Dorothy Wilson

Dorothy Wilson

One of the oldest "we're gonna make you a star" clichés actually happened to blue-eyed brownette Dorothy Wilson. While working as a stenographer at RKO Radio studios, Wilson was spotted by a talent scout and signed to an acting contract. It's not certain whether or not the scout fell in love with Wilson once she took off her glasses, but it wouldn't be a bit surprising. Proving to be as talented as she was pretty, Wilson appeared opposite fellow RKO contractees William Boyd in Lucky Devils (1933), Tom Keene in Scarlet River (1933), and Preston Foster in The Last Days of Pompeii (1935). Loaned out to other studios, Wilson co-starred with Loretta Young in The White Parade (1934), Will Rogers in In Old Kentucky (1935), Harold Lloyd in The Milky Way (1936), and Rosalind Russell in Craig's Wife (1936). This last-named film proved to be the cinematic swan song for Dorothy Wilson, who retired from acting to marry Oscar-winning writer/director Lewis R. Foster. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide