Snoqualmie’s silver screen siren

Published 9:38 am Thursday, October 2, 2008

Ella Raines epitomized the glamour of 1940s Hollywood leading ladies. She had grace, poise, stunning beauty and starred opposite top male leads in more than 20 feature films. She didn’t start out as a glitzy movie star. Ella was born to Ernest and Bird Raines in the lumber town of Snoqualmie Falls in 1920 and grew up as a rough and tumble, outdoorsy child.

“They had to teach her to walk like a lady because she swaggered like a cowgirl,” said Ella’s daughter, Susan Olds of North Bend. Ella did all of her own riding in the Westerns – including “Tall in the Saddle” with John Wayne – as it was a skill she learned growing up in Snoqualmie Falls and Fall City, Susan said.

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