Kristine Miller (born Jacqueline Olivia Eskesen, June 13, 1925 – 2015) was an American film actress. She appeared in film noir and Westerns. A discovery of Paramount producer Hal Wallis, she appeared in I Walk Alone (1948), Jungle Patrol (1948), Too Late for Tears (1949), Shadow on the Wall (1950), and the TV series Stories of the Century (1954–55).
Early life Miller was born Jacqueline Olivia Eskesen, the younger of two daughters of Johannes Bach Eskesen, a Danish oil executive, and US-born Myrtle Bennett Eskesen (née Witham; 1890–1976), an Orpheum Circuit singer"Press Club Develops Latent Talent, Minstrels Will Spring Surprises: 'Twelve Years after' Show at Orpheum Opens at Midnight Tonight", San Francisco Chronicle (San Francisco, California), p. 10 (Saturday, April 20, 1918) from Fresno, California.
Her father was vice-president of Standard Oil of Argentina, headquartered in Buenos Aires,"J.B. Eskesens To Live In Denmark", The Fresno Bee-The Republican (Fresno, California), p. 10. (Sunday, November 20, 1932). He was listed as a Standard Oil vice-president as early as April 1926. In Argentina he used the first name "Juan". After leaving Argentina, he went into the fruit import business in Europe, which later failed. He was later employed in Argentina as of May 22, 1938. where Miller and her older sister, Dorothea, were born. After a decade in Argentina, the family sailed to New Orleans, landing in July 1931. They temporarily moved to Myrtle's hometown of Fresno for a year, then moved to Copenhagen, Denmark in 1932John Todd (Friday, December 13, 1946), In Hollywood, The Courier-Gazette (McKinney, Texas), pg. 2 when Miller was 7 years old. In 1938, before the beginning of the Second World War in Europe, mother and daughters relocated again, this time to Long Island, New York.Bernard F. Dick (The University Press of Kentucky, May 21, 2004), Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars, p. 111 Later they moved back to Fresno,Anonymous (Sunday, May 22, 1938), "Mrs. Eskesen Is Back From Denmark", The Fresno Bee-The Republican (Fresno, California), p. 9 then on to San Francisco, California, where Jacqueline became a naturalized United States citizen on December 7, 1942.U.S. Naturalization Record Indexes, 1791-1992 (Indexed in World Archives Project), ancestry.com; accessed December 15, 2016.
Having lived in Argentina and Denmark as a child, she spoke English, Spanish and Danish fluently, and had a working knowledge of Portuguese and German.Dorothy Manners (Tuesday, July 9, 1946), "Kristine Miller Will Star In First Hollywood Production", The Modesto Bee And News-Herald (Modesto, California), pg. 9 During her formative years, she showed no interest in acting. Miller said of her childhood, "My mother was a professional singer and I think she was eager for me to go into the entertainment field."Lyndia Lane (Thursday, November 12, 1953), "Tensions Cause Trouble Says Starlet Kristine Miller", Hollywood Beauty, Abilene Reporter-News (Abilene, Texas), p. 20 However, after she played a main role in her high school's production of George S. Kaufman's The American Way (1939), her taste for show business began to form. In one version of how she was discovered by Hollywood, in 1944 the 18-year-old Miller saw an opportunity when a Warner Brothers talent scout was to attend one of her school's performances. The scout never showed up, so she sent a letter and photograph to the studio, and garnered a screen test at Warner, where she changed her name to Kristine Miller.Everett Aaker (McFarland & Company, May 7, 2007), Television Western Players of the Fifties: A Biographical Encyclopedia of All Regular Cast Members in Western Series, 1949-1959, p. 375. In an alternative account of Miller being discovered: "(Miller) eventually made her way to San Francisco, where she commenced her acting career in little theaters. While appearing in a production of The Doll House, she was spotted by producer Hal B. Wallis, who placed her under personal contract and developed her potential as an actress before she made her screen debut in 1946." When Miller set out for Hollywood, she recalled, "People said to my mother, 'Are you letting that girl go to that awful place?'" But her mother replied, "I know that girl, and she'll be all right."Elaine Hesser (May 2, 2014), "The Choraleers—bringing great lives into harmony for half a century," Great Lives, The Carmel Pine Cone (Pacific Grove, California), p. 29A Although she failed the screen test, she was noticed by producer Hal Wallis, who was then feuding with the studio head, Jack L. Warner. Under acrimonious circumstances, Wallis left Warner Brothers for Paramount Pictures. Wallis brought with him Miller and another actress that also failed a screen test at Warner, the 21-year-old Lizabeth Scott.Bernard F. Dick (The University Press of Kentucky, May 21, 2004), Hal Wallis: Producer to the Stars, pp. 64–84, 111
Paramount years I Walk Alone
At Paramount, Miller made her debut, an uncredited bit part, opposite fellow newcomer Lizabeth Scott in You Came Along (1945). Miller played a showgirl and was billed as "Jacqueleen Eskeson." The pair would appear together in five films, four of them produced by Hal Wallis. Production ran February 6–April 6, 1945.
