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{{short description|American actress}}
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{{Infobox actor

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|name = Mary Dees
{{for| the African American radio personality|Mary Dee}}
|image = replace this image female.svg
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{{Infobox person
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|imagesize = 160px
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|name = Mary Dees
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|caption =
|image = Photo_of_actress_Mary_Dees.jpg
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|birth_date = {{birth_date|1911|9|1|mf=y}}
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|imagesize = 160px
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|birth_place = Syracuse, New York, U.S.
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|caption =
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|death_date = {{death_date and age|2004|8|4|1911|9|1|mf=y}}
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|birth_date = {{birth_date|1911|6|3|mf=y}}
|death_place = Hollywood, California, U.S.
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|birth_place = [[Tuscaloosa County, Alabama]], U.S.
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|occupation = Actress
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|death_date = {{death_date and age|2005|8|4|1911|6|3|mf=y}}
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|yearsactive =1929-1985
|death_place = [[Lake Worth Beach, Florida|Lake Worth, Florida]], U.S.
|awards=
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|occupation = Actress
|spouse =
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|yearsactive = 1929–1985
|children=
|homepage =
}}
}}


'''Mary Ella Dees''' (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for actress [[Jean Harlow]].
'''Mary Ella Dees''' {born September 9, 1911-died August 4, 2004} was an Amercian stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for late 1930's actress [[Jean Harlow]] <ref>[http://www.findadeath.com/forum/showthread.php?t=25138 Mary Dees - the starlet who doubled for Jean Harlow, The UK Guardian Sept. 22, 2005, article at Fina A Death.com website]</ref>. Dees, often cast as the ingénue, worked in a number of big budget [[MGM]] produced pictures mostly during the 1930's, including ''[[The Last Gangster]]'' (1937) with [[James Stewart]] - in which she played a gangster's moll - and [[George Cukor]] directed film ''[[The Women]]'' (1939), as well as a number of [[Three Stooges]] shors, which included ''[[Hoi Polloi]]'' (1935), and numerous [[Marx Brothers]] comedies. A favorite of noted director [[Irving Thalberg]], he requested her to call him "Pappa". "If one played with Pappa," Dees had recalled some nearly 70 years later before her passing, "then Pappa gave one parts in pictures." Since Thalberg was the most powerful man in Hollywood, starlets seldom ever said "no".


==Biography and career==
==Biography and career==
Born in [[Syracuse, New York]], on June 3, 1911,<ref>Born on June 3, 1911, not in September 1911 as per the [http://ssdi.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/ssdi.cgi Social Security Death Index, under name DEES, MARY E (SS# 569-18-8259)]</ref> the daughter of a successful lawyer, Dees was for a time raised in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]].<ref>[http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0003_0002562 Guide to actress Mary Dees' scrapbooks MSS.2562-001, University of Alabama, accessed 2011-01-02.]</ref> She worked for a short time as a typist before moving to Hollywood in 1932. She was named Miss America in Hollywood in 1932, an accomplishment that led director [[Jack Conway (filmmaker)|Jack Conway]] to give her a bit part in ''[[Red-Headed Woman|Red Headed Woman]]''. That film starred [[Jean Harlow]], who befriended Dees. She advised the newcomer to study dancing, helped her to shop for "the right clothes" and helped to pay for Dees's gowns.<ref name="bn">{{cite news |last1=Caldwell |first1=Lily Mae |title=Birmingham's Mary Dees Soars to Stardom, Love As Harlow's Double |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/82128305/mary-dees/ |access-date=July 25, 2021 |work=The Birmingham News |date=August 3, 1937 |page=10|via = [[Newspapers.com]]}}</ref>


