This isn't Old Hollywood, but it did happen back in the day. This actress was probably A- list when she was killed. She was headed to A list. She was the co-lead on a brand new show that was set to be a massive hit. Her husband, a celebrity offspring was jealous of her success and jealous of the time she was spending with another man. Even though the couple had separated, he wanted the actress all to himself and killed her. He did so at the perfect time. There had been a crime spree the days leading up to her death which saw random killings of couples and women and several armed robberies. It took so long for the police to realize those suspects were not the suspects in the death of the actress, they had no clues or witnesses and our killer was never brought to justice.
Barbara Colby
ReplyDelete+1 and hubby was Ethel Mermans son
ReplyDeleteBarbara Colby
ReplyDeleteDammit!
ReplyDeleteNew show was Phyllis
ReplyDeleteI thought Barbara Colby and her friend were killed by a black liberation type of group.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great blind, and you people are amazing...how did you get it so quickly??
ReplyDeleteWe're old! The other name that came to mind was Rebecca Schaffer.
ReplyDeleteNo Carol he just described them as 2 men he couldn't recognize and who were never caught. Police described it as a random killing
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing her on MTM playing a hooker and you knew seeing her she would be a star--sad.
ReplyDeleteBut Rebecca Schaffer was killed by a specific stalker, not in a crime spree type swept up thing.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbara_Colby#Death
ReplyDelete"On July 24, 1975, Colby and acting colleague James Kiernan were walking to their car following an acting class in Venice, Los Angeles, California, when they were shot inside a parking area. The murders occurred after three episodes of the TV series Phyllis had been filmed. Colby was killed instantly, but Kiernan was able to describe the shooting to police before he later died of his wounds. Kiernan said that he did not recognize the two men who shot them, and that the shooting had occurred without warning, reason or provocation. Police noted that there was no attempt to rob the pair and concluded that it was a random drive-by shooting or a targeted killing. The killers were never identified and the case remains an open cold case.[1] It will probably remain so for the foreseeable future, as there is no statute of limitations on murder in California (or any other United States jurisdiction).
At the time of her death, Colby was separated from her husband, Bob Levitt, son of Ethel Merman. Colby's final acting appearance was in the TV movie The Ashes of Mrs. Reasoner which aired in 1976. "
Now THAT'S a good blind item!
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ReplyDeleteI'm old enough to remember when Colby was killed. It was a big story, particularly here in Los Angeles, of course. It's always seemed obvious that it had to be a targeted killing, but I never heard any theories about who'd be behind it. This makes perfect sense.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know whatever became of dear hubby?
Was this one "random" the way Sal Mineo's murder was "random?" Great blind item, and great thread.
ReplyDelete@Undine, I was wondering the same thing. Hopefully, he's burning in hell....
ReplyDeleteThere were two men, did he get a friend to help or did he hire hitters?
ReplyDeleteThese old blinds are great. She was wonderful and on her way to be a huge star
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI’m new here! Only started reading cdan a couple of months ago. I have to say, the comments are sometimes more fun to read than the blinds themselves. Tricia and Sandy brook are great with their guesses. And some of the comentora are so funny. I admit in a lot of cases, even after the reveal, I have to google that name to find out who they are. Specially with reality starts. But these Today’s Blind Items and Himmmms are very good! I just started following Himmmm on twitter right before the oscars and I’m hooked. Well, so nice to meet every one here. Ciao
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ReplyDeleteBow wow! Who would shoot that mutt out of jealousy unless she gave the best hummer in all of creation, but only to one man at a time. Smells like an asset being reassigned, quite frankly.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading about her death. I felt sort of sad about how she died, the sheer randomness, and such a waste of a life and talent; but THIS makes me angry. .......He's only known as the son of Ethel Merman & Robert Levitt, and ex husband of Barbara Colby; there's literally nothing more. Anyone know anything more on him?
ReplyDeleteMerman was married to four men with connections to intelligence. (Borgnine descended from a crony of Victor Emmanuel so he's also of royalty/peerage grade stock- his mother was a Contessa) The idea of Merman having kids is a stretch, which reinforces the idea that this was a cluster of spooks and that Levitt and his estranged wife were beards. Levitt is probably not Merman's actual son and Colby was "deathed" to get her reassigned. Call me a troll at your own peril.
ReplyDeleteWell he was alive in 1985. When hs mom died, “Merman left an estate estimated to be worth US$1.5 million (US$3.6 million in 2019) to be divided between her son and two grandchildren.” According to Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteHere is a link to a blogger who did an interview with him (I guess the blogger has some sort of show that honors his mom) and posts a fairly recent pic. Reportedly he is super secretive with his privacy and doesn’t like social media.
http://bonusroundblog.blogspot.com/2007/08/letter-from-ethel-mermans-son.html
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ReplyDeleteWho killed Roni Pessin?
ReplyDeleteI adored Barbara Colby.
ReplyDeleteWatch her sometime on Columbo season one episode :Murder by the Book. Playing a blackmailer. (Episode directed by a young Spielberg)
the police wouldnt know but of course enty knows cause police?? who dat?
ReplyDeleteHoly Moses, I don't know ANY of these people, by name anyway. Except Mermann and Borgnine. Gonna have to google.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow. I just looked her up. I remember well from watching Mary Tyler Moore in the 70's as a kid. She played a hooker Mary shared a jail cell with when Mary refused to reveal a news story source. She was great - I had no idea she'd been murdered. Very sad.
ReplyDeleteI saw her on the Broadway stage in the 70s. She played the second female lead in A Doll's House opposite Liv Ullman and she, Colby, stole every scene she was in--a breakout star in the making. Her death always looked mighty suspicious to me.
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