Una Merkel

Other than Broadway star Lee Roy Reams (recently seen in THE PRODUCERS), the late Una Merkel was the biggest name star ever to come out of my hometown of Covington, Kentucky. Best remembered for her knock-down-drag-out fight with Marlene Dietrich in DESTRY RIDES AGAIN, her career stretched from the silent picture days into late 1960's television. Along the way, she transformed from a waifish innocent to a sexy broad and ended up as a matronly character actress. Here's a brief article from the mid-70's about Ms. Merkel and her local legacy. The actress died in 1986.