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Dorothy Granger

Dorothy Karolyn Granger(November 21, 1911[1]– January 4, 1995) was an Americanactressbest known for her roles inshort subjectcomediesinHollywood.

Dorothy Granger
Dorothy Granger in 1930, with her contract from Hal Roach Studios
Born(1911-11-21)November 21, 1911
New London, Ohio,U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1995(1995-01-04)(aged 83)
Los Angeles, California,U.S.
Years active1929–1961
Spouse
John Hilder
​
(m.1947)​
ChildrenAnthony J. Hilder(step-son)

Career

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Granger, with her parents, two brothers, Richard and James, and their grandmother, Clara (néeWilcox) Granger, moved to Los Angeles during the late 1920s.

Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her budding figure and confident stage presence were perfect for studios that made comedy shorts. In 1930, her father took her to producerHal Roach,who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series,The Boy Friends.

Granger’s natural comedy timing got her the job immediately and she was placed under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She became a charter member of the two-reel-comedy community, appearing opposite many major comedians at Roach,Mack Sennett,Educational Pictures,Columbia Pictures,andRKO Radio Pictures.Among her famous credits areHog Wildwith Laurel & Hardy,The DentistwithW.C. Fields,Punch DrunksandTermites of 1938withThe Three Stooges.Granger also appeared withAndy Clyde,Charley Chase,Edgar Kennedy,Harry Langdon,Gus Schilling& Richard Lane, andJoe DeRita,as well as on live television withAbbott & Costello.Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious wife inLeon Errol's series of two-reelers forRKO.

For her body of work in two-reelers, Granger was known as the "Queen of the Short Subject Films".[2]However, she also appeared in about 100 feature films,[2]includingFrisco Jenny,Sunset in El Dorado,Kentucky Kernels,Dick Tracy vs. Cueball,Diamond Jim,andShow Boat.

Later years

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Granger worked on a variety of television shows through the 1950s, includingThe Abbott and Costello Show,I Married Joan,Father Knows Best,Topper,Lassie,Death Valley DaysandWells Fargo.Her last television performance was a live show onFace The Factsin 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”

Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.

She was the stepmother of film maker and former record producerAnthony J. Hilder.

Death

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Granger died ofcanceron January 4, 1995, aged 83, in Los Angeles, California.[3]

Selected filmography

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References

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  1. ^There is some confusion as to the year of Granger's birth. Legal documents including the Social Security Death Index lists it as 1911 as does her death certificate and the Ohio Birth Index, which gives the certificate number as 1911085869. Most biographies say 1912, although at least one source lists the year as 1914.
  2. ^abStaff (January 20, 1995)."Dorothy Granger; Actress in Many Movies, Short Comedy Films".The Los Angeles Times.Los Angeles, California. p. 30.Archivedfrom the original on November 5, 2018.RetrievedNovember 4,2018– viaNewspapers.
  3. ^"Obituary: Dorothy Granger".Variety.January 22, 1995.

Further reading

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  • Maltin, Leonard (2015) [First published 1969]. "Dorothy Granger".The Real Stars: Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players(softcover) (Sixth / eBook ed.). Great Britain: CreateSpace Independent. pp. 122–144.ISBN978-1-5116-4485-3.
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