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. 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.
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 |
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]
In 1937, upon the sudden death of actress Jean Harlow, Dees 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 at the time.[3]
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.[3]
Death
Dees died on August 4, 2004 in Lake Worth, Florida, aged 93, after a long illness.[4]
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.
- ^ 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