Marion Suplee (June 7, 1909 – August 13, 1985), known professionally as Marion Martin, was an American film and stage actress.

Biography

Martin was born in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, the daughter of a

Bethlehem Steel The Bethlehem Steel Corporation was an American steelmaking company headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Until its closure in 2003, it was one of the world's largest steel-producing and shipbuilding companies. At the height of its success ...

executive. She became an actress after her family fortune was lost in the Wall Street crash of 1929, and appeared in the

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street ** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...

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 James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor, who spent the greater part of his career in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood. He is best remembered for several horror films: ''Fra ...

's ''

Sinners in Paradise ''Sinners in Paradise'' is a 1938 American south seas adventure film directed by James Whale and starring Madge Evans, John Boles, Bruce Cabot, Marion Martin and Gene Lockhart. In 1966, the film entered the public domain in the United States be ...

'' (1938). Despite her success she was often cast in minor roles in more widely seen films such as ''

His Girl Friday ''His Girl Friday'' is a 1940 American screwball comedy film directed by Howard Hawks, starring Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell and featuring Ralph Bellamy and Gene Lockhart. It was released by Columbia Pictures. The plot centers on a newspaper ...

'' (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 William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

. She played secondary roles in three

Lupe Vélez María Guadalupe "Lupe" Villalobos Vélez (July 18, 1908 – December 14, 1944) was a Mexican actress, singer, and dancer during the Golden Age of Hollywood cinema. Vélez began her career as a performer in Mexican vaudeville in the early 1920s ...

" Mexican Spitfire" films in the early 1940s, and was a comic foil for 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 ...

in ''

The Big Store ''The Big Store'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Charles Reisner and starring the Marx Brothers ( Groucho, Harpo and Chico) that takes place in a large department store. Groucho appears as private detective Wolf J. Flywheel (a char ...

'', where the back of her skirt is cut away by Harpo. MarionMartinLadyofBurlesque

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 ''Lady of Burlesque'' (also known as ''The G-String Murders'' and in the UK, ''Striptease Lady'') is a 1943 American musical comedy mystery film directed by William A. Wellman, produced by Hunt Stromberg, and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Mi ...

'' with

Barbara Stanwyck Barbara Stanwyck (; born Ruby Catherine Stevens; July 16, 1907 – January 20, 1990) was an American actress and dancer. A stage, film, and television star, during her 60-year professional career, she was known for her strong, realistic screen p ...

and '' Angel on My Shoulder''. She also appeared in ''

The Big Street ''The Big Street'' is a 1942 American drama film starring Henry Fonda and Lucille Ball, based on the 1940 short story "Little Pinks" by Damon Runyon, who also produced it. It was directed by Irving Reis from a screenplay by Leonard Spigelgass ...

'' (1942) with

Lucille Ball Lucille Désirée Ball (August 6, 1911 – April 26, 1989) was an American actress, comedian, producer, and studio executive. She was recognized by ''Time (magazine), Time'' in 2020 as one of the most influential women of the 20th century for h ...

, in the western ''

The Woman of the Town ''The Woman of the Town'' is a 1943 American Western film directed by George Archainbaud and written by Aeneas MacKenzie. The film stars Claire Trevor, Albert Dekker, Barry Sullivan, Henry Hull, Porter Hall, Percy Kilbride and Clem Bevans. T ...

'' with

Claire Trevor Claire Trevor (née Wemlinger; March 8, 1910April 8, 2000) was an American actress. She appeared in 65 feature films from 1933 to 1982, winning the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in '' Key Largo'' (1948), and received no ...

and in '' The Great Mike'' at PRC in 1944. By the late 1940s, her roles were often minor.

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 ...

fans will remember her as western cowgirl Gladys in '' Merry Mavericks''. She played "Belle Farnol" in a 1950 episode of ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in a ...

'' 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.

Personal

She was awarded a star at 6915 Hollywood Boulevard on the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a landmark which consists of 2,813 five-pointed terrazzo-and-brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, Hollywood dist ...

for her contributions to motion pictures. She died of cardiac arrest in 1985 in Los Angeles, California, and was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in

Culver City Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights to the ea ...

, California.

Partial filmography

* ''

Crime Without Passion ''Crime Without Passion'' is a 1934 American drama film directed by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur and starring Claude Rains. It is the first of four pictures written, produced and directed by Hecht and MacArthur for Paramount Pictures. Sixty t ...

