Toon Talk - Legacy: Dorothy McGuire
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Old Yeller (c) Disney
Picture courtesy A Dorothy McGuire
Tribute
Differing from other actresses of her time, McGuire shunned the Hollywood spotlight. "To this day," she remarked in a 1982 interview "I don't know what shapes a Hollywood career ... I was never a classic beauty. I had no image." This was a testament to her talent and versatility, not to mention her modesty: She could play a romantic lead in the fluffy Three Coins in a Fountain (1954) and then turn around and play Gary Cooper's stoic wife in Friendly Persuasion (1956), one of her finest roles.
When casting for his adaptation of the Fred Gipson bestseller, Old Yeller, Walt Disney turned to McGuire to play Katie Coates, a pioneer woman left with her two sons (Tommy Kirk and Kevin Corcoran) when her husband (Fess Parker) goes on a cattle run. Their lives are changed by the arrival of a mangy, lop-eared yellow dog. The tragic ending is a cinematic classic, and Old Yeller went on to become not only one of the top films of 1957, but a perennial family favorite.
Shortly before the film premiered, McGuire appeared in the Disneyland television episode promoting the movie, The Best Doggoned Dog in the World. In discussing her role in the film, she states: "When I first read the script, I realized that Katie would have to be played as a rather down-to-earth person." McGuire infused within her character a sense of decency and morality, with deep love for her husband and children. (And all this while acting opposite two graduates from The Mickey Mouse Club in their first film roles, not to mention a rather charismatic performer in the title role.)
McGuire's performance in Yeller so impressed Walt, that he hired her for the role of Mrs. Robinson (again with on-screen sons Kirk and Corcoran) in his 1960 film version of the Johann Wyss adventure tale Swiss Family Robinson. McGuire returned in 1963, this time as Hayley Mills' mom, in the pleasant Sherman Brothers' musical Summer Magic.
Swiss Family Robison (c) Disney
Picture courtesy A
Dorothy McGuire Tribute
During and after her stint with Disney McGuire continued to add to her impressive list of film credits, including A Summer Place (1959), The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960) and as the Virgin Mary in The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). She then transitioned gracefully to theater and television roles, in which she was nominated for three Emmys, including the 1976 mini-series classic Rich Man, Poor Man.
McGuire was married to John Swope, an acclaimed photographer for Life magazine. Their marriage was atypically Hollywood - wholesome and scandal free - up to Swope's death in 1979. They had two children, daughter Topo and son Mark, who survive.
McGuire died the night of Thursday September 13th at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica. She had broken her leg three weeks ago and then succumbed to heart failure. "She went very peacefully" said her daughter at the announcement. "She had a wonderful life."
• • •
Although she actively retired from performing over a decade ago, Dorothy McGuire's talent will be missed, and her performances live on:
"Old Yeller will be played a
thousand years from now.
And Dorothy and Fess and Kevin and I will be watched ...
Because of Walt Disney."
-- Tommy Kirk, in a 1997 interview celebrating
the 40th anniversary of Old Yeller.
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-- Kirby C. Holt
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. A frequent contributer to the LaughingPlace.com Discussion Boards, he currently resides near one of the Happiest Places on Earth: Orlando, Florida.
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever Kirby has something to say..
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-- Posted September 20, 2001