Lois Collier
Lois Collier (born Madelyn Earle Jones; March 21, 1919 – October 27, 1999) was an American film actress born in Salley, South Carolina.[1] She was sometimes credited as Lois Collyer.
Lois Collier | |
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![]() Collier as the host of the CBS radio program Hollywood in Person, 1937 | |
Born | Madelyn Earle Jones March 21, 1919 Salley, South Carolina, U.S. |
Died | October 27, 1999 80) | (aged
Alma mater | Limestone College |
Occupation | Actress |
Years active | 1938-1958 |
Spouse(s) | Robert A. Duncan (? - 1943) Robert Jackson Oakley (1945-1956) Paul Schreibman (1957-1999) |
Early years
Collier's father was Ernest Jones, a pharmacist, of Salley, South Carolina. Chaperoned by her grandmother, she visited Hollywood when she was 15, later describing herself as "movie-struck" at the time.[2] She attended Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina.[3]
Film
Collier's acting career started in 1938, when she had a small but credited role in A Desperate Adventure, starring Ramon Novarro and Marian Marsh. From 1940 through 1949, her career would be active and somewhat successful, with her playing mostly heroine roles in B-movies. During that period, she often starred opposite western stars Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and Dennis Moore. In 1950, she starred in the sci-fi serial The Flying Disc Man from Mars.
Collier was sometimes called the Fourth Mesquiteer because seven of Republic Pictures' The Three Mesquiteers movies featured her as the female lead.[4]
Radio
Collier played Carol in the soap opera Dear John, which ran on CBS in the 1930s and 1940s.[5] Beginning December 6, 1948, she was featured in You, a program on KMGM in Los Angeles, California.[6]
Television
In 1949, Collier co-starred in City Desk, a drama about activity in the newsroom of a newspaper.[7] From 1950 through 1957, she starred mostly on television series episodes. She played Mary, the hero's girlfriend and sidekick, in 58 episodes of the television series Boston Blackie,[8] which ran from 1951 to 1954. She retired from acting after 1957.
Personal life
Collier was married to bank executive Robert A. Duncan. She was granted a divorce from him on September 3, 1943.[9] On August 4, 1945, Collier married to Robert Jackson Oakley, an agent for actors.[10] They divorced in 1956.[11]
Death
She died of Alzheimer's Disease on October 27, 1999, while living in a retired actors community in the Woodland Hills area of Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California.
Filmography
Film
- Women Must Dress (1935) .... Model
- A Desperate Adventure, aka It Happened in Paris (UK) (1938) .... Angela
- Girls of the Road (1940) .... Road Girl (uncredited)
- Ice-Capades, aka Music in the Moonlight (USA: reissue title) (1941) .... Audition Girl (uncredited)
- Outlaws of Cherokee Trail (1941) .... Doris Sheldon
- Sailors on Leave (1941) .... Pretty Brunette (uncredited)
- Gauchos of El Dorado (1941) .... Ellen
- West of Cimarron (1941) .... Doris Conway
- Mr. District Attorney in the Carter Case (1941) .... Receptionist (uncredited)
- Blondie Goes to College, aka The Boss Said 'No' (UK) (1942) .... Coed (uncredited)
- A Tragedy at Midnight (1942) .... (uncredited)
- The Man Who Returned to Life (1942) .... Mary Tuller (uncredited)
- Yokel Boy (1942) ... aka Hitting the Headlines (UK) .... Stewardess (uncredited)
- Raiders of the Range (1942) .... Jean Travers
- The Affairs of Jimmy Valentine, aka Unforgotten Crime (USA: TV title) (1942) .... Receptionist
- The Courtship of Andy Hardy (1942) .... Cynthia, Girl at the Dance (uncredited)
- Westward Ho (1942) .... Anne Henderson
- The Phantom Plainsmen (1942) .... Judy Barrett
- My Son, the Hero (1943) .... Nancy Cavanaugh
- Santa Fe Scouts (1943) .... Claire Robbins
- Get Going (1943) .... Doris
- Young Ideas (1943) .... Co-ed (uncredited)
- She's for Me (1943) .... Eileen Crane
- Ladies Courageous (1944) .... Jill
- Weird Woman (1944) .... Margret Mercer
- Prices Unlimited (1944, Short)
