“You know, they say deaths go in cycles of three. First it was Lilyan Tashman, then Lew Cody. I wonder who’ll be next?”–Dorothy Dell
Dorothy Dell was born in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, to Elbert and Lillian Goff and grew up in a socially prominent family. Her father, lumberman Elbert E. Goff, claimed descent from one of the men associated with the Mayflower, while her mother’s family was reportedly related to Jefferson Davis. She had a younger sister named Helen.
When Dell was 13, her family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, where she began pursuing a career as a singer. She was discovered by composer Wesley Lord, who helped her secure a radio contract.
Dell soon began competing in beauty pageants. She was crowned Miss Biloxi during a brief period when her family lived near Gulfport and, in 1930, won the title of Miss New Orleans, defeating 74 other contestants. Among the competitors was her friend Dorothy Lamour, who succeeded her as Miss New Orleans the following year. The two women remained close friends as their careers developed.
Later in 1930, Dell traveled to Galveston, Texas, to compete in the International Pageant of Pulchritude. She won the pageant’s title of Miss Universe, a title that predates the modern Miss Universe competition established in 1952. The publicity surrounding her victory helped launch a successful vaudeville career. Rather than accepting other opportunities immediately, Dell chose the vaudeville circuit in part because she wanted to help Lamour advance her own career, honoring a promise she had made to her friend.
Dell spent approximately 32 weeks performing in vaudeville before moving to New York City in 1931. She also appeared in dance prologues produced by the Fanchon and Marco team. During her time in New York, she performed in the Ziegfeld Follies after being discovered by producer Florenz Ziegfeld at a benefit where she sang. She later appeared in Tattle Tales in 1933. Her work with the Follies also brought her into contact with singer Russ Colombo, with whom she was romantically linked. Their relationship became the subject of considerable publicity, particularly as newspapers reported and she denied rumors of an impending marriage.
Dell’s time in New York also included several frightening experiences that she later regarded as narrow escapes from death. As a child, she had survived an attack by a dog, and in 1931 she reportedly declined an invitation to join a party aboard a yacht that subsequently exploded, killing another woman who had taken her place. She was also seriously injured in an automobile accident that year, spent two months hospitalized, later contracted influenza, and broke a leg during a Follies performance.
In December 1933, Dell moved to Hollywood, where she signed a long-term contract with Paramount Pictures. Although she was initially expected to receive only small parts, she won a leading role in Wharf Angel (1934), reportedly competing with more established actresses including Mae Clarke and Isabel Jewell. The film was successful, and Dell received favorable reviews, prompting Paramount to consider her a potential star.
Her next major role was in Little Miss Marker (1934), starring Shirley Temple. Dell’s performance further raised her profile, and she was scheduled to appear opposite Gary Cooper in another Shirley Temple film, Now and Forever. She had also been cast in Shoot the Works, which was in production at the time of her death.
On the day before her death, newspaper reports attributed an ominous remark to Dell. Reflecting on the recent deaths of actresses Lilyan Tashman and Lew Cody, she reportedly said, “You know, they say deaths go in cycles of three. First it was Lilyan Tashman, then Lew Cody. I wonder who’ll be next?” The comment would later become one of the most frequently repeated details in accounts of her untimely death.
On June 8, 1934, Dell accepted an invitation from Dr. Carl Wagner to take a drive to Pasadena. Wagner reportedly wanted Dell to meet his mother and encouraged her to take a break from filming. Afterward, they attended an all-night party at the Marcell Inn in Altadena. While traveling toward Pasadena after the party, Wagner was driving at a high speed when the automobile left the road, struck a telephone pole, bounced off a palm tree, and collided with a boulder. Dell was killed instantly. Wagner died in a hospital approximately six hours later.
Reports circulated after Dell’s death concerning her romantic life and possible engagements. Some accounts claimed that she had been engaged to Wagner, while other reports identified caricaturist Nat Carson as her intended fiancé. According to those accounts, Carson had left for London shortly before her death after proposing to Dell by telephone, and she had planned to take several months away from work for an extended honeymoon. Because these accounts conflict, the details of her engagement remain uncertain.
Dell’s death shocked Hollywood, particularly Shirley Temple, who had become a close friend. Production of Now and Forever was temporarily suspended, and Temple was not immediately told about Dell’s death. When filming resumed, Temple’s tears during a scene in which her character learns that her father has deceived her were reportedly genuine, as she was grieving Dell’s death. Dell’s role was ultimately given to Carole Lombard, providing Lombard with one of her early significant film opportunities.
Funeral services for Dell were held in Hollywood on June 10, 1934, with her friend Ruth Etting singing “The Rosary.” She was later buried at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, returning her to the city where she had spent much of her adolescence and first achieved fame.
Dell’s brief career continued to attract attention after her death. She reportedly continued receiving fan mail at the Hollywood post office nearly two years later. Her former dressing room at Paramount also acquired a reputation for being unlucky, and reports noted that other actresses were reluctant to use it. Her death also became part of the mythology surrounding the early Hollywood careers of Shirley Temple, Carole Lombard, and Dorothy Lamour.
In 1920, she and her family resided at 517 RR St., Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In 1930, the family resided at 4120 Perrier St., New Orleans, Louisiana. Sadly, neither of these homes stand today.
Metairie Cemetery is located at 5100 Pontchartrain Blvd., New Orleans, Louisiana.