'' (1934) as Theatre Cashier (uncredited) * ''

'' (1938) as Iris Compton * '' Personal Secretary'' (1938) as Girl in Office (uncredited) * ''

Youth Takes a Fling ''Youth Takes a Fling'' is a 1938 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo and starring Joel McCrea. One of Leeds relatively few films, both she and McCrea were loaned to Universal from Samuel Goldwyn. Plot Joe Meadows, whose only ambitio ...

'' (1938) as Girl on Beach * '' The Storm'' (1938) as Jane, Bar Girl * '' His Exciting Night'' (1938) as Gypsy McCoy * '' Pirates of the Skies'' (1939) as Kitty * '' Sergeant Madden'' (1939) as Charlotte LePage * ''

Invitation to Happiness ''Invitation to Happiness'' is a 1939 American drama film directed by Wesley Ruggles and written by Claude Binyon. The film stars Irene Dunne, Fred MacMurray, Charlie Ruggles, Billy Cook, William Collier, Sr. and Marion Martin. The film was relea ...

'' (1939) as Lola Snow * '' The Man in the Iron Mask'' (1939) as Mlle. de la Valliere * '' Invisible Stripes'' (1939) as Blonde (uncredited) * ''

'' (1940) as Evangeline (uncredited) * ''

Women in War ''Women in War'' is a 1940 American war film about the nurses of the British Voluntary Aid Detachment during the Battle of France. Directed by John H. Auer and starring Wendy Barrie, Elsie Janis and Patric Knowles, it was nominated for an Os ...

'' (1940) as Starr's Date (uncredited) * '' Untamed'' (1940) as 2nd Girl in Limousine (uncredited) * '' Scatterbrain'' (1940) (uncredited) * '' Boom Town'' (1940) as Whitey * '' Ellery Queen, Master Detective'' (1940) as Cornelia * ''

Tall, Dark and Handsome "Tall, dark, and handsome" is a phrase that refers to an appealing man. It originates from romantic fiction produced in the early 1900s. History and interpretation According to British lexicographer Eric Partridge, the phrase "tall, dark and ha ...

'' (1941) as Dawn * '' Blonde Inspiration'' (1941) as Wanda * ''

The Lady from Cheyenne ''The Lady from Cheyenne'' is a 1941 American comedy western film directed by Frank Lloyd and starring Loretta Young, Robert Preston and Edward Arnold. Plot In the 1860s, after receiving an inheritance a Philadelphia Quaker school teacher heads ...

'' (1941) as Gertie (uncredited) * ''

'' (1941) as Peggy Arden * '' Cracked Nuts'' (1941) as Flashy Blonde in Corridor (uncredited) * ''

Lady Scarface ''Lady Scarface'' is a 1941 American crime drama film directed by Frank Woodruff and starring Dennis O'Keefe, Judith Anderson, and Mildred Coles. It was produced and distributed by RKO Pictures. Plot The scar-faced gangster Slade is on the l ...

'' (1941) as Ruby, aka Mary Jordan * ''

New Wine New Wine is a not-for-profit Christian charismatic evangelical organisation based in England, United Kingdom. It equips Christian churches and leaders in spiritual renewal, worship and church planting. Overview The purpose of New Wine is "loc ...

'' (1941) as Mitzi * '' Weekend for Three'' (1941) as Mrs. Weatherby * ''

The Mexican Spitfire's Baby ''The Mexican Spitfire's Baby'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Charles E. Roberts and Jerome Cady. It is the sequel to the 1940 film '' Mexican Spitfire Out West''. The film stars Lupe Vélez, Leon Er ...

'' (1941) as Fifi * '' Harvard, Here I Come!'' (1941) as Oomphie (uncredited) * '' Fly-by-Night'' (1942) as Blond Nurse * ''

Call Out the Marines ''Call Out the Marines'' is a 1942 military comedy released by RKO in February 1942. It stars Victor McLaglen and Edmund Lowe playing the same characters with different names that they played in '' What Price Glory?'' and several sequels; how ...

'' (1942) as Pretty Blonde on Tour (uncredited) * '' Mexican Spitfire at Sea'' (1942) as Fifi Russell * '' Powder Town'' (1942) as Sue, Blonde Piano Player * ''

Tales of Manhattan ''Tales of Manhattan'' is a 1942 American anthology film directed by Julien Duvivier. Thirteen writers, including Ben Hecht, Alan Campbell, Ferenc Molnár, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Donald Ogden Stewart, worked on the six stories in this film ...

'' (1942) as 'Squirrel' * ''

'' (1942) as Mimi Venus * '' Mexican Spitfire's Elephant'' (1942) as Diana De Corro * ''

Star Spangled Rhythm ''Star Spangled Rhythm'' is a 1942 American all-star cast musical film made by Paramount Pictures during World War II as a morale booster. Many of the Hollywood studios produced such films during the war, with the intent of entertaining the troo ...

