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Caren Marsh Doll

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Caren Marsh Doll
Marsh pictured on the occasion of her 95th birthday on April 6, 2014.
Born
Aileen Betty Morris

(1919-04-06) April 6, 1919 (age 105)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
Years active1937–1949 (actress)
Known forBeing one of the stand-ins for Judy Garland on The Wizard of Oz
Ziegfeld Girl
Notable workGone With the Wind
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1950; died 1979)​
Children1
RelativesDorothy Morris (sister)

Caren Marsh Doll (born Aileen Betty Morris;[1] April 6, 1919), also credited as Caren Marsh, is an American former stage and screen actress and dancer specializing in modern dance and tap. She is notable as one of Judy Garland's stand-ins in The Wizard of Oz (1939) and Ziegfeld Girl (1941). She is one of the last surviving actors from the Golden Age of Hollywood. From 1937 until 1948, Marsh 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.[citation needed]

Early life

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Marsh was born in Los Angeles, California on April 6, 1919.[2] Her father was a Hollywood stockbroker. She and her family were active in the Methodist church. In 1937, she graduated from Hollywood High School[3] and wanted to become an actress despite her parents wanting her to focus on studies first.

Film career

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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.[3] She was hired as Judy Garland's stand-in for The Wizard of Oz.[4] She was hired primarily because she was similar in height and build to Garland and even received her own pair of ruby slippers.[3] In fact, hers are the feet seen in the film when Dorothy taps the heels of the slippers together. She served as a stand-in for Garland a second time with Ziegfeld Girl (1941).[5]

In film, credited under the name Caren Marsh, she appeared in films such as That Night in Rio (1941), Hands Across the Border (1944),[4] Wild Harvest (1947),[6] Girl Crazy (1943), Best Foot Forward (1943),[7] 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).[8]

In 1947, Marsh was named Miss Sky Lady of 1947[9] and began appearing in fewer films to focus on her new interest in dance.[citation needed] 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.[6] On March 6, 1949, Marsh, along with singers Delora Bueno and Louise Howard, appeared on the Ted Steele Show.[10]

1949 plane crash survival

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On July 12, 1949, aged 30, Marsh was aboard Standard Air Lines Flight 897R, when the C-46E crashed.[11] 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.[12] 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.[9]

The Wizard of Oz

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As a stand-in for Judy Garland, Marsh's role in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was uncredited. Nonetheless, she has appeared in Wizard of Oz film festivals, conventions, and reunions.[13] As of 2024, she is one of a few known surviving personnel to have worked on the film, outliving all major cast members, original Tin Man Buddy Ebsen, adult Munchkins, and several extras.[14]

In 2011, Marsh served as the Grand Marshal of the Oz-Stravaganza Parade in Chittenango, New York.[9]

Personal life

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On September 28, 1950, Marsh married Bill Doll, a press agent to theatre and film producer Mike Todd.[15] They had a son, Jonathan.[16] She turned 100 in April 2019.[13] Her younger sister was film and television actress Dorothy Morris.[17]

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.[9] She is an active member of The Palm Springs United Methodist Community Church.[18]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Notes
1937
 Rosalie Dancer Uncredited
1939
 Gone with the Wind BBQ Guest; Girl at Bazaar
The Wizard of Oz Stand-in: Judy Garland
1941
 Ziegfeld Girl
1942
 Seven Sweethearts Dancer
1943
 Best Foot Forward
1944
 Hands Across the Border
Pickup Girl N/A Short film
1945
 Secrets of a Sorority Girl Audrey Scott
Navajo Kid Winifred McMasters
1946
 Night and Day Young Customer Uncredited
1947
 Smash-Up: The Story of a Woman Bobby-Soxer
Welcome Stranger Wife
Wild Harvest Natalie
1948
 Luxury Liner Girl
Adventures of Don Juan Girl at Inn Uncredited, final film role

References

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  1. ^ "Actress Hurt in Air Crash Seeks Damages". The Los Angeles Times. August 19, 1949. p. 48. Retrieved September 12, 2024.
  2. ^ Fitzgerald, Michael G.; Magers, Boyd (2001). Ladies of the Western : Interviews with Fifty-one More Actresses from the Silent Era to the Television Westerns of the 1950s and 1960s. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. pp. 183. ISBN 0-7864-1140-6
  3. ^ a b c Kirst, Sean (June 3, 2011). "Dorothy's stand-in: A miracle or two along the Yellow Brick Road". syracuse.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Handprint Ceremony Slated Friday". The Times. September 13, 2007. p. 172. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Woodhouse, Horace Martin (2013). The Essential Wizard of Oz: 101 Things You Didn't Know About the Most-Watched Movie in Film History. Ithaca, NY: History Company. p. 32. ISBN 9781482552911.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Phillips, Brent (October 24, 2014). Charles Walters: The Director Who Made Hollywood Dance. University Press of Kentucky. p. 65. ISBN 978-0-8131-4723-9.
  8. ^ "Caren Marsh-Doll autograph collection entry at StarTiger". www.startiger.com. Retrieved September 11, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d Harrison, Scott (January 27, 2011). "Crash survivor keeps dancing". Retrieved March 31, 2012.
  10. ^ "Tops Today on the Air: Television Highlights". The Washington Post. March 6, 1949. p. 4L. ProQuest 152198725. WTTC—6:30 p. m. Ted Steele presents Delora Bueno, Caren Marsh and Louise Howard.
  11. ^ Kondo, Annette (August 2, 1999). "Memories of Survival". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved November 6, 2017.
  12. ^ "Movie Starlet Relates How Woman Saved Life in Crash". The Dispatch. July 13, 1949. p. 20. Retrieved November 6, 2017 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b Harrison, Scott (July 12, 2019). "From the Archives: Standard Airlines crash survivor Caren Marsh-Doll keeps dancing". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  14. ^ Morgan, Chris (September 11, 2024). "The most famous Hollywood centenarians". Yardbarker. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Caren Marsh Wed to Bill Doll". The New York Times. September 30, 1950. p. 9.
  16. ^ "Caren Marsh Doll Tiny Hollywood Land Dancer". The Wonderful Wizards of Art. Retrieved November 3, 2024.
  17. ^ Fitzgerald; Magers. op. cit. p. 186.
  18. ^ Doll, Caren-Marsh Hollywood's Babe BearMedia Manor, November 1, 2007, p. 279.
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