Margaret Arline Judge (February 21, 1912 – February 7, 1974) was an American actress and singer who worked mostly in low-budget B movies, but gained some fame for habitually marrying, including two brothers. Judge specialized in playing fairly earthy women of often questionable virtue and was at the peak of her career in her first years in Hollywood, starring in such pre-code films as The Age of Consent and Sensation Hunters, films often made at poverty row studios. She also played supporting roles in some major releases by the major studios.
Arline Judge | |
|---|---|
 Judge in Girls in Chains (1943) | |
| Born | Margaret Arline Judge February 21, 1912 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | February 7, 1974 (aged 61) |
| Resting place | Saint Michael's Cemetery, Stratford, Connecticut |
| Other names | Bella Grifiths Arlene Judge |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1931–1964 |
| Spouses | James Ramage Addams
(m. 1942; div. 1945)Vincent Morgan Ryan
(m. 1945; div. 1947)Henry J. Topping
(m. 1947; div. 1948)George Ross III
(m. 1949; div. 1950)Edward Cooper Heard
(m. 1955; div. 1960) |
| Children | 2 |
Early years
editArline Judge was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut,[2] the daughter of newspaperman John Judge and his wife, Margaret Ormond Judge. She was educated at St. Augustine's in Bridgeport and at New Rochelle College, leaving the latter to seek a career in acting.[3]
Stage
editJudge made her theatrical debut in Broadway musicals and revues such as The Second Little Show and Silver Slipper.[2] A part in George White's Scandals provided an opportunity to demonstrate her skills at comedy and dancing.[3] Her screen career faded out in 1936 but she returned to the screen five years later, surprisingly able to continue to receive star and leading lady parts for the most part, a feat many starlets were not able to obtain after a break in their career. All of her films after 1945, however, featured her in supporting roles.
Film
editAfter meeting director Wesley Ruggles on a train,[3] she got her start in films with his help, then married him. Nicknamed "One-Take Sally,"[citation needed] her film career spanned the 1930s and 1940s.
Judge co-starred in When Strangers Meet (1934), among other films.[4]
Television
editJudge had a few television appearances, the last one in 1964 as Emmalou Schneider in the Perry Mason episode "The Case of the Nautical Knot".[5]
Personal life
editJudge was married seven times and had two sons: Wesley Ruggles Jr. by her first husband, Wesley Ruggles,[6] and Dan Topping Jr. with second husband, Dan Topping,[1] who from 1945 to 1964 was president and part owner of the New York Yankees. She married Ruggles in 1931 and divorced him on April 9, 1937, a few hours before she married Topping, whom she divorced in 1940.[7]
Her other husbands were:
- James Ramage Addams (October 7, 1942[8] - July 24, 1945)
- Vincent Morgan Ryan (August 3, 1945 - April 23, 1947)
- Henry J. (Bob) Topping (April 29, 1947 - April 23, 1948; brother of second husband Dan Topping)[9]
- George Ross III (January 18, 1949 - August 10, 1950)
- Edward Cooper Heard (April 9, 1955 - November 2, 1960)
Judge was found dead February 7, 1974, in her West Hollywood, California, apartment, age 61. She died of natural causes. [2] She was interred in Saint Michael's Cemetery in Stratford, Connecticut.[10]
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1931 | Laugh and Get Rich | Young Lady at Dance | (scenes deleted) |
| Bachelor Apartment | Second Girl in Ladies Room | Uncredited | |
| White Shoulders | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
| Three Who Loved | Helga's Friend - Party Girl | Uncredited | |
| An American Tragedy | Bella Griffiths | Uncredited | |
| Are These Our Children? | Florence "Flo" Carnes | ||
| 1932 | Girl Crazy | Molly Gray | |
