Movie Star Mystery Photo

Dec. 14, 2009, Mystery Photo    Los Angeles Times file photo

Daria Massey in a photo by Bernard of Hollywood.

“Pretty 18-year-old Daria Massey, a former child actress in such films as ‘The Miracle of Fatima,’ ‘I’ll See You in My Dreams’ and ‘The Iron Mistress,’ has the lead in the first ‘Dr. Christian’ telefilm with Jean Hersholt and Rosemary de Camp. Role is her first as a grownup actress. She plays the part of Derry, a famous Hollywood juvenile star who marries a press agent and comes to River’s End to have her child so that the secret can be kept from the world.”

Please congratulate Arye Michael Bender, Cold in PHX, Jenny M, Richard Heft, Mary Mallory, Cinnamon Carter and Michael Ryerson for identifying her.

Just a reminder on how this works: I post the mystery photo on Monday and reveal the answer on Friday … or on Saturday if I have a hard time picking only five pictures; sometimes it's difficult to choose. To keep the mystery photo from getting lost in the other entries, I move it from Monday to Tuesday to Wednesday, etc., adding a photo every day.

I have to approve all comments, so if your guess is posted immediately, that means you're wrong. (And if a wrong guess has already been submitted by someone else, there's no point in submitting it again).

If you're right, you will have to wait until Friday. There's no need to submit your guess five times. Once is enough. The only reward is bragging rights. 

The answer to last week's mystery star: Signe Hasso!

Dec. 15, 2009, Mystery Photo Los Angeles Times file photo  
Update: Daria Massey in a photo published Jan. 24, 1956.

Here’s another photo of our mystery star!

Dec. 16, 2009, Mystery Photo Los Angeles Times file photo
Update: “Her Cup of Tea: Pixie-like Daria Massey, as Jennie Dexter, marries the fabulous ‘Lucky’ Baldwin, who makes his fortune in mining investments in the ‘Death Valley Days’ TV film ‘The Man Who Was Never Licked.’ ”

Here's another picture of our mystery woman!

Dec. 17, 2009, Mystery Photo Los Angeles Times file photo

Update: John Payne and Daria Massey in “The Restless Gun,” Monday, Nov. 3, 1958.

Here's our mystery woman with a [not very] mysterious companion.

Dec. 18, 2009, Mystery Photo Los Angeles Times file photo
Update: Daria Massey in a photo published May 17, 1959.

Of course, the biggest mystery about Daria Massey is what became of her. There’s nothing in The Times clips after 1961, when the paper reported that she was married to David Lee Joesting on the set of Jerry Lewis’ “The Ladies Man.”  Her last credit on imdb is a 1963 appearance in “McHale’s Navy.”

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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40 Responses to Movie Star Mystery Photo

  1. Eliza's avatar Eliza says:

    Gigi Perreau?

    Like

  2. Rogét-L.A.'s avatar Rogét-L.A. says:

    Simone Simon?

    Like

  3. Deb's avatar Deb says:

    is it Ann Blyth?

    Like

  4. william's avatar william says:

    Shirley Temple….teenage. I know I’m wrong!

    Like

  5. MichaelRyerson's avatar MichaelRyerson says:

    Gloria Winters of Sky King (Penny) and Life of Riley (original Babs) fame?

    Like

  6. Steve Stoliar's avatar Steve Stoliar says:

    Gloria Jean?

    Like

  7. margie's avatar margie says:

    shirley temple

    Like

  8. Jenny M's avatar Jenny M says:

    Mitzi Gaynor

    Like

  9. Joyce Trifiletti's avatar Joyce Trifiletti says:

    Angie Dickinson

    Like

  10. gerald mccann's avatar gerald mccann says:

    Cecile Aubrey

    Like

  11. Jeff Hanna's avatar Jeff Hanna says:

    Joan Evans

    Like

  12. Arye Michael Bendeer's avatar Arye Michael Bendeer says:

    Somebody from the ‘perky’ era.

    Like

  13. Jenny M's avatar Jenny M says:

    Bibi Osterwald

    Like

  14. HERLIN1842's avatar HERLIN1842 says:

    Annette Fabrege

    Like

  15. Mia Reed's avatar Mia Reed says:

    Jean Simmons?

