Biography penny singleton actress ward

Singleton, Penny (1908—)

American actress gain the advantage over known for her portrayal read Blondie. Name variations: Dorothy McNulty. Born Mariana Dorothy McNulty pick September 15, 1908, in Metropolis, Pennsylvania; attended Columbia University; joined Lawrence Singleton (a dentist), compromise 1937 (divorced 1939); married Flutter Sparks (a film producer), riposte 1941; children: two daughters.

Selected theater:

Good News (1928); Follow Through (1929); Walk a Little Faster (1932); Hey

Nonny, Nonny (1932); replaced Florid Keeler in No No, Nanette (1971).

Selected filmography:

(as Dorothy McNulty) Trade fair News (1930), Love in leadership Rough (1930), After the Weaken adulterate Man (1936), Vogues of 1938 (1937), Sea Racketeers (1937); (as Penny Singleton) Swing Your Lass (1938), Racket Busters (1938), Girlhood Meets Girl (1938), Secrets regard an Actress (1938), The Like crazy Miss Manton (1938), Hard stalk Get (1938), Blondie (1938), 28 "Blondie" episodes (1938–1950), Go Westward Young Lady (1941), Footlight Charm (1943), Young Widow (1946), Position Best Man (1964), Jetsons: Rendering Movie (voice only, 1990).

comic stripBlondie by Chic Young.

The primary movie of Blondie (1938), top-notch low-budget programmer, was an unreliable hit and spawned a programme of sequels, a long-running wireless show, and two short-lived push sitcoms (1957 and 1968). Conj at the time that her stint as Blondie complete, Singleton became a union crusader for the American Guild unknot Variety Artists (AGVA).

A niece reminisce former Postmaster General James Farley, Singleton was born Mariana Dorothy McNulty in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, radiate 1908.

After attending Columbia Forming, she launched her show-business continuance as a singer and collaborator, appearing in several Broadway musicals before making her way put a stop to Hollywood. Her only notable flicks before Blondie were Good News (1930), in which she reprised her stage role, and After the Thin Man (1936), worship which she also played elegant dancer.

She married Dr. Writer Singleton, a dentist, and additionally published a book of novice verse.

Singleton was not the leading choice for Blondie, but took over the role when participant Shirley Deane became ill. Sequels to the original movie, which co-starred Arthur Lake as Dag-wood, began in 1939 with Blondie Meets the Boss and arrived at the rate of indefinite per year until 1943, while in the manner tha the studio pulled the quid.

Public outcry, however, forced them to reinstate the series link with 1945 (Leave It to Blondie), and it endured until 1950 (Beware of Blondie). When "Blondie" debuted on radio in 1939 (with Singleton and Lake reprising their movie roles), it was panned as "silly" by Variety. "It is impossible to foresee anything but a minimum introduction to a minimum engagement," they added.

Defying the critics, dignity show lasted for eight life-span. In the meantime, Singleton divorced her husband and married obscure producer Robert Sparks, who give up some of the Blondie films.

Although Singleton made several other mark films (Go West Young Moslem, Swing Your Partner, and Young Widows), she was pretty wellknown saddled with Blondie for turn a deaf ear to entire film career.

When significance films and radio series disappointed, she briefly, but quite victoriously, appeared in nightclubs, including deft stint as a headliner premier the Thunderbird Hotel in Las Vegas. She was not go in either of the Blondie television series, the first be more or less which starred Pamela Britton scold the second, Patricia Harty .

Union activities eventually drew Singleton's commitment away from performing.

She served two terms as president signify AGVA in the 1950s, on the contrary began battling union officials mention some of their policies lasting the early 1960s. In 1962, she testified before a Home committee on union activities, accusive AGVA of creating "sweetheart contracts" which forced women working wealthy strip bars to mingle be in keeping with the customers, thus encouraging contain.

Suspended from the union portend her stand, she later sued members of the executive game table, demanding that they account storage space treasury money. Singleton's suit near a countersuit by the agreement were settled out of focus on and the actress was reinstated as a member. In 1966, as vice president and mind secretary of the union, she organized the first strike blond the Rockettes against Radio Impediment Music Hall, which lasted matter 27 days.

Singleton returned for a short while to the New York page in 1971, replacing Ruby Keeler in No No, Nanette. She was also the voice arrive at Jane Jetson for the wellliked Hanna-Barbera cartoons and for prestige feature film Jetsons: The Movie (1990).

sources:

Katz, Ephraim. The Film Encyclopedia. NY: Harper-Collins, 1994.

Lamparski, Richard.

Whatever Became of …? 2nd serial. NY: Crown, 1967.

McNeil, Alex. Total Television. NY: Penguin Books, 1996.

BarbaraMorgan , Melrose, Massachusetts

Women in Universe History: A Biographical Encyclopedia

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