Anne Nagel (born Anna Marie Dolan; September 29, 1915 – July 6, 1966) was an American actress. She played in adventures, mysteries, and comedies for 25 years. She also appeared in television series in the 1950s. One book described her as "one of Hollywood's true hard-luck gals".

Early life

Born in Malden, Massachusetts,An

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story about Nagel's filing papers to marry Keenan states "The actress...listed her maiden name as Anna Marie Donan, born in Malden, a Boston suburb..." Nagel was enrolled by her parents in Notre Dame Academy, with the expectation that she would become a nun. Membership in the Shubert Theatre company turned her away from religious life. In the meantime, Nagel's mother had divorced and remarried. When Nagel's new stepfather, Curtis Nagel, a Technicolor expert, was hired by

Tiffany Pictures Tiffany Pictures, which also became Tiffany-Stahl Productions for a time, was a Hollywood motion picture studio in operation from 1921 until 1932. It is considered a Poverty Row studio, whose films had lower budgets, lesser-known stars, and overal ...

in Hollywood, he moved the family to California, where he employed his stepdaughter in several experimental Technicolor shorts he had been asked to direct.

Career

Placed under contract by Warner Brothers in 1932, Nagel secured a bit part as a ballet girl in ''

Hypnotized Hypnosis is a human condition involving focused attention (the selective attention/selective inattention hypothesis, SASI), reduced peripheral awareness, and an enhanced capacity to respond to suggestion.In 2015, the American Psychologica ...

'', her "first documented feature credit". She was one of 14 young women "launched on the trail of film stardom" August 6, 1935, when they each received a six-month contract with

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

after spending 18 months in the company's training school. The contracts included a studio option for renewal for as long as seven years. Nagel spent the next few years making uncredited appearances as a dancer or chorus girl. In 1936, she appeared in '' Here Comes Carter'' with

Ross Alexander Ross Alexander (born Alexander Ross Smith; July 27, 1907 – January 2, 1937) was an American stage and film actor. Early years Alexander was born Alexander Ross Smith in Brooklyn, New York, the son of Maud Adelle ( Cohen) and Alexander Ross ...

. A reviewer wrote "she was just one of those girls who has learned to croon for the microphone, and let the rest of the world go hang". Her early roles were in ''Footloose Heiress'', ''Three Legionnaires'', Guns of the Pecos, ''Torchy Blane, the Adventurous Blonde'' (all from 1937). She was in ''Romance Road'' (1938), ''Mystery House'' (1938), ''

Unexpected Father ''Unexpected Father'' is a 1939 American comedy drama film directed by Charles Lamont and starring Baby Sandy, Shirley Ross and Dennis O'Keefe.Rowan p.199 Plot When a former dancing partner is killed, an entertainer looks after his baby son with ...

'' (1939), and ''Legion of Lost Flyers'' (1939). Betty Ross Clarke-Anne Nagel in A Bride for Henry

In 1940, she appeared with

W.C. Fields WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...

and

Mae West Mae West (born Mary Jane West; August 17, 1893 – November 22, 1980) was an American stage and film actress, playwright, screenwriter, singer, and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned over seven decades. She was known for her breezy ...

in ''

My Little Chickadee ''My Little Chickadee'' is a 1940 American comedy-western film starring Mae West and W. C. Fields, featuring Joseph Calleia, Ruth Donnelly, Margaret Hamilton, Donald Meek, Willard Robertson, Dick Foran, William B. Davidson, and Addison Richar ...

''. Other films from 1940 in which she had parts are '' Black Friday'', ''Hot Steel'', and ''Diamond Frontiers''. She was often a heroine in horror films. In the late 1940s, she made ''The Spirit of West Point'' (1947). The film starred

Doc Blanchard Felix Anthony "Doc" Blanchard (December 11, 1924 – April 19, 2009) was an American football player and serviceman who became the first junior to win the Heisman Trophy and Maxwell Award, and was the first football player to win the James E. S ...

and Glenn Davis. Nagel later worked on television in episodes of ''

The Range Rider ''The Range Rider'' is an American Western television series that was first broadcast in syndication from 1951 to 1953. A single lost episode surfaced and was broadcast in 1959. ''The Range Rider'' was also broadcast on British television during ...

'' (1951) and ''

Circus Boy ''Circus Boy'' was an American adventure film, adventure Children's television series, family western (genre), western that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on American Broadcasting Company, ABC, from 1956 to 1957. It was then rerun by NBC on ...

'' (1957). On radio, Nagle was a vocalist on the game show ''Scramby Amby''. She had the role of Miss Case in ''

The Green Hornet The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of media ...

radio series, '' a role she reprised for both of the filmed serials ''

'' and ''

The Green Hornet Strikes Again! ''The Green Hornet Strikes Again!'' is a 1941 Universal black-and-white 15 chapter movie serial based on ''The Green Hornet'' radio series by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker. It is a sequel to Universal's earlier serial ''The Green Hornet'' ...

''.

Personal life and death

On September 17, 1936, Nagel married actor

; who committed suicide in 1937.Alexander "... went into his Van Nuys barn and reportedly fired a rifle into his mouth as his bride of four months sat quietly knitting in the house". Nagel then married Air Force Lt. Col. James H. Keenan on December 4, 1941. The marriage ended in divorce on May 22, 1951. In December 1947, Nagel filed a lawsuit in Superior Court against Hollywood physician and surgeon Franklyn Thorpe (former husband of actress

Mary Astor Mary Astor (born Lucile Vasconcellos Langhanke; May 3, 1906 – September 25, 1987) was an American actress. Although her career spanned several decades, she may be best remembered for her performance as Brigid O'Shaughnessy in '' The Maltese ...

). In the suit, Nagel demanded $350,000 in damages and alleged that, while performing an appendectomy on her in 1936, Thorpe had removed other organs without her knowledge or consent, rendering her infertile. "Actress Starts $350,000 Suit".''The Milwaukee Sentinel'', December 22, 1947. Page 2 Nagel claimed she was unaware of her infertility until January 1947, but Thorpe countered that she was "well aware of the nature of the surgery". Nagel died at Sunray North Convalescent Hospital in Hollywood, California in 1966, aged 50, following surgery for liver cancer. She is buried, with no marker, in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City, California.

Selected filmography

Notes

References

* '' Appleton, Wisconsin Post Crescent'', "Anne Nagel's Death Revives Old Mystery", Monday, August 29, 1966, Page A11. * ''Los Angeles Times'', "Final Rites Set for Actress Anne Nagel", Page B10. * ''The New York Times'', "Anne Nagel Dies; Movie Actress, 50", July 8, 1966, Page 26. * '' Reno, Nevada State Journal'', "Movie Actor Kills Self", January 3, 1937, Page 1. * '' Photos Ann Nagel'', "https://www.picsofcelebrities.com/celebrity/anne-nagel/pictures/images-of-anne-nagel.html"

External links

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July 21, 1966 Tuscaloosa News Article on Anne Nagel's Death
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nagel, Anne 1915 births 1966 deaths American film actresses American television actresses Burials at Holy Cross Cemetery, Culver City Deaths from cancer in California Deaths from liver cancer Actresses from Boston Actresses from Los Angeles 20th-century American actresses