Jennifer E Cadwallader

• General Notes
  • 
    Jennifer Holt was the daughter of Jack Holt, and the sister of RKO cowboy hero Tim Holt.
    
    Jennifer made a batch of westerns in the 1940s, primarily at Universal and PRC as the heroine to Johnny Mack Brown, Tex Ritter, Rod Cameron, Buster Crabbe, Eddie Dean and Lash LaRue. Her first western was the Hopalong Cassidy STICK TO YOUR GUNS (Paramount, 1941). She also played the female lead in a couple of cliffhangers, ADVENTURES OF THE FLYING CADETS (Universal, 1943) and HOP HARRIGAN (Columbia, 1946).
    
    Les Adams has Jennifer identified in 45 films - 37 westerns, 2 serials and 6 other features.
    
    THE HAWK OF POWDER RIVER (Eagle-Lion/PRC, 1948) was Holt's favorite western role, as she portrayed the masked leader of a band of outlaws. She and most of her gang are gunned down by singin' cowboy Eddie Dean in the film-ending shootout.
    
    Holt had several marriages, lived in the United States and Mexico, and resided in England at the time or her death in 1997. One of her marriages was to movie actor William Bakewell (1908-1993) whom she starred with in the HOP HARRIGAN chapterplay. Bakewell may be best remembered as "Major Tobias Norton" in the 1950s Disney Fess Parker/Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier TV show.
    
    Even though her father Jack and brother Tim made scores of westerns and outdoorsy type films, Jennifer was never in any of their movies. And despite many reports throughout the years, an actor named David Holt (1927-2003) was NOT the brother of Jennifer and Tim Holt nor the son of Jack Holt.
    
    In the late 1940s - early 1950s, Jennifer hosted/participated in several television programs that originated in Chicago. One was her portrayal of "Aunt Judy" to the puppet "Uncle Mistletoe" in the 15 minute THE ADVENTURES OF UNCLE MISTLETOE which was broadcast locally and over ABC. Chicago department store Marshall Fields did this program in response to competitor Montgomery Ward's Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. After a couple years, Jennifer exited Mistletoe and did another children's program, PANHANDLE PETE AND JENNIFER which originated from NBC in Chicago. That 15 minute series ran from 1950 - 1951.