Carolyn Jones Masked Her Darkest Secrets

Carolyn Jones Masked Her Darkest Secrets

From an early age Carolyn’s potential as an actress shone brightly even as a child it was already apparent that she was a starlet in the making but there was also one specific reason for this as a huge fan of movies and music Carolyn’s mother instilled in her a great passion for the entertainment business sadly Carolyn’s parents had a relationship that was fraught with tension fueled by the fact that her father couldn’t handle the difficult burden of supporting a family during the Great Depression he shamefully abandoned them in 1934 leaving Carolyn’s agoraphobic mother unable to provide for her daughters on her own desperate the family had no choice but to move in with Carolyn’s maternal grandparents her grandparents humble home quickly became cramped quarters an issue exacerbated by the fact that her grandfather used to terrify her with his sudden bouts of rage around this time Carolyn developed chronic asthma consequently she wound up housebound and stuck in her bedroom for weeks on end with nowhere to go and nothing else to do Carolyn soon turned to escapism for comfort to pass the time

Carolyn would listen to music and feverishly read Hollywood fan publications it didn’t take long before she began fantasizing about escaping to a newer glitzier existence it sparked something in her Carolyn needed to become a star so of course when she learned about a prestigious acting school the Pasadena Playhouse she became obsessed with finding a way to enroll adamant that she’d be the school’s next famous alumni the then 17-year-old gained admission to the Pasadena Playhouse in 1947 during her time there Carolyn found a passion for more than just acting after a certain male classmate caught her eye when she met Don Donaldson in August 1949 the couple instantly fell in love and dated for just a year before tying the knot in 1950 but the romance raised some eyebrows Carolyn was only 19 years old when she met Don Donaldson and he was 27 not so cute anymore is it either way the union didn’t last and the couple divorced a year later after 3 years of intense dedication and hard work Carolyn graduated as a star student it’s not easy to make it in Hollywood and Carolyn quickly made a devastating realization she understood that an actor’s ability to land good movie roles depended on much more than mere talent and she’d need to alter her appearance to meet the film industry’s standards of beauty for the sake of her career she opted to undergo a complete makeover which included plastic surgery dying her hair blonde losing her Texas accent altering her walk and posture and buying fashionable clothes her metamorphosis changed everything shortly after her makeover a talent scout noticed her performing on stage at the

Players Ring Theater and following a successful screen test she promptly landed a six-month contract with Paramount Studios Carolyn had broken into the film industry but it came at a cost as much as Carolyn wanted to break into film she harbored resentment over how her new looks and not her finely honed skills played a huge role in getting her there after she signed the contract at Paramount Carolyn made her big screen debut in 1952 in aptly named The Turning Point the film which ironically marked a turning point in her career her family was thrilled her mother cried tears of joy while her grandparents danced around their living room disappointingly Carolyn only scored two more small roles before her contract at Paramount expired at which point the film industry kind of just forgot about her she hadn’t earned as much income at the studio as she’d originally hoped and her financial situation grew so dire that her sister Betty had to move in with her just to help pay the rent Carolyn scrambled to take any acting role she could find she also opted to return to the stage by performing at the Preston Sturges Players Theater while there however Carolyn wasn’t just acting she was getting into trouble while working at the theater Carolyn met and fell in love with Aaron Spelling at that time he was an aspiring writer and he would eventually go on to produce hits like Beverly Hills 90210 the two seemed to have a lot in common they were both highly ambitious yet struggling in their respective fields they had a shared sense of humor and most significantly they shared a passion for all things entertainment in 1953 lightning struck again when

