| Dolores Fuller | |
|---|---|
| Born | Dolores Eble March 10, 1923 South Bend, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | May 9, 2011 (aged 88) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Other names | Sherry Caine |
| Occupation | Actress, songwriter |
| Years active | 1934, 1952–2000 |
| Spouse | Philip Chamberlin (m. 1988–2011) |
Dolores Agnes Fuller (born Dolores Eble; March 10, 1923 – May 9, 2011[1]) was an American actress and songwriter best known as the one-time girlfriend of the low-budget film director Edward D. Wood, Jr. She played the protagonist's girlfriend in Glen or Glenda, co-starred in Wood's Jail Bait, and had a minor role in Bride of the Monster. Later, Elvis Presley recorded a number of her songs written for his films.
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Her first screen appearance was at the age of 10, when she appeared briefly in Frank Capra’s It Happened One Night.
According to Fuller, the female lead in Bride of the Monster was written for her but Wood gave it to Loretta King instead. King denied the allegation.
In August 1954, Fuller was cast in Wood's The Vampire's Tomb, intended to star Bela Lugosi. Frank Yaconelli was named as her co-star and 'comic killer'. The film was never made. She ended up making a cameo appearance in Bride of the Monster (1956), also with Lugosi.[2] Fuller hosted a benefit for Lugosi which preceded the showing of Bride of the Atom (early working title of Bride of the Monster) on May 11, 1955. A cocktail party was held at the Gardens Restaurant at 4311 Magnolia Avenue in Burbank, California. Vampira attended and was escorted by Paul Marco. A single screening of the film was presented at the Hollywood Paramount.[3]
According to Fuller, as quoted in Wood biography Nightmare of Ecstasy (1992), she first met Ed Wood when she attended a casting call with a friend for a movie he was supposed to direct called Behind Locked Doors: it has also been stated that they met in a restaurant.[4] She became his girlfriend shortly thereafter and began acting in his films.
Her movie career included a bit part in It Happened One Night (1934) and roles in Outlaw Women (1952), Glen or Glenda (1953), Body Beautiful (1953), The Blue Gardenia (1953), Count the Hours (1953), Mesa of Lost Women (1953), College Capers (1954), Jail Bait (1954), The Raid (1954), This Is My Love (1954), The Opposite Sex (1956), The Ironbound Vampire (1997), and Dimensions in Fear (1998).
Fuller had already had earlier experience on television in Queen for a Day and The Dinah Shore Show. As Fuller remembered, she was the one "putting bread on the table." Another quote from her: "I had a size four and a half foot, so I modeled the slippers in an artist's short smock."
She lost her job on The Dinah Shore Show when, as she said, "We were shooting all night, and into the next day, and time just got away from me, and I didn't realize that I was supposed to be on the set working as Dinah's double on her show, Chevy Theatre. I completely messed up my job, I was what they called a no show." She also appeared on an episode of It's A Great Life as "the blonde in the mink coat."
Fuller's ability as a songwriter manifested itself through the intervention of her friend, producer Hal Wallis; Fuller had wanted to get an acting role in the Elvis Presley movie Blue Hawaii, which Wallis was producing, but instead he put her in touch with Hill & Range, the publisher that provided Presley with songs. Fuller went into a collaborative partnership with composer Ben Weisman and co-wrote one song, "Rock-A-Hula Baby", for the film. It was a beginning that eventually led to Elvis Presley recording a dozen of her songs, including "I Got Lucky" and "Spinout". Fuller also had her music recorded by Nat 'King' Cole, Peggy Lee, and other leading talents of the time.
Grey quotes Fuller as saying of the period before her success, "He (Ed Wood) begged me to marry him. I loved him in a way, but I couldn't handle the transvestism. I'm a very normal person. It's hard for me to deviate! I wanted a man that was all man. After we broke up, he would stand outside my home in Burbank and cry. "Let me in, I love you!" What good would I have done if I had married him? We would have starved together. I bettered myself. I had to uplift myself."[5] She has also been quoted as saying that "His dressing up didn’t bother me — we all have our little queer habits" and giving Wood's drinking as the reason for their breakup.[4]
Dolores Fuller's autobiography, A Fuller Life: Hollywood, Ed Wood and Me, co-authored by Winnipeg writer Stone Wallace and her husband Philip Chamberlin, was published in 2008.[4]
Fuller was portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker in Tim Burton's 1994 Wood biopic Ed Wood, a portrayal of which she disapproved due to the image of her smoking in the film. Fuller says she never smoked.[6] She also complained that she was only portrayed as "sort of as an actress" and did not feel she was given credit for her other accomplishments and contributions towards Wood's career.[7] However, she stated that she liked the film overall, praising Johnny Depp's performance in the title role.
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1934 | It Happened One Night | Minor role | Uncredited |
| 1952 | Outlaw Women | One of Uncle Barney's Girls | Uncredited Alternative title: Boot Hill Mamas |
| 1953 | Glen or Glenda | Barbara | |
| Girls in the Night | Beauty Contestant for Miss Third Avenue | Alternative title: Life After Dark | |
| The Blue Gardenia | Woman at bar | Uncredited | |
| Count the Hours | Reporter | Uncredited Alternative title: Every Minute Counts |
|
| Mesa of Lost Women | Blonde "Watcher in the Woods" | Alternative title: Lost Women | |
| The Body Beautiful | June | Credited as Sherry Caine | |
| The Moonlighter | Miss Buckwalter | Uncredited | |
| 1954 | Jail Bait | Marilyn Gregor | Alternative title: Hidden Face |
| Playgirl | Girl | Uncredited | |
| The Raid | |||
| This Is My Love | |||
| 1955 | Bride of the Monster | Margie | cameo Alternative title: Bride of the Atom |
| 1956 | The Opposite Sex | Bit Role | Uncredited |
| 1997 | The Ironbound Vampire | Theresa Powell | Direct-to-video release |
| 1998 | Dimensions in Fear | TV Station Owner | Alternative titles: City in Terror Dimension in Fear |
| 2000 | The Corpse Grinders 2 | Patricia Grant | Direct-to-video release |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1955 | The Great Gildersleeve | Miss Carroll | 1 episode |
| It's a Great Life | Girl | ||
| 1956 | Adventures of Superman | Lorraine | |
Songs recorded by Elvis Presley with lyrics by Dolores Fuller:
According to Allmusic, other songs co-written by her include I'll Touch a Star by Terry Stafford, Lost Summer Love by Shelley Fabares and Someone to Tell It To by Nat King Cole.[8]
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