Dorothy Ruth Morris (February 23, 1922 – November 20, 2011) was an American film and television actress known for her "

girl next door The girl next door is a young female stock character who is often used in romantic stories. She is so named because she often lives next door to the protagonist or is a childhood friend. They start out with a mutual friendship that later often ...

" persona.

Early life

Dorothy Ruth Morris was born and raised in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

. She attended

Hollywood High School Hollywood High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located at the intersection of North Highland Avenue and West Sunset Boulevard in the Hollywood district of Los Angeles, California. Histo ...

and acted in productions at the

Pasadena Playhouse The Pasadena Playhouse is a historic performing arts venue located 39 S. El Molino Avenue in Pasadena, California, United States. The 686-seat auditorium produces a variety of cultural and artistic events, professional shows, and community engage ...

. She was a student in

Maria Ouspenskaya Maria Alekseyevna Ouspenskaya (russian: Мария Алексеевна Успенская; 29 July 1876 – 3 December 1949) was a Russian actress and acting teacher.Nissen, Axel. 2006. ''Actresses of a Certain Character: Forty Familiar Hollywoo ...

's School of Drama. She was the younger sister of

Caren Marsh Doll Caren Marsh Doll ( Morris; born April 6, 1919), also credited as Caren Marsh, is an American former stage and screen actress and dancer specializing in modern dance and tap. She is notable as Judy Garland's stand-in in '' The Wizard of Oz'' ( ...

, who later became a dancer and

stand-in A stand-in for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and television production. Stand-ins a ...

for

Judy Garland Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10, 1922June 22, 1969) was an American actress and singer. While critically acclaimed for many different roles throughout her career, she is widely known for playing the part of Dorothy Gale in '' The ...

. She did a screen test for the female lead in ''

The Courtship of Andy Hardy ''The Courtship of Andy Hardy'' is a 1942 film, part of the Andy Hardy series. It gave an early role to Donna Reed although Mickey Rooney had lobbied for his then-wife Ava Gardner to have her part. Within a few months of the film's release, she ...

'' (1942), but lost to

Donna Reed Donna Reed (born Donna Belle Mullenger; January 27, 1921 – January 14, 1986) was an American actress. Her career spanned more than 40 years, with performances in more than 40 films. She is well known for her portrayal of Mary Hatch Bailey in ...

Career

Appearing in bit parts in several of the studio's more successful films, Morris was signed to a

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by amazon (company), Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded o ...

contract in 1941. For one of her early film roles, '' Cry 'Havoc''' (1943), she affected a British accent. Her next picture was the well-received drama '' The Human Comedy'', which featured a star cast, headed by

Mickey Rooney Mickey Rooney (born Joseph Yule Jr.; other pseudonym Mickey Maguire; September 23, 1920 – April 6, 2014) was an American actor. In a career spanning nine decades, he appeared in more than 300 films and was among the last surviving stars of the ...

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous soun ...

, James Craig and Marsha Hunt. Morris' role was Mary Arena; the girlfriend of

Van Johnson Charles Van Dell Johnson (August 25, 1916 – December 12, 2008) was an American film, television, theatre and radio actor. He was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer during and after World War II. Johnson was described as the embodiment o ...

's character. The highlight of her career, however, came in 1945 when she starred as the doomed Ingeborg Jensen in ''

Our Vines Have Tender Grapes ''Our Vines Have Tender Grapes'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Roy Rowland and starring Edward G. Robinson and Margaret O'Brien. Background The film is based on the 1940 novel of the same name by George Victor Martin about the Norw ...

''. Other screen roles included ''

Someone to Remember ''Someone to Remember'' is a 1943 American drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and written by Frances Hyland. The film stars Mabel Paige, Harry Shannon, John Craven, Dorothy Morris, Charles Dingle and David Bacon. The film was released on Aug ...

