Marie Wilson

Biography

Lovely, innocent-looking, zaftig comedienne Marie Wilson was a 'fizzy' delight, instantly reminiscent of the zany Gracie Allen. Unlike Allen, Marie was a knockout with high cheekbones, a wide slash of a mouth and the proverbial figure that wouldn't quit. Born Katherine Elizabeth Wilson on 19 August 1916 in Anaheim, CA. Her family moved to Hollywood after her father's death. While still young, Marie set her sights on an entertainment career. Educated at Miss Page School and the Hollywood Cumnock School for Girls, she found extra work in films upon graduation and made ends meet by working as a salesgirl in a department store. Her big break occurred after an "accidental" meeting with the director Nick Grinde. The relationship grew intimate, and he was instrumental in formulating her early Hollywood career. She appeared in his comedy short My Girl Sally (1935) with the inimitable Sterling Holloway and, to start with, had an extra part in Grinde's feature film, Ladies Crave Excitement (1935). After the 18-year-old was cast (unbilled) as Mary, Quite Contrary in the Stan Laurel andOliver Hardy musical fantasy March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934), Marie began focusing on improving her dumb blonde persona. Grinde helped secure her a contract at Warner Brothers in 1935. She would stay with the studio for four years. After making her Warner's debut in Broadway Hostess (1935), Marie deftly moved around and about the B-level chain (along with intermittent feature films). As the quintessential dizzy, dim-witted foil, Marie scored in several Prohibition-era showcases, including the comedy potboilers Stars Over Broadway (1935), Public Wedding (1937) (directed by Grinde), Boy Meets Girl (1938) (one of her best). Her last film for Warners was the forgettable The Cowboy Quarterback (1939). Marie had trouble securing film work after the termination of her Warner's contract in 1939. As compensation, she found excellent stage success as the sexy stooge for impresario Ken Murray in his top-rated Los Angeles 'blackout'-style stage shows of the early 1940s. Her mock striptease bit was a particular highlight, and she stayed with the show for an incredible seven years. Interspersed were an array of film opportunities for various studios, including such films as A Girl in Every Port (1952), Never Wave at a WAC (1953), Marry Me Again (1953), and her last, Mr. Hobbs Takes a Vacation (1962). She reached her "dumb blonde" zenith with the successful radio, film, and TV versions of My Friend Irma (1949). From then on, most of her subsequent unusual characters were patterned after her Irma persona. A bright, ambitious woman known to do crazy stunts for publicity, Marie took to the stage, nightclub and TV circuits once her film career bottomed out after the spectacular arrival of Marilyn Monroe. On the road during summer stock and dinner theatre engagements, Marie appeared to find an advantage in such well-suited vehicles as Bus Stop, Born Yesterday, and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. One of her last roles was in animated form as a voice in the cartoonWhere's Huddles? (1970). She married twice and had an adopted son, Gregson (Greg), via her second marriage to actor/TV producer Robert Fallon. Her first, to actor Allan Nixon, ended in divorce. Marie had undergone surgery several times for cancer by the time she died at age 56, surrounded by her family, in 1972.