Marion Martin

Birthday: 1908-06-07
Deathday: 1985-08-13
Birthplace: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Gender: Female
Owned By: Unowned

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.

Credits

Year Title Character
1952-03-24 Oklahoma Annie LaBelle La Tour
1951-09-28 Journey Into Light Diana (as Marian Martin)
1951-09-06 Merry Mavericks Gladys
1950-02-17 Dakota Lil Blonde Singer
1950-02-02 Key to the City Emmy
1949-11-11 Oh, You Beautiful Doll Bar Blonde
1949-07-27 Come to the Stable Rossi's Manicurist (uncredited)
1948-11-11 Thunder in the Pines Pearl (as Marian Martin)
1947-11-13 Should Husbands Marry? Loud Friend's Girlfriend
1947-01-10 Lighthouse JoJo, the Blonde
1946-12-23 That Brennan Girl Marion, Natalie's Girl Friend (as Marian Martin)
1946-11-01 Nobody Lives Forever Lou, Blonde (uncredited)
1946-09-20 Angel on My Shoulder Mrs. Bentley
1946-08-02 Black Angel Millie
1946-07-24 Queen of Burlesque Lola Cassell
1946-06-28 Deadline for Murder Laura Gibson
1946-06-15 Suspense Shooting Gallery Blond (uncredited)
1946-03-09 Cinderella Jones Burlesque Queen
1945-11-02 Girls of the Big House Dixie
1945-10-05 Bud Abbott and Lou Costello in Hollywood Miss Milbane
1945-07-13 On Stage Everybody Bubbles (uncredited)
1945-07-03 Gangs of the Waterfront Rita (as Marian Martin)
1945-06-22 Penthouse Rhythm Irma King
1945-04-13 The Phantom Speaks Betty Hanzel
1945-01-24 Eadie Was a Lady Rose Allure
1944-11-15 The Great Mike Kitty Tremaine
1944-10-24 Mystery of the Riverboat Celeste Eltree [Chs. 1-4, 7]
1944-09-15 The Merry Monahans Soubrette
1944-06-01 Gildersleeve's Ghost Terry Vance
1944-03-31 It Happened Tomorrow Nurse (uncredited)
1944-03-07 Sweethearts of the U.S.A. Ghost of Josephine
1943-12-31 The Woman of the Town Daisy Davenport
1943-05-01 Lady of Burlesque Alice Angel
1943-03-04 They Got Me Covered Gloria
1942-12-31 The McGuerins from Brooklyn Myrtle
1942-09-17 Mexican Spitfire's Elephant Diana De Corro
1942-08-13 The Big Street Mimi Venus
1942-08-05 Tales of Manhattan 'Squirrel' Grey
1942-06-07 Powder Town Sue, Blonde Piano Player
1942-03-13 Mexican Spitfire at Sea Fifi Russell
1942-03-13 Wedded Blitz Mrs. Errol
1942-01-19 Fly By Night Nurse
1941-12-12 Weekend for Three Mrs. Gloria Weatherby
1941-11-28 The Mexican Spitfire's Baby Fifi
1941-09-26 Lady Scarface Ruby / Mary Jordan
1941-09-10 New Wine Mitzi
1941-07-02 Cracked Nuts Flashy Blonde in Corridor
1941-06-25 Love at First Fright Liza Hatrack
1941-06-20 The Big Store Peggy Arden
1941-04-11 The Lady from Cheyenne Gertie
1941-02-07 Blonde Inspiration Wanda
1941-01-24 Tall, Dark and Handsome Dawn
1940-11-30 Ellery Queen, Master Detective Cornelia
1940-11-29 Blondes and Blunders Blondie, Jewel Thief
1940-08-30 Boom Town Whitey
1940-07-24 Untamed 2nd Girl in Limousine (uncredited)
1940-01-18 His Girl Friday Evangeline (uncredited)
1939-12-30 Invisible Stripes Blonde (uncredited)
1939-07-13 The Man in the Iron Mask Mlle. de la Valliere
1939-06-07 Invitation to Happiness Lola Snow
1939-03-24 Sergeant Madden Charlotte LePage
1939-01-01 Pirates of the Skies
1938-11-11 His Exciting Night Gypsy McCoy
1938-10-28 The Storm Jane
1938-09-22 Youth Takes a Fling Girl on Beach
1938-05-19 Sinners in Paradise Iris Compton
1938-02-04 Cupid Takes a Holiday Annabelle Postal -1st Prospective Bride
1938-01-29 The Miss They Missed
1936-08-14 Boy, Oh Boy Miss Glory Hutchinson
1935-07-15 Richard Himber and His Orchestra Singer
1935-06-17 The Magic of Music Blonde guest
1935-02-15 Moon Over Manhattan
1934-09-07 She's My Lilly, I'm Her Willie Miss Brooks
1934-08-30 Crime Without Passion Theatre Cashier (uncredited)
1934-01-01 Mr. W's Little Game The Blonde