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{{Short description|American actress (1911–95)}}
{{unreferenced|date=September 2011}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{one source|date=November 2018}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Dorothy Granger
| name = Dorothy Granger
| image = Dorothy Granger Argentinean Magazine AD.jpg
| image = Dorothy Granger posing with her contract.jpg
| imagesize =
| imagesize =

| caption =
| caption = Dorothy Granger in 1930, with her contract from Hal Roach Studios
| birth_date = {{birth date|1912|11|21|mf=y}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|11|21|mf=y}}
| birth_place = [[New London, Ohio]] [[United States|U.S.]]
| birth_place = [[New London, Ohio]], U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|1995|1|4|1912|11|21|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|1995|1|4|1911|11|21|mf=y}}
| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]] U.S.
| death_place = [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
| yearsactive = [[1929 in film|1929]]–[[1961 in film|1961]]
| yearsactive = 1929–1961
| birthname = Dorothy Karolyn Granger
| spouse = John Hilder (? - ?)
| birthname =
| spouse = {{marriage|John Hilder|1947}}
| othername =
| othername =
| homepage =
| homepage =
| children = [[Anthony J. Hilder]] (step-son)
}}
}}


'''Dorothy Karolyn Granger''' (November 21, 1912 – January 4, 1995) was an [[United States|American]] [[actress]] best known for her roles in [[short subject]] [[comedy|comedies]] in [[Hollywood]]. She was also the stepmother of film maker and former record producer [[Anthony J. Hilder]].
'''Dorothy Karolyn Granger''' (November 21, 1911<ref>There is some confusion as to the year of Granger's birth. Legal documents including the Social Security Death Index lists it as 1911 as does her death certificate and the Ohio Birth Index, which gives the certificate number as 1911085869. Most biographies say 1912, although at least one source lists the year as 1914.</ref> &ndash; January 4, 1995) was an American [[actress]] best known for her roles in [[short subject]] [[comedy|comedies]] in [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]].


==Career==
==Career==
Granger, with her parents, two brothers, Richard and James, and their grandmother, Clara ({{nee}} Wilcox) Granger, moved to Los Angeles during the late 1920s.


Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her budding figure and confident stage presence were perfect for studios that made comedy shorts. In 1930, her father took her to producer [[Hal Roach]], who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series, ''[[The Boy Friends]]''.
There is some confusion as to the year of Granger's birth. The Social Security Death Index lists it as 1911 as does her death certificate; most biographies say 1912, although at least one site lists the year as 1914. Granger, with her parents, two brothers, Richard and James, and their grandmother, Clara (Wilcox) Granger, moved to Los Angeles during the late 1920s.


Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her budding figure and confident stage presence were perfect for studios that made comedy shorts. In 1930 her father took her to producer [[Hal Roach]], who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series, [[The Boy Friends]]. Granger’s natural comedy timing got her the job immediately and she was placed under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She became a charter member of the two-reel-comedy community, appearing opposite many major comedians at Roach, [[Mack Sennett]], [[Educational Pictures]], [[Columbia Pictures]], and [[RKO Radio Pictures]]. Among her famous credits are ''[[Hog Wild (1930 film)|Hog Wild]]'' with Laurel & Hardy, ''[[The Dentist (1932 film)|The Dentist]]'' with [[W.C. Fields]], ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' and ''[[Termites of 1938]]'' with [[The Three Stooges]]. Granger also appeared with [[Andy Clyde]], [[Charley Chase]], [[Edgar Kennedy]], [[Harry Langdon]], [[Gus Schilling]] & Richard Lane, and [[Joe DeRita]], as well as on live television with [[Abbott & Costello]]. Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious wife in [[Leon Errol]]’s series of two-reelers for [[RKO]].
Granger’s natural comedy timing got her the job immediately and she was placed under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She became a charter member of the two-reel-comedy community, appearing opposite many major comedians at Roach, [[Mack Sennett]], [[Educational Pictures]], [[Columbia Pictures]], and [[RKO Radio Pictures]]. Among her famous credits are ''[[Hog Wild (1930 film)|Hog Wild]]'' with Laurel & Hardy, ''[[The Dentist (1932 film)|The Dentist]]'' with [[W.C. Fields]], ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' and ''[[Termites of 1938]]'' with [[The Three Stooges]]. Granger also appeared with [[Andy Clyde]], [[Charley Chase]], [[Edgar Kennedy]], [[Harry Langdon]], [[Gus Schilling]] & Richard Lane, and [[Joe DeRita]], as well as on live television with [[Abbott & Costello]]. Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious wife in [[Leon Errol]]'s series of two-reelers for [[RKO]].


