer and Tim Holt nor the son of Jack Holt.
In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Jennifer hosted/participated in several television programs that originated in Chicago. One was her portrayal of "Aunt Judy" to the puppet "Uncle Mistletoe" in the 15 minute THE ADVENTURES OF UNCLE MISTLETOE which was broadcast locally and over ABC. Chicago department store Marshall Fields did this program in response to competitor Montgomery Ward's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. After a couple years, Jennifer exited Mistletoe and did another children's program, PANHANDLE PETE AND JENNIFER, which originated from NBC in Chicago. That 15 minute series ran from 1950 - 1951.
Production Assistant
Marsha Robinson, host of a TV cooking show, takes her family on a working vacation to a South Seas Island, but their yacht is hijacked by pirates, and then shipwrecked, and the Robinsons must survive Marsha's complaints while they build a treehouse, meet a handsome carpenter, bond together as a family and fight off the pirates
Jenny Morgan
Ranger Eddie Dean is looking for the outlaw the Tioga Kid, a man he closely resembles. He runs into Joe Morino and his gang of rustlers at the same time Tioga arrives to cut himself into Morino's game. But Morino doesn't give in and in the showdown, Eddie and the Kid find themselves on the same side.
Belle Morgan
After Marshal Jordan is honored by Jimmy, Cannonball and others for his forty years as a law officer, the Sawyer mine is blown up by Belle's foreman, Kern, following Sawyer's refusal to sell out. Dan Jordan, the Marshal's son, interested in Belle, secretly the head of the outlaws, is lured by her from scouting the road on which his father guards a ore shipment. Jimmy and Cannonball drive off the outlaws, headed by Kern and Burton, but the Marshal is fatally wounded. The town council appoints Jimmy the new Marshal, which disappoints Dan, but Belle persuades him to become Jimmy's deputy, in order to get information from him about ore and payroll shipments. Dan quits as deputy and fights Jimmy when the latter suspects Belle of involvement in the robberies.
Vivian Chambers
B-western starring Eddie Dean as a singing lawman who comes to the aid of a pretty rancher (June Carlson) who's been targeted for murder by a notorious bandit known as "The Hawk".
Mary King
Tornado Range is one of five Eddie Dean westerns originally produced by PRC in 1947 but released the following year by Eagle-Lion. Cast as a troubleshooter for the U.S. Land Office, Dean is assigned to settle a deadly range war. Sure enough, the warring homesteaders and cattlemen are being whipped into a frenzy by a third party, who hopes to "divide and conquer," claiming the land for himself. Surprisingly, all-purpose PRC villain George Cheseboro isn't the culprit in this one; instead, he's cast as the father of heroine Jennifer Holt. Roscoe Ates is once more on hand for some questionable comedy relief.
Kathie McBain
A Canadian mountie is framed for committing crimes, while investigating a gang of criminals.
Mary Rockwell
A Canadian Mountie investigates the disappearance of a brother officer.
Mary Ann Jarvis
At least 10 percent of the 58-minute Eddie Dean western Shadow Valley is comprised of stock shots from earlier Dean oaters. This time, the star plays as U.S. marshal who comes to the rescue of the standard damsel in distress (Jennifer Holt, sister of Tim and daughter of Jack). The double-dyed villain (George Cheseboro) is a crooked lawyer (and former train robber) who wants to lay claim to the heroine's ranch.
Abby Jackson
Taylor's men are robbing incoming supply wagons to enable Taylor to sell goods at inflated prices. The Vigilantes led by Frank Jackson are doing the same so the ranchers won't starve. Marshals Lash and Fuzzy arrive to try and find the real culprits.
Margie Watson
Lash and Fuzzy sent to help John Watson with his stage line arrive to find him murdered. Recognizing the outlaws they trail them to their leader Baxter. But before Baxter can tell who the big boss is he is shot. After getting the stage through to assure the mail contract, Lash now realizes who the boss is.
Diane Trent
Gold has been found and Sharp is out to get the land. He has the land owners killed and then has Watson forge new deeds. Cheyenne and Fuzzy arrive in time to save Trent. Then they go after the gang and its leader.
Betty Walters
A ranger in Buffalo Gap has been killed and the trail leads to a gang headed by Bill Judd. When there is yet another killing, the sheriff seems remarkably hesitant to arrest the culprit and may be taking his orders from a mystery boss. Teaming up with Al's pretty sister and her Uncle Bob, Cheyenne and Fuzzy go in search of the mystery villain.
Dale Harrington
Produced by Jack Schwartz for low-budget company Screen Guild, this mild Western starring the veteran Richard Arlen was apparently the first entry in a proposed series. Arlen played the title role, here assigned by the army to quell an Indian attack on the powerless settlers. The Indians are accusing Tom Russell (John Dexter) of murdering a member of the tribe, an act, as Buffalo Bill discovers, actually committed by a gang of outlaws hired by investment company owner J.B. Jordon (Frank O'Connor). Buffalo Bill Rides Again was soundly defeated by a low budget and slipshod direction by the veteran Bernard B. Ray. Popular B-Western villain Ted Adams disappeared mysteriously halfway through the film, only to be replaced by Edmund Cobb. Jennifer Holt, the daughter of Arlen contemporary Jack Holt and by far the busiest B-Western heroine of the 1940s, had little to do other than letting herself be kidnapped by evil Gil Patric.
