Jean Muir (actress)
Encyclopedia
Jean Muir was an American stage and film actress.
as Jean Muir Fullarton, she first appeared on Broadway
in 1930, and was signed by Warner Brothers Studios three years later. She played opposite several famous actors - Warren William
, Paul Muni
, Richard Barthelmess
, Franchot Tone
, etc. But she returned to Broadway in 1937 because she was unsatisfied with the roles, appearing occasionally in films through 1943.
In 1950 she was named as a Communist sympathizer by the notorious book Red Channels
, and immediately removed from the cast of a television sitcomThe Aldrich Family
, in which she was supposed to appear as the Mother Aldrich. In the mid 1950s she reportedly suffered from alcoholism
and cirrhosis of the liver
.
She was back on Broadway and TV by the early 1960s. In 1968 she moved to Columbia, Missouri
, where she taught drama at Stephens College.
She died in Mesa
, Arizona
on July 23, 1996.
She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
at 6280 Hollywood Blvd.
Career
Born in Suffern, New YorkSuffern, New York
Suffern is a village in the Town of Ramapo, Rockland County, New York, United States located north of the State of New Jersey; east of Hillburn; south of Montebello and west of Airmont...
as Jean Muir Fullarton, she first appeared on Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
in 1930, and was signed by Warner Brothers Studios three years later. She played opposite several famous actors - Warren William
Warren William
Warren William was a Broadway and Hollywood actor, popular during the early 1930s, who was later nicknamed the "king of Pre-Code". He was born Warren William Krech in Aitkin, Minnesota to parents Freeman E. and Frances Krech. He had a certain physical resemblance to John Barrymore. He attended the...
, Paul Muni
Paul Muni
Paul Muni was an Austrian-Hungarian-born American stage and film actor...
, Richard Barthelmess
Richard Barthelmess
Richard Semler "Dick" Barthelmess was an Oscar-nominated silent film star.-Early life:Barthelmess was educated at Hudson River Military Academy at Nyack and Trinity College at Hartford, Connecticut...
, Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone
Franchot Tone was an American stage, film, and television actor, star of Mutiny on the Bounty and many other films through the 1960s...
, etc. But she returned to Broadway in 1937 because she was unsatisfied with the roles, appearing occasionally in films through 1943.
In 1950 she was named as a Communist sympathizer by the notorious book Red Channels
Red Channels
Red Channels: The Report of Communist Influence in Radio and Television is an anti-Communist tract published in the United States at the height of the Red Scare...
, and immediately removed from the cast of a television sitcomThe Aldrich Family
The Aldrich Family
The Aldrich Family, a popular radio teenage situation comedy , was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' well-remembered weekly opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-reeeeeeeeeeeee! Hen-ree Al-drich!", and he responded with a breaking...
, in which she was supposed to appear as the Mother Aldrich. In the mid 1950s she reportedly suffered from alcoholism
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
and cirrhosis of the liver
Cirrhosis
Cirrhosis is a consequence of chronic liver disease characterized by replacement of liver tissue by fibrosis, scar tissue and regenerative nodules , leading to loss of liver function...
.
She was back on Broadway and TV by the early 1960s. In 1968 she moved to Columbia, Missouri
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, where she taught drama at Stephens College.
She died in Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
on July 23, 1996.
