Dorothy Granger
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Granger was an American
actress best known for her roles in short subject
comedies
in Hollywood.
Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her comedic timing and talent were perfect for studios that made two-reelers and in 1930 her father took her to Hal Roach who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series, The Boy Friends
. Granger’s natural gift for comedy got her the job immediately and she was put under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She later joined Colmubia Studio and appeared in The Dentist
with W.C. Fields and Punch Drunks
and Termites of 1938
with The Three Stooges. Granger also appeared alongside of Laurel & Hardy, Andy Clyde
, Charley Chase
, Edgar Kennedy
, Harry Langdon
and Joe DeRita. Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious and long-suffering wife in Leon Errol
’s series of two-reelers for RKO.
Granger also appeared in such feature films as 1942's North to The Klondike and Roy Rogers
’ Sunset in El Dorado
.
, I Married Joan
, Father Knows Best
, Topper
, Lassie
, Death Valley Days
and Wells Fargo
. Her last television performance was a live show on Face The Facts
in 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”
Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress best known for her roles in short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
comedies
Comedy
Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...
in Hollywood.
Career
There is some confusion as to the year of Granger's birth. The Social Security Death Index lists it as 1911 as does her death certificate; most biographies say 1912, although at least one site lists the year as 1914. Nineteen twelve is the most likely. Granger, with her parents, two brothers, Richard and James, and their grandmother, Clara (Wilcox) Granger, moved to Los Angeles during the late 1920s.Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her comedic timing and talent were perfect for studios that made two-reelers and in 1930 her father took her to Hal Roach who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series, The Boy Friends
The Boy Friends
The Boy Friends was a short-lived series of fifteen American comedy short films released between 1930 and 1932. The series spun off from the much larger and well-known Our Gang series . Like the Our Gang shorts of the time, The Boy Friends films were two-reel short subjects produced by Hal Roach...
. Granger’s natural gift for comedy got her the job immediately and she was put under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She later joined Colmubia Studio and appeared in The Dentist
The Dentist (1932 film)
The Dentist is a 1932 American comedy short starring W.C. Fields. The film is one of four short films Fields made with the "king of comedy," Mack Sennett, at Paramount. Although Sennett was near the end of his career, he found good use of the new medium of talking pictures for comedy, as the film...
with W.C. Fields and Punch Drunks
Punch Drunks
Punch Drunks is the second short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
and Termites of 1938
Termites of 1938
Termites of 1938 is the 28th short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
with The Three Stooges. Granger also appeared alongside of Laurel & Hardy, Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde
Andy Clyde was a Scottish movie and TV actor whose career spanned more than four decades. He broke into silent films in 1925 as a Mack Sennett comic...
, Charley Chase
Charley Chase
Charley Chase was an American comedian, actor, screenwriter and film director, best known for his work in Hal Roach short film comedies...
, Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Kennedy
Edgar Livingston Kennedy was an American comedic film actor, known as "the king of the slow burn". A slow burn is an exasperated facial expression, performed very deliberately; Kennedy embellished this by rubbing his hand over his bald head and across his face, in an attempt to hold his temper...
, Harry Langdon
Harry Langdon
Harry Philmore Langdon was an American comedian who appeared in vaudeville, silent films , and talkies. He was briefly partnered with Oliver Hardy.-Life and career:...
and Joe DeRita. Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious and long-suffering wife in Leon Errol
Leon Errol
Leon Errol , was an Australian-born American comedian and actor, popular in the first half of the 20th century.-Biography:...
’s series of two-reelers for RKO.
Granger also appeared in such feature films as 1942's North to The Klondike and Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers
Roy Rogers, born Leonard Franklin Slye , was an American singer and cowboy actor, one of the most heavily marketed and merchandised stars of his era, as well as being the namesake of the Roy Rogers Restaurants franchised chain...
’ Sunset in El Dorado
Sunset in El Dorado
Sunset in El Dorado is a 1945 American film starring Roy Rogers....
.
Later years
Granger worked on a variety of television shows through the 1950s, including The Abbott and Costello ShowThe Abbott and Costello Show
The Abbott and Costello Show is an American television sitcom starring the popular comedy team of Bud Abbott and Lou Costello that premiered in syndication in the fall of 1952 and ran until May 1954....
, I Married Joan
I Married Joan
I Married Joan is an American sitcom that aired on NBC from 1952 to 1955. It starred veteran vaudeville, film, and radio comedienne Joan Davis as the manic wife of a mild-mannered community judge, Bradley Stevens .-Synopsis:...
, Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best
Father Knows Best is an American radio and television comedy series which portrayed a middle class family life in the Midwest. It was created by writer Ed James in the 1940s.-Radio:...
, Topper
Topper
Topper may refer to:Objects:* A top hat* Harley-Davidson Topper, a motor scooter manufactured between 1960 and 1965* Camper shell, a small housing mounted atop the rear bed of a pickup truck* Topper , a class of sailing dinghyPeople:...
, Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
, Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days
Death Valley Days is an American radio and television anthology series featuring true stories of the old American West, particularly the Death Valley area. Created in 1930 by Ruth Woodman, the program was broadcast on radio until 1945. It continued from 1952 to 1975 as a syndicated television series...
and Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo & Company is an American multinational diversified financial services company with operations around the world. Wells Fargo is the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by assets and the largest bank by market capitalization. Wells Fargo is the second largest bank in deposits, home...
. Her last television performance was a live show on Face The Facts
Face the Facts
Face the Facts is a consumer affairs programme on BBC Radio 4, featuring investigative journalism, that has been running since the mid-1980s. Currently introduced by John Waite, cousin of the well-known humanitarian and churchman Terry Waite, it usually focuses on individuals or organisations...
in 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”
Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.
Selected filmography
- Dangers of the Canadian MountedDangers of the Canadian MountedDangers of the Canadian Mounted is a Northern Republic film serial.-Cast:* Jim Bannon as Sergeant Chris Royal, RCMP* Virginia Belmont as Roberta "Bobbie" Page* Anthony Warde as Mort Fowler* Dorothy Granger as Skagway Kate...
(19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :...
) - Punch DrunksPunch DrunksPunch Drunks is the second short subject starring American slapstick comedy team the Three Stooges. The trio made a total of 190 shorts for Columbia Pictures between 1934 and 1959.-Plot:...
(19341934 in film-Events:*January 26 - Samuel Goldwyn purchases the film rights to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz from the L. Frank Baum estate for $40,000.*February 19 - Bob Hope marries Dolores Reade...
) - The DentistThe Dentist (1932 film)The Dentist is a 1932 American comedy short starring W.C. Fields. The film is one of four short films Fields made with the "king of comedy," Mack Sennett, at Paramount. Although Sennett was near the end of his career, he found good use of the new medium of talking pictures for comedy, as the film...
(19321932 in film-Events:*Cary Grant's film career begins*Katharine Hepburn's film career begins*Shirley Temple's film career begins*Disney released Flowers and Trees, the first cartoon in three-strip Technicolor film.*Santa, first sound film made in Mexico released....
) - Keep LaughingKeep Laughing (film)Keep Laughing is a 1932 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle.-Cast:* Monte Collins* Margaret Lee* Addie McPhail* Bryant Washburn* Phyllis Crane* Jack Shaw* Dorothy Granger* Richard Malaby* George Davis...
(1932) - Temptation's WorkshopTemptation's Workshop-Cast:* Helen Foster* Tyrell Davis* Dorothy Granger* Carroll Nye* John Ince* Stella Adams...
(1932) - One Quiet NightOne Quiet Night (film)One Quiet Night is a 1931 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle....
(19311931 in film-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:*Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM*Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul*Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ*Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde...
) - One Good TurnOne Good Turn (1931 film)One Good Turn is a 1931 short comedy film starring Laurel and Hardy.- Plot :Stan and Ollie are victims of the Great depression and are begging for food. A friendly old lady provides them with some sandwiches. Enjoying their meal they hear that the old lady will be thrown out of her house because...
(1931) - Honeymoon TrioHoneymoon TrioHoneymoon Trio is a 1931 comedy film directed by Fatty Arbuckle....
(1931) - Hog WildHog Wild (1930 film)Hog Wild is a 1930 short film starring Laurel and Hardy, directed by James Parrott and produced by Hal Roach.- Opening title :"Amnesia! Mr. Hardy was beginning to forget things, but Mr. Laurel had no fear of losing his memory -- As a matter of fact, Mr...
(19301930 in film-Events:* November 1: The Big Trail featuring a young John Wayne in his first starring role is released in both 35mm, and a very early form of 70mm film and was the first large scale big-budget film of the sound era costing over $2 million. The film was praised for its aesthetic quality and realism...
)