Donna Damerel (actress)

Donna Damerel (July 8, 1912 – February 15, 1941) was an American actress.

Donna Damerel
Damerel as Marge Minter with Vinton Hayworth as Jack Arnold from the Myrt and Marge radio show, 1935
Born
Myrtle Lincoln

(1912-07-08)July 8, 1912
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 15, 1941(1941-02-15) (aged 28)
Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
OccupationActress
Parent

Early years

Damerel was born on July 8, 1912, in Chicago, the daughter of vaudeville performers George Damerel and Myrtle Vail Damerel. She had one brother. When she was 15, she left home to join the chorus of a musical comedy. Later she joined her parents' vaudeville team.[1]

Career

After vaudeville's decline ended the Damerels' performing team,[1] the family lived comfortably until "our savings were wiped out, and we were destitute."[2] Damerel and her mother began to work on radio. They debuted the Myrt and Marge radio program in Chicago on November 2, 1931, with Damerel portraying the daughter, Marge, and Vail portraying the mother, Myrt.[1]

A 1932 poll conducted by a radio magazine named Damerel radio's "it girl". The recognition included looks, microphone personality, and voice as 15,704 listeners participated in the survey.[3]

Damerel and Vail also starred in the Universal film Myrt and Marge (1933), which was based on the radio program.[4] In 1938,they performed in Yes, My Darling Daughter in Yonkers, New York, at the Warburton Theatre.[5]

Personal life and death

Damerel was divorced from singer William J. Kretsinger on December 22, 1939.[6] At the time of her death She was married to Peter J. Fick. She had two sons by previous marriages.[1] One of her sons was director and screenwriter Charles B. Griffith.[7]

She died on February 15, 1941, shortly after giving birth to a son in Englewood Hospital in Englewood, New Jersey. She was 28 years old. The baby survived.[1] Doctors said that her health appeared to be good when she entered the hospital.[8]

References
  1. "Marge of radio team dies as son is born". The New York Times. February 16, 1941. p. 39. Retrieved December 27, 2022.
  2. "Myrt and Marge Write of 8 Years Spent in Radio". The Des Moines Register. June 18, 1940. p. 15. Retrieved December 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. Kohnop, Max (November 20, 1932). "Donna Damerel Chosen As 'It' Girl By Radio Fans". Dayton Daily News. p. 27. Retrieved December 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. Bradley, Edwin M. (February 18, 2016). Unsung Hollywood Musicals of the Golden Era: 50 Overlooked Films and Their Stars, 1929-1939. McFarland. pp. 50–54. ISBN 978-0-7864-9833-8. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  5. "Two plays ending runs here tonight". The New York Times. July 9, 1938. p. 10. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  6. "Radio Star Wins Divorce". The New York Times. December 23, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  7. Peterson, Alison J. (October 11, 2007). "Charles Griffith, 77 'Little Shop of Horrors' Screenwriter". The New York Times. p. B 7. Retrieved December 28, 2022.
  8. "Death breaks up radio team". The Daily Times. Ohio, New Philadelphia. International News Service. February 15, 1941. p. 1. Retrieved December 28, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
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