In 1946, Miller was loaned out to Monogram Pictures. She played a model in the 1946 film noir, Suspense, where she appears as a party guest. Production ran mid-October–early December 1945. Around this time, Miller moved into the old Wallace Reid mansion in Coldwater Canyon, then converted into a boarding house for aspiring actresses known as "The House of the Seven Garbos".Harrison Carroll (Friday, September 6, 1946), Hollywood, The Evening Independent (Massillon, Ohio), p. 4Doris Lilly (February 1950), "House of the Seven Garbos", Screenland, p. 42. "It was a big, rambling structure, built by the famous silent screen star, Wallace Reid, and situated in the very center of Hollywood, right off the famous Sunset Strip. We had christened it The House of the Seven Garbos, because, of course, there were seven of us who had come from all parts of the world to settle in it, and because we all wanted to be actresses, wanted to be Garbos." Among the boarders were Ruth Roman, Suzan Ball and Linda Christian.Anonymous (April 11, 1949), "Movie of the Week: Champion", Life (New York City, New York), p. 73 According to Doris Lilly, a former boarder and later society columnist, "The dignity of the house in general was presided over and encouraged by Kristine Miller, who was blonde haired, high of cheekbone, grey eyed. Kristine had balance, she would check some of our madder impulses, kept us calm when that was necessary. Her manner was quiet and refined, and she had a way of touching a grubby coffeepot as if it were the tiara of the Empress Josephine. In spite of her reserve, we all knew that Kristine had a fine future for her somewhere, and we felt that she was an excellent actress."Doris Lilly (February 1950), "House of the Seven Garbos", Screenland, p. 65.
In July 1946, it was announced that Hal Wallis planned to star Miller in the film version of the Broadway play, Beggars Are Coming to Town (1945), a noirish story of betrayal and vengeance.John Reid (Lulu.com, June 28, 2004), Hollywood Classic Movies 1: New Light on Movie Bests, p. 71 Wallis intended this to be Miller's breakout role.Todd Johnson (Friday, December 13, 1946), In Hollywood, The Courier-Gazette (McKinney, Texas), p. 2 Yet Wallis would skip the usual publicity buildup for a budding actress.Anonymous (Sunday, February 2, 1947), "Wallis Discovery Gets Broadway Role," Denton Record-Chronicle (Denton, Texas), p. 11 Miller was to play a torch singer, Kay Lawrence, who befriends a convict, Frankie Madison, who returns to New York after 14 years in prison. Kay's boyfriend, Noll "Dink" Turner, is the owner of the Regent Club, which Frankie claims to own half of. Tired of Kay, Noll sends her to sweet-talk Frankie in an effort to stall for time. Meanwhile, Noll intends to dump Kay and marry a socialite. Both men battle for control of the business that Turner built while Frankie was in prison.
In the winter of 1946, Miller appeared briefly in Western noir, Desert Fury (1947). She played the priggish Claire Lindquist, daughter of a corrupt judge. Shooting took place from mid-August to early November, 1946. Unusual for such a small role, Wallis ensured Miller received 6th billing, after Wendall Corey, despite her role being little more than walk-on. The film was released August 15, 1947.