Penny Singleton

{{Infobox person

| name = Penny Singleton

| image = PennySingleton.jpg

| alt = Publicity photo of Penny Singleton

| caption = Singleton in 1938

| birth_name = Mariana Dorothy McNulty

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1908|9|15|mf=y}}

| birth_place = Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2003|11|12|1908|9|15}}

| death_place = Los Angeles, California, U.S.

| resting_place = San Fernando Mission Cemetery

| occupation = {{hlist|Actress|labor leader}}

| years_active = 1925–1990

| party =

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Laurence Scroggs Singleton|1937|1939|reason=divorced}}
{{marriage|Robert Sparks|1941|1963|reason=died}}

}}

| children = 2

}}

Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=toTIb1Ek2WwC&pg=PA685|title=Screen World Presents the Encyclopedia of Hollywood Film Actors: From the silent era to 1965|last=Monush|first=Barry|date=2003|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9781557835512|pages=685|language=en}} – November 12, 2003) was an American actress and labor leader. During her six decade career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the comic-strip heroine Blondie Bumstead in a series of 28 motion pictures from 1938 until 1950 and the popular Blondie radio program from 1939 until 1950. Singleton also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1963.

Behind the scenes, Singleton was the first woman to serve as president of an AFL-CIO union,{{Cite web |title=Penny Singleton |url=https://projects.latimes.com/hollywood/star-walk/penny-singleton/ |access-date=2023-01-15 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en}} and served two terms as president of the American Guild of Variety Artists. She testified before a Senate subcommittee in 1962 on the union's treatment of women variety workers, and led a strike of the Radio City Rockettes in 1967.

Early life

Singleton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35395200/penny_singleton_2003/|title=Penny Singleton, 95; Actress Played Blondie in 28 Movies, on Radio|last=Luther|first=Claudia|date=November 14, 2003|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=106|via=Newspapers.com}} She began performing professionally as a child, and only completed sixth grade in her schooling.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35395634/penny_singleton_1937/|title=In Hollywood: Luck of Penny Singleton Does Not Hold in Movies|last=Coons|first=Robbin|date=October 16, 1937|work=Chillicothe Gazette|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=11|via=Newspapers.com}}

Career

File:Penny Singleton Arthur Lake Blondie 1944.JPG as Dagwood Bumstead, from a 1944 publicity photograph]]

Singleton sang at a silent movie theater, and toured in vaudeville as part of an act called "The Kiddie Kabaret". She sang and danced with Milton Berle, whom she had known since childhood, and actor Gene Raymond, and appeared on Broadway in Jack Benny's The Great Temptations. She also toured nightclubs and in roadshows of plays and musicals.

Singleton appeared as a brunette nightclub singer in After the Thin Man, credited as Dorothy McNulty. She was cast opposite Arthur Lake (as Dagwood) in the feature film Blondie in 1938, based on the comic strip by Chic Young. They repeated their roles on a radio comedy beginning in 1939 and in guest appearances on other radio shows. As Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, they proved so popular that a succession of 27 sequels was made from 1938 until 1950, with the radio show ending the same year. Singleton's husband Robert Sparks produced 12 of these sequels. Also in 1950, she had her own program, The Penny Singleton Show, on NBC radio.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nIiACgAAQBAJ|last=Terrace|first=Vincent|title=Radio Programs, 1924–1984: A Catalog of More Than 1800 Shows|date=1999|publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc.|isbn=978-0-7864-4513-4|pages=267–268}}{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1950/05/09/84658839.html|title=Radio and Television: Joel McCrea and Penny Singleton to Star on N.B.C. Summer-Evening Shows|date=May 9, 1950|work=The New York Times|page=58|via=}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35395069/penny_singleton_1950/|title=Radio Television for Week Ending June 26|date=June 20, 1950|work=Altoona Tribune|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=13|via=Newspapers.com}}

Singleton held top billing in Go West, Young Lady (1941), over her male co-star, Glenn Ford. Only two other female stars (Dorothy Page and Jane Frazee) were top-billed singing cowgirls at the time.Douglas B. Green, Singing In The Saddle, 2002/Vanderbilt Univ. Press & Country Music Foundation Press. p. 210.

