| Priscilla Lawson | |
| Birth Name: | Priscilla Jones Shortridge |
| Birth Date: | 8 March 1914 |
| Birth Place: | Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Film actress |
| Yearsactive: | 1935-1941 |
| Spouses: | |
Priscilla Jones Lawson (Shortridge; March 8, 1914 - August 27, 1958), was an American actress best known for her role as Princess Aura in the original Flash Gordon serial (1936).
Born in Indianapolis, Indiana, Lawson was the daughter of Elmer Shortridge, a railroad yard foreman and machinist, and his wife, Elizabeth (née Hess) Shortridge.[1]
Lawson was a professional model[2] by her early twenties and was named Miss Miami Beach in 1935, after which she was employed as an Earl Carroll chorus girl at the Miami Casino. This gained her a contract with Universal Studios, which used her in a variety of small roles. However, in 1936 she was cast in the serial Flash Gordon as the voluptuous daughter of the villain, Ming the Merciless. Princess Aura's rivalry with Dale Arden for Flash Gordon's affection was one of the centerpieces of the serial and gained Lawson cult figure status.
Roy Kinnard wrote in Science Fiction Serials that "Lawson's notable physical assets were responsible for incurring the wrath of censors" in the filming of Flash Gordon.[3] Co-star Jean Rogers told him that censors ordered retakes of Chapter 1 of the serial with Lawson "wearing slightly less revealing garb."[3] Her screen career ended in 1941.[4]
Lawson was married to:
After her second marriage ended, Lawson enlisted in the Women's Army Corps during World War II. An unverified rumor claims she lost a leg in an accident while serving in the Army. Another version is that she lost a leg in a 1937 car crash. However, her Flash Gordon co-star Jean Rogers denied that Lawson had lost a leg, and it was also rejected in a biographical review in an Indianapolis journal. In later life, she managed a stationery shop in Los Angeles, California, and worked for two pottery companies as a finisher.
On August 27, 1958, Lawson died at 44 in Monrovia, California, due to cirrhosis and upper gastrointestinal bleeding caused by a duodenal ulcer. She was interred at Live Oak Memorial Park in Monrovia.[6]
| Film | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
| 1935 | His Night Out | Hatcheck Girl | Uncredited | |
| 1935 | The Great Impersonation | Maid | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Dangerous Waters | Valparaiso Bar Girl - Back to Wall | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Don't Get Personal | Bridesmaid | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Sutter's Gold | Native Girl | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Flash Gordon | Princess Aura | Serial | |
| 1936 | The Phantom Rider | Dance-Hall Girl | Serial, Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Yours for the Asking | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Straight from the Shoulder | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Wives Never Know | Laboratory Assistant | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | The Big Broadcast of 1937 | Minor Role | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | Rose Bowl | Florence Taylor | ||
| 1936 | The Accusing Finger | Hat Check Girl | Uncredited | |
| 1936 | College Holiday | Student / Phone Operator | Uncredited | |
| 1937 | Internes Can't Take Money | Nurse | Uncredited | |
| 1937 | King of Gamblers | Grace | Uncredited | |
| 1937 | Double Wedding | Felice | ||
| 1937 | The Last Gangster | Girl in Dive | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Arsène Lupin Returns | Switchboard Operator | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | The First Hundred Years | Mary Brown - Lynn's Secretary | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | The Girl of the Golden West | Nina Martinez | ||
| 1938 | Test Pilot | Mabel | ||
| 1938 | Three Comrades | Frau Brunner - Sanatorium Clerk | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | The Toy Wife | Dark Woman | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Heroes of the Hills | Madeline Reynolds | ||
| 1938 | Three Loves Has Nancy | Gertie - at the Party | Uncredited | |
| 1939 | The Women | Hairdresser #1 | Uncredited | |
| 1941 | Billy the Kid | Bessie - Barmaid | Uncredited, (final film role) | |