Mary Ella Dees (June 3, 1911 – August 4, 2005) was an American stage and screen actress who once served as a primary stand-in double for actress Jean Harlow.

Mary Dees
Born(1911-06-03)June 3, 1911
DiedAugust 4, 2005(2005-08-04) (aged 94)
OccupationActress
Years active1929–1985

Biography and career

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Born in Syracuse, New York, on June 3, 1911,[1] the daughter of a successful lawyer, Dees was for a time raised in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.[2] She worked for a short time as a typist before moving to Hollywood in 1932. She was named Miss America in Hollywood in 1932, an accomplishment that led director Jack Conway to give her a bit part in Red Headed Woman. That film starred Jean Harlow, who befriended Dees. She advised the newcomer to study dancing, helped her to shop for "the right clothes" and helped to pay for Dees's gowns.[3]

Dees was a dancer[4] when, in 1937, after the sudden death of Harlow, she was cast by MGM boss Louis B. Mayer as a four-minute stand-in for the star, who was acting opposite Clark Gable on the film Saratoga, which was still in production.[5]

Dees had parts in The Last Gangster (1937), The Women (1939), as well as a number of Three Stooges shorts, which included Hoi Polloi (1935), and numerous Marx Brothers comedies.[citation needed]

Later career

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Dees appeared in her last film role in 1946, in the Marx Brothers film A Night in Casablanca. She continued to act on stage in repertory theatre until 1985.[5]

Death

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Dees died on August 4, 2005, in Lake Worth, Florida, aged 94, after a long illness.[6]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1931 Flying High Chorus Girl Uncredited
1933 Dinner at Eight Minor Role Uncredited
1933 Footlight Parade Chorus Girl Uncredited
1934 Let's Talk It Over Woman at Beach Uncredited
1934 The Man with Two Faces Theatregoer Uncredited
1934 Kid Millions Paulette Uncredited
1935 Gold Diggers of 1935 Chorus Girl Uncredited
1935 Redheads on Parade Redhead Uncredited
1935 Two-Fisted Minor Role Uncredited
1936 Anything Goes Chorus Girl Uncredited
1936 Born to Dance Chorine Uncredited
1937 Saratoga Carol Clayton (after Jean Harlow's Death)
Uncredited
1937 Bad Guy Girl Uncredited
1937 The Last Gangster Virginia Bauche Uncredited
1938 The Shopworn Angel Babe #1 Uncredited
1939 The Women Girl Uncredited
1946 A Night in Casablanca Minor Role Uncredited, (final film role)

References

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  1. ^ Born on June 3, 1911, not in September 1911 as per the Social Security Death Index, under name DEES, MARY E (SS# 569-18-8259)
  2. ^ Guide to actress Mary Dees' scrapbooks MSS.2562-001, University of Alabama, accessed 2011-01-02.
  3. ^ Caldwell, Lily Mae (August 3, 1937). "Birmingham's Mary Dees Soars to Stardom, Love As Harlow's Double". The Birmingham News. p. 10. Retrieved July 25, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Mary Dees slated for Harlow Role". The New York Times. June 19, 1937. p. 20. ProQuest 102347236. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  5. ^ a b The Guardian obituary for Mary Dees, September 22, 2005; accessed January 2, 2011.
  6. ^ South Florida Sun-Sentinel article with photo, August 10, 2004
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