Toby Wing (born Martha Virginia Wing; July 14, 1915 – March 22, 2001), "Toby" being an old family nickname,[1] was an American actress and showgirl, once called "the most beautiful chorus girl in Hollywood".
Her sister Gertrude (known as Pat Wing) also worked as an actress (often in the chorus). She also had a younger brother.[6] Her great-uncle was English playwright Sir Arthur Wing Pinero.[7]
Career
Wing began working on-screen at age 9, having a few bit parts in silent movies through her father's job.[8] In 1931, she became one of the first Goldwyn Girls, and she started her film career in Palmy Days (1932).[3] In 1932, she was seen in Mack Sennett-produced comedies made by Paramount, one starring Bing Crosby. Wing made an impression with producers and moviegoers, but she seldom broke through to leading roles.
Many of her roles were small and barely clothed, before the introduction of the 1934 Production Code; she became widely recognized as a sex symbol; once being described as the most beautiful chorus girl in all of Hollywood.[9] Since her contracted studio[specify] was mired in bankruptcy during much of her career, her work was done on loan, primarily at Warner Bros., and later after her release, on low-budget efforts on a per-film basis. Wing enjoyed a far more successful sideline doing product endorsements and was featured in innumerable fan magazines from 1933–1938.
On February 8, 1960, Wing was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame located at 6561 Hollywood Boulevard.[12]
Personal life
She was well known off-screen for her romances, and was linked to Jackie Coogan (to whom she was engaged during much of 1935),[13]Maurice Chevalier, Alfred Vanderbilt, Franklin Roosevelt Jr. and others.[1] Wing and Pinky Tomlin were engaged briefly during late 1937, with the romance ending before their planned wedding, and they remained close until Tomlin's death.[citation needed]
She married the pilot Henry "Dick" Merrill via elopement to Tijuana when she was 22, he being more than 20 years her senior, on October 19, 1938 in Fredericksburg, Virginia.[14][15] She retired from movies after marrying.
The couple had two sons; both predeceased their parents. Their first son died of what was then termed "crib death" and their second son Ricky, was murdered in their Miami home in September 1982, at age 42. His murder occurred while he was out on bail pending an appeal for a New Orleans marijuana-smuggling conviction. As of 2016[update] the case remained unsolved.[16]
The couple retired to DiLido, Florida, where Merrill was assigned Eastern Airlines' New York-Miami route for the remainder of his career. Wing became successful in real estate in California and Florida. They later settled in Virginia, where Merrill managed the Shannon Air Museum in Fredericksburg until his death in 1982.[17] She is interred in Christ Church Kingston Parish Cemetery in Mathews County, Virginia.[18] The couple was survived by two granddaughters.[1]
^"Glorifying the American Girl: Adapting an Icon", Cynthia J. Miller; "The Adaptation of History: Essays on Ways of Telling the Past" edited by Laurence Raw, Defne Ersin Tutan; McFarland, 2012; page 33
^Wilson, Scott. Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed.: 2 (Kindle Locations 25047-25048). McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers. Kindle Edition.