| Young Bride | Maise | ||
| Is My Face Red? | Bee - Poster's Secretary | ||
| Roar of the Dragon | Hortense O'Dare | ||
| The Age of Consent | Dora Swale | ||
| 1933 | Sensation Hunters | Jerry Royal | |
| Flying Devils | Mrs. Ann Hardy | ||
| 1934 | Looking for Trouble | Maizie Bryan | |
| Shoot the Works | Jackie Donovan | ||
| Name the Woman | Betty Adams | ||
| The Party's Over | Phyllis | ||
| When Strangers Meet | Ruth Crane | ||
| One Hour Late | Hazel | ||
| The Mysterious Mr. Wong | Peg | ||
| Bachelor of Arts | Gladys Cottle | ||
| Million Dollar Baby | Grace Sweeney | ||
| 1935 | George White's 1935 Scandals | Midgie Malone | |
| College Scandal | Sally Dunlap | ||
| Welcome Home | Gorgeous | ||
| Music Is Magic | Theatre Customer | Uncredited | |
| Ship Cafe | Ruby | ||
| 1936 | King of Burlesque | Connie | |
| It Had to Happen | Miss Sullivan | ||
| Here Comes Trouble | Margie Simpson | ||
| Star for a Night | Mamie de la Mont | ||
| Valiant Is the Word for Carrie | Lady | ||
| Pigskin Parade | Sally Saxon | Alternative title: Harmony Parade | |
| One in a Million | Billie Spencer | ||
| 1941 | Harvard, Here I Come! | Francie Callahan | Alternative title: Here I Come |
| 1942 | Law of the Jungle | Nona Brooks | |
| The Lady Is Willing | Frances | ||
| Wildcat | Nan Deering | ||
| Smith of Minnesota | Gwyn Allen | ||
| The McGuerins from Brooklyn | Marcia Marsden | ||
| 1943 | Girls in Chains | Helen Martin | |
| Song of Texas | Hildegarde Gray | ||
| The Contender | Linda Martin | ||
| 1944 | Take It Big | Pert Martin | |
| 1945 | G. I. Honeymoon | Flo LaVerne | |
| 1946 | From This Day Forward | Margie Beesley | |
| 1947 | The Sin of Harold Diddlebock | Manicurist | Alternative title: Mad Wednesday |
| 1963 | A Swingin' Affair | Marge - Johnny's Mother | |
| The Crawling Hand | Mrs. Hotchkiss | Alternative titles: Don't Cry Wolf The Creeping Hand | |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1953 | Mr. and Mrs. North | Dot Jansen | 1 episode |
| 1964 | Perry Mason | Emmalou Schneider | 1 episode, (final appearance) |
Footnotes
edit- ^ a b "Arline Judge Sues Topping, Second Mate, for Divorce". New York, Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. December 28, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved January 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Movie Actress Arline Judge Found Dead". Florida, St. Petersburg. The Evening Independent. February 8, 1974. p. 20-A. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ a b c Martin, Martha (May 4, 1947). "It's All in the Family As Arline Judge Makes Bob Topping Her Fifth". Daily News. New York, New York City. p. 24 C. Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Richard Cromwell, Arline Judge Score in Columbia Film". The Evening Review. Ohio, East Liverpool. July 10, 1935. p. 6. Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Humphrey, Hal. “Arline Back in Court for Perry Mason Show.” Los Angeles Times, 6 Sept. 1964, p. 333.
- ^ "Filmland Homes Swap Bars for Bassinets". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Oakland Tribune. October 13, 1935. p. 74. Retrieved January 25, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Her Brother-in-Law". Daily News. New York, New York City. May 4, 1947. p. C 25. Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Arline Judge Gets Rent Summons, Weds Officer". Illinois, Chicago. Chicago Tribune. October 8, 1942. p. 24. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ^ "Henry J. (Bob) Topping Dies; Was Heir to Tin Plate Fortune", The New York Times, April 23, 1968
- ^ Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14000 Famous Persons by Scott Wilson
External links
edit- Arline Judge at IMDb
- Arline Judge at AllMovie
- "Arline Judge". Find a Grave. Retrieved September 19, 2010.
- Arline Judge at Virtual History