Maxine Doyle
Birth dateJanuary 1, 1915
Death dateMay 7, 1973 (aged 58)
OccupationActress
Years active1933-1973
SpouseWilliam Witney
(m.1938-1973; her death)

Maxine Doyle (January 1, 1915 – May 7, 1973) was an American film actress who appeared in almost 40 films between 1933 and 1946. Today's audiences may know Maxine Doyle from her appearance in the Leon Errol musical short Service with a Smile (1934), one of the first films in full Technicolor, which was restored and revived by Warner Bros.

Early years

Doyle had a sister, Adalaide, who was an actress known professionally as Eve March.[1]

Career

By 1928, the 13-year-old Maxine Doyle was singing on radio station KYA in San Francisco, California. A contemporary newspaper article described her as "the sweetheart of KYA".[2]

She was a featured player at Warner Bros., in such films as Babbitt (1934) with Aline MacMahon and Guy Kibbee, and 6 Day Bike Rider (1934) with Joe E. Brown.

She retired from the screen until 1943, when Witney needed an actress to play a minor role in his serial G-Men vs. the Black Dragon. Doyle played a nurse (and received high billing). This reactivated her career, and she continued to play incidental roles in Republic films for the next few years. Her last film was the serial Daughter of Don Q, released in 1946.

Personal life and death

Doyle married William Witney, a film director,[3] in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 5, 1938. They eloped there after having planned to be married in Los Angeles the following weekend.[4] Known privately as Maxine Doyle Witney, she died at age 58 from complications from cancer.[5]

Filmography

YearTitleRoleNotes
1933Footlight ParadeChorus GirlUncredited
1934Fashions of 1934Chorus GirlUncredited
1934She Made Her BedFlapperUncredited
1934The KeyPauline O'Connor
1934Service with a SmileGirl in AutoShort
1934Good Morning, Eve!Queen GwinevereShort
1934DamesChorus GirlUncredited
1934Kansas City PrincessSilent Outdoor Girl of AmericaUncredited
1934Student TourAnn Lippincott - Ethelred's Niece
19346 Day Bike RiderPhyllis Jenkins
1934BabbittVerona Babbitt
1935The Mystery ManAnne Ogilvie
1935Born to GambleCora Strickland
1935Condemned to LiveMarguerite Mane
1936It's Up to YouMary Kane
1936Taming the WildJune Bolton
1936Rio Grande RomanceJoan Williams
1936Fury Below
1936Lucky FugitivesAline McLain
1936Round-Up Time in TexasGwen Barkley
1936Put on the SpotJoan Williams(archive footage)
1937Round-Up Time in TexasGwen Barkley
1937Come On, CowboysEllen Reed
1937Thanks for ListeningToots, Homer's Intended
1937S.O.S. Coast GuardJean Norman
1943G-Men vs. the Black DragonMarieSerial, [Ch. 8]
1943ShantytownSecretaryUncredited
1943ChatterboxDude Ranch GuestUncredited
1943Song of TexasCowgirlUncredited
1943Overland Mail RobberyMrs. BradleyUncredited
1943Mystery BroadcastTelephone OperatorUncredited
1943Raiders of Sunset PassSally Meehan
1944Beneath Western SkiesMrs. DavisUncredited
1944The Lady and the MonsterReceptionistUncredited
1944Man from FriscoWomanUncredited
1944Sing, Neighbor, SingMaxine
1944San Fernando ValleyCowgirlUncredited
1944End of the RoadFloristUncredited
1944Firebrands of ArizonaNewspaper ReporterUncredited
1946Daughter of Don QKnockout NellieSerial, Uncredited, (final film role)

References

  1. ^ Wilson, Scott (August 19, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.. McFarland. p. 476. ISBN 978-1-4766-2599-7. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  2. ^ "Arion Trio Will Play Tonight on NBC Hour". Oakland Tribune. January 24, 1928. p. 18. Retrieved July 25, 2018. – via Newspapers.com
  3. ^ Mayer, Geoff (February 23, 2017). Encyclopedia of American Film Serials. McFarland. p. 291. ISBN 978-0-7864-7762-3. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
  4. ^ "Honeymoon Begun". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. April 6, 1938. p. 11. Retrieved July 6, 2024. – via Newspapers.com
  5. ^ Wagner, Laura. "And Don't Call Me Max", Films of the Golden Age. October 2017