Dorothy Arnold (actress)

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Dorothy Arnold
Arnold in The Phantom Creeps (1939)
Born
Dorothy Arnoldine Olson

(1917-11-21)November 21, 1917
DiedNovember 13, 1984(1984-11-13) (aged 66)
Resting placeDesert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California
OccupationActress
Years active1937–1958
Spouses
(m. 1939; div. 1944)
George Schuster
(m. 1946; div. 1950)
Ralph Peck (Peckovich)
(m. 1970)
ChildrenJoseph Paul DiMaggio III

Dorothy Arnold (born Dorothy Arnoldine Olson; November 21, 1917 – November 13, 1984)[2] was an American film actress. Her 20-year movie career began with 1937's Freshies and ended with Fräulein.[3] She was the first wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio.

Early life

She was born Dorothy Arnoldine Olson in Duluth, Minnesota, of Norwegian heritage, the third of five daughters. Her father was a conductor for Northern Pacific Railway; her mother was a housewife. [4]

Career

Arnold appeared in 15 films between 1937 and 1939. She portrayed Jean Drew in The Phantom Creeps, and Gloria DeVere in The House of Fear. She won praise for her performance[citation needed] in 1957's Lizzie as the wanton, immoral mother of the title character. She also guest starred on TV's The Adventures of Jim Bowie, and Dragnet.

Personal life

Arnold met DiMaggio in 1937 on the set of the film Manhattan Merry-Go-Round. He had a minor speaking role; she had no lines. She was 19; he was 23. [5] They married three days before her 22nd birthday on November 18, 1939, at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco.[6] Their son, Joseph Paul DiMaggio III, was born at Doctors Hospital. [7]

Her next marriage was to stockbroker George Schuster in 1946. They divorced in 1950. She married Ralph Peck ( Peckovich) on August 27, 1970, with whom she remained until her death. [8]

Arnold made headlines in 1952 when she sued DiMaggio for sole custody of their son and increased support payments, citing Joe's new girlfriend Marilyn Monroe as a threat to the boy's morals. [9]

Later years and death

Arnold lived with Peck in Cathedral City. They owned and operated a supper club called "Charcoal Charley's", where she regularly performed for the club's patrons. [10]

The Desert Sun stated that she passed away from pancreatic cancer eight days before her 67th birthday at La Gloria Clinic in Ensenada, Mexico. [1] While one source states she is interred at Desert Memorial Park, [11] a profile on her in SABR states that she was cremated and her ashes were scattered into the Pacific Ocean. [12]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1937 Freshies Singer Short
Manhattan Merry-Go-Round Dancer Uncredited
Alternative title: Manhattan Music Box
1938 The Storm Nora, Bar Girl
Exposed Hatcheck Girl Uncredited
Secrets of a Nurse Secretary
Gambling Ship Hostess Uncredited
1939 The Phantom Creeps Jean Drew Serial, Alternative title: The Shadow Creeps
Pirates of the Skies Waitress Uncredited
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man First Debutante Uncredited
Risky Business Helen Uncredited
The Family Next Door Cashier
Code of the Streets Mildred
Unexpected Father Sally Alternative title: Sandy Takes a Bow
The House of Fear Gloria DeVere
Hero for a Day Dorothy
1957 Lizzie Elizabeth's Mother
1958 Fräulein Woman with Hugo Uncredited (final film role)

Television

Year TV series Role Notes
1952 The Files of Jeffrey Jones Episode "Squeeze Play"
1954 The Lone Wolf Nancy St. Clair Episode "The Robbery Store"
1957 The Adventures of Jim Bowie Cherry Blondell Episode "Jackson's Assassination"
Dragnet Episode "The Big Help"

References

  1. ^ a b "Joe DiMaggio's First Wife is Dead". The Desert Sun. The Desert Sun Publishing Company. November 17, 1984. Retrieved May 3, 2022.
  2. ^ "Arnold, Dorothy (1917–1984)." Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Gale. 2007
  3. ^ "Minnesota People Records Search". Minnesota Historical Society.
  4. ^ Leonard and Martha Olson (1920 Federal Census, State of Minnesota, Steele County)
  5. ^ Engelberg, Morris; Schneider, Marv (2004). Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight. MBI Publishing Company. pp. 188. ISBN 0-7603-1853-0.
  6. ^ Jones, David (2004). Joe DiMaggio: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 54. ISBN 0-313-33022-0.
  7. ^ "Joe DiMaggio 1914–1999". San Francisco Examiner. March 9, 1999. Archived from the original on April 1, 2005. Retrieved August 4, 2009.
  8. ^ "FamilySearch.org". familysearch.org.(subscription required)
  9. ^ "Spotlight Gave a Jolt to Joe's First Family" by Tracy Connor New York Post (March 9, 1999); retrieved September 20, 2023
  10. ^ Jones, David (2004). Joe DiMaggio: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 83. ISBN 0-313-33022-0.
  11. ^ Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
  12. ^ "Dorothy Arnold" by Anthony Bush Society for American Baseball Research; retrieved September 20, 2023

External links