{{Short description|American actress (1926–2018)}} {{Infobox person | name = Meg Randall | image = Meg Randall 1950.JPG | caption = Randall in 1950. | birth_name = Genevieve Roberts | birth_date = {{Birth date|1926|8|1}} | birth_place = Clinton, Oklahoma, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2018|7|20|1926|8|1}} | occupation = Actress | years_active = 1946–1961 | other_names = Gene Roberts<br>Miss X | spouse = | children = | parents = Charles Patrick Roberts<br>Winnie McMillin | website = }}
'''Meg Randall''' (born '''Genevieve Roberts''';<ref name="auto">''The Milwaukee Journal'', September 18, 1949, Jesse Daniels, Hollywood, "It Paid Her to Do Nothing", Milwaukee, WI, p. 5.</ref><ref>''1930 United States Federal Census'', Seminole, Seminole, Oklahoma; Roll: 1931; p. 20A; Enumeration District 29; Image 234.0.</ref> August 1, 1926 – July 20, 2018) was an American film actress. She was active in motion pictures, radio, and television between 1946 and 1961, changing her name from Gene Roberts to Meg Randall in mid-1948.<ref name="auto1">''The Modesto Bee'', August 7, 1948, Dorothy Manners, "Starlet Stirs Up Furor Over Name; Becomes Meg Randall", Modesto, CA, p. 32.</ref>
Randall was known for her portrayal of Babs Riley in the 1949 film version of the popular radio comedy ''The Life of Riley'', as well as her recurring role as Kim Parker Kettle in the ''Ma & Pa Kettle'' comedy series from 1949 to 1951. Randall's first recognizable role was in the supporting cast for the 1949 film noir classic ''Criss Cross''. In 1952, she returned to the film noir genre in the suspense story ''Without Warning''. Randall died in July 2018 at the age of 91.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aveleyman.com/ActorCredit.aspx?ActorID=206185|title=Meg Randall|website=www.aveleyman.com|accessdate=27 August 2018}}</ref>
==Early life== Randall was born August 1, 1926, in Clinton, Custer and Washita County, Oklahoma. She was known informally as Gene, which was derived from her birth name, Genevieve.<ref name="auto"/><ref>''1930 United States Federal Census'', Seminole, Seminole, Oklahoma; p. 20A; Enumeration District 29; Image 234.0.</ref> Randall's father, Charles Patrick Roberts (1892-1980),<ref name="auto2">''California Death Index'', 1940-1997, Sacramento, CA, USA; State of California Department of Health Services, Center for Health Statistics.</ref><ref name="auto3">''Social Security Death Index, Master File'', Social Security Administration.</ref> originated from Texas and by 1900, his family moved into Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, to farm while Charles was young.<ref>''1900 United States Federal Census'', Township 2, Chickasaw Nation, Indian Territory, Oklahoma; Roll: T623_1847; Enumeration District: 123.</ref> The family moved to Seminole, Seminole County, Oklahoma by 1930 where he worked as a garage mechanic then to Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, where he worked as a construction laborer. The family lived in Shawnee until the start of World War II.<ref>''Shawnee City, Oklahoma, City Directory'', 1935, p. 252.</ref><ref>''1940 United States Federal Census'', Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma; Roll: T627_3328; p. 7B; Enumeration District: 62-46.</ref>
Randall's mother, Winnie McMillin (1899-1952),<ref name="auto2"/> was born in Tennessee and grew up in an Oklahoma farming community as well.<ref>''1910 United States Federal Census'', Harris, Johnston, Oklahoma; Roll: T624_1254; p. 6B; Enumeration District: 0125; Image: 1198; FHL Number: 1375267.</ref> By the age of 20, Winnie was a school teacher in Harris Township, OK.<ref>''1920 United States Federal Census'', Harris, Johnston, Oklahoma; Roll: T625_1464; p. 6A; Enumeration District: 90; Image: 897.</ref>
Randall was the third of five children. Her two older siblings were Juanita and Juarez and her younger siblings were Lahoma and Bobby Lea.<ref name="auto4">''Portland Sunday Telegram and Sunday Press Herald'', November 7, 1948, Associated Press, "Hollywood Newcomer Has Name Difficulty", Portland, ME, Section D, p. 7.</ref> Although her family is of primarily Welsh descent, her father favored names of alternate ethnicity <ref name="auto4"/> selecting a few for his children rather than Welsh names, breaking away from family tradition.
