Bebe Daniels
Encyclopedia
Bebe Daniels was an American actress, singer, dancer, writer and producer. She began her career in Hollywood during the silent movie
era as a child actress, became a star in musicals like 42nd Street
, and later gained further fame on radio and television in Britain. In a long career, Bebe Daniels made over 230 films.
. Her father was a theater manager and her mother a stage actress. The family moved to Los Angeles, California
in her childhood and she began her acting career at the age of four in the first version of The Squaw Man. That same year she also went on tour in a stage production of Shakespeare's Richard III
. The following year she participated in productions by Morosooa and David Belasco
.
By the age of seven Daniels had her first starring role in film as the young heroine in A Common Enemy. At the age of nine she starred as Dorothy Gale in the 1910 short film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
. At the age of fourteen she starred opposite film comedian Harold Lloyd
in a series of Lonesome Luke two-reel comedies starting with the 1915 film Giving Them Fits
. The two eventually developed a publicized romantic relationship and were known in Hollywood as "The Boy" and "The Girl."
In 1919, she decided to move to greater dramatic roles and accepted a contract offering from Cecil B. DeMille
, who gave her secondary roles in such films as Male and Female
(1919), Why Change Your Wife?
(1920), and The Affairs of Anatol
(1921).
. She became an adult star by 1922 and by 1924 was playing opposite Rudolph Valentino
in Monsieur Beaucaire. Following this she was cast in a number of light popular films, namely Miss Bluebeard, The Manicure Girl, and Wild Wild Susan. Paramount dropped her contract with the advent of talking pictures. Daniels was hired by Radio Pictures (later known as RKO) to star in one of their biggest productions of the year. She also starred in the 1929 talkie Rio Rita
. It proved to be one of the most successful films of that year, and Bebe Daniels found herself a star and RCA Victor hired her to record several records for their catalog. As many stars of her day, she used the therapeutic services of Sylvia of Hollywood
to stay in shape for her performances.
Radio Pictures starred her in a number of musicals including Dixiana (1930) and Love Comes Along (1930). Towards the end of 1930, Bebe Daniels appeared in the musical comedy Reaching for the Moon
. However, by this time musicals had gone out of fashion so that most of the musical numbers from the film had to be removed before it could be released. Daniels had become associated with musicals and so Radio Pictures did not renew her contract. Warner Brothers realized what a box office draw she was and offered her a contract which she accepted. During her years at Warner Brothers she starred in such pictures as My Past (1931), Honor of the Family
(1931) and the extremely successful 1931 pre-code version
of The Maltese Falcon
, which opened to rave reviews. In 1932, she appeared in Silver Dollar (1932) and the successful Busby Berkeley
choreographed musical comedy 42nd Street
(1933) in which she sang once again. That same year she played opposite John Barrymore in Counsellor-At-Law. Her last film for the Warner Brothers was Registered Nurse
(1934).
She retired from Hollywood in 1935. With her husband, film actor Ben Lyon
, whom she married in 1930, she moved to London. A few years later, Daniels starred in the London production of Panama Hattie
in the title role originated by Ethel Merman
. The Lyons' then did radio shows for the BBC
. Most notably, they starred in the series Hi Gang, continuing for decades and enjoying considerable popularity during World War II. Daniels wrote most of the dialogue for the Hi Gang radio show. The couple remained through the days of the The Blitz
.
Following the war, Daniels was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Harry S. Truman
for war service. In 1945 she returned to Hollywood for a short time to work as a film producer for Hal Roach
and Eagle Lion. She returned to the UK in 1948 and lived there for the remainder of her life. Daniels, her husband, her son Richard and her daughter Barbara
all starred in the radio sitcom Life With The Lyons
(1951 to 1961), which later made the transition to television.
and the ashes brought home where she was interred in the Chapel columbarium at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
in Hollywood, California.
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 as a child actress, became a star in musicals like 42nd Street
42nd Street (musical)
42nd Street is a musical with a book by Michael Stewart and Mark Bramble, lyrics by Al Dubin, and music by Harry Warren. The 1980 Broadway production, directed by an ailing Gower Champion and orchestrated by Philip J. Lang, won the Tony Award for Best Musical and became a long-running hit...
