Diana Serra Cary
Encyclopedia
Diana Serra Cary best known as Baby Peggy, was one of the three major American child stars of the Hollywood silent movie
era along with Jackie Coogan
and Baby Marie
.
In her heyday between 1920 and 1924, she was as famous as most adult stars. Although she earned millions of dollars, like Coogan she saw her fortune squandered by her parents and suffered several nervous breakdowns in young adulthood. She went on to have a career as a book publisher, historian and author on Hollywood subjects under the name Diana Serra Cary.
, as Peggy-Jean Montgomery, the second daughter of Marian and Jack Montgomery. While some sources incorrectly give her birth name as Margaret, Cary herself, in her autobiography, notes that she was indeed born as Peggy-Jean. She further explains that while nuns at her Roman Catholic hospital did recommend the name Margaret, her parents rejected the suggestion. Her older sister, called Louise or, occasionally, Jackie, was legally named Jack-Louise.
, Hollywood with her mother and a film-extra friend. The Montgomery family was already somewhat involved in the motion picture industry: Jack, a former cowboy, worked as a stuntman and stand-in for Tom Mix
in his cowboy movies. Impressed by Peggy's well-behaved demeanor and willingness to follow directions, director Fred Fishbach hired her to appear in a series of short films with Century's canine star, Brownie the Wonder Dog. The first film, Playmates was a success, and Peggy was signed to a long-term contract with Century.
Between 1921 and 1924, Peggy made close to 150 short comedy films for Century. Her movies often spoofed full-length motion pictures, social issues and stars of the era; in one, Peg O' the Movies, she satirized both Rudolph Valentino
and Pola Negri
. She also appeared in film adaptions of novels and fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk, contemporary comedies, and a few full-length motion pictures.
In 1923, Peggy began working with Universal Studios
, appearing in full-length dramatic films. Among her works from this era were The Darling of New York, directed by King Baggot
, and the first screen adaptation of Captain January. In line with her status as a star, Peggy's Universal films were produced and marketed as "Universal Jewels," the studio's most prestigious and most expensive classification.
The success of Baby Peggy's films catapulted her to superstardom. When she was not filming, she embarked on extensive "In-Person" personal appearance tours across the country to promote her movies. She was also featured in several short skits on major stages in Los Angeles and New York, including Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre and the Hippodrome
. Her likeness appeared on magazine covers and was used in advertisements for various businesses and charitable campaigns. Peggy was also named the mascot of the 1924 Democratic Convention in New York, and stood onstage waving a flag next to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Baby Peggy merchandise included dolls and sheet music. As a child, Frances Gumm (later Judy Garland
), owned at least one Baby Peggy doll. Currently, prices for these dolls on the secondary market often reach four figures.
Baby Peggy's film career abruptly ended in 1925 when her father had a falling out with Sol Lesser over her salary and cancelled her contract. She found herself essentially blacklisted and was only able to land one more part in silent films, a minor role in the 1926 picture April Fool.
From 1925 to 1929, Peggy enjoyed a successful career as a vaudeville performer. While her routine, which included a comedy sketch and a dramatic monologue, was initially met with skepticism, it soon became a popular and respected act. Although she was prohibited from "playing the Palace
" due to her young age, she appeared onstage there as a special guest. Peggy and her family toured the United States and Canada, performing in major venues, until vaudeville died out with the advent of talkies.
In the 1930s, the Montgomery family returned to Hollywood. Peggy, along with her mother, father, and sister, worked as an extra and bit part player in talking pictures. For example, during this period, Peggy appeared as one of the teens in the youth gang led by Richard Cromwell
in the now-cult-favorite, Cecil B. DeMille
's This Day and Age. Her final screen appearance was 1938's Having Wonderful Time
.
While on the vaudeville circuit, Peggy was frequently ill with tonsillitis
and other ailments, however, she continued working. In Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy?, Diana Serra Cary wrote, "On several occasions I went onstage so yellow-dog sick they had to put buckets in the wings: I threw up in one before I made my entrance, and in the second when I exited, before changing and going back out for my encore." When Peggy was a teenager, her father even tried to forbid glasses because he claimed they would make her less marketable to film studios.
Schooling for both Peggy and her sister Louise was sporadic at best. Neither Montgomery sister attended school until the end of the vaudeville era; for their secondary education they worked to pay for their tuition at Lawlor's Professional School, which offered flexible schedules and allowed them to continue performing in films.
