Dorothy McHugh
Encyclopedia
Dorothy McHugh was an American actress, model, and dancer, who was best known for her appearance in a commercial for the Lifecall emergency system in the late 1980s where she said the now famous line I've fallen and I can't get up.
factory
; she would frequently attend burlesque
shows during her off-time and memorized many of their routines. Because of this she filled-in for a dancer and soon got a job in the Ziegfeld Follies
. McHugh also appeared in the 1937 film Artists and Models
and at the 1939 New York World's Fair
.
She later became the owner of an apartment building and learned about the part in the Lifecall commercial from one of her tenants; she received 60 dollars for her role. McHugh was married twice and had no children. She died in 1995 at the age of 87, following a series of stroke
s; her appearance in the Lifecall ad made her death a notable one.
Biography
McHugh dropped out school in the sixth grade and worked in a rugCarpet
A carpet is a textile floor covering consisting of an upper layer of "pile" attached to a backing. The pile is generally either made from wool or a manmade fibre such as polypropylene,nylon or polyester and usually consists of twisted tufts which are often heat-treated to maintain their...
factory
Factory
A factory or manufacturing plant is an industrial building where laborers manufacture goods or supervise machines processing one product into another. Most modern factories have large warehouses or warehouse-like facilities that contain heavy equipment used for assembly line production...
; she would frequently attend burlesque
Burlesque
Burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects...
shows during her off-time and memorized many of their routines. Because of this she filled-in for a dancer and soon got a job in the Ziegfeld Follies
Ziegfeld Follies
The Ziegfeld Follies were a series of elaborate theatrical productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 through 1931. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as The Ziegfeld Follies of the Air....
. McHugh also appeared in the 1937 film Artists and Models
Artists and Models
Artists and Models is a 1955 Paramount musical comedy in VistaVision and marked Martin and Lewis's fourteenth feature together as a team. The film co-stars Dorothy Malone, Eva Gabor, Anita Ekberg, and Shirley MacLaine.-Plot:...
and at the 1939 New York World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
.
She later became the owner of an apartment building and learned about the part in the Lifecall commercial from one of her tenants; she received 60 dollars for her role. McHugh was married twice and had no children. She died in 1995 at the age of 87, following a series of stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
s; her appearance in the Lifecall ad made her death a notable one.