Miss Peggy Shannon

I wanted to squeeze in an entry about Peggy because I was showing my grave photos the other day, and came across hers, and no one knew who she was (understandable). They just saw she had died fairly young. I just kept saying, "Look up her photos, she was an absolutely beautiful showgirl and actress." I wish we could have seen more from her, but like so many others, she became too friendly with the bottle.

Peggy Shannon was born Winona Sammon on January 10, 1907 in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. Her parents were Edward and Nannie Sammon. She was later joined by younger sister, Carol.

When she was still in high school, she went to New York to visit an aunt. It was while on this visit, she was hired to be a Ziegfeld showgirl. She stayed with Ziegfeld and other Broadway shows until 1927 when she was discovered by B.P. Schulberg, the production head of Paramount. She packed her bags and followed him out to Hollywood.

She was already being hyped up as the next Clara Bow, the next "It Girl." It was prophetic almost, because just two days after arriving in Hollywood, she was offered a role that had been Clara's in the film, The Secret Call. Clara had suffered a nervous breakdown, and couldn't continue with the film, so she was replaced.

Peggy, to put it gently, worked her ass off. She would sometimes work on a film 10 to 16 hours a day! And other times when she would finish one film, she would have to go right into making another one.

In 1932, she signed a contract with Fox. Unfortunately, she was already getting the reputation of being difficult and fussy on set, and it was also around this time that her drinking problem started to be come, well...a problem.

In 1934, she went back to New York to appear in a few more Broadway shows. She only lasted about a year before dropping out to what she claimed was a tooth infection, but others knew was really her alcoholism.

She soon couldn't hide the fact that she was an alcoholic, and so the job offers got fewer and fewer. She made her last film appearance in 1940 in the film Triple Justice.

Peggy Shannon passed away on May 11, 1941. Her husband and a friend of his had come home to find her slumped over the kitchen table with a cigarette still in her mouth and a glass in her hand. She had been dead for about 12 hours when he got there. She was only 34. The autopsy revealed she died from a heart attack, a liver ailment, and just being generally worn out.

Peggy was married twice. Her first husband was Alan Davis in 1926. They divorced in 1940. Her second husband was cameraman Albert Roberts who she married months after her first divorce. They were married until her death. Sadly, three weeks after Peggy died, her husband shot himself in the same spot where she had died. His suicide note read, "I am very much in love with my Peggy Shannon. In this spot she died, so in reverence to her, you will find me in the same spot." He was not buried next to her though. He was buried at Forest Lawn in Glendale. 

She was interred at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.

She was not the only one slated to replace Clara Bow. She shared that honor with actress Sylvia Sidney.

In July of 1938, apparently she and her sister were both injured in a car accident when they hit another car head on.

While she was a film actress, Peggy was quite the fashion plate. She liked to sport the newest styles before they came into fashion. Fans looked to her to find out what the new looks were.

After her daughter died, and then her son in law, she demanded a police investigation into the matter. She wanted private investigates to really look into how her daughter died.

"[Hollywood] is a sort of Looking Glass Town. They do everything backward. If you try desperately to get somewhere, you find yourself further away from your goal, but if you decide it's impossible and stop hoping, there you are at the winning line." ~ Peggy Shannon

The Hunchback of Notre Dame

On Saturday, I went to the Redford Theatre to go see the 1923 version of Hunchback of Notre Dame starring Lon Chaney. I LOOOOVE the Redford! It is such a beautiful theatre, is volunteer run, AND still has the original organ from 1928 when it was first built. My favorite part of the theatre is the starry night ceiling they have. It feels like you are watching a movie outdoors. Check it out on their website...Redford Theatre.

Anyways, I had never seen this movie the whole way through and was pretty excited because Lon Chaney is the master of horror. Also, I was really excited to see Gladys Brockwell in a film finally!

With that being said, it wasn't my favorite film of Chaney's. The movie introduced so many characters in a span of a few minutes that it took me a little bit to get everyone figured out. Also, I didn't really understand the pathos of the hunchback. I mean, I get that he was a tortured soul cooped up in the bell tower but really did have a soft spot inside, but still I was kinda lost on that part. And it didn't seem like he was really in the film that much.

Patsy Ruth Miller did a wonderful job as Esmeralda and she was so beautiful in the role. She reminded me of Olive Borden at times. My only nitpicking with that role was her t-shirt looking costume. When I think of a gypsy, I think of someone letting some skin show like a Vilma Banky or Theda Bara, but Patsy looked like she had a t-shirt with a gold vest sewn on. It was really odd. Also, Norman Kerry as Phoebus...he looked like my dad when he was younger, and that was cracking me up.

