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{{Short description|American actress (1911–95)}}
⚫
{{oneref|date=November 2018}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2020}}
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{{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 = Granger, 1934
| 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 = 1929–1961
| yearsactive = 1929–1961
| birthname = Dorothy Karolyn Granger
| birthname =
| spouse = John Hilder
| spouse = {{marriage|John Hilder|1947}}
| othername =
| othername =
| homepage =
| homepage =
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}}
}}


'''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]] |accessdate=November 4, 2018 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20181105231817/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/24646559/dorothy_granger/ |archivedate=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]]''.
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]]''.


==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>


==Selected filmography==
==Selected filmography==
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* ''[[One Good Turn (1931 film)|One Good Turn]]'' (1931, Short) as A Community Player (uncredited)
* ''[[One Good Turn (1931 film)|One Good Turn]]'' (1931, Short) as A Community Player (uncredited)
* ''[[Under Eighteen]]'' (1931) as Penthouse Party Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[Under Eighteen]]'' (1931) as Penthouse Party Guest (uncredited)
* ''[[Temptation's Workshop]]'' (1932)
* ''[[Temptation's Workshop]]'' (1932) as Vi Rantler
* ''[[The Fighting Fool]]'' (1932) as Nina
* ''[[The Fighting Fool]]'' (1932) as Nina
* ''[[Keep Laughing (film)|Keep Laughing]]'' (1932, Short)
* ''[[Keep Laughing (film)|Keep Laughing]]'' (1932, Short)
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* ''[[Love, Honor, and Oh Baby!]]'' (1933) as Mrs. Brown
* ''[[Love, Honor, and Oh Baby!]]'' (1933) as Mrs. Brown
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933) as Sally (uncredited)
* ''[[Only Yesterday (1933 film)|Only Yesterday]]'' (1933) as Sally (uncredited)
* ''Marriage on Approval'' (1933) as Hortense Bailey
* ''[[Marriage on Approval]]'' (1933) as Hortense Bailey
* ''[[King for a Night]]'' (1933) as Dora
* ''[[King for a Night]]'' (1933) as Dora
* ''[[Nana (1934 film)|Nana]]'' (1934) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[Nana (1934 film)|Nana]]'' (1934) as Minor Role (uncredited)
* ''[[Hips, Hips, Hooray!]]'' (1934) as Miss Cole - Stenographer (uncredited)
* ''[[Hips, Hips, Hooray!]]'' (1934) as Miss Cole - Stenographer (uncredited)
* ''[[I'll Tell the World]]'' (1934) as Brown's Girlfriend - the Dancer
* ''[[I'll Tell the World (1934 film)|I'll Tell the World]]'' (1934) as Brown's Girlfriend - the Dancer
* ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' (1934, Short) as Girl
* ''[[Punch Drunks]]'' (1934, Short) as Girl
* ''[[The Merry Widow (1934 film)|The Merry Widow]]'' (1934) as Maxim's Girl (uncredited)
* ''[[The Merry Widow (1934 film)|The Merry Widow]]'' (1934) as Maxim's Girl (uncredited)
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* ''[[The Runaround (1946 film)|The Runaround]]'' (1946) as Hotel Desk Clerk / Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
* ''[[The Runaround (1946 film)|The Runaround]]'' (1946) as Hotel Desk Clerk / Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
* ''[[Shadows Over Chinatown]]'' (1946) as Joan Mercer
* ''[[Shadows Over Chinatown]]'' (1946) as Joan Mercer
* ''[[Black Angel]]'' (1946) as Woman by Phone Booth (uncredited)
* ''[[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)
* ''[[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)
* ''[[Dick Tracy vs. Cueball]]'' (1946) as Leeds (uncredited)
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* ''[[Miss Mink of 1949]]'' (1949) as Mrs. Maureen O'Mulvaney
* ''[[Miss Mink of 1949]]'' (1949) as Mrs. Maureen O'Mulvaney
* ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1949 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1949) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
* ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1949 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1949) as Nightclub Patron (uncredited)
* ''[[Lonely Hearts Bandits]]'' (1950) as Duchess Belle
* ''[[Lonely Heart Bandits]]'' (1950) as Duchess Belle
* ''[[Westward the Women]]'' (1951) as Rejected Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[Westward the Women]]'' (1951) as Rejected Woman (uncredited)
* ''[[Footlight Varieties]]'' (1951, Short) as Vivian Errol (segment "He Forgot To Remember") (archive footage)
* ''[[Footlight Varieties]]'' (1951, Short) as Vivian Errol (segment "He Forgot To Remember") (archive footage)
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==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{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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