Carolyn won a part in a major 3D film House of Wax at the time it was only the second 3D film ever released and though her role was small it became an instant hit and probably her first genuine big break for the first time in her life she even caught the attention of film reviewers who praised her performance for a brief moment Carolyn was on top of the world her star was finally rising but her relationship was floundering Carolyn was certain that she and Aaron were soulmates before long she was anxious for him to pop the question but she was in for major heartache Aaron was stalling as much as he wanted to marry Carolyn he felt he couldn’t propose to her while he was still broke and trying desperately to break into the entertainment business Carolyn was a woman of action impatient with Aaron’s hesitation she proposed to him and the couple tied the knot in April 1953 then Carolyn made a very personal choice that broke the mold once again she was intent on refocusing on her career and the idea of playing the real life role of a stereotypical 1950s housewife didn’t exactly appeal to her when the subject of motherhood came up Carolyn realized right away that it wasn’t for her she felt it wouldn’t be fair to have children for the sake of having children when in her heart she already knew they’d come second fiddle to her career meanwhile a Columbia Pictures casting exec scouted Carolyn to star in what would turn out to be the studio’s biggest picture of the year From Here to Eternity he promised Carolyn that pending a successful screen test the role would be hers it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and Carolyn was thrilled as fate would have it disaster struck Carolyn the evening before her screen test suffering from a serious bout of pneumonia and a 104-degree fever she ended up in hospital where she almost died she missed out on her chance to land the coveted role which later went to Donna Reed then as if to rub salt into the wound Reed would go on to win an Oscar for her performance the thought of what could have been crushed

Carolyn she began to doubt her prospects fearing that her time in the limelight had already passed struggling to find jobs Carolyn took up work that wasn’t nearly as prestigious as From Here to Eternity she did eventually score a part in the Bachelor Party this role demanded a completely different look so she cut her hair short and dyed it dark to shake things up for the second time in her career her makeover was dramatic yet effective even though Carolyn only got 8 minutes of screen time her performance generated buzz the critics gave her rave reviews reporters clamored to interview her and best of all she received an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress after all this time she was at last getting some much-deserved recognition and Carolyn really really wanted to win that award when Carolyn’s big night finally came she was denied that precious golden statue another actress Miyoshi Umeki took home the Academy Award and Carolyn had to be content with the bittersweet honor of just being nominated still this only made her more scrappy about her success and in 1958 she got her biggest opportunity yet a movie with Elvis Presley King Creole turned out to be the last film Elvis made before joining the army unfortunately with a fever of 103 Carolyn once again took ill understandably terrified of getting Elvis sick Carolyn reportedly begged to get out of their kissing scene Elvis allegedly quipped to her that’s all right maybe it’ll get me out of the army germ spreading aside the movie was another hit Carolyn aspired to become a leading lady but she kept getting cast in quirky supporting roles so when she was offered a part in the film Career she insisted on playing the romantic lead instead leaving Shirley MacLaine to act as the offbeat sidekick but the film didn’t work out the way she hoped even though

Carolyn’s performance received the best reviews of her career the movie completely flopped as frustrated as she was she dove right into the Hollywood lifestyle believing that she owed it to her fans to live glamorously she and her husband splurged on the construction of a 13-room mansion she also stocked her wardrobes with furs and started accessorizing with expensive jewels the media frenzy surrounding her started to fade and job offers became more sparse as her prospects dwindled her husband’s writing career surged and Aaron unexpectedly became the more successful of the two naturally the sudden imbalance in their careers disheartened Carolyn and put a strain on their relationship once Aaron developed the suspicious habit of remaining out late at night for no apparent reason there was no going back Carolyn and Aaron divorced in August 1964 at a mere 34 years old it seemed like everything in her life was coming undone little did she know she would soon land the greatest role of her life Carolyn had turned down several offers to appear on television in the past because the idea of acting on TV never really appealed to her she’d only ever wanted to become a movie star but everything changed when an intriguing offer for a leading role on daytime TV caught her eye quirky dark and comedic the part seemed custom-made for Carolyn it was a no-brainer and it became the defining moment of her career in 1964

