Edith Fellows

[Susan Hopkins]

Unjustly forgotten today.

"send the girl" indeed...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Fellows

[JamesJazGuitar]

8 hours ago, Susan Hopkins said:

Unjustly forgotten today.

"send the girl" indeed...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Fellows

I agree and posted about Edith Fellows in a thread about young actors from the Studio-era. 

Edith was in some fine films for Columbia like And So They Were Married,  with Melvyn Douglas and Mary Astor,  Pennies from Heaven with Bing Crosby,  She Married her Boss with Claudette Colbert and Douglas,   Life Begins with Love,   and had some leading roles as a teen in films like Her First Romance. 

 

[Susan Hopkins]

[JamesJazGuitar]

32 minutes ago, Susan Hopkins said:

Nice to see another fan of Edith Fellows!       

[CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN]

I too am  a fan of Edith's.  Have lots of nice original  8X10 photos and many  of her movies.   My  wish   is to have her very rare,hard to find Columbia movies "TUGBOAT PRINCESS "(1936), 

"LITTLE MISS ROUGHNECK (1938),  and "THE LITTLE ADVENTURESS"(1938).      These 3 films have been  my  big  wants .      So nice to know there are others who  like Edith and, I am a fan  of so many other classic girl child stars and have huge photo collections on  them  all as well as their movies!!

[JamesJazGuitar]

19 minutes ago, CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN said:

I too am  a fan of Edith's.  Have lots of nice original  8X10 photos and many  of her movies.   My  wish   is to have her very rare,hard to find Columbia movies "TUGBOAT PRINCESS "(1936), 

"LITTLE MISS ROUGHNECK (1938),  and "THE LITTLE ADVENTURESS"(1938).      These 3 films have been  my  big  wants .      So nice to know there are others who  like Edith and, I am a fan  of so many other classic girl child stars and have huge photo collections on  them  all as well as their movies!!

 

TCM doesn't show a lot of Columbia films so we may have to wait a while to see these hard-to-find classics with Edith  (or even Jean Arthur).

I discovered Edith because I was a  fan of Melvyn Douglas and he was under contract at Columbia before moving over to MGM.     

Interesting photo and movie collection.       I have a photo collection but it is mostly of Bette Davis and Olivia deHavilland.     E.g.   original promo photos with the "only to be use by permission of Warner Brothers"  listed on the bottom (the photos theaters would display in a window promoting a film).     I got these at Larry Edmunds Bookstore in Hollywood.    This is  THE best classic-movie bookstore in the world.   If you haven't been there or checked out their website I highly recommend it.     You might find some photos you could add to your collection.

 

 

[Susan Hopkins]

I like Edith Fellows and Juanita Quigley among others.

I get so frigging tired of Curly Top blotting out every other child actress of the era in the public memory  - and they could actually play characters and act instead of just playing herself like Shirley did.

@JamesJazGuitar

[CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN]

10 hours ago, Susan Hopkins said:

I like Edith Fellows and Juanita Quigley among others.

I get so frigging tired of Curly Top blotting out every other child actress of the era in the public memory  - and they could actually play characters and act instead of just playing herself like Shirley did.

@JamesJazGuitar

I understand what  you are saying about  Curly  Top, she has been a big favorite of mine for lotsa years.  You  mentioned Juanita Quigley, and I like her  a lot too, have many  original  photos of her and a few of her movies.   Yes, seems no  one really knows of all the other wonderful  girl child stars.  Sure, they may know of Jane Withers (Who I like a lot and have many ,many photos of,  plus all her child movies) , from her being with  Shirley  in  'Birght  Eyes", but that is mainly it, they do not realize Jane made lots of movies and was popular but, no where as big  as Shirley.

[Susan Hopkins]

1 hour ago, CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN said:

I understand what  you are saying about  Curly  Top, she has been a big favorite of mine for lotsa years.  You  mentioned Juanita Quigley, and I like her  a lot too, have many  original  photos of her and a few of her movies.   Yes, seems no  one really knows of all the other wonderful  girl child stars.  Sure, they may know of Jane Withers (Who I like a lot and have many ,many photos of,  plus all her child movies) , from her being with  Shirley  in  'Birght  Eyes", but that is mainly it, they do not realize Jane made lots of movies and was popular but, no where as big  as Shirley.

These wonderful little ladies like Edith, Juanita and etc. deserve to be remembered by history and pop culture but all everyone talks about is Curly Top, even though, unlike the others, Shirley could never assume characters, only ever playing herself. if you are an Ivan Hutchinson or Leonard Maltin style film buff, it's rather hard to endure Shirley who never changes, regardless of the character she is playing.

[CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN]

3 hours ago, Susan Hopkins said:

These wonderful little ladies like Edith, Juanita and etc. deserve to be remembered by history and pop culture but all everyone talks about is Curly Top, even though, unlike the others, Shirley could never assume characters, only ever playing herself. if you are an Ivan Hutchinson or Leonard Maltin style film buff, it's rather hard to endure Shirley who never changes, regardless of the character she is playing.

