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Dorothy Comingore

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Dorothy Comingore
Dorothy Comingore in 1941
Born
Margaret Louise Comingore

(1913-08-24)August 24, 1913
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 30, 1971(1971-12-30) (aged 58)
Stonington, Connecticut, U.S.
Other namesKay Winters
Linda Winters
OccupationActress
Years active1934–1952
Spouse(s)
Robert Meltzer
​
​
(m. 1937, divorced)​
[1]
​
​
(m. 1939; div. 1946)​

​
​
(m. 1947; div. 1952)​

John Crowe
​
(m. 1962)​
Children3

Margaret Louise Comingore (August 24, 1913 – December 30, 1971), known professionally as Dorothy Comingore, was an American stage and film actress.[2] When starting out in minor film roles, she was billed as Linda Winters. Before that, she appeared on stage and on radio as Kay Winters. Her breakthrough as an actress came when she starred as Susan Alexander Kane in Citizen Kane (1941), the critically acclaimed debut film of Orson Welles. However, her acting career was ended prematurely in 1951 by the Hollywood blacklist. The following year she refused to answer questions or "name names" when called before the House Un-American Activities Committee.

Early years

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Margaret Louise Comingore was born in Los Angeles, but spent most of her childhood in Oakland, California.[3] In one of her first mentions in a newspaper, she was described as "a one-time Oakland school girl."[4] Her father William Paxton Comingore was an electrotyper. He was also a union organizer, which influenced her political education.[3][5] Her older sister Lucille operated a San Francisco nightclub.[6] Comingore attended the University of California, Berkeley where she studied philosophy.[7]

Film career

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She lived for a while in Taos, New Mexico, and then returned to California to work in the theater.[3] In March 1938, she was noticed by Charles Chaplin in Carmel, California when she was acting in a small playhouse alongside her love interest (and probable husband) at the time, Robert Meltzer.[8][9] Chaplin was impressed with both of them and urged them to relocate to Hollywood. Whether Chaplin played a significant role in Comingore's subsequent film career is questionable. In an April 1938 profile in the Oakland Tribune, she denied being his protégé and indicated that press reports had exaggerated the limited contact she had with him and one of his assistants, Tim Durant.[4]

However, the encounter with Chaplin did stimulate her interest in film acting. Through a friend at the Carmel theater, she obtained a Hollywood agent who got her a screen test, and from there she secured a contract with Warner Bros. Initially, she played mostly bit parts, sometimes uncredited, in a series of "B movies" until Orson Welles cast her as Susan Alexander, the second wife of press tycoon Charles Foster Kane, in his debut feature film Citizen Kane (1941). By now she had switched from "Linda Winters" to her original surname "Dorothy Comingore".[10] Her performance garnered glowing reviews. The Los Angeles Times singled out Comingore as "an important acquisition for pictures".[11] The Hollywood Reporter wrote that she "is put through a range of emotions that would try any actress one could name, but she delivers without a second's let-down. Citizen Kane should make this girl a star."[12]

Dorothy Comingore on the set of Citizen Kane in the trailer for the film (1940)
Ray Collins, Dorothy Comingore, Orson Welles and Ruth Warrick in Citizen Kane
Dorothy Comingore, Orson Welles and Ray Collins in Citizen Kane

In demand from other studios but denied loanouts by her new studio employer, RKO Pictures, Comingore fell ill, was ordered to go on bed rest, was suspended by RKO, and found no suitable work on her return. William Randolph Hearst's newspapers had meanwhile damaged her reputation by claiming she possessed Communist leanings. She ended up on a government watch list for "distributing Communist literature to negroes."[13] She had also canvassed door-to-door for actor and State Assembly hopeful Albert Dekker; worked with musician Lead Belly and singer Paul Robeson to desegregate whites-only USO clubs; signed on as a co-sponsor of the Sleepy Lagoon Defense Committee;[14][15] and promoted "union solidarity". A few years later, when the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) gained ascendancy, and the FBI had amassed a "thick" file on her political activities, she became a target.[13]

