Dolores Gillen

Last updated

Dorlores Gillen (1914or1915 [1] - December 8, 1947) was an American actress who worked primarily in radio. She made a specialty of portraying children.

Contents

Early years

Born in Prairie du Rocher, Illinois, [2] Gillen was the daughter of Dr. B. J. Gillen, a physician, and his wife, Mary. She had a sister and two brothers. [3] She attended Webster College and graduated from the University of Illinois [4] with an A. B. degree in dramatics. [5] She also specialized in dramatics while graduating with a master's degree from the University of Kansas. [2]

Career

A successful audition at radio station WLS in Chicago led to Gillen's becoming a regular member of the cast for that station's Miniature Theater program in the fall of 1931. [6] She developed a technique of imitating a crying baby by the way she used a folded handkerchief over her mouth. [3] Gillen's career path changed in 1932 [7] while she was portraying an ingenue on a serial on NBC radio. When a baby's cry was supposed to be heard on one episode, the sound-effects people could not find the appropriate recording. Gillen volunteered to supply the cry, and she did it so well that thereafter the director used her cries instead of the recording. [8]

She portrayed a 9-month-old boy on Front Page Farrell , a 4-year-old girl on Stella Dallas , 2-year-old Sammy on When a Girl Marries, [9] 5-year-old Barry on Joyce Jordan, Girl Interne , [10] 18-month-old Jackie on Kate Hopkins , 5-year-old Peter Alden on Against the Storm, [3] Alice Dudley on Northwestern Chronicle, [11] the baby on Helpmate , one twin on Pepper Young's Family [1] both twins in Abie's Irish Rose, [12] and Skippy on Right to Happiness. [13]

She was also heard on Mommie and the Men, [14] The Romance of Helen Trent , Fish Tales, Princess Pat Players, Today's Children , [15] The Play's the Thing, [16] Dr. Christian, and Life Can Be Beautiful . [3]

In one instance, Gillen's work brought disappointment to a film talent scout. After hearing an episode of CBS Workshop, he contacted the network to learn more about the small boy whom he had heard on the program. He lost interest when he was told that the voice he heard was that of Gillen, then age 22. [17]

Personal life and death

Gillen married attorney Vincent Paul Downey on June 15, 1940, in Chicago. [18] Late in 1946 or early in 1947, Gillen decided to stop performing on radio because she was suffering from headaches. Brain specialists determined that a tumor was causing that pain, and they recommended surgery. [19] She died on December 8, 1947, in New York Hospital after an operation. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joan Fontaine</span> English-American actress (1917–2013)

Joan de Beauvoir de Havilland, known professionally as Joan Fontaine, was an English-American actress who is best known for her starring roles in Hollywood films during the "Golden Age". Fontaine appeared in more than 45 films in a career that spanned five decades. She was the younger sister of actress Olivia de Havilland. Their rivalry was well-documented in the media at the height of Fontaine's career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loretta Young</span> American actress (1913–2000)

Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953. She received numerous honors including an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards as well as two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for her work in film and television.

<i>The Blue Veil</i> (1951 film) 1951 American drama film

The Blue Veil is a 1951 American historical drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt and starring Jane Wyman, Charles Laughton and Joan Blondell. It tells the story of a woman who spends her life caring for other people’s children, beginning just after World War I. The title refers to the headdresses once worn by governesses and nannies, colored blue to distinguish them from the white veils worn by medical nurses. The screenplay by Norman Corwin is based on a story by François Campaux, adapted for the French-language film Le Voile Bleu in 1942.

Tales of Fatima is an old-time radio transcribed show that was broadcast on CBS from January 8, 1949, to October 1, 1949.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Celeste Holm</span> American actress (1917–2012)

Celeste Holm was an American stage, film and television actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mildred Dunnock</span> American actress (1901–1991)

Mildred Dorothy Dunnock was an American stage and screen actress. She was nominated twice for an Academy Award for her works in Death of a Salesman (1951) and Baby Doll (1956).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diana Lynn</span> American actress (1926–1971)

Diana Marie Lynn was an American actress. She built her career by starring in Paramount Pictures films and various television series during the 1940s and 1950s. Two stars on Hollywood Walk of Fame are dedicated to her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilli Palmer</span> German actress (1914–1986)

