Anne Shirley(1918-1993)
- Actress
- Soundtrack
They didn't come packaged any sweeter or lovelier than Anne Shirley, a
gentle and gracious 1930s teen film actress who didn't quite reach the
zenith of front-rank stardom and retired all too soon at age 26. On
film as a toddler, she went through a small revolving door of marquee
names before legally settling (at age 16) on the name Anne Shirley, the
name of her schoolgirl heroine in Anne's most famous film of all --
Anne of Green Gables (1934).
Manhattan-born Anne was christened Dawn Evelyeen Paris on April 17,
1918. Her father died while she was still a baby, and she and her
widowed mother lived a very meager New York existence at first. At the
age of 16 months, the child was already contributing to the household
finances as a photographer's model, using sundry different
monikers, including Lenn Fondre, Lindley Dawn and Dawn O'Day. With this
source of monetary inspiration, her mother sought work for her daughter
in films as well, and at the age of 4, Anne (billed as Dawn O'Day) made
her first feature with
The Hidden Woman (1922). She
showed enough promise in the film
Moonshine Valley (1922), as a
young girl who manages to reunite her separated parents, that she and
her mother made a permanent move from New York to California. Scarce
work for such a young child, but Anne managed to find it with minor
roles in
The Rustle of Silk (1923) and
The Spanish Dancer (1923) for
Paramount Pictures. During her adolescence she often appeared as the leading stars' daughter in films such as
Mother Knows Best (1928) with
Madge Bellamy,
Sins of the Fathers (1928) starring Jean Arthur and
Liliom (1930) with
Charles Farrell. Oftentimes
she would play the female star of the film as a child, such as Janet Gaynor's in
4 Devils (1928),
Frances Dee's in
Rich Man's Folly (1931) and
Barbara Stanwyck's in
So Big! (1932).
After a rash of unbilled parts, Anne was used by Vitaphone for a series
of 1930s short subjects. By her teen years she had developed before the
very eyes of Hollywood into a petite and lovely young brunette. Casting
agents took notice. Following roles in
Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
with the three Barrymores and
The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933)
starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and
Loretta Young, Anne was tested among
hundreds of young aspirants and captured the role of Anne Shirley in
Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic
novel
Anne of Green Gables (1934), imbuing the character with all the spirit and charm (not to mention
talent) necessary. She officially became a teen celebrity after
changing her moniker for the final time in conjunction with the release
of the film.
Prominent misty-eyed ingénue leads came her way as a result of playing a
swamp girl in
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)
alongside Will Rogers and in
M'Liss (1936) opposite
John Beal, but her resume became
littered with meek B-level comedies and weak dramas, such as
Chasing Yesterday (1935),
Too Many Wives (1937) and
Meet the Missus (1937), that did
little to advance her career. Finally at age 19, she found a role to
match her "Green Gables" success playing
Barbara Stanwyck's daughter in the
classic weeper
Stella Dallas (1937). The
interaction between the two was magical, and both Barbara and Anne were
nominated for Oscars (Anne in the supporting category) for their superb portrayals . Both lost, however, to
Luise Rainer and
Alice Brady, respectively.
During this time of major success, Anne met and eventually married
actor John Payne in 1937. The popular
Hollywood couple had one child,
Julie Payne, who became an
actress for a time in the 1970s. Her subsequent career was
full of promise, but with every quality picture bestowed upon her, such
as Vigil in the Night (1940)
and
All That Money Can Buy (1941),
came a faltering one that hurt her career, including
Career (1939) and
West Point Widow (1941).
Especially disappointing was her long-anticipated "Green Gables" sequel
Anne of Windy Poplars (1940),
which received very lackluster reviews.
The still-young actress finished on top, however, opposite
Dick Powell in the classic movie
mystery Murder, My Sweet (1944).
Divorced from John Payne in 1943 and tiring of the Hollywood rat race she had endured since a child,
however, Anne decided to end her career after her second marriage, to the movie's
producer Adrian Scott, in 1945. Never
an ambitious actress, Anne stayed with her career as long as she did
primarily to please her mother. Her three-year marriage to Scott was
unable to withstand the legal troubles of her husband's 1947 blacklisting
(he was one of the "Hollywood 10" imprisoned during the McCarthy era
for his communist affiliations). Her 1949 marriage to screenwriter
Charles Lederer, the nephew of actress
Marion Davies, was her longest and most
fulfilling. Their son, Daniel, was born the following year. He
inherited his father's writing talent and grew up to become a poet.
Never tempted to resume her career at any time, she remained a charming
and gracious socialite in the Hollywood circle. A painter on the side,
she at one point entertained the thought of becoming a
behind-the-scenes worker, such as a dialogue coach, but it was never
pursued aggressively. Her husband's sudden death in 1976 triggered a
severe emotional crisis for Anne, who turned for a time to alcohol.
Recovered, she lived the rest of her life completely out of the
limelight, dying in 1993 of lung cancer at age 75. Her granddaughter by
daughter Julie (via her marriage to screenwriter
Robert Towne) is the actress
Katharine Towne, who has appeared in
such films as
Mulholland Drive (2001).
