Marla English

Marla English (January 4, 1935 – December 10, 2012) was an American film actress during the 1950s.

Marla English
Born
Marleine Gaile English

(1935-01-04)January 4, 1935
San Diego, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 10, 2012(2012-12-10) (aged 77)[1]
Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
OccupationActress
Years active1953–1957
Spouse
Allen Paul Sutherland
​
​
(m. 1956)​
Children5

Career

Born Marleine Gaile English in San Diego, California, as a teenager, she worked as a model.[2] She was originally signed to a contract by Paramount Pictures in 1952[2] after winning a San Diego beauty pageant to be "Fairest of the Fair".[3] She was paid $150 per week to appear in such films as Red Garters (1954) and Rear Window (1954).[4] Even though her scenes were often cut during the final editing of those and other films, English's contract rose to $200 a week.[5][6][7] Her breakthrough role came when producer Aubrey Schenck borrowed her from Paramount to appear in his film noir production Shield for Murder (1954) starring Edmond O'Brien.[8]

The Mountain and later films

English received a major break in 1955, when she was cast opposite Spencer Tracy in The Mountain,[4] a mountain-climbing drama that was to be filmed on location in the French Alps.[9] Unfortunately, English was given a smallpox vaccine before departing the United States for France. She soon developed a very high fever and decided to leave the production, a move that prompted Paramount to suspend her and replace her with Barbara Darrow. In a later interview with the actress, Parade questioned English about that decision. She said it was a very dumb move, and she was unsure why she did it. One of the actress's close relatives, however, told the publication that the true story was that English had fallen in love with Paramount actor Larry Pennell, and she became enraged when the studio would not cast Pennell in the film, hoping they could work together in France.[4]

English made mostly B films throughout her career in Hollywood. In 1955, she performed with John Ireland and Pennell in Hell's Horizon. Some other films in which she was cast in this period include Three Bad Sisters (1956), Runaway Daughters (1956), The She Creature (1956), and Flesh and the Spur (1956).[10] She and Suzanne Alexander were the finalists for the role of Princess Aouda in Around the World in 80 Days (1956) after Shirley MacLaine rejected it twice. But MacLaine later got the role after she reconsidered it.[11]

Personal life and death

After costarring with Tom Conway and Mike Connors in the horror film Voodoo Woman (1957), English married San Diego businessman Allen Paul Sutherland. She then retired from acting at the age of just 21.[2][12] They had a daughter and four sons.[13]

English died of cancer at age 77 in Tucson, Arizona in December 2012. Her husband Paul Sutherland died five years later.[13] Their graves are in Marana Cemetery in Marana, Arizona, which is located 24 miles northwest of Tucson.[2]

Filmography

See also

References
  1. Dipping, Caroline (January 10, 2013). "Marla English, 'Fairest of the Fair', actress, dead at 77". U-T San Diego. Archived from the original on November 23, 2016. Retrieved January 24, 2013.
  2. Lentz, Harris M. III (2013). Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2012. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 89–90. ISBN 978-0-7864-7063-1.
  3. "COMMANDANT 34 YEARS IN ARMY RETIRES". Los Angeles Times. August 2, 1951. ProQuest 166268013. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  4. "Marla English: She chose love". St. Petersburg Times. September 18, 1955. Retrieved February 9, 2007.
  5. Scott, J. L. (May 30, 1954). "GAMBLE PAYS OFF ON MARLA ENGLISH". Los Angeles Times. ProQuest 166625678.
  6. "Actress Marla English Wins Contract Approval". Los Angeles Times. November 9, 1953. ProQuest 166517635. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  7. "Court OKs contracts of two young actresses". Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1954. ProQuest 166709764.
  8. "Marla English Joins the Legion". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. December 24, 1954. ProQuest 148420684. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  9. "The Life Story of MARLA ENGLISH". Picture show. No. 65. December 24, 1955. p. 12. ProQuest 1879635068. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  10. McGee, Mark Thomas (1996). Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. pp. 56, 65, 72–74. ISBN 0-7864-0137-0.
  11. Clemens, Samuel (2021). The Triumph and Tragedy of Suzanne Alexander. Sequoia Press. p. 28. ISBN 9781639720385.
  12. "Marla English to Quit Film Career to Marry". The Washington Post and Times-Herald. July 22, 1956. ProQuest 148761381. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  13. "Paul Sutherland". Marana Mortuary & Cemetery. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
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