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Polar Blair's Den Menu Pageis also known to have been credited in films as "Kay Winters" and "Linda Winters"
Birth Name: Margaret Louise Comingore
[Name information contributed by Judith Collard (Dorothy's daughter) on June 25, 2005]
Birthdate: August 24, 1913
Place of Birth: Los Angeles, California, USA
Date of Death: December 30, 1971
Place of Death: Stonington, Connecticut, USA
Cause of Death: pulmonary disease
[Cause of death information contributed by Judith Collard (Dorothy's daughter) on July 18, 2005]
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Biography
Photos
Biography:
I have for you here, on this page, a rare treat for everyone who is a
fan of Dorothy Comingore. At the time of this writing (July 2005)
you can look all over the Internet and find next to nothing about this
wonderful actress...until now. This is her tribute page. I
was first contacted by Ms. Comingore's daughter, Judith Collard, on
June 25, 2005. She agreed to tell me as much as she knew
about her mother and we've been e-mailing each other back and
forth. I can never thank Ms. Collard enough for all that she has
and is sharing, but I hope this page helps. THANKS, JUDY!
My Biography On Dorothy Comingore, Prior To Contact With Judith Collard:
Did a lot of movies, but was in only one Blondie movie, #2 Blondie Meets the Boss.
In the 1950s there was a senator named Joseph McCarthy who pretty much got everyone scared about communist spies in America. For some reason, his primary focus was on Hollywood actors who he claimed were using their status to be secret communists. In 1951, McCarthy blacklisting ended her career. It's really sad because she was a good actress; pretty, and in her Blondie appearance very engaging as a sexy singer who "has the hots" for Dagwood.
I majored in history in college, and I think its just pitiful what McCarthy did to all those people. Highly successful actors and actresses, like Lucille Ball, would remain unscathed, but a strikingly high number of working class entertainers like Ms. Comingore were hit very hard. If it is any consolation, McCarthy was finally exposed as the "wacko" he was and ultimately died a miserable broken man.
Photos:
Dorothy was discovered by Charlie
Chaplin where she was working in a small playhouse in Carmel,
California. She was friends with Chaplin all the way up to the
time he left the U.S. Dorothy's daughter, Judy, remembers
visiting Charlie Chaplin on the set of his film "Limelight".
Judy was born in 1941; just two years after Dorothy's appearance in "Blondie Meets the Boss". Dorothy's next child, a son named Michael, was born in 1944. She became an alcoholic and her first marriage ended in divorce. Judy believes that her parents had separated by the time Michael was born. Dorothy's children lived with her up until 1949 (Judy was 8) and saw their mother every other weekend for a few years afterwards. For many years, Judy thought custody was given to her father because of her mother's drinking problems. Actually, it was due to the fact that Dorothy was a member of the Communist Party. At the time, it was considered really, really bad to bring your children up in a Communist household. Isn't that silly. If she were just an alcoholic she might still have had custody of her children. But since she was a Communist...
If you know you're American history, you'll know about the Red Scare and how the government's anti-Communist feelings devastated many a Hollywood career. By 1951, Dorothy Comingore was blacklisted and never again appeared in movies. Such a shame.
Dorothy married again, this time with writer/editor Ted Strauss. This was probably about five years after Dorothy's first marriage ended. Dorothy had a son with Ted by the name of Peter. Judy is sure that Peter is about ten years younger than her, so he would've been born around 1951. The timeframe is a little unclear to Judy, but the second marriage dissolved as well.
Dorothy went into a sanitarium for her drinking problems. When she came out, she married a postman by the name of John Crowe. She lived with him in Connecticut all the way up to the time she died at the age of 58.
If you've visited the Internet Movie Database and looked up Dorothy Comingore, it might still tell you that she committed suicide. Her daughter says, and can prove, that this is false. According to Dorothy's death certificate, she died from a pulmonary disease. She was in poor health for the last several years of her life and had a lot of back and neck problems. Supposedly Dorothy had cancer of some sort, but no one seems to know what kind.
Judy was born in 1941; just two years after Dorothy's appearance in "Blondie Meets the Boss". Dorothy's next child, a son named Michael, was born in 1944. She became an alcoholic and her first marriage ended in divorce. Judy believes that her parents had separated by the time Michael was born. Dorothy's children lived with her up until 1949 (Judy was 8) and saw their mother every other weekend for a few years afterwards. For many years, Judy thought custody was given to her father because of her mother's drinking problems. Actually, it was due to the fact that Dorothy was a member of the Communist Party. At the time, it was considered really, really bad to bring your children up in a Communist household. Isn't that silly. If she were just an alcoholic she might still have had custody of her children. But since she was a Communist...
If you know you're American history, you'll know about the Red Scare and how the government's anti-Communist feelings devastated many a Hollywood career. By 1951, Dorothy Comingore was blacklisted and never again appeared in movies. Such a shame.
Dorothy married again, this time with writer/editor Ted Strauss. This was probably about five years after Dorothy's first marriage ended. Dorothy had a son with Ted by the name of Peter. Judy is sure that Peter is about ten years younger than her, so he would've been born around 1951. The timeframe is a little unclear to Judy, but the second marriage dissolved as well.
Dorothy went into a sanitarium for her drinking problems. When she came out, she married a postman by the name of John Crowe. She lived with him in Connecticut all the way up to the time she died at the age of 58.
If you've visited the Internet Movie Database and looked up Dorothy Comingore, it might still tell you that she committed suicide. Her daughter says, and can prove, that this is false. According to Dorothy's death certificate, she died from a pulmonary disease. She was in poor health for the last several years of her life and had a lot of back and neck problems. Supposedly Dorothy had cancer of some sort, but no one seems to know what kind.
My Biography On Dorothy Comingore, Prior To Contact With Judith Collard:
Did a lot of movies, but was in only one Blondie movie, #2 Blondie Meets the Boss.
In the 1950s there was a senator named Joseph McCarthy who pretty much got everyone scared about communist spies in America. For some reason, his primary focus was on Hollywood actors who he claimed were using their status to be secret communists. In 1951, McCarthy blacklisting ended her career. It's really sad because she was a good actress; pretty, and in her Blondie appearance very engaging as a sexy singer who "has the hots" for Dagwood.
I majored in history in college, and I think its just pitiful what McCarthy did to all those people. Highly successful actors and actresses, like Lucille Ball, would remain unscathed, but a strikingly high number of working class entertainers like Ms. Comingore were hit very hard. If it is any consolation, McCarthy was finally exposed as the "wacko" he was and ultimately died a miserable broken man.
Photos:
Dorothy Comingore in "Blondie Meets the Boss" (1939)
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This award for "Blondie's Page" received July 9, 2005. Brad Lang maintains Classic Movies and truly appreciates Hollywood's Golden Age. How thrilled I was to learn that he listed this site as one of the Best New Links to his very large website for that particular week. It's very nice to be noticed and I enjoy hearing from him and all of you! Visit his website by clicking the graphic above.
