RIP Arlene Dahl

 

Arlene Dahl, MGM star and 1950s glamour queen who later became a beauty writer and cosmetics entrepreneur, died Monday November 29, 2021 in New York at age 96. Dahl was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on August 11, 1925 and is of Norwegian heritage. Following high school she joined a local drama group and did a variety of odd jobs including modeling for department stores. She arrived in Hollywood in 1946, and signed a short-lived contract with Warner Brothers. However, her name is most commonly associated with her work under contract at MGM. Some of her notable films were “Reign of Terror” (1949), “Three Little Words” (1950), “Woman’s World” (1954), “Slightly Scarlet” (1956) and “Journey to the Center of the Earth” (1959). She left movies in 1959 and parlayed her reputation as a classic beauty into becomin a beauty columnist and later a businesswoman, founding Arlene Dahl Enterprises which marketed lingerie and cosmetics. She was married six times. Two husbands were actors Lex Barker and Fernando Lamas. She is survived by her husband Marc Rosen, son Lorenzo Lamas, as well as two other children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.Dahl appeared in only one Euro-western, 1970's "Land Raiders" as Martha Cardenas/Carden.