Kathleen Sharp wrote that as a consequence of Citizen Kane, the actress "also had acquired a powerful enemy – the 78-year-old Hearst. The media mogul so hated Dorothy's portrayal of his mistress, 44-year-old Marion Davies, that he used his chain of newspapers and radio stations to smear the young woman. Hearst's columnists Hedda Hopper and Walter Winchell publicly accused Dorothy of belonging to the 'Party', in this case the Communist Party, and borrowed Orwellian 'newspeak' to malign her."[16]

Comingore's supposed CPUSA connections harmed her in the highly publicized legal battle she waged against her ex-husband, screenwriter Richard J. Collins, for custody of their son and daughter.[17] A former CPUSA member, Collins volunteered to testify before the HUAC and named over twenty colleagues as Communists.[18][19] As a result of his cooperative testimony, and because Comingore was accused of being an unfit mother,[20] he won the custody battle.[13]

According to Peter Bogdanovich's DVD commentary on Citizen Kane, Comingore hindered her growth as an actress by refusing too many roles that she felt were uninteresting. This occurred in the wake of her Citizen Kane success—and before she was derailed by personal and political troubles—when parts were still being offered to her. For example, she passed on the chance to star in an adaptation of the Damon Runyon story, "Little Pinks" (it was made instead with Lucille Ball in 1942 under the title The Big Street). That incident came after she turned down assignments in Unexpected Uncle (1941) and Valley of the Sun (1942), which triggered her RKO suspension.[21] She did appear in the film version of the Eugene O'Neill play The Hairy Ape (1944) with William Bendix, Susan Hayward, and John Loder. Comingore's last movie credit was a supporting role in The Big Night (1951).

Her career effectively came to a halt in 1951 when she was victimized by the Hollywood blacklist.[22] The following year, she was called to testify before the HUAC about her reputed CPUSA connections, and she declined on constitutional grounds to answer questions or name names.[23][24] She was then accused in child custody hearings of being a heavy drinker, and on March 19, 1953, she was arrested for "solicitation", i.e., prostitution, in West Hollywood.[25] The arrest was suspected by some to have been a frameup orchestrated by the local L.A. vice squad in coordination with the HUAC.[13] Comingore also believed that her arrest was "part of my being an 'unfriendly witness.'"[26] In exchange for having the solicitation charge dropped, she had to agree to be committed to Camarillo State Mental Hospital, where she was institutionalized for approximately two years.[22]

When Professor Howard Suber of the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television was researching the history of the Citizen Kane screenplay, Comingore was one of the film's participants he interviewed. His research was later used by Pauline Kael for her 1971 essay "Raising Kane".[27]: 157, 161, 166  A copy of the interview is in the collection of the Lilly Library at Indiana University Bloomington.[28]

Personal life

[edit]

Comingore was married briefly in the late 1930s to actor-writer Robert Meltzer.[8][29] She then married screenwriter Richard Collins. They had two children and were divorced in 1946.[17] Her other husbands were screenwriter Theodore Strauss,[30] with whom she had one child; and John W. Crowe, a rural postal carrier and the owner of a small store called the "Crowe's Nest" in Lords Point, Connecticut. She met him in 1957 and they remained together until her death in 1971.[3]

Comingore struggled with alcohol abuse during her later years, to the extent that she lost custody of her two children with Collins.[30] Alcoholism was also believed to have shortened her life.[22]

Death

[edit]

Although Comingore was mostly confined in her final years by arthritis and failing health, she was said to have found relative contentment during that time while living in seclusion in her seaside home with her husband John Crowe.[3][24]

Comingore died of pulmonary disease on December 30, 1971, in Stonington, Connecticut. She was 58.[22] Her ashes were scattered in multiple locations. As of 2021, there was no monument or plaque to mark her passing. Her descendants and fans were seeking to erect a Dorothy Comingore memorial.[19]

Cultural references

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In Guilty by Suspicion, Irwin Winkler's 1991 film set during the Hollywood blacklist, Comingore inspired the character of Dorothy Nolan, an actress who is harassed by the HUAC.[18]

Radio credits

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Date Title Episode Notes
June 12, 1938 Warner Bros. Academy Theatre "Desirable" Credited as Kay Winters[31][32]
June 26, 1938 Warner Bros. Academy Theatre "The House on 56th Street" Credited as Kay Winters[31]
October 6, 1941 The Orson Welles Show "The Black Pearl" [33]: 367 [34]