For her body of work in two-reelers, Granger was known as the "Queen of the Short Subject Films".<ref name="LATobit">{{Cite news |author=Staff |date=January 20, 1995 |title=Dorothy Granger; Actress in Many Movies, Short Comedy Films |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24646559/dorothy_granger/ |newspaper=The Los Angeles Times |location=Los Angeles, California |page=30 |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=November 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105231817/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24646559/dorothy_granger/ |archive-date=November 5, 2018 |url-status=live }} {{Open access}}</ref> However, she also appeared in about 100 feature films,<ref name="LATobit"/> including ''[[Frisco Jenny]]'', ''[[Sunset in El Dorado]]'', ''[[Kentucky Kernels]]'', ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Cueball]]'', ''[[Diamond Jim]]'', and ''[[Show Boat (1936 film)|Show Boat]]''.
Granger also appeared in occasional feature films, including ''North to the Klondike'', ''[[Sunset in El Dorado]]'', and ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Cueball]]''.


==Later years==
==Later years==

Granger worked on a variety of television shows through the 1950s, including ''[[The Abbott and Costello Show]]'', ''[[I Married Joan]]'', ''[[Father Knows Best]]'', ''[[Topper (TV series)|Topper]]'', ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'', ''[[Death Valley Days]]'' and ''[[Wells Fargo]]''. Her last television performance was a live show on ''[[Face The Facts]]'' in 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”
Granger worked on a variety of television shows through the 1950s, including ''[[The Abbott and Costello Show]]'', ''[[I Married Joan]]'', ''[[Father Knows Best]]'', ''[[Topper (TV series)|Topper]]'', ''[[Lassie (1954 TV series)|Lassie]]'', ''[[Death Valley Days]]'' and ''[[Wells Fargo]]''. Her last television performance was a live show on ''Face The Facts'' in 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”


Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.
Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.

She was the stepmother of film maker and former record producer [[Anthony J. Hilder]].


==Death==
==Death==
Granger died of [[cancer]] on January 4, 1995 in Los Angeles, California.
Granger died of [[cancer]] on January 4, 1995, aged 83, in Los Angeles, California.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://variety.com/1995/scene/people-news/dorothy-granger-99125174/|title=Obituary: Dorothy Granger|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 22, 1995}}</ref>


