Martha O'Driscoll (March 4, 1922 – November 3, 1998) was an American film actress from 1937 until 1947. She retired from the screen in 1947 after marrying her second husband,

Arthur I. Appleton Arthur Ivar Appleton (October 14, 1915 – January 15, 2008) was a businessman from the Northbrook area of Chicago. He lived part of the year in Chicago and split time between his Indian Creek estate near Miami Beach, Florida, and his thoroughbre ...

, president of Appleton Electric Company in Chicago.

Life and career

O'Driscoll's mother was a financial partner in the

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, ...

Mar-Ken School. The school's director, Mrs. Bessire, had a son, William Kent Bessire. The two women decided to name the school after their children—Mar came from Martha and Ken from Kent. The school remained open until the early 1960s. Trained in singing and dancing, O'Driscoll was seen by choreographer

Hermes Pan Hermes Pan (born Hermes Joseph Panagiotopoulos, December 10, 1909 – September 19, 1990) was an American dancer and choreographer, principally remembered as Fred Astaire's choreographic collaborator on the famous 1930s movie musicals starring A ...

in a local theater production in Phoenix; Pan suggested to her mother that O'Driscoll might do well in movies. Her mother and she moved to Hollywood in 1935, but Pan was out of town, so they answered an advertisement for dancers. O'Driscoll was given a role in '' Collegiate'' (1935), a musical in which

Betty Grable Elizabeth Ruth Grable (December 18, 1916 – July 2, 1973) was an American actress, pin-up girl, dancer, model, and singer. Her 42 films during the 1930s and 1940s grossed more than $100 million; for 10 consecutive years (1942–1951) she reign ...

had an early leading role. O'Driscoll was given more visible parts and began pitching products in magazine advertisements for

Max Factor Max Factor is a line of cosmetics from Coty, Inc. It was founded in 1909 as Max Factor & Company by Max Factor, Sr., Maksymilian Faktorowicz. Max Factor specialized in movie make-up. Until its 1973 sale for US$500 million (approximately $ billio ...

and

Royal Crown Cola RC Cola (short for Royal Crown Cola) is an American brand of cola invented by Claud A. Hatcher in 1905. Royal Crown Ginger Ale was the first product of the RC Cola line, and it referred to the original ingredient: ginger. More ingredients we ...

, among many others. These ads also promoted her upcoming pictures. She had other small dancing roles in ''

Here Comes the Band ''Here Comes the Band'' is an album by Trinidadian Soca artist Machel Montano and his band Xtatik released in 2000. The album's 22 tracks feature different singers on each, with the album covering a diverse range of styles.Birchmeier, Jason " ' ...

'', ''

The Big Broadcast of 1936 ''The Big Broadcast of 1936'' is a 1935 American comedy film directed by Norman Taurog, and is the second in the series of ''Big Broadcast'' movies. The musical comedy starred Jack Oakie, Bing Crosby, George Burns, Gracie Allen, Ethel Merman, Nic ...

'', and ''

The Great Ziegfeld ''The Great Ziegfeld'' is a 1936 American musical drama film directed by Robert Z. Leonard and produced by Hunt Stromberg. It stars William Powell as the theatrical impresario Florenz "Flo" Ziegfeld Jr., Luise Rainer as Anna Held, and Myrna L ...

''. In the last, she was spotted by a

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

talent scout, who arranged for her to have a screen test, followed by a contract. Her roles were initially small; in her first Universal film, ''She's Dangerous'' (1937), she was not credited by name. In the

Deanna Durbin Edna Mae Durbin (December 4, 1921 – April 17, 2013), known professionally as Deanna Durbin, was a Canadian-born actress and singer, who moved to the USA with her family in infancy. She appeared in musical films in the 1930s and 1940s. With t ...

vehicle ''

Mad About Music ''Mad About Music'' is a 1938 American musical film directed by Norman Taurog and starring Deanna Durbin, Herbert Marshall, and Gail Patrick. Based on a story by Marcella Burke and Frederick Kohner, the film is about a girl at an exclusive boardin ...

