In the May-June 2023 edition of the Old Radio Times, I shared the story of how a thrift store purchase of old photos led to the story of a forgotten teen radio star.
Dorothy Gregory (1923 -1942) was a promising actress of Chicago radio who co-starred in three soap operas and a community affairs series for teens during the last 2 two years of her life. She succumbed to tuberculosis at the age of 18.
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| Rare white dress photo of Dorothy Gregory, found in a thrift store lot. Compare to the newspaper clipping above for image quality. From the blogger's collection |
The photo of Dorothy that led to this research was used to promote her in one of her first soap opera roles, as the new “Jill Jones” in the detective daytime drama "Kitty Keene, Inc". In the months that I did research on Gregory, I found multiple images of her, but not a copy of this photo. Not until I had access to more newspapers did I finally find it. I was also hoping that there may be more than one photo of her in the white dress, similar to a fashion shoot she did for her role on the "Scattergood Baines" radio program.
Even more elusive than images of Dorothy Gregory is her voice. To date I have not found any surviving recordings from her time on "Kitty Keene", "Scattergood Baines", or WGN's "Citizens of Tomorrow" a public affairs program for teenagers. However, if an episode of 'Og, Son of Fire' can turn up, than anything is possible.
Further Reading:
Stewart Jr., James R. "A Promosing Citizen of Tommorrow: The Story of Actress Dorothy Gregory". Old Radio Times. May-June 2023. https://otrr.org/FILES/Times_Archive_pdf/2023_03%20May-June.pdf
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