==Partial filmography==
==Selected filmography==
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* ''[[Words and Music (1929 film)|Words and Music]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Words and Music (1929 film)|Words and Music]]'' (1929) as Bit Part (uncredited)
* ''[[The Sophomore]]'' (1929)
* ''[[The Sophomore]]'' (1929) as Co-Ed (uncredited)
* ''[[Dance Hall (1929 film)|Dance Hall]]'' (1929)
* ''[[Dance Hall (1929 film)|Dance Hall]]'' (1929) as Dancer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case]]'' (1930; uncredited)
* ''[[Hog Wild (1930 film)|Hog Wild]]'' (1930, Short) as Tillie - The Hardys' Maid / Girl Lifting Her Skirt by Puddle (uncredited)
* ''[[Hog Wild (1930 film)|Hog Wild]]'' (1930)
* ''[[The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case]]'' (1930, Short) as Young Relative (uncredited)
* ''Noche de duendes'' (1930) as La mujer furiosa (uncredited)
* ''[[Honeymoon Trio]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Behind Office Doors]]'' (1931)
* ''Garde la bombe'' (1930)
* ''[[Primrose Path (1931 film)|Primrose Path]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Primrose Path (1931 film)|Primrose Path]]'' (1931) as Rita Johnson
* ''[[One Good Turn (1931 film)|One Good Turn]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Behind Office Doors]]'' (1931) as Girl in Duneen's Apartment (uncredited)
* ''[[One Quiet Night (film)|One Quiet Night]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Goldie (film)|Goldie]]'' (1931) as Nanette, Girl in Cafe (uncredited)
* ''[[Under Eighteen]]'' (1931)
* ''[[Politics (1931 film)|Politics]]'' (1931) as Newlywed (uncredited)
* ''[[Temptation's Workshop]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Honeymoon Trio]]'' (1931, Short) as The Newlywed Wife
* ''[[The Tip-Off (film)|The Tip-Off]]'' (1931) as Hatcheck Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[A Woman Commands]]'' (1932)
* ''[[The Fighting Fool]]'' (1932)
* ''[[One Quiet Night (film)|One Quiet Night]]'' (1931, Short)
* ''[[The Sign of the Cross (1932 film)|The Sign of the Cross]]'' (1932)
* ''[[One Good Turn (1931 film)|One Good Turn]]'' (1931, Short) as A Community Player (uncredited)
* ''[[Under Eighteen]]'' (1931) as Penthouse Party Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[Temptation's Workshop]]'' (1932) as Vi Rantler
* ''[[The Fighting Fool]]'' (1932) as Nina
* ''[[Keep Laughing (film)|Keep Laughing]]'' (1932, Short)
* ''[[A Woman Commands]]'' (1932) as Party Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Beast of the City]]'' (1932) as Drunken Girl Singing at Party (uncredited)
* ''[[Night World (1932 film)|Night World]]'' (1932) as Bit (uncredited)
* ''[[Madison Square Garden (film)|Madison Square Garden]]'' (1932) as Vita-Life Rejuvenator Demonstrator (uncredited)
* ''[[Afraid to Talk]]'' (1932) as Kippie - Party Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Sign of the Cross (1932 film)|The Sign of the Cross]]'' (1932) (uncredited)
* ''[[The Dentist (1932 film)|The Dentist]]'' (1932, Short) as Miss Peppitone - Patient
* ''[[Frisco Jenny]]'' (1932) as Hortense, Pickpocket (uncredited)
* ''[[Back Street (1932 film)|Back Street]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Back Street (1932 film)|Back Street]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Afraid to Talk]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Second Hand Wife]]'' (1933) as Bit (uncredited)
* ''[[Keep Laughing (film)|Keep Laughing]]'' (1932)
* ''[[He Learned About Women]]'' (1933) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[The Dentist (1932 film)|The Dentist]]'' (1932)
* ''[[He Couldn't Take It]]'' (1933) as Grace Clarice
* ''[[Frisco Jenny]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Love, Honor, and Oh Baby!]]'' (1933) as Mrs. Brown
* ''[[Second Hand Wife]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933) as Sally (uncredited)
* ''[[He Learned About Women]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Marriage on Approval]]'' (1933) as Hortense Bailey
* ''[[He Couldn't Take It]]'' (1933)
