Doris Colleen Houck (September 28, 1921 December 14, 1965), known professionally as Doris Colleen, was an American model, 1940s Florentine Gardens performer and film actress on contract with Columbia Studios. She appeared in 25+ films from 1945-1947. In the 1950s, she was a published BMI contract songwriter.

Biography

Houck was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. George Houck. In 1942, she changed her last name to Howe. She was a native of

Wallace, Idaho Wallace, Idaho is a city in and the county seat of Shoshone County, Idaho, Shoshone County, Idaho, in the Silver Valley (Idaho), Silver Valley mining district of the Idaho Panhandle. Founded in 1884, Wallace sits alongside the South Fork of the C ...

. Houck, credited as Doris Colleen, is familiar to modern viewers for her roles in several

Three Stooges The Three Stooges were an American vaudeville and comedy team active from 1922 until 1970, best remembered for their 190 short-subject films by Columbia Pictures. Their hallmark styles were physical, farce, and slapstick comedy. Six total ...

short subjects A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

, such as ''

G.I. Wanna Home ''G.I. Wanna Home'' is a 1946 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 94th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures starring th ...

''. She is best remembered as the aggressive girlfriend who throws

Shemp Howard Shemp Howard (born Samuel Horwitz; March 11, 1895 – November 22, 1955) was an American comedian and actor. He is best known as the third Stooge in The Three Stooges, a role he played when the act began in the early 1920s (1923–1932), while i ...

's head into a

vise A vise or vice (British English) is a mechanical apparatus used to secure an object to allow work to be performed on it. Vises have two parallel jaws, one fixed and the other movable, threaded in and out by a screw and lever. The jaws are ofte ...

until he decided to marry her in ''

Brideless Groom ''Brideless Groom'' is a 1947 short film, short subject directed by Edward Bernds starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges (Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Shemp Howard). It is the 101st entry in the series released by Columbia Pictu ...

'': * Shemp: "Stop, I'm getting a headache!" * Houck: "I'll fix your headache!" Houck also performed in night clubs. In 1955, Houck signed an exclusive seven-year songwriting contract with Arthur Valanda, manager of T-C Publishing Corporation.

Personal life

Houck was married to

San Antonio, Texas San Antonio ( ; Spanish for "Anthony of Padua, Saint Anthony") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the most populous city in Greater San Antonio. San Antonio is the List of Texas metropolitan areas, third-largest metropolitan area in Texa ...

oil man Edward G. Nealis; they divorced in May 1948. On January 6, 1950, Houck married Los Angeles police officer and Hollywood fixer

Fred Otash Fred Otash (January 7, 1922 – October 5, 1992) was a Los Angeles police officer, private investigator, author, and a WWII Marine veteran, who became known as a Hollywood fixer, while operating as its "most infamous" private detective; he is most ...

, in Beverly Hills. They were divorced twice: the first order was vacated following a November 1950

reconciliation Reconciliation or reconcile may refer to: Accounting * Reconciliation (accounting) Arts, entertainment, and media Books * Reconciliation (Under the North Star), ''Reconciliation'' (''Under the North Star''), the third volume of the ''Under the ...

, and their second and final divorce was granted on June 19, 1952.

Death

Houck died "from acute barbituate intoxication" on December 14, 1965, aged 44. She was cremated, and her remains are in Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Selected filmography

* ''

'' (

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...

) * ''

Little Miss Broadway ''Little Miss Broadway'' is a 1938 American musical drama film directed by Irving Cummings. The screenplay was written by Harry Tugend and Jack Yellen. The film stars Shirley Temple in a story about a theatrical boarding house and its occupant ...

'' (1947) * ''

'' (

1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...

) * '' Shadowed'' (1946) * '' Landrush'' (1946) * '' Heading West'' (1946) * '' Two-Fisted Stranger'' (1946) * ''

Life with Blondie ''Life with Blondie'' is a 1945 American black-and-white domestic comedy film and the 16th of the 28 Blondie films. It was the return of Dagwood and Blondie after Columbia Picture's 1943 decision to cancel the series met with protest. Plot summa ...

'' (

1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...

)

References

External links

* 1921 births 1965 deaths 20th-century American actresses American film actresses Actresses from Idaho People from Wallace, Idaho {{US-film-actor-1920s-stub