Martha O'Driscoll
Martha O' Driscoll | |
---|---|
Born | March 4, 1922 |
Died | November 3, 1998 Ocala, Florida, U.S. | (aged 76)
Occupations |
|
Years active | 1936–1947 |
Spouses | |
Children | 4 |
Martha O'Driscoll (March 4, 1922[citation needed] – November 3, 1998) was an American film actress from 1937 until 1947. She retired from the screen in 1947 after marrying her second husband, Arthur I. Appleton, president of Appleton Electric Company in Chicago.[1][2]
Early life
O'Driscoll's mother was a financial partner in the Mar-Ken Professional Children's School, Hollywood, Los Angeles.[3][4] The school's director, Mrs. Bessire, had a son, William Kent Bessire. The two women decided to name the school after their children—Mar came from Martha and Ken from Kent. The school remained open until the early 1960s.[5][6][7][8]
Career
Trained in singing and dancing, O'Driscoll was seen by choreographer
O'Driscoll was given more visible parts and began pitching products in magazine advertisements for
O'Driscoll was then given the lead in the
In the early 1940s, O'Driscoll toured with
O'Driscoll co-starred with Noah Beery Jr., in five films. She also starred in the cult classic House of Dracula with Lon Chaney Jr., and John Carradine; and in Week-End Pass (both 1945). The following year, she made her last Universal film, Blonde Alibi, receiving top billing as a girl who sets out to prove her lover (Tom Neal) innocent of murder. Her last film was Edgar G. Ulmer's Carnegie Hall (1947).[11]
Personal life
Lieutenant Commander Richard D. Adams (U.S. Navy) met O'Driscoll in 1935 while spending time at the O'Driscoll home in Beverly Hills. They were married September 18, 1943 [12] in Beverly Hills and separated ten months later. In August 1944, Adams' mother announced to the newspapers of O'Driscoll's intention to divorce her son.[13] O'Driscoll announced her intention to divorce in January 1945, but because of the Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act of 1940 it would be delayed until the end of the war.[14] When Adams was released from active duty in March 1946, he contested the divorce.[15] In March 1947, O'Driscoll established a new residence at the Hotel El Rancho in Las Vegas, Nevada with the intention of filing for divorce a second time.[16] On July 18, 1947, O'Driscoll was granted her divorce from Adams. Less than 48 hours later, O'Driscoll married Navy veteran and Chicago businessman Arthur I. Appleton, president of the Appleton Electric Company, founded by his father. At the same time, she announced her intention to retire as an actress.[17] The couple had four children: James, John, Linda, and William.[1]
O'Driscoll served as an officer in such Chicago-based organizations as the
The Appletons started a horse stud farm, Bridlewood, in Ocala, Florida. In 1984, the Appletons built and took delivery of a 138-ft Feadship yacht, also named Bridlewood.[19]
In 1984, the couple, along with Arthur Appleton's sister, Edith, built the Appleton Museum of Art in Ocala.[20]
After retirement, O'Driscoll and Appleton spent the remainder of their years between their home in Chicago, Bridlewood Farm, and their home in Miami on Indian Creek Island.[21]
O'Driscoll died on November 3, 1998, aged 76, in Indian Creek Village, Florida.[21]
Partial filmography
- Three Cheers for Love (1936) .... Chorine (uncredited)
- She's Dangerous (1937) .... Blonde Girl (uncredited)
- Mad About Music (1938) .... Pretty Girl (uncredited)
- Girls' School (1938) .... Grace
- The Secret of Dr. Kildare (1939) .... Mrs. Roberts
- Judge Hardy and Son (1939) .... Leonora V. 'Elvie' Horton
- Laddie (1940) .... Sally Pryor
- Forty Little Mothers (1940) .... Janette
- Wagon Train(1940) .... Helen Lee
- Li'l Abner (1940) .... Daisy Mae Scraggs
- The Lady Eve (1941) .... Martha
- Her First Beau (1941) .... Julie Harris
- Henry Aldrich for President (1941) .... Mary Aldrich
- Pacific Blackout (1941) .... Mary Jones
- The Remarkable Andrew (1942) .... Beamish's secretary
