Named for her birthplace (Charlotte, North Carolina), Charlotte Austin born 2 November 1933, was the daughter of Gene Austin,
a top crooner of the 1920s and 1930s and the composer of many popular
songs. Dramatic training and a screen test led to a contract at 20th
Century-Fox for Charlotte in the early 1950s, when she had parts in the
studio's How to Marry a Millionaire (1953), Désirée (1954) and Daddy Long Legs (1955), and she co-starred (on loanout to Columbia) in the musical Castle in the Air
(1952). Freelancing after the mid-'50s, she moved from musicals to
monsters, perhaps most notoriously tackling half of the title role in
the Edward D. Wood Jr.-scripted The Bride and the Beast (1958). She is now a dealer in antiques.
With the advent of Cinemascope, Twentieth Century-Fox sent a half-dozen preview scenes of How to Marry a Millionaire (1953) to distributors worldwide showcasing the new process. Austin played the nearsighted "Loco" in these previews, with the original cast (Betty Grable, Lauren Bacall, David Wayne) playing their parts. In the completed film, Marilyn Monroe played the role of "Loco", with Charlotte playing the role of "Ding-Dong". Austin played the role of "Loco" again in the pilot for the TV series How to Marry a Millionaire (1957). Barbara Eden played the role in the final series. All cast members were replaced (with the exception of Lori Nelson), as was the director, John Rich (of All in the Family (1971)) fame.
Her 1958 film The Bride and the Beast (1958), written by Edward D. Wood Jr., was released on DVD, newly remastered, in the spring of 2002 by Retromedia. VCI's later DVD release of the movie featured an audio commentary with Austin, supporting player Trustin Howard (aka Slick Slavin), gorilla movie expert Bob Burns and interviewer Tom Weaver.
Interviewed about her horror/sci-fi movies in "It Came from Horrorwood: Interviews with Moviemakers in the SF and Horror Tradition" by Tom Weaver (McFarland, 1996).
Her singing voice for "Rainbow 'Round My Shoulder" was dubbed by Jo Ann Greer, a noted vocalist who also sang for Rita Hayworth, Esther Williams, Kim Novak and Gloria Grahame.
Interviewed about her father, Gene Austin, and her Western credits in "Wild Wild Westerners" by Tom Weaver (BearManor, 2012).
Owns and runs an antique shop in Pasadena specializing in romantic Victorian furnishings She has a grown daughter, is songwriting and recording again and completed a musical based on "The Trial of the Century".
Gallery for vintage actress Charlotte Austin
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