One of her last live-action roles was as Jessica Fletcher's Aunt Mildred on the Murder, She Wrote episode The Perfect Foil (1986).

She provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the 1962–63 animated series, The Jetsons. From 1985 to 1987, Singleton reprised her role for the new seasons of The Jetsons. She also played Jane in The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987), Rockin' with Judy Jetson (1988) and Jetsons: The Movie (1990).{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/15/arts/penny-singleton-dies-at-95-played-blondie-in-film-series.html|title=Penny Singleton Dies at 95; Played Blondie in Film Series|date=November 15, 2003|work=The New York Times|agency=The Associated Press|page=C16}}

Labor activism

Singleton was active in union affairs as a vocal member of the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35395769/earl_wilson_it_happened_last_night_1968/|title=It Happened Last Night|last=Wilson|first=Earl|date=December 31, 1968|work=Courier-Post|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=21|via=Newspapers.com}} She was elected president of the AGVA in 1958–1959,{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35410911/penny_singleton_1964_agva/|title=Penny Singleton – AGVA Racket Buster|last=Thomas|first=Bob|date=March 16, 1964|work=The Evening Times|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=6|via=Newspapers.com}} and again in 1969–1970. Her union membership was suspended in 1962,{{Cite magazine|date=June 6, 1962|title=Vaudeville: 5 Year Suspension for Penny|magazine=Variety|volume=227|pages=49, 52|via=}} when she was accused of slandering some of the union's officers, and she countersued.{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/08/30/90572469.html|title=Penny Singleton Files Suit In Reply to A.G.V.A. Aide|date=August 30, 1962|work=The New York Times|page=28}} Singleton was reinstated as a union member in 1963, after the dispute reached a legal settlement.{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/11/13/89972397.html|title=Suit of Penny Singleton Against A.G.V.A. Dismissed|date=November 13, 1963|work=The New York Times|page=38}}

She testified on the exploitation of women in variety work, and the union's shortcomings in representing those workers, before a United States Senate subcommittee in 1962.{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1962/06/13/82126475.html|title=Senators Hear of B-Girls' Role; Witness Accuses Artists' Guild: Penny Singleton Says Union Ignores Members' Interests 'Degradation' Charged|last=Phillips|first=Cabell|date=June 13, 1962|work=The New York Times|page=27|via=}} "I charge here and now that the exotic and strip artists have been abandoned and made outcasts by the very union to which they pay dues for representation and protection," she announced to the subcommittee.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35411238/penny_singleton_agva_1962/|title=Required to be B-Girls, Phila. Singer Testifies|date=June 12, 1962|work=Philadelphia Daily News|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=1|via=Newspapers.com}}

In 1967, she led a successful month-long strike by the Radio City Rockettes for better working conditions. During her presidency, she led negotiations with the Disney on Parade show (NAWAL Productions) during a variety artists' strike in the 1970 Disney on Parade (DOP) show – a joint venture between Walt Disney and NBC, and one of the most successful touring arena shows ever, with tours all over the world. With over 100 cast members, she led a slowdown in the performance in Hershey, Pennsylvania, followed by a walkout in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a settlement the next week in Houston, Texas.

The issue was purportedly that the 16" support stage used by the dancers was cut from the show to reduce trucking costs. The stage, which was laid down on the arena floor without the support, caused the dancers to reportedly get shin splints. The strike was settled and the show went on in Houston.{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35395898/penny_singleton_1970/|title=No Progress Reported in Disneyland Strike|last=Wong|first=Herman|date=August 19, 1970|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=5|via=Newspapers.com}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/35396042/penny_singleton_1970/|title=Artists Guild Puts Pickets at Disneyland|date=August 10, 1970|work=The South Bend Tribune|access-date=August 29, 2019|page=3|via=Newspapers.com}}

