Dorothy McGuire
Dorothy McGuire | |
|---|---|
 Publicity photo of McGuire, 1940s | |
| Born | Dorothy Hackett McGuire June 14, 1916 Omaha, Nebraska,U.S. |
| Died | September 13, 2001(aged 85) |
| Other names | Dorothy McGuire Swope |
| Years active | 1943–1990 |
| Known for | Swiss Family Robinson Gentleman's Agreement Friendly Persuasion The Enchanted Cottage Rich Man, Poor Man |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2, includingTopo Swope |
Dorothy Hackett McGuire(June 14, 1916 – September 13, 2001) was an American actress. She was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best ActressforGentleman's Agreement(1947) and won theNational Board of Review Award for Best ActressforFriendly Persuasion(1956).[1]She starred as the mother in the popular filmsOld Yeller(1957) andSwiss Family Robinson(1960).
Life and career
[edit]
Early years
[edit]McGuire was born inOmaha, Nebraska,[2]the only child of Isabelle Flaherty McGuire and Thomas Johnson McGuire.[3]She made her stage debut at age 13 at thelocal community playhousein Barrie'sA Kiss for Cinderella.Her co-star wasHenry Fonda,who was also born in Nebraska and was making a return visit to his home town after becoming a success on Broadway.[1]
After her father's death, McGuire attended a convent school inIndianapolis, Indiana.She later attendedPine Manor Junior CollegeinChestnut Hill, Massachusetts,serving as president of that school's drama club. She graduated from Pine Manor when she was 19.[3]
Theatre and Modeling
[edit]McGuire was one of the most sought after models under Walter Thornton's management.[4]She appeared in summer stock at Deertrees, Maine, in 1937 before going to New York.
McGuire acted on radio, playing Sue in the serialBig Sister(1937) and took part in an experimental television broadcast,The Mysterious Mummy Case(1938). She was hired by producerJed Harristo understudy the ingenue in a Broadway play,Stop Over(1938), which ran only 23 performances. McGuire was an understudy toMartha ScottinOur Townin 1938, eventually taking over Scott's role.
McGuire toured inMy Dear ChildrenoppositeJohn Barrymore,and in 1939, was in a revue withBenny Goodman,Swingin' the Dream.She had a role in the short-livedMedicine Show(1940), and a part in the longer-running revival ofKind Lady(1940).
McGuire gained attention on Broadway when cast in the title role of the domestic comedyClaudia.It ran for 722 performances from 1941 to 1943.Brooks Atkinsonwrote: "She gives a splendid performance of a part that would be irritating if it were played by a dull actress. She is personally genuine; the charm she radiates across the play is not merely theatrical mannerism."
Film
[edit]Brought to Hollywood by producerDavid O. Selznick(who called her "a born actress" )[5]on the strength of her stage performance, McGuire starred in her first film,Claudia(1943), a movie adaptation of her Broadway success.[2]She portrayed a child bride who almost destroys her marriage through her selfishness. Selznick developed the project, which co-starredRobert Young,then sold it to20th Century Fox;under this deal, Selznick would share McGuire's contract with Fox.[6]
RKOreunited McGuire with Young inThe Enchanted Cottage(1945), which was a box-office success.[7]
At age 28, she played the mother inA Tree Grows in Brooklyn(1945), replacingGene Tierney,who had become pregnant. Under the direction ofElia Kazanat 20th Century Fox, the film was a big success. So, too, wasThe Spiral Staircase(1946) in which McGuire played the lead role, a mute. It was originally prepared by Selznick, who envisionedIngrid Bergmanin the lead; Selznick sold the project to RKO along with the services for his producerDore Schary.[8]
McGuire and Young made a third film together,Claudia and David(1946), a sequel toClaudia,which was less well received. Schary and RKO put her inTill the End of Time(also 1946), a hit with audiences.[7]She later said: "I fought the hardest for this role and it was my least successful. I went right back to playing nice girls and faithful wives."[9]
She was offered the lead inAnna and the King of Siam(1946), but turned it down to go travelling with her family.[10]
McGuire was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress forGentleman's Agreement(1947) directed by Kazan for Fox. The film was a surprise hit.[11]
Following this film, McGuire, co-starGregory Peck,and some other actors helped form theLa Jolla Playhouse.She appeared in productions ofThe Importance of Being Earnest,I Am a Camera,The Winslow Boy,andTonight at 8:30,then went to live in Italy for a year.[9]
Selznick announced a variety of films to star McGuire that were not made, includingDark Medallion,[12]A Doll's House[13]Wings of the DoveandSands of Time.[14]
Radio
[edit]McGuire was a member of the cast ofBig Sister(playing Sue Evans[15]), andJoyce Jordan, M.D..She also appeared inThis Is My Best(Miracle in the Rain),[16]Screen Directors Playhouse(The Spiral Staircase) and inTheatre Guild on the Air(Hamlet[17]A Doll's House,Our Town[18]).