Gladys Brockwell was amazing. She played a younger woman in a flashback scene, and for the rest of the movie she was an old, haggard woman. I thought she was wonderful and I am so happy I got to finally see her in a film. She died 6 years after this film was made.

I had the 'pleasure' of listening to different people's remarks about Lon Chaney and the film itself. While standing in line outside to get my ticket, I learned that Lon died shortly after this film was made.........which, um, if true...what a hell of an actor! He came back from the dead and appeared in about 20 more movies! Incredible. The gentleman also said that a movie was made about Chaney starring James Cagney called, "Lon Chaney's Make Up Kit." *face palm* I didn't want to to but into his conversation because I didn't want to be THAT person, but thankfully another guy filled him in...which made me smile.

I did learn some interesting things about the film though when I got home and did some research about it. One of the first things I noticed was how the film was in kinda rough shape. And I am not talking about the usual scratches and such on old film, I mean it looked kinda worn. I found out by reading online that the condition isn't the best because it only exists in a 16mm format. And there is actually still about 15 minutes of the film that is considered lost.

Lon Chaney was a man who really became his characters. He kept one of his eyes covered with putty for the film everyday, which eventually led to him having to wear glasses for the rest of his life. He also developed some leg problems from the brace he wore to perfect the walk of the hunchback. What a guy!

The set for Notre Dame was so big and intricate, they decided to keep them up on the lot for all to see. Unfortunately, a fire during the 1960s destroyed the set. :(

There are reportedly some famous faces who worked as extras in the film. Gilbert Roland, Charles Farrell, and Elmo Lincoln are perhaps somewhere in there...I am just not Eagle Eye enough to spot them. Maybe you can! Let me know!

Miss Mary Nolan

When I first heard about Mary, I heard about her under one of her other stage names, Imogene Wilson. Well..."Bubbles" Wilson actually, when she performed in the Ziegfeld Follies. She just seemed to be filled with a lot of sadness and struggles, you could see it in her eyes. Her name was plagued with scandal during most of her career, no matter which name she used.

I have visited her grave a few times, and even her grave is filled with sadness. She is entombed at the top of a doorway and it seems people have forgotten about her. But, we won't let that happen completely, will we? Noooooope!

Mary Nolan was born Mary Imogene Robertson on December 18, 1905 in Hickory Grove, Kentucky. Her mother died when she was still a child, and her father had to care for her and her brothers and sisters alone.

In order to help support herself and her family, she worked various jobs before moving to New York City in 1919. There she got a job as a model, and no wonder, because she was gorgeous! It was while working as a model that her life changed thanks to the man himself, Florenz Ziegfeld.

Ziegfeld spotted Mary one day and asked her to be in his Follies production. She of course agreed, but she also had to agree to a name change. This is when she began performing under the name of Imogene 'Bubbles' Wilson, and she became quite the star!

The positive side of fame didn't last too long because of a scandalous affair she was involved in. To help escape all of the negative publicity that began to come down on her head, she fled to Germany. While there, she appeared in a couple of films.

In 1927, Mary moved back to the States and appeared in films under the name Mary Nolan and was somewhat of a hit, but again, it didn't last long.

In 1933, she appeared in her last film and was involved in another messy scandal. This time it was with Eddie Mannix, a famous Hollywood producer. She sued him for $500,000 in pain and suffering and damages because she claimed her used to beat her.

Soon after, she moved back to New York and entered a home for struggling actors. She spent a few years there resting and recovering from everything that had been going on in her life. She moved back to Hollywood in 1939, but didn't do anything with show business. She simply chose to live quietly with her sister Mabel.

Mary Nolan passed away on October 31, 1948 from cardiac arrest and malnutrition. Shortly before her death, she began to use to drugs which attributed to her death at age 42. Apparently she only weighed around 90 lbs when she died.

She was interred at the Hollywood Forever cemetery.

Mary made quite a name for herself (and not in a positive way) because of her many affairs she had. Her first notable affair was with Frank Tinney, a comedian she met when she was in the Ziegfeld Follies. He was an abusive man she claimed, and even beat her to the point of hospitalization, but she came back to him time and time again. The reason why this affair was so scandalous was because Tinney was married to another actress named Edna Davenport. This was the scandal that caused Mary to be fired from the Follies.