'' (1937), she was billed as "Pretty Girl". Her face appeared on such advertisements as Charm-Kurl Supreme Cold Wave and Max Factor Hollywood Face Powder. Universal lent O'Driscoll to

MGM 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 through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...

for parts in ''The Secret of Dr Kildare'' (1939) and ''Judge Hardy and Son'' (1940), starring

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 ...

RKO RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheu ...

, however, gave O'Driscoll her first two starring roles, as romantic interest to the cowboy

Tim Holt Charles John "Tim" Holt III (February 5, 1919 – February 15, 1973) was an American actor. He was a popular Western star during the 1940s and early 1950s, appearing in forty-six B westerns released by RKO Pictures. In a career spanning mo ...

in ''

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 ...

'' (1940) and notably as

Daisy Mae ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn by ...

in the first screen version of

Al Capp Alfred Gerald Caplin (September 28, 1909 – November 5, 1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist best known for the satirical comic strip ''Li'l Abner'', which he created in 1934 and continued writing and (wi ...

's popular comic strip ''

Li'l Abner ''Li'l Abner'' is a satirical American comic strip that appeared in many newspapers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It featured a fictional clan of hillbillies in the impoverished mountain village of Dogpatch, USA. Written and drawn ...

'' (1940), which also featured

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

Martha O'Driscoll - Cold Wave Permanent, 1946 (crop)

Paramount Paramount (from the word ''paramount'' meaning "above all others") may refer to: Entertainment and music companies * Paramount Global, also known simply as Paramount, an American mass media company formerly known as ViacomCBS. The following busin ...

became interested in the actress and acquired her contract, casting her first as a maid in

Preston Sturges Preston Sturges (; born Edmund Preston Biden; August 29, 1898 – August 6, 1959) was an American playwright, screenwriter, and film director. In 1941, he won the Academy Awards, Oscar for Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, Best Origina ...

's classic comedy, ''

The Lady Eve ''The Lady Eve'' is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.

'' (1941). Later, she appeared in

Cecil B. DeMille Cecil Blount DeMille (; August 12, 1881January 21, 1959) was an American film director, producer and actor. Between 1914 and 1958, he made 70 features, both silent and sound films. He is acknowledged as a founding father of the American cinem ...

's ''

Reap the Wild Wind ''Reap the Wild Wind'' is a 1942 American adventure film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starring Ray Milland, John Wayne, and Paulette Goddard, with a supporting cast featuring Raymond Massey, Robert Preston (actor), Robert Prest ...

'' (1942). DeMille was too busy filming to appear at

Grauman's Theater Grauman's Chinese Theatre (branded as TCL Chinese Theatre for naming rights reasons) is a movie palace on the historic Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6925 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The original Chinese T ...

to plant his prints in concrete for the Walk of Fame, so instead they brought concrete in a mold to him. O'Driscoll, along with Hedda Hopper and Sid Grauman, were photographed at his side during that moment. O'Driscoll was then given the lead in the

B film A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double feature ...

''Pacific Blackout'' (1942), starring Robert Preston. The actress followed this with a role in ''

Young and Willing ''Young and Willing'' is a 1943 American comedy film produced and directed by Edward H. Griffith and starring William Holden, Eddie Bracken, Robert Benchley, and Susan Hayward. With a screenplay by Virginia Van Upp based on the play ''Out of the F ...

'' (1943). The studio lent her back to Universal, which cast her in Olsen and Johnson's '' Crazy House'' (1943), then to RKO for Richard Wallace's stylish thriller, ''The Fallen Sparrow'' (1943) with Maureen O'Hara. In the early 1940s, O'Driscoll toured with

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian-American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia ...

and the

USO The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

, performing for the troops all over the world. In 1943, she married Lieutenant Commander Richard D. Adams (U.S. Navy) on September 18, 1943, but they separated 10 months later. O'Driscoll co-starred with

Noah Beery, Jr. Noah Lindsey Beery (August 10, 1913 – November 1, 1994) was an American actor often specializing in warm, friendly character roles similar to many portrayed by his Oscar-winning uncle, Wallace Beery. Unlike his more famous uncle, however, Be ...