Film and television credits

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Poster for Prison Train (1938)
Year Title Role Notes
1938 Campus Cinderella Co-ed Uncredited, Short film[35]
1938 Prison Train Louise Terris Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1938 Comet Over Broadway Miss McDermott Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1938 Trade Winds Ann Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Blondie Meets the Boss Francis Rogers Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Romance of the Redwoods Bit Role Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 North of the Yukon Jean Duncan Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Outside These Walls 2nd secretary Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Good Girls Go to Paris Tearoom Hostess Uncredited[37]
1939 Coast Guard Nurse Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Five Little Peppers and How They Grew Nurse Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Golden Boy Fight Spectator Uncredited[38]
1939 Oily to Bed, Oily to Rise June Jenkins Short film, credited as Linda Winters[39]
1939 Scandal Sheet Marjorie Lawe Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 Mr. Smith Goes to Washington Woman at Station Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1939 The Awful Goof Charley's Fiancee Short film, credited as Linda Winters[39]
1939 Cafe Hostess Tricks Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1940 Convicted Woman May Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1940 Pioneers of the Frontier Joan Darcey Credited as Linda Winters[36]
1940 The Heckler Ole's Girlfriend Short film, credited as Linda Winters[39]
1940 Rockin' thru the Rockies Daisy Short film, credited as Linda Winters[39]
1940 Citizen Kane trailer Herself, Susan Alexander Short film[33]: 360 
1941 Citizen Kane Susan Alexander Kane [36]
1944 The Hairy Ape Helen Parker [36]
1949 Any Number Can Play Mrs. Purcell [36]
1951 The Big Night Julie Rostina [36]
1951 Fireside Theatre (TV) Rita One episode, "Handcuffed"[40]
1952 Rebound (TV) Dotty One episode, "The Losers"[41]
1952 The Doctor (TV) One episode, "The Red Wig"[42]