    Like

  16. Patty's avatar Patty says:

    Gloria Jean

    Like

  17. Gail Germana's avatar Gail Germana says:

    Ann Blythe

    Like

  18. Gail Germana's avatar Gail Germana says:

    Connie Stevens

    Like

  19. gerald mccann's avatar gerald mccann says:

    Piper Laurie

    Like

  20. jj's avatar jj says:

    Gale Storm

    Like

  21. margie's avatar margie says:

    mona freeman

    Like

  22. william's avatar william says:

    ann rutherford

    Like

  23. CatM's avatar CatM says:

    Is it Jean Heather?

    Like

  24. gerald mccann's avatar gerald mccann says:

    Wanda Hendrix

    Like

  25. Arye Michael Bendeer's avatar Arye Michael Bendeer says:

    This is a deduced guess based on seeing her with John Payne (minus spit curl): Daria Massey?

    Like

  26. Steve Stoliar's avatar Steve Stoliar says:

    Veda Ann Borg?

    Like

  27. Cold in PHX's avatar Cold in PHX says:

    Well, that’s John Payne, so my sleuthing has led me to believe it’s Daria Massey.

    Like

  28. Mike Hawks's avatar Mike Hawks says:

    John Payne is easy, could the girl be his daughter Julie Payne?

    Like

  29. Jenny M's avatar Jenny M says:

    Daria Massey

    Like

  30. Richard Heft's avatar Richard Heft says:

    Daria Massey?

    Like

  31. Mary Mallory's avatar Mary Mallory says:

    John Payne and Daria Massey in the episode of his TV show called “Bonner’s Squaw.”

    Like

  32. Cinnamon Carter's avatar Cinnamon Carter says:

    I think this is Daria Massey. And her not so mysterious companion is John Payne, probably in an episode of The Restless Gun (Bonner’s Squaw?).

    Like

  33. MichaelRyerson's avatar MichaelRyerson says:

    HOLD THE PRESSES! Daria Massey?

    Like

  34. Christa's avatar Christa says:

    Yvonne Furneaux?

    Like

  35. Kevin's avatar Kevin says:

    Hi. Love your blog. Look forward to the mystery photo each week. I found something on Daria Massey online that might help you in finding out what happened to her. Here’s the link.
    http://www.reelcowboys.org/RC_members.php
    There is a picture of her about halfway down. Not sure how recent that photo is though.
    Keep up the good work!

    Like

  36. Stacia's avatar Stacia says:

    I went through the guest stars of “Restless Gun” last night trying to figure out who this was, and Daria Massey was the only one who fit — her character’s name is “Running Fawn” — but I was so certain the Mystery Star was a teen actress from the late 1940s that I decided it wasn’t Massey at all.
    Now I’ll never figure out who it was that she reminded me of.

    Like

  37. Steve M.'s avatar Steve M. says:

    Please re-check your filmography source. Daria Massey did “The Miracle” with a young Roger Moore (The Saint and James Bond) and doesn’t show-up in the filmography for “The Miracle of Fatima,” or “I’ll See You in My Dreams.”
    Also she starred under the direction of John Ford {Drums Along the Mohawk (1939), Young Mr. Lincoln (1939), Grapes of Wrath (1940), etc.], and in 1951, starred in Fireside Theater with Hamilton Camp [Heavan Can Wait (1972)], not Rosemary DeCamp (That Girl).

    Like

  38. Jim Thomas's avatar Jim Thomas says:

    Daria Massey in 2008 still looks beautiful and still has a nice figure. The location was in Studio City, CA at a school reunion. We go back to 1948 through 1954 as High School seniors.

    Like

  39. CA's avatar CA says:

    Daria Massey is alive and well and living in Los Angeles, and still quite a looker. I saw her a couple of months ago at her son’s house, who is a good friend of mine.

    Like

  40. Mark Howell's avatar Mark Howell says:

    I just saw Daria in “Sea Hunt” last night. What a beauty! Movie goers really lost out when she stopped acting in the early 60’s.

    Like

Comments are closed.