Constance Falk

Constance Falk
The Girl in Red by Fred Wallace
Biographical information
Born:	February 16, 1925
Died:	December 5, 2008
Nationality:	American
Occupation:
Website:

Constance Falk (born Lilienthal) was the second wife of Lee Falk from 1946 until 1954.

Biography

Constance J. (Connie) is the daughter of George M. Lilienthal Jnr. and Ruby Squire. She was named after her grandmother Jessie Constance Moorehead. She grew up at Elm Street farm in Ohio, near Duncan Falls, nearby Philo and Zanesville.

She graduated of Lash High School in 1942 and attended at New York Academy of Dramatic Art. She studied voice with Polanski of New York and later with Ruth Streeter of Boston. In 1945 she was subject of an oil portrait by Fred Wallace of Boston and started her career as an actress in the Cambridge Summer Theatre resident company. Under the stage name of "Constance Moorehead" she acted in several plays in the Boston area in the following years.

She and Lee Falk married on August 3, 1946, in the Falk summer home in 20 Berkley street (Cambridge) and rev. Leonard Clough officiated. She wore a white satin gown made princess style with a low scalloped neckline, a short train and long sleeves which terminated in points over the hands. She wore a tulle crown with an elbow lenght illusion veil and carried a bouquet og white srchids, stephanotis, orange blossom and sweet peas. Her attendant was Miss Dana Linn of Zanesville, Alan Cranston of Washington D.C. was best man. In addition Miss Jane M. Squire, Mrs Cranston, Mr and Mrs Lilienthal, Berth Lahn and Roger Pryor witnessed the cermony. After the reception the couple left by plane for a weeks honeymoon.

Their first child, Diane, was born in 1947 and their son Conley was born in 1951.

In 1950 she started playing in various TV shows such as:

• Sure As Fate (TV Series 1950–1951)
  • S1.E11 "The Dancing Doll" (November 28, 1950)
• Inside Detective (TV series 1950-1954)
  • S3.E42 "Murder on the Doorstep" (June 15. 1952)
  • S4.E28 "The Fatal Sign" (March 15, 1953)
  • S4.E45 "Breakout" (July 12, 1953)
  • S5.E17 "Weapon of Murder" (December 27, 1953)
  • S5.E39 "A Ticket to Murder" (June 6, 1954)
• Studio One (TV series 1948-1958)
  • S5.E15 "Black Rain" (January 5, 1953)
• Martin Kane, Private Eye (TV Series 1949-1954)
  • S5.E14 "??" (December 17, 1953)
• Man Against Crime (TV series 1949-1954)
  • S5.E08 "The Cube Root of Evil" (November 29, 1953)
  • S5.E13 "Don't Feed the Animals" (January 3, 1954)

In 1953 she also completed a radio show for Marlene Dietrich's "Time for Love" program.

Lee Falk and Constance were divorced in 1954 and Constance later remarried with James G Hilton.

Behind the scenes

Constance has been used as name for characters in both The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician strips:

Year	Daily/Sunday	Title	Comments
1946	The Phantom: Daily	"Queen Asta of Trondelay"	as Connie Moore
1947	Mandrake the Magician: Daily	"HRH Cuddles"	as Connie, King Segrid's wife.
1947	The Phantom: Daily	"The Devil Road"	as Connie Dove
1949	Mandrake the Magician: Daily	"Mystery at the Bar-J Ranch"	Janet is Narda's aunt, Janet Squire is the aunt to Constance.
1950	Mandrake the Magician: Daily	"The Dark One"	as Connie, King Segrid's wife.
1950	The Phantom: Daily	"The White Monkey"	name of the ship, Connie M
1952	Mandrake the Magician: Daily	"The Mysterious Phone Booth"	as Connie, friend of Narda.
1956	Mandrake the Magician: Sunday	"The Miss Galaxy Beauty Contest"	as Constanze of Elm
1958	The Phantom: Daily	"The Two Signs"	as Connie Carlyle, née Abbot

References

• ancestry.com; U.S. Federal Census 1930 & 1940; Yearbook Lash High Schooll 1942; Passenger Lists
• The Zanesville Signal: 1941-1954
• The Harvard Crimson; Playgoer articles
• Billboard magazines 1940-1946

See also

Spotlight on Lee Falk - The Theatre Years