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Lee Eva Kuney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Lee Eva Kuney Grover Feldman April 24, 1934 Hollywood, California, US |
| Died | May 24, 2015 (aged 81) Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Nationality | United States |
| Other names | Eva Feldman Lee Feldman |
| Occupation(s) | Child actress, dancer, draftswoman |
| Years active | 1935–1950s |
Lee Eva Kuney (April 24, 1934 – May 24, 2015) was an American child actress, dancer, and draftswoman. She appeared in her first film at the age of 18 months and performed in numerous uncredited film roles; her best known and only screen credit was as six-year-old Trina, the adopted daughter of Cary Grant's and Irene Dunne's characters in Penny Serenade (1941). Turning to dance, she worked as a contract player for film studios until the age of 18, when she accepted a temporary job in a stage show in Las Vegas and continued performing there. She later worked as a draftswoman for the Clark County Transportation Department and volunteered her services to many community theater groups in the city.
Career[edit]
Lee Eva Kuney, known as "Lee", was born on April 24, 1934, in Hollywood, California, to parents Leon and Edna Kuney.[1][2] Her father worked in the Hollywood film industry.[3] At the age of 18 months she appeared in her first film, Little Papa, one of the Our Gang comedies.[1][3] She was one of about a dozen small children used to fill out the background of Munchkin scenes in The Wizard of Oz (1939), as there were not enough of Leo Singer's midgets to populate the set.[3][4][5]
Lee Eva Kuney was selected over 500 other applicants in 1940, after a two-year drought with no film roles, when her mother saw a casting notice for the role of the six-year-old girl in Penny Serenade.[6] She received her first screen credit playing Trina in the film.[1][3] In 1942 she appeared as herself in a comedy play titled "Camera Angles", which featured many young Hollywood actors and actresses playing themselves in a benefit performance for the Anne Lehr Milk Fund.[7]
Lee Eva Kuney then turned to dance, becaming a contract player for film studios; among her performances were the films Holiday Inn (1942) and White Christmas (1954).[3] At age 18 she accepted a dancing job in San Francisco from choreographer Donn Arden, who then offered her a temporary gig in his new stage show at the Desert Inn in Las Vegas.[3] She went on to dance in Las Vegas stage shows starring Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, and Patti Page.[3]
Lee Eva Kuney worked as a draftswoman for the Clark County Transportation Department after retiring from the stage.[3] She later volunteered her time and advice to many community theater groups in Las Vegas.[1][3] She died on May 24, 2015, in Las Vegas.[1]
- ^ a b c d e "Eva Feldman (1934-2015)". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "Leon F. Kuney in the 1940 Census". Archives.com. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Atreides, Paul (June 4, 2015). "Farewell to a friend whose star never faded". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ Cox, Stephen (1989). The Munchkins Remember: 'The Wizard of Oz' and Beyond. E.P. Dutton. p. 65. ISBN 9780525484868.
The studio decided to audition and cast nearly a dozen small children to play the background Munchkins, so areas of the set wouldn't appear sparse.
- ^ Scarfone, Jay; Stillman, William (2004). The Wizardry of Oz: The Artistry and Magic of the 1939 M-G-M Classic. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 239. ISBN 9781617748431.
- ^ UP (February 12, 1941). "Eva Makes Comeback At Age of Six Years". Amarillo Daily News. p. 25 – via Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Junior Actors to Present Play". Los Angeles Times. March 15, 1942. p. 21 – via Newspapers.com.
