Women in horror: Jane Randolph

LITTLE ROCK — February marks the ninth anniversary, and the beginning of year 10 for Women in Horror Month. The purpose of WiHM is to salute the fantastic contributions of women in all realms of horror whose work still finds itself marginalized. Such an example of belittlement happened all too recently when Blumhouse's CEO, founder and producer Jason Blum made the following statement last October.

"There are not a lot of female directors period," Blum said. "And even less who are inclined to do horror."

It is hard to believe such an attitude still exists, but unfortunately a bias toward female artisans of scary movies still haunts modern times. Surely, enough is enough. WiHM is well-known for its tireless efforts spotlighting women in horror, and this 28-day celebration will focus on film and television. As such, each day this month will celebrate a different woman whose contributions have left an irrevocable mark on the horror genre.

9.

JANE RANDOLPH

American-born actress Jane Randolph was blessed with smoldering good looks even the Greek goddess Aphrodite would have been jealous of. Randolph's time in Hollywood was but a brief decade, but she made a name for herself in thrillers and mysteries. However, the picturesque performer is best known by genre fans for her three high-profile appearances in classic horror flicks.

Like French actress Simone Simon, Randolph was the face of producer Val Lewton's very first low-budget horror film for RKO, "Cat People" (1942). The success of the film lead to "Curse of the Cat People" in 1944, which was a ghost story whereas the first motion picture was about a woman who transforms into a savage panther.

Screenwriter DeWitt Bodeen and Lewton planned to title the "Curse" movie "Amy and Her Friend." RKO insisted the project be titled after "Cat People," even though its storyline had nothing to do with the original movie, because "Cat People" was a huge financial triumph. The move was made for better or worse.

Officially a sequel to "Cat People," Curse features Simon and Kent Smith reprising their roles alongside Randolph. They all portray the same characters, in name only, but that's where the similarities end. Randolph was renowned for her Film Noir roles in the 1940s, and the actress finished off her short stint as a Hollywood actress in Universal's "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948).

Randolph briefly returned to the Silver Screen as an extra in 1955's "That Lady," but the life of an actress wasn't quite as alluring to Jane at that point. Rather, Randolph married part-time producer Jaime del Amo (La vida bohemia; Verbena trágica). The couple lived in Spain where Randolph enjoyed the lavish lifestyle of a socialite. Randolph later returned to Los Angeles and even owned a home in Switzerland.

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