During World War II, both of Gene's parents were employed as attendants at the Veterans' Administration Hospital in Muskogee, OK.<ref>''Muskogee, Oklahoma, City Directory'', 1946, pp. 178-179.</ref> Gene's older brother, Juarez Roberts,<ref name="auto3"/> was a World War II paratrooper and a graduate from the University of Oklahoma after the war.<ref name="auto5">''Newport News-Times'', February 27, 2009, Obituaries, Newport, OR.</ref> He found his niche in Hollywood by writing for several television shows during the 1950s until the early 1960s.<ref name="auto5"/>
==Career choice== Most of Randall's schooling was in the Shawnee public schools. The family moved to Muskogee in 1941 and in 1943 at the age of seventeen, Randall graduated from Muskogee High School.<ref name="auto"/> She enrolled in the University of Oklahoma School of Drama where she studied for one year.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto6">''Nashua Telegraph'', April 8, 1950, "Hollywood Stars Making PA Visits in Nashua Today", Nashua, NH, Saturday Evening p. 12.</ref>
After one year of college, Randall moved to Los Angeles with the goal of becoming a movie actress.<ref name="auto7">''Syracuse Herald-Journal'', March 30, 1949, "Meg Randall's a New Film Face", Syracuse, NY, p. B2.</ref> Once in Los Angeles, Randall moved in with a college friend of her mother's.<ref name="auto"/> Randall acquired a talent agent who arranged interviews for her with both Mary Pickford, co-founder of United Artists, and Paramount.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto7"/>
Although Randall only had some school stage experience, including the lead in the play ''Claudia'' at the University of Oklahomas,<ref name="auto6"/> Pickford offered Randall $125 a week, a considerable amount, to sign with United Artists.<ref name="auto"/> However, Paramount Studios came back with a better offer, which Randall was ready to accept.<ref name="auto"/> But another encounter would steer her away from the generous Paramount offer.
Gene's mother's friend was also an acquaintance of the alluring silent film star, Rubye De Remer, which gave Gene the opportunity to meet Rubye and make a marked impression on her as well.<ref name="auto"/> On Gene's behalf, Rubye in turn piqued the interest of director Clarence Brown. It was early 1945 when MGM and Clarence Brown first embarked on a nationwide casting search for some fresh talent for ''The Yearling''<ref name="auto8">''American Film Institute''[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25058], accessed June 20, 2011.</ref> And now months later, Clarence believed that perhaps the role of Orry Baxter might be suited for Gene.<ref name="auto7"/> So Rubye contacted Gene the day after the Paramount offer was made and persuaded her to meet with Clarence at MGM that day.<ref name="auto"/> Despite the fact that MGM newcomer, Jacqueline White, was actually selected and had filmed some scenes that summer,<ref name="auto8"/> Clarence was still not convinced that she was the right choice. As a result, Gene was called back three times to test for the role and eagerly awaited to hear from the studio each time.<ref name="auto"/><ref name="auto9">''The North Adams Massachusetts Transcript'', April 21, 1948, "About Current Amusements With Program Notes For Local Theaters", North Adams, MA, p. 6.</ref> This experience earned her a $250 a week, long-term MGM contract which she signed as herself, Gene Roberts.<ref name="auto"/> Ultimately, Gene's youthfulness was the deciding factor that prevented MGM from assigning her this lead role.<ref name="auto9"/> When production resumed in mid-September 1945, Clarence had chosen 28-year-old Jane Wyman, who was on loan from Warner Brothers, to portray a more mature-looking character with co-star Gregory Peck.<ref name="auto7"/><ref name="auto8"/> ''The Yearling'' was released in May 1947 and went on to win multiple Academy Awards and nominations, including a Best Actress nomination for Jane Wyman.<ref name="auto8"/>
Gene remained under contract with MGM for nearly two years and found that there were very few roles for young women her age at that time.<ref name="auto7"/><ref name="auto9"/> It wasn't until late October 1946 and over a year since Gene first signed on, that she was cast in a small supporting role. This role placed Gene into the last of Ann Sothern's film series, the final episode entitled ''Undercover Maisie'' which was released in May 1947.<ref>''American Film Institute''[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25406], accessed June 9, 2011.</ref> Next, she was cast in the low-budget Comet Productions film ''Stork Bites Man'' where she co-starred with Jackie Cooper, who had resumed his acting career after returning from the war.<ref name="auto10">''American Film Institute''[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25372], accessed June 9, 2011.</ref> With production completed in early February 1947 and MGM showing no serious interest in her by that spring, Gene asked for and was granted release from her contract.<ref name="auto10"/><ref name="auto7"/> She then signed once more as herself, Gene Roberts, with 20th Century-Fox Film Corporation but was overlooked by the studio there as well.<ref name="auto7"/> After a year had passed, Gene opted out of the 20th Century contract and was on the move again.