Peggy's career was controlled by her father, who accompanied her to the studio every day and made every decision about her contracts. Mr. Montgomery often claimed that Peggy's success was based not on her own talent, but on her ability to follow orders unquestioningly.
Through a combination of excessive spending and trust in corrupt business partnerships, almost all of the money earned from films and vaudeville was squandered. By the 1930s, the Montgomery family was living hand to mouth, scraping to meet expenses by working as extras.
).
Eventually, after years of emotional struggle and open derision from Hollywood insiders and the media, Cary finally made peace with her past as Baby Peggy. She has had successful careers as a publisher, historian and author on Hollywood subjects, writing among other works, an autobiography of her life as a child star, What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy: The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star, and a biography of her contemporary and rival, Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King: A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star.
In recent years, Cary has continued to work as a writer. She has appeared in numerous television documentaries and interviews about her work, and has made appearances at silent film festivals. She has also advocated reforms in child performer protection laws, most recently as a member of the organization A Minor Consideration.
On November 8, 2008, Cary's 90th birthday, she was honored at the Edison Theatre in Niles, California, with a screening of two of her feature films, Helen's Babies and Captain January.
A handful of Baby Peggy shorts, including Playmates, Miles of Smiles and Sweetie have been discovered and preserved in film archives around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art
in New York City
. The full-length movies The Family Secret, April Fool, Captain January and Helen's Babies have also survived, are in the public domain, and have been restored and made available for sale by several independent film dealers. A full copy of The Law Forbids is also rumored to exist, but has not surfaced publicly. In addition, fragments of some other works, including The Law Forbids, The Darling of New York and Little Red Riding Hood have surfaced and have been restored.
The major highlights of the silent era were On With the Show, Playmates and Brownie’s Baby Doll in 1921, Circus Clowns, Little Red Riding Hood, and Peggy, Behave! in 1922, Peg o’ the Movies, Sweetie, Nobody’s Darling, Little Miss Hollywood, The Darling of New York, and Hansel and Gretel in 1923.
Silent Movie
Silent Movie is a 1976 satirical comedy film co-written, directed by, and starring Mel Brooks, and released by 20th Century Fox on June 17, 1976...
era along with Jackie Coogan
Jackie Coogan
John Leslie Coogan , known professionally as Jackie Coogan, was an American actor who began his movie career as a child actor in silent films. Many years later, he became known as Uncle Fester on 1960s sitcom The Addams Family...
and Baby Marie
Baby Marie
Baby Marie Osborne was the first major child star of American silent films. She was usually billed simply as Baby Marie.-Early life and career:...
.
In her heyday between 1920 and 1924, she was as famous as most adult stars. Although she earned millions of dollars, like Coogan she saw her fortune squandered by her parents and suffered several nervous breakdowns in young adulthood. She went on to have a career as a book publisher, historian and author on Hollywood subjects under the name Diana Serra Cary.
Early life
Cary was born on October 26, 1918 in San Diego, CaliforniaSan Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, as Peggy-Jean Montgomery, the second daughter of Marian and Jack Montgomery. While some sources incorrectly give her birth name as Margaret, Cary herself, in her autobiography, notes that she was indeed born as Peggy-Jean. She further explains that while nuns at her Roman Catholic hospital did recommend the name Margaret, her parents rejected the suggestion. Her older sister, called Louise or, occasionally, Jackie, was legally named Jack-Louise.
Film and stage career
Baby Peggy was "discovered" at the age of 19 months, when she visited Century Studios on Sunset BoulevardSunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
, Hollywood with her mother and a film-extra friend. The Montgomery family was already somewhat involved in the motion picture industry: Jack, a former cowboy, worked as a stuntman and stand-in for Tom Mix
Tom Mix
Thomas Edwin "Tom" Mix was an American film actor and the star of many early Western movies. He made a reported 336 films between 1910 and 1935, all but nine of which were silent features...
in his cowboy movies. Impressed by Peggy's well-behaved demeanor and willingness to follow directions, director Fred Fishbach hired her to appear in a series of short films with Century's canine star, Brownie the Wonder Dog. The first film, Playmates was a success, and Peggy was signed to a long-term contract with Century.
Between 1921 and 1924, Peggy made close to 150 short comedy films for Century. Her movies often spoofed full-length motion pictures, social issues and stars of the era; in one, Peg O' the Movies, she satirized both Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino
Rudolph Valentino was an Italian actor, and early pop icon. A sex symbol of the 1920s, Valentino was known as the "Latin Lover". He starred in several well-known silent films including The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Sheik, Blood and Sand, The Eagle and Son of the Sheik...
and Pola Negri
Pola Negri
Pola Negri was a Polish stage and film actress who achieved worldwide fame for her tragedienne and femme fatale roles from the 1910s through the 1940s during the Golden Era of Hollywood film. She was the first European film star to be invited to Hollywood, and became a great American star. She...
