Virginia Patton was born on June 25 1925 in Cleveland, Ohio. Her family moved to Portland, Oregon when she was still a baby. Her uncle was General George S. Patton. She graduated from Jefferson High School in Portland and then attended the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles.
Virginia Patton made her film debut in an uncredited, bit part in Thank Your Lucky Stars in 1943. In the next few years she appeared in the films Old Acquaintance (1943), Janie (1944), The Last Ride (1944), Hollywood Canteen (1944), The Horn Blows at Midnight (1945), and Canyon Passage (1946). While at USC she appeared in a play directed by William C. DeMille, the brother of director Cecil B. DeMille.
Miss Patton read for Frank Capra when she was casting It's a Wonderful Life. He cast her in the role of Rath Dakin Bailey, the new bride of Harry Bailey (Todd Karns), the brother of protagonist George Bailey (James Stewart), and signed her to a contract. She was the last surviving adult cast member of the film (only some of the child actors remain). After appearing in It's a Wonderful Life, Virginia Patton would only appear in a few more movies. She appeared in The Burning Cross (1947), A Double Life (1947), Black Eagle (1948), and The Lucky Stiff (1949).
In 1949 she married automotive executive Cruse W. Moss in 1949. She retired from acting and move to Ann Arbor, Michigan. She was president and director of Patton Corp., an investment and real estate holding company. She was a docent at the University of Michigan’s Museum of Art University of Michigan’s Museum of Art.
Virginia Patton only appears for a few minutes in It's a Wonderful Life, but she leaves a lasting impression. She played Ruth Dakin Bailey perfectly. She was the female lead in The Burning Cross (1947), in which she played the wife of a World War II veteran who becomes involved with the Ku Klux Klan, and she also gave a good performance. Virginia Patton was a wonderful actress.
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