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'''Mary Ella Dees''' (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2004) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for late-1930s actress [[Jean Harlow]]. |
'''Mary Ella Dees''' (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2004) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for late-1930s actress [[Jean Harlow]]. |
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==Biography and career== |
==Biography and career== |
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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, she 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 went on to befriend 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> |
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, she 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 went on to befriend 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> |
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Dees was a dancer<ref>{{cite news |title=Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role |url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/102347236 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=June 19, 1937 |page=20March 7, 2021}}</ref> when, in 1937, after the sudden death of actress Jean Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss [[Louis B. Mayer]] as a four-minute stand-in for Harlow, who was acting with [[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> |
Dees was a dancer<ref>{{cite news |title=Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role |url=https://search.proquest.com/docview/102347236 |access-date=March 7, 2021 |work=The New York Times |date=June 19, 1937 |page=20March 7, 2021}}</ref> when, in 1937, after the sudden death of actress Jean Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss [[Louis B. Mayer]] as a four-minute stand-in for Harlow, who was acting with [[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> |
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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), and numerous [[Marx Brothers]] comedies. |
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), and numerous [[Marx Brothers]] comedies. |
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[[Category:People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama]] |
[[Category:People from Tuscaloosa, Alabama]] |
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[[Category:20th-century American actresses]] |
[[Category:20th-century American actresses]] |
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[[Category:21st-century American women]] |
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Revision as of 18:05, 4 December 2021
Mary Dees | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 3, 1911 Syracuse, New York, U.S. |
| Died | August 4, 2004 (aged 93) Lake Worth, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1929–1985 |
Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2004) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for late-1930s actress Jean Harlow.
Biography and career
Born in Syracuse, New York on June 3, 1911,[1] the daughter of a successful lawyer, she 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 went on to befriend 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 actress Jean Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss Louis B. Mayer as a four-minute stand-in for Harlow, who was acting with 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.
Later career
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
Dees died on August 4, 2004 in Lake Worth, Florida, aged 93, after a long illness.[6]
Filmography
| 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
- ^ 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)
- ^ Guide to actress Mary Dees' scrapbooks MSS.2562-001, University of Alabama, accessed 2011-01-02.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role". The New York Times. June 19, 1937. p. 20March 7, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ a b The Guardian obituary for Mary Dees, September 22, 2005; accessed January 2, 2011.
- ^ South Florida Sun-Sentinel article with photo, August 10, 2004