Dorothy Arnold (November 21, 1917 – November 13, 1984) was an American film actress and the first wife of baseball star Joe DiMaggio.Her 20-year movie career began with 1937’s Freshies and ended with 1957’s Lizzie.rnold met DiMaggio in 1937 – she was 19, he was 23 – on the set of Manhattan Merry-Go-Round. DiMaggio had a minor speaking role in the film; Arnold had no lines.