Lois Collier (born Madelyn Earle Jones; March 21, 1917"Salley"
''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

''. March 26, 1923. p. 9. Retrieved February 20, 2024. "Mrs. Ernest E. Jones entertained 12 little girls Wednesday afternoon, celebrating the sixth birthday of her little daughter, Madelyn Earle Jones.""United States Census, 1920", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6ZS-Y74 : Sat Dec 23 03:35:07 UTC 2023), Entry for E E Jones and Ruth Jones, 1920. – October 27, 1999) was an American actress born in

Salley, South Carolina Salley is a town in Aiken County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 398 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Augusta, Georgia metropolitan area. Salley is known for hosting the Chitlin Strut, a town-wide festival, every Novemb ...

. She was sometimes credited as Lois Collyer.

Early years

Collier's father was Ernest Jones, a pharmacist, of

. Chaperoned by her grandmother, she visited Hollywood when she was 15, later describing herself as "movie-struck" at the time. She attended

Limestone College Limestone University, formerly Limestone College, was a private university, private Christian university in Gaffney, South Carolina, United States. Established in 1845 by Thomas Curtis, a scholar born and educated in England, Limestone was the f ...

Gaffney, South Carolina Gaffney is a city in and the county seat, seat of Cherokee County, South Carolina, United States, in the upstate South Carolina, Upstate region of South Carolina. Gaffney is known as the "Peach Capital of South Carolina". The population was 12,53 ...

Film

Collier's acting career started as a model in the 1935 romance-comedy " Women Must Dress". From 1940 through 1949, her career would be active and somewhat successful, with her playing mostly

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

roles in

B-movies A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, s ...

. Her best known film is probably ''

A Night in Casablanca ''A Night in Casablanca'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo, and Chico). The screenplay was written by Joseph Fields and Roland Kibbee. It was an independent production relea ...

'' (1946) starring the

Marx Brothers The Marx Brothers were an American family comedy act known for their anarchic humor, rapid-fire wordplay, and visual gags. They achieved success in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in 14 motion pictures. The core group consisted of brothers Chi ...

. During the 1940s, she often starred opposite western stars Bob Steele,

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films, and for his portrayal of superheroes in movie serials ''The Adventures of Captain Marvel'' and ''The Phantom''. Tyler als ...

, and Dennis Moore. In 1950, she starred in the

sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

serial ''The Flying Disc Man from Mars''. Collier was sometimes called the Fourth Mesquiteer because seven of

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

' '' The Three Mesquiteers'' movies featured her as the female lead.

Radio

Collier played Carol in the soap opera ''Dear John'', which ran on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

in the 1930s and 1940s. Beginning December 6, 1948, she was featured in ''You'', a program on KMGM in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Television

In 1949, Collier co-starred in ''City Desk'', a drama about activity in the newsroom of a newspaper. From 1950 through 1957, she starred mostly on

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

episodes. She played Mary, the hero's girlfriend and sidekick, in 58 episodes of the television series ''

Boston Blackie Boston Blackie is a fictional character created by author Jack Boyle (1881–1928). Blackie was originally depicted as a jewel thief and safecracker in Boyle's stories, and became a private detective in adaptations for films, radio and televisi ...

'', which ran from 1951 to 1954. She retired from acting after 1957.

Personal life

Collier was married to bank executive Robert A. Duncan. She was granted a divorce from him on September 3, 1943. On August 4, 1945, Collier married Robert Jackson Oakley, an agent for actors. They divorced in 1956.

Filmography

Film

*'' Women Must Dress'' (1935) – Model *'' A Desperate Adventure'', aka ''It Happened in Paris'' (UK) (1938) – Angela *''

Girls of the Road Girls of the Road is a 1940 American action film, based on an original screenplay by Robert Hardy Andrews, directed by Nick Grinde, and produced by Wallace MacDonald. The main characters of the 61–minute Columbia Pictures feature film were ten ...

'' (1940) – Road Girl (uncredited) *'' Ice-Capades'', aka ''Music in the Moonlight'' (US: reissue title) (1941) – Audition Girl (uncredited) *'' Outlaws of Cherokee Trail'' (1941) – Doris Sheldon *'' Sailors on Leave'' (1941) – Pretty Brunette (uncredited) *'' Gauchos of El Dorado'' (1941) – Ellen *'' West of Cimarron'' (1941) – Doris Conway *'' Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case'' (1941) – Receptionist (uncredited) *'' Blondie Goes to College'', aka ''The Boss Said 'No (UK) (1942) – Coed (uncredited) *'' A Tragedy at Midnight'' (1942) – (uncredited) *'' The Man Who Returned to Life'' (1942) – Mary Tuller (uncredited) *'' Yokel Boy'' (1942), aka ''Hitting the Headlines'' (UK) – Stewardess (uncredited) *'' Raiders of the Range'' (1942) – Jean Travers *'' The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine'', aka ''Unforgotten Crime'' (US: TV title) (1942) – Receptionist *'' The Courtship of Andy Hardy'' (1942) – Cynthia, Girl at the Dance (uncredited) *'' Westward Ho'' (1942) – Anne Henderson *''

The Phantom Plainsmen ''The Phantom Plainsmen'' is a 1942 American Western " Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by John English and starring Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and Rufe Davis. Plot Cast * Bob Steele as Tucson Smith * Tom Tyler as Stony Brooke * Rufe ...