I agree with  you very much. Seems you never hear others talk  about  all the other wonderful   girl child stars,  they only  talk  of the grown up  stars.  I enjoy  talking the girl  child stars very much and,  its so rare to ever find others talking about  them. When I saw Edith  was mentioned, I just  had to join  in   as I have been a fan of the wonderful  girl  child stars for years and years and years.      Sybil  Jason,  Connie Marshall, Ann Carter, Baby Peggy, Cora Sue Collins, Virginia Lee Corbin, Margaret O'Brien,  Joan Carroll, Sharyn Moffett,  and so many  more, they  are all  so good and I have so much on  them  all,  their movies and photos. Now with   Curly  Top,  I have a huge ,HUGE collection  on her,  tons upon  tons of photos, all her child movies,  and books .   I have  original  autographed photos of many   of the girl  child stars,, Connie Marshall, Jane Withers  ,Cora Sue Collins... its just  all wonderful  and,   it would be nice if the movies  all these girl  child stars made would be available to own,  as theres so many  they  made but are just  gathering dust  in the film  vaults, sadly .

[CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN]

Here is an adorable portrait of Juanita Quigley.

[Susan Hopkins]

All the major studios had one or more youngsters who could always play somebody’s daughter or kid sister. Margaret O’Brien was probably the best-known of MGM’s stable of child stars — she played Judy Garland’s kid sister in “Meet Me in St Louis” — but that was only seven or eight years after Judy herself was the little girl winning everybody’s heart in movies like “Listen Darling” and “Broadway Melody of 1938”. MGM also had Virginia Weidler and Elizabeth Taylor, and later Sandra (Sandy) Descher (who played Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter in “The Last Time I Saw Paris”; and Fox had Peggy Ann Garner and Natalie Wood, both of whom (unlike Shirley) stayed with the studio into adulthood. 

Sam Goldwyn used both Bonita Granville and Marcia Mae Jones — two exceptionally talented child actresses — to great effect in “These Three”, and RKO had Ann Carter, who was just right for the dreamy child in “Curse of the Cat People”. One who was given less credit than was due her was Sharyn Moffett, who was required to carry most of “Child of Divorce” on her nine-year-old shoulders, and did so like a seasoned veteran. Susan Hallaran was another who was seldom seen, but when she was, she could be counted on to give a good account of herself. And Sharon McManus was only in a couple of MGM musicals — being put to bed by Jimmy Durante and as a minuscule south-of-the-border dancing partner for Gene Kelly — but the latter ‘gig’, in “Anchors Aweigh”, was one of the best things in the movie.

Finally, there were the two Corcoran sisters, Donna and Noreen, who came from a family of child performers (their brothers Kevin and Kelly worked as often as they did, and they were all as alike as peas in a pod).

None of them could really be called a rival to Shirley Temple, who was really a phenomenon, but in each case they were able to assume characters, which, for all her talent, was something Shirley could never do… she always just played Shirley.

[CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN]

3 hours ago, Susan Hopkins said:

All the major studios had one or more youngsters who could always play somebody’s daughter or kid sister. Margaret O’Brien was probably the best-known of MGM’s stable of child stars — she played Judy Garland’s kid sister in “Meet Me in St Louis” — but that was only seven or eight years after Judy herself was the little girl winning everybody’s heart in movies like “Listen Darling” and “Broadway Melody of 1938”. MGM also had Virginia Weidler and Elizabeth Taylor, and later Sandra (Sandy) Descher (who played Elizabeth Taylor’s daughter in “The Last Time I Saw Paris”; and Fox had Peggy Ann Garner and Natalie Wood, both of whom (unlike Shirley) stayed with the studio into adulthood. 

Sam Goldwyn used both Bonita Granville and Marcia Mae Jones — two exceptionally talented child actresses — to great effect in “These Three”, and RKO had Ann Carter, who was just right for the dreamy child in “Curse of the Cat People”. One who was given less credit than was due her was Sharyn Moffett, who was required to carry most of “Child of Divorce” on her nine-year-old shoulders, and did so like a seasoned veteran. Susan Hallaran was another who was seldom seen, but when she was, she could be counted on to give a good account of herself. And Sharon McManus was only in a couple of MGM musicals — being put to bed by Jimmy Durante and as a minuscule south-of-the-border dancing partner for Gene Kelly — but the latter ‘gig’, in “Anchors Aweigh”, was one of the best things in the movie.

Finally, there were the two Corcoran sisters, Donna and Noreen, who came from a family of child performers (their brothers Kevin and Kelly worked as often as they did, and they were all as alike as peas in a pod).

None of them could really be called a rival to Shirley Temple, who was really a phenomenon, but in each case they were able to assume characters, which, for all her talent, was something Shirley could never do… she always just played Shirley.

