Bonita Granville
Encyclopedia
Bonita Granville was an American film actress and television producer.
(1933) and Anne of Green Gables
(1934) before playing the role of Mary in the film adaptation of Lillian Hellman
's The Children's Hour
. Renamed These Three
, it told the story of three adults (played by Miriam Hopkins
, Merle Oberon
, and Joel McCrea
) who find their lives almost destroyed by the malicious lies of an evil attention-seeking child. For her role as that child, Granville was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
. Despite this success, and although she continued to work, the next few years brought her few opportunities to build her career.
In 1938, she starred as the saucy mischievous daughter in the multi-Academy Awards nominated hit comedy film Merrily We Live
and as girl detective Nancy Drew
in the hit film Nancy Drew, Detective. The Nancy Drew film success led to Granville reprising the role in three sequels from 1938 to 1939, including Nancy Drew... Reporter
(1939).
(1942), as well as two Andy Hardy
films with Mickey Rooney
, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) and Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946). She is also remembered for her starring role in the World War II
anti-Nazism
film Hitler's Children
(1943). Her career began to fade by the mid-1940s.
She was the heroine of the novel Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island written by Kathryn Heisenfelt, published by Whitman Publishing Company
in 1942. The novel's subtitle is "An original story featuring BONITA GRANVILLE famous motion-picture player as the heroine". The story was probably written for a young teenage audience and is reminiscent of the adventures of Nancy Drew
. It is part of a series known as "Whitman Authorized Editions", 16 books published between 1941-1947 that featured a film actress as heroine.
In 1947, Granville married Jack Wrather
, who had produced some of her films. He formed the Wrather Corporation, and bought the rights to characters from both The Lone Ranger
and Lassie
. Granville worked as a producer for several film and television productions featuring these characters, including the 1954 TV series Lassie
. She appeared in the film version of The Lone Ranger in 1956
, and made her final screen appearance in a cameo role in The Legend of the Lone Ranger
(1981).
In 1949, she appeared with Rod Cameron
in the comedy film Strike It Rich, filmed about Tyler
, Kilgore
, and Lindale
in east Texas
.
The marriage lasted until Wrather's death in 1984. Granville herself died four years later of lung cancer
in Santa Monica
, California, at the age of sixty-five. Their children are daughters Molly and Linda, and sons Jack and Christopher. Jack and Molly were from Wrather's previous marriage to Mollie O'Daniel, a daughter of Governor
and U.S. Senator W. Lee O'Daniel
.
Bonita Granville has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
, at 6607 Hollywood Boulevard
, for her contributions to motion pictures. She was honored at the Disneyland Hotel, which Jack Wrather owned until it was sold to the Walt Disney Company. The Bonita Tower and Granville's Steak House were named in her honor.
Early life
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Granville was the daughter of stage actors, and made her film debut at the age of nine in Westward Passage (1933). Over the next couple of years she played uncredited supporting roles in such films as Little WomenLittle Women (1933 film)
Little Women is a 1933 American drama film directed by George Cukor. The screenplay by Sarah Y. Mason and Victor Heerman is based on the classic novel of the same name by Louisa May Alcott...
(1933) and Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
(1934) before playing the role of Mary in the film adaptation of Lillian Hellman
Lillian Hellman
Lillian Florence "Lily" Hellman was an American playwright, linked throughout her life with many left-wing causes...
's The Children's Hour
The Children's Hour (play)
The Children's Hour is a 1934 stage play written by Lillian Hellman. It is a drama set in an all-girls boarding school run by two women, Karen Wright and Martha Dobie. An angry student, Mary Tilford, runs away from the school and to avoid being sent back she tells her grandmother that the two...
. Renamed These Three
These Three
These Three is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play The Children's Hour....
, it told the story of three adults (played by Miriam Hopkins
Miriam Hopkins
Ellen Miriam Hopkins was an American actress known for her versatility in a wide variety of roles.Hopkins was born in Savannah, Georgia, and raised in Bainbridge, a town in the state's southwest near the Alabama border...
, Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon
Merle Oberon was an Indian-born British actress best known for her screen performances in The Scarlet Pimpernel and The Cowboy and the Lady . She began her film career in British films as Anne Boleyn in The Private Life of Henry VIII . She travelled to the United States to make films for Samuel...
, and Joel McCrea
Joel McCrea
Joel Albert McCrea was an American actor whose career spanned 50 years and appearances in over 90 films.-Early life:...
) who find their lives almost destroyed by the malicious lies of an evil attention-seeking child. For her role as that child, Granville was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
. Despite this success, and although she continued to work, the next few years brought her few opportunities to build her career.
