Marjorie Reynolds

The daughter of a doctor and his wife,[2] Reynolds was born Marjorie Goodspeed in Buhl, Idaho.[3] She acted under the names of both Goodspeed and as Marjorie Moore.[4] When she was 3 years old, her family moved to Los Angeles, California.[2] She began to take dancing lessons at age 4. She attended Los Angeles High School.[5]

Beginning at age 6,[2] Reynolds was a featured child actress in such silent films as Scaramouche (1923). Her first speaking role was in Murder in Greenwich Village (1937).[6] She appeared in bit parts in many films including Gone with the Wind (1939).

Reynolds played the loyal girlfriend opposite wrongly accused Richard Cromwell in Enemy Agent (1940). That same year, in The Fatal Hour, Reynolds appeared for Monogram Pictures as a reporter on the trail of Boris Karloff's detective James Lee Wong, and opposite Grant Withers as a cop.

Doomed to Die (1940), Boris Karloff seated. Standing L-R, Marjorie Reynolds, Raymond Hatton, Grant Withers

William Bendix and Marjorie Reynolds in a 1956 episode of the television series The Life of Riley

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 Bing Crosby and later in a solo performance, although her singing was dubbed by Martha Mears.[6][7] The movie also showcased her dancing ability.

She also had major roles in Fritz Lang's Ministry of Fear (1944) and in the movie Up in Mabel's Room (1944).[8] Her career progression was hindered by the premature death of her mentor, Mark Sandrich.

Reynolds starred with Abbott and Costello in the supernatural comedy The Time of Their Lives (1946), one of the few films with Abbott and Costello as leads, but where they did not appear together as a team. Instead, Costello spends most of his screen time with Reynolds, where they play a pair of American Revolution ghosts who need the help of Abbott and his friends to get to Heaven. Leonard Maltin's review of the film describes it as, "Most unusual film for A&C and one of their best...Imaginative, funny, and well done."[9] She was cast in a supporting role in Mario Lanza's film debut, That Midnight Kiss (1949).

She later appeared in the NBC version of the television series The Life of Riley[10] (1953–1958) and appeared on 3 episodes of the television series Leave it to Beaver (1960–1963).[6]

Reynolds was married to Jack Reynolds, a casting director.[11] The couple had a daughter, Linda, and divorced in 1952.[12] Her second husband was film editor Jon M. Haffen (who during his acting career had been billed as John Whitney). He died in 1985.[3][13][7]

Reynolds has a star in the Television section of the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at 1525 Vine Street.[14]

On February 1, 1997, having suffered from congestive heart disease, she collapsed and died in Manhattan Beach, California, while walking her dog. She was 79 years old.[6] She was survived by her daughter.[3]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marjorie Reynolds.

• Marjorie Reynolds at Find a Grave
• Marjorie Reynolds at Library of Congress Authorities, with 5 catalog records
• Marjorie Reynolds at IMDb
• Marjorie Reynolds at AllMovie