'' (1942) – Judy Barrett *''My Son, the Hero'' (1943) – Nancy Cavanaugh *'' Santa Fe Scouts'' (1943) – Claire Robbins *'' Get Going'' (1943) – Doris *''

Young Ideas ''Young Ideas'' is a 1943 American romantic comedy film directed by Jules Dassin and starring Susan Peters, Herbert Marshall and Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an Americ ...

'' (1943) – Co-ed (uncredited) *''

She's for Me ''She's for Me'' is a 1943 American musical film directed by Reginald LeBorg and starring Grace McDonald and David Bruce. Plot Two attorneys are attracted to the same client Cast * Grace McDonald as Jan Lawton * David Bruce as Michael ...

'' (1943) – Eileen Crane *'' Ladies Courageous'' (1944) – Jill *''

Weird Woman ''Weird Woman'' is a 1944 noir- mystery horror film, and the second installment in '' The Inner Sanctum Mysteries'' anthological film series, which was based on the popular radio series of the same name. Directed by Reginald Le Borg and star ...

'' (1944) – Margret Mercer *''Prices Unlimited'' (1944, Short) *'' Follow the Boys'' (1944) – Herself (uncredited) *''

Cobra Woman ''Cobra Woman'' is a 1944 American South Seas adventure film from Universal Pictures, directed by Robert Siodmak that stars Maria Montez, Jon Hall, and Sabu. Shot in Technicolor, this film is typical of Montez's career at Universal, and, al ...

'' (1944) – Veeda *'' Jungle Woman'' (1944) – Joan Fletcher *'' Jungle Queen'' (1945, Serial) – Pamela Courtney *'' The Naughty Nineties'' (1945) – Miss Caroline Jackson *'' Penthouse Rhythm'' (1945) – Linda Reynolds, Junior's Secretary *'' The Crimson Canary'' (1945) – Jean Walker *'' Girl on the Spot'' (1946) – Kathy Lorenz *''

'' (1946) – Annette *'' The Cat Creeps'' (1946) – Gay Elliott *'' Wild Beauty'' (1946) – Linda Gibson *'' Slave Girl'' (1947) – Aleta *'' Arthur Takes Over'' (1948) – Margaret Bixby *'' Out of the Storm'' (1948) – Ginny Powell *'' Miss Mink of 1949'' (1949) – Alice Forrester *'' Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance'' (1950) – Anne Howe Palooka *'' Flying Disc Man from Mars'' (1950, Serial) – Helen Hall *'' Rhythm Inn'' (1951) – Betty Parker

Television

* ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the '' Detroit Mirror'', and was distributed by the Chicago T ...

'' – Fluff (4 episodes, 1950) * ''Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance'' (1950) – Anne Howe Palooka * '' Rhythm Inn'' (1951) – Betty Parker * ''The Unexpected'' – "Beyond Belief" (1952) * ''

'' – Mary Wesley (58 episodes, 1951–1953) * ''Letter to Loretta'' – "600 Seconds" (1955) (as Lois Collyer) Gloria Joy * ''Cavalcade of America'' – "Sunrise on a Dirty Face" (1955) – Marion * ''Damon Runyon Theater'' – "A Job for Macarone" (1955) – Mary Peering * ''

Cheyenne The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. The Cheyenne comprise two Native American tribes, the Só'taeo'o or Só'taétaneo'o (more commonly spelled as Suhtai or Sutaio) and the (also spelled Tsitsistas, The term for th ...

'' – "West of the River" (1956) – Ruth McKeever * ''

Screen Directors Playhouse ''Screen Directors Playhouse'' (sometimes written as ''Screen Directors' Playhouse'') is an American radio and television anthology series which brought leading Hollywood actors to the NBC microphones beginning in 1949. The radio program broadca ...

'' – " The Sword of Villon"'' (1956) – Elaine * '' It's a Great Life'' – "Operation for Earl" (1956) – Nurse * ''Strange Stories'' (1 episode, 1956) – "Con Game" (1956) * '' Broken Arrow'' (1 episode, 1957) – Johnny Flagstaff * ''

The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show ''The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show'', sometimes called ''The Burns and Allen Show'', is a half-hour television sitcom broadcast from 1950 to 1958 on CBS. It starred George Burns and Gracie Allen, one of the most enduring acts in entertainm ...

'' **"Ronnie Gets an Agent" (1956) – Devlin's Secretary **"The Plumber's Union" (1957) – Julie Ames * ''

The Web The World Wide Web (WWW or simply the Web) is an information system that enables content sharing over the Internet through user-friendly ways meant to appeal to users beyond IT specialists and hobbyists. It allows documents and other web ...

'' (1 episode, 1957) – Easy Money (final appearance) * ''Missile Monsters'' (1958) re-edited feature version of the 1950 serial ''Flying Disc Man from Mars''

References

External links

* *
Lois Collier
at b-westerns.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Collier, Lois 1917 births 1999 deaths American film actresses American radio actresses American television actresses People from Aiken County, South Carolina 20th-century American actresses Western (genre) film actresses Limestone University alumni Film serial actresses