Collie's Classy Mother

One of my favorite things about Once More, My Darling (1949) is the character of Mrs. Laing, the long-suffering mother of our favorite playboy Collie (or Bob, all the same).  Mom is so wonderfully brought to the screen by Jane Cowl, a highly successful stage actress and playwright who Bob somehow managed to talk into doing the movie. 

Ms. Cowl was born on December 14, 1884, in Boston, Massachusetts.  The photo below was taken to promote the movie The Spreading Dawn (1917).  She made two silent movies and hurriedly returned to the stage where she was active from 1903 to 1947.  Besides being an excellent actress, its easy to see how her classy appearance added to her stage appeal. 

Unfortunately, Ms. Cowl died of cancer only a year after making Once More.  She starred in two other excellent movies before her death:  Man of her Own (1950) with Barbara Stanwyck and Payment on Demand (1951), released after her death, with Bette Davis.  Holding your own against Montgomery, Stanwyck and Davis ... not bad for a "newcomer!"