Marion Martin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Marion Martin (born Marion Suplee, June 7, 1909 – August 13, 1985) was an American movie and stage actress. Martin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the daughter of a Bethlehem Steel executive. She became an actress after her family fortune was lost in the Wall Street Crash of 1929, and appeared in the Broadway productions Lombardi Ltd. and Sweet Adeline. She made her film debut in She's My Lillie, I'm Her Willie and subsequently played minor roles, often as showgirls. Several of her early roles were in musicals and she achieved some success as a singer. By the end of the decade she had played leading female roles in several "B" pictures, playing one of her most notable roles in James Whale's Sinners in Paradise (1938). Despite her success she was often cast in minor roles in more widely seen films such as His Girl Friday (1940). The majority of her roles were in comedies but she also appeared in dramas such as Boom Town (1940) in which she played a dance hall singer who is briefly romanced by Clark Gable. She played secondary roles in three Lupe Vélez "Mexican Spitfire" films in the early 1940s, and was a comic foil for the Marx Brothers in The Big Store, where the back of her skirt is cut away by Harpo. She played a ghost in Gildersleeve's Ghost, and was the subject of a legendary fistfight between Gildersleeve star Harold Peary and Warner Bros studio mogul Bud Stevens at the Mocambo nightclub in 1943. Her more substantial roles included Alice Angel, a dizzy showgirl, in the murder mystery Lady of Burlesque with Barbara Stanwyck and Angel on My Shoulder. She also appeared in The Big Street with Lucille Ball, in the western The Woman of the Town with Claire Trevor and in The Great Mike at PRC in 1944. By the late 1940s, her roles were often minor. Three Stooges fans will remember her as western cowgirl Gladys in Merry Mavericks. She played "Belle Farnol" in a 1950 episode of The Lone Ranger entitled "Pardon for Curley". Shortly afterward, she made her final film appearance in 1952. Married to a physicist, Martin retired, and although she expressed the desire to return to show business, suitable roles were not offered to her. She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her contributions to motion pictures, at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard. She died in 1985 in Santa Monica, California, and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.
Known For
Credits
- 1952 · Oklahoma Annie as LaBelle La Tour
- 1951 · Journey Into Light as Diana (as Marian Martin)
- 1951 · Merry Mavericks as Gladys
- 1950 · Dakota Lil as Blonde Singer
- 1950 · Key to the City as Emmy
- 1949 · Oh, You Beautiful Doll as Bar Blonde
- 1949 · Come to the Stable as Rossi's Manicurist (uncredited)
- 1948 · Thunder in the Pines as Pearl (as Marian Martin)
- 1947 · Should Husbands Marry? as Loud Friend's Girlfriend
- 1947 · Lighthouse as JoJo, the Blonde
- 1946 · That Brennan Girl as Marion, Natalie's Girl Friend (as Marian Martin)
- 1946 · Nobody Lives Forever as Lou, Blonde (uncredited)
- 1946 · Angel on My Shoulder as Mrs. Bentley
- 1946 · Black Angel as Millie
- 1946 · Queen of Burlesque as Lola Cassell
- 1946 · Deadline for Murder as Laura Gibson
- 1946 · Suspense as Shooting Gallery Blond (uncredited)
- 1946 · Cinderella Jones as Burlesque Queen
- 1945 · Girls of the Big House as Dixie
- 1945 · Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood as Miss Milbane
- 1945 · On Stage Everybody as Bubbles (uncredited)
- 1945 · Gangs of the Waterfront as Rita (as Marian Martin)
- 1945 · Penthouse Rhythm as Irma King
- 1945 · The Phantom Speaks as Betty Hanzel
- 1945 · Eadie Was a Lady as Rose Allure
- 1944 · The Great Mike as Kitty Tremaine
- 1944 · Mystery of the Riverboat as Celeste Eltree [Chs. 1-4, 7]
- 1944 · The Merry Monahans as Soubrette
- 1944 · Gildersleeve's Ghost as Terry Vance
- 1944 · It Happened Tomorrow as Nurse (uncredited)
- 1944 · Sweethearts of the U.S.A. as Ghost of Josephine
- 1943 · The Woman of the Town as Daisy Davenport
- 1943 · Lady of Burlesque as Alice Angel
- 1943 · They Got Me Covered as Gloria
- 1942 · The McGuerins from Brooklyn as Myrtle
- 1942 · Mexican Spitfire's Elephant as Diana De Corro
- 1942 · The Big Street as Mimi Venus
- 1942 · Tales of Manhattan as 'Squirrel' Grey
- 1942 · Powder Town as Sue, Blonde Piano Player
- 1942 · Mexican Spitfire at Sea as Fifi Russell
- 1942 · Wedded Blitz as Mrs. Errol
- 1942 · Fly-By-Night as Nurse
- 1941 · Weekend for Three as Mrs. Gloria Weatherby
- 1941 · The Mexican Spitfire's Baby as Fifi
- 1941 · Lady Scarface as Ruby / Mary Jordan
- 1941 · New Wine as Mitzi
- 1941 · Cracked Nuts as Flashy Blonde in Corridor
- 1941 · Love at First Fright as Liza Hatrack
- 1941 · The Big Store as Peggy Arden
- 1941 · The Lady from Cheyenne as Gertie
- 1941 · Blonde Inspiration as Wanda
- 1941 · Tall, Dark and Handsome as Dawn
- 1940 · Ellery Queen, Master Detective as Cornelia
- 1940 · Blondes and Blunders as Blondie, Jewel Thief
- 1940 · Boom Town as Whitey
- 1940 · Untamed as 2nd Girl in Limousine (uncredited)
- 1940 · His Girl Friday as Evangeline (uncredited)
- 1939 · Invisible Stripes as Blonde (uncredited)
- 1939 · The Man in the Iron Mask as Mlle. de la Valliere
- 1939 · Invitation to Happiness as Lola Snow
- 1939 · Sergeant Madden as Charlotte LePage
- 1939 · Pirates of the Skies as
- 1938 · His Exciting Night as Gypsy McCoy
- 1938 · The Storm as Jane
- 1938 · Youth Takes a Fling as Girl on Beach
- 1938 · Sinners in Paradise as Iris Compton
- 1938 · Cupid Takes a Holiday as Annabelle Postal -1st Prospective Bride
- 1938 · The Miss They Missed as
- 1935 · Richard Himber and His Orchestra as Singer
- 1935 · Moon Over Manhattan as
- 1934 · She's My Lilly, I'm Her Willie as Miss Brooks
- 1934 · Crime Without Passion as Theatre Cashier (uncredited)
- 1934 · Mr. W's Little Game as The Blonde