Arlene Dahl
Encyclopedia
Arlene Carol Dahl is an American
actress and former MGM
contract star, who achieved notability during the 1950s. She is the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas
.
in 1925, the daughter of Idelle (née Swan) and Rudolph S. Dahl, a Ford motor dealer and executive. She is of Norwegian descent
. After graduating from Washburn High School
, she held various jobs, including performing in a local drama group and briefly working as a model for department stores. Dahl's mother was involved in the theatre. As a child she took elocution and dancing lessons and acted in local amateur theatre. She was active in theatrical events at Margaret Fuller Elementary School, Ramsey Junior High School and Washburn Senior High School. Dahl briefly attended the University of Minnesota
.
(1949), Three Little Words
(1950), Woman's World (1954), Slightly Scarlet (1956), and Journey to the Center of the Earth
(1959).
in the early 1950s, and on April 16, 1951, Dahl and Barker wed. A year later she and Barker divorced, and Dahl would go on to marry another matinee idol, Fernando Lamas
. Barker went on to marry Lana Turner
. In 1958 Dahl and Lamas had their only son, Lorenzo Lamas
. Shortly after giving birth to Lorenzo, Dahl slowed and eventually ended her career as an actress, although she still appeared in movies and on television occasionally. Dahl would go on to work as a beauty columnist and as a writer.
She founded Arlene Dahl Enterprises, which marketed lingerie and cosmetics. She eventually became an astrologer and wrote a syndicated column on the subject.
.
. In 1953, she hosted ABC
's The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
. She appeared on ABC's soap opera
One Life to Live
as Lucinda Schenck Wilson from 1981 to 1984. Lucinda was planned to be a short-termed role, but she was later offered a one-year contract to appear on the show. The last film in which she appeared, which followed a hiatus of more than 20 years, was the 1991 film, Night of the Warrior, which starred her son, Lorenzo Lamas
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actress and former MGM
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. is an American media company, involved primarily in the production and distribution of films and television programs. MGM was founded in 1924 when the entertainment entrepreneur Marcus Loew gained control of Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures Corporation and Louis B. Mayer...
contract star, who achieved notability during the 1950s. She is the mother of actor Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
.
Early years
Dahl was born in Minneapolis, MinnesotaMinneapolis, Minnesota
Minneapolis , nicknamed "City of Lakes" and the "Mill City," is the county seat of Hennepin County, the largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota, and the 48th largest in the United States...
in 1925, the daughter of Idelle (née Swan) and Rudolph S. Dahl, a Ford motor dealer and executive. She is of Norwegian descent
Norwegian American
Norwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than 4.5 million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S. census, and...
. After graduating from Washburn High School
Washburn High School
Minneapolis Washburn High School is a four-year public high school serving grades 9–12 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. By enrollment, Washburn is the fourth-largest high school in the Minneapolis Public School District.Principal Mrs...
, she held various jobs, including performing in a local drama group and briefly working as a model for department stores. Dahl's mother was involved in the theatre. As a child she took elocution and dancing lessons and acted in local amateur theatre. She was active in theatrical events at Margaret Fuller Elementary School, Ramsey Junior High School and Washburn Senior High School. Dahl briefly attended the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
.
Career
It is an oft repeated myth that Dahl was voted the Rheingold Beer Girl of 1946. (The 1946 Rheingold Girl was Rita Daigle) Other actresses have accumulated the same myth (because of endorsements, because they were considered in the role or because of this wikipedia entry) including Tippi Hedren, Hope Lange and Grace Kelly. Dahl began her acting career in 1947. She reached the peak of her popularity and success in the 1950s. Some of her best films include: Reign of TerrorReign of Terror (film)
Reign of Terror is a 1949 drama film set in the French Revolution. Plotters seek to bring down Maximilien Robespierre and end his bloodthirsty Reign of Terror...
(1949), Three Little Words
Three Little Words (film)
Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but...
(1950), Woman's World (1954), Slightly Scarlet (1956), and Journey to the Center of the Earth
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)
Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
(1959).