Dees was a dancer<ref>{{cite news |title=Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/102347236 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=June 19, 1937 |page=20|id={{ProQuest|102347236}} }}</ref> when, in 1937, after the sudden death of Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss [[Louis B. Mayer]] as a four-minute stand-in for the star, who was acting opposite [[Clark Gable]] on the film ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'', which was still in production.<ref name=Guardian>[https://www.theguardian.com/news/2005/sep/22/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries ''The Guardian'' obituary for Mary Dees, September 22, 2005; accessed January 2, 2011.]</ref>
Born in [[Syracuse, New York]], the daughter of a successful lawyer, Dees, who was also for a time raised in [[Tuscaloosa, Alabama]],<ref>[http://acumen.lib.ua.edu/u0003_0002562 Guide to actress Mary Dees' scrapbooks MSS.2562-001, Univ. Of Alabama, accessed 2011-1-2.]</ref>. had embarked on her career in summer stock theatre while still a teen in 1929, followed by the back row of a [[New York]] chorus line. But by 1933, Dees had installed herself at the Garden of Allah hotel complex in [[Hollywood]], owned by the silent movie star [[Nazimova]]. In 1937, upon the death of starlet actress Jean Harlow, Mary was employed by MGM boss [[Louis B. Mayer]] and [[Irving Thalberg]] as a four-minute stand in for Harlow, who was acting on the film ''[[Saratoga]]'' with [[Clark Gable]], which was still in production at the time; in desperation the producers Mayer and Thalberg had scrambled to find a replacement double to shoot the remaining 4 minutes that were needed to complete the project, which had been in danger of being shelved. Dees filled in admirably the star, albeit briefly, with her back to the camera or wearing a floppy hat most of the time, as the film went on to become one of 1937's biggest critical and box-office hits, as well as probably one of Harlow's most noted works.

Dees had parts in ''[[The Last Gangster]]'' (1937), ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' (1939), as well as a number of [[Three Stooges]] shorts, which included ''[[Hoi Polloi (1935 film)|Hoi Polloi]]'' (1935), and numerous [[Marx Brothers]] comedies.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}}


===Later career===
===Later career===
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Dees appeared in her last film role in 1946, in the [[Marx Brothers]] film ''[[A Night in Casablanca]]''. She continued to act on stage in repertory theatre until 1985.<ref name=Guardian/>


==Death==
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Dees appeared in her last film role in 1946, appearing in the [[Marx Brothers]] film ''[[A Night In Casablanca]]''. She continued on act on stage in repretoiry theatre, first in her homestate [[New York]] area and then, after later on, in a move to [[South Florida]], from 1960 on. She retired from acting altogether in 1985.
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Dees died on August 4, 2005, in [[Lake Worth Beach, Florida|Lake Worth, Florida]], aged 94, after a long illness.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170528151456/http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sflodees-photo.html ''South Florida Sun-Sentinel'' article with photo, August 10, 2004]</ref>


==Personal==
==Filmography==
{| class="wikitable"

|-
Dees, who also was a long-term date of boxer [[Jack Dempsey]], also had briefly at one time dated reputed mobster [[Johnny Roselli]]. "I didn't pick boyfriends very well," she said. "My choice of dates did frustrate MGM bosses and horrified my mother." In 1937, she met 1933 ''[[King Kong]]'' film star [[Bruce Cabot]] while working on the film ''[[Bad Guy]]''; Their relationship eventually ended in the early 1940s. Into her 90's, Dees had reportedly always tried her best to look the part of a star actor; in wearing gargantuan floppy hats and long painted nails. "We were stars," Dees was once quoted as saying. "Today actors look like any other jerk on the street."
! Year

! Title
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Mary Dees died on August 4, 2004 in [[Lake Worth, Flordia]] at age 93, after a long bout with an undisclosed illness.<ref>[http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sflodees,0,1039840.photo South Florida Sun-Sentinel article with photo, August 10,2004]</ref>
! Role
! Notes
|-
|1931|| ''[[Flying High (1931 film)|Flying High]]'' || Chorus Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1933|| ''[[Dinner at Eight (1933 film)|Dinner at Eight]]'' || Minor Role || Uncredited
|-
|1933|| ''[[Footlight Parade]]'' || Chorus Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1934|| ''[[Let's Talk It Over]]'' || Woman at Beach || Uncredited
|-
|1934|| ''[[The Man with Two Faces (1934 film)|The Man with Two Faces]]'' || Theatregoer || Uncredited
|-
|1934|| ''[[Kid Millions]]'' || Paulette || Uncredited
|-
|1935|| ''[[Gold Diggers of 1935]]'' || Chorus Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1935|| ''[[Redheads on Parade]]'' || Redhead || Uncredited
|-
|1935|| ''[[Two-Fisted]]'' || Minor Role || Uncredited
|-
|1936|| ''[[Anything Goes (1936 film)|Anything Goes]]'' || Chorus Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1936|| ''[[Born to Dance]]'' || Chorine || Uncredited
|-
|1937|| ''[[Saratoga (film)|Saratoga]]'' || Carol Clayton || (after Jean Harlow's Death)<br> Uncredited
|-
|1937|| ''[[Bad Guy (1937 film)|Bad Guy]]'' || Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1937|| ''[[The Last Gangster]]'' || Virginia Bauche || Uncredited
|-
|1938|| ''[[The Shopworn Angel]]'' || Babe #1 || Uncredited
|-
|1939|| ''[[The Women (1939 film)|The Women]]'' || Girl || Uncredited
|-
|1946|| ''[[A Night in Casablanca]]'' || Minor Role || Uncredited, (final film role)
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
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*{{IMDb name|0214414|Mary Dees}}
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2005/sep/22/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries Obituary for actress Mary Dees, ''The UK Guardian'', Sep 22, 2005 accessed 2011/1/2.]