Carolyn
Curt Mason saves Doc Henderson's Medicine Show from being robbed by the Morrell gang but later earns the enmity of Carolyn when he blames the troupe for polluting a local watering hole. Arriving in town, the medicine show, which consists of Doc Henderson, Taffy, the singing group the Hoosier Hot Shots and Carolyn, begin their performance while Curt is unsuccessfully attempting to stop the Morrell gang from robbing the bank. The sheriff mistakes Curt for one of the gang, and to save their friend, Curt's buddies Biscuit and Big Boy stampede their cattle through town. In order to clear his good name, Curt and his friends go in search of the real bank robbers, who as it turns out are working under orders from Doc Henderson.
Jane Caldwell
Blacksmith Pinto Peters (Raymond Hatton) calls on his old friend, Sam "Hurricane" Benton (Johnny Mack Brown), to help him clear his son, Jimmy (Riley Hill), of a murder charge. Hot-headed Jimmy, believes that the best way to cure a man of cheating at cards is to shoot him. He didn't shoot him enough, as the gambler only feigns death as part of a plot to gain possession of land owned by Pinto, as they know there is gold on the land buried there by an outlaw gang years ago.
Gail Nolan
Hop Harrigan, a top Air Corps pilot, leaves the military and he and his mechanic, Tank Tinker, open up a small charter air service. They are hired to fly an inventor, Dr. Tabor, to his secret laboratory, where he is working on a new and powerful energy machine. However, a mysterious villain named The Chief Pilot is determined to have the new energy machine for his own purposes and kidnaps Dr. Tabor.
Gwynn Randal
Jimmy Wakely and his sidekick "Lasses" White run into trouble as they attempt to hire some cattle cars on the Cattleman's Railroad to take their herd to market. Rancher Joseph Colton has bought up all the cattle cars and intends to purchase the penniless line from principal stockholder Gywnn Randall. She is eager to sell to Colton but doesn't realize that he intends to force all the ranchers out of business once he has control of the line.
Jane Burns
Having briefly abandoned his standard "Nevada Jack McKenzie" characterization in Flame of the West, cowboy star Johnny Mack Brown was back as Nevada Jack in Monogram's The Lost Trail. Vowing to bring in a gang of stagecoach outlaws, Nevada redoubles his efforts when he learns that the owner of the stagecoach line is pretty Jane Burns (Jennifer Holt).
Vicky Conway
Old Ma Conway champions statehood for Wyoming, believing the measure would put an end to the territory's lawlessness; but the elderly woman is opposed by cattle buyer and tax assessor Lee Landow and greedy banker Dixon. When Ma offers her opinion in a newspaper article, Landow sends his henchman Ringo to put the fear of God in the woman.
Dolores Salezar
A cowboy who was trying to return the loot from a robbery finds hmself suspected of the crime.
Ellen Tanner
Rancher Lew Remington is at odds with longtime rival Bob Randall. The two men battle over rights of oil land that borders both their properties.
Jane Condon
U. S. Marshals Nevada Jack McKenzie and Sandy Hopkins come upon an overturned stagecoach with the driver and the passenger dead. They learn that the passenger, Hinkley, an archaeologist, has discovered an old Indian site that contains gold relics, and a gang has robbed him of the relics he was carrying. Jane Condon, daughter of Hinkley's partner who was also murdered, tells Nevada that an old Indian guide, Shag, is the only one who knows where the site is. The outlaws find Shag first, and kill him after forcing the information from him. Hinkley's son, Joel, arrives and knows where the site is and leads Nevada and Sandy there ahead of the outlaws.
Charity
An Arizona teacher (Noah Beery Jr.) saves a vaudeville star (Martha O'Driscoll) and her troupe from a bandit (Leo Carrillo).
Mary Trevor
U.S. Marshals Nevada Jack McKenzie and Sandy Hopkins are working undercover to capture a gang stealing horses from the Navajos, and to capture the killer of a Ranger. Nevada poses as an outlaw to get in with the gang and find the leader, while Sandy pretends to be a drunken old horse thief that has knowledge of where the Navajos have hidden their ponies.
Carla Anderson
Tom Benner controls the town and the water supply. When his stooge Mayor rebels, he has him killed and replaced with Bullseye Johnson who immediately brings in Matt Canway as the town Marshal. Conway doesn't carry a gun but he is soon on to Benner and out to prove that Benner has altered the survey lines to obtain the water rights.
Alice Thornton
Carl Beldon has disappeared and the Trail Blazers have been sent to investigate. Arriving in town, they find that 'Honest John' controls everything. He even prints his own money. He also has a gang and they set out to finish off the heroes.
