Melody Patterson

Melody Patterson
Patterson on the set of F Troop, 1966
Born	(1949-04-16)April 16, 1949 Inglewood, California, U.S.
Died	August 20, 2015(2015-08-20) (aged 66) Hollister, Missouri, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1965–1989
Spouse(s)	James MacArthur (1970–1975; divorced) Robert Seaton (1976–1993; divorced) Vern Miller (1998–2015; her death)

Melody Patricia Patterson (April 16, 1949 – August 20, 2015) was an American actress known for her role as Wrangler Jane in the 1960s television series F Troop, and for her role as Ellie in the cult horror film Blood and Lace (1971).

Patterson was the daughter of machinist Pat Patterson and the former Rosemary Wilson, an official in the Miss Universe contest. Her mother had been a dancer with Warner Bros., who "doubled for Joan Crawford in several films."

Patterson wrote and directed a play at age 5. Before turning 10 she had also been a photographer's model, an actress and an ice skater. In the ninth grade, she enrolled in the Hollywood Professional School. She continued her education in the Warner Bros. school while she acted on F Troop.

Patterson was 16 years old when she first appeared on F Troop, having obtained the role with the help of a forged birth certificate that indicated her age was 18. After the 1967 cancellation of F Troop, Patterson worked in television, radio, and the theater. She also appeared on Mr. Novak and Shindig! In the 1970s, she appeared in three episodes of Hawaii Five-O, and started modeling and making commercials.

Patterson's first screen appearance was an uncredited walk-on in Bye Bye Birdie (1963). Her first featured role was in the 1968 drama The Angry Breed. She also appeared in a lead role in the action film The Cycle Savages with Bruce Dern, followed by a leading part in the slasher film Blood and Lace (1971). In 1973, she appeared in a small part in The Harrad Experiment (1973). Her final film credit was in The Immortalizer (1990), a direct-to-video sci-fi horror film.

While living in Hawaii, Patterson found herself again onstage in the Butterflies Are Free, with Barbara Rush and Dirk Benedict. After that she appeared in other plays such as House of Blue Leaves, for the University of Hawaii, and played the part of Peggy in The Front Page written by Charles MacArthur, and directed by her husband James MacArthur.