According to Carole's will she wanted all of her money and possessions to be given to her mother Clara Ridste. She had written her will in 1944 when she was still married to Tommy Wallace. Unfortunately Carole had debts of more than $50,000 when she died and her creditors wanted to be paid. Eagle-Lion studios sued her estate for a $7500 advance they had given her. Carole's estranged husband Horace Schmidlapp also demanded that he get a large part of the estate. He and Carole were supposed to sign their divorce papers the day she died. Her longtime lawyer Jerry Geisler represented her mother Clara during probate. Newspapers reported that Clara would receive more than $10,000 but this did not happen. When Carole died her bank account only had $412 in it. Her Pacific Palisades home, located at 1465 Capri Drive, was sold for $67,000.
After Horace and all her creditors were paid the estate ended up in debt. Sadly her family was forced to auction off her most of her belongings. In March of 1949 an auction was held at the Lewis S. Hart gallery on Wilshire Boulevard. Carole's white satin bed, her platinum engagement ring, and her collection of eleven fur coats were among the items being sold. Her mother Clara and sister Dorothy bid on some of the items so they could keep them in the family. They were able to buy back her beloved Trifari brooch and a few other keepsakes. More than a thousand of her fans attended the two week auction. Carole's topaz ring sold for just $1,250 and a cigarette lighter sold for $75. Her mother weeped as strangers bought these deeply personal items. She said "It's a shame to see the things she loved being sold to strangers."
Here are some items from Carole's estate that her family kept ...