In 1938, she starred as the saucy mischievous daughter in the multi-Academy Awards nominated hit comedy film Merrily We Live
Merrily We Live
Merrily We Live is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was...
and as girl detective Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
in the hit film Nancy Drew, Detective. The Nancy Drew film success led to Granville reprising the role in three sequels from 1938 to 1939, including Nancy Drew... Reporter
Nancy Drew... Reporter
Nancy Drew... Reporter is a 1939 American film directed by William Clemens and starring Bonita Granville, as Nancy Drew.- Synopsis :Nancy Drew, competing in the local newspaper's amateur reporter contest, clears a girl named Eula Denning of murder charges.- Cast :*Bonita Granville as Nancy...
(1939).
Later career
As a young adult, she was once again cast in supporting roles, often in prestigious films such as Now, VoyagerNow, Voyager
Now, Voyager is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty....
(1942), as well as two Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy
Andy Hardy was a fictional character played by Mickey Rooney in an MGM film series from 1937 to 1958. Spanning over 20 years, the 16 movies were based on characters in the play Skidding by Aurania Rouverol....
films with Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney
Mickey Rooney is an American film actor and entertainer whose film, television, and stage appearances span nearly his entire lifetime. He has won multiple awards, including an Honorary Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy Award...
, Andy Hardy's Blonde Trouble (1944) and Love Laughs at Andy Hardy (1946). She is also remembered for her starring role in the World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
anti-Nazism
Anti-fascism
Anti-fascism is the opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals, such as that of the resistance movements during World War II. The related term antifa derives from Antifaschismus, which is German for anti-fascism; it refers to individuals and groups on the left of the political...
film Hitler's Children
Hitler's Children (film)
Hitler's Children is a 1943 American black-and-white propaganda film made by RKO Radio Pictures. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and Irving Reis from an adaptation by Emmet Lavery of Gregor Ziemer's book Education For Death....
(1943). Her career began to fade by the mid-1940s.
She was the heroine of the novel Bonita Granville and the Mystery of Star Island written by Kathryn Heisenfelt, published by Whitman Publishing Company
Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company was a Racine, Wisconsin firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Western Publishing also produced children's books and family-related entertainment products as Golden Books Family Entertainment...
in 1942. The novel's subtitle is "An original story featuring BONITA GRANVILLE famous motion-picture player as the heroine". The story was probably written for a young teenage audience and is reminiscent of the adventures of Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew
Nancy Drew is a fictional young amateur detective in various mystery series for all ages. She was created by Edward Stratemeyer, founder of the Stratemeyer Syndicate book packaging firm. The character first appeared in 1930. The books have been ghostwritten by a number of authors and are published...
. It is part of a series known as "Whitman Authorized Editions", 16 books published between 1941-1947 that featured a film actress as heroine.
In 1947, Granville married Jack Wrather
Jack Wrather
John Devereaux "Jack" Wrather, Jr. , was a petroleum millionaire who became a television producer and later diversified by investing in broadcast stations and resort properties...
, who had produced some of her films. He formed the Wrather Corporation, and bought the rights to characters from both The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked Texas Ranger who, with his Native American companion Tonto, fights injustice in the American Old West. The character has become an enduring icon of American culture....
and Lassie
Lassie
Lassie is a fictional collie dog character created by Eric Knight in a short story expanded to novel length called Lassie Come-Home. Published in 1940, the novel was filmed by MGM in 1943 as Lassie Come Home with a dog named Pal playing Lassie. Pal then appeared with the stage name "Lassie" in six...
. Granville worked as a producer for several film and television productions featuring these characters, including the 1954 TV series Lassie
Lassie (1954 TV series)
Lassie is an American television series that follows the adventures of a female Rough Collie named Lassie and her companions, human and animal. The show was the creation of producer Robert Maxwell and animal trainer Rudd Weatherwax and was televised from September 12, 1954, to March 24, 1973...
. She appeared in the film version of The Lone Ranger in 1956
1956 in film
The year 1956 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* October 5 - The Ten Commandments opens in cinemas and becomes one of the most successful and popular movies of all time, currently ranking 5th on the list of all time moneymakers * February 5 - First showing of documentary films by...
, and made her final screen appearance in a cameo role in The Legend of the Lone Ranger
The Legend of the Lone Ranger
The Legend of the Lone Ranger is a 1981 British-American western film directed by William A. Fraker and starring Klinton Spilsbury, Michael Horse and Christopher Lloyd....
(1981).
