Marcia Mascotte Ralston (19 September 1906 – 23 November 1988) was an Australian-born American actress who appeared in Hollywood films in the 1930s and 1940s.
In Australia Ralston's father was well known Australian singer and actor John Ralston. She attended Bethlehem College, Ashfield and won third place in a 1926 Miss Australia competition.Finalists in Miss Australia, 1926. Morning Bulletin, (Rockhampton, Queensland) Jan 24, 1927. Accessed 31 December 2013 Known as Mascotte Ralston, she won a place in J. C. Williamson's Musical Comedy Company, working her way up from the chorus until she was playing Lili in Lilac Time. She had a leading part in the "comedy mystery" The Ghost Train from January 1927, and during its run she met drummer Phil Harris and they married on 2 September 1927, then moved to California.Pittsburgh Post Gazette, September 17, 1940 p.27 Accessed 31 December 2013 She had a Warner Bros. contract by 1937 and appeared in a number of supporting and leading roles, mostly in B films."Australian Marcia Ralston Describes Life in Hollywood" The Mail, (Adelaide, South Australia) 17 July 1937, Page 2 Accessed 31 December 2013
Career in Hollywood Ralston's marriage to Harris ended in divorce in 1940. She continued to act in various bit parts and supporting roles until the late 1940s. Work after this included instructing for the Arthur Murray dance studio in the early 1950s. Ralston married Bud Henderson in 1954."Behind the Hollywood Scene" The Day, November 15, 1954. Harrison Carroll Accessed 31 December 2013 Henderson's sister Betty was married to actor Robert Young. The connection resulted in an occasional supporting role as Nurse Donnelly in the TV series Marcus Welby, M.D. in the early 1970s. Ralston died at Rancho Mirage, California in 1988.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1933 Night Flight Nightclub Vamp Uncredited1934 Hollywood Party Show Girl Uncredited 1937 Her Husband's Secretary Mrs. Garron (scenes deleted) Call It a Day Beatrice Gwynn Fly Away Baby Ila Sayre Ever Since Eve Camille Lansing The Singing Marine Helen Young Sh! The Octopus Vesta Vernoff Missing Witnesses Mabel Jones Uncredited 1938 Gold Is Where You Find It Molly Featherstone Fools for Scandal Jill Men Are Such Fools Wanda Townsend Crime Takes a Holiday Margaret 'Peggy' Stone 1941 San Antonio Rose Diner Uncredited The Kid from Kansas Linda Walker Never Give a Sucker an Even Break Stewardess Uncredited Sea Raiders Leah Carlton Serial Keep 'Em Flying USO Girl Uncredited Paris Calling Renee 1942 Sunday Punch Blonde Uncredited1947 Out of the Blue Patricia Uncredited
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