Lillian Wilkins
The Texas Rangers take on a shyster who is trying to bilk a family of their money after he learns that an oil company thinks their land may contain the black gold.
Donna Ross, aka El Vengador
In this western, two cowboys go to buy fresh horses for the cavalry and end up taking on two badguys and a female vigilante.
Ellen Carey
U.S. marshal Ritter arrives in town to round up bandits who are attempting to fix the local elections.
Betty Matthews
World War II is raging and the manpower shortage has hit the range since every able-bodied cowboy of military age is off fighting for Uncle Sam. Dad Mathews, a rancher with a huge government contract order for beef, has trouble with the cattle rustlers, led by Henry Judson and Lefty Lewis, who are taking advantage of the situation to steal his herds. John Paul Revere, Special State Investigator, arrives, and upon meeting Mathews' daughter, Betty, gets the idea of recruiting the hard-riding daughters of the district into the WAPS, an organization which will be to the cattle country what the WACS and WAVES are to the Army and Navy. He trains them in military procedure and provides them with radio sending-and-receiving sets. Johnny's sidekick, Frog Millhouse, finds himself the possessor of a "walkie-talkie" which he considers just a "doo-dad" at first, but which is instrumental in the end, in helping Johnny and the WAPS trap the gang of rustlers in their hideout.
Andre Mason
Four youthful cadets are implicated in a series of murders, and must attempt to clear themselves of suspicion.
Joan Winters
Rancher Blaze Barker returns to Dead Falls after being framed by land-grabbers and spending two years in jail. Paroled, he can't wear a gun, but is aided by Marshal Fargo Steele. The gang is out to gain control of all of the valley land before a dam is constructed. When Blaze raises the money to pay off the taxes on his ranch, he finds it has been marked to incriminate him.
Lois Rodgers
A town is cleared of crime when a group of cowboys under the direction of Hayden battles an outlaw gang. They also manage to restore the reputation of a friend wrongly accused of murder.
Mitzi
Bob Allen, a struggling songwriter poses as a millionaire cowboy to win Broadway star Babs Lee.
Jane Carter
In this western, two cowboys ride to the rescue of ranchers who are fighting to keep a land-grabber from taking their land and selling it to the railroad
Ellen Randall
Johnny Mack Brown's Universal western series was drawing to a close when Cheyenne Roundup was released in mid-1943. Brown is herein cast in a dual role, as honest Gils Brandon and his less-than-honest brother Buck. Pursued by lawman Steve Rawlins (Tex Ritter), Buck tries to pass himself off as the upright Gils.
Miss Russell
Dick Foran and Harriet Hilliard (aka Harriet Nelson) top the cast of the Universal musical quickie Hi, Buddy. Foran plays GI Dave O'Connor, who comes to the rescue when a boy's club is threatened with foreclosure. Upon learning that the money targetted for the club has been appropriated by a crooked manager, O'Connor calls upon his army buddies to stage a big, fundraising show.
Kay Randolph
In order to obtain a stage coach mail contract, a new road must be built. A gang of outlaws try to prevent the building of the road.
Mary Lee
Dusty Gardner, and other Texas ranchers, are driving a herd of cattle to Abilene, Kansas along the Chisholm Trail. Desperate need of water takes them to the Turner ranch, where Belle Turner demands exorbitant prices for the water. Dusty learns that Belle is also trying to oust Mary Lee and Montana Smith from the trading post Mary operates. The sheriff sides with Belle following a fight between the two women. Belle knows there is artesian springs under the land the trading post occupies and intends to get the property by any means.
Janet Hammond
Mining executive Neal Wallace arrives to investigate the losses at a gold mine and is immediately framed for murder. The murderers then incite a lynch mob but the Sheriff lets him go. Wallace eventually convinces the Sheriff of his innocence and the two then work together to get the gang that is looting the gold ore.
Nan Taylor
Hoping to increase its box-office allure by adopting the title of a popular song, Deep in the Heart of Texas (clap!clap!clap!clap!) was the first Johnny Mack Brown western of the 1942-43 season. The plot concerns a group of insurrectionists who intend to keep Texas separate from the rest of the USA.
Girl on Bus with Tommy (uncredited)
A pair of bus drivers accidentally steal their own bus. With the company issuing a warrant for their arrest, they tag along with a playboy on a boat trip that finds them on a tropical island, where a jewel thief has sinister plans for them.
Nancy Lee
A cowboy heads for the town where his father was murdered to find out who was responsible.
Joyce Mason
The film tells the story of army recruits following basic training, with the Andrew Sisters attending USO dances. The film is a mixture of comedy and songs.
TWA Stewardess
Gangsters, nightclubs and the Roaring '20s.
June Winters
Buck Peters arranges for Hoppy, California, Johnny and other cowboys to go to the aid of friends whose cattle are being rustled. Hoppy and California locate the rustlers' hideout and join the gang by posing as outlaws themselves, but must find a way to let the rest of the posse know where they are.