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*{{imdb name|0214414|Mary Dees}}
{{Authority control}}
*[http://movies.dir.groups.yahoo.com/group/MARYDEES/?v=1&t=directory&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=dir&slk=3 Actress Mary Dees's Yahoo! fan club group]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Dees, Mary}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dees, Mary}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:2004 births]]
[[Category:2005 deaths]]
[[Category:American film actors]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American stage actors]]
[[Category:American stage actresses]]
[[Category:People from Syracuse, New York]]
[[Category:Actresses from Syracuse, New York]]
[[Category:People from Lake Worth Beach, Florida]]
[[Category:People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]
[[Category:People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama]]
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]

Latest revision as of 15:40, 9 January 2025

For the African American radio personality, see Mary Dee.
Mary Dees
Born(1911-06-03)June 3, 1911
Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, U.S.
DiedAugust 4, 2005(2005-08-04) (aged 94)
Lake Worth, Florida, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1929–1985

Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for actress Jean Harlow.

Biography and career

[edit]

Born in Syracuse, New York, on June 3, 1911,[1] the daughter of a successful lawyer, Dees was for a time raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[2] She worked for a short time as a typist before moving to Hollywood in 1932. She was named Miss America in Hollywood in 1932, an accomplishment that led director Jack Conway to give her a bit part in Red Headed Woman. That film starred Jean Harlow, who befriended Dees. She advised the newcomer to study dancing, helped her to shop for "the right clothes" and helped to pay for Dees's gowns.[3]

Dees was a dancer[4] when, in 1937, after the sudden death of Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss Louis B. Mayer as a four-minute stand-in for the star, who was acting opposite Clark Gable on the film Saratoga, which was still in production.[5]

Dees had parts in The Last Gangster (1937), The Women (1939), as well as a number of Three Stooges shorts, which included Hoi Polloi (1935), and numerous Marx Brothers comedies.[citation needed]

Later career

[edit]

Dees appeared in her last film role in 1946, in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca. She continued to act on stage in repertory theatre until 1985.[5]

Death

[edit]

Dees died on August 4, 2005, in Lake Worth, Florida, aged 94, after a long illness.[6]

Filmography

[edit]
Year Title Role Notes
1931 Flying High Chorus Girl Uncredited
1933 Dinner at Eight Minor Role Uncredited
1933 Footlight Parade Chorus Girl Uncredited
1934 Let's Talk It Over Woman at Beach Uncredited
1934 The Man with Two Faces Theatregoer Uncredited
1934 Kid Millions Paulette Uncredited
1935 Gold Diggers of 1935 Chorus Girl Uncredited
1935 Redheads on Parade Redhead Uncredited
1935 Two-Fisted Minor Role Uncredited
1936 Anything Goes Chorus Girl Uncredited
1936 Born to Dance Chorine Uncredited
1937 Saratoga Carol Clayton (after Jean Harlow's Death)
Uncredited
1937 Bad Guy Girl Uncredited
1937 The Last Gangster Virginia Bauche Uncredited
1938 The Shopworn Angel Babe #1 Uncredited
1939 The Women Girl Uncredited
1946 A Night in Casablanca Minor Role Uncredited, (final film role)

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Born on June 3, 1911, not in September 1911 as per the Social Security Death Index, under name DEES, MARY E (SS# 569-18-8259)
  2. ^ Guide to actress Mary Dees' scrapbooks MSS.2562-001, University of Alabama, accessed 2011-01-02.
  3. ^ Caldwell, Lily Mae (August 3, 1937). "Birmingham's Mary Dees Soars to Stardom, Love As Harlow's Double". The Birmingham News. p. 10. Retrieved July 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role". The New York Times. June 19, 1937. p. 20. ProQuest 102347236. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. ^ a b The Guardian obituary for Mary Dees, September 22, 2005; accessed January 2, 2011.
  6. ^ South Florida Sun-Sentinel article with photo, August 10, 2004
[edit]
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