Nell O'Day (September 22, 1909 – January 3, 1989) was an accomplished American

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or Riding in British English) Examples of this are: * Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes i ...

and B-movie

actress 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 ...

of the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

O'Day was born in Prairie Hill, Texas. Her father was an official with a railroad. Her first work as a professional entertainer was as a vaudeville dancer. She had her first screen roles in the 1920s as a teenager. In 1930, she portrayed Maribelle Fordyce in the Broadway musical '' Fine and Dandy''. Her first starring role was in 1932 when she starred in ''Rackety Rax'' opposite

Victor McLaglen Victor Andrew de Bier Everleigh McLaglen (10 December 1886 – 7 November 1959) was a British boxer-turned-Hollywood actor.Obituary ''Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. He was known as a character actor, particularly in Westerns, and made sev ...

and

Greta Nissan Greta Nissen (born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen; 30 January 1906 – 15 May 1988) was a Norwegian-American film and stage actress. Stage and screen actress Born Grethe Rüzt-Nissen in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway, Nissen was originally a dancer. While ...

. From 1933 through 1940 she starred in nineteen films, with only a small number of those being

western films Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US * Western, New York, a town in the US * Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia * Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that ...

. Starting in 1941 she began starring in roles placing her as the

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or a main fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. Like other formerly gender-specific terms (like ''actor''), ''hero ...

in westerns, often opposite

Johnny Mack Brown John Brown (September 1, 1904 – November 14, 1974) was an American college football player and film actor billed as John Mack Brown at the height of his screen career. He acted and starred mainly in Western films. Early life Born and raise ...

Ray "Crash" Corrigan Ray "Crash" Corrigan (born Raymond Benitz; February 14, 1902 – August 10, 1976) was an American actor most famous for appearing in many B-Western movies (among these the Three Mesquiteers and Range Busters film series). He also was a st ...

Max Terhune Max Terhune (February 12, 1891 – June 5, 1973) was an American film actor born in Franklin, Indiana. He appeared in nearly 70 films, mostly B-westerns, between 1936 and 1956. Among these, Terhune starred in '' The Three Mesquiteers'' and ...

, and

John 'Dusty' King John 'Dusty' King (born Miller McLeod Everson, July 11, 1909 – November 11, 1987) was a singer and film actor renowned for his Westerns particularly the Range Busters series. Biography Everson was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. A graduate of ...

. O'Day's other Broadway credits included ''Many Mansions'' (1937), ''One for the Money'' (1939), and ''Many Happy Returns'' (1945). In 1942 she starred as the heroine in several

cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode or a film of serialized fiction. A cliffhang ...

episodes of ''

Perils of the Royal Mounted ''Perils of the Royal Mounted'' is a 1942 American Northern (genre), Northern film. It was the 18th Serial (film), serial released by Columbia Pictures. It starred Robert Kellard (aka Robert Stevens) as the hero, Sgt. Mack MacLane of the Royal Mo ...

''. In 1943, under contract with Republic Pictures, she began starring in the '' Three Mesquiteers'' film series, alongside Bob Steele,

Tom Tyler Tom Tyler (born Vincent Markowski; August 9, 1903 – May 1, 1954) was an American actor known for his leading roles in low-budget Western films in the silent and sound eras, and for his portrayal of superhero Captain Marvel in the 1941 ...

and

Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...

. Her last starring western role was in 1943, in the film ''Boss of Rawhide'', opposite Dave O'Brien. She made one more movie, a non-western, in 1946 when she starred in ''The Story of Kenneth W. Randall M.D.'', but concentrated mostly on writing screenplays and

stage Stage or stages may refer to: Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly British theatre newspaper * Sta ...

plays. She spent the rest of her life writing for stage and screen. She died of a

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...

on January 3, 1989, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

Partial filmography

*''

Twinkletoes ''Twinkletoes'' is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film directed by Charles Brabin and starring Colleen Moore. The film, as with most of Moore's vehicles at this time, was produced by her husband John McCormick with the couple distribut ...

'' (1926) - Ballerina in Teacup (uncredited) *'' King of Jazz'' (1930) - Dancer with Tommy Atkins Sextette *'' Rackety Rax'' (1932) - Doris *'' Smoke Lightning'' (1933) - Dorothy Benson *''

This Side of Heaven ''This Side of Heaven'' is a 1934 American pre-Code drama film directed by William K. Howard, written by Zelda Sears, Eve Greene, Edgar Allan Woolf and Florence Ryerson, and starring Lionel Barrymore, Fay Bainter, Mae Clarke, Tom Brown and ...

'' (1934) - Miss Spence - Maxwell's Secretary (uncredited) *'' The Road to Ruin'' (1934) - Eve Monroe *'' Woman in the Dark'' (1934) - Helen Grant *''

Convention Girl ''Convention Girl, also known as Atlantic City Romance,'' is a 1935 American comedy film starring Rose Hobart and featuring Shemp Howard of the Three Stooges. The film was directed by Luther Reed. Plot Cast *Rose Hobart as Cynthia "Babe" Lava ...

'' (1935) - Daisy Miller *''

Boss of Bullion City ''Boss of Bullion City'' is a 1940 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and starring Johnny Mack Brown. Maria Montez appears as the female lead. It was the first time she played a leading role and was the only one of her film roles whe ...

'' (1940) - Martha Hadley *'' Saturday's Children'' (1940) - Girl at Party (uncredited) *''

Flight Angels ''Flight Angels'' is a 1940 commercial aviation film from Warner Bros. Pictures, produced by Edmund Grainger and directed by Lewis Seiler, from an original story by Jerry Wald and Richard Macaulay. The film stars Virginia Bruce, Dennis Morgan, W ...

