Marie McDonald

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Marie McDonald (born Cora Marie Frye, 1923 – October 21, 1965) was an American singer and actress known as "The Body Beautiful" and later "The Body Beautiful" in the United States and later named "The Body Beautiful."

Early life

McDonald, who was born in Burgin, Kentucky, was the granddaughter of Evertt "Ed" Frye and Marie Taboni (née McDonald) who appeared in the Ziegfeld Follies. She and her mother and her stepfather then migrated to Yonkers, New York, after her parents divorced. She began competing in numerous beauty pageants at the age of 15, "Miss Yonkers," and "Miss Loew's Paradise." She dropped out of school and started modeling at the age of 15. McDonald was born in 1939 as "Miss New York State." She made her debut in George White's Scandals of 1939 later this year. She landed a showgirl role in Earl Carroll's Vanities in the Broadway revival the following year at the age of 17.

She landed in Hollywood a few years after, aspiring to work in show business. She continued modeling and worked for the Broadway theatre's owner as a showgirl at his Sunset Boulevard nightclub.

Personal life

McDonald's seven marriages and many affairs kept her in the news throughout her life. Richard Allord, a sportswriter, was her first marriage. After three weeks, the wedding was annulled. Victor Orsatti, her agent, married her agent in Reno, Nevada, in January 1943. They divorced in May 1947. McDonald had an affair with mobster Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel while waiting for her divorce from Orsatti. Siegel was reportedly fired McDonald because of her regular tardiness.

McDonald's third and fourth marriages were to millionaire shoe manufacturer Harry Karl. They first married in September 1947. The couple adopted two children, Denice and Harrison, after McDonald suffered with many miscarriages. They separated in August 1954 and were divorced in November of that year. The couple announced that they would marry shortly after. McDonald, who was allergic to Karl, had remarryed by January 1955, but she denied it because she learned she was "all off" when she learned she was allergic to him. Despite this assertion, McDonald and Karl remarried in Arizona in June 1955. They separated in March 1956 and, in May, Karl pleaded for divorce, citing McDonald's beating him, causing him "grievous mental distress." McDonald was pregnant with the couple's first biological child at the time of their divorce. In June, Karl dropped the divorce case. McDonald applied for divorce from Karl in July and was given an interlocutory divorce judgment later this month, but their divorce was never finalized. Tina Marie, the couple's daughter, was born in September 1956. McDonald dated Michael Wilding during their break. McDonald and Karl reconciled in 1957, but then broke in December 1957. On April 16, 1958, the two couples divorced for good. Karl will marry actress Debbie Reynolds.

McDonald began dating George Capri during her last breakup with Karl. Capri was one of the Flamingo Las Vegas's owners. Capri accompanied McDonald to the hospital after she mistakenly overdosed on sleeping pills while the two were staying in Las Vegas on June 12, 1958. McDonald revealed in the media that the two planned to marry after Capri's divorce. They all ended up in September 1958.

McDonald married television executive Louis Bass in Las Vegas on May 23, 1959. After ten months of marriage, she filed for divorce, accusing Bass with "mental cruelty." In Las Vegas on August 6, 1961, she married banker and attorney Edward Callahan. Callahan filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles on September 17, 1962, asking for a McDonald's mental disorder or the marriage to be annulled due to fraud. According to Callahan, the two families had only been together for two days because McDonald had no intention of building a house with him or having his children. Callahan has also stated that McDonald will not convert to Roman Catholicism. Callahan's argument was dismissed by McDonald, who maintained that they did not know each other until September 7. Callahan had committed adultery, and she borrowed $2600 from her to finance their wedding and honeymoon, which she did not pay. In 1963, McDonald married Donald Taylor for the sixth time. They met in Promises, Promises, Taylor's final film. They were married before McDonald's death.

McDonald's mother called her at 12 a.m. on January 4, 1957, claiming that a man who sounded "nervous" called her at her Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, telling her that he abducted her daughter from her Los Angeles home. McDonald's mother went to her daughter's house and found a note in the mail instructing her not to call the cops and that "they" will be in touch with her. About two hours later, McDonald's then-intense husband Harry Karl received a call from a man who sounded "like a nervous teenage boy," then instructing him not to call 911 if he wanted to see McDonald alive again.

