Through researching the lives and careers of Old Hollywood entertainers, I’ve encountered many stories of stars who rose and fell far too fast.
However, Dorothy Dell’s life and career, began and ended more abruptly than most.
Dorothy Dell was a promising American film actress of the early 1930s.
She was born Dorothy Dell Goff in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, on January 30, 1915 to entertainers who were descendants of a socially prominent family, as her mother was the daughter of politician, Jefferson Davis.
Dorothy moved with her family to New Orleans, Louisiana, at the age of 13.
Dell passed away on June 8, 1934 at the age of 19 in Altadena, California.
A Very Interesting Connection…
Her childhood friend was Dorothy Lamour; they embarked on their show business careers together.
As a multi-talented individual, Dell began singing on radio and participating in beauty pageants.
DOROTHY DELL
DOROTHY LAMOUR
Dell won Miss New Orleans in 1930; the following year her friend Lamour would take the title.
*Still only 15, Dell headed off on a vaudeville tour with Fanchon and Marco for 32 weeks in 1930.*
A side note on Fanchon and Marco;
Fanchon and Marco Wolfe started out in Vaudville as a brother and sister dance act. They played the Orpheum Circuit and eventually started producing their own show’s called Revues, in 1919.
Fanchon and Marco expanded from performing themselves, into producing larger theatrical extravaganza style productions a la Ziegfeld Follies. These were full live stage shows made for the nation’s movie palaces to be performed before the feature film in the 1920’s and 1930’s.
A picture of the brother/sister duo of Fanchon and Marco.
Dell then went on to have a stint with the Ziegfeld Follies of 1931.
Dell’s screen career was brief—only about two years—but notably strong for such a young actress. She often played sweet, sincere, and romantic leads.
Her most remembered films include:
- Little Miss Marker (1934) – opposite Shirley Temple and Adolphe Menjou, where Dell played the sympathetic female lead.
- Wharf Angel (1934) – starring Victor McLaglen, released shortly after her death and often cited as her best performance.
- Shoot the Works (1934) with Jack Oakie and Ben Bernie
Paramount was clearly positioning Dell as a rising star. Trade papers of the time noted her rapid improvement and strong screen presence.
Her recording of the song she sang in the latter picture, “With Me Eyes Wide Open, I’m Dreaming” became a hit.
Dell continued her dramatic rise and was slated to be in Now and Forever (1934) with Temple and Gary Cooper. She was instead replaced by Carole Lombard.
Ominous Foreshadowing
Dell was was invited to the same Harry Richman yacht party where there was an explosion on the boat. Other guests were Mark Hellinger and his wife, Ziegfeld Girl Gladys Glad, dancer and showgirl Virginia Biddle, and another Ziegfeld girl, Helen Walsh.
The blast killed Helen Walsh and Virginia Biddle sustained injuries which forced her to retire from dancing.
If Dell had attended, she might have suffered a similar fate.
But her reprieve didn’t last long.
In June 1934, Dell’s time came to an end.
The Accident That Ended It…
On Friday, June 8, 1934, Dell agreed to a car ride with 28-year-old Dr. Carl Wagner who was a prominent Pasadena surgeon according to this New York Times article first published on June 9th 1934.
The were coming back from a party in Altadena, when the car careened off the highway, hit a telephone pole, bounced off a palm tree and hit a boulder.
Dell was killed instantly.
Wagner, who was driving between 50 and 70 miles an hour, died six hours later in a hospital.
According to news reports of the time, a day before her death, Dell was heard musing to friends,
“You know, they say deaths go in cycles of three. First it was Lilyan Tashman, then Lew Cody. I wonder who’ll be next?”
She was laid to rest in Metairie Cemetery, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
As stated above, Dell was getting a ride back to Pasadena with 38-year-old Dr. Carl Wagner.
***(The original 1934 news report in the Times said he was 28. All other sources say Wagner was 38).***
It’s interesting to note that several months earlier Wagner was a key point of interest in the investigation of the mysterious and still unsolved murder, of Dr. Leonard Siever.
Siever was a leading Pasadena dentist and socialite.
Here’s what they say about the Siever murder case on Hubpages;
When the police arrived they found that the unfortunate gentleman was Dr. Leonard Siever, a local dentist in his late thirties. Dr Siever had been shot twice, once in the head, once in the heart, as he attempted to enter his vehicle.
Whoever the culprit was wanted to make sure that the good doctor would stay as silent as the nearby sphinxes sitting mute on the wall. His wallet and watch were also missing, however the authorities did not believe that burglary was the motive.
It continues – implicating Dr. Wagner;
One name that popped up quickly was Mrs. Frances Coen Cooke, a 22 year old divorcee who was reportedly seeing Dr. Siever romantically.
However, Mrs Cooke was also spending time with another Doctor who worked in the same Pasadena professional building, a Dr. Carl Wagner who was a surgeon.
Reportedly Cooke saw both Dr. Wagner, and Dr. Siever on the night of his death.
Doctor Wagner was himself a bit of a ladies man escorting numerous young ladies around town, and was questioned more that once by the police, after they discovered he had gotten into an argument with Cooke over her seeing Dr. Siever.
However they seemed satisfied that he told them everything he knew.
Ultimately, its clear that Dorothy Dell was on a terrific rise to stardom when it was stopped short.
Today we celebrate the vintage sensuality of Dorothy Dell.
Thanks for reading/listening, and I wish you a very sensual day.
Dyann – thebodyhouse.biz@gmail.com
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