Later films
[edit]McGuire spent some time away from screens before returning in two movies for Fox,Mother Didn't Tell Me(1950) andMister 880(1950). Neither was particularly popular.
She made her TV debut inRobert Montgomery Presents,an adaptation ofDark Victory,with McGuire playing theBette Davisrole. Schary had become head of production at MGM, where McGuire appeared inCallaway Went Thataway(1951), which lost money. She didI Want You(1951) forSam Goldwyn,then returned to Broadway forLegend of Lovers(1951–52), but it only had a short run.
McGuire madeInvitation(1952) at MGM, which flopped, andMake Haste to Live(1954) at Republic. She had a huge hit withThree Coins in the Fountain(1954) at Fox, and appeared in episodes ofThe United States Steel Hour,Lux Video Theatre,The Best of Broadway(an adaptation ofThe Philadelphia Story,as Tracey Lord), andClimax!.
At MGM, she was inTrial(1955), playingGlenn Ford's love interest. The movie was a hit.[1]
Mother roles
[edit]McGuire was cast asGary Cooper's wife inFriendly Persuasion(1956), directed byWilliam Wyler.The success of this performance led her to being cast in a series of "mother" roles, continuing withOld Yeller(1957) atDisney.[1]
McGuire returned to Broadway inWinesburg, Ohio(1958), which had a short run, then she played a wife and mother inThe Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker(1959) at Fox.
She played the matriarch in some melodramas:This Earth Is Mine(1959) withJean Simmonsat Universal;A Summer Place(1959) forDelmer DaveswithRichard Egan,Sandra DeeandTroy Donahueat Warner Bros., a big success; andThe Dark at the Top of the Stairs(1960).[19]
She returned to Disney withSwiss Family Robinson(1960), one of the most popular films of the year. She made a second film with Daves and Donahue,Susan Slade(1961), playing a mother who passed off her daughter's illegitimate child as her own. She was a mother in Disney'sSummer Magic(1963).[1]
McGuire played the Virgin Mary inThe Greatest Story Ever Told(1965). She was off screen for a number of years before returning in a British family film,Flight of the Doves(1971).
Television
[edit]McGuire appeared in some TV movies,She Waits(1972) and a PBS adaptation ofAnother Part of the Forest(1972). She provided voice work forJonathan Livingston Seagull(1973), and made one final appearance on Broadway in a revival ofThe Night of the Iguana(1976–77) alongside Richard Chamberlain.
Most of McGuire's later career work was for the small screen:The Runaways(1975),Rich Man, Poor Man(1976), the pilot forLittle Women(1976),The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel(1979),Ghost Dancing(1983),Amos(1985),Between the Darkness and the Dawn(1985),American Geisha(1986),Caroline?(1990), andThe Last Best Year(1990).[20]
She was also in episodes ofFantasy Island,Hotel,The Love Boat,Glitter,St. Elsewhere,andHighway to Heaven.She provided the narration forSummer Heat(1987), and toured in 1987 inI Never Sang for My Father.[21] In 1984–85, McGuire played Cora Miller on the long-running CBS soap operaThe Young and the Restless.Cora was the estranged mother of tycoon Victor Newman, played byEric Braeden
In 1982, she said, "I love my career, but I never felt much about it – about how to nurture it...It's been very erratic, after all... To this day, I don't know what shapes a Hollywood career... I was never a classic beauty. I had no image, so I found myself in a lot of things accidentally."[22]
Personal life and death
[edit]McGuire was married toLifemagazine photographerJohn Swopefor more than 35 years, with whom she had a son, photographer Mark Swope (1953–2016), and a daughter, actressTopo Swope(b. 1949).[3][23]
McGuire died inSanta Monica, California,on September 13, 2001, at the age of 85; she developedarrhythmiaweeks after sustaining a broken leg.[3]
Recognition
[edit]For her contribution to the motion-picture industry, Dorothy McGuire has a star on theHollywood Walk of Fameat 6933 Hollywood Boulevard. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.[24]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1943 | Claudia | Claudia Naughton | |
| 1944 | Reward Unlimited | Peggy Adams | Short film for the U.S.Cadet Nurse Corps[25] |
