Dorothy Arnold (actress) explained

Dorothy Arnold
Birth Name:Dorothy Arnoldine Olson
Birth Date:21 November 1917
Birth Place:Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.
Death Place:Ensenada, Mexico
Resting Place:Desert Memorial Park, Cathedral City, California
Occupation:Actress
Years Active:1937–1958
Children:Joseph Paul DiMaggio III

Dorothy Arnold (born Dorothy Arnoldine Olson; November 21, 1917 – November 13, 1984)[1] was an American film actress. Her 20-year movie career began with 1937's Freshies and ended with Fräulein.[2] 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.[3]

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 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.[4] They married three days before her 22nd birthday on November 18, 1939, at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco.[5] Their son, Joseph Paul DiMaggio III, was born at Doctors Hospital.[6] In 1944, Arnold and DiMaggio divorced.[7] Though they didn't speak much during the divorce, the divorce was an amicable one.[8]

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.[9]

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.[10]

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. [11]

The Desert Sun stated that she died from pancreatic cancer eight days before her 67th birthday at La Gloria Clinic in Ensenada, Mexico. [12] She is interred at Desert Memorial Park. [13] [14]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
1937FreshiesSingerShort
Manhattan Merry-Go-RoundDancerUncredited
Alternative title: Manhattan Music Box
1938The StormNora, Bar Girl
ExposedHatcheck GirlUncredited
Secrets of a NurseSecretary
Gambling ShipHostessUncredited
1939The Phantom CreepsJean DrewSerial, Alternative title: The Shadow Creeps
Pirates of the SkiesWaitressUncredited
You Can't Cheat an Honest ManFirst DebutanteUncredited
Risky BusinessHelenUncredited
The Family Next DoorCashier
Code of the StreetsMildred
Unexpected FatherSallyAlternative title: Sandy Takes a Bow
The House of FearGloria DeVere
Hero for a DayDorothy
1957LizzieElizabeth's Mother
1958FräuleinWoman with HugoUncredited (final film role)

Television

YearTV seriesRoleNotes
1952The Files of Jeffrey JonesEpisode "Squeeze Play"
1954The Lone WolfNancy St. ClairEpisode "The Robbery Store"
1957The Adventures of Jim BowieCherry BlondellEpisode "Jackson's Assassination"
DragnetEpisode "The Big Help"

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20161220082410/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G2-2588801101.html "Arnold, Dorothy (1917–1984)." Dictionary of Women Worldwide: 25,000 Women Through the Ages. Gale. 2007
  2. Web site: Minnesota People Records Search. Minnesota Historical Society.
  3. Leonard and Martha Olson (1920 Federal Census, State of Minnesota, Steele County)
  4. Book: Engelberg, Morris. Schneider, Marv. Dimaggio: Setting the Record Straight. MBI Publishing Company. 2004. 188. 0-7603-1853-0.
  5. Book: Jones, David. Joe DiMaggio: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2004. 54. 0-313-33022-0.
  6. Web site: Joe DiMaggio 1914–1999 . San Francisco Examiner . March 9, 1999 . August 4, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20050401080623/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fexaminer%2Farchive%2F1999%2F03%2F08%2FNEWS8438.dtl . April 1, 2005.
  7. Web site: admin . Dorothy Arnold – Society for American Baseball Research . June 13, 2024 . en-US.
  8. Web site: Connor . Tracy . 9 March 1999 . SPOTLIGHT GAVE A JOLT TO JOE’S FIRST FAMILY . New York Post.
  9. Web site: FamilySearch.org. familysearch.org.
  10. https://nypost.com/1999/03/09/spotlight-gave-a-jolt-to-joes-first-family/ "Spotlight Gave a Jolt to Joe's First Family"
  11. Book: Jones, David. Joe DiMaggio: A Biography. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2004. 83. 0-313-33022-0.
  12. News: Joe DiMaggio's First Wife is Dead . 3 May 2022 . The Desert Sun . The Desert Sun Publishing Company . November 17, 1984.
  13. 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.
  14. https://sabr.org/bioproj/person/dorothy-arnold/ "Dorothy Arnold"