- Follow the Boys (1944) - Himself (uncredited)
- Cobra Woman (1944) .... Veeda
- Jungle Woman (1944) .... Joan Fletcher
- Jungle Queen (1945, Serial) .... Pamela Courtney
- The Naughty Nineties (1945) .... Miss Caroline Jackson
- Penthouse Rhythm (1945) .... Linda Reynolds, Junior's Secretary
- The Crimson Canary (1945) .... Jean Walker
- Girl on the Spot (1946) .... Kathy Lorenz
- A Night in Casablanca (1946) .... Annette
- The Cat Creeps (1946) .... Gay Elliott
- Wild Beauty (1946) .... Linda Gibson
- Slave Girl (1947) .... Aleta
- Arthur Takes Over (1948) .... Margaret Bixby
- Out of the Storm (1948) .... Ginny Powell
- Miss Mink of 1949 (1949) .... Alice Forrester
- Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance (1950) .... Anne Howe Palooka
- Flying Disc Man from Mars (1950, Serial) .... Helen Hall
- Rhythm Inn (1951) .... Betty Parker
Television
- Dick Tracy .... Fluff (5 episodes, 1950)
- "Chopper" (1950) TV Episode
- "The Mole: Part 1" (????) TV Episode .... Fluff
- "The Mole: Part 2" (????) TV Episode .... Fluff
- "The Mole: Part 3" (????) TV Episode .... Fluff
- "The Payroll Robbery" (????) TV Episode .... Fluff
- Joe Palooka in Humphrey Takes a Chance (1950) .... Anne Howe Palooka
- Flying Disc Man from Mars (1950) .... Helen Hall
- Rhythm Inn (1951) .... Betty Parker
- The Unexpected - "Beyond Belief" (1952) TV Episode
- Boston Blackie .... Mary Wesley (58 episodes, 1951-1953)
- Letter to Loretta - "600 Seconds" (1955) TV Episode (as Lois Collyer) Gloria Joy
- Cavalcade of America - "Sunrise on a Dirty Face" (1955) TV Episode .... Marion
- Damon Runyon Theater - "A Job for Macarone" (1955) TV Episode .... Mary Peering
- Cheyenne - "West of the River" (1956) TV Episode .... Ruth McKeever
- Screen Directors Playhouse - "The Sword of Villon" (1956) TV Episode .... Elaine
- It's a Great Life - "Operation for Earl" (1956) TV Episode .... Nurse
- Strange Stories (1 episode, 1956) - "Con Game" (1956) TV Episode
- Broken Arrow (1 episode, 1957) - Johnny Flagstaff
- The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show -
- "Ronnie Gets an Agent" (1956) TV Episode .... Devlin's Secretary
- "The Plumber's Union" (1957) TV Episode .... Julie Ames
- The Web (1 episode, 1957) - Easy Money TV Episode (final appearance)
References
- Garvin, G.C. (January 14, 1953). "The Wagenerian . . ". Aiken Standard. p. 4. Retrieved August 18, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lois Collier Is Becoming Star For Television". The Gaffney Ledger. December 14, 1950. p. 2. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lois Collier To Spend Wednesday In City, College". The Gaffney Ledger. April 24, 1956. p. 5. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- Magers, Boyd; Fitzgerald, Michael G. (2004). Westerns Women: Interviews with 50 Leading Ladies of Movie and Television. McFarland & Co. Inc. pp. 58–62. ISBN 9780786420285. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- "'Dear John' in New Sunday Spot on Tenth Anniversary". Harrisburg Telegraph. August 15, 1942. p. 24. Retrieved August 18, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- Wilk, Ralph (December 7, 1948). "Los Angeles" (PDF). Radio Daily. p. 4. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- Fischler, Alan (May 7, 1949). "City Desk". Billboard. p. 10. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- "Dusting Off Six Old Pix for Theater Use" (PDF). Billboard. November 21, 1953. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
- "Film Actress Is Granted Divorce". Long Beach Independent. September 3, 1943. p. 27. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- "Lois Collier Marries Hollywood Actor's Agent". Aiken Standard. August 29, 1945. p. 5. Retrieved August 19, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- Carroll, Harrison (April 18, 1956). "Behind the Hollywood Scene". The Day. p. 7. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
External links
- Lois Collier at IMDb
- Lois Collier at AllMovie
- Lois Collier at Find a Grave
- Lois Collier at b-westerns.com