'' (1943), '' Pilot No. 5'' (1943), ''

Rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

'' (1944) and ''

None Shall Escape ''None Shall Escape'' is a 1944 war film. Even though the film was made during World War II, the setting is a post-war Nuremberg-style war crimes trial. Alexander Knox plays Wilhelm Grimm, a Nazi officer who is on trial, and the story unfolds th ...

'' (1944). Morris is often remembered for her featured appearances in MGM short subjects. She appeared in several of the studio's short films including the ''

Pete Smith Specialties Peter Schmidt (September 4, 1892 – January 12, 1979), known professionally as Pete Smith, was an American producer and narrator of short subject films. A native of New York City, Smith began working as a publicist at Metro-Goldwyn-Maye ...

'', ''

The Passing Parade ''The Passing Parade'', a.k.a. ''John Nesbitt's Passing Parade'', was an American radio series created, written, and narrated by John Nesbitt which was adapted into an Oscar-winning series of MGM short subjects. In both media, the series usually ...

'', and ''Crime Does Not Pay'' series. The ''Crime'' short turned out so well that MGM expanded it into a full-length feature, ''

Main Street After Dark ''Main Street After Dark'' is a 1945 American drama film directed by Edward L. Cahn and written by John C. Higgins and Karl Kamb. The film stars Edward Arnold (actor), Edward Arnold, Selena Royle, Tom Trout, Audrey Totter, Dan Duryea, Hume Cronyn ...

'' in 1945, for which the actress was billed as Dorothy Ruth Morris. (Morris reminisces about her short-subjects experience in the

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie channel, movie-oriented pay television, pay-TV television network, network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasti ...

documentary ''Added Attractions: The Hollywood Shorts Story'', first broadcast in 2002.)

Later career

After she married in 1943, she took a hiatus from movie making. In the late 1950s, she made guest appearances on television series such as ''

The Untouchables Untouchables or The Untouchables may refer to: American history * Untouchables (law enforcement), a 1930s American law enforcement unit led by Eliot Ness * ''The Untouchables'' (book), an autobiography by Eliot Ness and Oscar Fraley * ''The U ...

'', ''

The Donna Reed Show ''The Donna Reed Show'' is an American sitcom starring Donna Reed as the middle-class housewife Donna Stone. Carl Betz co-stars as her pediatrician husband Dr. Alex Stone, and Shelley Fabares and Paul Petersen as their teenage children, Mary an ...

'', '' Rawhide'', ''

Casey Jones John Luther "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroader who was killed when his passenger train collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi. Jones was a locomotive engineer for the Illinois Ce ...

'', and ''

Wagon Train ''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...

''. She made two film appearances during the 1950s in ''

Macabre In works of art, the adjective macabre ( or ; ) means "having the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere". The macabre works to emphasize the details and symbols of death. The term also refers to works particularly gruesome in natu ...

'' and ''The Power of the Resurrection'' (both 1958). Her last film role was in ''

Seconds The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds ...

'' (1966) starring

Rock Hudson Rock Hudson (born Roy Harold Scherer Jr.; November 17, 1925 – October 2, 1985) was an American actor. One of the most popular movie stars of his time, he had a screen career spanning more than three decades. A prominent heartthrob in the Golde ...

. Her last television appearance was in a 1971 episode of ''

Marcus Welby, M.D. Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...

''.

Personal life and death

Morris was married twice. Her first marriage was to math teacher Marvin Moffie in 1943. They had two children. The marriage ended in divorce in 1966. Her second marriage was to church minister Roger E. Miller in 1969, but their union was short-lived and ended in a 1972 divorce. Morris adhered to

Methodism Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's br ...

. Morris resided in

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by land a ...

until her death on November 20, 2011, at the age of 89. Upon her passing, her body was donated to

medical science Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practice ...

at the University of California Riverside.

Filmography

* ''

Her First Beau ''Her First Beau'' is a 1941 comedy-drama directed by Theodore Reed and starring Jane Withers and Jackie Cooper. The film was produced by Columbia Pictures, and the screenplay was written by Gladys Lehman and Karen DeWolf based on the 1939 pla ...

