Louise LaPlanche obit

Former Hollywood actress Louise LaPlanche of Ann Arbor dies at 93

 

She was not on the list.

Louise LaPlanche, an actress during Hollywood's Golden Age before moving to Ann Arbor for the past 15 years, died Friday, one day after her 93rd birthday.

"She is the end of an era," said LaPlanche's daughter, Pat Johnston, a former teacher and principal at Wines Elementary School.

"She was in the movies from a very young age beginning with the original 'Hunchback of Notre Dame' with Lon Chaney and then was under contract with MGM and Paramount Pictures and was in many pictures with Bob Hope and Bing Crosby."

LaPlanche's mother moved to southern California from Kansas and had two daughters, Louise and Rosemary. Louise began her movie career at age 3, playing a gypsy girl in the silent film version of the "Hunchback of Notre Dame" in 1923.

Both sisters participated in numerous contests from dancing to beauty pageants, and Rosemary LaPlanche went on to win the title of Miss America in 1941. Louise won the title of Miss Catalina in 1939, which led to her signing with MGM, where she was featured in the movie "Strike Up the Band" with Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland.

LaPlanche went on to sign with Paramount Pictures and appeared in "Holiday Inn" with Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire. She played a harem girl who painted Bob Hope's toenails in "Road to Morocco."

LaPlanche married Lester Freedman, a clothing manufacturer, and modeled for him. The couple had two children, Phil Freedman, and Johnston.

After her husband's death when she was 65, LaPlanche went back to acting, doing commercials and bit parts on television shows, including "The Golden Girls" and several soap operas.

"My mom was a pretty amazing woman," said Johnston in an email. "She lived through breast cancer at 30, non-smokers lung cancer at 60, and colon cancer at 90. She was a very fun, upbeat person, and people that knew her enjoyed being with her."

Funeral information was not available Saturday.

 

Actress

Ethan Embry and Ed O'Neill in Dutch (1991)

Dutch

6.5

Woman (uncredited)

1991

 

Memories of Me (1988)

Memories of Me

5.7

Secretary (uncredited)

1988

 

Veronica Lake, Eddie Bracken, Marjorie Reynolds, and Sonny Tufts in Bring on the Girls (1945)

Bring on the Girls

5.9

Girl (uncredited)

1945

 

Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray in Practically Yours (1944)

Practically Yours

6.1

Attractive Girl (uncredited)

1944

 

Bing Crosby, Betty Hutton, and Sonny Tufts in Here Come the Waves (1944)

Here Come the Waves

6.1

Photographer (uncredited)

1944

 

Joan Fontaine and Arturo de Córdova in Frenchman's Creek (1944)

Frenchman's Creek

6.1

Bit Role (uncredited)

1944

 

Dorothy Lamour in Rainbow Island (1944)

Rainbow Island

7.0

Native Girl (uncredited)

1944

 

Ray Milland, Ginger Rogers, Warner Baxter, and Jon Hall in Lady in the Dark (1944)

Lady in the Dark

5.9

Office Girl (uncredited)

1944

 

Betty Hutton, Mimi Chandler, Dorothy Lamour, Diana Lynn, and Fred MacMurray in And the Angels Sing (1944)

And the Angels Sing

6.2

Ticket Taker (uncredited)

1944

 

Cass Daley, Gil Lamb, Dorothy Lamour, Victor Moore, and Dick Powell in Riding High (1943)

Riding High

5.0

Showgirl (uncredited)

1943

 

Bob Hope and Betty Hutton in Let's Face It (1943)

Let's Face It

6.0

Chorus Girl (uncredited)

1943

 

Ingrid Bergman and Gary Cooper in For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)

For Whom the Bell Tolls

6.8

Cafe Girl (uncredited)

1943

 

Barbara Stanwyck and Michael O'Shea in Lady of Burlesque (1943)

Lady of Burlesque

6.3

Chorine (uncredited)

1943

 

Macdonald Carey and Betty Jane Rhodes in Salute for Three (1943)

Salute for Three

6.5

Middle Hostess Telling Buzz 'Goodnight' (uncredited)

1943

 

William Holden and Martha O'Driscoll in Young and Willing (1943)

Young and Willing

5.7

Actress (uncredited)

1943

 

Mary Martin in Happy Go Lucky (1943)

Happy Go Lucky

6.2

Showgirl (uncredited)

1943

 

Alan Ladd, Veronica Lake, William Bendix, Bing Crosby, Susan Hayward, Bob Hope, Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Betty Hutton, Walter Abel, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Eddie Bracken, Macdonald Carey, Jerry Colonna, Dorothy Lamour, Fred MacMurray, Mary Martin, Victor Moore, Dick Powell, Marjorie Reynolds, Betty Jane Rhodes, Franchot Tone, Vera Zorina, and The Golden Gate Quartette in Star Spangled Rhythm (1942)

Star Spangled Rhythm

6.6

Swing Shift Singer (uncredited)

1942

 

Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour in Road to Morocco (1942)

Road to Morocco

7.0

Handmaiden (uncredited)

1942

 

Susan Hayward, Paulette Goddard, Fred MacMurray, and Lynne Overman in The Forest Rangers (1942)

The Forest Rangers

6.7

Cowgirl in Hotel Lobby (uncredited)

1942

 

Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Virginia Dale, and Marjorie Reynolds in Holiday Inn (1942)

Holiday Inn

7.3

Guest at Inn (uncredited)

1942

 

Jerry Colonna, Ann Miller, and Betty Jane Rhodes in Priorities on Parade (1942)

Priorities on Parade

6.6

Chorine (uncredited)

1942

 

Albert Dekker, Preston Foster, and Patricia Morison in Night in New Orleans (1942)

Night in New Orleans

5.9

Miss Louisiana (uncredited)

1942

 

Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in This Gun for Hire (1942)

This Gun for Hire

7.4

Dancer (uncredited)

1942

 

John Wayne, Susan Hayward, Ray Milland, Paulette Goddard, Raymond Massey, Lynne Overman, and Robert Preston in Reap the Wild Wind (1942)

Reap the Wild Wind

6.6

Ball Guest (uncredited)

1942

 

Dorothy Lamour in The Fleet's In (1942)

The Fleet's In

6.6

Hostess (uncredited)

1942

 

Wade Boteler, Ralph Dunn, Martha O'Driscoll, and Robert Preston in Pacific Blackout (1941)

Pacific Blackout

7.2

Salesgirl (uncredited)

1941

 

Bob Hope, Irène Bordoni, Victor Moore, and Vera Zorina in Louisiana Purchase (1941)

Louisiana Purchase

6.0

Louisiana Belle

1941

 

Judy Garland, James Stewart, Hedy Lamarr, and Lana Turner in Ziegfeld Girl (1941)

Ziegfeld Girl

6.7

Ziegfeld Girl (uncredited)

1941

 

Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, and Paul Whiteman in Strike Up the Band (1940)

Strike Up the Band

6.8

Student (uncredited)

1940

 

Eddie Cantor and Baby Quintanilla in Forty Little Mothers (1940)

Forty Little Mothers

6.5

Teenager (uncredited)

1940

 

Lon Chaney and Patsy Ruth Miller in The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923)

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

7.2

Baby Esmeralda (uncredited)

1923