by Nathaniel R
Today marks the centennial of another Old Hollywood star that seems to be forgotten these days but perhaps there are fans among you? Born in Missouri on this day in 1920, Virginia Clara Jones hit the Vaudeville circuit as a professional entertainer when she was 17 and adopted the stage name of "Virginia Mayo" even before Hollywood came calling in the early 1940s. Her first credited film role was in the biopic Jack London (1943) starring Michael O'Shea (who she would marry four years later). Though she was a leading lady with many box office hits to her name, enduring classics (mostly) eluded her. Naturally then she's best remembered today in a supporting role as the unfaithful wife in the superb Best Picture winner The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), one of those utterly magic films where every single actor is killing it...
Her first hits were often comedies with Danny Kaye, Bob Hope, and the like
With Dana Andrews (who should have been Oscar nominated) in "The Best Years of Our Lives"
She was the top-billed star in "Silver Chalice" but look at the young'un she's hangin' on... it's Paul Newman in his big screen debut.
Some of her other hits included multiple musical comedies with Danny Kaye (she was a talented dancer but her singing voice was dubbed), The Princess and the Pirate (1944) with Bob Hope, and White Heat (1949) with Jimmy Cagney. She also headlined the notorious biblical flop The Silver Chalice (1954) which is mostly famous today for featuring a nobody named Paul Newman in his first movie role.
We admit that we aren't all that well-versed in Mayo's filmography so if you are, we'd love your suggestions as to her best work in the comments.