Carole's Final Year & Last Recording

In early 1947 Carole and her husband Horace Schmidlapp bought a thirteen room mansion in Pacific Palisades. Unfortunately they were struggling with infertility and were growing apart. That summer she began having an affair with married actor Rex Harrison. Carole spent the Winter of 1947 working in England. When she returned in March of 1948 she immediately filed for divorce. She hired attorney Jerry Giesler and told Horace all she wanted was the house and her personal belongings. Her affair with Harrison was a secret until March 16 when Walter Winchell wrote in his column that he would be Carole's next husband. During the Spring of 1948 she had a photo shoot with Robert Freude in Hollywood. These would be her last professional pictures. On Sunday, March 28, she hosted an Easter party for her family. Sadly she was having some health problems due to the dysentery she had contracted during the war. Her nephew Walter said that when he saw her she looked sick and had lost a lot of weight. Carole attended an all women's baseball game in Monrovia on April 30 where she threw out the first ball. Then on May 4 she went to the premiere of Letter From An Unknown Woman. This would be her final public appearance.

Carole photographed by Robert Freude in 1948

Carole at a women's baseball game in April of 1948

A few weeks later she put her home up for sale and signed on to star in the Eagle-Lion film The Amazing X. She spent the month of June preparing to move and finalizing her divorce. According to her maid Rex Harrison came over every night. In late June she sent a letter to her longtime friend Freda. Carole wrote "I am getting ready to start a new picture in about two more weeks. I have sold my house here and am clearing up a lot of personal mattes before returning to England in the middle of August." On July 2, 1948 she went shopping in Beverly Hills with a friend. She bought more than $300 worth of new clothes. Carole told her friend "I've never been so happy in all my life. The sun's shining. It's a wonderful day!". That same afternoon she ran into writer Crawford Dixon on Rodeo Drive. When he asked her about marrying Harrison she replied "Oh, I'd love to marry him but you know how those things are." Crawford said that she looked happy and vivacious. Later that day she went to Star Records at 6525 Sunset Boulevard to make a recording for her fans. Tragically just three days later Carole would be found dead after taking her own life.