Mary Brian

Dubbed "The Sweetest Girl in Pictures", 'Mary Brian' (qv) started life as Louise Byrdie Datzler. She was born in Corsicana, Texas, and went to high school in Dallas. Her widowed mother had big plans for young Louise and took her to California in 1923, with the intention of getting her into the film business. After several unsuccessful attempts, a bathing beauty competition in Long Beach resulted in a second-prize letter of introduction to 'Herbert Brenon' (qv) at Paramount and the girl with the dark brown curls and blue/gray eyes wound up being screen-tested for the role of Wendy in _Peter Pan (1924)_ (qv), co-starring 'Betty Bronson' (qv) and 'Esther Ralston' (qv) (with whom she would form lifelong friendships). She not only got the part but a five-year contract with Paramount (1925-30) and a new name.In 1926 she became one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars, which further enhanced her popularity. During the next few years she played ornamental leads and second leads as adolescent heroines, co-eds and ingénues. Many of those early silent features no longer exist today (_Paris at Midnight (1926)_ (qv), among others), though surviving reels of some, like _The Air Mail (1925)_ (qv), can still be accessed at the Library of Congress. Mary effortlessly made the transition from silents to talkies, co-starring with 'Gary Cooper' (qv) as a feisty schoolmarm on the frontier in _The Virginian (1929)_ (qv). One of her biggest hits was as Gwen Cavendish in the urbane comedy _The Royal Family of Broadway (1930)_ (qv), with 'Ina Claire' (qv) and 'Fredric March' (qv). A thinly disguised caricature of the private lives of the Barrymore dynasty, it hit the mark to the extent that 'Ethel Barrymore' (qv) even threatened to sue Paramount. Mary acted three times opposite 'W.C. Fields' (qv), first as his daughter in _Running Wild (1927)_ (qv), later reprising her role for _The Man on the Flying Trapeze (1934)_ (qv) (the third was _Two Flaming Youths (1927)_ (qv), another lost film).Signing up for another four-year contract, Mary was one of the all-star cast in the musical _Paramount on Parade (1930)_ (qv) and then was given another good part in the first talkie version of _The Front Page (1931)_ (qv). However, she was dropped from her contract (alongside her more illustrious colleagues 'Fay Wray' (qv) and 'Jean Arthur' (qv)) when Paramount began to forsake innocence and charm in favor of glamour and sophistication. From 1932 Mary freelanced and also performed occasionally in vaudeville at the Palace Theater. Arguably her last good picture was the romantic comedy _Hard to Handle (1933)_ (qv), with 'James Cagney' (qv) as a grifter (hilariously promoting grapefruit diets, spoofing his infamous scene with 'Mae Clarke' (qv) in _The Public Enemy (1931)_ (qv)). In 1936 Mary went to England, where she co-starred opposite 'Cary Grant' (qv) in _The Amazing Quest of Ernest Bliss (1936)_ (qv). She then made several pictures for Poverty Row companies such as Majestic and Monogram, including the low-budget potboiler _I Escaped from the Gestapo (1943)_ (qv).Mary's motion picture career faded after 1937 and she turned towards the stage. In 1940 she went on tour with "Three after Three" , alongside 'Simone Simon' (qv) and 'Mitzi Green' (qv) and later entertained American troops in the South Pacific as part of the USO. In the 1950's, she enjoyed a brief resurgence on television as the mother of a "Gidget"-type teen in the syndicated sitcom _Meet Corliss Archer (1954)_ (qv). After the death of her second husband, the film editor 'George Tomasini' (qv), Mary spent her retirement fulfilling a lifelong passion for portrait painting.::I.S.Mowis