* ''[[King for a Night]]'' (1933) as Dora
* ''[[Love, Honor, and Oh Baby!]]'' (1933)
* ''[[Nana (1934 film)|Nana]]'' (1934) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[Hips, Hips, Hooray!]]'' (1934) as Miss Cole - Stenographer (uncredited)
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933)
* ''[[I'll Tell the World (1934 film)|I'll Tell the World]]'' (1934) as Brown's Girlfriend - the Dancer
* ''[[King for a Night]]'' (1933)
* ''[[I'll Tell the World]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' (1934, Short) as Girl
* ''[[The Merry Widow (1934 film)|The Merry Widow]]'' (1934) as Maxim's Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Kentucky Kernels]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Kentucky Kernels]]'' (1934) as Ethel - Baxter's Secretary (uncredited)
* ''[[Two Heads on a Pillow]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Two Heads on a Pillow]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Marriage on Approval]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Marriage on Approval]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Vanessa: Her Love Story]]'' (1935) as Herries Servant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Merry Widow (1934 film)|The Merry Widow]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Nana (1934 film)|Nana]]'' (1934)
* ''[[I've Been Around (film)|I've Been Around]]'' (1935) as Girl
* ''[[Naughty Marietta (film)|Naughty Marietta]]'' (1935) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[Hips, Hips, Hooray!]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' (1934)
* ''[[Manhattan Butterfly]]'' (1935) as Nina Malone
* ''[[Naughty Marietta (film)|Naughty Marietta]]'' (1935)
* ''[[The Affair of Susan]]'' (1935) as Girl in Candy Shop (uncredited)
* ''[[Manhattan Butterfly]]'' (1935)
* ''[[Diamond Jim]]'' (1935) as Chorine (uncredited)
* ''[[The Ex-Mrs. Bradford]]'' (1936) as Fill-in Receptionist (uncredited)
* ''[[Vanessa: Her Love Story]]'' (1935)
* ''[[Show Boat (1936 film)|Show Boat]]'' (1936) as New Year's Eve Cutie (uncredited)
* ''[[Diamond Jim]]'' (1935)
* ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (1936) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[The Affair of Susan]]'' (1935)
* ''[[Show Boat (1936 film)|Show Boat]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Camille (1936 film)|Camille]]'' (1936) as Raucous Party Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Ex-Mrs. Bradford]]'' (1936)
* ''[[The Road Back (film)|The Road Back]]'' (1937) as French Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Prescription for Romance]]'' (1937) as Cashier (uncredited)
* ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Termites of 1938]]'' (1938, Short) as Mrs. Mabel Sturgeon (uncredited)
* ''[[Camille (1936 film)|Camille]]'' (1936)
* ''[[Prescription for Romance]]'' (1937)
* ''[[The Shopworn Angel]]'' (1938) as Dancer (uncredited)
* ''[[Letter of Introduction (film)|Letter of Introduction]]'' (1938) as Woman at Barry's Party (uncredited)
* ''[[Termites of 1938]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Dramatic School (film)|Dramatic School]]'' (1938)
* ''[[Dramatic School (film)|Dramatic School]]'' (1938) as Fat Girl
* ''[[The Family Next Door (1939 film)|The Family Next Door]]'' (1939) as Heavy Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Blue Montana Skies]]'' (1939)
* ''[[When the Daltons Rode]]'' (1940)
* ''[[Blue Montana Skies]]'' (1939) as Mrs. Millie Potter
* ''[[When Tomorrow Comes (film)|When Tomorrow Comes]]'' (1939) as Waitress (uncredited)
* ''[[The Lady from Cheyenne]]'' (1941)
* ''[[Honky Tonk (1941 film)|Honky Tonk]]'' (1941)
* ''[[New Moon (1940 film)|New Moon]]'' (1940) as Bridesmaid (uncredited)
* ''[[North to the Klondike]]'' (1942)
* ''[[When the Daltons Rode]]'' (1940) as Nancy
* ''[[Back Street (1941 film)|Back Street]]'' (1941) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[Pardon My Stripes]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Take a Letter, Darling]]'' (1942)
