Marjorie Lord

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Birthday:

July 26, 1918 in San Francisco, California, USA

Birth Name:

Marjorie Wollenberg

Poised and lovely Marjorie Lord started her long and varied career on the Broadway stage and in "B" films as a sweet-natured ingénue.Lord was born Marjorie F. Wollenberg in 1918 in San Francisco, California, to Lillian Rosalie (Edgar) and George Charles Wollenberg. Her family transported themselves to New York City when she was fifteen. Here she enrolled in both acting and ballet at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts and the Chaliff School of Dance, respectively. Her first job was as an 18-year-old replacement on Broadway in "The Old Maid" starring Judith Anderson in 1936. Film parts from recently-signed RKO Studio started coming her way with Border Cafe (1937) and Forty Naughty Girls (1937). A few years later, she met actor John Archer after they appeared together in the stage production of "The Male Animal". Married at the end of 1941, they settled in Hollywood after playing Los Angeles in a stage tour of "Springtime for Henry" with Edward Everett Horton in 1942. She earned a Universal contract in the process and throughout the 1940s and 1950s alternated between theater and film assignments. She and Archer separated in 1951 and divorced two years later. Son Gregg became an airline pilot and daughter Anne Archer followed in her parents' footsteps as an actress. Most of Marjorie's film were inconsequential, her best being Johnny Come Lately (1943) with James Cagney and Sherlock Holmes à Washington (1943) starring the irrepressible sleuthing team of Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce. Her greatest exposure came with TV as the second wife of widower Danny Thomas in Make Room for Daddy (1953). She lucked into the role when Danny's first wife, played by actress Jean Hagen, best known for her classic role as screechy "Lina Lamont" in Chantons sous la pluie (1952), asked to leave the series. Marjorie proved an able sparring partner for the comedian for seven more seasons but was unsparingly typecast as the wholesome wife thereafter. She appeared in dinner theater productions and TV guest spots but would indelibly remain Kathy ("Clancy") Williams to her public. Marjorie gently phased her career out for the most part after her third marriage in 1977. In 1987, she returned for a short-lived run on the domestic sitcom Sweet Surrender (1987) starring Dana Delany and Mark Blum, as the latter's mother. In 2005, Marjorie published her memoir "A Dance and a Hug".Marjorie died on November 28, 2015, in Beverly Hills, California, of natural causes. Show less «

Acting helped me overcome the terrible shyness I had when I was young. It also kept me from confronting the real me, a person I suspected wa...Show more »

Acting helped me overcome the terrible shyness I had when I was young. It also kept me from confronting the real me, a person I suspected was not very likable. But I know her now and she's quite a nice lady. I think I just outgrew the need for that sort of approval. Show less «

I liked Masked Raiders (1949), but some of the others I would like to bury! I did them to make money. They were not bad, and I was the heavy...Show more »

I liked Masked Raiders (1949), but some of the others I would like to bury! I did them to make money. They were not bad, and I was the heavy in one - Rex Allen's Down Laredo Way (1953). Dona Drake was great. I was yuck! I did scenes with Rex Allen - period. It was Dona Drake who pursued our friendship. I was separated from John Archer, and Dona kept trying to fix me up with somebody, one of the guys who was an alcoholic. I had been through that with John, so it was only two dates with that guy. Show less «

Andy Devine - I adored him! I ran into him many times after Escape from Hong Kong (1942) and Timber! (1942); but Leo Carrillo was a big flir...Show more »

Andy Devine - I adored him! I ran into him many times after Escape from Hong Kong (1942) and Timber! (1942); but Leo Carrillo was a big flirt - very flirty! I was afraid of Leo. He never gave me trouble, he knew I was young, but he was Mr. California - he flirted with everybody! I saw Andy through the years - he would follow me in dinner theaters, or I would follow him. My second husband, Randy Hale, and Andy were both members of the Bohemian Club. Andy was cute with me, joking with me, teasing me. Dan Dailey was still using the name Dan Dailey Jr. when 'Timber!' was shot. He was kind of distracted at the time - he was going in the Army. Show less «

[on why she left Universal in 1943] They refused to give me the big salary increase I was due, so I went to Republic and did a second film w...Show more »

[on why she left Universal in 1943] They refused to give me the big salary increase I was due, so I went to Republic and did a second film with my husband, John Archer, Shantytown (1943). The first one we did was Sherlock Holmes à Washington (1943). Show less «

[Clayton Moore] was an oddball and we worked together often, but I didn't get friendly with him. He'd go off on his own, and do whatever. Th...Show more »

[Clayton Moore] was an oddball and we worked together often, but I didn't get friendly with him. He'd go off on his own, and do whatever. There were always new people coming in all the time - you don't spend time with them unless you knew them before. You just didn't get close, there was no time to play games. Show less «

Hugh O'Brian had a reputation, but also he had a stipulation he never broke - he only slept with single women. So he left me alone.

