Biography

During the filming of True Confession (1937) she rescued a movie property man Arthur Camp from drowning at Lake Arrowhead, California, when the backwash from her motorboat upset his skiff. She caught his suspenders with a boat hook then held his head above the water until help arrived from the shore as Camp was unable to swim.

She almost died on March 5, 1945 when her mother, Bess Merkel, committed suicide by turning on the gas. Her suicide note was personalized to Una's husband, Robert Burla, whom she affectionately addressed as "Bid".

She was originally signed for the title role in Blondie (1938) but was replaced before filming began.

She was awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6230 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on February 8, 1960.

Merkel appeared, in different roles, in two versions of the same movie: "The Merry Widow (1934)" with Jeanette Macdonald and Maurice Chevalier, and, more than seventeen years later, "The Merry Widow (1952)" with Lana Turner and Fernando Lamas.

[on Pamela Franklin] In "A Tiger Walks"there was a little girl who is now in "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie," and she is excellent----Pamela Franklin. I can't understand why she wasn't nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

[on W.C. Fields] Yes, I remember the first day I worked with him; he was two hours late to the set. He was due at 9 and came in at 11, and he'd had quite a night the night before, I guess. The first scene was all of us sitting around the table--- I was his daughter; I was supposed to say, "Good morning, Pater," and kiss him. So in the rehearsal he apologized because you could smell the alcohol, and I said, "Mr. Fields, on you it smells like Chanel No. 5," and he said, "Honey, you're in!" From then on, he was just wonderful to me. He was a pretty grand person...If he thought a scene was too long, he'd take a couple of pages and tear them off. "That's enough; I'm not going to remember any more. You had to be pretty quick to keep up with him, but it was fun. It was never a strain.

[0n "Destry Rides Again"] Well, it was very funny. I had never met Miss Dietrich until that day, and they outlined exactly what places they'd like is to hit on the set. We were not supposed to do anything but a few feet, and they had the stunt girls there to take over. But Mr. Marshall said, "Once you get started on this, just keep going as long as you can; don't worry. the camera will follow you." We did the whole thing, and we turned our checks over to the stunt girls!. We did the whole battle, and then at the end Jimmy Stewart came over and dumped a pail of water over our heads. We had to do it over again for close-ups, and do it for "Life" magazine... I went to the hospital after that picture. I finished it, but I was a mess of bruises, because I had little fat heels on, and Marlene had high spiked heels. All through the fight scene we were whispering to each other, "Are you all right?" "Can you finish it?" "Are you OK?" We did it in one continuous take. I thought they'd never call "Cut."

[on the studio system] ... of course, studios have changed. It used to be that Metro was the studio to be at. Now all of them are more standardized, I guess. It's more of a business.

[on David Wayne] I worked with David Wayne on the stage in "The Ponder Heart" and won a Tony Award for Best Supporting Performance of the year. I loved that part, and I loved David Wayne. I think he's one of the finest actors we have. He's so good they don't know what to do with them.