‘ A more girlish Rita Hayworth’

Constance Moore, who has died aged 85, was the stylish, glamorous lead in a string of war-era musicals that were made all the more appealing by her harmonious singing voice.

Described by friend Ronald Reagan as “a more girlish Rita Hayworth,” Moore appeared on screen with WC Fields in 1939’ s You Can't Cheat an Honest Man.

Constance Moore was born on Jan. 18, 1920, in Sioux City, Iowa. When she was six months old, her family moved to Dallas and she began singing on a local radio station while still in high school. Constance was spotted by talent scout Rufus LeMaire and offered a movie contract. Her mother turned down the offer, as she thought it was a hoax — but LeMaire refused to leave Dallas without his new discovery. By 1937, Moore was earning US$100 a week with Universal Pictures and enjoying the trappings of movie- star life. There were invitations to parties at William Randolph Hearst’s mansion, dinner dates at the Coconut Grove and the services of a chauffeur and a French maid.

Moore developed an aptitude for studio politics. She teamed up with every young leading man at Universal and developed a close friendship with writer Louella Parsons, who in turn gave Constance Moore as much space in her gossip column as she accorded the big stars of the day.

“Louella made me news,” Constance Moore once said. “I was feted in her infamous column for drinking a certain brand of soda or for smoking Lucky Strikes over Players. She made sure I was at all the right parties with all the top Hollywood stars, some of whom were rather upset when I was singled out and photographed over them.”

One of the films for which she is best remembered is Atlantic City, where Moore was placed in top billing along with Jerry Colonna, Louis Armstrong and Adele Mara.

Referring to Atlantic City, the columnist Walter Winchell described “Connie the Comet” as “big and bright and coming your way.”

Constance Moore died in Los Angeles on September 16. She is survived by a son and a daughter.