Virginia Mayo. One of BeansTalk's favorite actresses (we have many fond childhood memories of this former Goldwyn girl), has died at 84 (on Sunday, January 16, 2005). The Los Angeles Times website reports she died of heart failure and pneumonia, at a nursing home near her Thousand Oaks, Calif. home. Mayo, a St. Louis, MO native, was probably best known for her musical-comedy roles opposite Danny Kaye: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Up in Arms (she had very small non-speaking role as a gorgeous Goldwyn Girl), A Song is Born (a remake of Ball of Fire; both directed by Howard Hawks), The Kid From Brooklyn. She was leading lady to Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Bob Hope, James Cagney, Joel McCrea, Alan Ladd, Rex Harrison, Kirk Douglas and Burt Lancaster, among others (even Ronald Reagan). www.virginiamayo.com
