Dorothy Tree

Dorothy Tree (born Dorothy Estelle Triebitz, May 21, 1906 – February 13, 1992)^[1] was an American actress, voice teacher and writer. She appeared in a wide range of character roles in at least 49 films between 1927 and 1951.

Dorothy Tree
Tree in 1933
Born	Dorothy Estelle Triebitz (1906-05-21)May 21, 1906 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	February 13, 1992(1992-02-13) (aged 85) Englewood, New Jersey, U.S.
Other names	Dorothy Uris
Occupation(s)	Actress, voice teacher
Years active	1927–1951
Spouse	Michael Uris ​ ​ (m. 1928; died 1967)​
Children	1

Her roles included Martha, mother of Knute Rockne in Knute Rockne, All American, and May Emmerich, the invalid wife of Louis Calhern in The Asphalt Jungle. After being blacklisted as a communist because of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) hearings, she began a second career as a voice teacher in New York. Emphasizing good diction and clarity, and the subtleties of intonation, she published four books on the subject.

Early life and stage career

She was born in Brooklyn, New York, the eldest of three daughters of Herman Triebitz (1877–1943) and Bertha Hert (1885–1967). Her sisters were Sylvia Triebitz (1911–1949) and Mildred "Mimi" Triebitz (1918–?) Her parents were born in Austria, and immigrated to the United States.^[2][3] Their native language was Yiddish. He was the proprietor of a shoe store in Brooklyn, and later sold shoes wholesale.^[4]

Tree attended Cornell University, leaving after two years to pursue a career.^[5] Taking the stage name Dorothy Tree, she began her acting career on the stage in 1926.^[6] Tree's Broadway credits include Bright Honor (1936), Clear All Wires (1932), The Merchant of Venice (1930), Holiday (1928), The Marquise (1927), and The Triumphant Bachelor (1927).^[7]

Film career

Tree made her motion picture debut (uncredited) playing a department store employee in the Famous Players–Lasky/Paramount Pictures silent era romantic comedy It (1927) starring Clara Bow and Antonio Moreno. Tree next played a wife of Bela Lugosi's Dracula (1931); she also played a bride of Dracula in the Spanish language version of the same title, which was shot at night with a different cast using the same sets at Universal.

Dorothy Tree, 1939

Tree attracted attention as a feminine menace on the screen as the hairdresser-spy, Hilda Kleinhauer, in the Warner Bros. drama Confessions of a Nazi Spy (1939) starring Edward G. Robinson, which won the National Board of Review Award for Best Film – English Language. Her performance immediately won her the role as Reni Vonich, head of a spy ring attempting to steal the latest in technology, in Paramount's sci-fi drama Television Spy (1939). She was signed by RKO to portray the important role as Elizabeth Edwards, Mary Todd's sister, in Abe Lincoln in Illinois (1940) starring Raymond Massey.^[8]

She portrayed Martha Rockne in the Warners biopic Knute Rockne, All American, the mother of the famous football coach played by Pat O'Brien. In MGM's film noir crime/drama The Asphalt Jungle Tree played May Emmerich, a bedridden woman who is the very ingenuous and frustrated wife of Alonzo Emmerich (played by Louis Calhern), a crooked lawyer and double-crosser who, although he truly loves May, is having an adulterous affair with the character played by Marilyn Monroe.

Tree also appeared as Aunt Martha Dale in a teleplay of the live television anthology series The Silver Theatre (1950), which was titled Minor Incident. Her last role on the theater screen was as Marie Elsner in Columbia's crime/drama The Family Secret (1951) starring John Derek and Lee J. Cobb.

Blacklist and new career

In 1952, Tree and her husband, Michael Uris, were branded as communists and blacklisted due to the HUAC testimony of playwright/screenwriter Bernard C. Schoenfeld.^[9] That same year, she endorsed Adlai Stevenson in the 1952 presidential election.^[10]

She then began a second career teaching voice and diction in New York. She specialized in singing in English at the Metropolitan Opera and the Mannes College of Music,^[11] and also taught at the Manhattan School of Music, using her married name, Dorothy Uris. She was quoted as saying, "I left Dorothy Tree in Hollywood."

On November 4, 1956, an article written by Uris about English singing with good diction and its aiding a singer to clarify words for the listener was published in the New York Times.^[12] She published four books, Everybody's Book of Better Speaking (1960); To Sing in English, a Guide to Improved Diction (1971); A Woman's Voice: A Handbook to Successful Private and Public Speaking (1975); and Say it Again: Dorothy Uris' Personal Collection of Quotes, Comment & Anecdotes (1979).^{[citation needed]}

Dorothy Tree Uris died at age 85 of heart failure at the Actors Fund of America Nursing Home in Englewood, New Jersey.

