Dorothy Layton

Biography

Dorothy Layton Dorothy Layton, the Hollywood movie actress worked during the arrival of the sound era with some of the greatest comedians of the day including Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chase. "Laurel was the brains behind the genius of Laurel and Hardy," she said in December 2003. "I heard rumors of fights between them but never witnessed anything to suggest their relationship was anything but professional. What I can say is the producer Hal Roach had to often stop the cameras rolling because Laurel and Hardy who ad-libbed used to have everyone rolling about the aisles in tears of laughter. They were and still are magnificent." She was born Dorothy Violet Wannenwetch on August 13, 1912 in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a child she became well traveled, her father was one of three founders of the Western Southern Life Insurance Company and the family moved frequently finally settling in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dorothy Layton made Baltimore her second home by visiting friends and family there. Dorothy's teacher at her convert school in Virginia wrote on her final report 'This charismatic young lady personifies the adage 'A rolling stone gathers no moss' she will go far and do extremely well in whatever she decided to do.' In 1929, Dorothy headed to California to visit a cousin in Santa Barbara for initially two weeks but weeks turned into months and before she knew it, she was in California for good. Dorothy Layton quickly nestled into the Santa Barbara way of life with her cousin frequenting the Hollywood social scene and participating as an actress in local theatre. "We were both very young and innocent," she said. " California was virtually unspoilt then with fruit trees of orange and lemon and pepper trees growing everywhere even down the center of Hollywood Boulevard. Dorothy was joined by her mother in 1930 and moved to a small house in West Hollywood. By now Dorothy was dating Roger Marchetti; famed attorney for Howard Hughes and Bing Crosby, Dorothy dined at Hollywood 's premier restaurants. She recalled "We always had the best seat in the house and even if the most prominent table had been taken the head waiter would always gather tables together to make a head table for our party which usually consisted of Howard Hughes, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Dvorak and on occasions Garbo." Dorothy attributed her success in pictures to the company she kept giving very little credit to her own talent. In fact Dorothy along with other A-list cohorts became the premier toast of Tinsel Town. She adopted her maternal great-grandmother's maiden name, and as Dorothy Layton landed featured parts in big studio pictures mostly films made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Fox, "I even had my very own flesh peddler," recalled Dorothy referring to her agent B.P. Schulberg from Paramount Pictures. Roger Marchetti made sure that Dorothy had an up-to-the-minute wardrobe whenever she had a screen test. He booked either the famous Westmore Brothers or Max Factor to quaff her hair and apply her make-up. From 1922 through 1934, the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers (WAMPAS) selected 13 girls to be WAMPAS Baby starlets. The ladies were chosen for their Hollywood promise and future success. Picked as a WAMPAS Baby often lead to huge screen success and star quality. Previous recipients included Mary Astor, Joan Crawford and Clara Bow. Like these actresses, Dorothy's career benefited from the WAMPAS influence on the industry. She appeared in the 1932 line-up with Ginger Rogers, Mary Carlisle, Eleanor Holm, Gloria Stuart and Toshi Mori. Soon after Dorothy Layton featured in MGM movies and signed a contract to Hal Roach Studios, who had brought 'Our Gang', Harold Lloyd and Laurel and hardy to the screen. Dorothy made her Roach debut in 'Chickens Come Home' (1932), with Laurel and Hardy and Thelma Todd. "Everyone knew Thelma Todd as 'Toddy'," she said. "Toddy had a small café which was a favorite of all the stars. She then became involved with mobster Lucky Luciano hers was a tragic end." Hal Roach cast Dorothy Layton opposite Laurel and Hardy in 'The Chimp' (1932), 'Country Hospital' (1932), and as Muriel Evans bridesmaid in 'Pack Up Your Troubles' (1932) - one of the screen duo's most memorable features. Dorothy and Muriel Evans (who was signed to MGM as a Featured Player in 1931) were teamed a second time for the Charlie Chase comedy 'Young Ironsides' (1932). In the spring of 1933, Dorothy Layton split from Roger Marchetti. Despite that fact they had been courting for two years he never once proposed marriage, buying her lavish jewelery but no engagement ring. Without Marchetti there was no Schulberg and with no agent in tow Dorothy saw most her film offers and friends disappear. She made her last film for Hal Roach playing Billy Gilbert's secretary in 'Fallen Arches' (1933) and Louis Lewyn's epic 'Hollywood on Parade' (1933) with Johnny Mack Brown and Mary Pickford, after which she quit. In 1934, from Hollywood Dorothy Layton headed back to Baltimore. Within a month of her arriving there she married businessman Howard Taylor, who operated a large mattress company. Together they had two children, Barbara two days before Halloween in 1934 and Howard Taylor III on Mothering Sunday1937. In 1947, Dorothy became a volunteer at Keswick Health Care Centre on the Junior Board and the Board of Lady Volunteers. Seven years later, she joined Keswick as a paid employee, retiring after more than 30 years service in 1977. After five years retirement, Keswick tempted her back, where she entertained patients and taught bridge, commenting that, "It was Howard Hughes who taught me." In 2001 in an interview about her life in Hollywood she said. "I'm never too chatty about those days. I was fond of most of them and often wonder how my life would be had I stayed. Volunteer work gave me a sense of belonging whilst Hollywood was false and phony and really made no sense at all."