'' – Shirley (uncredited) (1941) * ''

Whistling in the Dark Whistling without the use of an artificial whistle is achieved by creating a small opening with one's lips, usually after applying moisture (licking one's lips or placing water upon them) and then blowing or sucking air through the space. The a ...

'' – Telephone Operator (uncredited) (1941) * ''

Down in San Diego ''Down in San Diego'' is a 1941 American adventure film directed by Robert B. Sinclair and written by Franz Schulz and Harry Clork. The black-and-white movie was filmed in San Diego and stars Bonita Granville, Ray McDonald, Dan Dailey, Leo Gor ...

'' – Mildred Burnette (1941) * ''

Babes on Broadway ''Babes on Broadway'' is a 1941 American musical film starring Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland and directed by Busby Berkeley, with Vincente Minnelli directing Garland's big solo numbers. The film, which features Fay Bainter and Virginia Weidler ...

'' – Chorus Girl (uncredited) (1941) * '' Rio Rita'' – Gas Station Attendant (uncredited) (1942) * ''

This Time for Keeps ''This Time for Keeps'' is a 1947 American romantic musical film directed by Richard Thorpe and starring Esther Williams, Jimmy Durante, Johnnie Johnston and opera singer Lauritz Melchior. Produced by MGM, it is about a soldier, returning home ...

'' – Edith Bryant (1942) * '' Keeper of the Flame'' – Forward American Girl (uncredited) (1942) * ''

Seven Sweethearts ''Seven Sweethearts'' is a 1942 musical film directed by Frank Borzage and starring Kathryn Grayson, Marsha Hunt and Van Heflin. ''Seven Sweethearts'' generated legal trouble seven years later. In 1949, Hungarian playwright Ferenc Herczeg sue ...

'' – Peter van Maaster (1942) * ''

The Youngest Profession ''The Youngest Profession'' is a 1943 film directed by Edward Buzzell, and starring Virginia Weidler, Edward Arnold, John Carroll, Scotty Beckett, and Agnes Moorehead. Based on a short story series and book written by Lillian Day, it contains c ...

'' – Secretary (1943) * '' The Human Comedy'' – Mary Arena (1943) * ''

'' (1943) * '' Cry 'Havoc''' – Sue (1943) * ''

'' (1944) * ''

Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo ''Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo'' is a 1944 American war film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The screenplay by Dalton Trumbo is based on the 1943 book of the same name by Captain Ted W. Lawson. Lawson was a pilot on the historic Doolittle Raid, A ...

'' – Jane (credited as Dorothy Ruth Morris) (1944) * ''

'' – Ingeborg Jensen (1945) * ''

'' – Rosalie Dibson (1945) * ''

Club Havana ''Club Havana'' is a 1945 American film drama directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. It was produced and released by independent film company Producers Releasing Corporation. It has been compared to the 1933 film ''Grand Hotel''. Plot Rosalind (Margaret L ...

'' – Lucy (1945) * ''

Little Miss Big ''Little Miss Big'' is a 1946 American comedy film directed by Erle C. Kenton and written by Erna Lazarus. The film stars Beverly Simmons, Frederick Brady, Fay Holden, Frank McHugh, Dorothy Morris and Milburn Stone. The film was released on Aug ...

'' – Kathy Bryan (1946) * ''

The Power of the Resurrection ''The Power of the Resurrection'' is a 1958 American feature film directed by Harold D. Schuster and starring Richard Kiley, Jon Shepodd, Morris Ankrum. The film is also known as ''The Passion and the Power of the Christ''. Plot A young man soon ...

'' –

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, sister of Lazarus (1958) * ''

'' – Alice Barrett (1958)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Morris, Dorothy 1922 births 2011 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from Los Angeles American film actresses American television actresses Actresses from Palm Springs, California Western (genre) film actresses Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer contract players Hollywood High School alumni Methodists from California