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 Dees | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 3, 1911 |
| Died | August 4, 2005 (aged 94) Lake Worth, Florida, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1929–1985 |
Biography and career
editBorn 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
editDees 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
editDees 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- ^ 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. 20. ProQuest 102347236. 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