Viola Essen became living proof that stardom in ballet does not generate equal success on screen. Signed by Republic boss Herbert J. Yates on the strength of her dance pantomime in the short-lived Broadway musical 'Hollywood Pinafore', the diminutive twenty-one year old ballerina was cast in one of the studio's biggest-ever productions, Specter of the Rose (1946). The picture was launched amidst an extensive publicity campaign with ads in most of the major periodicals, including 'Life', 'Cue' and 'Look' , and it was written, directed and produced by the prodigious academy award winner Ben Hecht. Unfortunately, the tale of 'dark terror and strange love' failed to generate box office in spite of moderate critical plaudits for being offbeat. The New York Times Review (September 2,1946) more scathingly urged Hecht "having satisfied his unconventional soul" to return to "writing the kind of conventional film he dislikes doing but does so with such resourcefulness that everyone else has a good time".
Viola returned to the Ballet Theatre and later appeared on Broadway in 'Along Fifth Avenue' (1949), starring Jackie Gleason. Professionally, she was destined never to appear on the big screen again and in her later life suffered financial hardship.
Essen married at least five times, but all the marriages were brief. Her first husband was actor Richard Deane; they divorced in 1944. Her second husband was Polish-born violinist Werner Ludwig Gebauer; they married in 1946 and divorced in 1948. Peter Cadeby was her third husband; they married in 1949. Her fourth husband was Herbert Crane; they married in 1953. Her fifth husband was actor Gabriel Dell; they married in 1956, and had a son, Beau.
She died from an overdose of slepping pills in 1970
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