Person Biography:
Dorothy Layton was a Hollywood movie actress who worked during the sound era with some of the greatest comedians of the day, including Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chase. Born Dorothy Violet Wannenwetch on August 13, 1912, in Cincinnati, Ohio, she became well-traveled as a child due to her father's work. She eventually settled in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and later made Baltimore her second home.
Dorothy's teacher at her convert school in Virginia wrote on her final report, "This charismatic young lady personifies the adage 'A rolling stone gathers no moss' she will go far and do extremely well in whatever she decides to do." In 1929, Dorothy headed to California to visit a cousin in Santa Barbara and ended up staying for good. She quickly settled into the Santa Barbara way of life, frequenting the Hollywood social scene and participating in local theater.
Dorothy was joined by her mother in 1930 and moved to a small house in West Hollywood. She dated Roger Marchetti, a famed attorney for Howard Hughes and Bing Crosby, and dined at Hollywood's premier restaurants. She recalled, "We always had the best seat in the house and even if the most prominent table had been taken, the headwaiter would always gather tables together to make a head table for our party, which usually consisted of Howard Hughes, Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, Wallace Beery, Ralph Bellamy, Ann Dvorak, and on occasions Garbo."
Dorothy attributed her success in pictures to the company she kept, giving very little credit to her own talent. She adopted her maternal great-grandmother's maiden name and landed featured parts in big studio pictures, mostly films made at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Fox. She was a WAMPAS Baby Starlet in 1932, alongside Ginger Rogers, Mary Carlisle, Eleanor Holm, Gloria Stuart, and Toshi Mori.
Dorothy made her Roach debut in 'Chickens Come Home' (1932) with Laurel and Hardy and Thelma Todd. She also appeared in 'The Chimp' (1932),'Country Hospital' (1932),and 'Pack Up Your Troubles' (1932) with Laurel and Hardy. She was teamed with Muriel Evans, a Featured Player at MGM, for 'Young Ironsides' (1932).
In the spring of 1933, Dorothy split from Roger Marchetti and lost her agent, B.P. Schulberg. Without Schulberg, most of her film offers and friends disappeared. She made her last film for Hal Roach in 'Fallen Arches' (1933) and 'Hollywood on Parade' (1933) with Johnny Mack Brown and Mary Pickford, after which she quit.
In 1934, Dorothy headed back to Baltimore and married businessman Howard Taylor, who operated a large mattress company. They had two children, Barbara and Howard Taylor III. Dorothy became a volunteer at Keswick Health Care Centre in 1947 and eventually joined the staff, retiring after more than 30 years of service in 1977. She returned to Keswick as a paid employee in 1982 and entertained patients and taught bridge, commenting that, "It was Howard Hughes who taught me."