'' (1942) as Wife, Bob Hope Skit (uncredited) * ''

The McGuerins from Brooklyn ''The McGuerins from Brooklyn'' is a 1942 American comedy film directed by Kurt Neumann and written by Earle Snell and Clarence Marks. The film stars William Bendix, Grace Bradley, Arline Judge, Max Baer, Marjorie Woodworth, Joe Sawyer, Marion ...

'' (1942) as Myrtle, Marcia's friend * ''

They Got Me Covered ''They Got Me Covered'' is a 1943 American comedy thriller film directed by David Butler and starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour. Otto Preminger appears in a supporting role. It also known by the alternative titles ''Washington Story'' and ''Th ...

'' (1943) as Gloria * ''

'' (1943) as Alice Angel * '' Swingtime Johnny'' (1943) as Flashy Blonde * ''

'' (1943) as Daisy Davenport * '' Sweethearts of the U.S.A.'' (1944) as Ghost of Josephine * '' It Happened Tomorrow'' (1944) as Nurse (uncredited) * '' Gildersleeve's Ghost'' (1944) as Terry Vance * ''

The Merry Monahans ''The Merry Monahans'' is a 1944 American comedy-drama musical film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Donald O'Connor, Peggy Ryan and Jack Oakie. The story is of a vaudeville family trying to make money through hard times. The film featur ...

'' (1944) as Soubrette * '' Irish Eyes Are Smiling'' (1944) as Prima Donna (uncredited) * '' Mystery of the River Boat'' (1944, Serial) as Celeste Eltree * '' The Great Mike'' (1944) as Kitty Tremaine * '' Eadie Was a Lady'' (1945) as Rose Allure * '' The Phantom Speaks'' (1945) as Betty Hanzel * '' Penthouse Rhythm'' (1945) as Irma King * '' Gangs of the Waterfront'' (1945) as Rita * '' On Stage Everybody'' (1945) as Bubbles (uncredited) * '' Abbott and Costello in Hollywood'' (1945) as Miss Milbane * '' Girls of the Big House'' (1945) as Dixie * '' Cinderella Jones'' (1946) as Burlesque Queen * ''

Suspense Suspense is a state of anxiety or excitement caused by mysteriousness, uncertainty, doubt, or undecidedness. In a narrative work, suspense is the audience's excited anticipation about the plot or conflict (which may be heightened by a viol ...

'' (1946) as Shooting Gallery Blond (uncredited) * '' Deadline for Murder'' (1946) as Laura Gibson * '' Queen of Burlesque'' (1946) as Lola Cassell * '' Black Angel'' (1946) as Millie * '' Angel on My Shoulder'' (1946) as Mrs. Bentley * '' Nobody Lives Forever'' (1946) as Lou, Blonde (uncredited) * '' That Brennan Girl'' (1946) as Marion, Natalie's Girl Friend * ''

Lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

'' (1947) as JoJo, The Blonde * ''

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

'' (1947) as Blonde Cashier (uncredited) * '' That's My Gal'' (1947) as Pepper * ''

State of the Union The State of the Union Address (sometimes abbreviated to SOTU) is an annual message delivered by the president of the United States to a Joint session of the United States Congress, joint session of the United States Congress near the beginning ...

'' (1948) as Blonde Girl (uncredited) * '' Thunder in the Pines'' (1948) as Pearl * '' My Dream Is Yours'' (1949) as Blonde at Club Babita (uncredited) * ''

Come to the Stable ''Come to the Stable'' is a 1949 American comedy drama film that tells how two French religious sisters come to a small New England town and involve the townsfolk in helping them to build a children's hospital. It features Loretta Young, Celeste ...

'' (1949) as Rossi's Manicurist (uncredited) * '' Oh, You Beautiful Doll'' (1949) as Big Blonde (uncredited) * '' Key to the City'' (1950) as Emmy * ''

Dakota Lil ''Dakota Lil'' is a 1950 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Maurice Geraghty. The film stars George Montgomery, Rod Cameron, Marie Windsor, John Emery, Wallace Ford and Jack Lambert. The film was released on ...

'' (1950) as Blonde Singer * '' Journey into Light'' (1951) as Diana * '' Oklahoma Annie'' (1952) as La Belle La Tour (uncredited) (final film role)

References

External links

* * *
''Allmovie'' biography from the ''New York Times''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Marion 1909 births 1985 deaths American film actresses American stage actresses Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Actresses from Philadelphia 20th-century American actresses