Lilli Palmer was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Globe Award nomination for her performance in But Not for Me (1959).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wendell Corey</span> American actor (1914–1968)

Wendell Reid Corey was an American stage, film, and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Holt</span> American actress (1920–1997)

Jennifer Holt was an American actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coleen Gray</span> American actress (1922–2015)

Coleen Gray was an American actress. She was best known for her roles in the films Nightmare Alley (1947), Red River (1948), and Stanley Kubrick's The Killing (1956).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Virginia Gregg</span> American actress (1916–1986)

Virginia Lee Gregg was an American actress known for her many roles in radio dramas and television series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marian Shockley</span> American actress

Marian Shockley was an American film actress of the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lilian Bond</span> English-American actress (1908–1991)

Lilian Bond was an English-American actress based in the United States.

<i>My Blue Heaven</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Henry Koster

My Blue Heaven is a 1950 American drama musical film directed by Henry Koster and starring Betty Grable and Dan Dailey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bernadene Hayes</span> American actress (1912–1987)

Bernadene Hayes was an American film and television actress. She also performed on radio and the stage, and as a singer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Jane Higby</span> American actress (1909–1986)

Mary Jane Higby was an American actress in the era of old-time radio and the early years of television. She is best known for her 18 years in the leading role on When a Girl Marries.

Andree Wallace is an American actress who has performed on radio, television, and stage.

Janice Gilbert was an American child actress on radio and a game-show personality on television who became an expert on bridge.

Jacqueline Isobel Noel Mills is an American actress who was active in films, on radio, and on stage.

References

  1. 1 2 Creason, Joe (April 29, 1943). "Radio Pays Grown-up Cry Babies". The Courier-Journal. Kentucky, Louisville. p. 13. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 "The Cover Girl" (PDF). Radio Guide. September 8, 1934. p. 21. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Dolores Gillen of radio is dead" . The New York Times. December 10, 1947. p. 31. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  4. ↑ "Gillen-Downey" . The New York Times. May 8, 1940. p. 31. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  5. ↑ "She Entertains Radio Playgoers". Corsicana Daily Sun. Associated Press. December 2, 1931. p. 7. Retrieved January 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "Listening In". The Decatur Daily Review. October 23, 1931. p. 20. Retrieved January 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Pett, Saul (January 6, 1946). "Dolores Gillen Cries Like A Baby For $500 A Week". The Sunday Ledger-Enquirer. Georgia, Columbus. International News Service. p. 5-C. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Dolores Gillen 'Cries' for Her Railroad Ticket to N. Y." Herald and Review. Illinois, Decatur. May 15, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  9. ↑ "'When a Girl Marries". The Richmond News Leader. Virginia, Richmond. November 10, 1944. p. 12. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Dolores plays role as small boy in serial". The South Bend Tribune. June 4, 1941. p. 19. Retrieved January 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ "New Program to Be Given by Yeastfoam". The Commercial Appeal. Tennessee, Memphis. March 19, 1933. p. 15. Retrieved January 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  12. ↑ Heyduck, Marj (May 9, 1943). "Kostelanetz Plays Host To Oscar Levant Today". The Journal Herald. Ohio, Dayton. p. 42. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ "Other Highlights". The Capital Times. Wisconsin, Madison. December 31, 1945. p. 9. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  14. ↑ "Domestic Comedy Series Heard On WHP Daily, 7 P. M." Harrisburg Telegraph. August 25, 1945. p. 15. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  15. ↑ Wolters, Larry (September 21, 1934). "News of the Radio Stations". Chicago Tribune. p. 16. Retrieved January 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ "Radio Actress". News-Journal. September 16, 1932. p. 17. Retrieved January 9, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  17. ↑ Lesser, Jerry (January 24, 1942). "Radio Talent: New York". Billboard. p. 7. Retrieved January 9, 2023.
  18. ↑ "Dolores Gillen, Radio Actress, Marries June 15". The Decatur Daily Review. June 21, 1940. p. 14. Retrieved January 10, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ Luther, Paul (December 17, 1947). "Inside Radio". Portland Press Herald. p. 24. Retrieved January 19, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.