, in five films. She also starred in the cult classic ''

House of Dracula ''House of Dracula'' is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 1944 film '' House of Frankens ...

'' with

Lon Chaney, Jr. Creighton Tull Chaney (February10, 1906 – July12, 1973), known by his stage name Lon Chaney Jr., was an American actor known for playing Larry Talbot in the film '' The Wolf Man'' (1941) and its various crossovers, Count Alucard (Dracu ...

, and

John Carradine John Carradine ( ; born Richmond Reed Carradine; February 5, 1906 – November 27, 1988) was an American actor, considered one of the greatest character actors in American cinema. He was a member of Cecil B. DeMille's stock company and later Jo ...

; and in ''Week-End Pass'' (both 1945). The following year, she made her last Universal film, ''

Blonde Alibi ''Blonde Alibi'' is a 1946 American black-and-white noir thriller directed by Will Jason and starring Tom Neal, Martha O'Driscoll, Donald MacBride, and Peter Whitney. Cast *Tom Neal as Rick Lavery *Martha O'Driscoll as Marian Gale *Donald MacB ...

'', receiving top billing as a girl who sets out to prove her lover (

Tom Neal Thomas Carroll Neal Jr. (January 28, 1914 – August 7, 1972) was an American actor and successful amateur boxer best known for his costarring role in the critically lauded film ''Detour'', for having a widely publicized affair with actress Ba ...

) innocent of murder. Her last film was Edgar G. Ulmer's ''

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

'' (1947). Following her last film and a final divorce decree on July 18, 1947, from her first husband, she married, 2 days later, Chicago businessman

. Appleton was the president of the Appleton Electric Company, founded by his father. Martha retired from show business in 1947 to start a family; the couple had four children: James, John, Linda, and William.Obituary: Martha O'Driscoll
by Tom Vallance, for ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

''; published 9 November 1998; retrieved 10 May 2013 O'Driscoll served as an officer in such Chicago-based organizations as the

Sarah Siddons Society The Sarah Siddons Award, established in 1952, is presented annually to an actor for an outstanding performance in a Chicago theatrical production. The winner receives a statuette of the Welsh stage actress Sarah Siddons. It is awarded by the Sar ...

, the Ways and Means Committee of Chicago's

Junior League The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (Junior League or JL) is a private, nonprofit educational women's volunteer organization aimed at improving communities and the social, cultural, and political fabric of civil society. With ...

, and the Women's Board of the Chicago Boys' Clubs; she was also treasurer of the World's Adoption International Fund. In the 1980s and 1990s, she was a guest speaker at numerous movie-nostalgia conventions. The Appletons started a horse stud farm, Bridlewood, in Ocala, Florida. In 1984, the Appletons built and took delivery of a 138-ft

Feadship Feadship (First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders) is a cooperative venture between two shipyards Royal Van Lent Shipyard and Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw. Feadship designs and constructs high-end luxury yachts and is one of the leading ...

yacht, also named ''Bridlewood''. In 1984, the couple, along with Arthur Appleton's sister, Edith, built the

Appleton Museum of Art The Appleton Museum of Art is an art museum located in Ocala, Florida. It is affiliated with and governed by the College of Central Florida and has been since 2004. The Appleton Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 24,000 wor ...

in Ocala. After Appleton retired, O'Driscoll and he spent the remainder of their years between their home in Chicago, Bridlewood Farm, and their home in

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

on Indian Creek Island.

Death

O'Driscoll died on November 3, 1998, aged 76, in

Indian Creek Village, Florida Indian Creek is a village in Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. It has 41 residential home sites and the Indian Creek Country Club. The population was 86 at the 2010 census. Geography Indian Creek is located a ...

Partial filmography

*''

Three Cheers for Love ''Three Cheers for Love'' is a 1936 American musical film directed by Ray McCarey, written by George Marion, Jr., and starring Eleanore Whitney, Robert Cummings, William Frawley, Elizabeth Patterson, Roscoe Karns and John Halliday. It was rele ...