Apparently she was married once, but I can't find any information other than that his name was Wallace McCreary, a fellow actor. They were still married when she passed away.

Mary once owed a piano that belonged to Rudolph Valentino. The piano was so large that it took up most of her living room. She greatly admired Valentino, and owned a view other possessions from his home. She also kept a picture of him on the piano.

Right before she died, she was in talks with various publishers and writers about selling her life story to be made into a movie or a book. I hope one day this will come to be, because what a life! I will play Mary of course :)

"I've had a beautiful life, I've tumbled into the most beautiful life in the world. I'd never change it." ~ Mary Nolan

Mary looks beautiful in this picture, but what the hell is that statue?! It looks like some evil, warped, Disney character!

Miss Joyce Compton

I wanted to do a quick entry on Joyce Compton because she is oh so cute, and because Michael Ankerich wrote a book about her that I plan on reading soon and I wanted to know a lil bit more about her before reading it. Does that make sense? Kinda like you want to clean the house before the maid comes over or something. Michael Ankerich is the loverly man that wrote the great book, Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels, so I am looking forward to reading the Joyce book. He is working on a Mae Murray one now, and can't wait for it!

Joyce Compton was born Olivia Joyce Compton on January 27, 1907 in Lexington, Kentucky.

It seems her acting career began after she graduated high school and went to study acting at Tulsa University. She got her break in the movies kinda like Clara Bow, by winning a contest. Her prize was to appear in a couple films, but only as an extra.

She got a big boost in her career when she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star in 1926. She was in good company with Mary Brian, Joan Crawford, Dolores Del Rio, Janey Gaynor, Marceline Day, Mary Astor, Fay Wray, and Dolores Costello. They really snagged some stars that year, eh?

Not all WAMPAS girls became big stars like Crawford and Gaynor. Some only appeared in bit parts in movies, or appeared mostly in B movies. Joyce was the latter. She didn't appear in many big pictures, but she did mostly play the same character. She was seen as the 'ditzy blonde' kinda like Jayne Mansfield or Judy Holliday.

Some notable films she appeared in were: The Awful Truth, Imitation of Life, Mildred Pierce, and The Best Years of Our Lives.

Joyce Compton passed away on October 13, 1997 of natural causes in Los Angeles.

She was laid to rest at Forest Lawn in Hollywood Hills.

Apparently religion was very important to Joyce, and she wanted to be known as a Christian actress. She even had it put on her gravestone.

Joyce was married once, to William Kaliher from 1955 to 1956. No kids, and no clue why they divorced. But it's Hollywood, so not surprising to see such a short marriage.

Contrary to some information out there, Joyce was NOT born Eleanor Hunt. Apparently after she and actress Eleanor Hunt appeared in a movie together, a press article confused the two which led some people to believe that her name really was Eleanor.

Some of the movies she appeared in were so low budget, she had to wear her own clothes and jewelry for her character's wardrobe.

I mentioned her similar start to that of Clara Bow's....well, they must of had a lot more than that in common because the two were close friends. What a couple of lovely girls.

Joyce and Clara Bow

"I made some movies, but lucky for me, I made even better friends." ~ Joyce Compton

Miss Gladys Brockwell

I guess we will stick with the theme of "tragic" girls of the silent screen and see about Gladys Brockwell. She was a lovely lady who had her life tragically cut short in a car accident, much like fellow actress, Florence Labadie. But unlike Florence, Gladys had a chance to make it to the talkies before her death.

Gladys Brockwell was born Gladys Lindeman on September 26, 1893 in Brooklyn, New York. Her mother, Billie, was a former show girl and sometimes film actress, and she pushed Gladys on stage at an early age.

She made her film debut in 1913, and began using the stage name of Gladys Brockwell. She appeared in various shorts over on the East Coast before moving over to California where the action was starting to relocate.

Gladys appeared in the 1923 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney. I had to include that because I am going to see the film later in October at the Redford Theatre. I didn't know she was in it, and so I am even more geeked now to see it! Yayyyy!!!

Gladys never got to reach the stardom heights of other actresses like Pickford or Gish, but she appeared in a good amount of films. But, but by the middle of the 1920s when flappers and vamps were the big draw, Gladys was 30 something, and studios weren't interested in a girl who was "past her prime." Good to know the same asinine mindset isn't a new thing in Hollywood!

