Caren Marsh Doll

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Caren Marsh Doll
Caren Marsh Doll.jpg
Caren Marsh Doll in April 2014
Born
Caren Morris

(1919-04-06) April 6, 1919 (age 102)
Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Stage and screen actress
  • dancer (modern and tap)
  • dance teacher
  • memoirist
Years active1937–1948 (actress); 1956–present (dancer, entertainer)
Known forThe Wizard of Oz, Ziegfeld Girl
Notable work
Gone With the Wind
Spouse(s)
Bill Doll
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1979)​
Children1

Caren Marsh Doll (née Morris; born April 6, 1919), also credited as Caren Marsh, is an American stage and screen actress and dancer, specializing in modern dance and tap, who was Judy Garland's stand-in in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Ziegfeld Girl in 1941. She is one of the last surviving actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood.

From 1937 until 1948, she appeared in motion pictures with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, including a small uncredited part in Gone with the Wind. She became a dance instructor in 1956.

Her younger sister was film and television actress Dorothy Morris.

Early life[]

Marsh was born in Hollywood, California. Her father was a Hollywood stockbroker. She and her family were active in the Methodist church. In 1937, she graduated from Hollywood High School[1] and wanted to become an actress. Her parents did not approve of this choice and preferred she pursue a college education. They compromised by telling Caren that unless she could land an acting job she would be sent to school.[1]

Film career[]

Marsh auditioned for a role in Rosalie (1937), starring Nelson Eddy and Eleanor Powell, but did not win the role. She later re-auditioned for that movie and got the part.[1] She was hired as Judy Garland's dance stand-in for The Wizard of Oz.[2] She was hired largely mostly because she was similar in height and build to Garland and even received her own pair of ruby slippers.[1] She served as a stand-in for Garland a second time with Ziegfeld Girl (1941). According to Marsh, when she wasn't filling in for Garland in The Wizard of Oz she would be across Hollywood at Selznick International Pictures working as an extra in Gone with the Wind (1939).

In film, credited under the name Caren Marsh, she appeared in films such as That Night in Rio (1941 ), Hands Across the Border (1944),[2] Wild Harvest (1947),[3] Girl Crazy (1943), Best Foot Forward (1943),[4] Seven Sweethearts (1942), and Night and Day (1946). She did appear in speaking parts in films as Secrets of a Sorority Girl (1945) and Navajo Kid (1945).[citation needed]

In 1947, Marsh was named Miss Sky Lady of 1947[5] and began appearing in fewer films to focus on her new interest in dance. After appearing in an airshow as Miss Sky Lady, she took flight instruction classes, learned to fly and later dropped leaflets of her acting profile on various movie studios in Hollywood.[3] She made an appearance on The Gabby Hayes Show in 1956, after which she became a dance instructor.

1949 plane crash survival[]

On July 12, 1949, aged 30, Marsh was aboard Standard Air Lines Flight 897R, when the C-46E crashed.[6] The flight had left Albuquerque, New Mexico at 4:43 am. While on approach to the Lockheed Air Terminal in Burbank, California at 7:40 am, the twin engine plane, flying too low, hooked a wingtip on a hill and crashed near Chatsworth, California, and Marsh was one of the 13 people who survived. Marsh was pulled from the wreckage by another passenger named Judy Frost.[7] Marsh was hospitalized at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital for several weeks, and nearly had her left foot amputated. Marsh's doctors told her that she would likely never dance again, but after careful exercise she was able to heal and continue in her dancing.[5]

The Wizard of Oz[]

Although not a credited cast member, Marsh is one of a few known surviving personnel to have worked on the MGM film The Wizard of Oz. She has appeared in Wizard of Oz film festivals, conventions, and reunions.

Personal life[]

Marsh moved to Palm Springs, California, in 1957 and married Bill Doll, (died 1979) a press agent to theatre and film producer Mike Todd. The Dolls[8] had one son. Her sister actress Dorothy Morris, became her neighbor when Marsh retired in 1971. The sisters lived next door to each other until Dorothy's death on November 20, 2011.[citation needed]

Autobiography and 'Oz' festivals[]

In November 2007, Marsh published her autobiography, Hollywood's Babe, in which she discussed her life in Hollywood, and her love affair with The Wizard of Oz.[citation needed]

In 2011, Marsh served as the Grand Marshal of the Oz-Stravaganza Parade in Chittenango, New York.[5]

Dance instructor[]

Once a month on the first Monday, Marsh volunteers as a dance therapy instructor at the Palm Springs Stroke Activity Center where the styles taught range from themes like ballroom dancing, country, Hawaiian, and belly dancing.[5] She is an active member of The Palm Springs United Methodist Community Church.[9]

Filmography[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Kirst, Sean. "Dorothy's stand-in: A miracle or two along the Yellow Brick Road". syracuse.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Handprint Ceremony Slated Friday". The Times. September 13, 2007. p. 172. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Gunson, Victor (1948). "Don't Try to Crash Film Studio Gates, Just Fly Over Them If You're Seeking Screen Chance--Caren Marsh's Recipe". The Journal News. p. 2. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Phillips, Brent (October 24, 2014). Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance. University Press of Kentucky. p. 65. ISBN 9780813147239.
  5. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Harrison, Scott (January 27, 2011). "Crash survivor keeps dancing". Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  6. ^ Kondo, Annette (August 2, 1999). "Memories of Survival". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  7. ^ "Movie Starlet Relates How Woman Saved Life in Crash". The Dispatch. July 13, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Bill Doll, Press Agent; Handled Mike Todd, Other Famous Figures". March 3, 1979. Retrieved June 7, 2018 – via NYTimes.com.
  9. ^ Doll, Caren-Marsh Hollywood's Babe BearMedia Manor, November 1, 2007, page 279

External links[]

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