, and later gained further fame on radio and television in Britain. In a long career, Bebe Daniels made over 230 films.
Early life and career
Daniels was born Phyllis Virginia Daniels (Bebe was a childhood nickname) in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. Her father was a theater manager and her mother a stage actress. The family moved to Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
in her childhood and she began her acting career at the age of four in the first version of The Squaw Man. That same year she also went on tour in a stage production of Shakespeare's Richard III
Richard III (play)
Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...
. The following year she participated in productions by Morosooa and David Belasco
David Belasco
David Belasco was an American theatrical producer, impresario, director and playwright.-Biography:Born in San Francisco, California, where his Sephardic Jewish parents had moved from London, England, during the Gold Rush, he began working in a San Francisco theatre doing a variety of routine jobs,...
.
By the age of seven Daniels had her first starring role in film as the young heroine in A Common Enemy. At the age of nine she starred as Dorothy Gale in the 1910 short film The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910 film)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1910 silent fantasy film and the earliest surviving film version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, made by the Selig Polyscope Company without Baum's direct input. It was created to fulfill a contractual obligation associated with Baum's personal bankruptcy caused by...
. At the age of fourteen she starred opposite film comedian Harold Lloyd
Harold Lloyd
Harold Clayton Lloyd, Sr. was an American film actor and producer, most famous for his silent comedies....
in a series of Lonesome Luke two-reel comedies starting with the 1915 film Giving Them Fits
Giving Them Fits
Giving Them Fits is a 1915 short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd. It was the first film to team up Lloyd with Snub Pollard and Bebe Daniels.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Luke de Fluke* Snub Pollard - Luke's Co-Worker...
. The two eventually developed a publicized romantic relationship and were known in Hollywood as "The Boy" and "The Girl."
In 1919, she decided to move to greater dramatic roles and accepted a contract offering from 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...
, who gave her secondary roles in such films as Male and Female
Male and Female
Male and Female is a 1919 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. It is based on the J. M. Barrie play "The Admirable Crichton".-Plot:...
(1919), Why Change Your Wife?
Why Change Your Wife?
-Plot:Frumpy wife Beth devotes herself to bettering her husband's mind and expanding his appreciation for the finer things in life, such as classical music. When he goes shopping at a lingerie store to buy some sexier clothes for her, he meets Sally, the shop girl. Rejected by his wife for a night...
(1920), and The Affairs of Anatol
The Affairs of Anatol
The Affairs of Anatol is a 1921 silent drama film directed by Cecil B. DeMille.-Cast:* Wallace Reid as Anatol DeWitt Spencer* Gloria Swanson as Vivian Spencer * Wanda Hawley as Emilie Dixon* Theodore Roberts as Gordon Bronson...
(1921).
Later life and career
In the 1920s, Daniels was under contract with Paramount PicturesParamount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
. She became an adult star by 1922 and by 1924 was playing opposite 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...
in Monsieur Beaucaire. Following this she was cast in a number of light popular films, namely Miss Bluebeard, The Manicure Girl, and Wild Wild Susan. Paramount dropped her contract with the advent of talking pictures. Daniels was hired by Radio Pictures (later known as RKO) to star in one of their biggest productions of the year. She also starred in the 1929 talkie Rio Rita
Rio Rita (1929 film)
Rio Rita is a 1929 RKO Pictures musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous...
. It proved to be one of the most successful films of that year, and Bebe Daniels found herself a star and RCA Victor hired her to record several records for their catalog. As many stars of her day, she used the therapeutic services of Sylvia of Hollywood
Sylvia of Hollywood
Sylvia Ulback , known as Sylvia of Hollywood, was an early Hollywood fitness guru. Between 1926 and 1932, "Madame Sylvia", as she was also known, specialised in keeping movie stars camera-ready through stringent massage, diet and exercise.-Early life:Sylvia was born Symnove Johanne Waaler in Oslo ...
to stay in shape for her performances.
