Sometimes research and persistence pay off. I heard about an actress who was semi-well known and who had died at age 51 in a tragic fire in her bedroom on Nov. 28, 1969, at 7135 Olivetas Ave. in La Jolla, so I decided to explore.

After weeks of looking for any information about Dorothy Helen Kelly, I didn’t have much to go on. Other than she was born on Feb. 11, 1918, in San Francisco and her father was the late Superior Court Judge Edward J. Kelly. She also entered films after being seen in a play in La Jolla, records said.

However, on IMBd there was a bit more info along with her films “Flying with Music” (1942) and “Sappy Pappy” (1942). Other reports said she is best remembered for her role as Robert Benchley’s secretary in “The Sky’s the Limit” (1943) and overall played in nine films from 1942 to 1946, almost always in uncredited roles.

FINALLY CREDITED

Kelly’s first credited role, however, was Mary, in “Flying with Music” in which she played one of five socialites who hire tour guide Harry Bernard (actor George Givot), a man fleeing divorce and alimony payments who takes the woman on a search for the Latin lover of one of the women.

She played a sister act in “Yankee Doodle Dandy” in 1942 and is also credited as Dorothy O’Kelly in “Sappy Pappy.” Oddly, she is sometimes credited as O’Kelly and is often confused with silent screen actress Dorothy Kelly (1894–1966) because of the similarity of names.

The actress also appeared in “Petticoat Larceny,” and “The Falcon and the Coeds” also in 1943. Her last known film (also uncredited) was “The Razor’s Edge” (1946), in which she played a showgirl. I kept reading, “Very little is known about her private life, or about what she did after she left acting in 1946.” But I got lucky with the help of the San Diego Library downtown location and a helpful librarian.

STRIKING GOLD

We came across an article in the San Diego Union dated Nov. 29, 1969, that read: “Miss Kelly, 51, daughter of the late Superior Court Judge Edward J. Kelly was found dead in the charred bedroom of her home where she lived alone … Fire Chief H.W. Crandell said the blaze may have been caused by a cigarette.”

The story was penned by Pliny Castanien with the headline: “Dorothy Kelly, Ex-Actress, Dies of Fire Injuries.” The article further goes on to say Kelly went to Hollywood in 1940 after a talent scout noticed her in a high school play in La Jolla. She did appear in several small roles for several years.

In the same article from Nov. 29, 1969, it said Kelly lost a role on Aug. 13, 1943, to another actress and learned the same day that her role in the movie ended up on the cutting room floor. Kelly entered a hospital for treatment for what was called an attack of hysterics, and the story made headlines across the nation.

She again made the papers in 1950 when she filed a lawsuit in Superior Court seeking $50K damages from two men she said, according to the article, “had broken into her bedroom and beaten her following a party. A physician testified that in addition to some bruises she suffered ‘major injuries to her ego.’”

Kelly was awarded $3,100.

SNOOPER SCOOPER

Later in her life, Kelly published a newsletter called the La Jolla Snooper, in which she wrote and commented about “La Jolla’s life and society.” It was given to friends, tourists, and at local hotels.

I found a copy on eBay from 1955 that lists her as editor and publisher along with the address on the masthead at Olivetas Avenue.

MARRIED LIFE AND HOME

The San Diego Union article added that in 1948 Kelly married Ewing A. Washburn but was divorced in 1950. In 1951 she was the lead in Somerset Maugham’s “The Conant Wife,” at the Old Globe Theatre.

At the time of the article in 1969, services for Kelly were pending. Also, the home she lived alone at in La Jolla is still standing and last sold for $2.9 million in 2021, according to Zillow.

According to Genoelogy.com, Kelly had a son George and two daughters, Mrs. Laverna Vest and Mrs. Barbara Prather. Kelly is buried at El Camino Memorial Park, Loma Siesta Section, Lot 132 C, Grave 2, San Diego, San Diego County, California, USA.

I remain intrigued and still digging for more about Dorothy Helen Kelly.