Gloria Dea
Gloria Metzner (August 25, 1922 – March 18, 2023), better known by the stage name of Gloria Dea, was an American actress, dancer, artist and magician. Dea is noted for being the first magician to have performed in Las Vegas,[1] as well as starring in films during the Golden Age of Hollywood.
Gloria Dea | |
|---|---|
Dea in a promotional image for King of the Congo, 1952 | |
| Born | Gloria Metzner August 25, 1922 Alameda, California, U.S. |
| Died | March 18, 2023 (aged 100) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1940–1950 |
| Spouse(s) | Jack Statham (m. 1944; div. 1945)Hal Borne (m. 1946; div. 19??) Sam Anzalone (m. 19??; died 2022) |
Life and career
Early life and work as magician
Gloria Metzner was born in Oakland, California, United States, on August 25, 1922,[2][3][4] to Martha (née Heyman) and Leo Metzner.[5] In World War I, Leo Metzner served in the 363rd Infantry Regiment of the 91st Division, then returned home to become a paint salesman and owner of a chain of paint stores.[5] He had also performed as a magician in local circles under the stage name of "The Great Leo".[6]
Gloria Metzner started performing tricks at the age of four,[4] and by the age of seven was noted as being "the youngest working magician in the world".[7] She specialized in the hat trick, from which she pulled her two pet guinea pigs and a pigeon.[8] At the age of 11, she was one of the youngest members of the Pacific Coast Association of Magicians,[8] and at age 12 won an award from the Association for best work with livestock in competition.[9] Metzner performed as a magician at El Rancho Vegas on May 14, 1941, making her the first magician to have performed on the Las Vegas Strip.[4]
Film and art career
As her career in show magic came to an end, she moved to Southern California and became an actress in Hollywood films from the mid-1940s to late 1950s, adopting the stage name Gloria Dea.[2] For much of this time, Dea was contracted with Columbia Pictures.[10] During the filming of 1944's Delightfully Dangerous, in which Dea performed as a dancer, producer Charles R. Rogers paused filming for twenty minutes so that Dea could marry her fiancé, orchestra leader Jack Statham. The couple had been unable to marry previously due to time clashes with their work schedules.[11] By March 1945, Dea and Statham had separated.[12] Dea's second marriage was to Hal Borne, noted for being the rehearsal pianist of Fred Astaire.[13] They were married in Los Angeles in April 1946.[14] In 1952, Dea took on her most prominent role, playing the lead of native girl Princess Pha in the 1952 film King of the Congo, in which she starred opposite Buster Crabbe.[15] Her other film credits include Mexicana (1945) and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957).[4]
In 1954, Dea represented the American Guild of Variety Artists as a founding board member of the San Fernando Labor Co-ordinating Council, a united San Fernando Valley area labor union group that predated the merger of the AFL-CIO.[16] Credit for the Council's founding was given to Jack Shulem, from the International Typographical Union.[16] By 1956, they had married, and she was using the name Gloria Dea Shulem while continuing on the Council board.[17]
The couple lived in Burbank, California, in a house which Dea decorated with Greek gods which she drew using charcoal, oil paint, and gold leaf,[18] and curtains that she had received national coverage for, decorated with drawings and glued-on beads.[19][20] Besides labor and art, Dea was active in Burbank community organizations, being chair of the Hobby Show, and member of the Women's Council, B'nai Brith, Beautiful Committee, and Hadassah, often accompanying her mother.[18] Dea was elected president of the Burbank Hadassah in 1957,[21] and won a Women's Council service award in 1964.[22]
Later life
After leaving the entertainment industry, Dea sold insurance, and then new and used cars for a Chevrolet dealership in the San Fernando Valley. She later moved back to Las Vegas in 1980, residing in the Paradise Palms community with her husband, Sam Anzalone, a fellow auto dealer she met at the Chevrolet dealership. Anzalone died in January 2022,[4] and Dea turned 100 in August.[1] She celebrated the event at the Westgate Las Vegas with other magicians, including David Copperfield.[4] Dea occasionally performed magic tricks at the assisted-living residence in Las Vegas, where she lived.[1]
