Her name might not be as well-known as some actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood like Joan Crawford or Bette Davis, but actress Dorothy McGuire appeared in many major films as well as had ties to La Jolla.
McGuire’s softness made her a favorite leading lady in films such as “Gentleman’s Agreement” (1947, for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress) and “Friendly Persuasion” (1956), and “Swiss Family Robinson” (1960), to name a few.
She was also part of a stellar trio that founded the La Jolla Playhouse, which continues to be a leading venue for people to see live theater in 1947.
“We are deeply grateful for the extraordinary vision of La Jolla Playhouse founders and Hollywood luminaries Dorothy McGuire, Mel Ferrer, and Gregory Peck, and we are honored to carry forward their legacy,” said La Jolla Playhouse managing director Debby Buchholz.
LEAVING A LEGACY
According to longtime La Jolla resident Scott Paulson, who curates a film series for the La Jolla Historical Society and at the UC San Diego Library and hosts popular events and exhibitions that embrace La Jolla’s past and present, co-founder Peck was her co-star in “Gentlemen’s Agreement,” released the same year. That proximity allowed for a bit more ease in inaugural Playhouse planning.
“She and Peck (along with Ferrer) longed for the challenge of stage acting, but active film careers and restrictive studio contracts didn’t allow for Broadway commitments.
“Our La Jolla High School stage was just a couple hours from some of their studio commitments, so it was possible to hit the 92037 ZIP code floorboards one evening and be in Tinsel Town present and camera-ready the following morning, if necessary,” Paulson said.
“McGuire was a truly versatile actress, with great success in radio, on Broadway, in film, and on television. Her ties to La Jolla are still appreciated and old photos of her in Playhouse publicity Village outings truly relay her sincerity and joy about the seasons spent here. Her time in La Jolla was not a chore — you can see her beaming in those stills and know that she was both inspired by the work here and inspiring to those immediately around her.”
Paulson added, La Jollans, who had an adoptive fondness for McGuire as a Playhouse founder, were mortified when she was not included in the 2002 Oscars “In Memoriam” tribute. Though Peck was a true local, McGuire’s long-term commitment to La Jolla Playhouse endeared her forward to more official village-citizen status.
“McGuire’s long-term, full commitment to La Jolla Playhouse outlasted Peck and Ferrer’s by many years. Locals watching the broadcast were aghast to witness that snub. To see ‘one of our own’ overlooked caused quite a stir here,” he said.
LA JOLLA PLAYHOUSE HISTORY
The Playhouse website says in its history section: “La Jolla Playhouse thrived as a summer stock retreat for such Hollywood luminaries as Vivian Vance, Groucho Marx, and Eve Arden.
“After over a decade of performances featuring numerous greats from stage and film, the Playhouse went on hiatus from 1959–1982. While shuttered, a handful of dedicated supporters fought to keep the Playhouse alive, eventually working to revive it on the campus of UC San Diego in 1983.
“Over the next three decades, La Jolla Playhouse rose to prominence as one of the most celebrated regional theatres in the country. Under the artistic leadership of Des McAnuff (1983–1994; 2001–2007), the Playhouse developed dozens of new works, many of which transferred to Broadway, including “Big River,” “The Who’s Tommy,” and “Jersey Boys.” In 1993, the Playhouse was awarded the Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre.
“This period also saw the beginning of the Playhouse’s acclaimed Performance Outreach Program (POP) Tour, in which a brand new, Playhouse-commissioned work brings the magic of theatre into San Diego schools. The Playhouse’s continued its commitment to developing new plays and musicals with the launch of its Page To Stage New Play Development Program, spawning the Pulitzer Prize-winning “I Am My Own Wife…”
EARLY DAYS
Born Dorothy Hackett McGuire, in 1916 she was an only child who kicked off her acting career in her hometown, at the Omaha Community Playhouse.
She moved to New York City and appeared on Broadway as an understudy to Martha Scott in “Our Town” and gained almost instant stardom in the domestic comedy “Claudia.”
McGuire was brought to Hollywood by big-time producer David O. Selznick because of her superb stage performance. She starred in her first film, a movie adaptation of her Broadway success, “Claudia” (1943), co-starring Robert Young.
POPULAR FAST
McGuire immediately gained popularity with the public and critics and was the catalyst for not only a sequel, “Claudia and David” (1946, also co-starring Young), but also for many other film roles, including “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945), “The Enchanted Cottage” (1945), “Till the End of Time” (1946), “The Spiral Staircase” (1946), “Mister 880” (1950), “Three Coins in the Fountain” (1954), “Old Yeller” (1957), “A Summer Place” (1959), “The Dark at the Top of the Stairs” (1960), “The Greatest Story Ever Told” (1965, as the Virgin Mary), and the television film “Little Women” (1978).
She also appeared in the television mini-series “Rich Man, Poor Man” (1976) many episodes of “The Love Boat,” “St. Elsewhere,” and “Highway to Heaven.”
DEATH AND RESTING PLACE
In 1943 she married Life Magazine photographer John Swope and was married to him until he died in 1979.
McGuire died of a heart attack at the age of 85 in Santa Monica, in 2001 following a brief illness. She has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cremated, her ashes were scattered at sea.
