Marilyn Maxwell
Marilyn Maxwell | |
---|---|
Maxwell in 1961 | |
Born |
Marvel Marilyn Maxwell August 3, 1921 Clarinda, Iowa, U.S. |
Died |
March 20, 1972 50) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. | (aged
Years active | 1942–71 |
Spouse(s) |
John Conte (1944–46) Anders (Andy) McIntyre (1949–50) Jerry Davis (1954–60) |
Children | 1 |
Marvel Marilyn Maxwell[1] (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972) was an American actress and entertainer. A sex symbol of the 1940s and 1950s,[2] she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.[3]
Early years
Maxwell was a native of Clarinda, Iowa.[4] During the 1930s, she worked as an usher in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Rialto Theater located at 2616 South Calhoun Street.[5]
Career
She started her professional entertaining career as a radio singer[6][7][8] while still a teenager, before signing with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1942 as a contract player. Among the programs in which she appeared were Beat the Band[9] and The Abbott and Costello Show. The head of MGM, Louis B. Mayer, insisted she change the "Marvel" part of her real name. She dropped her first name and kept the middle one.[3] Some of her film roles included Lost in a Harem (1944), Champion (1949), The Lemon Drop Kid (1951), and Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958). The song "Silver Bells" made its debut in The Lemon Drop Kid, sung by Maxwell and Hope.[10]
Maxwell appeared twice as a singer in the second season (1955–56) of NBC's The Jimmy Durante Show. On May 16, 1957, she guest-starred on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.[11]
In the 1961–62 television season, Maxwell played Grace Sherwood, owner of the diner on ABC's 26-episode Bus Stop, a drama about travelers passing through the fictitious town of Sunrise, Colorado.[12][13] She left the series after 13 episodes, saying, "There was nothing for me to do but pour a second cup of coffee and point the way to the men's room."[14]
Personal life
Maxwell married three times; each ended in divorce. In September 1944, she married actor John Conte; the relationship was dissolved in June 1946. Her second marriage, to restaurateur Anders McIntyre, lasted just over a year, from January 1, 1950[15] until March 23, 1951.[1] Maxwell's six-year marriage to writer/producer Jerry Davis ended in 1960. Her only child, Matthew, was born to Maxwell and Davis in 1956.
According to Arthur Marx's Bob Hope biography The Secret Life of Bob Hope, Maxwell's long-term affair with Hope was so open that the Hollywood community routinely referred to her as "Mrs. Bob Hope".
Maxwell also had a multi-year affair with Frank Sinatra, as detailed in Alex Gibney's 2015 documentary on Sinatra for HBO, All or Nothing At All.
Radio appearances
Year | Program | Episode/source |
---|---|---|
1946 | Stars over Hollywood | A Woman's Touch[16] |
Death
On March 20, 1972, at age 50, Maxwell was found dead in her home by her 15-year-old son, who had arrived home from school. The cause was an apparent heart attack; she had been treated for hypertension and pulmonary disease. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Benny were honorary pallbearers at her funeral.[17]
Filmography
Features
- Stand by for Action (1942) - Audrey Carr
- Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case (1943) - Ruth Edly
- Salute to the Marines (1943) - Helen Bailey
- Thousands Cheer (1943) - Drug Store Clerk in Red Skelton Skit
- Swing Fever (1943) - Ginger Gray
- Three Men in White (1944) - Ruth Edley
- Lost in a Harem (1944) - Hazel Moon
- Between Two Women (1945) - Ruth Edley
- The Show-Off (1946) - Amy Fisher Piper
- High Barbaree (1947) - Diana Case
- Summer Holiday (1948) - Belle
- Race Street (1948) - Robbie Lawrence
- Champion (1949) - Grace
- Key to the City (1950) - Sheila
- Outside the Wall (1950) - Charlotte Maynard
- The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) - 'Brainey' Baxter
- New Mexico (1951) - Cherry
- Off Limits (1952) - Connie Curtis
- East of Sumatra (1953) - Lory Hale
- Paris Model (1953) - Marion Parmalee
- New York Confidential (1955) - Iris Palmer
- Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958) - Carla Naples
- Critic's Choice (1963) - Ivy London
- Stage to Thunder Rock (1964) - Leah Parker
- The Lively Set (1964) - Marge Owens
- Arizona Bushwhackers (1968) - Molly
- From Nashville with Music (1969) - Mabel
- The Phynx (1970) - Herself
Short subjects
References
- 1 2 "Actress Gets Freedom". The Plain Speaker. March 23, 1951. p. 12. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Hyams, Joe (March 1991). Flight of the Avenger: George Bush at War. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich. p. 128. ISBN 978-0-15-131469-0.
- 1 2 Wilson, Earl (September 28, 1952). "Another Marilyn! Are There Two?". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ↑ "Actress Marilyn Maxwell Dies". The La Crosse Tribune. March 21, 1972. p. 14. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Ankenbruck, John (1975). Twentieth Century History of Fort Wayne. Fort Wayne: Twentieth Century Historical Fort Wayne, Inc.
- ↑ "Ted Weems and his Orchestra". RedHot Jazz.com. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
- ↑ Herzog, Buck (October 15, 1962). "Along Amusement Row". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ↑ "On the Stage". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 21, 1939. Retrieved April 13, 2011.
- ↑ "Say Hello to ..." (PDF). Radio and Television Mirror. 14 (2): 42. June 1940. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
- ↑ "People in the News-Hope Favors 'Silver Bells'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 14, 1977. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ↑ "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show". ctva.biz. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
- ↑ Humphrey, Hal (August 6, 1961). "Marilyn Maxwell: At the Crossroads". The Milwaukee Journal. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ↑ Lowry, Cynthia (October 26, 1961). "Heavy Fare Of Variety Shows On TV". Gettysburg Times. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
- ↑ Thomas, Bob (November 19, 1961). "Marilyn Maxwell Just 'Rides Away' From Show". The Corpus Christi Caller-Times. p. 63. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Marilyn Maxwell Seeking Divorce". The Oregon Statesman. February 17, 1951. p. 1. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Marilyn Maxwell Stars On WHP in "Stars Over Hollywood" Original". Harrisburg Telegraph. November 23, 1946. p. 19. Retrieved September 13, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Marilyn Maxwell Obituary". Eickemeyer Funeral Chapel. Archived from the original on January 23, 2009. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
Further reading
- Terrace, Vincent (1999). Radio Programs, 1924–1984. McFarland. ISBN 0-7864-0351-9.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marilyn Maxwell. |
- Marilyn Maxwell on IMDb
- Marilyn Maxwell at Find a Grave
- Marilyn Maxwell obituary
- Beat the Band April 7, 1940 episode Maxwell appears as Marvel Maxwell.