. She also appeared in film adaptions of novels and fairy tales, such as Hansel and Gretel and Jack and the Beanstalk, contemporary comedies, and a few full-length motion pictures.
In 1923, Peggy began working with Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
, appearing in full-length dramatic films. Among her works from this era were The Darling of New York, directed by King Baggot
King Baggot
William King Baggot was an American actor, director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent era...
, and the first screen adaptation of Captain January. In line with her status as a star, Peggy's Universal films were produced and marketed as "Universal Jewels," the studio's most prestigious and most expensive classification.
The success of Baby Peggy's films catapulted her to superstardom. When she was not filming, she embarked on extensive "In-Person" personal appearance tours across the country to promote her movies. She was also featured in several short skits on major stages in Los Angeles and New York, including Grauman's Million Dollar Theatre and the Hippodrome
New York Hippodrome
The Hippodrome Theatre, also called the New York Hippodrome, was a theatre in New York City from 1905 to 1939, located on Sixth Avenue between 43rd and 44th Streets in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan. It was called the world's largest theatre by its builders and had a seating capacity of...
. Her likeness appeared on magazine covers and was used in advertisements for various businesses and charitable campaigns. Peggy was also named the mascot of the 1924 Democratic Convention in New York, and stood onstage waving a flag next to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
Judy Garland
Judy Garland was an American actress and singer. Through a career that spanned 45 of her 47 years and for her renowned contralto voice, she attained international stardom as an actress in musical and dramatic roles, as a recording artist and on the concert stage...
), owned at least one Baby Peggy doll. Currently, prices for these dolls on the secondary market often reach four figures.
Baby Peggy's film career abruptly ended in 1925 when her father had a falling out with Sol Lesser over her salary and cancelled her contract. She found herself essentially blacklisted and was only able to land one more part in silent films, a minor role in the 1926 picture April Fool.
From 1925 to 1929, Peggy enjoyed a successful career as a vaudeville performer. While her routine, which included a comedy sketch and a dramatic monologue, was initially met with skepticism, it soon became a popular and respected act. Although she was prohibited from "playing the Palace
Palace Theatre, New York
The Palace Theatre is a Broadway theatre located at 1564 Broadway in midtown-Manhattan.-History:Designed by architects Kirchoff & Rose, the theatre was built by Martin Beck a California vaudeville entrepreneur and Broadway impresario. The project experienced a number of business problems before...
" due to her young age, she appeared onstage there as a special guest. Peggy and her family toured the United States and Canada, performing in major venues, until vaudeville died out with the advent of talkies.
In the 1930s, the Montgomery family returned to Hollywood. Peggy, along with her mother, father, and sister, worked as an extra and bit part player in talking pictures. For example, during this period, Peggy appeared as one of the teens in the youth gang led by Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (actor)
Richard Cromwell, born LeRoy Melvin Radabaugh , was an American actor. His family and friends called him Roy, though he was also professionally known and signed autographs as Dick Cromwell. Cromwell's career was at its pinnacle with his work in Jezebel with Bette Davis and Henry Fonda and again...
in the now-cult-favorite, Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil B. DeMille
Cecil Blount DeMille was an American film director and Academy Award-winning film producer in both silent and sound films. He was renowned for the flamboyance and showmanship of his movies...
's This Day and Age. Her final screen appearance was 1938's Having Wonderful Time
Having Wonderful Time
Having Wonderful Time is a 1938 romantic comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures.-Plot summary :A bored New York office girl , goes to a camp in the Catskill Mountains called Camp Kare Free, for rest and to get away from the noise, busy, city life and finds a handsome waiter , and they fall in...
.