Radio Pictures starred her in a number of musicals including Dixiana (1930) and Love Comes Along (1930). Towards the end of 1930, Bebe Daniels appeared in the musical comedy Reaching for the Moon
Reaching for the Moon (film)
Reaching for the Moon is an American 1930 black and white musical film. Originally released at 91 minutes; surviving versions are usually cut to 62 minutes. A 74-minute version aired in 1998 on USA cable channel AMC. The DVD version runs just under 72 minutes. The film's workingtitle was Lucky...
. However, by this time musicals had gone out of fashion so that most of the musical numbers from the film had to be removed before it could be released. Daniels had become associated with musicals and so Radio Pictures did not renew her contract. Warner Brothers realized what a box office draw she was and offered her a contract which she accepted. During her years at Warner Brothers she starred in such pictures as My Past (1931), Honor of the Family
Honor of the Family
Honor of the Family is a dramatic film released by First National Pictures, , starring Bebe Daniels and Warren William. It was based on the play by Emil Fabre, from a story by Honoré de Balzac....
(1931) and the extremely successful 1931 pre-code version
The Maltese Falcon (1931 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1931 American Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and stars Bebe Daniels in the role of Ruth Wonderly and Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade.Maude Fulton, Brown Holmes,...
of The Maltese Falcon
The Maltese Falcon (1931 film)
The Maltese Falcon is a 1931 American Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and stars Bebe Daniels in the role of Ruth Wonderly and Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade.Maude Fulton, Brown Holmes,...
, which opened to rave reviews. In 1932, she appeared in Silver Dollar (1932) and the successful Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley
Busby Berkeley was a highly influential Hollywood movie director and musical choreographer. Berkeley was famous for his elaborate musical production numbers that often involved complex geometric patterns...
choreographed musical comedy 42nd Street
42nd Street (film)
-Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer...
(1933) in which she sang once again. That same year she played opposite John Barrymore in Counsellor-At-Law. Her last film for the Warner Brothers was Registered Nurse
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
(1934).
She retired from Hollywood in 1935. With her husband, film actor Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon
Ben Lyon was an American film actor and a 20th Century Fox studio executive.-Life:Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Lyon entered films in 1918 after a successful appearance on Broadway opposite Jeanne Eagels. He attracted attention in the highly successful film Flaming Youth , and steadily developed into...
, whom she married in 1930, she moved to London. A few years later, Daniels starred in the London production of Panama Hattie
Panama Hattie
Panama Hattie is a musical with music and lyrics by Cole Porter and book by Herbert Fields and B. G. DeSylva. It is also the title of a 1942 MGM musical based upon the play...
in the title role originated by Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman
Ethel Merman was an American actress and singer. Known primarily for her powerful voice and roles in musical theatre, she has been called "the undisputed First Lady of the musical comedy stage." Among the many standards introduced by Merman in Broadway musicals are "I Got Rhythm", "Everything's...
. The Lyons' then did radio shows for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Most notably, they starred in the series Hi Gang, continuing for decades and enjoying considerable popularity during World War II. Daniels wrote most of the dialogue for the Hi Gang radio show. The couple remained through the days of the The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
.
Following the war, Daniels was awarded the Medal of Freedom by Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman was the 33rd President of the United States . As President Franklin D. Roosevelt's third vice president and the 34th Vice President of the United States , he succeeded to the presidency on April 12, 1945, when President Roosevelt died less than three months after beginning his...
for war service. In 1945 she returned to Hollywood for a short time to work as a film producer for Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
and Eagle Lion. She returned to the UK in 1948 and lived there for the remainder of her life. Daniels, her husband, her son Richard and her daughter Barbara
Barbara Lyon
Barbara Bebe Lyon was a singer of popular songs and actress, born in the United States but primarily active in the United Kingdom....
all starred in the radio sitcom Life With The Lyons
Life With The Lyons
Life with The Lyons was a British radio and television domestic sitcom dating from the 1950s .-Overview:Life with The Lyons was unusual in that it featured a real-life American family...
(1951 to 1961), which later made the transition to television.
