Dees, Mary, 1911-2004

Mary Ella Dees was born on 3 June 1911. Her place of birth is claimed by both Syracuse, New York, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, although her death certificate indicates she was born in Tuscaloosa County. There also appears to be some evidence that she spent her childhood and probably a significant part of her adolescence in Tuscaloosa. She started her career in summer stock companies before heading for New York, where she joined the back row of a chorus line.

Once in Hollywood, Mary Dees had parts in Dinner at Eight (1933), which starred Jean Harlow, and then in Eddie Cantor's comedy Kid Millions (1934) in which she played Paulette, a peach in a fruity ice-skating sequence. She appeared with Edward G. Robinson and Mary Astor in The Man with Two Faces (1934), and was a beautiful beach babe in Let's Talk it Over (1934).

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