Dorothy Stone (actress)

Born on June 3, 1905,{{sfn|Fields|2002|p=118}} Dorothy Stone was the daughter of Fred Stone,{{cite news |title=Fred Stone And Daughter at Davidson Next Week |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32152006/the_wisconsin_jewish_chronicle/ |accessdate=1 June 2019 |work=The Wisconsin Jewish Chronicle |date=March 26, 1926 |location=Wisconsin, Milwaukee |page=10|via = Newspapers.com}} a stage actor, dancing comedian, and owner of the Fred Stone theatrical stock company. Her mother, Allene Crater, acted with her father and was a singer. Her parents were in agreement that she would be called Dorothy, after the main character in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which her parents had performed in the 1902 musical version.{{sfn|Fields|2002|p=115-117}} Her sisters were Paula Stone and Carol Stone.{{cite news |last1=Welshimer |first1=Helen |title=How To Behave To Keep the Men Guessing |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/109157007/dorothy-stone/ |access-date=September 8, 2022 |work=The Salt Lake Tribune |agency=EveryWeek Magazine |date=September 29, 1935 |page=66|via = Newspapers.com}} The family had a ranch at Lyme, Connecticut.

Despite her mother not wishing for her to enter show-business,{{sfn|Fields|2002|p=118}} Stone entered the industry at an early age and in July, 1921, was thrown and kicked by a pony she rode in the second annual circus and Wild West show of the Lights Club, an organization composed of theatrical people living on Long Island. Dorothy, known as the "Queen of Chin Chin Ranch", was shaken up by her fall and bruised by kicks from the pony but not otherwise injured.New York Times, July 17, 1921, p. 3

Dorothy’s Broadway debut was in 1923 in Jerome Kern’s Stepping Stones in which she played the character of Roughette Hood among a cast which included her father, Fred Stone (as Peter Plug), Oscar Ragland (as Otto DeWolfe), and Jack Whiting (as Captain Paul). She was a big hit in the show and The New York Times reported that the audience was cheering her before the first act was over.New York Times, November 7, 1923, p. 14

Dorothy performed with her father again at the Globe Theater in Manhattan, in Criss Cross in October 1926. This was followed by Three Cheers in 1928 (with Will Rogers taking her father's place because of an airplane accident). The headline of the review by Brooks Atkinson in the New York Times read "Dorothy Stone Captivates as Dancer and Singer."New York Times, October 16, 1928, p. 16

In August, 1929, when Ruby Keeler (Al Jolson's wife) had to withdraw due to illness from the cast of Ziegfeld's Show Girl, Dorothy took over to headlines that read "Dorothy Stone scores a hit on 'Show Girl' (...) receives an Ovation."New York Times, August 8, 1929, p. 34

Dorothy next appeared with her father (having recovered from his accident), mother, and Paula (making her stage debut) in Ripples, a show which debuted in New Haven, Connecticut, in January 1930. The first New York production of the show came to the New Amsterdam Theater in February. As Brooks Atkinson of the New York Times reported, "Fred Stone is back."New York Times, February 20, 1930, p. 29

Dorothy, Paula, and their father teamed in Smiling Faces, produced by the Shubert Theater owners in 1932. Mack Gordon and Harry Revel wrote the music and lyrics. The musical had its pre-Broadway tryout in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Dorothy took over the roles played by Marilyn Miller in the Irving Berlin musical, As Thousands Cheer in 1934. "She tossed them off with charm and with the sprightly air that is the trade-mark of the Stones."New York Times, July 10, 1934, p. 24

With her husband, Charles Collins, Dorothy appeared in the musical comedy Sea Legs (1937), which got bad notices. About Charles and Dorothy, however, Brooks Atkinson said they "are an attractive couple with a neat gift for dancing."New York Times, May 19, 1937, p. 26

She played Essie in the 1945 revival of You Can't Take It with You in which her father (at age 70) appeared as Martin Vanderhof, and her husband, Charles Collins, as Boris Kolenkhov.New York Times, March 27, 1945, p. 284

She also appeared with her husband and Eddie Foy, Jr. in the revival of The Red Mill in 1945.

Dorothy's first film was a short entitled Shave It With Music (1932), with her father Fred Stone. However, her next film, also a short, starred Bob Hope in his first credited role: Paree, Paree (1934), with songs by Cole Porter from Fifty Million Frenchmen.{{Citation needed |date=August 2021}}

Her other film credits include:

• Revolt of the Zombies (1936)
• Radio Hook Up (1938)
• Latin Hi-Hattin (1938)
• I'll Be Seeing You (1944)

In 1931, she married her dancing partner, Charles Collins, in London.New York Times, September 9, 1931, p. 64 She died at her home{{cite news |title=Broadway Comedienne Dies At 69 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/32152549/dorothy_stone/ |accessdate=1 June 2019 |work=The Tampa Tribune |date=September 28, 1974 |location=Florida, Tampa |page=1|via = Newspapers.com}} in Montecito, California, on September 24, 1974, at the age of 69.New York Times, September 28, 1974, p. 32

Citations

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Sources

• {{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BUhoETWzU64C&dq=allene+crater&pg=PA106 |title=Fred Stone: Circus Performer and Musical Comedy Star |last=Fields |first=Armond |year=2002 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=9780786411610}}

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• {{IBDB name|61215}}
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Category:American stage actresses

Category:American film actresses

Category:American female dancers

Category:Dancers from New York (state)

Category:Actresses from Brooklyn

Category:20th-century American actresses

Category:1905 births

Category:1974 deaths

Category:20th-century American singers

Category:20th-century American women singers

Category:20th-century American dancers