Although McDonald was reportedly being detained by her abductors at another house, she phoned her agent Harold Plant, actor Michael Wilding (whom she was dating at the time), and columnist Harrison Carroll. McDonald told Carroll that two men kidnapped her from her house and demanded that she give them their ring and money as well as a "shot of something." McDonald later said one of the men learned she was calling Carroll; he then took the phone from her, blindfolded her, and loaded her into a car. According to McDonald, the two guys rode with her for some time and discussed moving her to a house in Mexico, but after hearing reports of her abduction on the radio, they decided against this option and dumped her on the side of the road.

McDonald was discovered on a highway near Indio, California, on January 5. McDonald recalled that after being rescued, McDonald told police that "two swarthy guys" came to her house brandishing a sawed-off rifle, threatening to open fire into her house, or else shoot into her children's bedrooms. McDonald explained that the two men took some jewelry, wrote a note, and discussed demanding a $30,000 ransom for her return. McDonald was then allowed to put on a robe and slippers as well as pack a small carrying case. They then coerced her into their car, where she said she was blindfolded and led to a home. McDonald said the guys coerced her to swallow pills, which made her drowsy. She also claimed that after the guys left the room, she was able to make the three phone calls. On her face, cheeks, and cheeks, a doctor who examined McDonald discovered two cracked teeth, bruises, and abrasions, but she was otherwise unharmed. McDonald's injuries were not consistent with the suspected assault she said the two men inflicted on her, according to the doctor.

McDonald's account was immediately put into question, although police did a few times. Those suspicions were pushed further when it was discovered that the newspapers that the two alleged abductions used to build the note in McDonald's mailbox were discovered in McDonald's fireplace. A copy of Sylvia Tate's book The Fuzzy Pink Nightgown was discovered at McDonald's house. The book tells the tale of a movie star who is kidnapped by two men. One investigator found that the book's details match McDonald's tale. McDonald was then ordered to take a polygraph examination, but her counsel refused. McDonald decided to reenact the abduction, which was caught on camera by the cops. McDonald's estranged husband Harry Karl also doubted the tale, saying that she was "not a good woman." He also said that he doubted that two guys would have easily arrested her because she would have surely fought back. McDonald accused Karl of orchestrating the kidnapping for publicity (Karl denied this, describing her statements as "absurd and ridiculous"). She later confessed to fabricating Karl's allegations.

After looking into the suspected kidnapping, police said they could not find no conclusive proof that the event occurred due to "perplexing discrepancies." A grand jury convened on January 16 to look at the kidnapping. McDonald testified that her life had changed frequently because she was in shock when she opened her first statement and that she had been taking sedatives while giving other remarks. After considering the evidence, the grand jury could not find any conclusive evidence to bring charges against anyone.

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Career

She appeared on Tommy Dorsey's radio show in December 1940 and later performed with other major bands. Dorsey suggested that she change her last name from "Frye" to her mother's maiden name "McDonald," which she used for the remainder of her life. She was put under universal service for $75 a week in 1942 and debuted in various minor roles. She appeared in three motion pictures this year, most notably Pardon My Sarong, which gave her the nickname "The Body" for her shapely physique.

She was eventually dropped by Universal and joined She was then made $100 a week. McDonald appeared in Lucky Jordan (1942), while at She was lent to Republic Pictures, where she co-starred in A Scream in the Dark, a "B" detective mystery with a positive response. McDonald became one of Hollywood's most popular pin-up girls during WWII and posed for Yank, the US military newspaper. McDonald did not like being branded "The Body" at first, but she soon became dissatisfied with the name and continued her focus on her body and expressed a desire to be known for her acting and singing abilities.

She returned to Paramount, where she had appeared in supporting roles. McDonald appeared in Guest in the House in 1944, where she received the first positive reviews of her career. She made her next acting appearance in the 1945 screwball comedy Getting Gertie's Garter as the title character. She joined Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1947 and co-starred with Gene Kelly in Living in a Big Way (1947). When shooting, McDonald and Kelly did not get along, and the movie was a financial loss. She opted out the remainder of her MGM deal and moved to Columbia Pictures, where she appeared in a supporting role in Tell It to the Judge (1949).

McDonald appeared in 1951's Once a thief and Hit Parade, which would be her last films for the next eight years. She concentrated on theatre and music during the 1950s, recording an LP for RCA Victor in 1957, The Body Sings, backed by Hal Borne and His Orchestra, which featured twelve standard ballads. She also performed in a very popular nightclub tour. Lola Livingston, a slapstick comedy opposite Jerry Lewis, appeared on film in 1958, when she was cast as actress Lola Livingston in The Geisha Boy, a slapstick comedy. She made her last film appearance in the sex comedy Promises in 1963. Jayne Mansfield's appearance opposite promise.

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