Mary Carlisle
Encyclopedia
Mary Carlisle was an American actress and singer. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, she was a star of Hollywood films in the 1930s, having been one of thirteen girls selected as "WAMPAS Baby Stars
" in 1932. The archetypal blonde, Mary Carlisle was brought to Hollywood at the age of four by her recently widowed mother. While eating lunch with her mother at the Universal Pictures
commissary, Mary was spotted by Carl Laemmle, Jr. and offered a screen test.
Her first screen role was at the age of eight when she played Jackie Coogan
's sweetheart in If I Were King
. After that she decided to finish school before launching her film career. Carlisle finally stepped back in front of the cameras in 1930, appearing in a series of Collegian short subjects and Madam Satan
, directed by Cecil B. DeMille
. She subsequently freelanced in eighteen movies, alternating between supporting and leading roles. She co-starred in three films with Bing Crosby
: College Humor
, Double or Nothing
and Doctor Rhythm.
In 1934, Carlisle was featured opposite Ralph Bellamy
and Fay Wray
in Once to Every Woman
, based on a story by A.J. Cronin. She also starred with Robert Armstrong
and Richard Cromwell
, for Producers Releasing Corporation
, in Baby Face Morgan
(1942).
During Carlisle's first decade in Hollywood, her mother became the second wife of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser
, thus becoming Kaiser's step-daughter. Carlisle married New York
socialite
James Blakely, a film actor who later became an executive producer at 20th Century-Fox. James Blakely, who wrote an autobiography entitled Wide-Eyed in Babylon in 1974, died on January 30, 2007. The couple had one child.
Carlisle retired from films in 1942. In 1949, she began a second career as the manager of the Elizabeth Arden Salon
in Beverly Hills, California
. She recently received a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
. Of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars
", following the deaths of Gloria Stuart
, and Barbara Kent
(1927), only Carlisle (1932) is known to still be alive as of November 2011.
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
" in 1932. The archetypal blonde, Mary Carlisle was brought to Hollywood at the age of four by her recently widowed mother. While eating lunch with her mother at the Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
commissary, Mary was spotted by Carl Laemmle, Jr. and offered a screen test.
Her first screen role was at the age of eight when she played 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...
's sweetheart in If I Were King
If I Were King
If I Were King is a 1938 American biographical historical drama film starring Ronald Colman as medieval poet François Villon, and featuring Basil Rathbone and Frances Dee...
. After that she decided to finish school before launching her film career. Carlisle finally stepped back in front of the cameras in 1930, appearing in a series of Collegian short subjects and Madam Satan
Madam Satan
Madam Satan is a dramatic pre-Code musical film produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille for MGM, one of the few DeMille made for the Culver City studio...
, directed by 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...
. She subsequently freelanced in eighteen movies, alternating between supporting and leading roles. She co-starred in three films with Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
: College Humor
College Humor (1933 film)
College Humor is a 1933 musical comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Jack Oakie, Richard Arlen, Mary Carlisle, George Burns, and Gracie Allen, and directed by Wesley Ruggles.-Cast:*Bing Crosby as Prof...
, Double or Nothing
Double or Nothing (1937 film)
Double or Nothing is a 1937 musical comedy film starring Bing Crosby, Martha Raye, Andy Devine, Mary Carlisle, William Frawley, Samuel S. Hinds, and Frances Faye. The most famous song from the film is "The Moon Got In My Eyes".-Plot synopsis:...
and Doctor Rhythm.
In 1934, Carlisle was featured opposite Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy
Ralph Bellamy was an American actor whose career spanned sixty-two years.-Early life:He was born Ralph Rexford Bellamy in Chicago, Illinois, the son of Lilla Louise , a native of Canada, and Charles Rexford Bellamy. He ran away from home when he was fifteen and managed to get into a road show...
and Fay Wray
Fay Wray
Fay Wray was a Canadian-American actress most noted for playing the female lead in King Kong...
in Once to Every Woman
Once to Every Woman
Once to Every Woman is a 1934 film adaptation of A. J. Cronin's short story, Kaleidoscope in "K". The film was made by Columbia Pictures and stars Ralph Bellamy and Fay Wray.- Cast :*Ralph Bellamy as Dr. Jim Barclay*Fay Wray as Mary Fanshawe...
, based on a story by A.J. Cronin. She also starred with Robert Armstrong
Robert Armstrong (actor)
Robert Armstrong was an American film actor best remembered for his role as Carl Denham in the 1933 version of King Kong by RKO Pictures. He uttered the famous exit quote, "'Twas beauty killed the beast," at the film's end...
and 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...
, for Producers Releasing Corporation
Producers Releasing Corporation
Producers Releasing Corporation was one of the more lower-end Hollywood film studios on Poverty Row from the late '30s to the mid-'40s. PRC, as it was commonly known, made low-budget B-movies for the lower-half of a double bill. A few of its films have gained a respectable reputation over the...
, in Baby Face Morgan
Baby Face Morgan
Baby Face Morgan is a 1942 American comedy-drama film directed by Arthur Dreifuss. The film was a notable "B" effort for PRC . Jack Schwarz was producer, and Leon Fromkess, was listed as "in charge of production."...
(1942).
During Carlisle's first decade in Hollywood, her mother became the second wife of industrialist Henry J. Kaiser
Henry J. Kaiser
Henry John Kaiser was an American industrialist who became known as the father of modern American shipbuilding. He established the Kaiser Shipyard which built Liberty ships during World War II, after which he formed Kaiser Aluminum and Kaiser Steel. Kaiser organized Kaiser Permanente health care...
, thus becoming Kaiser's step-daughter. Carlisle married New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
James Blakely, a film actor who later became an executive producer at 20th Century-Fox. James Blakely, who wrote an autobiography entitled Wide-Eyed in Babylon in 1974, died on January 30, 2007. The couple had one child.
Carlisle retired from films in 1942. In 1949, she began a second career as the manager of the Elizabeth Arden Salon
Elizabeth Arden
Florence Nightingale Graham , who went by the business name Elizabeth Arden, was a Canadian-American businesswoman who built a cosmetics empire in the United States. At the peak of her career, she was one of the wealthiest women in the world.-Biography:Arden was born in 1884 at Woodbridge, Ontario,...
in Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills, California
Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
. She recently received 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...
. Of the "WAMPAS Baby Stars
WAMPAS Baby Stars
The WAMPAS Baby Stars was a promotional campaign sponsored by the Western Association of Motion Picture Advertisers in the United States which honored thirteen young women each year whom they believed to be on the threshold of movie stardom. They were selected from 1922 to 1934, and annual...
", following the deaths of Gloria Stuart
Gloria Stuart
Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, activist, painter, bonsai artist and fine printer. Over a Hollywood career which spanned, with a long break in the middle, from 1932 until 2004, she appeared on stage, television, and film, for which she was best-known...
, and Barbara Kent
Barbara Kent
Barbara Kent was a Canadian-born U.S.-based silent film actress. Following the death of Miriam Seegar, she was the last North American actor still alive to have achieved substantial fame during the silent film era as an adult.-Career:Born as Barbara Cloutman in Gadsby, Alberta, to Jullion Curtis...
(1927), only Carlisle (1932) is known to still be alive as of November 2011.