==Name change== In mid-June 1948, Universal-International brought Gene aboard with what would become a three-year contract. Once again, she had no idea if she would be offered any work there either.<ref name="auto7"/> Surprisingly, just two days later, she was cast as Helen and filming on the set of ''Criss Cross'' with Burt Lancaster, Yvonne De Carlo and Dan Duryea.<ref name="auto7"/><ref name="auto10"/> This became a significant event that inevitably changed her career potential and her name.
Prior to signing with Universal-International, Gene had married a studio musician named Robert Thorpe.<ref>''Nevada State Journal'', June 18, 1950, "Fidler in Hollywood", Reno, NV, p. 4.</ref><ref name="auto4"/> It was the opinion of U-I producers that neither her birth name, Gene Roberts, nor her married name Gene Thorpe (also known as Jean Thorpe), was considered a good fit for her Hollywood identity.<ref name="auto4"/> As a new U-I player, Gene was obliged to immediately select a screen name. Since this occurred during the production of ''Criss Cross'', she was dubbed "Miss X" early on by the studio.<ref>''American Film Institute''[http://www.afi.com/members/catalog/DetailView.aspx?s=&Movie=25889], accessed June 12, 2011.</ref><ref name="auto1"/> The name Meg McClure was first chosen and announced in a press release along with her new image in a Hollywood fashioned pose set against a giant "X".<ref>''The Morning Herald'', September 9, 1948, "No Longer Miss X", Hagerstown, MD, p. 2.</ref> However, this name was short-lived. Another young newcomer had already changed her name to M'Liss McClure and attracted gossip column interest with her protests about the competing last name.<ref name="auto1"/> Overall, it was reported that the publicity over the name change drew six thousand letters into the studio offering name suggestions.<ref name="auto1"/> Before filming ended on the movie, a new name was chosen and Gene would forever be publicly recognized by her screen name, Meg Randall.
==Filmography== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year !! Title !! Role !! Notes |- | rowspan=2 | 1947 || ''Undercover Maisie'' || Manny || Alternative title: ''Kick!'' |- | ''Stork Bites Man'' || Peg Brown || |- | rowspan=4 | 1949 || ''Ma and Pa Kettle'' || Kim Parker || Alternative title: ''The Further Adventures of Ma and Pa Kettle'' |- | ''The Life of Riley'' || Barbara "Babs" Riley || |- | ''Criss Cross'' || Helen || |- | ''Abandoned'' || Dottie Jensen || Alternative titles: ''Abandoned Women'' and ''Not Wanted'' |- | 1950 || ''Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town'' || Kim Parker Kettle || |- | 1951 || ''Ma and Pa Kettle Back on the Farm'' || Kim Parker Kettle || |- | 1952 || ''Without Warning!'' || Jane Saunders || |- | rowspan=2 | 1957 || ''Chain of Evidence'' || Polly Gunther || |- | ''Last of the Badmen'' || Lila || |}
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0709649}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Randall, Meg}} Category:1926 births Category:2018 deaths Category:Actresses from Oklahoma Category:American film actresses Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Category:People from Clinton, Oklahoma Category:University of Oklahoma alumni Category:20th-century American actresses Category:21st-century American women