Dea died from coronary artery disease at her Las Vegas residence, on March 18, 2023, at the age of 100.[23][24]
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1944 | The Story of Dr. Wassell[25] | Javanese Nurse |
| 1945 | Delightfully Dangerous[11] | Clown dancer |
| Mexicana[4] | Speciality dancer | |
| 1952 | King of the Congo[26][4] | Princess Pha |
| Something to Live For[27] | Slave girl | |
| 1955 | The Prodigal[28] | Faradine |
| The Sea Chase[29] | Señorita | |
| 1956 | Around the World in 80 Days[13] | Extra |
| 1957 | Plan 9 from Outer Space[4] | Girl |
References
- ^ a b c "Gloria Dea, 100, Continues To Bring Glory To Magic, Las Vegas". Casino.org. August 26, 2022. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "Gloria – The Magician". Braunhart Mania. May 7, 2012. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Newsletter, February 2022" (PDF). Oakland Magic Circle. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Katsilometes, John (August 24, 2022). "Las Vegas Strip's first magician turning 100". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "Fifty Years Just a Beginning". San Fernando Valley Times. June 20, 1971. p. 24. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ DeGroot, Barbara (November 11, 1983). "It was a different army then, and an adventure for some". Las Vegas Sun.
- ^ "Abracadabra Miss". Oakland Tribune. November 5, 1929. p. 3. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Mavity, Nancy Barr (August 1, 1934). "11-Year-Old Daughter of Magician is Tricky Herself". Oakland Tribune. Newspapers.com. p. 4. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ "Local Young Magician Wins Honor At Convention". The Sacramento Bee. Newspapers.com. August 1, 1935. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ Cline, William C. (December 1997). In the Nick of Time: Motion Picture Sound Serials. McFarland. p. 92. ISBN 9780786404711. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "Star Dust". The Garland Times. November 17, 1944. p. 4. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Jason-Galbraith Wedding Highlight of Actors Doings". Sun Herald. March 26, 1945. p. 9. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b "The Entertainers in the Family". Braunhart Mania. January 31, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Musician to Wed Actress". The Buffalo News. April 9, 1946. p. 22. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Actress to Go Native". The Los Angeles Times. October 21, 1951. p. 114. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ a b Maher, Jerry (October 1, 1954). "Labor". Los Angeles Mirror. Newspapers.com. p. 30.
- ^ "Install Labor Council Execs". San Fernando Valley Times. Newspapers.com. May 10, 1956. p. 40. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
- ^ a b Wolff, Carol (June 22, 1963). "Greek Gods Share Burbank Home". San Fernando Valley Times. Newspapers.com.
- ^ Churchill, Reba; Churchill, Bonnie (May 23, 1954). "Method of Beading Fabric Without Using Needle or Thread". The Boston Globe. Newspapers.com. p. 124.
- ^ Churchill, Reba; Churchill, Bonnie (May 23, 1954). "Beading Without Bother". The Salt Lake Tribune. Newspapers.com. p. 101.
- ^ "Burbank Unit Sets Date of Installation". San Fernando Valley Times. Newspapers.com. September 25, 1957. p. 8.
- ^ "Four To Get Civic Service Awards". The Los Angeles Times. April 5, 1964. p. 179.
- ^ "Gloria Dea, the Strip's first magician, dies at 100". Las Vegas Review-Journal. March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/gloria-dea-1st-magician-las-vegas-strip-dies-97974614
- ^ Reid, John Howard (June 2006). Success in the Cinema Money-Making Movies. Lulu Enterprises Incorporated. p. 224. ISBN 9781847280886. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Rainey, Buck (2005). Serial Film Stars: A Biographical Dictionary, 1912–1956. McFarland. p. 381. ISBN 9780786420100. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Bowers, Ronald L. (1976). The Selznick Players. A. S. Barnes. p. 135. ISBN 9780498013751. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ "Gloria Dea". British Film Institute. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
- ^ Landesman, Fred (August 13, 2015). The John Wayne Filmography. McFarland. p. 308. ISBN 9781476609225. Retrieved October 17, 2022.