Carolyn joined the cast of The Addams Family as the iconic Morticia however it also brought her controversy when The Addams Family originally aired on September 18 1964 many viewers were immediately taken aback by the romantic chemistry between Carolyn’s character Morticia and her on-screen husband Gomez Morticia and Gomez’s brazen public displays of affection outraged conservative audiences scandalous but the chatter surrounding her on-screen romance was nothing compared to her tribulations with Morticia’s distinctive dress it may have looked amazing but Morticia’s signature gown was actually a serious pain to wear it was so ridiculously tight that Carolyn could barely walk and it would take her 20 minutes to take it off at the end of filming ultimately the costume designers had to sew Velcro into the back of the dress to make it easier to open allowing her to walk around in between takes though it wasn’t exactly the glamorous film career she’d always envisioned for herself the show gave Carolyn the level of stardom she’d always desired The Addams Family quickly became a pop culture sensation and at 35 years old she achieved mega celebrity status with legions of devoted fans it was a dream come true and Carolyn loved every minute of it but then that dream came to a crashing halt despite the show’s massive popularity ABC chose to cancel The Addams Family after only two seasons of course Carolyn was heartbroken she went on to do guest appearances on various shows over the next year but received few other employment opportunities after that she had a sneaking suspicion she knew why she’d become so synonymous with the character that watching her portray any other role than Morticia just wasn’t the same her career started to suffer as a result and there was no comeback in sight with little recourse Carolyn returned to the theater though she’d managed to secure a role for herself on the Broadway play The Homecoming in the end she hated every second of it feeling washed up and bitter Carolyn turned to a friend for comfort her vocal coach Herbert Green their relationship soon evolved beyond friendship they fell in love getting married in December 1968 many of Carolyn’s circle disapproved of their union her friends felt uncomfortable around Green he reportedly struck others as quite strange and he wasn’t particularly nice he somehow convinced Carolyn to quit acting and persuaded her to move away with him to Palm Springs now isolated and careerless Carolyn’s once-happy life turned miserable it took 7 years but

Carolyn eventually came to realize that she missed acting and even though she knew it would be hard to restart her career at 46 she was determined to do it so she ended her unhappy marriage and returned to LA where she slowly came back to life thankfully the spotlight hadn’t forgotten her Carolyn successfully returned to acting after her long hiatus appearing on TV as a guest star and performing in theatrical shows after such a lengthy break she was proud to reclaim her sense of self-fulfillment astonishingly her work in theater led her to romance again when she fell head over heels for her castmate Peter Bailey-Brittain Carolyn became severely ill while flying from Dallas to Los Angeles she barely had enough time to enter the restroom before gruesomely vomiting up large amounts of blood terrified she had no idea what was going on upon landing she rushed to an emergency room where physicians proceeded to surgically remove much of her stomach Carolyn discovered that her terrible stomach problems were due to colon cancer shocked by the diagnosis the 51-year-old decided not to tell anyone opting instead to undergo agonizing surgery and chemotherapy in secret after her cancer went into remission she took on a starring role in a soap opera called Capitol sadly just as she got used to the part her doctors found that her cancer had returned though Carolyn fought it aggressively her body stopped responding to treatments she resolved to make the most out of her bleak situation acting was her whole life and she was adamant that she’d never give it up for anything ever again in pain but still undeterred

Carolyn continued to act on Capitol then after her cancer spread and she became too frail to disguise her sickness any longer she resorted to acting from her wheelchair to complete her scenes for the season Carolyn did her best to fill her final days with joy she knew that she didn’t have much longer to live and she wanted to surround herself with as much love as possible so in a special ceremony Carolyn married Peter Bailey-Brittain in September 1982 wanting to look good for her special day she made herself up as glamorous as possible wearing a lace and ribbon cap to cover her hair loss she went into a coma in July 1983 at her home in West Hollywood and died on August 3 at the age of 53 Carolyn made arrangements to donate her Morticia outfit and wig to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences before her death UCLA later received a collection of Addams Family scripts from her widower ensuring that no one will ever forget her portrayal of her most iconic character