Now, she did make it in the business long enough to appear in talkies, and she actually did a good job in them...according to critics both then and now. Warner Brothers liked what they saw AND heard and they were lining up scripts for Gladys to look over.

Sadly, on June 27, 1929 Gladys was involved in a car accident while driving with her friend, Thomas Brennan. Gladys was crushed underneath the car, but miraculously didn't die at the scene. She died a few days on July 2nd of peritonitis. She was 35 years old. She was cremated, but not sure if she was interred at a cemetery of if a family member was given her ashes.

Thomas Brennan claimed he had gotten something stuck in his eye which blinded him, hence the crash. He did sustain injuries, but he survived the accident.

Her last film, The Drake Case was released after her death in September of 1929.

Gladys was apparently married twice. First to director, Robert Broadwell and second to yet another director, Harry Edwards in 1918. The marriage was annulled the next year in 1919.

Miss Agnes Ayres

It surprises me sometimes when I come across a personality I haven't covered, especially someone I have visited at the cemetery. Case in point: Agnes Ayres.

I just got the coolest book ever from Amazon. It's called Dangerous Curves atop Hollywood Heels: The Lives, Careers, and Misfortunes of 14 Hard Luck Girls of the Silent Screen by Michael G. Ankerich. And what is really amazing about this book is that it covers some of my favorite, but lesser known actresses like Olive Borden, Martha Mansfield, Barbara La Marr, and even Lucille Ricksen. I am really diggin' the book right now, I am up to the part about Grace Darmond. It has so much info about these girls, I highly recommend it.

Anyways, I was reading the first chapter on Agnes Ayres and I realized that I have visited her resting place (niche, if you will) twice but hadn't done an entry about her. And of course watched and loved her in the Sheik movies with Valentino. She had a hard time dealing with Hollywood, but she was able to be strong through it...for the most part.

Agnes Ayres was born Agnes Eyre Henkel on April 4, 1892 in Carbondale, Illinois. She joined her father, Solon, mother, Emma, and brother Solon Jr. Her father died when she was still a child.

Agnes made her first screen appearance in 1914 as an extra in a scene for Essanay Studios. She really caught the acting bug after that, and moved to New York City with her mother to work in the movies.

Lucky girl she was, she was spotted by actress Alice Joyce who thought Agnes looked like her (we can kinda see it). Alice asked that Agnes be given the part of her sister in a 1917 film, and she slowly began to rise on the stardom staircase.

It wasn't her appearance in the film that helped make her a name, but rather another person who spotted her. This time, the spy was Paramount Studio head Jesse Lasky and he was interested in her for more than just her acting abilities. He helped to get her a starring role in one of Cecile B. DeMille films, 1920's Held the Enemy, a civil war film.

Her biggest break came in 1921, when she appeared in The Sheik with the man himself, Rudolph Valentino. Although the two never had a romance off screen, they did become good friends.

Agnes followed up that great film role with more great film roles. She appeared in Forbidden Fruit in 1921 with another screen idol, Wally Reid, and DeMille's Ten Commandments in 1923. But as fast as her star had risen, it began to fall almost as quick when her relationship with Lasky soured. Go figure.

She did appear in The Son of the Sheik in 1926 as a favor to her friend, Valentino. She reprised her previous role as Diana.

She appeared briefly in a few films later in life, but her last credited role was in 1929. She had lost her money in the stock market crash and was looking for work to try and get her money back, but she couldn't earn what she used to anymore. She finally retired from film and stage in 1937 after failing at a real comback.

Agnes Ayres passed away on Christmas Day, 1940 at her home of a cerebral hemmorhage. She was 48 years old. She had been in a sanatorium briefly before her death and had been in ill health since.

She was cremated and interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The lighting the room where she was placed isn't aces. I had to use my cell phone as a light to find her niche in the corner of the room. So, keep that in mind if you ever visit.

Agnes was married twice. Her first husband was Captain Frank Schuker, whom she married during WWI (I don't know the exact date). She divorced him in 1921, and shortly after began her affair with Lasky. The affair with him eventually ended when she realized that even though he wasn't happily married to his wife, he was not going to divorce her. Her second and last marriage was to a Mexican diplomat named Manuel Reachi in 1924. They divorced three years later, and Agnes was quoted as saying, "Latin men make excellent lovers, not husbands." They did have a daughter together named, Maria, who had the lucky distinction of having Valentino and Pola Negri as god-parents.