Death
On March 16, 1971, Daniels died of a cerebral hemorrhage in London at the age of 70. Her remains were cremated at London's Golders Green CrematoriumGolders Green Crematorium
Golders Green Crematorium and Mausoleum was the first crematorium to be opened in London, and one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. The land for the crematorium was purchased in 1900, costing £6,000, and was opened in 1902 by Sir Henry Thompson....
and the ashes brought home where she was interred in the Chapel columbarium at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery
Hollywood Forever Cemetery, originally called Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery, is one of the oldest cemeteries in Los Angeles, California. It is located at 6000 Santa Monica Boulevard in the Hollywood...
in Hollywood, California.
Selected filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1910 | The Wonderful Wizard of Oz The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1910 film) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz is a 1910 silent fantasy film and the earliest surviving film version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, made by the Selig Polyscope Company without Baum's direct input. It was created to fulfill a contractual obligation associated with Baum's personal bankruptcy caused by... |
Dorothy Gale | |
| 1910 | Justinian and Theodora | ||
| 1911 | A Counterfeit Santa Claus | ||
| 1913 | The Savage | Bit part | |
| 1914 | Anne of the Golden Heart | ||
| 1915 | Bughouse Bellhops Bughouse Bellhops Bughouse Bellhops is a 1915 short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Lonesome Luke* Snub Pollard - * Gene Marsh* Bebe Daniels... |
||
| 1915 | Ruses, Rhymes and Roughnecks Ruses, Rhymes and Roughnecks Ruses, Rhymes and Roughnecks is a 1915 short comedy film featuring Harold Lloyd.-Cast:* Harold Lloyd - Lonesome Luke* Snub Pollard - * Gene Marsh* Bebe Daniels* Jack Spinks... |
||
| 1916 | Lonesome Luke Leans to the Literary | ||
| 1916 | Luke, the Candy Cut-Up | ||
| 1917 | Bliss | The Girl | |
| 1917 | All Aboard | The Girl | |
| 1918 | The Non-Stop Kid | Miss Wiggle | |
| 1918 | Two-Gun Gussie | The Girl | |
| 1919 | Don't Shove | Bebe | |
| 1919 | Male and Female Male and Female Male and Female is a 1919 silent film directed by Cecil B. DeMille. Its main themes are gender relations and social class. It is based on the J. M. Barrie play "The Admirable Crichton".-Plot:... |
The King's Favourite | |
| 1920 | Why Change Your Wife? Why Change Your Wife? -Plot:Frumpy wife Beth devotes herself to bettering her husband's mind and expanding his appreciation for the finer things in life, such as classical music. When he goes shopping at a lingerie store to buy some sexier clothes for her, he meets Sally, the shop girl. Rejected by his wife for a night... |
Sally Clark | |
| 1920 | You Never Can Tell | Rowena Patricia Jones | |
| 1921 | Two Weeks with Pay | Pansy O'Donnell/Marie La Tour | |
| 1921 | The March Hare | Lisbeth Ann Palmer | |
| 1922 | A Game Chicken | Inez Hastings | |
| 1922 | Singed Wings | Bonita della Guerda | |
| 1923 | The World's Applause | Corinne d'Alys | |
| 1923 | 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) | |
| 1924 | Daring Youth | Alita Allen | |
| 1924 | Heritage of the Desert Heritage of the Desert (1924 film) __notoc__Heritage of the Desert is a Western film based on the novel by Zane Grey, and starring Bebe Daniels, Ernest Torrence, and Noah Beery.... |
Mescal | |
| 1924 | Sinners In Heaven Sinners In Heaven (1924 film) Sinners in Heaven is a 1924 silent film island romance drama directed by Alan Crosland and released through Paramount Pictures. It stars Richard Dix and Bebe Daniels in the principal roles. It is now considered a lost film.-Cast:... |
Barbara Stockley | |
| 1925 | Wild, Wild Susan | Susan Van Dusen | |
| 1925 | The Manicure Girl | Maria Maretti | |
