A real “Double Wedding”!
August 31, 1936: Jean Harlow and William Powell—lovers as well as costars—leave the set of Libeled Lady at MGM to attend the wedding of Powell’s lookalike double, Warren ‘Doc’ Dearborn, to Miss Edith Bresnahan. As you can tell, I’m very pleased with myself over the joke in the title; Doc was in that one, too.
Vows were exchanged at the Culver Palms church at the intersection of Venice Boulevard and Delmas Terrace, which was (luckily for our leading couple) just a short jaunt from the studio.
Powell himself relates the story in a Libeled Lady publicity item that circulated while the film was playing in theaters over the fall of 1936. Hard not to read this passage in his voice:
“[…] Another amusing incident took place that proves we have more fun in pictures than out.
‘Doc’ Dearborn, my stand-in, decided to marry a very lovely San Diego girl, Edith Bresnahan. Quite timorously, he asked me if I would be best man, and if Jean would be matron of honor. But we had to work that night and the wedding had to take place during the dinner hour.
At six o’clock, still in our screen wardrobe and makeup, we dashed over to the little Christian Church near M-G-M studios and there Doc and Miss Bresnahan were married, with 50 members of the company in attendance, including Myrna, Spencer, Jack Conway and the whole troupe. The fun came after the ceremony. Neighbors had seen Jean and me enter the church, and it was Jean and I who were pelted with rice. Some fun!”
“Fishing Charms Powell Away From Loy, Harlow”, November 1936
If only there was a known photograph of the ‘whole troupe’ partying it up at the wedding; must have been quite the function. I do feel for Harlow in this situation, as inwardly, she craved her own marriage to Bill. I can’t imagine being an honored guest at the wedding of the love of your life’s lookalike, if you will, feels great, especially if the rice tidbit is true; talk about adding insult to injury.
Doc and Edith were lucky enough to receive not one, but two celebrity autographs on their marriage license; both Bill and Jean signed as witnesses, which ups the value on this otherwise commonplace piece of paper quite a bit.
In private life, Doc’s chiropractic business served as his main source of income (hence the all-too-obvious nickname). He’d been stepping in Powell’s figurative shadow as a side gig from at least 1932—kind of a handy profession for a double. He also worked with Warren William, which adds another touch of humor given they nearly shared a name.
Regrettably, wedded bliss didn’t last long for the new Dearborns; Doc was tragically killed in a car accident some three years later on May 30, 1940. Edith was left widowed with a toddling son and an unborn daughter. She never remarried, passing in 1975.
Funny how life works, constantly illustrating that joyously zany events such as this are often served with a heaping side of despair. At least everyone seems like they enjoyed themselves on Doc and Edith’s wedding day—hopefully she at least came away with some lasting, beautiful memories.