Carla Balenda
Actor · Died April 9, 2024, aged 98 · Carthage, New York, USA
She was born Sally Bliss in Carthage, New York. Her father had moved the family from Ohio and was a science teacher at Carthage High School. In 1927, the family moved to Amityville, Long Island. She attended drama school in Rhode Island and at age 17, she was invited to Hollywood by Howard Hughes, who she did not meet until about a year later. She signed with his studio and dated Hughes a few times as well. He also had her stage name changed to Carla Balenda and this is how she was credited until 1957, when she decided to change it back to her real name. Just before she was 19, she married a WWII pilot, John Martin, and they stayed together for fifteen years, having two boys from the union before divorcing in 1959. Six years later, she married prominent California attorney and author William Rutter, who wanted her to be home with her children. She left acting and later became involved in volunteer charity work. Her husband passed away in 2012. She has thirteen grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and as of 2021, she was residing in the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, California.
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Biography from IMDb.
- November 22, 1925
- April 9, 2024 (aged 98)
- Carthage, New York, USA
- Actor
- 4 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
What are Carla Balenda's films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Power and Bonds.
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 2
Light 2 · Serious 1 · Dark 0
Grounded 2 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 0
Steady 3 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 1
Casual 2 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 0
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Heraldas Beth Larabee in Outlaw Women (1952)
- Heraldas Eve Drake in The Pace That Thrills (1952)
Moods and endings
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Carla Balenda's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Carla Balenda's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
12 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.
Perry Mason(1957)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Dr. Fu Manchu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Phantom Stallion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
Prince of Pirates (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)
Outlaw Women(1952)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
The Pace That Thrills(1952)
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
The Whip Hand (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Sealed Cargo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)
Hunt the Man Down(1950)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Rustlers of the Badlands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Eadie Was a Lady (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1945)
Swing in the Saddle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1944)
Career shape
A full career of 12 titles from 1944 to 1957.
How do Carla Balenda's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 14th percentile, the median of all 3; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 22nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 1 is Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 58/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 71, detractors 37. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Carla Balenda work with?
People who share at least 2 of Carla Balenda's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; DeVallon Scott shares the most, 2.
Writers
- DeVallon ScottShared titles: The Pace That Thrills (1952), Hunt the Man Down (1950)See all 2 shared titles with DeVallon Scott
Actors
- Cleo MooreShared titles: The Pace That Thrills (1952), Hunt the Man Down (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Cleo Moore
Composers and editors
- Paul SawtellShared titles: The Pace That Thrills (1952), Hunt the Man Down (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Paul Sawtell
- Samuel E. BeetleyShared titles: The Pace That Thrills (1952), Hunt the Man Down (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Samuel E. Beetley
Producers
- Lewis J. RachmilShared titles: The Pace That Thrills (1952), Hunt the Man Down (1950)See all 2 shared titles with Lewis J. Rachmil