Virginia Patton


Virginia Ann Patton is an American retired businesswoman and former actress. After appearing in several films in the early 1940s, she was cast in her most well-known role as Ruth Dakin Bailey in Frank Capra's It's a Wonderful Life. In 1949, Patton retired from acting, with her final film credit being The Lucky Stiff.

Early life

Patton was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Marie and Donald Patton. She was raised in her father's hometown of Portland, Oregon, where her family relocated when she was an infant. She is a niece of General George S. Patton. Patton graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland, and then relocated to Los Angeles, California, where she attended the University of Southern California.

Career

While a student at USC, Patton began to audition for acting parts. She collaborated in plays with screenwriter William C. deMille while in college. She had several insignificant film appearances before being cast in Capra's It's a Wonderful Life as Ruth Dakin Bailey, the wife of George Bailey's younger brother Harry. Although Capra did not know Patton personally, she read the role for him and he signed her to a contract. Patton later said that she was the only girl the famous director ever signed in his entire career. Patton still gives interviews about It's a Wonderful Life and is today the last surviving credited member of the adult actors in the film.
Patton made only four films after It's a Wonderful Life, including her first lead in the B-Western Black Eagle. She appeared in the drama The Burning Cross, a film about a World War II veteran who becomes embroiled with the Ku Klux Klan upon returning to his hometown.

Personal life

Patton was married to Cruse W. Moss from 1949 until his death in 2018. She gave up acting in the late 1940s to concentrate on raising a family with her husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She later attended the University of Michigan.

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1943Thank Your Lucky StarsGirl in Ann Sheridan NumberUncredited
1943Old AcquaintanceCollege GirlUncredited
1944Roaring GunsKaren FerrisShort film
1944Grandfather's FolliesShort film
1944JanieCarrie Lou
1944The Last RideHazel DaleUncredited
1944Hollywood CanteenJunior HostessUncredited
1945The Horn Blows at MidnightParty GirlUncredited
1946Canyon PassageLiza Stone / BartlettUncredited
1946Nobody Lives ForeverSwitchboard OperatorUncredited
1946It's a Wonderful LifeRuth Dakin Bailey
1947The Burning CrossDoris Green
1947A Double LifeActress onstage in Othello
1948Black EagleGinny Long
1949The Lucky StiffMillie Dale