In 1949, she appeared with Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron
Rod Cameron was a Canadian-born movie actor whose career extended from the 1930s to the 1970s. He appeared in horror, war, action and science fiction movies, but is best remembered for his many Westerns....
in the comedy film Strike It Rich, filmed about Tyler
Tyler, Texas
Tyler is a city in and the county seat of Smith County, Texas, in the United States. It takes its name from President John Tyler . The city had a population of 109,000 in 2010, according to the United States Census Bureau...
, Kilgore
Kilgore, Texas
Kilgore is a city in Gregg and Rusk Counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the home of Kilgore College, and was also the childhood home of famous classical pianist Van Cliburn...
, and Lindale
Lindale, Texas
Lindale is a city in Smith County, Texas, United States. The town had an estimated population of 5,024 in 2006. It is part of the Tyler, Texas Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
in east Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
The marriage lasted until Wrather's death in 1984. Granville herself died four years later of lung cancer
Lung cancer
Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...
in Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...
, California, at the age of sixty-five. Their children are daughters Molly and Linda, and sons Jack and Christopher. Jack and Molly were from Wrather's previous marriage to Mollie O'Daniel, a daughter of Governor
Governor of Texas
The governor of Texas is the head of the executive branch of Texas's government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Texas Legislature, and to convene the legislature...
and U.S. Senator W. Lee O'Daniel
W. Lee O'Daniel
Wilbert Lee "Pappy" O'Daniel, , was a conservative Democratic Party politician from Texas, who came to prominence by hosting a popular radio program. Known for his populist appeal, Pappy O'Daniel was the governor of Texas and later its junior U.S. Senator. He is also the only person ever to have...
.
Bonita Granville has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Hollywood Walk of Fame
The Hollywood Walk of Fame consists of more than 2,400 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks along fifteen blocks of Hollywood Boulevard and three blocks of Vine Street in Hollywood, California...
, at 6607 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood Boulevard
-Revitalization:In recent years successful efforts have been made at cleaning up Hollywood Blvd., as the street had gained a reputation for crime and seediness. Central to these efforts was the construction of the Hollywood and Highland shopping center and adjacent Kodak Theatre in 2001...
, for her contributions to motion pictures. She was honored at the Disneyland Hotel, which Jack Wrather owned until it was sold to the Walt Disney Company. The Bonita Tower and Granville's Steak House were named in her honor.
Partial filmography
(As actress, unless otherwise specified)- Cavalcade (1933)
- Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables (1934 film)Anne of Green Gables is a 1934 film directed by George Nichols Jr., based upon the novel, Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery...
(1934) - Ah, Wilderness!Ah, Wilderness! (film)Ah, Wilderness! is a 1935 screen adaptation of the Eugene O'Neill play of the same name starring Wallace Beery. The movie was filmed in Grafton, Massachusetts and directed by Clarence Brown. Beery plays the drunken uncle later portrayed on Broadway by Jackie Gleason, and the film features Lionel...
(1935) - These ThreeThese ThreeThese Three is a 1936 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Lillian Hellman is based on her 1934 play The Children's Hour....
(1936) - The Plough and the StarsThe Plough and the Stars (film)The Plough and the Stars is a 1936 drama film directed by John Ford based on the play of the same name by Seán O'Casey.-Cast:* Barbara Stanwyck - Nora Clitheroe* Preston Foster - Jack Clitheroe* Barry Fitzgerald - Fluther Good...
(1936) - Maid of SalemMaid of SalemMaid of Salem is a 1937 film made by Paramount Pictures, directed by Frank Lloyd, and starring Claudette Colbert and Fred MacMurray.-Plot:It tells the story of a young girl in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, who has an affair with adventurer...
(1937) - It's Love I'm AfterIt's Love I'm AfterIt's Love I'm After is a 1937 American comedy film directed by Archie Mayo. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the story Gentlemen After Midnight by Maurice Hanline...
(1937) - White BannersWhite BannersWhite Banners is a 1938 Warner Brothers drama film starring Claude Rains, Fay Bainter, Jackie Cooper, Bonita Granville, Henry O'Neill, and Kay Johnson....
(1938) - Beloved Brat (1938)
- Merrily We LiveMerrily We LiveMerrily We Live is a 1938 comedy film directed by Norman Z. McLeod. It stars Constance Bennett and Brian Aherne and features Ann Dvorak, Bonita Granville, Billie Burke, Tom Brown, Alan Mowbray, Clarence Kolb and Patsy Kelly. The film was produced by Hal Roach for Hal Roach Studios, and was...
