Rita Oehmen(1917-1995)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
Rita K. Oehmen was born on June 24, 1917 in Chicago, Illinois. From the
time she was young, she was paired with her brother Edward to do a
Vaudville show billed as the Oehmen twins. This lasted until about the
age of 20, when she branched out on her own doing a stand-up act while
going to college. At this time, she was discovered and went to RKO
because it had the same initials that she did. She made several movies,
but she never became famous. At one time, she was slated to replace
Ginger Rogers as Fred Astaire's dance partner, but ironically the way that she
looked younger than she was, was used against her because she looked
more like Fred's granddaughter than a dance partner.
In the early 1940s, she met Brian Farnon and married him, eventually having three children Shannon Farnon, Charmian Carr, and Darleen Carr. In the 1950s, the family moved from Chicago to California and shortly afterward Brian asked Rita if he could move his girlfriend into the house. Rita understandably did not like this and they divorced very bitterly. In 1964, one of her friends happened to ask her if her daughters could audition for a movie that they were producing. Her 21 year old daughter Charmian became Liesel in The Sound of Music (1965).
In the mid 1990s, her three daughters contronted her about her drinking saying that she could drink, but they would not sit there and watch her kill herself anymore. In 1995, she finally succumbed to her drinking. Her funeral was attended by many people, some wondering what her life could have been if she had not been an alcoholic. Nicholas Hammond, her daughter's screen brother, happened to be in California at the time and having known her for 30 years made a very eloquent speech that it did not matter that she drank, she made a lasting contribution through her three daughters. She was then cremated and her ashes spread out into the Pacific Ocean.
In the early 1940s, she met Brian Farnon and married him, eventually having three children Shannon Farnon, Charmian Carr, and Darleen Carr. In the 1950s, the family moved from Chicago to California and shortly afterward Brian asked Rita if he could move his girlfriend into the house. Rita understandably did not like this and they divorced very bitterly. In 1964, one of her friends happened to ask her if her daughters could audition for a movie that they were producing. Her 21 year old daughter Charmian became Liesel in The Sound of Music (1965).
In the mid 1990s, her three daughters contronted her about her drinking saying that she could drink, but they would not sit there and watch her kill herself anymore. In 1995, she finally succumbed to her drinking. Her funeral was attended by many people, some wondering what her life could have been if she had not been an alcoholic. Nicholas Hammond, her daughter's screen brother, happened to be in California at the time and having known her for 30 years made a very eloquent speech that it did not matter that she drank, she made a lasting contribution through her three daughters. She was then cremated and her ashes spread out into the Pacific Ocean.
