Marjorie Reynolds (née Goodspeed; August 12, 1917 – February 1, 1997) was an American film/television actress and dancer, who appeared in more than 50 films, including the 1942 musical ''Holiday Inn'', in which she and

Bing Crosby Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...

introduced the song " White Christmas" in a duet, albeit with her singing dubbed.

Early life

The daughter of a doctor and his wife, Reynolds was born Marjorie Goodspeed in Buhl, Idaho. She acted under the names Marjorie Goodspeed and Marjorie Moore. When she was three years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, California. She began to take dancing lessons at age 4. She attended Los Angeles High School.

Career

Beginning at age 6, Reynolds was a featured child actress in such silent films as ''

Scaramouche Scaramouche () or Scaramouch (; from Italian Scaramuccia , literally "little skirmisher") is a stock clown character of the 16th-century commedia dell'arte (comic theatrical arts of Italian literature). The role combined characteristics of the ...

'' (1923). At age 8 she stopped acting to concentrate on education until leaving school at 16 to play a ballerina in

Herbert Brenon Herbert Brenon (born Alexander Herbert Reginald St. John Brenon; 13 January 1880 – 21 June 1958) was an Irish-born U.S. film director, actor and screenwriter during the era of silent films through the 1930s. Brenon was among the early film ...

's ''

Wine, Women and Song "Wine, women, and song" is a hendiatris that endorses hedonistic lifestyles or behaviors. A more modern form of the idea is often expressed as "sex and drugs and rock 'n' roll", a phrase popularized by British singer Ian Dury in his son ...

'' (1933). She went on to appear in bit parts in many films, including '' Gone with the Wind'' (1939) and as a

chorus girl A chorus line is a large group of dancers who together perform synchronized routines, usually in musical theatre. Sometimes, singing is also performed. Chorus line dancers in Broadway musicals and revues have been referred to by slang terms su ...

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

musicals. Her first speaking role was in ''

Murder in Greenwich Village ''Murder in Greenwich Village'' is a 1937 American mystery film directed by Albert S. Rogell and starring Richard Arlen, Fay Wray and Raymond Walburn.Monaco p.14 The screenplay involves an heiress who is falsely accused of murder. The film's set ...

'' (1937) and she then appeared in a number of

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 ...

for

Poverty Row Poverty Row is a slang term used to refer to Hollywood films produced from the 1920s to the 1950s by small (and mostly short-lived) B movie studios. Although many of them were based on (or near) today's Gower Street in Hollywood, the term did ...

studios opposite most of the cowboy stars of the time with the exception of

Gene Autry Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning s ...

. Reynolds played the loyal girlfriend opposite wrongly accused

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's deat ...

in ''

Enemy Agent ''Enemy Agent'' is a 1940 American spy thriller film directed by Lew Landers and starring Richard Cromwell, Helen Vinson, and Robert Armstrong.McLaughlin p.325 The supporting cast includes Jack La Rue, Jack Carson, Philip Dorn and Milburn ...

'' (1940). That same year, in '' The Fatal Hour'', Reynolds appeared for

Monogram Pictures Monogram Pictures Corporation was an American film studio that produced mostly low-budget films between 1931 and 1953, when the firm completed a transition to the name Allied Artists Pictures Corporation. Monogram was among the smaller studios i ...

as a reporter on the trail of

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

's detective James Lee Wong and opposite

Grant Withers Granville Gustavus Withers (January 17, 1905 – March 27, 1959) was an American film actor who acted under the screen name Grant Withers. With early beginnings in the silent era, Withers moved into sound films, establishing himself with a lis ...

as a cop.

William Bendix Marjorie Reynolds The Life of Riley 1956

Perhaps her best-known film was ''Holiday Inn'' (1942), which introduced the classic song " White Christmas". She performed the song both as a duet with

and later in a solo performance, although her singing was dubbed by

Martha Mears Martha Mears (July 18, 1910 – December 13, 1986) was a radio and film contralto singer, active from the 1930s to 1950s. Early years Mears was born in Mexico, Missouri. Her mother died when Mears was 4 years old, and she went to live with ...

. The movie also showcased her dancing ability. She also had major roles in

Fritz Lang Friedrich Christian Anton Lang (; December 5, 1890 – August 2, 1976), known as Fritz Lang, was an Austrian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Germany and later the United States.Obituary '' Variety'', August 4, 1976, p. ...

's '' Ministry of Fear'' (1944) and in the movie '' Up in Mabel's Room'' (1944). Her career progression was hindered by the premature death of her mentor, Mark Sandrich. Reynolds starred with

Abbott and Costello Abbott may refer to: People * Abbott (surname) *Abbott Handerson Thayer (1849–1921), American painter and naturalist * Abbott and Costello, famous American vaudeville act Places Argentina * Abbott, Buenos Aires United States * Abbott, Arkansas ...

in the supernatural comedy '' The Time of Their Lives'' (1946), one of the few films with Abbott and Costello as leads but not together as a team. Instead, Costello spends most of his screen time with Reynolds; they play a pair of

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revoluti ...

ghosts who need the help of Abbott and his friends to get to

heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fi ...

's review of the film describes it as "Most unusual film for A&C and one of their best... Imaginative, funny, and well done." She was cast in a supporting role in

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza (, ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer at ...

's film debut, '' That Midnight Kiss'' (1949). She later appeared in the NBC version of the television series ''

The Life of Riley ''The Life of Riley'' is an American radio situation comedy series of the 1940s that was adapted into a 1949 feature film, a 1950s television series, and a 1958 comic book. Radio The radio program initially aired on the Blue Network (later kn ...

'' (1953–1958) and appeared on three episodes of the television series '' Leave it to Beaver'' (1960–1963).

Personal life

Reynolds was married to Jack Reynolds, a casting director. The couple had a daughter, Linda, and divorced in 1952. Her second husband was film editor Jon M. Haffen (who during his acting career had been billed as John Whitney). He died in 1985.

Recognition

Reynolds has a star in the Television section of the

Hollywood Walk of Fame The Hollywood Walk of Fame is a historic landmark which consists of more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along 15 blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, Calif ...

, at 1525 Vine Street.

Death

On February 1, 1997, having suffered from

congestive heart disease Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, an ...

, she collapsed and died in

Manhattan Beach, California Manhattan Beach is a city in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States, on the Pacific coast south of El Segundo, west of Hawthorne and Redondo Beach, and north of Hermosa Beach. As of the 2010 census, the population was 3 ...

, while walking her dog. She was 79 years old.

Acting credits

Film

Television

Notes

Citations

References

* * * * *

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Reynolds, Marjorie 1917 births 1997 deaths American child actresses American film actresses American silent film actresses People from Greater Los Angeles People from Twin Falls County, Idaho Actresses from Idaho Actresses from California 20th-century American actresses