I like the old movies. They leave you feeling good.

[on John Beal] It's funny I never saw him on Broadway, 'cause in Hollywood, he lived near my house. He and his wife were a devoted couple. H...Show more »

[on John Beal] It's funny I never saw him on Broadway, 'cause in Hollywood, he lived near my house. He and his wife were a devoted couple. He was a slightly built, gentle, sweet guy, but we weren't close friends. Show less «

I learned to never compete with egos - you nourished them.

Don Terry was a typical actor. Ego! He didn't appeal to me too much.

[on Masked Raiders (1949)] Lesley Selander interviewed me - to see if I could look like a boy from behind. Also that I could ride a horse. I...Show more »

[on Masked Raiders (1949)] Lesley Selander interviewed me - to see if I could look like a boy from behind. Also that I could ride a horse. I rode in school, but western saddle is a little different from Eastern saddle. My trouble was trying to get my foot on the stirrup before the horse left! Selander was a dignified-looking, nice guy. I watched it twice this week, and thought it a very good film. It was shot fast in the spring, late April to early May, 1949, up at the Garner Ranch near Idyllwild.Because of the fast schedule, I didn't get to know Tim Holt that well, but he was a fine actor who seemed to easily go between big "A" pictures to these well-done westerns. The main thing I remember is the sequence when Tim and I fight and roll down a little hill. Well, a herd of cattle had just gone by before that sequence was shot, so my most vivid memory is that of rolling around in cow manure with Tim Holt!Gary Gray played my little brother. Again, I didn't get to know Gary that well personally - he was in school half the day, just as Rusty Hamer and Angela Cartwright were, later on, when I did the Make Room for Daddy (1953) TV series. So, it was off to class for Gary. But I already knew who Gary was before we did the film - he was the little boy in Rachel and the Stranger (1948) and he had done other good things. I thought Gary was a fine little actor. Show less «

[on her contract with RKO-Radio] I did several pictures there. Border Cafe (1937) was my first; we filmed it on location part of the time. T...Show more »

[on her contract with RKO-Radio] I did several pictures there. Border Cafe (1937) was my first; we filmed it on location part of the time. The locations for most of these pictures were out in the valley, near Ventura County. In fact, we sometimes used land Joel McCrea owned. Show less «

Clayton Moore had a small role in Masked Raiders (1949); a year later, I guested on his The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series. When he went on st...Show more »

Clayton Moore had a small role in Masked Raiders (1949); a year later, I guested on his The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series. When he went on strike for more money, he reverted to small roles, and had a part in Down Laredo Way (1953). The photography in some TV series wasn't very good. 'The Lone Ranger' had better photography than the others. But I loved being in them. Show less «

[on La grande caravane (1957)] Ernest Borgnine, who had just won the Oscar for Marty (1955), played Willy. This was the very first show and ...Show more »

[on La grande caravane (1957)] Ernest Borgnine, who had just won the Oscar for Marty (1955), played Willy. This was the very first show and it was something special, but it caused an uproar because of me. I had done four or five of the Make Room for Daddy (1953) shows, and 'Wagon Train' didn't have a sponsor. It was touch and go for a while. Show less «

[on Bill Elliott] He was nice. I remember better the ones who weren't nice! But Bill seemed to be a nice guy. If I was not in a scene [in Re...Show more »

[on Bill Elliott] He was nice. I remember better the ones who weren't nice! But Bill seemed to be a nice guy. If I was not in a scene [in Rebel City (1953)], I wasn't called to the set. I thought, when I watched it recently, "When am I coming back into this?" Show less «

I always wanted to act, and was very well-prepared when I was given a role, on Broadway, in 'The Old Maid'. I went on tour with the show, th...Show more »

I always wanted to act, and was very well-prepared when I was given a role, on Broadway, in 'The Old Maid'. I went on tour with the show, thus we fibbed about my age, adding two years. This was so no teacher would be required. My mother accompanied me, and it all worked out fine. I replaced a girl who was 10 years older than me. Show less «

I took these pictures and TV shows because my children were not being supported - I had to earn money. Plus, I love acting - I always have.

