The entrancing and exotic-eyed "B"-level leading lady Jody Lawrance, whose 1950's career was spotty at best, provided lovely diversion from the manly adventure movies she helped bring to the screen. Personal turmoil and studio conflicts, however, ultimately hurt her career and the remainder of her life was spent out of the limelight. She was born Nona Josephine Goddard in Fort Worth, Texas, on October 19, 1930. Her childhood was troubled and disruptive. Parents Ervin S. were born from this relationship. Other than an isolated TV appearance on "The Red Skelton Show" in 1968, little was heard of Jody following this period until it was learned that she had died in Ojai, California on July 10, 1986, at age 55.
Foster sister to Marilyn Monroe
1955 Deb Star.
Noted as an expert swimmer.
Under contract to Columbia from 1949-53.
Co-founded Screen Tests Inc. with Benno Schneider in February 1953.
Made ends meet by working as a waitress in an ice cream parlour near the UCLA campus in 1955.
From her first marriage, daughter Victoria Tilton on October 6, 1957. She had two children from her second marriage, Robert Wolf Herre, Jr. and Abigail Christian "Chrissy" Herre (October 10, 1963).
A young Norma Jeane Baker (later sex goddess Marilyn Monroe ) lived in a foster home situation with Jodys stepmother, Grace McKee, a good friend of her mother Gladys Baker and a film librarian for Columbia Studios, on and off for several years (1935-1942). It was supposedly Grace who paid for Norma Jeanes singing, dancing and piano lessons and she became Norma Jeanes legal guardian when her mother Gladys Baker was institutionalized. Grace McKee Goddard married Jodys father, Erwin Goddard, in 1937 and together they lived in their modest Van Nuys, California bungalow. 11-year-old Jody eventually moved in with her father in California and met her 15-year-old foster sister Norma Jeane during the 1941-1942 period. Jody later described Norma Jeane as a "shy and introverted girl," somewhat neurotic who clammed up and was very sensitive toward her surroundings. At one point, Jodys father volunteered to serve as Marilyns business manager when the star started to make money. Marilyn, however, eventually phased Erwin out of her dealings. In 1953, Jodys stepmother, Grace, who set Norma Jeane up with her first husband, James Daugherty, committed suicide in 1953 from a barbiturate overdose. Interestingly, it was Marilyn who made all the funeral arrangements for Grace and it was Marilyn who killed herself in the very same manner nine years later in 1962.
Asked Columbia Pictures execs to recast her role of Nancy Flynn in the musical All Ashore because she felt her singing and dancing skills were not up to par. The studio refused and Jody wound up performing the role. The studio later released her from her contract due to this "difficulty". The irony of it all is that her singing and dancing abilities (as well as that of Barbara Bates ) were barely utilized in the film other than a brief bit in the films closing song "Boy Meets Girl / Catalina". Mickey Rooney , Dick Haymes , Peggy Ryan and Ray McDonald handled almost all of the musical chores.
