Diana Lynn

Los Angeles, California, USA

Biography

She was a child prodigy, pianist, at age 10, and her first movie role was one of the children in, "They Shall Have Music" (1939). You see her playing the piano. She made another movie using her 'real name' - Dolly in, "There's Magic in Music" (1941). She signed a long term contract with Paramount in 1942, and had her named changed to Diana Lynn. She had good roles in, "The Major, and the Minor" (1942); "The Miracle of Morgan's Creek", and, "Our Hearts Were Young, and Gay" - both in 1944. She had fewer roles as she matured; she did do, "Bedtime for Bonzo" (1951), but had a nice career on TV shows. She died of a stroke when she was making a comeback in film. Her marriages were from 1948 to 1954 to architect John C. Lindsay; no children; then in December 6,1956, she married Mortimer C.Hall, president of L.A. radio station, KLAC. His mother was Dorothy Schiff, publisher then of the 'New York Post'. She had four children with him between 1958, and 1964. They moved to New York City so he could assume a post on his mother's paper. She passed away on December 18, 1971 of a stroke / brain hemorrhage in Los Angeles.

Movies

Matinee Theater is an American anthology series that aired on NBC during the Golden Age of Television, from 1955 to 1958. The series, which ran daily in the afternoon, was frequently live. It was produced by Albert McCleery, Darrell Ross, George Cahan and Frank Price with executive producer George Lowther. McCleery had previously produced the live series Cameo Theatre which introduced to television the concept of theater-in-the-round, TV plays staged with minimal sets. Jim Buckley of the Pewter Plough Playhouse recalled: When Al McCleery got back to the States, he originated a most ambitious theatrical TV series for NBC called Matinee Theater: to televise five different stage plays per week live, airing around noon in order to promote color TV to the American housewife as she labored over her ironing. Al was the producer. He hired five directors and five art directors. Richard Bennett, one of our first early presidents of the Pewter Plough Corporation, was one of the directors and I was one of the art directors and, as soon as we were through televising one play, we had lunch and then met to plan next week’s show. That was over 50 years ago, and I’m trying to think; I believe the TV art director is his own set decorator —yes, of course! It had to be, since one of McCleery’s chief claims to favor with the producers was his elimination of the setting per se and simply decorating the scene with a minimum of props. It took a bit of ingenuity.

More info
Matinee Theater
1955