In 1947 Carole was married to her fourth husband Horace Schmidlapp and was living in her new Pacific Palisades home. Unfortunately she and Horace were struggling with infertility and 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. 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, Buck Ross, 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.
Autographed photos from 1948
Carole at a women's baseball game on April 30, 1948
She had put her home up for sale and signed on to star in the Eagle-Lion film The Amazing X. Carole spent the month of June preparing to move and finalizing her divorce. According to her maid Rex Harrison came over every night. In a letter to her friend Freda she 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 matters before returning to England in the middle of August." On July 2, 1948 she went shopping in Beverly Hills with a friend. Carole bought more than $300 worth of new clothes. She 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.
With Dippy in the backyard of her Pacific Palisades home
