Marcy McGuire

This Kansas redhead, only 16 when she was cast in _Seven Days' Leave (1942)_ (qv), was already working as a nightclub entertainer. When her first role received excellent notices, stressing her singing and wide-eyed appeal, she was signed to an RKO contract. RKO made little use of her comedy talent, assigning her to a series of second leads for "jitterbug appeal" in low-budget musicals. In most of these, she played a mature-looking, boy-crazy teen with a vital, stimulating personality. Her most memorable screen moment (aside from her songs) was swooning at 'Frank Sinatra' (qv)'s feet in _Higher and Higher (1943)_ (qv). Following her marriage to actor 'Wally Cassell' (qv) in 1947, she had only two more roles, and definitely retired from acting in 1952. Husband Cassell (in films 1943-58) went into business, and the couple subsequently owned the prosperous Law Printing Co., which was sold in 1993. Marcy has two children and is a grandmother.::Rod Crawford <puffinus@u.washington.edu>