Those names you mentioned, all great ones and I know of em all  and have  beautiful portraits and scenes. As you mentioned, Shirley  did play  Shirley, and I never thought of it that  way  and I do see what you are saying as the other girl stars played whatever they were given to play  and were so very  beliveable.       Ann Carter, now yes so much  the dreamy child in ' Curse Of the Cat People'.      I have added a nice portrait of her that  is so lovely.        Sharyn Moffett, you said the truth   about her in  'Child Of Divorce".   and you mentioned Sandy  Descher, she  was great in all she was in, and one she is great in is 'The Space Children".       

Theres just  so many  great movies the girl child stars were in and, I just love little Natalie Wood, and have   all her child films and lots of beautiful portraits and movie scenes.  I have been  such  a huge fan of all these wonderful  child stars. I am sure there are many  others who  like them too,  but as I had mentioned before, it seems  everyone seems to just  talk  of the  grown up stars, but, child stars are just  as big a part of Hollywood history  as the  adults.

[JamesJazGuitar]

35 minutes ago, CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN said:

Ann Carter, now yes so much  the dreamy child in ' Curse Of the Cat People'.   

Ann Carter was also very good in The Two Miss Carrols.    

As for Shirley Temple:  yes,  Shirley mostly played Shirley,    but let me offer a perspective about that:   this often happens when an actor becomes a major star,  especially during the studio-era.     Audience expectations were 'narrow' in that they wanted to see a familiar screen persona.    Thus 20th Century Fox gave the audience what they wanted: Shirley being Shirley.

This also occurs with adult actors;  E.g. After Bogart's success in Casablanca Bogart played an incarnation of "Rick" in many of his following films.     It wasn't a surprise that Bogie won the Oscar for The African Queen - a role unlike those he had done before. 

   

[Susan Hopkins]

@JamesJazGuitarit's irritating to me and so one-note that Shirley was only capable of playing herself instead of different characters.

[JamesJazGuitar]

8 minutes ago, Susan Hopkins said:

@JamesJazGuitarit's irritating to me and so one-note that Shirley was only capable of playing herself instead of different characters.

I don't see Temple as not being capable,  but more not allowed to,   because the suits at Fox feared that if they cast her in a role outside of her wheel-house the box office returns might suffer.

Note that something similar happen with Denna Durbin and how Universal handled her career. 

[musicalnovelty]

5 hours ago, CLASSICGIRLCHILDSTARSFAN said:

... Ann Carter, the dreamy child in ' Curse Of the Cat People'.   I have added a nice portrait of her that  is so lovely.       

...

Coincidence that you posted about Ann Carter at exactly the same time as TCM is running one of her last movies, and one of her very few in color: A CONNECTICUT YANKEE IN KING ARTHUR'S COURT (1949 version).

[musicalnovelty]

On 3/20/2021 at 5:49 AM, Susan Hopkins said:

Unjustly forgotten today.

"send the girl" indeed...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edith_Fellows

Thanks for posting about Edith Fellows. I've always been a big fan of hers too. I got to meet and spend a lot of time chatting with her in 2000. Got a lot of stills & photos signed and got to ask her a lot of questions and also tell her some stuff about some of her films that she didn't know. She was very nice!

And by the way, I'd swear she was even smaller and more petite then than she was in the 1930s!

[musicalnovelty]

On 4/20/2022 at 8:54 PM, Susan Hopkins said:

I like Edith Fellows and Juanita Quigley among others.

@JamesJazGuitar

Big Juanita Quigley fan, too! I have a very large collection of stuff on her, including several signed photos (although unfortunately I never got to meet her in person).

I had been trying for years to confirm an address or location for her, hoping to get in touch. Then just after she passed away in 2017 I learned that she had been living in the next town over from me - just a few miles away!

[Susan Hopkins]

I decided after growing up on classic films hosted by Ivan Hutchinson that if i had been a child actress in today's Hollywood that i would adopt the stage name Juanita Fellows.

@musicalnovelty

[JamesJazGuitar]

FYI:  There is a separate thread under General Discussion related to child-actors of the studio-era. 

Just pointing that out.     But I'm not saying this is where this discussion needs to go.     

 

 

[Susan Hopkins]

Sorry for wandering. I still think the stage name Juanita Fellows (combining Juanita Quigley and Edith Fellows) would be an Awesome McCool name in today's Hollywood.

[Susan Hopkins]

I kind of think of adopting the lyrics of that classic song Evie, only for Edith, it would be "EDIE, let your hair hang down".

[JamesJazGuitar]

I read up on Edith Fellows and  I didn't know about the "odd" (at best),  relationship between her parents (especially her mom that disappear from her life for many years before returning asking for money),   and her grandmother (who was controlling but most so to the benefit of Edith,  financially and emotionally).

I get the feeling this type of family dramatic was more common with child  stars then I could ever imagine.    

[Ray Faiola]

One of Edith's early ones was MOVIE NIGHT with Charley Chase, a silent. Charley tries to cure his son's hiccups by scaring him and Edith pulls a dead faint.