Way back in the 1950s, these two were real teen ‘idols’. Everyone was in love with them.
The girls wanted to be Sandra Dee and were in love with Troy Donahue while teenaged boys thought he was cool and tried to be like him.
These two actors were so big in the 1950s that when the movie ‘Grease’ was created, the lead female patterned herself on Sandra Dee, and the boys were Troy.
Dee started out well. She earned a Golden Globe Award as the most promising newcomer for Until They Sail which came out in 1958.
This was followed by Imitation of Life and Gidget, which were in 1959 and made her an icon.
The teen dream movie she appeared in was ‘A Summer Place’ with Troy Donahue.
Then her career fell apart.
She was dropped by the studios and ceased to exist. Some say it was her marriage to Bobby Darin in 1960 which ended in divorce in 1967.
Some say styles changed and the innocent sweet girl was no longer the role model.
Sandra Dee died in 2005 at the age of 62 from complications from kidney disease, brought on by a lifelong struggle with anorexia nervosa; that is self starvation.
He was one of the many who came out of Henry Willson’s stable.
Henry Willson was a Hollywood predator; but he went after men. Rock Hudson, Tab Hunter, are just two of the many that serviced Willson who serviced them.
Troy was one of his people which meant questions were asked. Although he would go on to marry, (four times) and have children. The eye brows were always lifted.
Troy Donahue’s big break came when he played the love interest of Sandra Dee in A Summer Place.
After that, he got a lot of chances but he wasn’t all that good an actor.
He started to use drugs, lost everything and went into oblivion.
He had a bunch of minor and forgotten roles during the next years, but because of the use of drink and drugs wound up homeless, living in Central Park in New York City.
The high point was his appearance in the Godfather II. The name of his character was Merle Johnson, which was Troy Donahue’s real name.
He died in 2001.
Both Donahue and Dee had been so big in the late 50s that their names echoed. But neither made the right choices and disappeared so that by 1969; ten years later, they were…’Who?’
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Interesting trivia. I remember both because of the two movies you mentioned: "A Summer Place" and "Imitation of Life". Troy Donahue was in both movies though his part was so small in "Imitation of Life" he could easily have been forgotten. You shared some interesting trivia. Didn't know his real name was Merle Johnson or that he was "Godfather II".
REm. when Michael Corleone's sister was thinking of going off with her boyfriend...that was 'Merle Johnson'.