Working conditions
Peggy's working conditions, as described in interviews and her autobiography, were harsh. As a toddler she worked eight hours a day, six days a week. She was generally required to perform her own stunts, which included being held underwater in the ocean until she fainted (Sea Shore Shapes), escaping alone from a burning room (The Darling of New York), and riding underneath a train car (Miles of Smiles). While at Century she also witnessed several instances of animal cruelty and saw a trainer crushed to death by an elephant.While on the vaudeville circuit, Peggy was frequently ill with tonsillitis
Tonsillitis
Tonsillitis is an inflammation of the tonsils most commonly caused by viral or bacterial infection. Symptoms of tonsillitis include sore throat and fever. While no treatment has been found to shorten the duration of viral tonsillitis, bacterial causes are treatable with antibiotics...
and other ailments, however, she continued working. In Whatever Happened to Baby Peggy?, Diana Serra Cary wrote, "On several occasions I went onstage so yellow-dog sick they had to put buckets in the wings: I threw up in one before I made my entrance, and in the second when I exited, before changing and going back out for my encore." When Peggy was a teenager, her father even tried to forbid glasses because he claimed they would make her less marketable to film studios.
Schooling for both Peggy and her sister Louise was sporadic at best. Neither Montgomery sister attended school until the end of the vaudeville era; for their secondary education they worked to pay for their tuition at Lawlor's Professional School, which offered flexible schedules and allowed them to continue performing in films.
Peggy's career was controlled by her father, who accompanied her to the studio every day and made every decision about her contracts. Mr. Montgomery often claimed that Peggy's success was based not on her own talent, but on her ability to follow orders unquestioningly.
Financial ruin
While under contract with Century and Universal, Cary commanded an impressive salary. By 1923 she was signed to a $1,500,000 a year contract at Universal; on her vaudeville tours she made $300 per day. Jack and Marian Montgomery handled all of the finances. Money was spent on expensive cars, homes and clothing; nothing was set aside for the welfare or education of Peggy or her sister. Peggy herself was paid one nickel for every vaudeville performance.Through a combination of excessive spending and trust in corrupt business partnerships, almost all of the money earned from films and vaudeville was squandered. By the 1930s, the Montgomery family was living hand to mouth, scraping to meet expenses by working as extras.
Later life
At the age of seventeen, trying to escape the film industry and her parents' plans for her life, Cary ran away from home and rented an apartment with her sister Louise. She married actor Gordon Ayres in 1938, but the union was not a happy one. She divorced Ayres in 1948 and married Bob Cary (sometimes listed as Bob Carey) in 1954. They have one son, Mark. She adopted the name Diana Serra Cary (Serra, in honor of Father Junipero SerraJunípero Serra
Blessed Junípero Serra, O.F.M., , known as Fra Juníper Serra in Catalan, his mother tongue was a Majorcan Franciscan friar who founded the mission chain in Alta California of the Las Californias Province in New Spain—present day California, United States. Fr...
).
Eventually, after years of emotional struggle and open derision from Hollywood insiders and the media, Cary finally made peace with her past as Baby Peggy. She has had successful careers as a publisher, historian and author on Hollywood subjects, writing among other works, an autobiography of her life as a child star, What Ever Happened to Baby Peggy: The Autobiography of Hollywood's Pioneer Child Star, and a biography of her contemporary and rival, Jackie Coogan: The World's Boy King: A Biography of Hollywood's Legendary Child Star.
In recent years, Cary has continued to work as a writer. She has appeared in numerous television documentaries and interviews about her work, and has made appearances at silent film festivals. She has also advocated reforms in child performer protection laws, most recently as a member of the organization A Minor Consideration.
On November 8, 2008, Cary's 90th birthday, she was honored at the Edison Theatre in Niles, California, with a screening of two of her feature films, Helen's Babies and Captain January.
Films
The vast majority of Baby Peggy's films have not survived and records related to their production have been lost; Century Studios burned to the ground in 1926. In addition, another older actress named Peggy Montgomery was active in Hollywood Western films between 1924 and 1929; her credits are occasionally confused with those of Baby Peggy. Filmographies at major websites are incomplete, and sometimes incorrect, because of these facts.A handful of Baby Peggy shorts, including Playmates, Miles of Smiles and Sweetie have been discovered and preserved in film archives around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The full-length movies The Family Secret, April Fool, Captain January and Helen's Babies have also survived, are in the public domain, and have been restored and made available for sale by several independent film dealers. A full copy of The Law Forbids is also rumored to exist, but has not surfaced publicly. In addition, fragments of some other works, including The Law Forbids, The Darling of New York and Little Red Riding Hood have surfaced and have been restored.
