By Bettelou PetersonKnight-Ridder Newspapers
Whatever happened to Priscilla Lane, of the Lane sisters, of 1930s and '40s movies? - C.T., San Fernando, Calif.Stats: Born June 12, 1917, in Indianola, Iowa,. as Priscilla Mullican. Studied music at Simpson College, Des Moines. Married twice, four children.
Early years: Priscilla was the youngest of five sisters, of whom two others, Lola and Rosemary, also had movie careers. Priscilla and Rosemary started in show business singing with Fred Waring's Pennsylvanians and made their movie bow with him in "Variety Show" in 1937. Warner Bros. signed them to contracts. (Lola was already working for Warners.)
Famous for: With Lola and Rosemary, plus Gale Page, she starred in a series of movies about four sisters. The first "Four Daughters," in 1938, was John Garfields's first major movie. "Daughters Courageous," "Four Wives" and "Four Mothers" were sequels.
In recent years: Priscilla was the most successful of the Lane sisters. Among her major movies: "Brother Rat" (with Ronald Reagan), "Dust Be My Destiny" (with Garfield), "The Roaring Twenties," "Saboteur" (for Hitchcock) and "Arsenic and Old Lace." She retired from movies in 1948 and moved to New Hampshire with her second husband, where she still lives.
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