* ''[[City of Missing Girls]]'' (1941) as Showgirl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Lady from Cheyenne]]'' (1941) as Myrtle (uncredited)
* ''[[In Old California (1942 film)|In Old California]]'' (1942)
* ''[[The Old Homestead (1942 film)|The Old Homestead]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Unfinished Business (1941 film)|Unfinished Business]]'' (1941) as Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[Honky Tonk (1941 film)|Honky Tonk]]'' (1941) as Pearl - Saloon Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]]'' (1942)
* ''[[Cowboy in Manhattan]]'' (1943)
* ''[[The Bugle Sounds]]'' (1942) as Woman with Cake (uncredited)
* ''[[True to Life (film)|True to Life]]'' (1943)
* ''[[North to the Klondike]]'' (1942) as Mayme Cassidy
* ''[[Sweet Rosie O'Grady]]'' (1943)
* ''[[Pardon My Stripes]]'' (1942) as Peaches
* ''[[Take a Letter, Darling]]'' (1942) as Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
* ''[[The Woman of the Town]]'' (1943)
* ''[[In Old California (1942 film)|In Old California]]'' (1942) as Girl in First Saloon (uncredited)
* ''[[Chip Off the Old Block]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Lady in the Dark (film)|Lady in the Dark]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Enemy Agents Meet Ellery Queen]]'' (1942) as Apartment Tenant (uncredited)
* ''[[The Old Homestead (1942 film)|The Old Homestead]]'' (1942) as Moll (uncredited)
* ''[[In Society]]'' (1944)
* ''[[My Heart Belongs to Daddy (film)|My Heart Belongs to Daddy]]'' (1942) as Yvonne (uncredited)
* ''[[One Body Too Many]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Practically Yours]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Star Spangled Rhythm]] Officer (uncredited)
* ''USS VD: Ship of Shame'' (1942) as Bar Woman toasting 'Chicken' (uncredited)
* ''[[Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More]]'' (1944)
* ''[[Girls of the Big House]]'' (1945)
* ''[[The Amazing Mrs. Holliday]]'' (1943) as Maid (uncredited)
* ''[[Hi'ya, Chum]]'' (1943) as Babe Fredericks (uncredited)
* ''[[Adventure (1945 film)|Adventure]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Under Western Skies]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Cowboy in Manhattan]]'' (1943) as Tommy
* ''[[The Jade Mask]]'' (1945)
* ''[[A Lady Takes a Chance]]'' (1943) as Hot Dog Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Here Come the Co-Eds]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Fired Wife]]'' (1943) as Divorcee (uncredited)
* ''[[Sweet Rosie O'Grady]]'' (1943) as Flora - Singer (uncredited)
* ''[[The Southerner (film)|The Southerner]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Sunset in El Dorado]]'' (1945)
* ''[[Swingtime Johnny]]'' (1943) as Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[Two Years Before the Mast (film)|Two Years Before the Mast]]'' (1946)
* ''[[True to Life (film)|True to Life]]'' (1943) as Dance Extra (uncredited)
* ''[[Shadows Over Chinatown]]'' (1947)
* ''[[The Woman of the Town]]'' (1943) as Belle
* ''[[Killer Dill]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Chip Off the Old Block]]'' (1944) as Cab Driver (uncredited)
* ''[[Lady in the Dark (film)|Lady in the Dark]]'' (1944) as Autograph Hunter (uncredited)
* ''[[The Secret Life of Walter Mitty]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Shine On, Harvest Moon (1944 film)|Shine On, Harvest Moon]]'' (1944) as Mitzie Menegue (uncredited)
* ''[[Dangers of the Canadian Mounted]]'' (1948)
* ''[[The Paleface (1948 film)|The Paleface]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Knickerbocker Holiday (film)|Knickerbocker Holiday]]'' (1944) as Barmaid (uncredited)
* ''[[Her Primitive Man]]'' (1944) as Hatcheck Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Walls of Jericho (1948 film)|The Walls of Jericho]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Michael O'Halloran (1948 film)|Michael O'Halloran]]'' (1948)
* ''[[Johnny Doesn't Live Here Any More]]'' (1944) as Irene
* ''[[Sealed Verdict]]'' (1948)
* ''[[In Society]]'' (1944) as Hysterical Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[The Strange Mrs. Crane]]'' (1948)