Personal life
Dahl met actor Lex BarkerLex Barker
Lex Barker was an American actor best known for playing Tarzan of the Apes and leading characters from Karl May's novels.-Early life:...
in the early 1950s, and on April 16, 1951, Dahl and Barker wed. A year later she and Barker divorced, and Dahl would go on to marry another matinee idol, Fernando Lamas
Fernando Lamas
Fernando Álvaro Lamas was an Argentine-born actor and director, and the father of actor Lorenzo Lamas.-Early life and career:...
. Barker went on to marry Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
. In 1958 Dahl and Lamas had their only son, Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
. Shortly after giving birth to Lorenzo, Dahl slowed and eventually ended her career as an actress, although she still appeared in movies and on television occasionally. Dahl would go on to work as a beauty columnist and as a writer.
She founded Arlene Dahl Enterprises, which marketed lingerie and cosmetics. She eventually became an astrologer and wrote a syndicated column on the subject.
Family
Dahl and Lamas divorced in 1960, and Dahl later remarried. Aside from Lorenzo Lamas, Dahl has two other children: a daughter Christina (born August 3, 1961) by third husband Christian R. Holmes, and a second son, Rousevelle Andreas (born December 8, 1970), by her fifth husband Rousevelle W. Schaum. She has six grandchildren, and divides her time between New York City and West Palm Beach, FloridaWest Palm Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and is the most populous city in and county seat of Palm Beach County, the third most populous county in Florida with a 2010 population of 1,320,134. The city is also the oldest incorporated municipality in South Florida...
.
Television
Dahl was both a mystery guest and a panelist on the TV game show What's My Line?What's My Line?
What's My Line? is a panel game show which originally ran in the United States on the CBS Television Network from 1950 to 1967, with several international versions and subsequent U.S. revivals. The game tasked celebrity panelists with questioning contestants in order to determine their occupations....
. In 1953, she hosted ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse
The Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
. She appeared on ABC's soap opera
Soap opera
A soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
One Life to Live
One Life to Live
One Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
as Lucinda Schenck Wilson from 1981 to 1984. Lucinda was planned to be a short-termed role, but she was later offered a one-year contract to appear on the show. The last film in which she appeared, which followed a hiatus of more than 20 years, was the 1991 film, Night of the Warrior, which starred her son, Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas
Lorenzo Lamas y de Santos is an American actor. Lamas is known for playing Lance Cumson on the popular 1980s soap opera Falcon Crest, Reno Raines on the 1990s crime drama Renegade, and Hector Ramirez on the daytime soap opera The Bold and The Beautiful...
.
Filmography
- Life with FatherLife with FatherLife with Father is the title of a humorous autobiographical book of stories compiled in 1935 by Clarence Day, Jr., which was adapted in 1939 into a long-running Broadway play by Lindsay and Crouse, which was, in turn, made into a 1947 movie and a television series.-The book:Clarence Day wrote...
(1947) - My Wild Irish Rose (1947)
- The Bride Goes Wild (1948)
- A Southern YankeeA Southern YankeeA Southern Yankee is an American comedy film, directed by Edward Sedgwick, starring Red Skelton and Arlene Dahl, and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A semi-remake of Buster Keaton's The General , Skelton plays a Union soldier who spies for the Confederacy during the American Civil War....
(1948) - Some of the Best (1949) (short subject)
- Scene of the CrimeScene of the Crime (1949 film)Scene of the Crime is a 1949 film noir starring Van Johnson as a Los Angeles police detective.-Plot:Detective Mike Conovan investigates when a former partner is found murdered and carrying $1,000 in cash....
(1949) - Reign of TerrorReign of Terror (film)Reign of Terror is a 1949 drama film set in the French Revolution. Plotters seek to bring down Maximilien Robespierre and end his bloodthirsty Reign of Terror...
(1949) - AmbushAmbush (1950 film)Ambush is a 1950 western film directed by Sam Wood and starring Robert Taylor, John Hodiak and Arlene Dahl. This was the last film directed by Sam Wood.-Plot synopsis:...