Personal life and legacy

Singleton married Laurence Scroggs Singleton, a dentist, in 1937; although they divorced in 1939, she kept his surname. She remarried, to Robert C. Sparks, a Marine Corps officer and film producer, in 1941. They remained wed until his death in 1963.{{Cite news|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1942/10/10/85598184.html|title=Penny Singleton a Mother|date=October 10, 1942|work=The New York Times|page=11|via=}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/penny-singleton-37465.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/penny-singleton-37465.html |archive-date=May 25, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Penny Singleton|last1=Vallance|first1=Tom|date=November 15, 2003|newspaper=The Independent|access-date=February 4, 2015}} Singleton had two daughters, Dorothy and Susan. She was a lifelong Catholic.Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2)

Singleton was a charter member of the Hollywood Republican Committee{{Cite news |date=1947-10-20 |title=Film Notables Open Drive for G.O.P. President |pages=8 |work=Los Angeles Times}} and campaigned for Republicans Thomas E. Dewey in 1948{{Cite news |date=1948-10-29 |title=SF Republican Will Stage Big Rally Tonight |pages=1 |work=The Sacramento Bee}} and Richard Nixon in 1960.{{Cite news |date=1960-10-20 |title=Toluca Nixon Rally |pages=21 |work=Valley Times Today}}

For her contributions to both radio and the motion-picture industry, in 1960, Singleton was honored with two stars during her induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.{{Cite web|url=https://www.walkoffame.com/penny-singleton|title=Penny Singleton|website=Hollywood Walk of Fame|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829182333/https://www.walkoffame.com/penny-singleton|archive-date=August 29, 2019|url-status=live|access-date=August 29, 2019}} Her star for radio is located at 6811 Hollywood Boulevard, and her film star is at 6547 Hollywood Boulevard.

Death

On November 12, 2003, Singleton died at the age of 95 of respiratory failure in Sherman Oaks, California.{{cite news |last1=The Associated Press |title=Penny Singleton Dies at 95; Played Blondie in Film Series |work=The New York Times |date=November 15, 2003 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/15/arts/penny-singleton-dies-at-95-played-blondie-in-film-series.html |access-date=2023-03-29}} She was buried at San Fernando Cemetery.

Filmography

= Features =

Credited as Dorothy McNulty 1930–1937

Belle of the Night (1930)
Good News (1930) – Flo
Love in the Rough (1930) – Virgie
Howd' Ya Like That? (1934) – Dancer
After the Thin Man (1936) – Polly Byrnes
Vogues of 1938 (1937) – Miss Violet Sims
Sea Racketeers (1937) – Florence Riley
Swing Your Lady (1938) – Cookie
Outside of Paradise (1938) – Colleen Kerrigan
Men Are Such Fools (1938) – Nancy
Racket Busters (1938) – Gladys Christie
Mr. Chump (1938) – Betty Martin
Boy Meets Girl (1938) – Peggy
Secrets of an Actress (1938) – Miss Reid
Garden of the Moon (1938) – Miss Calder
The Mad Miss Manton (1938) – Frances Glesk
Hard to Get (1938) – Hattie
Blondie (1938) – Blondie
Blondie Meets the Boss (1939) – Blondie
Blondie Takes a Vacation (1939) – Blondie
Blondie Brings Up Baby (1939) – Blondie
Blondie on a Budget (1940) – Blondie
Blondie Has Servant Trouble (1940) – Blondie
Blondie Plays Cupid (1940) – Blondie
Blondie Goes Latin (1941) – Blondie
Blondie in Society (1941) – Blondie
Go West, Young Lady (1941) – Belinda Pendergast
Blondie Goes to College (1942) – Blondie
Blondie's Blessed Event (1942) – Blondie
Blondie for Victory (1942) – Blondie
It's a Great Life (1943) – Blondie
Footlight Glamour (1943) – Blondie
Leave It to Blondie (1945) – Blondie
Life with Blondie (1945) – Blondie
Young Widow (1946) – Peg Martin
Blondie's Lucky Day (1946) – Blondie
Blondie Knows Best (1946) – Blondie
Blondie's Big Moment (1947) – Blondie
Blondie's Holiday (1947) – Blondie
Blondie in the Dough (1947) – Blondie
Blondie's Anniversary (1947) – Blondie
Blondie's Reward (1948) – Blondie
Blondie's Secret (1948) – Blondie
Blondie's Big Deal (1949) – Blondie
Blondie Hits the Jackpot (1949) – Blondie
Blondie's Hero (1950) – Blondie
Beware of Blondie (1950) – Blondie
The Best Man (scenes deleted, 1964)
Jetsons: The Movie (1990) – Jane Jetson (voice)