Personal life

She married on June 8, 1928, in Manhattan, New York, screenwriter and story editor Michael Uris (March 25, 1902 – July 17, 1967).^[13] They had one son, Joseph M. Uris (born October 25, 1943).^[14]

Filmography

Year	Title	Genre	Role	Notes
1927	It	romantic comedy	Waltham employee	Uncredited
1931	Dracula	fantasy / horror	Dracula's wife	English-language version; Uncredited
	Drácula	fantasy / horror	Bride of Dracula (in catacombs)	Spanish-language version; Uncredited
1932	Life Begins	drama	Rita	Uncredited
1933	East of Fifth Avenue[15]	drama	Kitty Green
1934	Madame Du Barry	historical drama	Adelaide
	Side Streets	drama	Ilka
	Here Comes the Navy	romantic comedy	Gladys
	Friends of Mr. Sweeney	comedy	Countess Olga Andrei Misitalsky
	The Dragon Murder Case	crime / mystery	Ruby Steele
	The Case of the Howling Dog	crime / mystery	Lucy Benton
	The Firebird	murder mystery	Mrs. Jolan Brandt
1935	The Woman in Red	drama	Mrs. Olga Goodyear
	A Night at the Ritz	comedy	Kiki Lorraine
	While the Patient Slept	murder mystery / comedy	Mittie Federie
	Four Hours to Kill!	drama	Mae Danish
1936	The Bridge of Spies	crime thrillers	Marion Courtney
	Three Godfathers	western	Blackie Winter
	Navy Born	drama / romance	Daphne Roth
1937	Marked Woman	crime / drama	woman in raid	Uncredited
	The Great Garrick	romantic comedy	Mme. Moreau
1938	Having Wonderful Time	romantic comedy	Frances
	Storm Over Bengal	adventure	Mrs. Massarene
	Trade Winds	comedy	Clara	Uncredited
	Zaza	drama	Madame Dufresne
1939	The Mysterious Miss X	comedy	Alma Platt
	Cafe Society	romantic comedy	Lady Photographer	Uncredited
	The Mystery of Mr. Wong	mystery	Valerie Edwards
	Confessions of a Nazi Spy	drama	Hilda Kleinhauer
	Television Spy	science fiction / drama	Reni Vonich
	Charlie Chan in City in Darkness	mystery	Charlotte Ronnell
1940	Abe Lincoln in Illinois	biopic / drama	Elizabeth Edwards
	Little Orvie	comedy	Clara Stone
	Sky Murder	comedy / drama	Kathe
	Knute Rockne, All American	biopic / sports	Martha Rockne
1941	The Man Who Lost Himself	comedy	Mrs. Van Avery
	Singapore Woman	drama	Mrs. Bennett
	Highway West	drama	Salvo's Moll
1942	Nazi Agent	drama	Miss Harper
	Hitler – Dead or Alive	drama	Else von Brandt
1943	Edge of Darkness	war / drama	Solveig Brategaard	Uncredited
	Crime Doctor	crime / drama	Pearl Adams	Uncredited
1944	Casanova Brown	comedy	Nurse Clark
1950	No Sad Songs for Me	drama	Frieda Miles
	The Asphalt Jungle	crime / drama	May Emmerich
	The Men	drama	Harriet (Ellen's mother)
	A Life of Her Own	drama	Caraway's secretary	Uncredited
1951	The Family Secret	crime / drama	Marie Elsner

References

1. Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 756. ISBN 9780786479924. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
2. 1910 Kings Co., NY, U.S. Federal Census, Borough of Brooklyn, New York City, Ward 26, 173 Pitkin Ave., April 19, Enumeration Dist. 736, Sheet 9 B, Page 16 B, Line 68.
3. 1920 Kings Co., NY, U.S. Federal Census, Borough of Brooklyn, 1734 Pitkin Ave., January 2, Enumeration Dist. 1499, Sheet 1 A, Page 189 A, Line 8.
4. 1930 Kings Co., NY, U.S. Federal Census, Brooklyn Borough, Assembly Dist. 18, Block A, 1316 President St., April 3, Enumeration Dist. 743, Sheet 1 A, Page 163 A, Line 42.
5. "Career ideas of actress change". The Indianapolis News. Indiana, Inidnapolit. October 12, 1933. p. 19. Retrieved September 8, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Cherry Pie' Contains Some Amusing Skits – Agnes Lumbard Carries Off Chief Honors in Simi-Professional Revue, With Attractive Tunes." New York Times. April 15, 1926. p. 24.
7. "Dorothy Tree". Internet Broadway Database. The Broadway League. Archived from the original on September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
8. "Dorothy Tree Runs Wide Range of Characters." Los Angeles Times, January 14, 1940. p. C 4.
9. "Shocked Into Reds, Film Writer Says – He Testifies He Joined in Grief at Roosevelt Death, Quit When Party Line Changed." New York Times. August 20, 1952. p. 10.
10. Motion Picture and Television Magazine, November 1952, page 33, Ideal Publishers
11. "Lisper Learns How at Mom's Knee." Los Angeles Times. June 18, 1961 New York (UPI). p. N 1.
12. Uris, Dorothy. "English Can Be Sung – Good Diction in Speech Would Aid Singer to Clarify Words for Listener." New York Times. November 4, 1956. p. 149.
13. "Michael Uris Dies at 65; Ex-Screenwriter and Editor", New York Times. July 18, 1967, p. 38.
14. California Birth Index, Name: Joseph Michael Uris, Birth Date: October 25, 1943, Sex: Male, Mother's Maiden Name: Triebitz [sic], Birth County: Los Angeles.
15. "East of Fifth Avenue (1933) – Overview". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved February 17, 2020.

External links

• Dorothy Tree at the Internet Broadway Database
• Dorothy Tree at IMDb
• Dorothy Tree at AllMovie