Anne Shirley

They didn't come packaged any sweeter or lovelier than 'Anne Shirley' (qv), 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' (qv), the name of her schoolgirl heroine in Anne's most famous film of all -- _Anne of Green Gables (1934)_ (qv).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' (qv). 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' (qv)) made her first feature with _The Hidden Woman (1922)_ (qv). She showed enough promise in the film _Moonshine Valley (1922)_ (qv), 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)_ (qv) and _The Spanish Dancer (1923)_ (qv) for Paramount Pictures. During her adolescence she often appeared as the leading stars' daughter in films such as _Mother Knows Best (1928)_ (qv) with 'Madge Bellamy' (qv), _Sins of the Fathers (1928)_ (qv) starring 'Jean Arthur' (qv) and _Liliom (1930)_ (qv) with 'Charles Farrell' (qv). Oftentimes she would play the female star of the film as a child, such as 'Janet Gaynor' (qv)'s in _4 Devils (1928)_ (qv), 'Frances Dee' (qv)'s in _Rich Man's Folly (1931)_ (qv) and 'Barbara Stanwyck' (qv)'s in _So Big! (1932)_ (qv).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)_ (qv) with the three Barrymores and _The Life of Jimmy Dolan (1933)_ (qv) starring 'Douglas Fairbanks Jr.' (qv) and 'Loretta Young' (qv), Anne was tested among hundreds of young aspirants and captured the role of 'Anne Shirley' (qv) in 'Lucy Maud Montgomery' (qv)'s classic novel _Anne of Green Gables (1934)_ (qv), 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)_ (qv) alongside 'Will Rogers' (qv) and in _M'Liss (1936)_ (qv) opposite 'John Beal' (qv), but her resume became littered with meek B-level comedies and weak dramas, such as _Chasing Yesterday (1935)_ (qv), _Too Many Wives (1937)_ (qv) and _Meet the Missus (1937)_ (qv), that did little to advance her career. Finally at age 19, she found a role to match her "Green Gables" success playing 'Barbara Stanwyck' (qv)'s daughter in the classic weeper _Stella Dallas (1937)_ (qv). 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' (qv) and 'Alice Brady' (qv), respectively.During this time of major success, Anne met and eventually married actor 'John Payne' (qv) in 1937. The popular Hollywood couple had one child, 'Julie Payne' (qv), 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)_ (qv) and _The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941)_ (qv), came a faltering one that hurt her career, including _Career (1939)_ (qv) and _West Point Widow (1941)_ (qv). Especially disappointing was her long-anticipated "Green Gables" sequel _Anne of Windy Poplars (1940)_ (qv), which received very lackluster reviews.The still-young actress finished on top, however, opposite 'Dick Powell' (qv) in the classic movie mystery _Murder, My Sweet (1944)_ (qv). Divorced from 'John Payne' (qv) 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' (qv), 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' (qv), the nephew of actress 'Marion Davies' (qv), 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' (qv)) is the actress 'Katharine Towne' (qv), who has appeared in such films as _Mulholland Drive (2001)_ (qv).Not as well remembered as an actress of her award-worthy caliber should be, perhaps had 'Anne Shirley' (qv) 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.::Gary Brumburgh / gr-home@pacbell.net