Biography

Escaped her native Czechoslovakia on the last plane out before the Nazis closed the borders.

Much like the Susan Foster Kane character in Citizen Kane (1941), it is generally believed that Ralston owed what stardom she had to her position as protege of Republic Pictures studio head Herbert J. Yates. Most of her films lost money because audiences just never took to her. (John Wayne, after having made a few films with her, refused to make any more as he believed that being in any more of her flops would damage his career.) She and Yates were married in 1952. Significantly, she retired from the screen in 1958, the year Yates was deposed as head of the studio - mainly because of his insistence on starring her in expensive films even though they invariably lost money but also because of his refusal to sell Republic's films for TV broadcasting. Yates and Ralston remained married until Yates' death in 1966, at which point Ralston inherited half of his $10-million estate.

The surname Ralston was taken from the name of a popular breakfast cereal.

A beautiful young actress came to Hollywood but was forced to change her name because, even though she was born Vera Ralston, she couldn't use her own name because this Vera Ralston had used it first. So she changed her name and became known as Vera Miles.

She was an ardent conservative-minded Republican and fervent anti-communist.

[Fair Wind to Java (1953)] was a hard picture for Fred [Fred MacMurray], because his wife [Lillian Lamont] was dying of cancer - and twice he had to leave the set to go home. Fred and Victor [Victor McLaglen] were delightful to work with. Victor was a very funny man. A gentleman. Fred was a charming, charming man.

[on Walter Brennan] A delightful man; he played the captain in Dakota (1945) and didn't know what to do with the character. Then he told me, "Don't get scared, but I'm gonna take out my uppers". He wasn't as old as he looked like he was. Years later, he had to have an operation, and came to the hospital in Santa Barbara for it. So, I visited him in the hospital every day; I brought him food and we'd reminisce about the old days. An interesting thing was that when we started 'Dakota', the war was going on. While we were doing it, the war was over. We went to John Wayne's house to celebrate - Walter Brennan and the rest of the cast - we were at John Wayne's house. I'll never forget that!

I never miss watching the winter Olympics. Those girls are so talented; the techniques are so improved. What I did once they could do twice; if I did it twice, they do it three times.

I enjoyed locations, and wearing the costumes, and especially those hats. Hats make you look good.

[on memorabilia] I kept some - costumes, 16mm films, but some of it I donated to this museum and that museum. After all, what can you do with it? They are all so hard to preserve.