Marian Shockley

Marian Shockley (also Marian Shockley Collyer[1]) (October 10, 1908[2] – December 14, 1981[1]) was an American film actress of the 1930s.

Marian Shockley
Shockley (right) with Santos Ortega and Hugh Marlowe in The Adventures of Ellery Queen, 1939.
Born(1908-10-10)October 10, 1908
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
DiedDecember 14, 1981(1981-12-14) (aged 73)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
Alma materUniversity of Missouri
Spouse
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(m. 1947⁠–⁠1969)​

Early years

Born in Kansas City, Missouri,[1] Marian Shockley (sometimes known as Marion Shockley) attended the University of Missouri with plans to teach history. However, her experiences with the Theatre Guild and in stock theater turned her attention to acting.[3]

Career

Shockley was selected as a "WAMPAS Baby Star" in 1932,[4] alongside Ginger Rogers and Gloria Stuart, among others. From 1930 to 1934 she starred in nineteen films, all B-movies, including the 1931 western Near the Trails End opposite Bob Steele, and, that same year, Heroes of the Flames starring opposite Tim McCoy.

Fourteen young women were selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars" in 1932. Of those, several saw continued success in acting, whereas others would see short lived success, then watch their acting career end with little notoriety. Shockley would be in the latter group. She continued auditioning for parts, receiving only one between 1934 and 1943. She played a small role in Stage Door Canteen (1943). She would have a couple of television roles following that.

Shockley's Broadway credits include Abie's Irish Rose (1936) and Dear Old Darling (1935).[5]

On radio, Shockley was the first person to play Nikki Porter, Ellery Queen's secretary, in The Adventures of Ellery Queen, filling that role from 1939 to 1944.[6] In 1939, she married the program's producer-director, George Zachary.[7] She also portrayed Carol Brent on Road of Life.[8]

Personal life

Marian retired from acting in 1955. She was a sister-in-law to Stuart Erwin and actress June Collyer. She was married to Gordon Barry Thomson from 1934 to 1938,[2] George Zachary from 1939 to ca.1945,[2] and actor Bud Collyer[9] from 1946 until his death in 1969, Collyer already had three children from a previous marriage.[2][10] She died on December 14, 1981, aged 73.

References
  1. "Obituary". The New York Times. December 18, 1981. p. D15. Marian Shockley Collyer died Monday in Los Angeles...She was born in Kansas City, Mo. and graduated from the University of Missouri.
  2. "List of Probable Suspects: Marion Shockley/Marian Shockley". queen.spaceports.com. Retrieved 2022-04-24.
  3. Gerhard, Inez (July 3, 1947). "Star Dust". The McHenry Plaindealer. Illinois, McHenry. Western Newspaper Union. p. 6. Retrieved May 10, 2017 – via Newspapers.com. open access
  4. "Florida Girl Is On List Of Baby Stars In Movies Selected By 1932 WAMPAS". Evening Independent. December 8, 1932. Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  5. "("Marian Shockley" search results)". Playbill Vault. Playbill. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
  6. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 8–9. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  7. Nevins, Francis M. "The Radio Adventures of Ellery Queen: The First Season". Old Time Radio Researchers Group. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. Welles, Sally (December 23, 1945). "The Woman Listener". The Sunday News. New Jersey, Ridgewood. p. 18. Retrieved January 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Obituary". Los Angeles Times. December 21, 1981. Radio Actress Was First Ellery Queen Secretary: Marian Shockley Collyer, widow of radio and television announcer Clayton (Bud) Collyer
  10. "TV performer Bud Collyer dead at 66". Chicago Tribune. September 9, 1969. In 1946 he married Marian Shockley, a radio soap opera co-star
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