Marie Wilson
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Marie Wilson
Biography
The quintessential dumb, buxom blonde, Marie Wilson was born in Anaheim, CA, then moved with her family to Hollywood after the death of her father. She received her first screen role as Mary Quite Contrary in the Laurel and Hardy version of Babes in Toyland (1934), through the auspices of her then-husband, writer/director Nick Grinde. Signed to a Warner Bros. contract, Wilson cemented her scatterbrained reputation in such films as Satan Met a Lady (1936) and Boy Meets Girl (1938). In 1944, she was hired by Ken Murray to perform a comedy striptease in Murray's Hollywood stage revue Blackouts; the engagement lasted five years and 2,332 performances. In 1947, Wilson starred in the radio sitcom "My Friend Irma," which led to two theatrical films (the first of which introduced Martin and Lewis to the moviegoing audience) and a TV series. Her open, grinning face belying her age, Wilson continued doing her dumb-blonde act into the 1960s, starring in summer stock and dinner-theater productions of Born Yesterday and appearing in commercials. Marie Wilson's last TV assignment was a voice-over role in the 1970 animated cartoon series Where's Huddles?; two years later, she died of cancer at the age of 56. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviRelated Videos:
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Marie Wilson
Filmography:
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Marie Wilson
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Marie Wilson (American actress)
| Marie Wilson | |
|---|---|
 Wilson in 1954. |
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| Born | Katherine Elisabeth Wilson August 19, 1916 Anaheim, California, United States |
| Died | November 23, 1972 (aged 56) Hollywood, California, United States |
| Years active | 1934–1972 |
| Spouse | Robert Fallon (1951-1972) (her death) Allan Nixon (1942-1950) (divorced) Nick Grinde (? - ?) (divorced) |
Katherine Elisabeth Wilson (August 19, 1916 – November 23, 1972), better known by her stage name, Marie Wilson, was an American radio, film, and television actress. She may be best remembered as the title character in My Friend Irma.
Career
Born in Anaheim, California, Wilson began her career in New York City as a dancer on the Broadway stage. She gained national prominence with My Friend Irma on radio, television and film. The show made her a star but typecast her almost interminably as the quintessential dumb blonde, which she played in numerous comedies and in Ken Murray's famous Hollywood "Blackouts". During World War II, she was a volunteer performer at the Hollywood Canteen. She was also a popular wartime pin-up.
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Wilson's performance in Satan Met a Lady, the second film adaptation of Dashiell Hammett's detective novel The Maltese Falcon, is a virtual template for Marilyn Monroe's later onscreen persona. Wilson appeared in more than 40 films and was a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show on four occasions. She was a television performer during the 1960s, working until her untimely death.
Wilson's talents have been recognized with three stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame: for radio at 6301 Hollywood Boulevard, for television at 6765 Hollywood Boulevard and for movies at 6601 Hollywood Boulevard.
Personal life
Wilson married four times: Nick Grinde (early 1930s), LA golf pro Bob Stevens (1938–39), Allan Nixon (1942–50) and Robert Fallon (1951–72).
She died of cancer in 1972 at age 56 and was interred in the Columbarium of Remembrance at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood Hills.
Filmography
Features:
- Down to Their Last Yacht (1934)
- Babes in Toyland (1934)
- Ladies Crave Excitement (1935)
- The Girl Friend (1935)
- Stars Over Broadway (1935)
- Miss Pacific Fleet (1935)
- Broadway Hostess (1935)
- Colleen (1936)
- The Big Noise (1936)
- Satan Met a Lady (1936)
- China Clipper (1936)
- King of Hockey (1936)
- Melody for Two (1937)
- Public Wedding (1937)
- Over the Goal (1937)
- The Great Garrick (1937)
- The Invisible Menace (1938)
- Fools for Scandal (1938)
- Boy Meets Girl (1938)
- Broadway Musketeers (1938)
- Sweepstakes Winner (1939)
- Should Husbands Work? (1939)
- Cowboy Quarterback (1939)
- Virginia (1941)
- Rookies on Parade (1941)
- Flying Blind (1941)
- Harvard, Here I Come! (1941)
- Broadway (1942)
- She's in the Army (1942)
- You Can't Ration Love (1944)
- Shine On Harvest Moon (1944)
- Music for Millions (1944)
- Young Widow (1946)
- No Leave, No Love (1946)
- The Private Affairs of Bel Ami (1947)
- The Fabulous Joe (1947)
- Linda Be Good (1947)
- My Friend Irma (1949)
- My Friend Irma Goes West (1950)
- Never Wave at a WAC (1952)
- A Girl in Every Port (1952)
- Marry Me Again (1953)
- The Story of Mankind (1957)
- Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962)
Short subjects:
- My Gal Sally (1935)
- Swingtime in the Movies (1938)
- For Auld Lang Syne #3 (1938)
- Vitaphone Pictorial Revue No. 12 (1938)
- Screen Snapshots: The Great Showman (1950)
- Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Stars on Parade (1954)
Television credits
- My Friend Irma (1952–54)
- Ernestine (1962) (unsold pilot)
- Where's Huddles? (1970) (voice) (canceled after ten episodes)
Further reading
- Tranberg, Charles. Not So Dumb: The Life and Career of Marie Wilson. Albany: BearManor Media, 2007. ISBN 1-59393-049-6
External links
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Copyrights:
Mentioned in
Real Life
(1999 Album by Marie Wilson)
Anywhere But Here
(1999 Album by Original Soundtrack)
Season 07, Episode 01: The Red Skelton Show (TV Episode)
(1957 Comedy TV Episode)
Season 07, Episode 22: The Red Skelton Show (TV Episode)
(1958 Comedy TV Episode)
Broadway Musketeers
(1938 Comedy Drama Film)
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