Dorothy Morris

Dorothy Ruth Morris (February 23, 1922 – November 20, 2011) was an American film and television actress known for her "girl next door" persona.

Dorothy Morris
Morris in 1946
Born
Dorothy Ruth Morris

(1922-02-23)February 23, 1922
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedNovember 20, 2011(2011-11-20) (aged 89)
Palm Springs, California, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1940–1972
Spouse(s)Marvin Moffie (1943–1966)
Roger E. Miller (1969–1972)

Early life

Dorothy Ruth Morris was born and raised in Hollywood.[1] She attended Hollywood High School and acted in productions at the Pasadena Playhouse.[1][2] She was a student in Maria Ouspenskaya's School of Drama.[2]

She was the younger sister of Caren Marsh Doll,[3] who later became a dancer and stand-in for Judy Garland. Morris studied acting under famed drama teacher Maria Ouspenskaya. She did a screen test for the female lead in The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942), but lost to Donna Reed.[4]

Career

Appearing in bit parts in several of the studio's more successful films, Morris was signed to a Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract in 1941. For one of her early film roles, Cry 'Havoc' (1943), she affected a British accent. Her next picture was the well-received drama The Human Comedy, which featured a star cast, headed by Mickey Rooney, Frank Morgan, James Craig and Marsha Hunt. Morris' role was Mary Arena; the girlfriend of Van Johnson's character. The highlight of her career, however, came in 1945 when she starred as the doomed Ingeborg Jensen in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes. Other screen roles included Someone to Remember (1943), Pilot No. 5 (1943), Rationing (1944) and None Shall Escape (1944).

Morris is often remembered for her featured appearances in MGM short subjects. She appeared in several of the studio's short films including the Pete Smith Specialties, The Passing Parade, and Crime Does Not Pay series. The Crime short turned out so well that MGM expanded it into a full-length feature, Main Street After Dark in 1945, for which the actress was billed as Dorothy Ruth Morris. (Morris reminisces about her short-subjects experience in the Turner Classic Movies documentary Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story, first broadcast in 2002.)

Later career

After she married in 1943, she took a hiatus from movie making. In the late 1950s, she made guest appearances on television series such as The Untouchables, The Donna Reed Show, Rawhide, Casey Jones, and Wagon Train. She made two film appearances during the 1950s in Macabre and The Power of the Resurrection (both 1958). Her last film role was in Seconds (1966) starring Rock Hudson. Her last television appearance was in a 1971 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D..

Personal life

Morris was married twice. Her first marriage was to math professor Marvin Moffie in 1943. They had two children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966. Her second marriage was to church minister Roger E. Miller in 1969, but their union was short-lived and ended in a 1972 divorce. Morris adhered to Methodism.[5]

Death

Morris resided in Palm Springs, California until her death on November 20, 2011 at the age of 89.[6] Upon her passing, her body was donated to medical science at the University of California Riverside.[6]

Filmography
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References
  1. "Home Town Girl Wins Film Fame". The Salt Lake Tribune. April 9, 1944. p. 42. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Straight from High School to Film Stardom". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. December 6, 1942. p. 80. Retrieved November 20, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Lentz, Harris M. III (2012). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2011. McFarland. ISBN 9780786469949. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  4. Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2).
  5. Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2).
  6. Wilson, Scott (September 16, 2016). "Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed". McFarland – via Google Books.
  7. "'Down in San Diego' Smartly Acted Melodrama". The Daily Herald. 1942. p. 11. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. Tinee, Mae (November 16, 1941). "Kid Actors in This Picture Put It Across". Chicago Tribune. p. 115. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Lexington Theatre". The Pantagraph. August 1, 1942. p. 2. Retrieved October 26, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
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