'' (1940) - Sue *'' Son of Roaring Dan'' (1940) - Jane Belden *''

Law and Order In modern politics, law and order is the approach focusing on harsher enforcement and penalties as ways to reduce crime. Penalties for perpetrators of disorder may include longer terms of imprisonment, mandatory sentencing, three-strikes laws a ...

'' (1940) - Sally Dixon *'' Pony Post'' (1940) - Norma Reeves *'' Back Street'' (1941) - Elizabeth Saxel *''

Double Date Dating is a stage of romantic relationships in which two individuals engage in an activity together, most often with the intention of evaluating each other's suitability as a partner in a future intimate relationship. It falls into the categor ...

'' (1941) - Mary *'' Bury Me Not on the Open Prairie'' (1941) - Edna Fielding *''

Law of the Range ''Law of the Range'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor using a screenplay by Sherman L. Lowe which is based on a story by Charles E. Barnes. The film starred Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, and Riley Hill. ...

'' (1941) - Mary O'Brien *''

Hello, Sucker ''Hello, Sucker'' is a 1941 American comedy film directed by Edward F. Cline and written by Maurice Leo and Paul Gerard Smith. The film stars Hugh Herbert, Tom Brown, Peggy Moran, Lewis Howard, June Storey, Walter Catlett and Robert Emmett ...

'' (1941) - Model *''

Rawhide Rangers ''Rawhide Rangers'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by Ed Earl Repp. The film stars Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Kathryn Adams Doty, Nell O'Day, Riley Hill and Harry Cording. The film was released on Jul ...

'' (1941) - Patti McDowell *'' Man from Montana'' (1941) - Sally Preston *'' Sing Another Chorus'' (1941) - Girl (uncredited) *''

Never Give a Sucker an Even Break ''Never Give a Sucker an Even Break'' (known in some international releases as ''What a Man!'') is a 1941 Universal Pictures comedy film starring W. C. Fields. Fields also wrote the original story, under the pseudonym "Otis Criblecoblis." Fields ...

'' (1941) - The Salesgirl *''

The Masked Rider The Masked Rider is the primary mascot of Texas Tech University. It is the oldest of the university's mascots still in existence today. Originally called "Ghost Rider", it was an unofficial mascot appearing in a few games in 1936 and then became ...

'' (1941) - Jean Malone *''

Arizona Cyclone ''Arizona Cyclone'' is a 1941 American Western film directed by Joseph H. Lewis and written by Sherman L. Lowe. The film stars Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Kathryn Adams Doty, Herbert Rawlinson and Dick Curtis. The film was re ...

'' (1941) - Claire Randolph *'' Fighting Bill Fargo'' (1941) - Julie Fargo *''

Stagecoach Buckaroo ''Stagecoach Buckaroo'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by Ray Taylor and written by Al Martin. The film stars Johnny Mack Brown, Fuzzy Knight, Nell O'Day, Anne Nagel, Herbert Rawlinson and Glenn Strange. The film was released on Feb ...

'' (1942) - Molly Denton *''

The Mystery of Marie Roget ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'' (1942) - Camille *'' You're Telling Me'' (1942) - Girl (uncredited) *''

'' (1942, Serial) - Diana Blake *''

There's One Born Every Minute ''There's One Born Every Minute'', also known as ''Man or Mouse'', is a 1942 American Universal Pictures comedy film directed by Harold Young. It was Elizabeth Taylor's first film and one of her only films with Universal Studios. The film is ...

'' (1942) - Antoinette (uncredited) *''

Arizona Stage Coach ''Arizona Stage Coach'' is a 1942 American Western film directed by S. Roy Luby. The film is the sixteenth in Monogram Pictures' " Range Busters" series, and it stars Ray "Crash" Corrigan as Crash, John "Dusty" King as Dusty and Max "Alib ...

'' (1942) - Dorrie Willard *''

Pirates of the Prairie ''Pirates of the Prairie'' is a 1942 Western film inspired by the Banditti of the Prairie.''Pira ...

'' (1942) - Helen Spencer *''

Thundering Trails ''Thundering Trails'' is a 1943 American Western "Three Mesquiteers" B-movie directed by John English and starring Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and Jimmie Dodd. Cast * Bob Steele as Tucson Smith * Tom Tyler as Stony Brooke * Jimmie Dodd as Lul ...

'' (1943) - Edith Walker *''

The Return of the Rangers ''The Return of the Rangers'' is a 1943 American Western film written and directed by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Dave O'Brien, James Newill, Guy Wilkerson, Nell O'Day, Glenn Strange and Emmett Lynn. The film was released on October 26, 19 ...

'' (1943) - Anne Miller *''

Boss of Rawhide ''Boss of Rawhide'' is a 1943 American Western film written and directed by Elmer Clifton. The film stars Dave O'Brien, James Newill, Guy Wilkerson, Nell O'Day, Ed Cassidy and Jack Ingram. The film was released on November 20, 1943, by Produ ...

'' (1943) - Mary Colby *''The Story of Kenneth W. Randall, M.D.'' (1946) - Martha Randall

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Oday, Nell 1909 births 1989 deaths People from Washington County, Texas Actresses from Texas Screenwriters from Texas American women screenwriters American women dramatists and playwrights American film actresses 20th-century American actresses 20th-century American dramatists and playwrights 20th-century American women writers 20th-century American screenwriters Film serial actresses Western (genre) film actresses Vaudeville performers