Miss Sue Carol

Since it is Sue's birthday today, I figured why not just do hers now. Unfortunately, I haven't seen her films because I can't find any that are available. What I do know is that she was absolutely adorable. I have a few pictures of her and she looks like the quintessential cutesy flapper girl of the 1920s. She also had quite a cutie for a husband! I have visited her grave a couple of times and I love how her name is written in her handwriting on it. She must have been an amazing person inside and out.

Sue Carol was born Evelyn Lederer on October 30, 1906 in Chicago, Illinois. Her parents, Samuel and Caroline were both Jewish immigrants. According to the 1910 Census, Samuel Lederer worked as a liquor dealer.

She began appearing in films in 1927 and was chosen as a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1928 alongside Lina Basquette and Lupe Velez. She appeared in films for the MGM studios.

Her family was quite well off and as a result, she got top treatment in Hollywood. It wasn't all nepotism though. Directors enjoyed working with Sue because she took direction well, worked hard, and was a good actress.

The titles of her films sound like some fun Roaring Twenties films involving flappers and drinking and fun times all around. Win That Girl (1928), Girls Gone Wild (1929), The Exalted Flapper (1929), The Big Party (1930), Dancing Sweeties (1930), She's My Weakness (1930), and Secret Sinners (1930).

In 1937, she retired from acting and opened her own talent agency...the Sue Carol Talent Agency.

Sue Carol passed away on February 4, 1982 from a heart attack in Los Angeles, California.

She was interred next to her third husband Alan Ladd at Forest Lawn in Glendale, California. She is in the Freedom Mausoleum in a prime alcove (in my opinion). She is surrounded by Jeanette MacDonald, Nat King Cole, George Burns, and Clara Bow.

Sue was married three times. First to Allen Keefer, a buyer for a Chicago stock yard. They were married until 1929. The exact year of marriage is unknown, but she was pretty young when they married. Later that year, Sue married actor Nick Stuart and the couple had a daughter named Carol Lee. The couple was soon divorced around 1932. Her third and most famous husband was actor Alan Ladd in 1942. They remained married until Alan died from an overdose of alcohol and drugs in 1964. They had a son David and a daughter Alana.

Sue actually helped jump start Alan's career.

In 1933, Sue was involved in a scandal involving the "adoption" of a baby boy in Brooklyn. The boy had disappeared and the family was claiming that the baby was kidnapped by a woman who was representing Sue Carol. Sue was of course cleared of any involvement.

If anyone has or knows how to get a hold of any of Sue Carol's movies, I would greatly appreciate it. I would love to see her on screen.