Sharon's Memories Of Carole
My mom Sharon Ross is Carole's niece. Carole was a devoted aunt who spent a lot of time with her nieces and nephews. She was especially close to her sister Dorothy's four children - Diane Carole, Walter "Buck", Sharon, and Bill. The kids spent a lot of time at Carole's house and she often took them to the set with her. She nicknamed Sharon "pookie" and would joke that she wanted to adopt her. Sharon was only four years old when Carole died. She has many wonderful memories of her favorite aunt. Today Sharon is a homemaker and grandmother living in Utah. Unfortunately her sister Diane Carole passed away from cancer in 1998. I asked my mother a few questions about Aunt Carole...
Sharon and her daughter Tammy today
What are your favorite memories of Carole?
Carole always smelled so good when she came in the room. Her perfume (Chanel No. 5) filled the air, it was not overwhelming but it was lovely. I loved her laugh. She was always pretty and well put together with her long nails. I remember the way she ran her fingers through my hair. When we did stay with her she didn't like us biting our nails so she would tell us if we didn't bite them she would give us a dollar. Well, I went a week and the next time I saw her I was so excited that I bit my nails and didn't get my dollar. She never lost her temper with us. Her house was always entertaining - it was full of animals and the table was covered with food. She had a pool table and we played poker there as well. She played poker with my dad at our house too - she was very good at it and won a lot. It was always fun! She used to take me for rides in her convertible down Pacific Coast Highway. I got to go to the studio where she worked. It was a busy place and my family was all there. Something went on there that my dad didn't like so we left and didn't go back. He didn't want us around whatever was going on. I was young and don't know what occurred but my dad was very protective. Carole understood and so after that our time together was spent at her house or at our home. We were always together as a family on holidays. She was very generous with us. When my dad needed a car she gave him $1000.
Sharon with her grandmother Clara (Carole's mother)
Sharon with her mother Dorothy, father Walt, brother Buck, sister Diane Carole, and Aunt Carole
Do you remember her husband Horace?
Yes, once I went with my mom to his office and he was smoking his cigar. My mom asked him to put it out. It was after Carole died and my mom had to go deal with him on a matter. He wasn't very nice about it. He seemed very rough, definitely not a soft man. I didn't like him much. I was coughing a lot due to the smoke and he didn't really care. It was not a fond memory. Tommy Wallace was the one of her husbands my family loved and respected.
Sharon (in the middle) with her sister Diane Carole and brother Buck at Carole's house
Sharon (on the right) with her sister Diane Carole, brother Bill, and mother Dorothy at Forest Lawn
What is your favorite Carole movie?
One Million B.C. is my favorite Carole film - it was her performance and the time period that made it special. You really saw her beauty come through - the way she moved and the class she brought to the movie. There were the men out hunting for food and there she was out there learning to survive as a woman. Being cavemen they had to be rough yet Carole showed a softer side. I loved seeing her save the little boy. I like the way Victor Mature was when he was onscreen with her - they were sweet and loving. It's much harder to act in silence then it is to speak. I think she did a better job then Raquel Welch did when she remade the movie. I wish that Carole got the attention that Raquel Welch got. Carole was just as beautiful and very talented for her age. When I saw Carole in One Million B.C. we were looking up at the screen and we couldn't believe these big creatures chasing her. I thought that she and Victor Mature were married because of that movie - I was so young and didn't know any different. My mom and dad got to meet Victor at one of Carole's parties. Victor was very friendly to my mom and my dad didn't like that much.
Sharon with Carole's great dane Dippy
Sharon (on the left) with her sister Diane Carole and mother Dorothy
How do you feel about Carole's death?
When I was younger we didn't speak much of it. Then when I became a young adult my mom (Dorothy) and I talked about it and she never believed Carole killed herself. She had a strong feeling and knew Rex Harrison was involved with her death. When my grandmother Clara needed help being taken care of we would talk. She just couldn't accept that Carole would have done that. Carole had so much that was going on in her life. Why would she leave this life when she worked so hard for her career? I think with all the new facts and the timeline we know surrounding her death we have more information than we did back then to decide what happened that night. I remember my mom telling me that there were muddy footprints on the side of the house in an odd place and the police were talking about it. When it came down to investigating my mom tried to get the police to do more. It was like Carole wasn't important enough to get the whole story. It wouldn't surprise me if Rex had planned something and covered his tracks. I don't see it as a suicide!
Sharon with her mother Dorothy (Carole's sister)
Do you have any memories of the funeral?
My mom didn't tell me that Carole had passed away, so when we showed up for the funeral there were lines of people down the driveway area and when we got out they were everywhere. It was overwhelming to see the crowds and not understand why. We went in and walked to the front of the chapel and there was the casket and my mom (Dorothy) bent down and told me that Auntie Carole was sleeping and that I needed to be quiet. She lifted me up and I saw her asleep. I turned and asked my mom "Why is she not awake and we are?" My mom broke down in tears. I didn't understand why she was crying so she just put me back down on the floor. The casket was a peachy pink color inside and it was beautiful. She had on a high necked blue dress with some sequins around the waist and she was holding flowers in her hand. There was a lot of people who spoke about her. Cesar Romero was one of them. I remember him the most especially how he carried her casket. We went to her grave site at Forest Lawn and there were tons of people there as well. When we were seated I sat on the grass next to my mom and I saw her, my grandmother, and my father crying. Being so young I still didn't understand that she would never wake up. It wasn't until later, maybe a month, that I started to understand. And we really didn't mention her much because it was too hard on my mom.
Sharon with her father Walter
Sharon has Carole's Chinese chest and figurine
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