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Showing posts with label lynne baggett mystery guest. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lynne baggett mystery guest. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Lynne Baggett Revealed!




Lynne Baggett won't be remembered her for her lackluster screen career. Almost half of her appearances in film were uncredited, including a moment in Mildred Pierce as a waitress. Her last on screen gig occurred in 1951. She was 21 when she met producer Sam Spiegel, 19 years her senior.  Before she married Spiegel in '48, she had a fling with George Tobias (Abner Kravitz on Bewitched).  Speigel and Lynne had a rocky marriage. Lynne consorted with writer Irwin Shaw while hubby was busy producing The African Queen. (John Huston, the director, had been a witness at the Spiegel nuptials). After Spiegel threw Baggett out, she had a brief affair with Huston. In 1952, Sam filed for divorce and Lynne became a dance instructor at Arthur Murray.

On July 7, 1954 while on her way home from a party at Arthur Treacher's, she hit a station wagon filled with boy's coming home from summer camp. Joel Watnick was killed in the accident, an accident she doesn't report. Two days later, the police bring her in for questioning. The car she drove is traced to Tobias. Seems he'd loaned the car to her that day. 

Baggett is arrested, husband Sam pays her bail. She's convicted on a felony charge of hit and run driving, but is acquitted of a second felony count of manslaughter. She is given a 60 day sentence in jail of which she served 50 days. 

June 1959, Lynne attempts suicide, but makes a phone call prior to losing consciousness and is rescued. Prior to her successful suicide in 1960, she was diagnosed as partially paralyzed due to drug addiction.