| 1945 | The Enchanted Cottage | Laura Pennington | |
| 1945 | A Tree Grows in Brooklyn | Katie Nolan | |
| 1946 | The Spiral Staircase | Helen Capel | |
| 1946 | Claudia and David | Claudia Naughton | |
| 1946 | Till the End of Time | Pat Ruscomb | |
| 1947 | Gentleman's Agreement | Kathy Lacy | Nominated–Academy Award for Best Actress Nominated–New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress |
| 1950 | Mother Didn't Tell Me | Jane Morgan | |
| 1950 | Mister 880 | Ann Winslow | |
| 1951 | Callaway Went Thataway | Deborah Patterson | |
| 1951 | I Want You | Nancy Greer | |
| 1952 | Invitation | Ellen Bowker Pierce | |
| 1954 | Make Haste to Live | Crystal Benson | |
| 1954 | Three Coins in the Fountain | Miss Frances | |
| 1955 | Trial | Abbe Nyle | |
| 1956 | Friendly Persuasion | Eliza Birdwell | National Board of Review Award for Best Actress |
| 1957 | Old Yeller | Katie Coates | |
| 1959 | The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker | Mrs. Emily 'Ma' Pennypacker | |
| 1959 | This Earth Is Mine | Martha Fairon | |
| 1959 | A Summer Place | Sylvia Hunter | |
| 1960 | The Dark at the Top of the Stairs | Cora Flood | |
| 1960 | Swiss Family Robinson | Mother Robinson | |
| 1961 | Susan Slade | Leah Slade | |
| 1963 | Summer Magic | Margaret Carey | |
| 1965 | The Greatest Story Ever Told | The Virgin Mary | |
| 1971 | Flight of the Doves | Granny O'Flaherty | |
| 1972 | She Waits | Sarah Wilson | TV movie |
| 1972 | Another Part of the Forest | Lavinia Hubbard | TV movie |
| 1973 | Jonathan Livingston Seagull | Mother | Voice |
| 1975 | The Runaways | Angela Lakey | TV movie |
| 1978 | Little Women | Marmee March | 7 episodes |
| 1979 | The Incredible Journey of Doctor Meg Laurel | Effie Webb | TV movie |
| 1983 | Ghost Dancing | Sarah Bowman | TV movie |
| 1985 | Amos | Hester Farrell | TV movie Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Special |
| 1985 | Between the Darkness and the Dawn | Beryl Foster | TV movie |
| 1986 | American Geisha | Ann Suzuki | TV movie |
| 1987 | Summer Heat | Narrator | Voice |
| 1990 | Caroline? | Flora Atkins | Hallmark Hall of FameTV movie |
| 1990 | The Last Best Year | Anne | TV movie (final film role) |
Complete TV credits
[edit]| Year | Title | Role | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Robert Montgomery Presents | Judith Traherne | "Dark Victory" |
| 1954 | The United States Steel Hour | Tina | "A Garden in the Sea" |
| 1954 | Lux Video Theatre | Jody Norris | "To Each His Own" |
| 1954 | The Best of Broadway | Tracy Lord | "The Philadelphia Story" |
| 1954 | Climax! | Janet Spence | "The Gioconda Smile" Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress in a Single Performance |
| 1954 | What's My Line | Herself (Celebrity Mystery Guest) | |
| 1956 | Climax! | Miranda | "Pale Horse, Pale Rider" |
| 1964 | The Red Skelton Hour | Guest Vocalist | "A Man and His Money Are Soon Parted" |
| 1976 | Rich Man, Poor Man | Mary Jordache | 7 episodes Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
| 1982 | The Love Boat | Hanna Hamilton | "Thanksgiving Cruise: The Best of Friends/Too Many Dads/Love Will Find a Way" S6 E7 |
| 1983 | Fantasy Island | Joan Mallory | "Three's a Crowd/Second Time Around" |
| 1984 | The Love Boat | Sarah Webster | "Aerobic April/The Wager/Story of the Century" |
| 1984 | The Young and the Restless | Cora Miller | |
| 1985 | Hotel | Mrs. Christopher | "Skeletons" |
| 1985 | Glitter | The Matriarch | "The Matriarch" |
| 1986 | St. Elsewhere | Augusta Endicott | 3 episodes |
| 1986 | Highway to Heaven | Jane Thompson | "Keep Smiling" |
| 1988 | Highway to Heaven | Jane Thompson | "We Have Forever: Part 1" "We Have Forever: Part 2" |
| 1988 | American Playhouse | Margaret Garrison | "I Never Sang for My Father" |
Radio appearances
[edit]| Year | Program | Episode/source |
|---|---|---|
| 1945 | Lux Radio Theatre | I'll Be Seeing You |
| 1947 | Radio Reader's Digest | Sweet Rosie O'Grady |
| 1953 | Lux Summer Theatre | The Fall of Maggie Phillips[26] |
References
[edit]- ^abcdeDorothy McGuire Actress who was often cast as a mother and had the talent, but not the will, for stardom The Daily Telegraph 18 Sep 2001: 29.
