Nell O'Day (September 22, 1909 – January 5, 1989) was an accomplished American equestrian and

B-movie A B movie, or B film, is a type of cheap, low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second ...

actress An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

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 Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated wi ...

. 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-American actor and boxer.Obituary '' Variety'', 11 November 1959, page 79. His film career spanned from the early 1920s through the 1950s, initially ...

and Greta Nissan. From 1933 through 1940 she starred in nineteen films, with only a small number of those being western films. Starting in 1941 she began starring in roles placing her as the

heroine A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or Physical strength, strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such thin ...

in westerns, often opposite Johnny Mack Brown,

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 ''The Range Busters'' film series). He ...

, Max Terhune, and John 'Dusty' King. 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 situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

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 Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

, she began starring in the '' Three Mesquiteers'' film series, alongside Bob Steele, Tom Tyler 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 writer o ...

. 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

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

s and

stage Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media 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 Brit ...

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 Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

on January 5, 1989, in

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

Partial filmography

*'' Twinkletoes'' (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'' (1934) - Miss Spence - Maxwell's Secretary (uncredited) *'' The Road to Ruin'' (1934) - Eve Monroe *'' Woman in the Dark'' (1934) - Helen Grant *'' Convention Girl'' (1935) - Daisy Miller *'' Boss of Bullion City'' (1940) - Martha Hadley *'' Saturday's Children'' (1940) - Girl at Party (uncredited) *'' Flight Angels'' (1940) - Sue *'' Son of Roaring Dan'' (1940) - Jane Belden *'' Law and Order'' (1940) - Sally Dixon *'' Pony Post'' (1940) - Norma Reeves *'' Back Street'' (1941) - Elizabeth Saxel *'' Double Date'' (1941) - Mary *'' Bury Me Not on the Open Prairie'' (1941) - Edna Fielding *'' Law of the Range'' (1941) - Mary O'Brien *'' Hello, Sucker'' (1941) - Model *'' Rawhide Rangers'' (1941) - Patti McDowell *'' Man from Montana'' (1941) - Sally Preston *'' Sing Another Chorus'' (1941) - Girl (uncredited) *'' Never Give a Sucker an Even Break'' (1941) - The Salesgirl *'' The Masked Rider'' (1941) - Jean Malone *'' Arizona Cyclone'' (1941) - Claire Randolph *'' Fighting Bill Fargo'' (1941) - Julie Fargo *'' Stagecoach Buckaroo'' (1942) - Molly Denton *'' The Mystery of Marie Roget'' (1942) - Camille *'' You're Telling Me'' (1942) - Girl (uncredited) *''

'' (1942, Serial) - Diana Blake *'' There's One Born Every Minute'' (1942) - Antoinette (uncredited) *'' Arizona Stage Coach'' (1942) - Dorrie Willard *'' Pirates of the Prairie'' (1942) - Helen Spencer *'' Thundering Trails'' (1943) - Edith Walker *'' The Return of the Rangers'' (1943) - Anne Miller *'' Boss of Rawhide'' (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 American vaudeville performers