Dorothy Granger was one celebrity who I wish I had paid more mind to over the years. Although she didn’t pass away until 1995, the only opportunity that I ever had to meet her was during the 1980 Sons of the Desert convention in Hollywood. Dorothy only had a few small roles in the Laurel and Hardy shorts, most notably in Hog Wild where she actually plays two roles within the 20-minute film so I wasn’t too thrilled when I got the chance to meet her and have her sign my little blue autograph book on August 2.
Much later - and much too late - I realized that she had starred in over 250 film and short subjects of the 1930’s and 40’s, most notably playing Leon Errol’s wife in his film series. Most importantly as one of the early members of The Boy Friends, a comedy group at Hal Roach Studios that I would delve deeply into and to whom I would devote almost two entire issues of Dante’s Info in 2003. It was then that a slew of photo stills of Dorothy turned up which she could have signed had I acted quicker.
As it was, the only photo she ever personally signed for me was obtained by my good friend Bob Satterfield and presented to me in 1992 as part of a graduation album of well-wishes from the stars. On this photo she inscribed her congratulations and her signature in ballpoint pen.
Dorothy wrote “To Brad - Congratulations. Have a Happy Life” on this still from The Laurel-Hardy Murder Case
Dorothy and cut-outs of the boys at a Sons gathering at Fort Laurel in the mid-1980’s
This concludes my celebrity encounters with the stars of the Hal Roach Studios, the ladies and gentlemen who worked with Laurel and Hardy and the Our Gang series and has brought countless hours of happiness to my life and the world around me. As a parting shot, here’s a photo taken by my friend Marcia Opal of Dorothy and the other Laurel and Hardy co-stars from Hollywood ‘80.
Standing: Eddie Quillen, Thomas Benton Roberts, Henry Brandon, Spanky McFarland, William Janney, Trudy Marshall, Anita Garvin, Rosina Lawrence, Lucille Hardy Price, Vivian Blaine, Seated: Ruth Burch, Dorothy deBorba, Dorothy Granger, Della Lind
1980 will continue…
Return to Hollywood ‘80…
Dorothy Granger Hilder was one of the greats! She used to phone me out of the blue just to chat–which always happily surprised me as I wasn’t that close to her as I was to some of the other L&H folks. (Dorothy had some health problems in later years–shingles among them–which prevented her from getting out or seeing people all that often.) She and her husband Jack ran a furniture store for years in the San Fernando Valley. She’s best known in L&H circles for her two roles in “Hog Wild” (I think I was the first person she told that she was also the girl navigating the mud puddle) and her appearance in “L-H Murder Case,” but of course she’s great in Charley Chase’s “The Pip from Pittsburgh,” The Three Stooges’ “Punch Drunks,” and any number of Leon Errol shorts. She was a sweetheart, on screen and off.
Randy Skretvedt
March 6th, 2008