Adorable Story #19: Mary Hartline
This week, we fly back to Palm Beach to get a glimpse on the life of one of America’s most memorable sweethearts
Mary Hartline, born on October 29, 1927, was a pioneering American television personality known for her beauty, charm, and memorable presence on children’s television shows in the 1950s and early 1960s.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Mary Hartline was born in Hillsboro, Illinois, the daughter of Paul and Dorothy (Crowder) Hartline. Mary was captivated by the world of entertainment from a young age.
Mary graduated from Hillsboro High School in 1945 where she was a cheerleader for four years and a trumpet player in the band. From the time she was grade school age, her dream was to be a band leader.
After graduation, she spent a year in Chicago modeling, taking trumpet and voice lessons, and attending classes at Northwestern University.
She began her show-business career on a radio program call Junior Junction, later renamed Teen Town.
Rise to Fame with "Super Circus"
Mary’s big break came in 1949 when she was cast as the glamorous ringmaster on “Super Circus,” a children’s television show featuring circus acts, clowns, and other performers. The show aired on ABC from 1949 to 1956 and quickly became popular among young viewers, catapulting Mary to stardom.
“If anyone could own the phase ‘don’t work with children or animals’, that was me! And I loved every minute of it”.
Her striking blonde hair, majorette costume, tall hat, and baton made her a memorable figure on the show. Mary’s beauty and charm, combined with her ability to engage with her young audience, made her a beloved figure in the early days of television.
The show would typically open with the glamorous platinum blonde star, costumed in her signature short red dress with a white sequinned heart across the front, leading the band with a waving and twirling baton.
“Hartline sends hearts aflutter and pulses skyrocketing”
— Bob Hope
At the height of her career, she returned to Hillsboro with the Super Circus band to appear in the Old Settlers parade in 1951.
After Super Circus ended in 1956, she was the star of another ABC program, Princess Mary's Castle, in 1957-1958.
Business Acumen
Mary appeared on numerous television directory covers and was a pioneer merchandiser. Her celebrity appeal to both children and adults made her a coveted commercial spokesperson: she appeared on Kellogg’s cereal boxes and in the 1950s was the face of Canada Dry ginger ale.
She became the first TV Star of her era.
On top of her striking beauty, Mary was famous for her own unique business acumen: thanks to sponsorships and merchandising royalities form her dolls, coloring books, clothing, and countless other items featuring her image, it is estimated that she accrued revenues for up to 1m USD a year in the decade between 1949 and 1959.
While Super Circus was running, she also hosted The Mary Hartline Show for two years. The show featured games, contests, and other entertaining segments designed to engage children and keep them entertained.
In 1961, citing exhaustion, Mary retired from business.
Philanthropy and Giving Back
Throughout her life, Mary Hartline was dedicated to giving back to the community and supporting charitable causes. She was particularly passionate about children’s welfare and often donated her time and resources to organizations that focused on improving the lives of young people.
Personal Life and Marriages
Mary Hartline was married four times throughout her life:
Harold Barclay Stokes (1947-1951), a pianist and composer, was Mary’s first husband. They divorced in 1951;
George Hugh Barnard, a Chicago attorney, married Mary on December 27, 1951. They divorced on July 15, 1960;
George Alfred Carlson, president of Chicago’s Central Contractors Service Inc. and Central Rent-a-Crane Company, married in Arlington, Virginia, November 18, 1960. He died on April 28, 1963;
In 1964, Mary married Woolworth “Woolie” Donahue, heir to the F. W. Woolworth Company fortune (a chain of five-and-dime stores) and a cousin of Barbara Hutton (at a time, one of the world’s richest women, who had been married to Hollywood star Cary Grant and Dominican diplomat and polo player, Porfirio Rubirosa, among others).
Mary (37) and Woolie (51) married in Calverton, New York, on December 26, 1964: Winston Guest (featured in the Adorable Story #14) was the Best Man at the ceremony. The wedding attendees included the Duchess of Windsor.
The Donahues became stable fixtures of the “old money” set, typically spending their summer in South Hampton, fall in New York, and winter in their Palm Beach estate.
In 1971, Woolie and Mary Donahue bought the Addison Mizner designed “Casa Nana”, the twenty-room house at 780 South County Road, Palm Beach (see photos below).
Their palatial estate in Palm Beach attracted the toast of Hollywood and European society, including Princess Margaret, who it was rumoured was curious to see the splendour of the Donahues’ home for herself.
Invitations to the Donahue’s Palm Beach estate were much sought after, while the Donahues also toured the world aboard their yacht, collecting art and antiques.
After purchasing Casa Nana, the couple remodeled it by enclosing the open spiral staircase that was similar to Louwana’s Venetian staircase, also in Palm Beach and also designed by Addison Mizner.
Casa Nana is not too distant from the famous estate of Mollie Wilmot, featured in the Adorable Story #2: “Mollie’s Mercedes.”
In Palm Beach, the Donahues were members of the Everglades Club, the Bath and Tennis Club and the Sailfish Club. Mary was also a member of the Chicago Yacht Club and Bahamas Air Sea Rescue Association (BASRA) in Nassau, Bahamas.
In 1972, Woolie’s cousin Barbara Hutton1 visited them, marking her first visit to Palm Beach since the 1950s (see photo below).
The following month, while at home, Woolie died of sudden heart attack at age 59. He was remembered as “gregarious, athletic, and most importantly, romantic … one of the better playboys.”
Mary did not re-marry and continued to live at Casa Nana with her staff.
The Hartline
In 1973, shortly after Woolie’s death, Mary bought the Hartline, a 98-foot Fairmiles trawler-class motor-yacht, built in 1963 on the River Tweed, England. She christened it Hartline in memory of her father.
The Hartline yacht was featured prominently in multiple Slim Aarons shots with Mary, who used it extensively for her trips from Palm Beach to the Bahamas, until she donated it to Greenpeace a decade later.
Even later in her life, Mary did not miss a good business opportunity when she spot one: in the 70s, for example, Mary occasionally rented Casa Nana to wealthy patrons, including once the Saudi billionaire (and infamous international arms dealer) Adnan Khashoggi, who apparently paid her the (unconfirmed) amount of 1m USD for a two week stay there and have lavish parties at the estate.
Mary finally decided to sell Casa Nana in 1980 for 3.2m USD (it was put for sale multiple times since, most recently in 2009 for 79m USD).
Tennis career
Quite surprisingly, Mary took up tennis at age 37 and enjoyed it so much that she committed herself to it, practicing it for up to six hours a day.
She won over 30 exhibition tournaments, and once played with U.S. Vice President Spiro Agnew at his invitation.
Later Life
In her later years, Mary Hartline returned back to Hillsboro and lived a relatively private life, occasionally making appearances at television conventions and events.
She passed away on April 12, 2020, at the age of 93.
—Alberto @
One more thing…
For those who may be interested, during the years the Hartline motor-yacht passed hands multiple times and, in 2102, she has been extensively refitted and renamed “Mongoose”: it is currently for sale in Miami at the (relatively) affordable asking price of USD 350k.
Barbara Hutton (November 14, 1912 – May 11, 1979) was an American socialite, heiress, and philanthropist. She was born in New York City to Edna Woolworth and Franklyn Laws Hutton, a wealthy financier. Barbara inherited a vast fortune at a young age after her mother passed away in 1918, making her one of the richest women in the world. Throughout her life, she was well known for her extravagant lifestyle, which included hosting lavish parties, collecting art and jewels, and traveling extensively.