20th Century Fox As her agent, Robinson accompanied Peters to Hollywood, and helped her secure a seven-year contract with Fox. She dropped out of college to become an actress, a decision she later regretted. (In the late 1940s, Peters returned to college, in between filming, to complete her work and obtain a degree.) Fox announced that in her first film ''
I Wonder Who's Kissing Her Now (1947), she would play an "ugly duckling", supported by "artificial freckles and horn-rimmed glasses". She eventually withdrew from the film. Peters was tested in 1946 for a farm girl role in Scudda Hoo! Scudda Hay!'' (1948), but the producer and director decided she was not suitable.
Film debut Peters was selected to replace
Linda Darnell as the female lead in
Captain from Castile (1947) opposite
Tyrone Power, when Darnell was reassigned to save the production of
Forever Amber. Although she had not yet made her screen debut, Peters was highly publicized. She received star treatment during the filming.
Captain from Castile was a hit.
Leonard Maltin wrote that afterwards, Peters spent the new decade playing "sexy spitfires, often in period dramas and
Westerns." As a result, the studio, frustrated by her stubbornness, put her on her first suspension. She was next assigned to co-star next to
Clifton Webb in
Mr. Belvedere Goes to College (1949), but
Shirley Temple later replaced her. In early 1949 Peters signed on to play
Ray Milland's love interest in
It Happens Every Spring (1949). For the role, she offered to bleach her hair, but the studio overruled this. The film was originally titled
Turned Up Toes, and Peters was cast in the film in June 1949, shortly after the release of
It Happens Every Spring. To prepare for a singing and dancing scene, Peters took a few lessons with
Betty Grable's dance instructor. By 1950, Peters was almost forgotten by the public, but she had been playing lead roles since 1947. In late 1950, she was cast in a secondary role as a college girl in
Take Care of My Little Girl (1951). A Long Beach newspaper reported that Peters gained her role by impressing
Jean Negulesco with her sewing. She once became famous for playing a simple country girl, but as she grew up, the studio did not find her any more suitable roles.
Stardom '' (1952) At her insistence, Peters was given the title role in
Anne of the Indies (1951), which the press declared was the film that finally brought her stardom. Before its release, she was cast in
Viva Zapata! (1952) opposite
Marlon Brando.
Julie Harris had been considered for this role. Also in 1951, Peters had her first collaboration with
Marilyn Monroe, when they had secondary roles in
As Young as You Feel. While shooting the film in
Hutchinson, Kansas, Peters was honored with the title 'Miss Wheatheart of America'. Peters was one of many names in the studios ''
O. Henry's Full House (1952). She co starred with Jeffrey Hunter in Lure of the Wilderness'' (1952). In 1953, director
Samuel Fuller chose Peters over Marilyn Monroe for the part of Candy in
Pickup on South Street. He said he thought Peters had the right blend of sex appeal and the tough-talking, streetwise quality he was seeking. Monroe, he said, was too innocent-looking for the role.
Shelley Winters and Betty Grable had been considered, but both had turned it down. Because of the sexual attractiveness of her character, Peters was not thrilled with the role. She preferred playing more down-to-earth, unglamorous parts as she had done with
Anne of the Indies (1951),
Viva Zapata! (1952) and
Lure of the Wilderness (1952). For
Pickup on South Street, Peters was advised to bleach her hair, but she refused to do so, wanting to avoid comparisons with Winters and Grable. She did agree to adopt a "sexy shuffle" for the role. In another interview, Peters explained that playing down-to-earth and sometimes unwashed women have the most to offer in the way of drama. Peters's character was initially the leading role, but the film eventually became a vehicle for Monroe, who was by that time more successful. Peters's third film in 1953,
A Blueprint for Murder, reunited her with Joseph Cotten. She was assigned to the film in December 1952 and told the press she liked playing in the film because it allowed her to sing, but no song by her is used in the picture, only the playing of a piano. Shortly after the film's premiere in July 1953, the studio renewed Peters' contract for another two years. In 1953, she also starred in the film noir
Vicki. Writer Leo Townsend bought the story of the film, a remake of
I Wake Up Screaming, as a vehicle for Peters. Townsend said that he gave the role to Peters in December 1952, because she was "one of the greatest sirens he's ever seen."
Final films '' (1954) Other 1954 films co-starring Peters were the Westerns
Apache (borrowed by Warner Bros.) and
Broken Lance. Although
Broken Lance did not attract much attention, she was critically acclaimed for her performance in
Apache. One critic praised her for "giving an excellent account for herself", declaring she was "on her way to becoming one of the finest young actresses around Hollywood today." She was supposedly discouraged from continuing as an actress by Hughes, and reported in late 1957 that she was planning on becoming a producer. In March 1959, it was announced that Peters was to return to the screen for a supporting role in
The Best of Everything. But, she did not appear in that film; and, despite her earlier announcement, never produced a film.
Return to acting In 1970, rumors arose of Peters making a comeback to acting when the press reported that she was considering three film offers and a weekly TV series for the 1970–1971 season. She chose the
television movie Winesburg, Ohio (1973). Afterwards, she said, "I am not pleased with the show or my performance in it. I found it rather dull." At the beginning, she had expressed enthusiasm for the project, saying: "I'm very fond of this script. It's the right age for me. I won't have to pretend I'm a glamour girl." Her co-star
William Windom praised her, saying she was "warm, friendly, and charming on the set." Peters appeared in the 1981 television film
Peter and Paul, produced by her then-husband,
Stan Hough. She guest-starred in
Murder, She Wrote in 1988, which was her final acting performance. ==Personal life==