* ''[[One Body Too Many]]'' (1944) as Mona Rutherford
* ''[[Variety Time]]'' (shorts, 1948)
* ''[[Practically Yours]]'' (1944) as Sponge Cake Lady (uncredited)
* ''[[Under Western Skies (1945 film)|Under Western Skies]]'' (1945) as Maybelle
* ''[[Lonely Hearts Bandits]]'' (1950)
* ''[[Footlight Varieties]]'' (shorts, 1951)
* ''[[The Jade Mask]]'' (1945) as Stella Graham
* ''[[Westward the Women]]'' (1951)
* ''[[Here Come the Co-Eds]]'' (1945) as Woman in Ballroom (uncredited)
* ''[[One Minute to Zero]]'' (1952)
* ''[[On Stage Everybody]]'' (1945) as Marlow (uncredited)
* ''[[So Big (1953 film)|So Big]]'' (1953)
* ''[[The Southerner (film)|The Southerner]]'' (1945) as Party Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[Sunset in El Dorado]]'' (1945) as Maisie - Switchboard Operator
* ''[[New York Confidential (film)|New York Confidential]]'' (1955)
* ''[[The Desperadoes Are in Town]]'' (1956)
* ''[[Marshal of Laredo]]'' (1945) as Suzanne (uncredited)
* ''[[Girls of the Big House]]'' (1945) as Woman Clerk (uncredited)
* ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'' (1957)
* ''[[Dondi (film)|Dondi]]'' (1961)
* ''[[Adventure (1945 film)|Adventure]]'' (1945) as Cashier (uncredited)
* ''[[The Runaround (1946 film)|The Runaround]]'' (1946) as Hotel Desk Clerk / Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
* ''[[Shadows Over Chinatown]]'' (1946) as Joan Mercer
* ''[[Black Angel (1946 film)|Black Angel]]'' (1946) as Woman by Phone Booth (uncredited)
* ''[[Two Years Before the Mast (film)|Two Years Before the Mast]]'' (1946) as Girl in the Golden Lion (uncredited)
* ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Cueball]]'' (1946) as Leeds (uncredited)
* ''[[That Brennan Girl]]'' (1946) as Party Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[The Devil Thumbs a Ride]]'' (1947) as Pearl (uncredited)
* ''[[Backlash (1947 film)|Backlash]]'' (1947) as O'Neil's Secretary (uncredited)
* ''[[Killer Dill]]'' (1947) as Millie Gardner
* ''[[The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947 film)|The Secret Life of Walter Mitty]]'' (1947) as Wrong Mrs. Follinsbee (uncredited)
* ''[[Louisiana (1947 film)|Louisiana]]'' (1947)
* ''[[Dangers of the Canadian Mounted]]'' (1948, Short) as Skagway Kate
* ''[[The Walls of Jericho (1948 film)|The Walls of Jericho]]'' (1948) as Gossip (uncredited)
* ''[[Michael O'Halloran (1948 film)|Michael O'Halloran]]'' (1948) as Ward Nurse
* ''[[The Strange Mrs. Crane]]'' (1948) as Jeanette Woods
* ''[[Sealed Verdict]]'' (1948) as Edna Brown (Red Cross date)
* ''[[The Paleface (1948 film)|The Paleface]]'' (1948) as Attendant at Bathhouse (uncredited)
* ''[[Variety Time]]'' (1948, Short) as Dorothy Errol (footage from 'Hired Husband') (archive footage)
* ''[[Miss Mink of 1949]]'' (1949) as Mrs. Maureen O'Mulvaney
* ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1949 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1949) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
* ''[[Lonely Heart Bandits]]'' (1950) as Duchess Belle
* ''[[Westward the Women]]'' (1951) as Rejected Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[Footlight Varieties]]'' (1951, Short) as Vivian Errol (segment "He Forgot To Remember") (archive footage)
* ''[[One Minute to Zero]]'' (1952) as First Nurse (uncredited)
* ''[[So Big (1953 film)|So Big]]'' (1953) as Mabel (uncredited)
* ''[[New York Confidential (film)|New York Confidential]]'' (1955) as Lupo's Secretary (uncredited)
* ''[[The Desperadoes Are in Town]]'' (1956) as Molly, Saloon Girl
* ''[[Raintree County (film)|Raintree County]]'' (1957) as Madame Gaubert (uncredited)
* ''[[Dondi (film)|Dondi]]'' (1961) as Woman in Grape Hat (uncredited) (final film role)
{{div col end}}
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last= Maltin |first= Leonard |title= The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players |chapter= Dorothy Granger |pages= 122–144 |date= 2015 |edition= Sixth / eBook |orig-year=First published 1969 |type= softcover |publisher= CreateSpace Independent |location= Great Britain |isbn = 978-1-5116-4485-3}}


