Marion Shockley Movies
A vivacious presence in Educational's two-reel Torchy comedies, blonde Marion Shockley later co-starred as Tim McCoy's leading lady in the serial Heroes of the Flames and Bob Steele's in Near the Trail's End (1931), earning a WAMPAS Baby Star for her troubles the following year. Shockley, however, would make her mark not on the silver screen but in radio, where she was heard for years as Ellery Queen's peppy secretary Nikki. Making her Broadway debut in George M. Cohan's Dear Old Darling, she later was among the guest artists appearing in Stage Door Canteen and starred with husband Bud Collyer on such popular radio soaps as The Guiding Light and The Road of Life. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
This star-studded musical drama was largely financed by Theatre Guild, with all proceeds going to various wartime fundraising concerns. Most of the story takes place at the Stage Door Canteen, a Manhattan-based home away from home for soldiers, sailors and marines (the real-life Canteen on 44th street was too busy to lend itself to filming, thus the interiors were recreated in Hollywood). Within the walls of this non-profit establishment, servicemen are entertained by top musical, comedy and dramatic acts, and waited on by such Broadway luminaries as Lunt and Fontanne, Katharine Hepburn, Jane Cowl, Katherine Cornell, Tallulah Bankhead, Helen Hayes, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Sam Jaffe and Paul Muni. Though the plotline-one of the Canteen servers, a girl named Eileen (Cheryl Walker) falls in love with one of the visiting soldiers (William Terry), despite the establishment's strict "no dating" rules-is merely an excuse to link together a series of specialty acts, it is superbly and touchingly directed by Frank Borzage. Not all of the film has weathered the years too well: particularly hard to take is Gracie Fields' cheery ditty about "killing Japs!" For the most part, however, the film works, and the guest performers-including comedians Ray Bolger, Harpo Marx, George Jessel and Ed Wynn, and singers Ethel Waters and Kenny Baker-are in fine fettle. If nothing else, Stage Door Canteen offers the only appearance on film of the great Katherine Cornell, who offers a vignette of the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Incidentally, the actor playing "Texas", Michael Harrison, later gained fame as cowboy star Sunset Carson. Originally released at 132 minutes, Stage Door Canteen is now generally available in the 93-minute TV version. The six big bands that appear and perform in the film are those of Kay Kyser, Count Basie, Xavier Cugat, Guy Lombardo, Benny Goodman and Freddie Martin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheryl Walker, William Terry, (more)
- 1931
Poor Marion Shockley finds herself the victim of both a robbery and a kidnapping in this obscure but quite well-made Poverty Row Western starring the diminutive Bob Steele. After saving Jane Rankin (Shockley) from her kidnappers, Johnny Day (Steele) is elected Cactus town marshal but what at first appears to be a breezy job proves highly dangerous when local bully Bart Morgan (Hooper Atchley) not only claims Jane as his but engages in a bit of cattle rustling on the side. Fortunately, Johnny is spared more trouble when Morgan is killed in a fight with another of Jane's pursuers, Red Thompson (Jay Morley). Near the Trail's End was the last of eight Westerns Steele did for low-budget company Tiffany and the only feature film to co-star Marion Shockley, a 1932 WAMPAS Baby Star better known for her work in comedy shorts and on radio. ~ Hans J. Wollstein, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Morley, Hooper Atchley, (more)