- ^abKatz, Ephraim (1979).The Film Encyclopedia: The Most Comprehensive Encyclopedia of World Cinema in a Single Volume.Perigee Books.ISBN0-399-50601-2.pp. 755–756.
- ^abcdSevero, Richard (September 15, 2001)."Dorothy McGuire, Steadfast Heroine of Film, Dies at 83".New York Times.RetrievedMay 6,2015.
- ^"She's Striking".The Racine Journal Times.1938. p. 2.
- ^Johnson, Erskine (May 18, 1943)."Hollywood Column".The Escanaba Daily Press.p. 2.RetrievedMay 6,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^SELZNICK ASSETS ACQUIRED BY FOX: Latter Buys Rights to 'Keys of the Kingdom,' 'Claudia' and Script of 'Jane Eyre' PLAYERS' SERVICES IN DEAL Joan Fontaine and Dorothy McGuire Included -- Many Contracts Involved New York Times 16 Nov 1942: 15.
- ^abRichard B. Jewell,Slow Fade to Black: The Decline of RKO Radio Pictures,Uni of California, 2016
- ^"60 Top Grossers of 1946",Variety8 January 1947 p. 8
- ^ab"Obituary: Dorothy McGuire": Vallance, Tom.The Independent17 Sep 2001: 6.
- ^STAGE: FATE TAKES A HAND AGAIN FOR MCGUIRE Rosenfield, Paul. Los Angeles Times 7 Feb 1982: l52.
- ^"Top Grossers of 1948",Variety5 January 1949 p 46
- ^'DARK MEDALLION' SOLD TO SELZNICK: Ethel Barrymore and Dorothy McGuire Expected to Star in Film of Langley Novel Plans Arthurian Picture Of Local Origin Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES 11 Nov 1946: 50.
- ^SELZNICK TO FILM A STORY BY IBSEN: Planning to Do 'Doll's House,' With Dorothy McGuire – Clears Foreign Rights By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES 22 Apr 1947: 34.
- ^SELZNICK TO FILM VICKI BAUM STORY: ' Sands of Time' to Have Cary Grant and Dorothy McGuire in the Leading Roles By THOMAS F. BRADY Special to THE NEW YORK TIMES 28 Jan 1947: 27.
- ^"Say Hello To..."(PDF).Radio and Television Mirror.December 1939. p. 43.RetrievedMay 6,2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^"What's Playing?"(PDF).Radio Life.December 10, 1944. p. 25.RetrievedMay 6,2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^Dunning, John. (1998).On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio.Oxford University Press.ISBN978-0-19-507678-3.pp. 86, 376, 600, 662.
- ^"KECA mike memos"(PDF).Radio Life.March 23, 1947. p. 10.RetrievedMay 6,2015.[permanent dead link]
- ^Obituary: Dorothy McGuire: Actor of intelligence, integrity and charm on and off the screen Bergan, Ronald. The Guardian 17 Sep 2001: 1.20.
- ^Dorothy Mcguire..: A name from the past reappears for TV special Beck, Marilyn. Chicago Tribune 30 Mar 1975: i3.
- ^Dorothy McGuire: [FINAL Edition] ALLAN HUNTER Obituary. The Scotsman 20 Sep 2001: 14.
- ^"Obituaries; Dorothy McGuire, 85; Favorite Leading Lady": McLELLAN, DENNIS.Los Angeles Times15 Sep 2001: B.10.
- ^"Gets Distaff Lead".The Times Recorder.October 3, 1971. p. 8.RetrievedMay 6,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
- ^"Dorothy McGuire".Hollywood Walk of Fame.RetrievedFebruary 24,2017.
- ^Reward Unlimited.Series: Motion Picture Films, 1794 - 1990.National Archives and Records Administration.Archived fromthe originalon December 23, 2018.RetrievedDecember 6,2015.
- ^Kirby, Walter (June 21, 1953)."Better Radio Programs for the Week".The Decatur Daily Review.p. 44.RetrievedJuly 1,2015– viaNewspapers.com.
External links
[edit]