Agnes truly adored her friend Valentino. He was godfather to her daughter, and she named her dog Tino after him. While she was touring the country speaking about her life in the movies, she always would talk about him and say that there will never be another Valentino. So true.

She used to share a dressing room with Gloria Swanson during her early acting days.

She was a victim of the "too fat" stigma from studio heads, even when she brought in photographic proof that she hadn't gained any weight. Stupid men.

Miss Lina Basquette

Lina Basquette is one of those stars that is just too adorable to not be mentioned when talking about silent film actresses. She was an actress starting as a child until she was an adult and was also a dancer. She, like Clara Bow and Alice White is one of those girls that you look at and see the embodiment of the 1920s flapper.

Lina Basquette was born Lena Copeland Baskette on April 19, 1907 in San Mateo, California. Her father Frank died when she was still a child, and her mother Gladys married a dance director named Ernest Belcher. It was during her childhood that she and her half sister Marge got into the dancing and acting business.

When she was nine years old, she was signed to Universal Studios and made a series of films called the Lena Baskette Featurettes (they really went crazy with the title, eh?).

In 1923, she joined the Ziegfeld Follies and was dubbed by them as "America's Prima Ballerina." And five years later, she was named a WAMPAS Baby Star alongside Sue Carol, Ruth Taylor, and Lupe Velez. This of course led to more film roles, including a role in a Frank Capra film in 1929.

Her most famous film appearance was in 1929's Godless Girl. A movie I would love to get a hold of! She was mostly known for this appearance, hence why she named her autobiography: DeMille's Godless Girl.

She appeared in more movies throughout the 1930s and 40s but nothing that helped to bring her to stardom. Her last screen appearance was in 1991 in the film Paradise Park.

Lina Basquette passed away on September 30, 1994 from cancer at her home in Wheeling, West Virginia. She was cremated.

Now this could be another entry in itself, the many marriages of Lena Basquette. I have seen some places that she was only married twice, others say seven, but it seems the agreed number is nine! Her first husband was one of the Warner Brothers, Sam, in 1925. She was only 18, he was in his late thirties. The couple was only married for two years when Sam died of a cerebral hemorrhage. They had a daughter named Lita who was born in 1926.

Her second marriage was to cinematographer J. Peverell Marley (who later married actress Linda Darnell) in 1929. They were only married for about a year. Third was actor Ray Hallam in 1931, but he also left her a widow when he died later that year. I don't know how he died or even what kind of actor he was. I am thinking he was a stage actor because he isn't listed on imdb.

Her next two marriages were to the same person. She had to re-marry Theodore Hayes after their first marriage was annulled due to his divorce from his first wife not being complete. Their marriage only lasted another year after the second marriage. They had a son together named Edwin. Her next husband was another actor named Henry Mollison and I have read that they were also married twice, but I don't know the circumstances of this.

Lina's last two marriages to Warner Gilmore and Frank Mancuso also ended in divorce.

She also had affairs with Nelson Eddy, opera singer Lawrence Tibbett, and fighter Jack Dempsey. Her fourth/fifth husband, Theodore Hayes was Dempsey's trainer. Lina and Dempsey actually had their affair after Lina found out that Theodore was still considered married.

In 1930, Lina attempted suicide. She was feeling stressed and depressed following the death of her first husband, Sam Warner, and the legal troubles that followed. When it seemed that Lina was not being the best parent to her daughter, Sam Warner's older brother, Harry filed for custody of Lita. And since Lina was not financially or emotionally capable of caring for her, Harry won. It would be almost 30 years before mother and daughter saw each other again. And after that, they only saw each other one more time. Lita eventually married a doctor in the late 1940s and I am not sure if she is still alive or has passed away. Same goes for her son, Edwin.

Another low point for Lina was in 1943 when she was raped by an AWOL soldier who had trespassed on her property. There was another big trial that Lina had to endure but she got justice this time. The a-hole who raped her got 20 years in prison. I am not sure what the Army soldier's name was, I can't seem to find it anywhere.

Lita found an outlet later in life in breeding Great Danes and also becoming a rather famous dog show judge.

She was Adolph Hitler's favorite actress, and was even invited to come to Germany and make movies for the Third Reich. Lina declined the offer.

She was good friends with Jean Harlow, Carole Lombard, and Clara Bow and was frequently seen out and about partying with them. Now that is a party that I would want to be a part of! A night out on the town with four fabulous flappers! Oh man oh man, too much fun.