Carolyn Jones was born in Amarillo, Texas, the daughter of Chloe Jeanette Southern, a housewife, and Julius Alfred Jones, a barber. After her father abandoned the family in 1934, Carolyn and her younger sister, Bette Rhea Jones, moved with their mother into her parents\' Amarillo home. Jones suffered from severe asthma that often restricted her childhood activities, and when her condition prevented her from going to the movies, she became an avid reader of Hollywood fan magazines and aspired to become an actress. She enrolled at the Pasadena Playhouse in California at seventeen, with her grandfather, Charles W. Baker, paying her tuition.\n', '

After being spotted by a talent scout at the Playhouse, Jones secured a contract with Paramount Pictures and made her first film, The Turning Point, in 1952. In 1953, she married aspiring filmmaker Aaron Spelling. She appeared in several episodes of Dragnet, credited as Caroline Jones in several episodes; had an uncredited bit part as a nightclub hostess in The Big Heat, and a role in House of Wax as the woman who is converted by Vincent Price\'s character into a Joan of Arc statue. In 1954, she played Beth in Shield for Murder, earning $500 per day for playing the role.\n', '

Jones was cast in the film From Here to Eternity (1953) in the role of Alma "Lorene" Burke, which was written for her. However, a bout with pneumonia forced her to withdraw; the role earned Donna Reed the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.\n', '

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