'' (1936) .... Chorine (uncredited) *''

She's Dangerous ''She's Dangerous'' is a 1937 American crime film directed by Milton Carruth and Lewis R. Foster and written by Lionel Houser and Albert R. Perkins. The film stars Tala Birell, Walter Pidgeon, Cesar Romero, Walter Brennan, Warren Hymer, and S ...

'' (1937) .... Blonde Girl (uncredited) *''

'' (1938) .... Pretty Girl (uncredited) *''

Girls' School Single-sex education, also known as single-gender education and gender-isolated education, is the practice of conducting education with male and female students attending separate classes, perhaps in separate buildings or schools. The practice of ...

'' (1938) .... Grace *''

The Secret of Dr. Kildare ''The Secret of Dr. Kildare'' is a 1939 American film directed by Harold S. Bucquet and produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. This was the fourth of a total of ten Dr. Kildare pictures, Lew Ayres starred all but the first. Plot summary Dr. Leonard G ...

'' (1939) .... Mrs. Roberts *''

Judge Hardy and Son ''Judge Hardy and Son'' (1939) is the 8th film, of 16, in the Andy Hardy series. It is the last MGM film in the 1930s.

'' (1939) .... Leonora V. 'Elvie' Horton *'' Laddie'' (1940) .... Sally Pryor *''

Forty Little Mothers ''Forty Little Mothers'' is a 1940 American comedy-drama film directed by Busby Berkeley and starring Eddie Cantor. Plot Out-of-work professor Gilbert Jordan Thompson stops a suicidal stranger named Marian Edwards from jumping off a pier and he ...

'' (1940) .... Janette *''

'' (1940) .... Helen Lee *''

'' (1940) .... Daisy Mae Scraggs *''

The Lady Eve ''The Lady Eve'' is a 1941 American screwball comedy film written and directed by Preston Sturges and starring Barbara Stanwyck and Henry Fonda.

'' (1941) .... Martha *''

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 ...

'' (1941) .... Julie Harris *''

Henry Aldrich for President ''Henry Aldrich for President'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Hugh Bennett and written by Val Burton. The film stars Jimmy Lydon, June Preisser, Mary Anderson, Charles Smith, John Litel, Dorothy Peterson and Martha O'Driscoll. The ...

'' (1941) .... Mary Aldrich *''

Pacific Blackout ''Pacific Blackout'' is a 1941 American mystery thriller film directed by Ralph Murphy and starring Robert Preston, Eva Gabor and Martha O'Driscoll.Parish & Pitts p.362 It was produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Plot Inventor and ...

'' (1941) .... Mary Jones *''

The Remarkable Andrew ''The Remarkable Andrew'' is a 1942 film directed by Stuart Heisler and written by Dalton Trumbo based on his 1941 novel of the same name. It stars Brian Donlevy and William Holden. Plot Young bookkeeper Andrew Long is an avid student of America ...

'' (1942) .... Beamish's secretary *''

'' (1942) .... Ivy Devereaux *''

Youth on Parade ''Youth on Parade'' is a 1942 comedy musical film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring John Hubbard, Ruth Terry, Martha O'Driscoll, Tom Brown, and Charles Smith. Premise A group of college students plan to create the ''perfect student'' ...

'' (1942) .... Sally Carlyle *''

My Heart Belongs to Daddy "My Heart Belongs to Daddy" is a song written by Cole Porter, for the 1938 musical ''Leave It to Me!'' which premiered on November 9, 1938. It was originally performed by Mary Martin, who played Dolly Winslow, the young "protégée" of a rich ne ...

'' (1942) .... Joyce Whitman *''

'' (1943) .... Dottie Coburn *''Paramount Victory Short No. T2-4: The Aldrich Family Gets in the Scrap'' (1943, Short) .... Mary Aldrich *''

We've Never Been Licked ''We've Never Been Licked'' (or ''Texas Aggies'', ''Texas to Tokyo'', and ''Fighting Command'') is a 1943 World War II propaganda film produced by Walter Wanger and released by Universal Pictures. Released in the UK under the title, ''Texas to Tok ...