(1938) - My BillMy BillMy Bill is a 1938 drama film starring Kay Francis as a poor widow raising four children. It was based on the play Courage by Tom Barry.-Cast:*Kay Francis as Mary Colbrook*Bonita Granville as Gwendolyn Colbrook*John Litel as John C...
(1938) - Nancy Drew - Detective (1938)
- The Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their FacesThe Angels Wash Their Faces is a 1939 Warner Bros. film starring Ronald Reagan and The Dead End Kids.-Plot:Gabe Ryan is released from reform school and it taken to a new house by his sister Joy to start a new life where no one knows of his past...
(1939) - Nancy Drew... ReporterNancy Drew... ReporterNancy Drew... Reporter is a 1939 American film directed by William Clemens and starring Bonita Granville, as Nancy Drew.- Synopsis :Nancy Drew, competing in the local newspaper's amateur reporter contest, clears a girl named Eula Denning of murder charges.- Cast :*Bonita Granville as Nancy...
(1939) - Nancy Drew - Trouble Shooter (1939)
- Nancy Drew and the Hidden StaircaseNancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase (film)Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase is the fourth and last in a series of films starring Bonita Granville as teenage amateur detective Nancy Drew, Frankie Thomas as her boyfriend, and John Litel as her father. It was loosely based on the novel of the same name by Mildred Wirt Benson.-Plot:The...
(1939) - The Mortal StormThe Mortal StormThe Mortal Storm is a drama film from MGM starring Margaret Sullavan and James Stewart, and directed by Frank Borzage.-Production background:...
(1940) - Third Finger, Left HandThird Finger, Left HandThird Finger, Left Hand is a 1940 romantic comedy film. A woman pretends to be married to fend off would-be suitors and jealous wives, then regrets her deception when she meets an artist.-Plot:...
(1940) - EscapeEscape (1940 film)Escape is a 1940 drama film about an American in pre-World War II Nazi Germany who discovers his mother is in a concentration camp and tries desperately to free her. It starred Norma Shearer, Robert Taylor, Conrad Veidt and Alla Nazimova...
(1940) - H.M. Pulham, Esq. (1941)
- Syncopation (1942)
- The Glass KeyThe Glass Key (1942 film)The Glass Key is a 1942 film noir, directed by Stuart Heisler and based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The story had previously been adapted for film in 1935.-Plot:...
(1942) - Seven Miles From AlcatrazSeven Miles from AlcatrazSeven Miles from Alcatraz is a 1942 American action film directed by Edward Dmytryk.-Cast:* James Craig as Champ Larkin* Bonita Granville as Anne Porter* Frank Jenks as Jimbo* Cliff Edwards as Stormy* George Cleveland as Captain Porter...
(1942) - Now, VoyagerNow, VoyagerNow, Voyager is a 1942 American drama film starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains, and directed by Irving Rapper. The screenplay by Casey Robinson is based on the 1941 novel of the same name by Olive Higgins Prouty....
(1942) - Hitler's ChildrenHitler's Children (film)Hitler's Children is a 1943 American black-and-white propaganda film made by RKO Radio Pictures. It was directed by Edward Dmytryk and Irving Reis from an adaptation by Emmet Lavery of Gregor Ziemer's book Education For Death....
(1943) - Andy Hardy's Blonde TroubleAndy Hardy's Blonde TroubleAndy Hardy's Blonde Trouble is a romantic comedy, the fourteenth starring Mickey Rooney as Andy Hardy. Andy goes to college, but soon gets in trouble with some pretty co-eds.-Cast:*Lewis Stone as Judge James K. Hardy*Mickey Rooney as Andrew "Andy" Hardy...
(1944) - Song of the Open RoadSong of the Open RoadSong of the Open Road is a 1944 musical comedy film directed by S. Sylvan Simon, from a screenplay by Irving Phillips and Edward Verdier.-Overview:...
(1944) - Youth Runs WildYouth Runs WildYouth Runs Wild is a 1944 B movie about unattentive parents and juvenile delinquency, produced by Val Lewton, directed by Mark Robson and starring Bonita Granville, Kent Smith, Jean Brooks, Glen Vernon and Vanessa Brown...
(1944) - Love Laughs at Andy HardyLove Laughs at Andy HardyLove Laughs at Andy Hardy is a 1946 American film directed by Willis Goldbeck starring Mickey Rooney.The film is also known under its American promotional title Uncle Andy Hardy.- Plot summary :...
(1946) - The Guilty (1947)
- The Magic of LassieThe Magic of LassieThe Magic of Lassie is a 1978 Wrather Corporation film. It features James Stewart in one of only two musical film roles that he played . Mickey Rooney and Alice Faye also make cameo appearances in the film...
(1978), producer