Dorothy Short (June 29, 1915 – June 4, 1963) was an American film actress, mainly in low-budget

Westerns The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

and serials in the 1930s and 1940s. A native of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, Short was the daughter of Mrs. E. M. Short. She began working in films for

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 ...

in 1933 on a trial basis. In November 1933, a court in California approved a seven-year contract, with options, between the 18-year-old actress and the studio. Short married

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Dave O'Brien in 1936, the same year they appeared together in the low-budget exploitation cheapie ''

Reefer Madness ''Reefer Madness'' (originally made as ''Tell Your Children'' and sometimes titled ''The Burning Question'', ''Dope Addict'', ''Doped Youth'', and ''Love Madness'') is a 1936 American propaganda film about drugs, revolving around the melodramat ...

'', which in modern times has become a well-known

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

. She also appeared in another anti

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

film ''

Assassin of Youth ''Assassin of Youth'' is a 1937 exploitation film directed by Elmer Clifton. It is a pre-WWII film about the supposed ill effects of cannabis. The film is often considered a clone of the much more famous ''Reefer Madness'' (sharing cast member D ...

'' in 1937. She often appeared alongside her husband in various 'B' pictures and the Pete Smith series of comedy shorts, in which O'Brien played the lead on many occasions during the 1940s. After their divorce in 1954, Short retired from film acting, and died nine years later at age 47.

Selected filmography

*'' The Call of the Savage'' (1935) as Mona Andreas *''

'' (1936) as Mary * ''

Damaged Goods Damaged goods or Damaged Goods may refer to: * Goods that have been damaged, where goods are items that satisfy human wants and provide utility * A person considered to be less than perfect psychologically, as a result of a traumatic experience ...

'' (1937) as Table Dancer *'' Brothers of the West'' (1937) as Annie Wade *''

'' (1938) as Marjorie 'Marge' Barry *''

Heart of Arizona ''Heart of Arizona'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Lesley Selander and written by Norman Houston. The film stars William Boyd, George "Gabby" Hayes, Russell Hayden, John Elliott, Billy King, Natalie Moorhead and Dorothy Short. T ...

'' (1938) as Jacqueline 'Jackie' Starr *''

The Singing Cowgirl ''The Singing Cowgirl'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Samuel Diege. Plot Cast * Dorothy Page as Dorothy Hendricks * Dave O'Brien as Dick Williams * Vince Barnett as Kewpie * Warner Richmond as 'Gunhand' Garrick * Dorothy Short a ...

'' (1938) as Nora Pryde *''

Where the Buffalo Roam ''Where the Buffalo Roam'' is a 1980 American semi-biographical comedy film which loosely depicts author Hunter S. Thompson's rise to fame in the 1970s and his relationship with Chicano attorney and activist Oscar "Zeta" Acosta. The film was p ...

'' (1938) as Laddie Gray *''

Wild Horse Canyon ''Wild Horse Canyon'' is a 1938 American Western film directed by Robert F. Hill and written by Robert Emmett Tansey. The film stars Jack Randall, Dorothy Short, Frank Yaconelli, Warner Richmond, Walter Long and Dennis Moore. The film wa ...

'' (1938) as Jean Hall *''

Code of the Cactus ''Code of the Cactus'' is a 1939 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield. Cast *Tim McCoy as "Lightning" Bill Carson / Miguel *Ben Corbett as Magpie * Dorothy Short as Joan * Ted Adams as Thurston * Stephen Chase as Foreman James * Da ...

'' (1939) as Joan *''

Daughter of the Tong ''Daughter of the Tong'' is a 1939 crime film about a detective that goes against a female leader of an Oriental crime ring. Plot Ralph Dickson is an FBI agent assigned to investigate the killing of a colleague. He is chosen to investigate due ...

'' (1939) as Marion Morgan *'' Phantom Rancher'' (1940) as Ann Markham * ''

Frontier Crusader ''Frontier Crusader'' is a 1940 American Western (genre), Western film directed by Sam Newfield and starring Tim McCoy, Dorothy Short and Lou Fulton.Darby p.200 Cast * Tim McCoy as Trigger Tim Rand * Dorothy Short as Jenny Mason * Lou Fulton ...

'' (1940) as Jenny Mason *'' Pony Post'' (1940) as Alice Goodwin *''

Trail of the Silver Spurs ''Trail of the Silver Spurs'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby and written by Earle Snell. The film is the fourth in Monogram Pictures' "Range Busters" series, and it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash, John "Dusty" King ...

'' (1941) as Nancy Nordick * ''

Buzzy and the Phantom Pinto ''Buzzy and the Phantom Pinto'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Richard C. Kahn and starring Robert 'Buzz' Henry, Dave O'Brien and Dorothy Short. It was the sequel to '' Buzzy Rides the Range'', intended to be the beginning of a s ...

'' (1941) as Ruth Wade *''

Spooks Run Wild ''Spooks Run Wild'' is a 1941 American horror comedy film and the seventh film in the East Side Kids series. It stars Bela Lugosi with Leo Gorcey, Bobby Jordan and Huntz Hall. It is directed by Phil Rosen, in his first and only outing in the se ...

'' (1941) as Linda Mason *''

The Lone Rider Fights Back ''The Lone Rider Fights Back'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Joseph O'Donnell. The film stars George Houston as the Lone Rider and Al St. John as his sidekick "Fuzzy" Jones, with Dorothy Short, Denni ...

'' (1941) as Jean Dennison * ''

Bullets for Bandits ''Bullets for Bandits'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Wallace W. Fox, starring Wild Bill Elliott, Tex Ritter, and Frank Mitchell. Plot Queen Katey is the owner of a large ranch. There is the beginning of a movement among the ...

'' (1942) as Dakota Brown *''

Captain Midnight ''Captain Midnight'' (later rebranded on television as ''Jet Jackson, Flying Commando'') is a United States, U.S. adventure franchise first broadcast as a radio serial from 1938 to 1949. The character's popularity throughout the 1940s and into ...

'' (1942) as Joyce Edwards

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Short, Dorothy 1915 births 1963 deaths American film actresses Film serial actresses 20th-century American actresses Western (genre) film actresses