Sourced, to 1964, from TV Guide{{Cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/penny-singleton/credits/169739|title=Penny Singleton: Credits|website=TV Guide|language=en|access-date=August 29, 2019}}

= Short subjects =

Belle of the Night (1930){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M7vwCQAAQBAJ&pg=PA246|title=The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931|last=Bradley|first=Edwin M.|year= 2015|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-1-4766-0684-2|pages=246|language=en}}
Campus Cinderella (1938){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sXrGCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA372|title=Obituaries in the Performing Arts, 2003: Film, Television, Radio, Theatre, Dance, Music, Cartoons and Pop Culture|last=Lentz|first=Harris M. III|year=2008|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-5208-8|pages=372|language=en}}{{Better source needed|reason=Lentz gets this info from imdb|date=May 2025}}
Screen Snapshots Series 19, No. 1 (1939){{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

= Television credits =

Pulitzer Prize Playhouse (1950) – Wilhelmina
Frances Farmer Presents (1958) – Belinda Pendergast
The Quick Draw McGraw Show (1959) – The Cattle Battle Rattled – Wife{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}
The Jetsons (1962–1963, 1985–1987) – Jane Jetson (voice)
Death Valley Days (1963) – Maggie Franklin
The Twilight Zone (1964) – Sounds and Silences – Mrs. Flemington
Murder, She Wrote (1986) – "The Perfect Foil" – Aunt Mildred{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmovie.com/movie/murder-she-wrote-the-perfect-foil-v351395/cast-crew|title=Murder, She Wrote : Perfect Foil (1986): Cast and Crew|website=AllMovie|language=en-us|access-date=August 29, 2019}}
Rockin' with Judy Jetson (1988) – Jane Jetson (voice)
The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987) – Jane Jetson (voice)
Hanna-Barbera's 50th: A Yabba Dabba Doo Celebration (1989) – Jane Jetson (voice)
The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera (1990) – Jane Jetson (voice)

= Stage work =

Sky High (1925){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRmGDwAAQBAJ&q=%20Sky+High%20+%20Penny+Singleton%20+%201925%20&pg=PA249|title=The Complete Book of 1920s Broadway Musicals|last=Dietz|first=Dan|year= 2019|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-1282-3|pages=249, 304|language=en}}
Sweetheart Time (1926)
The Great Temptations (1926){{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}
Good News (1928) (replacement for Zelma O'Neal){{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}
Hey Nonny Nonny! (1932){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L0hNDwAAQBAJ&q=%20Hey+Nonny+Nonny!%20+%20Penny+Singleton&pg=PA207|title=The Complete Book of 1930s Broadway Musicals|last=Dietz|first=Dan|year=2018|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-5381-0277-0|pages=207|language=en}}
Call Me Madam (1959){{Cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/15408301/1959_call_me_madam_to_open/|title=Call Me Madam Will Open Tonight|date=August 10, 1959|work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch|access-date=August 29, 2019}}
Never Too Late (1964){{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t2IaCgAAQBAJ&q=%22Never+Too+Late%22+%22Penny+Singleton%22+%221964%22&pg=PT325|title=Blonde Goes to Hollywood: The Blondie Comic Strip in Films, Radio & Television|last=Scherling|first=Carol Lynn|date=December 7, 2014 |publisher=BearManor Media|pages=325|language=en}}
No, No, Nanette (1971) (replacement for Ruby Keeler){{Cite news|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7uICAAAAMBAJ&q=%20Penny+Singleton%20+%20No,+No,+Nanette%20&pg=PA10|title=In and Around Town: Theater|last=Gilbert|first=Ruth|date=August 23, 1971|work=New York Magazine}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDKFHniTy1YC&q=%22Penny+Singleton%22+%22No,+No,+Nanette%22&pg=PA47|title=Broadway Musicals, Show by Show|last=Green|first=Kay|date=1996|publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation|isbn=9780793577507|page=47|language=en}}
No, No, Nanette (1974){{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}
Little Me (1983){{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}