Rosella Towne obit

Rosella Towne (Jan 20 1918 – Aug 29 2014)

She was not on the list.

Rosella Towne, the actress who appeared in numerous Warner Bros films opposite Ronald Reagan, has died aged 96 on August 29th 2014.

Her death was confirmed to me by her son, Anthony, via email:

“A message was forwarded to me from the Whitney Center in Hamden, Connecticut, where my mother Rosella Townsend (Kronman) resided until her death at the end of August of this year. She was 96, and had had a happy and healthy life. Thanks for your inquiry”

Rosella appeared opposite the future President of the United States in films such as Sergeant Murphy (1938), Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938), Secret Service of the Air (1939),  Code of the Secret Service (1939).

Her most famous role is that of Jane Arden, in the 1939 Warner Bros film The Adventures of Jane Arden, where she investigates the smuggling of jewels.

The character of Jane Arden, a reporter seeking to expose criminal activity, was created by writer Monte Barrett and artist Frank Ellis for the Register and Tribune Syndicate.   It became an international syndicated comic strip from 1927 to 1968.

In 1942 Rosella married Harry Kronman, a screenwriter who would pen episodes of The Rifleman (1959-1961),  The Untouchables (1960-1963),  The Fugitive (1963-1967), The Virginian (1963-1970) and Gunsmoke (1965-1973).

She retired from acting upon her marriage to Harry.

She is survived by two sons, Anthony and Michael, five grandchildren, Matthew, Cole, Emma, Hope and Alexander, and two great grandchildren, Sabine and Eleni.

Filmography

    Varsity Show (1937) as passerby

    It's Love I'm After (1937) as autograph seeker

    Submarine D-1 (1937) as Mary

    Expensive Husbands (1937) as Brenner's receptionist

    Hollywood Hotel (1937) as secretary

    Sergeant Murphy (1938) as Alice Valentine

    The Patient in Room 18 (1938) as Maida Day

    Blondes at Work (1938) as Louisa Revelle

    Fools for Scandal (1938) as Diana

    Gold Diggers in Paris (1938) as golddigger

    Men Are Such Fools (1938) as Linda's secretary

    Cowboy from Brooklyn (1938) as Panthea Landis

    Sons of the Plains (short) (1938)

    Boy Meets Girl (1938) as hospital nurse

    Secrets of an Actress (1938) as seated party guest

    Campus Cinderella (short) (1938) as co-ed

    The Sisters (1938) as telephone operator

    Hard to Get (1938) Miss Gray

    Declaration of Independence (1938) as Betsy Kramer

    Going Places (1938) as young lady at party

    Yes, My Darling Daughter (1939) as Edith Colby

    Secret Service of the Air (1939) as Zelma Warren

    The Adventures of Jane Arden (1939) as Jane Arden

    Women in the Wind (1939) as Phyllis

    Dark Victory (1939) as girl in box

    Code of the Secret Service (1939) as Elaine

    The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) as lady of the court

    Flight Angels (1940) as student

    Rocky Mountain Rangers (1940) as Doris Manners

    No, No, Nanette (1940) as stewardess

    The Hard-Boiled Canary (1941) as girl

    A Gentle Gangster (1943) as Helen Barton