She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
at 6280 Hollywood Blvd.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1933 1933 in film -Events:* March 2 - King Kong premieres in New York City.* June 6 - The first drive-in theater opens, in Camden, New Jersey.* British Film Institute founded.... |
The World Changes The World Changes The World Changes is a 1933 drama film starring Paul Muni as an ambitious farm boy who becomes rich, but does not handle success well. Aline MacMahon and Mary Astor play his mother and wife respectively.-Cast:*Paul Muni as Orin Nordholm Jr.... |
Selma Peterson II | |
| Son of a Sailor | Helen Farnsworth | ||
| 1934 1934 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... |
Gentlemen Are Born Gentlemen Are Born Gentlemen Are Born is a 1934 drama film directed by Alfred E. Green and starring Franchot Tone.The film's pre-release title was Just Out of College. A news item in Daily Variety notes that Warner Bros. was sued for $250,000 by Ronald Wagoner and James F... |
Trudy Talbot | |
| Dr. Monica | Mary Hathaway | ||
| Desirable Desirable Desirable is a 1934 drama film directed by Archie Mayo, starring Jean Muir and George Brent. Helen Walbridge is a famous actress who does not want her true age to be known... |
Lois Johnson | ||
| Bedside | Caroline Grant | ||
| As the Earth Turns | Jen Shaw | ||
| A Modern Hero A Modern Hero A Modern Hero is a 1934 American drama film starring Richard Barthelmess and directed by Georg Wilhelm Pabst. It was Pabst's only American talking film.-Plot:... |
Joanna Ryan Croy | ||
| 1935 1935 in film -Events:*Judy Garland signs a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer .*Seven year old Shirley Temple wins a special Academy Award.*The Bantu Educational Kinema Experiment started in order to educate the Bantu peoples.-Top grossing films:-Academy Awards:... |
The White Cockatoo | Sue Talley | |
| Stars Over Broadway | Nora Wyman | ||
| Orchids to You | Camellia Rand | ||
| Oil for the Lamps of China Oil for the Lamps of China (film) Oil for the Lamps of China is a 1935 drama film starring Pat O'Brien and Josephine Hutchinson. It is based on the novel of the same name by Alice Tisdale Hobart. A man blindly puts his faith in his employer.-Plot:... |
Alice Wellman | ||
| A Midsummer Night`s Dream A Midsummer Night's Dream (1935 film) A Midsummer Night's Dream is a 1935 film directed by Max Reinhardt and William Dieterle, produced by Henry Blanke and Hal Wallis, and adapted by Charles Kenyon and Mary C. McCall Jr... |
Helena, In love with Demetrius | ||
| 1936 1936 in film The year 1936 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 29 - Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film Fury, starring Spencer Tracy and Bruce Cabot, is released.*November 6 - first Porky Pig animated cartoon... |
White Fang | Sylvia Burgess | |
| Fugitive in the Sky | Rita Moore | ||
| Faithful Faithful (1936 film) Faithful is a 1936 British musical drama film, directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Jean Muir and Hans Söhnker.The film was a quota quickie production, with an original screenplay by Brock Williams and music by Pierre Neuville. The plot deals with two pupils from a provincial music conservatory... |
Marilyn Koster | ||
| 1937 1937 in film The year 1937 in film involved some significant events, including the Walt Disney production of the first full-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.- Events :*April 16 - Way Out West premieres in the US.... |
White Bondage | Betsy Ann Craig | |
| The Outcasts of Poker Flat The Outcasts of Poker Flat "The Outcasts of Poker Flat" is a short story written by renowned author of the American West Bret Harte. This story is a good example of regionalism and local color during the Gilded Generation. His compelling combination of realism and sentimentality offers readers real and known characters, yet... |
Miss Helen Colby | ||
| Once a Doctor | Paula Nordland | ||
| Her Husband's Secretary | Carol Blane Kingdon | ||
| Draegerman Courage | Ellen `Eleanor` Haslett | ||
| Dance Charlie Dance | Mary Mathews, the Secretary | ||
| 1938 1938 in film The year 1938 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*January — MGM announces that Judy Garland would be cast in the role of "Dorothy" in the upcoming Wizard of Oz motion picture. Ray Bolger is cast as the "Tinman" and Buddy Ebsen is cast as the "Scarecrow". At Bolger's insistence,... |
Jane Steps Out Jane Steps Out Jane Steps Out is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Paul L. Stein and starring Diana Churchill, Jean Muir, Peter Murray-Hill and Athene Seyler. A young woman is overshadowed by her more glamorous sister... |
Beatrice Wilton | |
| 1940 1940 in film The year 1940 in film involved some significant events, including the premieres of the Walt Disney classics Pinocchio and Fantasia.-Events:*February 7 - Walt Disney's animated film Pinocchio is released.... |
Lone Wolf Meets a Lady, The Lone Wolf (fictional detective) The Lone Wolf is the nickname of the fictional character Michael Lanyard, a jewel thief turned private detective in a series of novels written by Louis Joseph Vance . A large number of movies based on and inspired by the books have been made... |
Joan Bradley | |
| And One Was Beautiful And One Was Beautiful And One Was Beautiful is a 1940 romantic drama film starring Robert Cummings, Laraine Day, and Jean Muir. It is based on the story of the same name by Alice Duer Miller. Two sisters are attracted to a rich playboy... |
Helen Lattimer | ||
| 1943 1943 in film The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films.... |
The Constant Nymph The Constant Nymph (1943 film) The Constant Nymph is a 1943 romantic drama film starring Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine, Alexis Smith, Brenda Marshall, Charles Coburn, Dame May Whitty and Peter Lorre... |
Kate Sanger |