[on her marriage to John Archer] John used to use cigarette holders - someone told him it would reduce the nicotine, but he was a pretty goo...Show more »

[on her marriage to John Archer] John used to use cigarette holders - someone told him it would reduce the nicotine, but he was a pretty good drunk. John had to have a drink - his second wife said he had the demon all his life. He did drink wine at the end, but he never accepted the fact he was an alcoholic, even though it almost killed him several times. Show less «

John Forsythe was a nice person, a decent person - there was never any scandal involving him. He and his wife [Julie Warren] were married ma...Show more »

John Forsythe was a nice person, a decent person - there was never any scandal involving him. He and his wife [Julie Warren] were married many, many years. Show less «

[on J. Carrol Naish] I looked to him. I was young and he protected me from an aggressive director, Richard Rosson [Hideaway (1937)], who was...Show more »

[on J. Carrol Naish] I looked to him. I was young and he protected me from an aggressive director, Richard Rosson [Hideaway (1937)], who was after me. Naish was fatherly - treated me like I was his daughter. Rosson took me in his fancy car; he drove 100 miles an hour and scared me to death. Show less «

[on westerns] I love them! When I get so sick of all these new movies with sex and violence, I put on a western and watch it. They are moral...Show more »

[on westerns] I love them! When I get so sick of all these new movies with sex and violence, I put on a western and watch it. They are moral, with good overcoming bad at the end. There is violence in them, but not like today. When I did Johnny Come Lately (1943), which is more of a period picture than a western, there was a scene where someone was killed. He fell face up. The Hays Office did not approve, and they had to go back and reshoot it - with his face down. Show less «

I am allergic to hay, and on Masked Raiders (1949) I sneezed the first day, then I was fine the rest of the time. I was determined not to sn...Show more »

I am allergic to hay, and on Masked Raiders (1949) I sneezed the first day, then I was fine the rest of the time. I was determined not to sneeze during that film. Show less «

The studios were in trouble, and they didn't want you to act on the "enemy", television, but I had a living to earn.

[on Steve Cochran, friend Fay McKenzie's biggest "mistake"] Steve never went to church, but one time he came and tried to get me to go to lu...Show more »

[on Steve Cochran, friend Fay McKenzie's biggest "mistake"] Steve never went to church, but one time he came and tried to get me to go to lunch with him. My mother and dad were there. He didn't succeed. He did keep getting Fay to come back to him, until she finally went to a relative's house in the midwest and got a divorce. Steve was a big black-Irishman! Show less «

[on the Hopalong Cassidy (1952) episode, Hopalong Cassidy: Tricky Fingers (1954), in which she guest-starred] I was nasty in that one. I kne...Show more »

[on the Hopalong Cassidy (1952) episode, Hopalong Cassidy: Tricky Fingers (1954), in which she guest-starred] I was nasty in that one. I knew William Boyd only to say hello. I later ran into him and his wife, Grace Bradley, in Paris - he was a nice-looking man and they were a nice couple. Show less «

During the war, I became quite close to Fay McKenzie. We met at the Hollywood Canteen, both of us were dancing with soldiers there. We disco...Show more »

During the war, I became quite close to Fay McKenzie. We met at the Hollywood Canteen, both of us were dancing with soldiers there. We discovered we went to the same church and lived close to one another. Her family had a big piece of land in the valley. The city bought it and now part of it is a freeway. We still speak on the phone a couple of times a week, and see each other whenever we can. Show less «

Dona Drake was friendly. She came over to my house around Christmas time with a check. "You must buy your children some Christmas presents."...Show more »

Dona Drake was friendly. She came over to my house around Christmas time with a check. "You must buy your children some Christmas presents." It was at the roughest of times for me. I told her, "You keep it," but she insisted I keep it. By golly, I got a TV show that paid the expenses so I sent her the check back. Dona was married to the fashion designer, Travilla, and she was an epileptic. So, I became her chauffeur, I drove her everywhere - she couldn't drive because of her condition. We were close friends, but then I went back east to do another play. Show less «

I was tested for a Bud Abbott and Lou Costello picture, Deux nigauds détectives (1942), but they gave it to Louise Allbritton. I thou...Show more »

I was tested for a Bud Abbott and Lou Costello picture, Deux nigauds détectives (1942), but they gave it to Louise Allbritton. I thought they didn't like me in Moonlight in Havana (1942), but now I see it was only the fact I was too young at the time. I wasn't the pushy mature type that Louise played so well in the film. Show less «

[on Border Cafe (1937)] It wasn't well photographed, but Harry Carey was a wonderful actor.

[on Harry Carey] A lovely man. I later met his wife, Olive Carey; they were well-liked. He was a terrific man to work with.

[on stage actors over the years] I thought people were more real back then - we were trained to speak distinctly and not let our last words ...Show more »

[on stage actors over the years] I thought people were more real back then - we were trained to speak distinctly and not let our last words be clipped off. On the stage, you had to be able to be heard on the back row of the balcony - loud and clear. Today, everybody mumbles and clips off their words - you have trouble hearing the dialogue. On the stage today they wear microphones - and they clip their words. Show less «