“Akron’s Silver Screen Vixen: Uncovering the Hidden Hollywood Saga of a Local Girl”

Local History: Akron Girl’s Hollywood Career is ‘Gone With the Wind’

A Childhood Rumor Revealed

For nearly 80 years, 92-year-old Pat Marks has been curious about a rumor that circulated in Firestone Park, Akron, during her childhood. She distinctly remembers the chatter among her Garfield High classmates about a celebrity named Dottie P. who lived on Neptune Avenue. According to local lore, this Akron girl had appeared in the iconic 1939 film “Gone With the Wind,” starring Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh. However, despite her efforts, Marks had never been able to verify this story. Finally seeking confirmation, she approached the Akron Beacon Journal for help, stating, “I have no way to find out anything. I don’t have a smartphone.”

Confirmation from the Beacon Journal

Upon receiving Marks’ request, the Beacon Journal meticulously combed through their archives to get to the bottom of the rumor. To their surprise, they found that the Akron girl in question was indeed named Dorothy Ann Pailliotet. Born in 1933 to Frank and Beulah Pailliotet, Dorothy grew up on Neptune Avenue. Her father worked as a machinist at B.F. Goodrich, while her mother was a homemaker.

From Akron to Hollywood

Dorothy, affectionately known as Dottie, started her journey to Hollywood as a dimple-cheeked cutie who competed in local pageants as a toddler. Her talent for singing Shirley Temple’s “Animal Crackers in My Soup” won her a baby doll in 1936 and a $25 prize in a beautiful baby contest sponsored by a New York newspaper in 1938. It was during a trip to California to visit a friend and her daughter that Dottie’s life took an unexpected turn.

While playing outside a rented bungalow, she caught the attention of Al Mathews, the casting director for David O. Selznick, who was working on “Gone With the Wind.” After a conversation with Dottie, Mathews approached her mother, Beulah, with a proposition to let her daughter play a part in the film. Initially skeptical, Beulah was convinced of the offer’s authenticity by their neighbor, Margaret Meighan, an experienced movie extra. Beulah finally agreed, and Dottie became Cammie King’s double, playing Bonnie Blue, the daughter of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara.

A Bit Part in a Cinematic Masterpiece

Dottie’s scene in “Gone With the Wind” takes place in London, where Rhett Butler picks up his daughter and puts her to bed. As Cammie King, the original actress, was unavailable that day, Dottie stood in for her, delivering one line of dialogue: “Where’s Mother? I want to go home.” While it may have been a bit part, Dottie is now believed to be the last surviving cast member of the 1939 film, with Cammie King, Olivia de Havilland, Mickey Kuhn, Clark Gable, and Vivien Leigh all having passed away.

A Hollywood ‘What If’

At 90 years old, Dorothy A. Smith, formerly known as Dottie Pailliotet, reflects on her time in Hollywood with fondness and gratitude. While her memories from the set of “Gone With the Wind” are somewhat limited, she vividly remembers the giant wooden staircase with the red carpet, where Bonnie Blue ran up and Scarlett O’Hara fell down. Smith also has a personal encounter with Clark Gable etched in her mind, recalling how he took her and her mother out to lunch. Gable, an Ohio native who lived in Akron in the early 1920s, left a lasting impression on Smith as a down-to-earth gentleman.

Settling into a Normal Life

After a year in California, Dottie and her mother returned home to Akron, where she attended several schools before graduating in 1950. She married her high school sweetheart, Jack Smith, in 1955, and they eventually moved away from Akron. Dottie chose to keep her Hollywood past a secret from her children until they were in high school, fearing high expectations and disappointment. Although her career in motion pictures was short-lived, Dottie is grateful for the normal life that followed. Her mother, Beulah, made the decision to walk away from Hollywood, recognizing its competitiveness and the importance of a grounded life.

A Privileged Life

Today, Dorothy A. Smith, now 90 years old, cherishes her privileged life in anonymity. She appreciates her brief Hollywood career as a part of her past and considers herself far more privileged now than when she was in the spotlight. Despite her aversion to publicity, Smith reached out to Pat Marks, the woman who sparked the inquiry into the local legend about “Gone With the Wind.” The two nonagenarians had a heartwarming conversation about their shared memories of growing up in Firestone Park. Marks, still in shock, finally has her long-standing question answered—the Akron girl’s Hollywood career was indeed “Gone With the Wind.”

Montrose Drive-In and David McLean: Akron‘s Other Hidden Hollywood Stories

Akron has more connections to the silver screen than just Dorothy Ann Pailliotet’s brief Hollywood career. Another local hero, David McLean, originated from Akron and gained fame as the Marlboro Man in cigarette advertisements. Additionally, the Montrose Drive-In, which flickered to life 75 years ago, holds its own hidden history.

No doubt, Akron holds numerous untold stories of local individuals who made their mark in the glamorous world of Hollywood. These stories serve as a reminder that even in the most unexpected of places, dreams can come true.