| 1926 | The Palm Beach Girl | Emily Bennett | |
| 1926 | Miss Brewster's Millions | Polly Brewster | |
| 1927 | Swim Girl, Swim | Alice Smith | |
| 1927 | Señorita | Señorita Francesca Hernandez | |
| 1927 | She's a Sheik She's a Sheik She's a Sheik is a 1927 silent film comedy adventure produced and distributed by Paramount Pictures and starring Bebe Daniels. This film is possibly lost... |
Zaida | |
| 1928 | Feel My Pulse Feel My Pulse Feel My Pulse is a 1928 silent film about a wealthy hypochondriac, played by Bebe Daniels, who inherits a sanatorium and finds love and adventure... |
Barbara Manning | |
| 1929 | Rio Rita Rio Rita (1929 film) Rio Rita is a 1929 RKO Pictures musical comedy starring Bebe Daniels and John Boles along with the comedy team of Wheeler & Woolsey. The film is based on the 1927 stage musical produced by Florenz Ziegfeld, which originally united Wheeler and Woolsey as a team and made them famous... |
Rita Ferguson | |
| 1930 | Reaching for the Moon (film) Reaching for the Moon (film) Reaching for the Moon is an American 1930 black and white musical film. Originally released at 91 minutes; surviving versions are usually cut to 62 minutes. A 74-minute version aired in 1998 on USA cable channel AMC. The DVD version runs just under 72 minutes. The film's workingtitle was Lucky... |
Vivien Benton | |
| 1930 | Dixiana | Dixiana Caldwell | |
| 1931 | The Maltese Falcon The Maltese Falcon (1931 film) The Maltese Falcon is a 1931 American Warner Bros. Pre-Code crime film based on the novel of the same name by Dashiell Hammett. The movie was directed by Roy Del Ruth and stars Bebe Daniels in the role of Ruth Wonderly and Ricardo Cortez as private detective Sam Spade.Maude Fulton, Brown Holmes,... |
Ruth Wonderly | |
| 1932 | Silver Dollar | Lily Owens Martin | |
| 1933 | Counsellor at Law Counsellor at Law Counsellor at Law is a 1933 American drama film directed by William Wyler. The screenplay by Elmer Rice is based on his 1931 play of the same title.-Plot:... |
Regina "Rexy" Gordon | |
| 1933 | 42nd Street 42nd Street (film) -Cast:*Warner Baxter as Julian Marsh, director*Bebe Daniels as Dorothy Brock, star*George Brent as Pat Denning, Dorothy's old vaudeville partner*Ruby Keeler as Peggy Sawyer, the newcomer*Guy Kibbee as Abner Dillon, the show's backer... |
Dorothy Brock | |
| 1936 | Treachery on the High Seas Treachery on the High Seas Treachery on the High Seas is a 1936 British comedy crime film directed by Emil E. Reinert and starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon and Charles Farrell. It is based on the play Murder in the Stalls by Maurice Messenger. On a luxury liner some jewel theives plan a major snatch... |
May Hardy | Alternative title: Not Wanted on Voyage |
| 1938 | The Return of Carol Deane The Return of Carol Deane The Return of Carol Deane is a 1938 British melodrama, directed by Arthur B. Woods and starring Bebe Daniels. The film is adapted from the story The House on 56th Street by Joseph Santley and spans the time period from the 1910s to the 1930s.-Plot:... |
Carol Deane | |
| 1941 | Hi Gang! Hi Gang! (film) Hi Gang! is a 1941 British comedy film directed by Marcel Varnel and starring Bebe Daniels, Ben Lyon and Vic Oliver. It was a spin-off from the popular radio series Hi Gang!.-Cast:* Bebe Daniels - The Liberty Girl* Ben Lyon - Her Other Half... |
The Liberty Girl | |
| 1947 | The Fabulous Joe | |
Producer |
| 1954 | Life with the Lyons | Bebe Lyon | Alternative title: Family Affair |
| 1955 | The Lyons in Paris The Lyons in Paris The Lyons in Paris is a 1955 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring Ben Lyon, Bebe Daniels and Reginald Beckwith. It was a sequel to the 1954 film Life with The Lyons. It was shot at Southall Studios.... |
Bebe | Alternative titles: Mr. and Mrs. in Paree The Lyons Abroad |
| 1955–1960 | Life with the Lyons | Bebe Lyon | Unknown episodes, producer, writer |