Incubator escapee wiki

Penny Singleton

Article Discussion
Revision as of 19:40, 31 May 2025 by imported>Rorb lalorb (→‎Short subjects: Lentz is not a reliable source, see RSN)
(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox person Penny Singleton (born Mariana Dorothy McNulty, September 15, 1908<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> – November 12, 2003) was an American actress and labor leader. During her six decade career on stage, screen, radio and television, Singleton appeared as the comic-strip heroine Blondie Bumstead in a series of 28 motion pictures from 1938 until 1950 and the popular Blondie radio program from 1939 until 1950. Singleton also provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the animated series The Jetsons from 1962 to 1963.

Behind the scenes, Singleton was the first woman to serve as president of an AFL-CIO union,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and served two terms as president of the American Guild of Variety Artists. She testified before a Senate subcommittee in 1962 on the union's treatment of women variety workers, and led a strike of the Radio City Rockettes in 1967.

Early lifeEdit

Singleton was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> She began performing professionally as a child, and only completed sixth grade in her schooling.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

CareerEdit

File:Penny Singleton Arthur Lake Blondie 1944.JPG
Singleton as Blondie and Arthur Lake as Dagwood Bumstead, from a 1944 publicity photograph

Singleton sang at a silent movie theater, and toured in vaudeville as part of an act called "The Kiddie Kabaret". She sang and danced with Milton Berle, whom she had known since childhood, and actor Gene Raymond, and appeared on Broadway in Jack Benny's The Great Temptations. She also toured nightclubs and in roadshows of plays and musicals.<ref name=":1" />

Singleton appeared as a brunette nightclub singer in After the Thin Man, credited as Dorothy McNulty. She was cast opposite Arthur Lake (as Dagwood) in the feature film Blondie in 1938, based on the comic strip by Chic Young. They repeated their roles on a radio comedy beginning in 1939 and in guest appearances on other radio shows. As Dagwood and Blondie Bumstead, they proved so popular that a succession of 27 sequels was made from 1938 until 1950, with the radio show ending the same year. Singleton's husband Robert Sparks produced 12 of these sequels. Also in 1950, she had her own program, The Penny Singleton Show, on NBC radio.<ref name="rp">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Singleton held top billing in Go West, Young Lady (1941), over her male co-star, Glenn Ford. Only two other female stars (Dorothy Page and Jane Frazee) were top-billed singing cowgirls at the time.<ref>Douglas B. Green, Singing In The Saddle, 2002/Vanderbilt Univ. Press & Country Music Foundation Press. p. 210.</ref>

One of her last live-action roles was as Jessica Fletcher's Aunt Mildred on the Murder, She Wrote episode The Perfect Foil (1986).

She provided the voice of Jane Jetson in the 1962–63 animated series, The Jetsons. From 1985 to 1987, Singleton reprised her role for the new seasons of The Jetsons. She also played Jane in The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones (1987), Rockin' with Judy Jetson (1988) and Jetsons: The Movie (1990).<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref>

Labor activismEdit

Singleton was active in union affairs as a vocal member of the American Guild of Variety Artists (AGVA).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was elected president of the AGVA in 1958–1959,<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> and again in 1969–1970.<ref name=":1" /> Her union membership was suspended in 1962,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> when she was accused of slandering some of the union's officers, and she countersued.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Singleton was reinstated as a union member in 1963, after the dispute reached a legal settlement.<ref name=":4" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

She testified on the exploitation of women in variety work, and the union's shortcomings in representing those workers, before a United States Senate subcommittee in 1962.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "I charge here and now that the exotic and strip artists have been abandoned and made outcasts by the very union to which they pay dues for representation and protection," she announced to the subcommittee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1967, she led a successful month-long strike by the Radio City Rockettes for better working conditions.<ref name=":1" /> During her presidency, she led negotiations with the Disney on Parade show (NAWAL Productions) during a variety artists' strike in the 1970 Disney on Parade (DOP) show – a joint venture between Walt Disney and NBC, and one of the most successful touring arena shows ever, with tours all over the world. With over 100 cast members, she led a slowdown in the performance in Hershey, Pennsylvania, followed by a walkout in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and a settlement the next week in Houston, Texas. The issue was purportedly that the 16" support stage used by the dancers was cut from the show to reduce trucking costs. The stage, which was laid down on the arena floor without the support, caused the dancers to reportedly get shin splints. The strike was settled and the show went on in Houston.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Personal life and legacyEdit

Singleton married Laurence Scroggs Singleton, a dentist, in 1937; although they divorced in 1939, she kept his surname. She remarried, to Robert C. Sparks, a Marine Corps officer and film producer, in 1941. They remained wed until his death in 1963.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="ind">Template:Cite news</ref> Singleton had two daughters, Dorothy and Susan.<ref name=":0" /> She was a lifelong Catholic.<ref>Morning News, January 10, 1948, Who Was Who in America (Vol. 2)</ref>

Singleton was a charter member of the Hollywood Republican Committee<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and campaigned for Republicans Thomas E. Dewey in 1948<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Richard Nixon in 1960.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

For her contributions to both radio and the motion-picture industry, in 1960, Singleton was honored with two stars during her induction to the Hollywood Walk of Fame.<ref name=":3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Her star for radio is located at 6811 Hollywood Boulevard, and her film star is at 6547 Hollywood Boulevard.<ref name=":3" />

DeathEdit

On November 12, 2003, Singleton died at the age of 95 of respiratory failure in Sherman Oaks, California.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She was buried at San Fernando Cemetery.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

FilmographyEdit

FeaturesEdit

Template:Div col Credited as Dorothy McNulty 1930–1937

Template:Col div end Sourced, to 1964, from TV Guide<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Short subjectsEdit

Television creditsEdit

|CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Stage workEdit

Theme parksEdit

ReferencesEdit

Template:Reflist

External linksEdit

Template:Portal 

 | name/{{#if:{{#invoke:ustring|match|1=0802325|2=^nm}}
   | Template:Trim/
   | nm0802325/
   }}
 | {{#if: {{#property:P345}}
   | name/Template:First word/
   | find?q=%7B%7B%23if%3A+%0A++++++%7C+%7B%7B%7Bname%7D%7D%7D%0A++++++%7C+%5B%5B%3ATemplate%3APAGENAMEBASE%5D%5D%0A++++++%7D%7D&s=nm
   }}
 }}{{#if: 0802325  {{#property:P345}} | {{#switch: 
 | award | awards = awards Awards for | biography | bio = bio Biography for
 }}}} {{#if: 
 | {{{name}}}
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at IMDb{{#if: 0802325{{#property:P345}}
 | Template:EditAtWikidata
 | Template:Main other

}}{{#switch:{{#invoke:string2|matchAny|^nm.........|^nm.......|nm|.........|source=0802325|plain=false}} 

 | 1 | 3 =  Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning
 | 4 = Template:Main otherTemplate:Preview warning

}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:IMDb name with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|showblankpositional=1| 1 | 2 | id | name | section }}

  • {{#if: {{#property:P1220}}

| [https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/{{#if: 

 | {{{id}}}
 | Template:First word
 }} {{#if: 
 | {{{name}}}
 | Template:PAGENAMEBASE
 }}] at the Internet Broadway DatabaseTemplate:EditAtWikidataTemplate:WikidataCheck{{#ifeq:0|0|{{#if:||}}}}

| {{IBDB name}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.{{#ifeq:0|0|}}

}}

Template:Authority control

Retrieved from "https://zalansite.site/mediawiki/index.php?title=Penny_Singleton&oldid=233009"