(1950) - The Outriders (1950)
- Three Little WordsThree Little Words (film)Three Little Words is a 1950 American musical film biography of the Tin Pan Alley songwriting partnership of Kalmar and Ruby and stars Fred Astaire as lyricist Bert Kalmar, Red Skelton as composer Harry Ruby, along with Vera-Ellen and Arlene Dahl as their wives, with Debbie Reynolds in a small but...
(1950) - Watch the Birdie (1950)
- Inside Straight (1951)
- No Questions Asked (1951)
- Caribbean (1952)
- Desert Legion (1953)
- Jamaica Run (1953)
- Sangaree (1953)
- Here Come the GirlsHere Come the Girls (1953 film)Here Come the Girls is a comedy film directed by Claude Binyon, filmed in Technicolor, produced by Hope's company Hope Productions Inc., and released by Paramount Pictures.-Storyline:...
(1953) - The Diamond Queen (1953)
- Woman's WorldWoman's World (film)Woman's World, also known as A Woman's World, is a 1954 drama film about corporate America. Three men compete for the top job at a large company.-Plot:...
(1954) - Bengal Brigade (1954)
- Slightly Scarlet (1956)
- Wicked As They ComeWicked as they ComeWicked As They Come is a 1956 British film starring Arlene Dahl, Philip Carey and Michael Goodliffe, with support from Sid James...
(1956) - Fortune is a WomanFortune is a WomanFortune is a Woman is a 1957 British crime film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Jack Hawkins, Arlene Dahl and Dennis Price. An attempted insurance fraud goes badly wrong...
(1957) - She Played with Fire (1958)
- Journey to the Center of the EarthJourney to the Center of the Earth (1959 film)Journey to the Center of the Earth is a 1959 adventure film adapted by Charles Brackett from the novel by Jules Verne. It stars Pat Boone, James Mason, Arlene Dahl, Peter Ronson, Diane Baker, Thayer David and Alan Napier...
(1959) - Kisses for My PresidentKisses for My PresidentKisses for My President is a 1964 comedy directed by Curtis Bernhardt, starring Fred MacMurray and Polly Bergen. Leslie McCloud makes history when she is elected the first female President of the United States. However, her husband Thad McCloud is less enthusiastic.-Plot summary:The United States...
(1964) - The Ponies (1967)
- The Pleasure Pit (1969)
- Land Raiders (1969)
- Night of the Warrior (1991)
- Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were ThereBroadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were ThereBroadway: The Golden Age is a 2004 documentary by Rick McKay, telling the story of the "golden age" of Broadway by the oral history of the legendary actors of the 40s and 50s, incorporating rare lost footage of actual performances and never-before-seen personal home movies and photos.-The Cast:The...
(2003) (documentary)
Television work
- The Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola PlayhouseThe Pepsi-Cola Playhouse is an American dramatic anthology series that aired on ABC from 1953 to 1955, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. The show was hosted by Arlene Dahl , Anita Colby , and, finally, Polly Bergen -Guest stars:* Claude Akins...
(host from 1953–1954) - Opening Night (1958) (canceled after a few weeks)
- Deadly Dream (1971)
- One Life to LiveOne Life to LiveOne Life to Live is an American soap opera which debuted on July 15, 1968 and has been broadcast on the ABC television network. Created by Agnes Nixon, the series was the first daytime drama to primarily feature racially and socioeconomically diverse characters and consistently emphasize social...
(cast member from 1981–1984) - All My ChildrenAll My ChildrenAll My Children is an American television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 5, 1970 to September 23, 2011. Created by Agnes Nixon, All My Children is set in Pine Valley, Pennsylvania, a fictitious suburb of Philadelphia. The show features Susan Lucci as Erica Kane, one of daytime's most...
(cast member in 1995)
External links
- Arlene Dahl at Brian's Drive-In Theatre
- Photographs and literature at Virtual-History.com