Marion Burns
Encyclopedia
Marion Burns was an American film actress of the 1930s. She is best known for having starred opposite John Wayne
in the 1935 film The Dawn Rider
and opposite him again that same year in Paradise Canyon
.
Burns was born in Los Angeles, California
, making her way to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. She received her first film role in 1931, starring opposite Bill Cody
in Oklahoma Jim. That film started her on the path of starring in western films as a heroine. In 1932 she starred opposite George O'Brien in The Golden West, followed by Me and My Gal
that same year. 1934 and 1935 would be her biggest years, with her appearing in six films, three each year, two of which were uncredited, and the most notable being the two John Wayne films. Her first film in 1934 was The Devil Tiger.
In The Devil Tiger, Director Clyde E. Elliott
allowed his hero, Kane Richmond
, to fight a 25 foot python. Richmond hated doubles and had insisted. The actor, on his feet, on the ground, on his feet again, succeeded in holding the snake's snapping mouth away from his face, while struggling to free himself from the triple coils around his body. At the height of the struggle, the heroine, Marion Burns, runs in and saves the hero from the python. Miss Burns had to fight the snake too, in order to get at Richmond's pistol, with which she was supposed to shoot the python. She played her own scene, as well.
In the 1934 film Born to Be Bad
Burns starred alongside Cary Grant
and Loretta Young
. In her last film of 1935 she starred opposite Lloyd Hughes
in the crime drama Rip Roaring Riley. It would be her last film for a span of ten years. She married twice during her career. Her first marriage was to actor Bruce MacFarlane which ended in divorce. Her second marriage was in 1934 to actor Kane Richmond
, She returned to acting three times and only briefly following 1935.The first time was in a stage appearance in "Leaning on Letty" in January of 1936 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The second time was in 1945 alongside her husband in Brenda Starr, Reporter
, which starred Kane Richmond and Joan Woodbury
. The third time wasn't until 1961 when she appeared on one episode of the television series My Three Sons
. She eventually settled in Laguna Niguel, California
, where she was living at the time of her death on December 22, 1993.
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
in the 1935 film The Dawn Rider
The Dawn Rider
The Dawn Rider is a 1935 film starring John Wayne.John Mason chases after his father's killer, an outlaw who remains illusive until he is tricked into revealing himself with a decoy gold shipment. To complicate matters, the killer is the brother of Alice, the woman with whom Mason has fallen in love...
and opposite him again that same year in Paradise Canyon
Paradise Canyon
Paradise Canyon is a 1935 Western film directed by Carl L. Pierson.John Wyatt is a government agent sent to smash a counterfeiting operation near the Mexican border. Joining Doc Carter's medicine show they arrive in the town where Curly Joe , who once framed Carter, resides...
.
Burns was born 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...
, making her way to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting. She received her first film role in 1931, starring opposite Bill Cody
Bill Cody (actor)
Bill Cody, born William Joseph Cody Jr., was a Hollywood B-western actor of the 1920s, 1930s and into the 1940s, and father to Bill Cody, Jr.....
in Oklahoma Jim. That film started her on the path of starring in western films as a heroine. In 1932 she starred opposite George O'Brien in The Golden West, followed by Me and My Gal
Me and My Gal
Me and My Gal is a 1932 American motion picture drama and romantic comedy starring Spencer Tracy and Joan Bennett, directed by Raoul Walsh, and released by the Fox Film Corporation...
that same year. 1934 and 1935 would be her biggest years, with her appearing in six films, three each year, two of which were uncredited, and the most notable being the two John Wayne films. Her first film in 1934 was The Devil Tiger.
In The Devil Tiger, Director Clyde E. Elliott
Clyde E. Elliott
-Filmography:* Jacare * Booloo * The Devil Tiger * Bring 'Em Back Alive * Western Ways * A Winter's Tale * The City * Le voyageur * A Bit Old Fashioned * My Barefoot Boy...
allowed his hero, Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s, mostly appearing in cliffhangers and serials...
, to fight a 25 foot python. Richmond hated doubles and had insisted. The actor, on his feet, on the ground, on his feet again, succeeded in holding the snake's snapping mouth away from his face, while struggling to free himself from the triple coils around his body. At the height of the struggle, the heroine, Marion Burns, runs in and saves the hero from the python. Miss Burns had to fight the snake too, in order to get at Richmond's pistol, with which she was supposed to shoot the python. She played her own scene, as well.
In the 1934 film Born to Be Bad
Born to Be Bad (1934 film)
Born to Be Bad is a 1934 Drama directed by Lowell Sherman, starring Loretta Young and Cary Grant. This film was rejected by the Hays Office twice before it was finally approved...
Burns starred alongside Cary Grant
Cary Grant
Archibald Alexander Leach , better known by his stage name Cary Grant, was an English actor who later took U.S. citizenship...
and Loretta Young
Loretta Young
Loretta Young was an American actress. Starting as a child actress, she had a long and varied career in film from 1917 to 1953...
. In her last film of 1935 she starred opposite Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes
Lloyd Hughes was an American silent film actor.-Life and career:Born in Bisbee, Arizona, Hughes received his education at the Los Angeles Polytechnic School. He sought a career as an actor early in life, and his clean-cut appearance and ability soon gained him recognition...
in the crime drama Rip Roaring Riley. It would be her last film for a span of ten years. She married twice during her career. Her first marriage was to actor Bruce MacFarlane which ended in divorce. Her second marriage was in 1934 to actor Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond
Kane Richmond was an American film actor of the 1930s and 1940s, mostly appearing in cliffhangers and serials...
, She returned to acting three times and only briefly following 1935.The first time was in a stage appearance in "Leaning on Letty" in January of 1936 at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles. The second time was in 1945 alongside her husband in Brenda Starr, Reporter
Brenda Starr, Reporter
Brenda Starr, Reporter was the 25th film serial released by Columbia Pictures. It was inspired by Brenda Starr, a popular comic strip created by Dale Messick.-Plot:...
, which starred Kane Richmond and Joan Woodbury
Joan Woodbury
Joan Woodbury was an American actress beginning in the 1930s and continuing well into the 1960s.-Early life, entrance into acting:...
. The third time wasn't until 1961 when she appeared on one episode of the television series My Three Sons
My Three Sons
My Three Sons is an American situation comedy. The series ran from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and moved to CBS until its end on August 24, 1972. My Three Sons chronicles the life of a widower and aeronautical engineer named Steven Douglas , raising his three sons.The series was a cornerstone of the CBS...
. She eventually settled in Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel, California
Laguna Niguel is an affluent city located in southern Orange County, California. The name "Laguna Niguel" is derived from the Spanish word "Laguna" which means lagoon, and the word "Nigueli" which was the name of a Juaneño Indian village that was once located on Aliso Creek. The population was...
, where she was living at the time of her death on December 22, 1993.