Marilyn Maxwell
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Marilyn Maxwell
Biography
Her mother was a piano accompanist for dancer Ruth St. Denis; Maxwell traveled with her as a child, and at age three made her first stage appearance in a dance number. After taking singing lessons, as a teenager she became a band vocalist and sang on radio. She trained for the stage at the Pasadena Playhouse. In 1942 MGM signed her as a contract player, and she played leads and second leads in numerous movies, both light and dramatic. During World War Two and the Korean War she entertained American servicemen all over the world. Her film work tapered off after the mid '50s, and she entertained in top nightclubs and appeared in several stage productions in stock. She starred briefly in the TV series Bus Stop. In 1967 she headlined a burlesque-type stage show in Brooklyn; her act included a striptease. From 1944-46 she was married to actor John Conte, and from 1954-60 she was married to screenwriter Jerry Davis. She died at 50 of high blood pressure and a pulmonary disorder. ~ RoviFilmography:
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Marilyn Maxwell
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Marilyn Maxwell
| Marilyn Maxwell | |
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 from the trailer for High Barbaree (1947) |
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| Born | Marvel Marilyn Maxwell August 3, 1921 Clarinda, Iowa, U.S. |
| Died | March 20, 1972 (aged 50) Beverly Hills, California, U.S. |
| Years active | 1942–1971 |
| Spouse | John Conte (1944–1946) Anders (Andy) McIntyre (1949–1950) Jerry Davis (1954–1960) |
Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972), born Marvel Marilyn Maxwell, was an American actress and entertainer.
Noted for her blonde hair and sexually alluring persona, 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.[1]
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Contents
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Career
She started her professional entertaining career as a radio singer[2][3][4] while still a teenager before signing with MGM in 1942 as a contract player. Among the programs in which she appeared was 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.[1] 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.[5]
Maxwell appeared twice as a singer in the second season (1955–1956) of NBC's The Jimmy Durante Show. On May 16, 1957, she guest starred on NBC's The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford.[6]
In the 1961-1962 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.[7][8]
Personal Life
According to Arthur Marx's Bob Hope biography The Secret Life of Bob Hope, Hope's long-term affair with Maxwell was so open that the Hollywood community routinely referred to her as "Mrs. Bob Hope."
Death
In 1972, Maxwell's 15-year-old son arrived home from school and found her dead at the age of fifty of an apparent heart attack, after she had been treated for hypertension and pulmonary disease. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Benny were honorary pallbearers at her funeral.[9]
Filmography
Features
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Short subjects
References
- ^ a b Wilson, Earl (28 September 1952). "Another Marilyn! Are There Two?". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=p-McAAAAIBAJ&sjid=vmQEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1956,3659688&dq=perry+como+marilyn+maxwell&hl=en. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "Ted Weems and his Orchestra". RedHot Jazz.com. http://www.redhotjazz.com/weems.html. Retrieved 27 October 2010.
- ^ Herzog, Buck (15 October 1962). "Along Amusement Row". The Milwaukee Journal. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=IgwkAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ARAEAAAAIBAJ&pg=1872,2187533&dq=perry+como+marilyn+maxwell&hl=en. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "On the Stage". Pittburgh Post-Gazette. 21 October 1939. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=zZBRAAAAIBAJ&sjid=z2kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3129,1117850&dq=elmo+tanner&hl=en. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ "People in the News-Hope Favors 'Silver Bells'". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. 14 November 1977. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=Ukk0AAAAIBAJ&sjid=X2cEAAAAIBAJ&pg=5157,5588917&dq=perry+como+marilyn+maxwell&hl=en. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show". ctva.biz. http://ctva.biz/US/MusicVariety/TennesseeErnieFordShow.htm. Retrieved November 25, 2010.
- ^ Humphrey, Hal (6 August 1961). "Marilyn Maxwell: At the Crossroads". The Milwaukee Journal. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=QWAaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=-yYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3518,2586474&dq=perry+como+marilyn+maxwell&hl=en. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ Lowry, Cynthia (26 October 1961). "Heavy Fare Of Variety Shows On TV". Gettysburg Times. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=jHQlAAAAIBAJ&sjid=zfIFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1825,364926&dq=perry+como+marilyn+maxwell&hl=en. Retrieved 5 November 2010.
- ^ "Marilyn Maxwell Obituary". Eickemeyer Funeral Chapel. http://www.efc.cc/obituaries/prominent/marilyn_maxwell.htm. Retrieved 25 January 2009.
- Terrace, Vincent. Radio Programs, 1924-1984. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 1999. ISBN 0-7864-0351-9
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Marilyn Maxwell |
- Marilyn Maxwell at the Internet Movie Database
- Marilyn Maxwell at Find a Grave
- Marilyn Maxwell obituary
- Beat the Band April 7, 1940 episode at Old Time Radio Catalog. Maxwell appears as Marvel Maxwell.
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Mentioned in
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Season 10, Episode 25: The Red Skelton Show (TV Episode)
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