- Reap the Wild Wind (1942) .... Ivy Devereaux
- Youth on Parade (1942) .... Sally Carlyle
- My Heart Belongs to Daddy (1942) .... Joyce Whitman
- Young and Willing (1943) .... Dottie Coburn
- Paramount Victory Short No. T2-4: The Aldrich Family Gets in the Scrap (1943, Short) .... Mary Aldrich
- We've Never Been Licked (1943) .... Deede Dunham
- The Fallen Sparrow (1943) .... Whitney 'The Imp' Parker
- Crazy House (1943) .... Marjorie Nelson, alias Marjorie Wyndingham
- Week-End Pass (1944) .... Barbara 'Babs' Bradley aka Barbara Lake
- Prices Unlimited (1944, Short)
- Follow the Boys (1944) .... Martha O'Driscoll
- Ghost Catchers (1944) .... Susanna Marshall
- Allergic to Love (1944) .... Pat Bradley
- Hi, Beautiful (1944) .... Patty Callahan
- Under Western Skies (1945) .... Katie Wells
- Here Come the Co-Eds (1945) .... Molly McCarthy
- Her Lucky Night (1945) .... Connie
- Shady Lady (1945) .... Gloria Wendell
- The Daltons Ride Again (1945) .... Mary Bohannon
- House of Dracula (1945) .... Miliza Morrelle
- Blonde Alibi (1946) .... Marian Gale
- Down Missouri Way (1946) .... Jane Colwell
- Criminal Court (1946) .... Georgia Gale
- Carnegie Hall (1947) .... Ruth Haines (final film role)
References
- ^ a b c Obituary: Martha O'Driscoll, by Tom Vallance, for The Independent; published 9 November 1998; retrieved 10 May 2013
- ^ "A Historical Review of Appleton Electric Creating the Brand in Chicago pt.1". 2013. Archived from the original on February 21, 2014.
- ^ Hollywood Professional School
- ^ "Mar Ken High School - Yearbook (Hollywood, CA), Class of 1942, Pages 1 - 17". e-yearbook.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Mar-Ken History". www.mar-ken.org. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ "MAR-KEN SCHOOL in California". bizapedia.com. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "historic resources survey hollywood redevelopment project area" (PDF). planning.lacity.org/eir. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ "Brian Sisters at School". The Brian Sisters. Retrieved June 6, 2023.
- ^ Galloway, Doug (November 16, 1998). "Martha O'Driscoll Appleton". Variety. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ David (November 16, 2012). "It's The Pictures That Got Small ...: HAND AND FOOTPRINTS OF THE STARS AT GRAUMAN'S CHINESE THEATRE - PART 3". It's The Pictures That Got Small ... Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ "Movie Stars of the '40s", by David Ragan; published 1985, by Prentice Hall
- ^ "Martha O'Driscoll Weds Navy Officer". Long Beach, California. Long Beach Independent. September 19, 1943. p. 9. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "To Divorce Commander". Scranton, Pennsylvania. The Times-Tribune. August 8, 1944. p. 12. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Martha O'Driscoll to Seek Divorce". Bakersfield, California. The Bakersfield Californian. January 11, 1945. p. 4. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Martha O'Driscoll Divorce Contested". Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph. March 15, 1946. p. 3. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Unperturbed". Knoxville, Tennessee. The Knoxville News-Sentinel. March 27, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "Martha O'Driscoll Weds Again Today". Miami, Florida. The Miami News. July 20, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
- ^ "AllMovie | Movies and Films Database | Movie Search, Ratings, Photos, Recommendations, and Reviews". AllMovie. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ Netherlands, Feadship Holland B.V. The. "Homepage - Feadship Royal Dutch Shipyards". Feadship Royal Dutch Shipyards. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
- ^ "History of the Appleton". Appleton Museum of Art. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
- ^ ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
External links
- Martha O'Driscoll at IMDb
- Martha O'Driscoll at Find a Grave