Una Merkel

Una Merkel Born December 10, 1903 in Covington, Kentucky, USA Died January 2, 1986 in Los Angeles, California, USA Birth Name Una Kohnfelder Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) Mini Bio (1) Una Merkel began her movie career as stand-in for Lillian Gish in the movie The Wind (1928). After that, she performed on Broadway before she returned to movies for the D.W. Griffith film Abraham Lincoln (1930). In her early years, before gaining a few pounds, she looked like Lillian Gish, but after Abraham Lincoln (1930) her comic potential was discovered. She mostly played supporting roles as the heroine's no-nonsense friend, but with her broad Southern accent and her peroxide blond hair, she gave one of her best performances as a wisecracking but not-so-bright chorus girl in 42nd Street (1933). Perhaps she is best remembered for her hair-pulling fight with Marlene Dietrich in Destry Rides Again (1939). In 1962, she was nominated for the Academy Award as best supporting actress in Summer and Smoke (1961). - IMDb Mini Biography By: [contact link] Spouse (1) Ronald Lucin Burla (1 January 1932 - 26 March 1947) ( divorced) Trivia (13) She almost died on March 5, 1945 when her mother, Bess Merkel, committed suicide by turning on the gas. Her suicide note was personalized to Una's husband, Robert Burla, whom she affectionately addressed as "Bid". Was originally signed for the title role in Blondie (1938) but was replaced before filming began. Father: (Albert) Arno Merkel born May 9, 1882 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Died December 23, 1969 in Los Angeles, California. Mother: Bessie Phares Merkel died in New York City on March 5, 1945. She was 61 years old. Interred in Covington, Kentucky. On March 4, 1952, nearly seven years after her mother committed suicide, she overdosed on sleeping pills. She was found unconscious by a nurse who caring for her at the time, and was rushed to the hospital where she remained in a coma. She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960. Her name was pronounced U-nah MER-cull. Following her death, she was interred near her parents, Arno and Bess Merkel, at Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. During the filming of True Confession (1937) she rescued a movie property man Arthur Camp from drowning at Lake Arrowhead, California, when the backwash from her motorboat upset his skiff. She caught his suspenders with a boat hook and held him until help arrived from the shore. Camp was unable to swim. Merkel appeared in both versions of "The Merry Widow (1934)" with Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier and more than seventeen years later "The Merry Widow (1952)" with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas in different roles. She got a couple of prime early roles because she reportedly looked like Lillian Gish, "World Shadows" with Charles Ray and "Abraham Lincoln" for D.W. Griffith. Merkel had a vaudeville act before she entered films. Merkel's father and Lee DeForest raised $250,000 for the patent on talking pictures but lost it to Warner Bros. because neither had "an ounce of business sense" according to Miss Merkel. D. W. Griffith had Merkel take a test to play Mary Todd in his version of "Abraham Lincoln," and United Artists signed her to a one year contract. However, when she arrived to start shooting, he decided that he now wanted her to play Ann Rutledge. Kay Hammond ultimately played the First Lady. Personal Quotes (8) [on Pamela Franklin] In "A Tiger Walks"there was a little girl who is now in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," and she is excellent----Pamela Franklin. I can't understand why she wasn't nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. [on W.C. Fields] Yes, I remember the first day I worked with him; he was two hours late to the set. He was due at 9 and came in at 11, and he'd had quite a night the night before, I guess. The first scene was all of us sitting around the table--- I was his daughter; I was supposed to say, "Good morning, Pater," and kiss him. So in the rehearsal he apologized because you could smell the alcohol, and I said, "Mr. Fields, on you it smells like Chanel No. 5," and he said, "Honey, you're in!" From then on, he was just wonderful to me. He was a pretty grand person...If he thought a scene was too long, he'd take a couple of pages and tear them off. "That's enough; I'm not going to remember any more. You had to be pretty quick to keep up with him, but it was fun. It was never a strain. [on Ernst Lubitsch] Oh, he was wonderful. He did all the parts for you; It's a wonder. every part in the picture didn't sound like Lubitsch. [on Hope and Crosby] There was a New York actress who was supposed to be in that. I've had more things happen overnight, not expect to do them , and then all of a sudden somebody calls up. The best things I've ever gotten have been that way. And Paramount called me and asked me to come in, and I started work the day after they called me, because they had decided that this woman was not going to be right for the part. The atmosphere on the film was wonderful; they were like a couple of bad kids. [0n "Destry Rides Again"] Well, it was very funny. I had never met Miss Dietrich until that day, and they outlined exactly what places they'd like is to hit on the set. We were not supposed to do anything but a few feet, and they had the stunt girls there to take over. But Mr. Marshall said, "Once you get started on this, just keep going as long as you can; don't worry. the camera will follow you." We did the whole thing, and we turned our checks over to the stunt girls!. We did the whole battle, and then at the end Jimmy Stewart came over and dumped a pail of water over our heads. We had to do it over again for close-ups, and do it for "Life" magazine... I went to the hospital after that picture. I finished it, but I was a mess of bruises, because I had little fat heels on, and Marlene had high spiked heels. All through the fight scene we were whispering to each other, "Are you all right?" "Can you finish it?" "Are you OK?" We did it in one continuous take. I thought they'd never call "Cut." [on the studio system] ... of course, studios have changed. It used to be that Metro was the studio to be at. Now all of them are more standardized, I guess. It's more of a business. [on David Wayne] I worked with David Wayne on the stage in "The Ponder Heart" and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Performance of the year. I loved that part, and I loved David Wayne. I think he's one of the finest actors we have. He's so good they don't know what to do with them. [on favorite directors] So many of the directors were so wonderful, and I think a picture took its tone from the director. I can't remember anyone I worked with I didn't like, but the man who directed "Reunion in Vienna" and "Private Lives" I thought was a genius, Sidney Franklin. George Marshall was another one.