References

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  1. ^ "Dorothy Meltzer Family History & Historical Records". MyHeritage.
  2. ^ "Dorothy Comingore (1913–1971)". Find a Grave Memorial.
  3. ^ a b c d e Slosberg, Steven (June 3, 2024). "Poscripts: How a blacklisted movie starlet ended up finding her happy place at Lord's Point". The Westerly Sun.
  4. ^ a b Othman, Frederick C. (April 29, 1938). "Ex-Oakland Girl Denies She's Chaplin Protege". Oakland Tribune. p. 36. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  5. ^ Beach, Randall (March 23, 2022). "The son of a tragic Hollywood actress wants to tell her story". Connecticut Magazine. CT Insider. In her HUAC testimony, Comingore cited the influence her mother had on her political beliefs: "[M]y philosophy taught me by my mother is based on compassion for all of the people struggling to live in dignity."
  6. ^ "The Knave". Oakland Tribune. May 12, 1938. p. 9. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  7. ^ Coons, Robbin (June 26, 1938). "Acting Once Cantalouped as Kay Winters Received Prize". The San Bernardino County Sun. San Bernardino, California. p. 7. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  8. ^ a b "Ranger Robert Meltzer". The Descendants of World War II Rangers. His girlfriend was Dorothy Comingore and [they] may have been briefly married but no documents found to document it.
  9. ^ Slosberg, Steven (June 3, 2024). "Postscripts: Early lover of Dorothy Comingore died in the war in '44 ... 'but still he matters'". The Westerly Sun. Meltzer met Comingore when they were both students at Berkeley, where he was an activist and became editor of the campus humor magazine, the 'California Pelican.' Among his contributions...was signing off on several pages of socialist artwork, which caused unrest on the campus, as well editorializing against bigotry in America.
  10. ^ Lowrance, Dee (July 19, 1942). "Lady Luck: Movieland's Best Talent Scout". The San Bernardino County Sun. p. 24. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  11. ^ Schallert, Edwin (May 9, 1941). "Welles' 'Citizen Kane' Revolutionary Film". Los Angeles Times. p. 18. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "'Citizen Kane': THR's 1941 Review". The Hollywood Reporter. May 1, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  13. ^ a b c d Sharp, Kathleen (September 13, 2013). "Destroyed by HUAC: The Dorothy Comingore Story". Los Angeles Review of Books. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  14. ^ "The Sleepy Lagoon case: with a forward by Orson Welles". June 1943.
  15. ^ McGilligan, Patrick; Buhle, Paul (1997). "Betsy Blair Reisz". Tender Comrades: A Backstory of the Hollywood Blacklist. New York: St. Martin's Press. pp. 544–545n. ISBN 0-312-17046-7.
  16. ^ Sharp, Kathleen (October 12, 2013). "Living the Orwellian Life". Truthout. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  17. ^ a b "Actress Balks on Red Party Question". The Ada Weekly News. Ada, Oklahoma. October 23, 1952. p. 3. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  18. ^ a b Woo, Elaine (February 15, 2013). "Blacklisted writer later named names". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 6, 2021.
  19. ^ a b "Dorothy Comingore fans seek memorial to 'Citizen Kane' actress". Wellesnet. December 10, 2021.
  20. ^ Navasky, Victor S. (1980). Naming Names. New York: Viking. p. 227. ISBN 0670503932.
  21. ^ "Screen News Here and in Hollywood; Dorothy Comingore Is Offered Leading Feminine Role in 'The Little Pinks' at RKO". The New York Times. December 27, 1941.
  22. ^ a b c d "Dorothy Comingore Biography". IMDb.
  23. ^ "Actress Dorothy Comingore Dies". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Lubbock, Texas. January 2, 1972. p. 100. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  24. ^ a b Beach, Randall (March 23, 2022). "The son of a tragic Hollywood actress wants to tell her story". Connecticut Magazine. CT Insider. A friend recalled about Comingore: "She had very distinct feelings about what was right and what was wrong. And 'ratting' on people was something she would never do."
  25. ^ Bromwich, David (January 26, 2012). "My son has been poisoned!". London Review of Books. Vol. 34, no. 2. pp. 11–13. This is a review of J. Hoberman's An Army of Phantoms: American Movies and the Making of the Cold War, which mentions Comingore's punishment for non-cooperation with the HUAC.
  26. ^ "Actress Dorothy Comingore Held". Chester, Pennsylvania. March 20, 1953. p. 14. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspaperarchive.com. Open access icon
  27. ^ Kellow, Brian (2011). Pauline Kael: A Life in the Dark. New York: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-02312-7.
  28. ^ Suber, Howard (December 6, 2013). "The Evolution of the Script of Citizen Kane; interviews with Dorothy Comingore, Sara Mankiewicz, Richard Wilson and Robert Wise (5 folders)". Box 82, Kael Mss. Retrieved August 30, 2016 – via Lilly Library, Indiana University Bloomington.
  29. ^ "How Linda Winters, Former Oakland Girl, Became Movie Queen". Oakland Tribune. August 16, 1938. p. 21. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  30. ^ a b "Dorothy Comingore Held as Alcoholic". The Times. San Mateo, California. May 27, 1953. p. 22. Retrieved January 16, 2016 – via Newspapers.com. Open access icon
  31. ^ a b "Warner Brothers Academy Theatre". RadioGOLDINdex. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  32. ^ "Warner Brothers Academy Theatre". The Digital Deli Too. Archived from the original on May 27, 2013. Retrieved November 4, 2014.
  33. ^ a b Welles, Orson; Bogdanovich, Peter; Rosenbaum, Jonathan (1992). This is Orson Welles. New York: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-06-016616-9.
  34. ^ "1941 Orson Welles Show (Lady Esther)". Internet Archive. Retrieved September 8, 2016.
  35. ^ "Campus Cinderella". Bringing Up Baby: Two-Disc Special Edition (DVD). Warner Bros. Home Video. 2005. Event occurs at 3:15. ISBN 9780780651302.
  36. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r "Dorothy Comingore". AFI Catalog of Feature Films. American Film Institute. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
  37. ^ "Good Girls Go to Paris (1939) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  38. ^ "Golden Boy (1939) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  39. ^ a b c d Okuda, Ted; Watz, Edward (1998). The Columbia Comedy Shorts: Two-Reel Hollywood Film Comedies, 1933–1958. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Company. ISBN 9781476610108.
  40. ^ "Fireside Theatre (1949–1955) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  41. ^ "Rebound (1952–1953) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
  42. ^ "The Doctor (1952–1953) Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.
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