Marjorie Montgomery (May 27, 1912 – October 10, 1991) was an American child dancer and actress. She appeared in

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment which began in France in the middle of the 19th century. A ''vaudeville'' was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a drama ...

and later in motion pictures, before becoming a noted fashion designer.

Early life and film career

Montgomery was born in

Sikeston, Missouri Sikeston () is a city located both in southern Scott County and northern New Madrid County, in the state of Missouri, United States. It is situated just north of the "Missouri Bootheel", although many locals consider Sikeston a part of it. By w ...

, on May 27, 1912 to Grover Cleveland Montgomery (1885–1934) and Mary Emily McCord (1885–1962). As a young girl she was in a group of traveling

players of the Junior Times Club 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, ...

. Accompanied by truckloads of ice cream, Montgomery and the others entertained children at hospitals. In May 1924 she performed as an "eccentric" dancer at the

Orthopedic Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

and Children's Hospital in Los Angeles. In 1925 Montgomery entered the

Mary Pickford Gladys Louise Smith (April 8, 1892 – May 29, 1979), known professionally as Mary Pickford, was a Canadian-American film actress and producer. A Canadian pioneers in early Hollywood, pioneer in the American film industry with a Hollywood care ...

silhouette A silhouette (, ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhouett ...

contest which selected a lookalike of America's sweetheart. Other aspiring young actresses like

Virginia Davis Virginia Davis (December 31, 1918 – August 15, 2009) was an American child actress in films. She is best known for working with Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks on the animated short series ''Alice Comedies'', in which she portrayed the protagonist ...

Cecilia Parker Cecilia Parker (April 26, 1914 – July 25, 1993) was a Canadian-American film actress. She was best known for portraying Marian Hardy, the sister of Andy Hardy, in twelve films of the Andy Hardy series. Early life and career Cecilia Par ...

, and Mary Kestner, also submitted photos. As a seventeen-year-old

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. His ...

student, Montgomery acted the part of a maid in the stage play ''Bad Babies''. An attorney for the California State Department of

Industrial Relations Industrial relations or employment relations is the multidisciplinary academic field that studies the employment relationship; that is, the complex interrelations between employers and employees, labor union, labor/trade unions, employer organ ...

ruled that the theme of the production was too risque for a minor actress to appear in. Montgomery was required to wait until her eighteenth birthday in 1930 to participate. She became upset over the ruling. Her mother, Mary Cleveland, hired a private tutor so that Montgomery would comply with the Los Angeles compulsory school laws. An

understudy In theatre, an understudy, referred to in opera as cover or covering, is a performer who learns the lines and blocking or choreography of a regular actor, actress, or other performer in a play. Should the regular actor or actress be unable to ap ...

, Dorothy Gould, took over the role. Montgomery's career as a film actress was quite brief. She had an uncredited role as a student in ''Freshman Year'' (1938).

Career as a fashion designer

Montgomery started out designing and manufacturing attractive cotton dresses in the mid-1920s. She worked as a costume designer for the

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 ...

film ''Outside of Paradise'' (1938). By 1940 she was noted for her designs in cotton and for having promoted bare-midriff beachwear and bathing costumes for several seasons. In 1953 Montgomery stated that she had 28 years of experience to her name. In 1965 she was described as one of the "great" and "traditional" Californian designers.

Personal life and death

Montgomery married French-born Lucian Eugene Kipness (1911–1990) in

Clark County, Washington Clark County is the southernmost county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 503,311, making it Washington's fifth-most populous county. Its county seat and largest city is Vancouver. It was the first ...

in May 1942. He died in

Casselberry, Florida Casselberry is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Greater Orlando, Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its population was 28,794 at the 2020 census. Geography The approximate coor ...

in August 1990 at the age of 78. Montgomery died in

Longwood, Florida Longwood is a city in Seminole County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Orlando–Kissimmee–Sanford, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,087 at the 2020 census. History With the advent of World War II, grow ...

in October 1991 at the age of 79.

References

Additional sources

* ''Coshocton Tribune'' (

Coshocton, Ohio Coshocton () is a city in Coshocton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 11,050 at the 2020 census. It is located approximately east-northeast of Columbus. The Walhonding River and the Tuscarawas River meet ...

), ''Fashion Begins At Home'', Monday Evening, November 3, 1947, Page 5. * '' Fresno Bee Republican'', ''Western Designers Offer Varied Spring Modes'', November 16, 1962, Page 22. * ''

Long Beach Independent The ''Press-Telegram'' is a paid daily newspaper published in Long Beach, California. Coverage area for the ''Press-Telegram'' includes Long Beach, Lakewood, Signal Hill, Artesia, Bellflower, Cerritos, Compton, Downey, Hawaiian Gardens, L ...

'', ''California Designers In Unprecedented Show'', September 28, 1955, Page 13. * ''Los Angeles Times'', ''Fashions'', August 24, 1958, Page D12.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Montgomery, Marjorie 1912 births 1991 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Missouri American dancers 20th-century American designers American female dancers American stage actresses American film actresses People from Longwood, Florida People from Sikeston, Missouri American vaudeville performers American women fashion designers American fashion designers