'' (1943) .... Deede Dunham *''

The Fallen Sparrow ''The Fallen Sparrow'' is a 1943 American spy film starring John Garfield, Maureen O'Hara, Patricia Morison, and Walter Slezak. It is based on the novel of the same name by Dorothy B. Hughes. Nazi spies pursue an American, John "Kit" McKittrick, a ...

'' (1943) .... Whitney 'The Imp' Parker *'' Crazy House'' (1943) .... Marjorie Nelson, alias Marjorie Wyndingham *''

Week-End Pass ''Week-End Pass'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Jean Yarbrough and written by Clyde Bruckman. The film stars Martha O'Driscoll, Noah Beery Jr., George Barbier, Andrew Tombes, Irving Bacon and Dennis Moore. The film was released o ...

'' (1944) .... Barbara 'Babs' Bradley aka Barbara Lake *'' Prices Unlimited'' (1944, Short) *'' Follow the Boys'' (1944) .... Martha O'Driscoll *''

Ghost Catchers ''Ghost Catchers'' is a 1944 American comedy horror film. Ole Olson and Chic Johnson are nightclub owners, helping their neighbors rid an old house of ghosts. Their club's headwaiter Jerry (Leo Carrillo) is really a gangster trying to scare off th ...

'' (1944) .... Susanna Marshall *''

Allergic to Love ''Allergic to Love'' is a 1944 American comedy musical romance film directed by Edward C. Lilley and starring Martha O'Driscoll, Noah Beery Jr. and David Bruce. The film's plot centers on a bride (O'Driscoll) who appears to be allergic to her h ...

'' (1944) .... Pat Bradley *''

Hi, Beautiful ''Hi, Beautiful'' is a 1944 American comedy film directed by Leslie Goodwins and written by Dick Irving Hyland. The film stars Martha O'Driscoll, Noah Beery Jr., Hattie McDaniel, Walter Catlett, Tim Ryan, Florence Lake, Grady Sutton, Lou Lubin ...

'' (1944) .... Patty Callahan *'' Under Western Skies'' (1945) .... Katie Wells *''

Here Come the Co-Eds ''Here Come The Co-Eds'' is a 1945 American comedy film starring the comedy team Abbott and Costello. Plot Oliver Quackenbush, Molly McCarthy and her brother Slats who acts as her publicity agent work for the Miramar Ballroom as taxi dancers. Sla ...

'' (1945) .... Molly McCarthy *''

Her Lucky Night ''Her Lucky Night'' is a 1945 musical film starring The Andrews Sisters. It was their last film for Universal. Plot A story of a woman who tries to find a boyfriend. Cast Lawsuit The film was part of a lawsuit by Harold Lloyd against Universal ...

'' (1945) .... Connie *'' Shady Lady'' (1945) .... Gloria Wendell *''

The Daltons Ride Again ''The Daltons Ride Again'' is a 1945 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor starring Alan Curtis, Lon Chaney Jr., Kent Taylor and Noah Beery Jr. The movie was made by Universal Pictures and the supporting cast features Milburn Stone (" ...

'' (1945) .... Mary Bohannon *''

'' (1945) .... Miliza Morrelle *''

'' (1946) .... Marian Gale *''

Down Missouri Way ''Down Missouri Way'' is a 1946 American musical film directed by Josef Berne and written by Sam Neuman. The film stars Martha O'Driscoll, John Carradine, Eddie Dean, William Wright, Roscoe Karns and Renee Godfrey. The film was released on ...

'' (1946) .... Jane Colwell *'' Criminal Court'' (1946) .... Georgia Gale *''

'' (1947) .... Ruth Haines (final film role)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odriscoll, Martha 1922 births 1998 deaths 20th-century American actresses Actresses from California American film actresses Actresses from Tulsa, Oklahoma Universal Pictures contract players