Ohmart Carol

Armelia Carol Ohmart (June 3, 1927 – January 1, 2002), better known as Carol Ohmart, was an American actress who is best known for the Michael Curtiz film, The Scarlet Hour (1956). She's also known for lead roles in numerous film noir and horror films.

Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, into a Mormon family her father was C. Thomas Ohmart, a dentist who was first a professional actor, and Armelia Ohmart. She attended East High School in Salt Lake City, Utah, and graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington. Ohmart won the Miss Utah 1946 title (A September 27, 1945, newspaper article gives her title as "Miss Utah, 1945".) at the age of 19. (An Associated Press news story published September 6, 1945, says that Ohmart won the Miss Utah title when she was 17). She then won fourth place in the Miss America pageant. (An Associated Press news story published September 8, 1946, says Ohmart "placed fourth runner-up," which equates to fifth place.) In 1947, Ohmart became a model for the character "Copper Calhoun" in Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon comic strip.

At age 12, Ohmart was a singer on KFRC in San Francisco, California. She also sang on KSL, KUTA and KDYL in her hometown of Salt Lake City. Additionally, she sang with dance bands, including that of Jan Garber. Ohmart was seen on early television doing commercials, appearing on NBC's Bonny Maid Versatile Varieties (1949–51), which aired Friday nights at 9 p.m. Ohmart was seen pitching floor wax along with Anne Francis and Eva Marie Saint, with the trio also hosting the show. She also worked on The 20th Century Fox Hour. Ohmart moved to New York in 1955 where she worked as an understudy on Broadway. Ohmart had steady work in television until the early 1970s, with guest roles in Bat Masterson, Ripcord, The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Get Smart, Perry Mason and Barnaby Jones. Dubbed a "female Brando" by the press, Paramount Pictures signed her in 1955 and promoted her as the next Marilyn Monroe. After spending nearly $2 Million promoting her, she was released from her contract. 

She briefly retired from acting, only to return a year later, starring in numerous films and television series. One of her most noted roles was in William Castle's House on Haunted Hill (1959), playing the murder-plotting wife of Vincent Price. Her last film role was in 1974 with The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe. Milton Caniff draws Steve Canyon's "Copper Calhoon", with Ohmart as his model (1947). After her acting career, Ohmart left Hollywood to study metaphysics. Ohmart was married three times, most notably to actor Wade Preston. They wed in 1956 and were divorced in 1958. Her first marriage, in 1949, was to actor Ken Grayson; it was annulled in 1951. In 1978, she married William Traberth, and retired in Sequim, Washington. She changed her name to Kariomar S. Traberth and left her fame in the past. Ohmart died in Fort Collins, CO on January 1, 2002.

Filmography

• The Scarlet Hour (1956)
• The Wild Party (1956)
• Born Reckless (1958)
• House on Haunted Hill (1959)
• The Scavengers (1959)
• Wild Youth (1961)
• One Man's Way (1963)
• Caxambu! (1967)
• Spider Baby (1968)
• The Spectre of Edgar Allan Poe (1974)