Not as well remembered as an actress of her award-worthy caliber should
be, perhaps had Anne Shirley given Hollywood a longer tryout and added
a bit more bite to her rather benign, sweetly sentimental image, her
star would be brighter today. Nevertheless, her film work has unarguably brightened the silver screen.
gentle and gracious 1930s teen film actress who didn't quite reach the
zenith of front-rank stardom and retired all too soon at age 26. On
film as a toddler, she went through a small revolving door of marquee
names before legally settling (at age 16) on the name Anne Shirley, the
name of her schoolgirl heroine in Anne's most famous film of all --
Anne of Green Gables (1934).
Manhattan-born Anne was christened Dawn Evelyeen Paris on April 17,
1918. Her father died while she was still a baby, and she and her
widowed mother lived a very meager New York existence at first. At the
age of 16 months, the child was already contributing to the household
finances as a photographer's model, using sundry different
monikers, including Lenn Fondre, Lindley Dawn and Dawn O'Day. With this
source of monetary inspiration, her mother sought work for her daughter
in films as well, and at the age of 4, Anne (billed as Dawn O'Day) made
her first feature with
The Hidden Woman (1922). She
showed enough promise in the film
Moonshine Valley (1922), as a
young girl who manages to reunite her separated parents, that she and
her mother made a permanent move from New York to California. Scarce
work for such a young child, but Anne managed to find it with minor
roles in
The Rustle of Silk (1923) and
The Spanish Dancer (1923) for
Paramount Pictures. During her adolescence she often appeared as the leading stars' daughter in films such as
Mother Knows Best (1928) with
Madge Bellamy,
Sins of the Fathers (1928) starring Jean Arthur and
Liliom (1930) with
Charles Farrell. Oftentimes
she would play the female star of the film as a child, such as Janet Gaynor's in
4 Devils (1928),
Frances Dee's in
Rich Man's Folly (1931) and
Barbara Stanwyck's in
So Big! (1932).
After a rash of unbilled parts, Anne was used by Vitaphone for a series
of 1930s short subjects. By her teen years she had developed before the
very eyes of Hollywood into a petite and lovely young brunette. Casting
agents took notice. Following roles in
Rasputin and the Empress (1932)
with the three Barrymores and
The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933)
starring Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and
Loretta Young, Anne was tested among
hundreds of young aspirants and captured the role of Anne Shirley in
Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic
novel
Anne of Green Gables (1934), imbuing the character with all the spirit and charm (not to mention
talent) necessary. She officially became a teen celebrity after
changing her moniker for the final time in conjunction with the release
of the film.
Prominent misty-eyed ingénue leads came her way as a result of playing a
swamp girl in
Steamboat Round the Bend (1935)
alongside Will Rogers and in
M'Liss (1936) opposite
John Beal, but her resume became
littered with meek B-level comedies and weak dramas, such as
Chasing Yesterday (1935),
Too Many Wives (1937) and
Meet the Missus (1937), that did
little to advance her career. Finally at age 19, she found a role to
match her "Green Gables" success playing
Barbara Stanwyck's daughter in the
classic weeper
Stella Dallas (1937). The
interaction between the two was magical, and both Barbara and Anne were
nominated for Oscars (Anne in the supporting category) for their superb portrayals . Both lost, however, to
Luise Rainer and
Alice Brady, respectively.
During this time of major success, Anne met and eventually married
actor John Payne in 1937. The popular
Hollywood couple had one child,
Julie Payne, who became an
actress for a time in the 1970s. Her subsequent career was
full of promise, but with every quality picture bestowed upon her, such
as Vigil in the Night (1940)
and
All That Money Can Buy (1941),
came a faltering one that hurt her career, including
Career (1939) and
West Point Widow (1941).
Especially disappointing was her long-anticipated "Green Gables" sequel
Anne of Windy Poplars (1940),
which received very lackluster reviews.
The still-young actress finished on top, however, opposite
Dick Powell in the classic movie
mystery Murder, My Sweet (1944).
Divorced from John Payne in 1943 and tiring of the Hollywood rat race she had endured since a child,
however, Anne decided to end her career after her second marriage, to the movie's
producer Adrian Scott, in 1945. Never
an ambitious actress, Anne stayed with her career as long as she did
primarily to please her mother. Her three-year marriage to Scott was
unable to withstand the legal troubles of her husband's 1947 blacklisting
(he was one of the "Hollywood 10" imprisoned during the McCarthy era
for his communist affiliations). Her 1949 marriage to screenwriter
Charles Lederer, the nephew of actress
Marion Davies, was her longest and most
fulfilling. Their son, Daniel, was born the following year. He
inherited his father's writing talent and grew up to become a poet.
Never tempted to resume her career at any time, she remained a charming
and gracious socialite in the Hollywood circle. A painter on the side,
she at one point entertained the thought of becoming a
behind-the-scenes worker, such as a dialogue coach, but it was never
pursued aggressively. Her husband's sudden death in 1976 triggered a
severe emotional crisis for Anne, who turned for a time to alcohol.
Recovered, she lived the rest of her life completely out of the
limelight, dying in 1993 of lung cancer at age 75. Her granddaughter by
daughter Julie (via her marriage to screenwriter
Robert Towne) is the actress
Katharine Towne, who has appeared in
such films as
Mulholland Drive (2001).
Not as well remembered as an actress of her award-worthy caliber should
be, perhaps had Anne Shirley given Hollywood a longer tryout and added
a bit more bite to her rather benign, sweetly sentimental image, her
star would be brighter today. Nevertheless, her film work has unarguably brightened the silver screen.