Lois Collier
Lois Collier (born Madelyn Earle Jones; March 21, 1919 – October 27, 1999) was an American film actress born in Salley, South Carolina. She was sometimes credited as Lois Collyer. Early years. Collier's father was Ernest Jones, a pharmacist, of Salley, South Carolina. Chaperoned by her grandmother, she visited Hollywood when she was 15, later describing herself as "movie-struck" at the time. She attended Limestone College in Gaffney, South Carolina. Film. Collier's acting career started at age 19 in 1938, when she had a small but credited role in "A Desperate Adventure", starring Ramon Novarro and  Marian Marsh. From 1940 through 1949, her career would be active and somewhat successful, with her playing mostly heroine roles in B-movies. Her best known film is probably "A Night in Casablanca" (1946) starring the Marx Brothers. During the 1940s, she often starred opposite western stars Bob Steele, Tom Tyler, and Dennis Moore. In 1950, she starred in the sci-fi serial "The Flying Disc Man from Mars". Collier was sometimes called the Fourth Mesquiteer because seven of Republic Pictures' "The Three Mesquiteers" movies featured her as the female lead. Radio. Collier played Carol in the soap opera "Dear  John", which ran on CBS in the 1930s and 1940s. Beginning December 6, 1948, she was featured in "You", a program on KMGM in Los Angeles, California. Television. In 1949, Collier co-starred in "City Desk", a drama about activity in the newsroom of a newspaper. From 1950 through 1957, she starred mostly on television series episodes. She played Mary, the hero's girlfriend and sidekick, in 58 episodes of the television series "Boston Blackie", which ran from 1951 to 1954. She retired from acting after 1957. Personal life. Collier was married to bank executive Robert A. Duncan. She was  granted a divorce from him on September 3, 1943. On August 4, 1945, Collier married to Robert Jackson Oakley, an agent for actors. They divorced in 1956. Death. Collier died of Alzheimer's disease on October 27, 1999, while living in a retired actors community in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California. She was 80 years old.