==External links==
==External links==
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* {{IMDb name|id=0335046|name=Dorothy Granger}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0335046|name=Dorothy Granger}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=75114|name=Dorothy Granger}}
* {{tcmdb name|id=75114|name=Dorothy Granger}}
* {{Find a Grave|20777}}


{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Dorothy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Granger, Dorothy}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]
[[Category:American film actresses]]

Latest revision as of 14:04, 28 February 2024

Dorothy Granger
Dorothy Granger in 1930, with her contract from Hal Roach Studios
Born(1911-11-21)November 21, 1911
New London, Ohio, U.S.
DiedJanuary 4, 1995(1995-01-04) (aged 83)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active1929–1961
Spouse
John Hilder
​
(m. 1947)​
ChildrenAnthony J. Hilder (step-son)

Dorothy Karolyn Granger (November 21, 1911[1] – January 4, 1995) was an American actress best known for her roles in short subject comedies in Hollywood.

Career[edit]

Granger, with her parents, two brothers, Richard and James, and their grandmother, Clara (née Wilcox) Granger, moved to Los Angeles during the late 1920s.

Granger got her start in the entertainment industry when she won a beauty contest at the age of 13 at Silver Beach Summer Resort near Houston. Her budding figure and confident stage presence were perfect for studios that made comedy shorts. In 1930, her father took her to producer Hal Roach, who was then testing talent for his upcoming comedy series, The Boy Friends.

Granger’s natural comedy timing got her the job immediately and she was placed under contract to Hal Roach Studios. She became a charter member of the two-reel-comedy community, appearing opposite many major comedians at Roach, Mack Sennett, Educational Pictures, Columbia Pictures, and RKO Radio Pictures. Among her famous credits are Hog Wild with Laurel & Hardy, The Dentist with W.C. Fields, Punch Drunks and Termites of 1938 with The Three Stooges. Granger also appeared with Andy Clyde, Charley Chase, Edgar Kennedy, Harry Langdon, Gus Schilling & Richard Lane, and Joe DeRita, as well as on live television with Abbott & Costello. Granger is best remembered as the sarcastic, suspicious wife in Leon Errol's series of two-reelers for RKO.

For her body of work in two-reelers, Granger was known as the "Queen of the Short Subject Films".[2] However, she also appeared in about 100 feature films,[2] including Frisco Jenny, Sunset in El Dorado, Kentucky Kernels, Dick Tracy vs. Cueball, Diamond Jim, and Show Boat.

Later years[edit]

Granger worked on a variety of television shows through the 1950s, including The Abbott and Costello Show, I Married Joan, Father Knows Best, Topper, Lassie, Death Valley Days and Wells Fargo. Her last television performance was a live show on Face The Facts in 1961. Granger left show business in 1963, calling it an “ulcer factory.”

Granger made her last public appearance in 1993 for the Screen Actors Guild’s 60th anniversary celebration. She was an honored guest at the celebration because she was one of SAG’s first members. In later years she helped her husband run an upholstery shop in Los Angeles.

She was the stepmother of film maker and former record producer Anthony J. Hilder.

Death[edit]

Granger died of cancer on January 4, 1995, aged 83, in Los Angeles, California.[3]

Selected filmography[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ There is some confusion as to the year of Granger's birth. Legal documents including the Social Security Death Index lists it as 1911 as does her death certificate and the Ohio Birth Index, which gives the certificate number as 1911085869. Most biographies say 1912, although at least one source lists the year as 1914.
  2. ^ a b Staff (January 20, 1995). "Dorothy Granger; Actress in Many Movies, Short Comedy Films". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. p. 30. Archived from the original on November 5, 2018. Retrieved November 4, 2018 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  3. ^ "Obituary: Dorothy Granger". Variety. January 22, 1995.

Further reading[edit]

  • Maltin, Leonard (2015) [First published 1969]. "Dorothy Granger". The Real Stars : Profiles and Interviews of Hollywood's Unsung Featured Players (softcover) (Sixth / eBook ed.). Great Britain: CreateSpace Independent. pp. 122–144. ISBN 978-1-5116-4485-3.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dorothy Granger.
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