Three Dames From Carmel: Radio Stars on California's Central Coat

The little town of Carmel-By-The-Sea on California's Central Coast can hardly be called a sleepy little place. Not that it has been a hot bed of scandal, but with a thriving artist colony that goes back nearly to the town's founding, well, let's just say that it would be an interesting place to live. A San Francisco newspaper reported in 1910 that 60% of the houses in Carmel were built by persons "devoting their lives to work connected with the aesthetic arts."

The early city councils were often dominated by artists elected to the board, and actors have served as mayor on a few occasions, including Clint Eastwood who was elected to a single term from 1986-88. Carmel-By-The-Sea is noteworthy for a number of ordinances that would seem to appeal the the resident's artistic sensibilities. Shoes with high narrow heels can only be worn after a permit has been obtained from city hall, and a highlight of Mr. Eastwood's administration was the lifting of a ban on selling and eating ice cream on public streets.

The city is very dog friendly. Many hotels and restaurants allow customers to bring their furry friends into the establishment, and even have menu items for pooch.

There appears to be something in the air in Carmel that agrees with Radio Actresses. The town has three actresses from the Golden Age in residence, all three active, although only one still working in show business.

 

Joan Fountaine was born in Tokyo in 1917. The daughter of British patent attorney Walter de Havilland, Joan spent much of her youth sickly and competing for her mother's affection with her older sister, Olivia. Through the years Joan and Olivia de Havilland would compete for movie parts and Oscars. Older sister Olivia has appeared publicly as recently as Feb 2011 in Paris where she has lived since the 1950s. Joan lives in Carmel and enjoys tending her garden and enjoying her dogs in relative seclusion.

  Betty White began appearing on radio during the 1930s, and except for a break to serve with the AWVS during WWII, has continued to perform ever since. During the 40s she appeared on Blondie, The Great Gildersleeve, and This is Your FBI. She even had her own program, the Betty White Show. Her career had a major upswing when she appeared as the man-hungry home-making show host Sue Ann Nivens on The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Her career had another boost as the naïve Rose Nylund on The Golden Girls. Ms. White was active in the Password gameshow franchise as recently as 2008 (Password was originally hosted by her late husband, Allen Ludden. They met on the show.) In 2011 she became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live, and she continues to work with the American Humane Society.

 

At times during her career Doris Day has been mocked as the World's Oldest Virgin. Her wholesome good looks and cheery personality have made her a perennial favorite, and she is still counted as the top female box office star of all time. She began singing with big bands in the late 1930s after an auto accident cut short her hopes of taking up a career as a dancer. Her film career fed her popularity as a recording artist, and her records made her movies more popular. Amazingly, she stayed with the same label, Columbia Records, throughout her career. G.I.s serving in Korea voted Doris their favorite star, and she made a number of romantic comedies and musicals. She faced bankruptcy after the death of her third husband when it was discovered how badly he had mismanaged her affairs. The Doris Day Animal League works closely with the Humane Society to sponsor the annual Spay Day. In 2011 she released My Heart, an album of previously unreleased original material.

The Carmel city and Highway-1 area also inspired and was the back drop of the popular 1947-1948 series, Point Sublime.