On Stage & Republic Studios (1938 - 1939)

"I had great dreams of being the toast of Broadway and of every studio in Hollywood clamoring for 
my services." ~ Carole

When Carole's contract with Warner Brothers ended she signed with agent Louis Shurr. In June of 1938 she made her stage debut in a Los Angeles production of Roberta. The nineteen year old had one of the leading female roles opposite Bob Hope. She was offered a contract at Paramount but turned it down so she could star in the play Once Upon A Night. Carole went out on a few dates with her costar Ken Murray. The show opened in Delaware in September and closed after only two performances. She said "We opened in Wilmington and closed in two nights without so much of a breath of Broadway. I was pretty inconsolable." After returning to Los Angeles she started taking acting classes. Carole and her mother Clara moved into a small home on 1130 South Clark Drive in Los Angeles. During the Fall she was seen out with agent Vic Orsatti and actor Alexander D'Arcy. At a Christmas party in December in of 1938 she met Kenny Morgan, a twenty-six year old press agent. They started dating and he helped her get a three picture contract at Republic Studios.

Carole at her 1939 divorce hearing

Her first film at the studio was the western Three Texas Steers. The movie featured John Wayne, Ray Corrigan, and Max Tehune as the cowboy trio The Three Mesquiteers. Next she was cast in the twelve part serial Daredevils Of The Red Circle. In May of 1939 she finally went to court to divorce her estranged husband Irving Wheeler. Kenny proposed several times but she wasn't ready to get married again. During the Summer of 1939 she landed a small role in the drama Reno directed by John Farrow. Carole's final film at Republic was another western featuring The Three Mesquiteers. It was called Cowboys From Texas and the cast included Duncan Renaldo and silent star Betty Compson. All of the movies Carole made at Republic were low budget but she got positive reviews for her performances. Her romance with Kenny Morgan ended in the Fall of 1939 later but they remained friends. Kenny later married Lucille Ball's cousin Cleo and worked for Desliu Studios.

Carole with Kenny Morgan