Dorothy Coburn
 
born: 07 June 1904
Great Falls, Montana,
United States of America
died: 15 May 1978
San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, San Pedro, California,
United States of America
(emphysema, age 73)
Feisty, red-headed, attractive silent screen actress, who entered pictures in May 1926. The daughter of western actor/producer Wallace D. Coburn (1872-1954), she was a popular opponent to Laurel and Hardy. Never afraid to get herself covered in mud, pies or paint; a real good sport! She was also an accomplished rider and a fit athlete, occasionally working as a stunt performer in westerns. After the advent of sound, she was sometimes engaged as a stand-in for Ginger Rogers at RKO. Her daily swim in Culver City Community pool led to her being sent to Hal Roach Studios to double Helene Chadwick in swimming and diving.
Dorothy's first (of two) husband was Gene Alsace, and was a real con artist. It is presumed he may have influenced her decision to leave the movie industry, though the termination of her contract with Hal Roach in 1928 may also have played a part in this. She is buried in Grand View Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles, California, USA.
(Plot: Section B, Lot 31, Grave 7.)

With regards to her exact date of birth, the Great Falls (Montana) Genealogical Society has posted the Cascade County MT Birth Records taken from the County Birth Registrations 1887-1944. The records, dated 22 June 1920 state she was born on June 7th, 1904. Other sources have listed June 8th, and even offer different years. Her birth certificate is posted below, which clearly states June 7, 1904. Her grave marker correctly states 1904. The 1910, 1920 and 1940 Census state 1905, and other sources say 1906: a passenger manifest from October 9th, 1917, on return with family from Hawaii states she was aged 11 and her date of birth being June 8th, 1906, Great Falls, Montana. The 1930 Census published on April 1st, indicates 1906 (age 24 last birthday), as does her marriage certificate from November 29th, 1930 which indicates 1906 (age 24 at last birthday).
Real name: Dorothy Morrow Coburn
Height: 5'4"
Films listed on this page: complete Hal Roach filmography;
plus 1 film with Charley Chase.

21


1927
Should Men Walk Home
Kissing couple

1927
Sugar Daddies
Hotel guest/
Girl in the Fun House

1927
Sailors, Beware!
Bathing beauty/Lady in easy chair

1927
The Second 100 Years
Flapper

1927
Hats Off
Vision
DVD screencapture - Lord Heath - Laurel & Hardy - Another Nice Mess - http://www.lordheath.com/

1927
The Way Of All Pants
Laughing job applicant in office

1927
Us
[unidentified character]
 

1927
Putting Pants On Philip
Girl chased by Philip

1927
The Battle Of The Century
Pie victim getting into car

1928
Playin' Hookey
Actress sitting at make-up table

1928
Leave 'Em Laughing
Dental nurse

1928
Dumb Daddies
Woman with cloche hat

1928
Flying Elephants
Georgeous wrestler

1928
The Finishing Touch
Nurse

1928
From Soup To Nuts
Party guest

1928
Barnum & Ringling, Inc.
Woman who sits on egg

1928
Their Purple Moment
Hat check girl

1928
Should Married Men Go Home?
Muddy combatant
DVD screencapture - Lord Heath - Laurel & Hardy - Another Nice Mess - http://www.lordheath.com/

1928
Do Gentlemen Snore?
[?]

1928
That Night
[?]

1929
The Unkissed Man
[?]
NON-HAL ROACH FILMS

1929
Modern Love
Half and half

STILLS FROM LEAVE 'EM LAGHING
(click any image to enlarge)

STILL FROM PUTTING PANTS ON PHILIP
(click any image to enlarge)

IMAGES
(click any image to enlarge)


BIRTH / DEATH CERTIFICATES
(click any image to enlarge)

MISCELLANEOUS
(click any image to enlarge)


Acknowledgements:
Timeline:
1920 Census Family residence is Los Angeles. DOROTHY is “student”.
1921 August - family apparently resides at Prescott AZ vicinity (Coburn Bros Ranch).
1921 September - attending Hollywood High School's Junior College program.
1930 November 29 - Los Angeles - her first Marriage to “rancher” GENE ALSACE
(aka VIVIEN GENE ALCES & ROCKFORD G. CAMRON, JEAN ALSAYCE) (actor). He is a liar, saying he is “widowed” and this "is his 2nd marriage.
This is actually his 3rd marriage in 8 years; supposedly his first wife died after 2 years marriage.
1935 April 1st - living with Mom & Dad at 198 S. Hoover, LA. (prob. Divorced).
1940 April 1st - Census states Dorothy is “divorced”, aged 35 and working as “receptionist for insurance agency” working full time and earning $1,020 per year.
1956 - she is living with her widowed mother in Montecito, California.
1964 - Dorothy's mother passes away.
1973 March 24th - Dorothy marries HARRY WELLS HEAP, she is 68 and he is 70 (Santa Barbara, CA). His 3rd marriage.

http://www.classicvideostreams.com/BCVS/docs/Coburn-D_de.jpg (Death certificate)
http://www.classicvideostreams.com/BCVS/favs/Coburn-D_idx.htm  (information relating to her marriages)
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=9021385&PIpi=4732035 (grave marker)
https://archive.org/stream/13thcensus1910po833unit#page/n66/mode/1up (1910 Census)
https://www.archive.org/stream/motionpicturenew1929moti#page/64/mode/1up (Motion Picture News 1929)
file:///C:/Users/james/Downloads/C-D-E%20combined%20births%20(4).pdf
http://gfgenealogy.org/index.php/resources/public-resources/category/birth-records-1887-1944
Image credits: Peter Mikkelsen (set of posed photographs, plus Putting Pants On Philip shot with Babe);
Joe Davis (colorized still from "The Finishing Touch");
Richard Finegan (3 images, plus information on Dorothy's uncredited appearance in "The Unkissed Man", plus 2 stills from Leave 'Em Laughing)
Jesse Brisson, Jim Jarvis (detective information and help) *A special thanks to Jim for her birth certificate.
https://w.notrecinema.com/images/usercontent/star/dorothy-coburn-photo_162157_11503.jpg (image)

†The IMDb list Ms. Coburn as being the woman at a seance in "Shivering Spooks" (1926) and the pie vendor in the Our Gang comedy "Shivering Shakespeare" (1930).
This has been disputed by me and others and is clearly NOT Ms. Coburn, but Clara Guiol.

This page was last updated on: 09 April 2022