LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Veronica Lake: New York
built 265 days ago
By the early 1950's ... Lake's career had hit the skids. Three broken marriages, a domineering stage mother, a manic depressive personality, and a whole lot o' liquor pushed her right into oblivion. After 1952, she would make only two more films, both low budget horror film trash. She frequented skid row hotels in New York City and even took work as a barmaid to keep close to a steady supply of booze. By the late 1960's she had bottomed out in Hollywood, Florida, often holing up in her apartment out of paranoid fears that the FBI was following her and tapping her phone. Those who saw her reported that the once great beauty had turned into a worn out mess, with rotting teeth, unwashed hair, and the pasty complexion of a bloated alcoholic.
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When Veronica was 12, her father died in an explosion on the oil ship. One year later her mother wed Anthony Keane and Veronica took his last name as her own. From that point on the family moved around a lot, living in Canada, New York State, and Miami, Florida.
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Roos issued a statement to the press telling of a memorial service for her in a New York City chapel, and all sorts of brave talk about the many things Lake had going on in terms of her career. However, her service in New York brought only a handful of mourners, including none of her exes.
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After rounding out the 40’s with cameos and supporting roles, Lake found herself on hard times with the arrival of the 1950’s. She appeared in Sid Ceaser’s “Your Show of Shows”, but roles were scarce. After filming “Stronghold” in 1952, Veronica settled in New York where she worked steadily in television and on stage for the next decade, including a stint as hostess on the “Festival of Stars” show.
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After breaking her ankle in 1959, Lake was unable to continue working as an actress. She and McCarthy divorced, and she drifted between cheap hotels in Brooklyn and New York City and was arrested several times for public drunkenness and disorderly conduct.
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