Helen Pender

Helen Pender was one of many, many beauty queens that landed in Hollywood and were the object of some kind of a PR stunt to raise their profile. Helen actually appeared in pretty solid movies, but never did manage to get outside of the uncredited roster, and after her contract was up, she ended her career to marry and raise a family. Let’s learn more about her.

EARLY LIFE

Helen Claire Pender was born on December 21, 1917, in Manhattan, New York City, daughter of William Pender and Ella Powers. Both of her parents were born in Ireland. Her older sister, Margaret Claudia, was born in 1915, and her younger brother, John, in 1921. Her father was a mechanical engineer who specialized in streetcars and other urban railways.

The family moved to Washington DC where Helen and her siblings grew up, and attended elementary and high school. Helen was a pretty girl who turned heads. After graduating from high school, she first worked as a stenographer, at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer’s film exchange in Washington, but in the late 1930s she started to work as a model and took part is beauty pageants. She became a Powers model in Washington, DC. In a funny twist of fate, Helen was proclaimed “Miss Maryland” 1941, but she was officially resident of Washington DC, and thus was not even eligible to compete, and she was stripped of the title when this was discovered. But her success, despite the lack of a title, gave her the push to move to Los Angeles and try to start a movie career.

Helen worked as a model in LA for a short time, hoping to catch the eye of some talent scout or another. Helen’s dreams of a movie contract came come true in 1943 when she was chosen to reign as the belle of the Hollywood Talk Of the Town ‘Premiere-Party by the members of 40 motion picture guilds and crafts. The party the culmination of a contest of a week’s duration in which Hollywood guild member sponsored scores of candidates for the chance of film fame and fortune. Out of countless participants, it was Helen who was chosen as being the most deserving of a chance for film recognition. She was signed by Warner Bros, and her career was of!

CAREER

Helen made her movie debut in Arabian Nights, a typical escaping Technicolor extravaganza of the time, with the queen of camp, Maria Montez, as the leading lady. The story isn’t even relevant here, just enjoy the eye candy and the atmosphere! It’s fun and colorful, but don’t expect anything else. Jon Hall is Maria’s leading man, and while quite handsome, he was pretty wooden, but okay they at least look pretty nice.

Then came Music for Millions, a heartwarming, endearing movie that Hollywood so rarely makes these days. It’s about how two children, and their sister, who plays in a classical music orchestra, see the happenings during WW2 – young man drafted and sent overseas to fight. While the topic at hand is very difficult, and may trigger somebody who had ever been in a similar situation (waiting for your loved one to return from war), it’s handled very tastefully, and Margaret O’Brien as the young girl is a true marvel! June Allyson, an actress whom I don’t particularly like, plays the leading role, and classical music giant Jose Itrubi plays the orchestra leader. Plenty of nice music, emotional moments and a sense of hope, despite all the hardships. This is what old Hollywood could easily deliver. And you can’t but enjoy it.

Helen then appeared in a string of pretty good movies. The first was Mildred Pierce, a true classic that needs no introduction. Joan Crawford at her best! Next up was Night and Day, the biopic of Cole Porter, with tons of his charming music, and him being played by Cary Grant! Imagine that Cary Grant plays you in your biopic! You hit the jackpot. No, it’s a solid, breezy, happy go lucky musical in the best vein of old Hollywood musicals, please enjoy without thinking too deeply about it.

Helen then appeared in two movies by Errol Flynn, –Never Say Goodbye and Escape Me Never. Never say Goodbye is more of a light comedy, with Errol Flynn playing a highly successful commercial artist trying to reconcile with his ex-wife, played by Eleanor Parker, and aided in the quest by his uber cute little daughter, played by Patti Brady. Anyone who watched at least two of this kind of movies will know exactly how this ends, but who can resist the charm of Mr. Flynn, along with classical characters actors like S.Z. Sakall and Lucile Watson and the kind? Plus I simply adore Eleanor Parker, what a luminous, powerful actress! Escape me never is more of a weepie-melodrama, where Ida is in love composer with Errol Flynn but Errol loves his brother’s fiance, played (again) by Eleanor. The actors are miscast at moments and it often goes overboard with the drama, but it’s still touching enough to make it more than watchable.

Helen’s other movie was The Man I Love, a somehow bland mid tier romance with Ida Lupino, Andrea King and Martha Vickers playing three sisters with love problems each. The men are pretty nondescript here (Bruce Bennett, more at home playing Tarzan, is the leading man so you can guess the rest), but Ida is a force of nature, as always.

That was it from Helen!

PRIVATE LIFE

Helen was married once before she landed in Hollywood, but I would not find to exactly whom and exactly when. I can assume it was in the late 1930s, and that they lived in Maryland/Washington DC. Also let’d assume that they divorced sometime in 1941/42. Not long after she hit Hollywood, Helen dated John Howard, the handsome actor who dated so many pretty girls in the 1940s. But she was mostly low key, and was not featured too much in the papers after 1943.

In 1945, Helen started dating Tom D’Andrea, a character actor with a huge filmography. Tom was born in 1909, to Alphonse D’Andrea and Elizabeth Lydon, the second of seven children. His life was quite interesting, and his way to acting was multilayered and unique. To cite Wikipedia:

D’Andrea’s first job was at the Chicago Public Library,^[1] after which he worked in publicity at the Sherman Hotel in Chicago.^[3] Contacts with entertainers at the hotel led to an opportunity to work in Hollywood. After moving there in 1934, he became a publicist for Betty Grable, Gene Autry, Mae Clarke and Jackie Coogan.^[1]

He began writing scripts in 1937, creating lines for Ben Bernie, Jack Benny, Eddie Cantor and Olsen and Johnson^[1] and continued in television, writing for Cantor and Donald O’Connor on their shows.^[3]

In 1941,^[3] D’Andrea was drafted into the Army Air Corps. He was assigned to write a Gracie Fields program after being stationed at Camp Roberts, California. Reading lines at a rehearsal, Fields decided to have him read the lines in the show. He was assigned to the Overseas Radio Unit in 1943, and he began performing comedy in addition to writing.^[3]

While at Ciro’s Restaurant on Sunset Strip attracted a Warner Bros.‘ executive’s attention, resulting in a role in This is the Army, with Ronald Reagan.^[1] In 1946, the studio signed him to a long-term contract.^[4]

Whoa, what a trajectory! In addition to a busy professional life, Tom was married twice before he met Helen. His first wife was Mary Bowler, and they had a son, Thomas Michael, born in 1930. They divorced sometime in the late 1930s/early 1940s. Anyway, Tom and Helen dated for several years before eloping in style! As the article claims:

Actor Tom d’Andrea and Helen Claire Pender hurried into the Marriage License Bureau yesterday noon, obtained the document, arranged to be married forthwith and, 45 minutes later, walked out of Superior Court as man and wife.”

Sometime before the marriage, Helen ended her movie career for good, and got into the more lucrative field of modeling. So, it was back to the beginning for Helen. But it’s always good when someone reinvents his/herself and if needed, returns to his previous lines of work, but this time as a changed person.

Helen gave birth to two sons: James William, born on July 5, 1949, and Michael Joseph, born on May 13, 1952. The family lived a happy life in California, with Tom acting all the way up to the mid 70s. After his retirement, with the kids all grows up, he and Helen moved to Florida, to enjoy their golden years.

Tom died on May 14, 1998 in Florida. Helen remained in Florida after his death, and did not remarry.

Helen D’Andrea died on February 28, 2007, in Punta Gorda, Florida.