Penny Singleton | |
|---|---|
 Penny Singleton in 1938 | |
| Born | Mariana Dorothy McNulty September 15, 1908 |
| Died | November 12, 2003 (aged 95) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1925–1990 |
| Spouses | Laurence Scroggs Singleton
(m. 1937; div. 1939)Robert Sparks
(m. 1941; died 1963) |
| Children | 2 |
Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908[1] – November 12, 2003) was an American actress and labor leader. During her 6 decade career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the comic-strip heroine Blondie Bumstead in a series of 28 motion pictures from 1938 until 1950 and the popular Blondie radio program from 1939 until 1950. Singleton also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1963.
Behind the scenes, Singleton was the first woman to serve as president of an AFL-CIO union,[2] and served two terms as president of the American Guild of Variety Artists. She testified before a Senate subcommittee in 1962 on the union's treatment of women variety workers, and led a strike of the Radio City Rockettes in 1967.
Singleton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[3] She began performing professionally as a child, and only completed sixth grade in her schooling.[4]
Singleton sang at a silent movie theater, and toured in vaudeville as part of an act called "The Kiddie Kabaret". She sang and danced with Milton Berle, whom she had known since childhood, and actor Gene Raymond, and appeared on Broadway in Jack Benny's The Great Temptations. She also toured nightclubs and in roadshows of plays and musicals.[3]
Singleton appeared as a brunette nightclub singer in After the Thin Man, credited as Dorothy McNulty. She was cast opposite Arthur Lake (as Dagwood) in the feature film Blondie in 1938, based on the comic strip by Chic Young. They repeated their roles on a radio comedy beginning in 1939 and in guest appearances on other radio shows. As Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, they proved so popular that a succession of 27 sequels was made from 1938 until 1950, with the radio show ending the same year. Singleton's husband Robert Sparks produced 12 of these sequels. Also in 1950, she had her own program, The Penny Singleton Show, on NBC radio.[5][6][7]
Singleton held top billing in Go West, Young Lady (1941), over her male co-star, Glenn Ford. Only two other female stars (Dorothy Page and Jane Frazee) were top-billed singing cowgirls at the time.[8] She provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the 1962–63 animated series, The Jetsons.[9]
Singleton was active in union affairs as a vocal member of the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).[10] She was elected president of the AGVA in 1958–1959,[11] and again in 1969–1970.[3] Her union membership was suspended in 1962,[12] when she was accused of slandering some of the union's officers, and she countersued.[13] Singleton was reinstated as a union member in 1963, after the dispute reached a legal settlement.[11][14]
She testified on the exploitation of women in variety work, and the union's shortcomings in representing those workers, before a United States Senate subcommittee in 1962.[15] "I charge here and now that the exotic and strip artists have been abandoned and made outcasts by the very union to which they pay dues for representation and protection," she announced to the subcommittee.[16]
In 1967, she led a successful month-long strike by the Radio City Rockettes for better working conditions.[3] During her presidency, she led negotiations with the Disney on Parade show (NAWAL Productions) during a variety artists' strike in the 1970 Disney on Parade (DOP) show – a joint venture between Walt Disney and NBC, and one of the most successful touring arena shows ever, with tours all over the world. With over 100 cast members, she led a slowdown in the performance in Hershey, Pennsylvania, followed by a walkout in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a settlement the next week in Houston, Texas. The issue was purportedly that the 16" support stage used by the dancers was cut from the show to reduce trucking costs. The stage, which was laid down on the arena floor without the support, caused the dancers to reportedly get shin splints. The strike was settled and the show went on in Houston.[17][18]
Singleton married Laurence Scroggs Singleton, a dentist, in 1937; they divorced in 1939, although she kept his surname. She remarried, to Robert C. Sparks, a Marine Corps officer and film producer, in 1941. They remained wed until his death in 1963.[19][20] Singleton had two daughters, Dorothy and Susan.[9] She was a lifelong Catholic.[21]
Singleton was a charter member of the Hollywood Republican Committee[22] and campaigned for Republicans Thomas E. Dewey in 1948[23] and Richard Nixon in 1960.[24]
For her contributions to both radio and the motion-picture industry, in 1960, Singleton was honored with two stars during her induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[25] Her star for radio is located at 6811 Hollywood Boulevard, and her film star is at 6547 Hollywood Boulevard.[25]
On November 12, 2003, Singleton died at the age of 95 of respiratory failure in Sherman Oaks, California.[26] She was buried at San Fernando Cemetery.[9][3]
Credited as Dorothy McNulty 1930–1937
Sourced, to 1964, from TV Guide[27]
