Marilyn Maxwell facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Marilyn Maxwell
Maxwell in 1961
Born	Marvel Marilyn Maxwell (1921-08-03)August 3, 1921 Clarinda, Iowa, U.S.
Died	March 20, 1972(1972-03-20) (aged 50) Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Years active	1942–71
Spouse(s)	John Conte ​ ​ (m. 1944; div. 1946)​ Anders McIntyre ​ ​ (m. 1950; div. 1951)​ Jerry Davis ​ ​ (m. 1954; div. 1960)​
Children	1

Marvel Marilyn Maxwell (August 3, 1921 – March 20, 1972) was an American actress and entertainer. In a career that spanned the 1940s and 1950s, she appeared in several films and radio programs, and entertained the troops during World War II and the Korean War on USO tours with Bob Hope.

Early years

Maxwell was a native of Clarinda, Iowa. During the 1930s, she worked as an usher in Fort Wayne, Indiana at the Rialto Theater located at 2616 South Calhoun Street. In Fort Wayne, she attended Central High School. She dropped out of school in her sophomore year to join an Indianapolis band as a singer.

Career

From the trailer for Stand by for Action (1942)

She started her professional entertaining career as a radio singer and a singer on stage with Ted Weems' big band while still a teenager, then she signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1942 as a contract player. Among the radio programs in which she appeared were Beat the Band and The Abbott and Costello Show. Louis B. Mayer, the head of MGM, insisted she change the Marvel part of her real name. She dropped her first name and kept the middle one. Some of her film roles included Lost in a Harem (1944) with Abbott and Costello, Champion (1949) with Kirk Douglas, The Lemon Drop Kid (1951) with Bob Hope, New York Confidential (1955) with Broderick Crawford, and Rock-A-Bye Baby (1958) with Jerry Lewis. The popular Christmas song "Silver Bells" made its debut in The Lemon Drop Kid, sung by Maxwell and Hope.

Maxwell appeared twice as a singer in the second season (1955–1956) of The Jimmy Durante Show.

She appeared as the mystery guest of 'What's My Line ' 10th of May 1953. At one point, a blind-folded panelist asked whether or not she was Marilyn Monroe.

Personal life

Maxwell married three times; each ended in divorce. In September 1944, she married actor John Conte; the relationship was dissolved in June 1946. Her second marriage to restaurateur Anders McIntyre lasted just over a year from January 1, 1950 until March 23, 1951. Maxwell's six-year marriage to writer/producer Jerry Davis ended in 1960. Her only child, Matthew, was born to Maxwell and Davis in 1956.

Trailer for High Barbaree

On March 20, 1972, at age 50, Maxwell was found dead in her home by her 15-year-old son, who had arrived home from school. The cause was an apparent heart attack; she had been treated for hypertension and pulmonary disease. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, and Jack Benny were honorary pallbearers at her funeral.

Radio appearances

Filmography

Features

Short subjects

• Screen Snapshots: Hollywood Goes to Bat (1950) – Herself
• Brooklyn Goes to Las Vegas (1956) – Herself

See also

In Spanish: Marilyn Maxwell para niños