The major highlights of the silent era were On With the Show, Playmates and Brownie’s Baby Doll in 1921, Circus Clowns, Little Red Riding Hood, and Peggy, Behave! in 1922, Peg o’ the Movies, Sweetie, Nobody’s Darling, Little Miss Hollywood, The Darling of New York, and Hansel and Gretel in 1923.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1921 | Her Circus Man | ||
| On with the Show | |||
| The Kid's Pal | |||
| Playmates | |||
| On Account | |||
| Pals | |||
| Third Class Male | |||
| The Clean Up | |||
| Golfing | |||
| Brownie's Little Venus | |||
| A Week Off | |||
| Brownie's Baby Doll | |||
| Sea Shore Shapes | |||
| A Muddy Bride | |||
| Teddy's Goat | |||
| Get-Rich-Quick Peggy | |||
| Fool's Paradise | Child | Uncredited | |
| Chums | |||
| 1922 | The Straphanger | ||
| Circus Clowns | |||
| Little Miss Mischief | |||
| Penrod | Baby Rennsdale | Credited as Peggy Jane | |
| Peggy, Behave! | Peggy | ||
| The Little Rascal | |||
| Fools First | Little girl | ||
| Little Red Riding Hood | Little Red Riding Hood | ||
| 1923 | Peg o' the Movies | Peg | |
| Sweetie | |||
| The Kid Reporter | Peggy | ||
| Taking Orders | |||
| Nobody's Darling | |||
| Tips | |||
| Hollywood Hollywood (1923 film) Hollywood was a silent comedy film directed by James Cruze, co-written by Frank Condon and Thomas J. Geraghty, and released by Paramount Pictures.The film has become famous as having featured cameos of more than thirty famous Hollywood stars... |
Herself (cameo) | ||
| Carmen, Jr. | |||
| Little Miss Hollywood | Little Miss Hollywood | ||
| Miles of Smiles | The Twins | Dual role | |
| The Darling of New York | Santussa | Credited as Baby Peggy Montgomery | |
| Hansel and Gretel | |||
| 1924 | Such Is Life | ||
| Peg o' the Mounted | |||
| The Law Forbids | Peggy | ||
| Our Pet | |||
| The Flower Girl | |||
| Stepping Some | |||
| Poor Kid | |||
| Captain January Captain January (1924 film) Captain January is a 1924 silent film featuring child star Baby Peggy. It was the first screen adaptation of the 1891 children's book Captain January by Laura E. Richards.- Synopsis :... |
Captain January | ||
| Jack and the Beanstalk | |||
| The Family Secret The Family Secret (1924 film) The Family Secret is a 1924 silent film featuring child star Baby Peggy. It is based on Editha's Burglar, a story by Frances Hodgson Burnett first published in 1881 by St. Nicholas Magazine and adapted for the stage by Augustus E... |
Peggy Holmes | ||
| Helen's Babies | Toodie | ||
| 1926 | April Fool | Irma Goodman | |
| 1932 | Off His Base | Peggy | Credited as Peggy Montgomery |
| 1934 | Eight Girls in a Boat | Hortense | Credited as Peggy Montgomery |
| The Return of Chandu | Judy Allen, party guest | Uncredited | |
| 1935 | 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... |
Schoolgirl at graduation | Uncredited |
| 1936 | Girls' Dormitory Girls' Dormitory Girls' Dormitory is a 1936 American romance film directed by Irving Cummings.-Plot:Set in the fictional Montreaux School for Girls in Switzerland, the main focus of the film is Dr. Stephen Dominick, the school's popular director who is secretly admired by teacher Professor Anna Mathe and the... |
Schoolgirl | Credited as Peggy Montgomery |
| 1937 | Souls at Sea Souls at Sea Souls at Sea is a 1937 seafaring film starring Gary Cooper and George Raft. The movie features Frances Dee, Harry Carey, Robert Cummings, George Zucco, Joseph Schildkraut, Paul Fix, and Tully Marshall, and was directed by Henry Hathaway. The title of this film was spoofed in the Laurel and Hardy... |
Bit Role | Uncredited |
| True Confession True Confession True Confession is a 1937 screwball comedy film starring Carole Lombard, Fred MacMurray, and John Barrymore. It was directed by Wesley Ruggles and based on the play Mon Crime, written by Georges Berr and Louis Verneuil.-Plot:... |
Autograph Hunter | Uncredited | |
| 1938 | Having Wonderful Time Having Wonderful Time Having Wonderful Time is a 1938 romantic comedy film released by RKO Radio Pictures.-Plot summary :A bored New York office girl , goes to a camp in the Catskill Mountains called Camp Kare Free, for rest and to get away from the noise, busy, city life and finds a handsome waiter , and they fall in... |
Extra | Uncredited Alternative title: Having a Wonderful Time |