Jill Dennett
Encyclopedia
Jill Dennett was a motion picture actress in Hollywood movies for a decade, beginning in 1932. She accumulated more than twenty screen credits, all of them in uncredited roles. She was an attractive redhead
who was also a talented dancer and singer.
for $100,000. After a small part in Union Station (1932), Dennett appeared with her father on stage at the Hillstreet Theater
in Los Angeles, California
. Earlier she had established herself as a favorite on the vaudeville
circuit.
. She next depicted an ingenue (stock character)
in the The Tinsel Girl (1932), a film directed by Michael Curtiz
. This was followed by her portrayal of Tart in Two Seconds (1932). This screen crime drama starred Edward G. Robinson
and was directed by Mervyn Leroy
.
From the mid-1930s Dennett acted small parts in The Merry Widow (1934), Men In White (1934), One More Spring (1935), The Devil Is A Woman (1935), Dramatic School (1938), Broadway Serenade (1939), Stardust (1940), Manhattan Heartbeat (1940), Street
of Memories (1940), and The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941).
closed for renovations in the summer of 1934. When it reopened, on August 9, Dennett was part of a musical-comedy stage
production. The other entertainment was provided by the screening of the W.C. Fields movie, Old-Fashioned Way (1934). Dennett shared the bill with thirty
other players like Frank Gallagher, Bobby Dale, Helen Wright, and Dorothy Castleman. The presentation of Peggy-Ann was enlivened by the addition of dancing and singing choruses. Audiences were pleased and the show was repeated four times a day for some days.
A production of Alt Heidelberg was presented at the Shrine Auditorium
in October 1937. Engel portrayed Gretchen
in the theatrical production. Others contributing to the musical version of the play were Henry Mowbray, Paul Keast, Milton Tilly,
and Manilla Powers. Engel performed at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles the same week, in March 1937, that Major Bowes headlined with his All-Girl Revue
.
. Munitions employed the use of some fine human hair. The hair was received by the Max Factor
studios. It cost $17 an ounce in twenty-two inch lengths.
Red hair
Red hair occurs on approximately 1–2% of the human population. It occurs more frequently in people of northern or western European ancestry, and less frequently in other populations...
who was also a talented dancer and singer.
Comedy
Dennett was the daughter of comedy star Dave Kramer of the Kramer & Boyle act. In 1931 her eyes were insured by Lloyd's of LondonLloyd's of London
Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...
for $100,000. After a small part in Union Station (1932), Dennett appeared with her father on stage at the Hillstreet Theater
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. Earlier she had established herself as a favorite on the vaudeville
Vaudeville
Vaudeville was a theatrical genre of variety entertainment in the United States and Canada from the early 1880s until the early 1930s. Each performance was made up of a series of separate, unrelated acts grouped together on a common bill...
circuit.
Minor Film Actress
After playing Daisy, the girl of the pavements in Union Station, she was given a contract for two additional films by Warner Bros.Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
. She next depicted an ingenue (stock character)
Ingenue (stock character)
See also Disingenuous, which is not quite the antonym that it may seem!The ingénue is a stock character in literature, film, and a role type in the theatre; generally a girl or a young woman who is endearingly innocent and wholesome. Ingenue may also refer to a new young actress or one typecast in...
in the The Tinsel Girl (1932), a film directed by Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz
Michael Curtiz was an Academy award winning Hungarian-American film director. He had early creditsas Mihály Kertész and Michael Kertész...
. This was followed by her portrayal of Tart in Two Seconds (1932). This screen crime drama starred Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
and was directed by Mervyn Leroy
Mervyn LeRoy
Mervyn LeRoy was an American film director, producer and sometime actor.-Early life:Born to Jewish parents in San Francisco, California, his family was financially ruined by the 1906 earthquake...
.
From the mid-1930s Dennett acted small parts in The Merry Widow (1934), Men In White (1934), One More Spring (1935), The Devil Is A Woman (1935), Dramatic School (1938), Broadway Serenade (1939), Stardust (1940), Manhattan Heartbeat (1940), Street
of Memories (1940), and The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941).
Variety show Performer
The Million Dollar TheaterMillion Dollar Theater
The Million Dollar Theater at 307 S. Broadway in downtown Los Angeles is one of the first movie palaces built in the United States. It opened in February 1918...
closed for renovations in the summer of 1934. When it reopened, on August 9, Dennett was part of a musical-comedy stage
production. The other entertainment was provided by the screening of the W.C. Fields movie, Old-Fashioned Way (1934). Dennett shared the bill with thirty
other players like Frank Gallagher, Bobby Dale, Helen Wright, and Dorothy Castleman. The presentation of Peggy-Ann was enlivened by the addition of dancing and singing choruses. Audiences were pleased and the show was repeated four times a day for some days.
A production of Alt Heidelberg was presented at the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in October 1937. Engel portrayed Gretchen
in the theatrical production. Others contributing to the musical version of the play were Henry Mowbray, Paul Keast, Milton Tilly,
and Manilla Powers. Engel performed at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles the same week, in March 1937, that Major Bowes headlined with his All-Girl Revue
Revue
A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...
.
Romance
Dennett was linked romantically with Jesse L. Lasky, Jr. She became engaged to singer Geoffrey Gill in January 1933.Philanthropist
She donated some twenty pounds of her own red hair during a war scare about a year before the outbreak of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. Munitions employed the use of some fine human hair. The hair was received by the Max Factor
Max Factor
Max Factor & Company is a cosmetics company, founded during 1909 by Maksymilian Faktorowicz , Max Factor, a Polish-Jewish cosmetician. Max Factor & Company was a related, two-family, multi-generational international cosmetics company before its sale in 1973 for $500 million dollars...
studios. It cost $17 an ounce in twenty-two inch lengths.