Community Corner
Western Springs' Hollywood Star ... Well, Almost
In 1944, a 14-year-old Western Springs girl was "discovered" by a movie talent agent. A year later, she was under contract to MGM.
In 1942, the country was focused on World War II. So, the Chicago Tribune developed a comic strip called “Lew Loyal” featuring FBI agents, foreign spies, and other axis characters. The girlfriend in the comic strip was named “Betsy True”.
As a promotion, the newspaper held a contest to find a model for “Betsy”. And, who would win the $2,500 prize but 12-year-old Dolores Dey from Western Springs.
The daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Dey of 4344 Prospect Avenue, Dolores attended local schools and then became a freshman at Lyons Township High School. There she excelled in both dramatics and outdoor track, winning third place at a Toronto track meet in 1941. In addition, she was cast as Little Eva in the Western Springs Little Theater production of Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Soon, Hollywood beckoned.
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Having just finished her freshman year at LT, Dolores was “discovered” by a movie talent scout for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and, in June 1943, she was invited to New York for a screen test.
The screen test went well and Dolores was immediately signed to a seven-year contract with MGM at a salary of $150 per week. That translates to approximately $105,000 per year in 2015 dollars.
So, on August 29, 1943, 15-year-old Dolores and her family boarded the Santa Fe Super Chief train in Chicago and headed for Los Angeles, California.
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While never achieving a leading role, Dolores did perform in several major movies. These included “Bathing Beauty” starring Red Skelton and Esther Williams (1944), “Love Laughs at Andy Hardy” starring Mickey Rooney (1946), and “Cynthia” starring Elizabeth Taylor (1947).
In 1949, Dolores’ contract with MGM ended. However, that same year she married William Barnum, with whom she was to have three children. Sadly, Dolores died in Los Angeles at just 42 years of age. She was buried in Holy Cross Cemetery in Culver City.
Ironically, while never having achieved star status, her final resting place is nearby some of Hollywood’s greatest performers, including Bing Crosby, Rosalind Russell, and Rita Hayworth.
Each week, the Western Springs Historical Society presents a “Blast from the Past”. To view prior stories, visit us at www.westernspringshistory.org or just click on the author’s name shown above.
