Dorothy Morris
Encyclopedia
Dorothy Morris is a former American film and television actress known for her "girl next door" persona.
. She did a screen test for the female lead in The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942), but lost to Donna Reed
.
Morris was signed to an MGM contract in 1942. For one of her early film roles, Cry 'Havoc'
(1943), she affected a British accent. The highlight of her career, however, was in 1945 when she starred as Ingeborg Jensen in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
. Other screen roles included Someone to Remember (1943), The Human Comedy
(1943), Rationing
(1944) and None Shall Escape
(1944).
Morris is often remembered for her featured appearances in M-G-M short subjects. She appeared in several of the studio's "miniatures," including the Pete Smith
, Passing Parade
, and Crime Does Not Pay
series. The Crime short turned out so well that M-G-M expanded it into a full-length feature, Main Street After Dark (1945). (Morris reminisces about her short-subjects experience in the Turner Classic Movies
documentary Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story, first broadcast in 2002.)
, The Donna Reed Show
, Rawhide
, Casey Jones
, and Wagon Train
. She made one film appearance during the 1950s in Macabre
(1958). Her last film role to date was in William Castle
's Seconds
(1966) starring Rock Hudson
. Her last television appearance was in a 1971 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D.
.
Morris is the younger sister of actress Caren Marsh who was under contract to MGM and worked there as a dancer and constant stand-in
for Judy Garland
.
Morris has resided in Palm Springs, California
, since July 2004.
Early life and career
Morris was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of a Methodist minister. She studied acting under famed drama teacher Maria OuspenskayaMaria Ouspenskaya
Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya was a Russian actress and acting teacher. She achieved success as a stage actress as a young woman in Russia, and as an elderly woman in Hollywood films.-Life and career:...
. She did a screen test for the female lead in The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942), but lost to Donna Reed
Donna Reed
Donna Reed was an American film and television actress.With appearances in over 40 films, Reed received the 1953 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the tramp Lorene in the war drama From Here to Eternity. She is also noted for her role in the perennial Christmas...
.
Morris was signed to an MGM contract in 1942. For one of her early film roles, Cry 'Havoc'
Cry 'Havoc'
This article is about the 1943 motion picture. For the board game see Cry Havoc.Cry 'Havoc' is a 1943 American drama film, produced by MGM and directed by Richard Thorpe...
(1943), she affected a British accent. The highlight of her career, however, was in 1945 when she starred as Ingeborg Jensen in Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes
Our Vines Have Tender Grapes is an American drama film released in 1945, directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien.-Background:...
. Other screen roles included Someone to Remember (1943), The Human Comedy
The Human Comedy (film)
The Human Comedy is a 1943 drama film directed by Clarence Brown and adapted by Howard Estabrook. It is often thought to be based on the William Saroyan novel of the same name, but actually Saroyan wrote the screenplay first, was fired from the movie project, and quickly wrote the novel and...
(1943), Rationing
Rationing (1944 film)
Rationing is a 1944 film starring Wallace Beery and Marjorie Main. The screen comedy was directed by Willis Goldbeck.-Cast:*Wallace Beery as Ben Barton*Marjorie Main as Iris Tuttle*Donald Meek as Wilfred Ball*Dorothy Morris as Dorothy Tuttle...
(1944) and None Shall Escape
None Shall Escape
None Shall Escape is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial...
(1944).
Morris is often remembered for her featured appearances in M-G-M short subjects. She appeared in several of the studio's "miniatures," including the Pete Smith
Pete Smith
Pete Smith is the name of:* Pete Smith , Australian radio and television announcer* Pete Smith , Major League Baseball pitcher, 1962–1963...
, Passing Parade
Passing Parade
The Passing Parade, a.k.a. John Nesbitt's Passing Parade, was an American radio series created, written, and narrated by John Nesbitt which was adapted into an Oscar-winning series of MGM short subjects...
, and Crime Does Not Pay
Crime Does Not Pay
Crime Does Not Pay may refer to:* Crime Does Not Pay , a popular American series of comic books published between 1942 and 1955* Crime Does Not Pay , an anthology radio crime drama series from 1935 to 1952...
series. The Crime short turned out so well that M-G-M expanded it into a full-length feature, Main Street After Dark (1945). (Morris reminisces about her short-subjects experience in the Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies
Turner Classic Movies is a movie-oriented cable television channel, owned by the Turner Broadcasting System subsidiary of Time Warner, featuring commercial-free classic movies, mostly from the Turner Entertainment and MGM, United Artists, RKO and Warner Bros. film libraries...
documentary Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story, first broadcast in 2002.)
Later career
After she married in 1946, she took a hiatus from movie making. In the late 1950s, she made guest appearances on television series such as The UntouchablesThe Untouchables (1959 TV series)
The Untouchables is an American crime drama that ran from 1959 to 1963 on ABC. Based on the memoir of the same name by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley, it fictionalized the experiences of Eliot Ness, a real-life Prohibition agent, as he fought crime in Chicago during the 1930s with the help of a...
, The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show
The Donna Reed Show is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the upper middle class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz appears as her pediatrician husband Alex, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children Mary and Jeff. The show originally aired on ABC at 10 pm from September...
, Rawhide
Rawhide (TV series)
Rawhide is an American Western series that aired for eight seasons on the CBS network on Friday nights, from January 9, 1959 to September 3, 1965, before moving to Tuesday nights from September 14, 1965 until January 4, 1966, with a total of 217 black-and-white episodes...
, Casey Jones
Casey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
, and Wagon Train
Wagon Train
Wagon Train is an American Western series that ran on NBC from 1957–62 and then on ABC from 1962–65...
. She made one film appearance during the 1950s in Macabre
Macabre (1958 film)
Macabre is a 1958 thriller film directed by William Castle, written by Robb White, and starring William Prince, Jim Backus, Christine White, Jacqueline Scott, and Susan Morrow. It is considered Castle's first foray into using the promotional gimmicks that later made him famous...
(1958). Her last film role to date was in William Castle
William Castle
William Castle was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. Castle was known for directing films with many gimmicks which were ambitiously promoted, despite being reasonably low budget B-movies....
's Seconds
Seconds (film)
Seconds is a 1966 American film starring Rock Hudson. Characterized sometimes as a science fiction thriller, but with elements of horror, neo-noir, psychedelia, and drama, it was directed by John Frankenheimer with a screenplay by Lewis John Carlino. The script was based on a novel by David Ely...
(1966) starring Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson
Roy Harold Scherer, Jr., later Roy Harold Fitzgerald , known professionally as Rock Hudson, was an American film and television actor, recognized as a romantic leading man during the 1950s and 1960s, most notably in several romantic comedies with Doris Day.Hudson was voted "Star of the Year",...
. Her last television appearance was in a 1971 episode of Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D.
Marcus Welby, M.D. is an American medical drama television program that aired on ABC from September 23, 1969, to July 29, 1976. It starred Robert Young as a family practitioner with a kind bedside manner, and was produced by David Victor and David J. O'Connell...
.
Personal life
Morris was married twice. Her first marriage was to math professor Marvin Moffie in 1946. 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 is the younger sister of actress Caren Marsh who was under contract to MGM and worked there as a dancer and constant stand-in
Stand-in
A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting.Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of production. Lighting setup can be a slow and tedious process; during this time the actor will often be somewhere else...
for Judy Garland
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
.
Morris has resided in Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
, since July 2004.