Mary Duncan
Encyclopedia
Mary Duncan was an American actress.
She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played the daughter "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture. Florence Reed
played her mother called Mother Goddam in which Reed kills Duncan in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a very sanitized film in 1941
with Gene Tierney
.
She met and married Stephen "Laddie" Sanford, who was an international polo player as well as director of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company
, in 1933, after which she retired from films. They remained married until his death in 1977. She spent much of her remaining years working with several major charities.
Her last film appearance was with Katharine Hepburn
in the 1933 film Morning Glory.
She kept herself active by playing golf twice a week and swimming every morning before breakfast, which helped her maintain her size 8 figure. As an actress, she had followed the ministrations of Sylvia of Hollywood
to keep her shape.
Mary Duncan died in her sleep aged 97. She was survived by a niece and great-niece.
She began her career as a child actress playing on the Broadway stage from 1910. In 1926 she played the daughter "Poppy" in the smash hit and controversial play The Shanghai Gesture. Florence Reed
Florence Reed
Florence Reed was a stage, screen and television actress. She is remembered for several outstanding stage productions, including The Shanghai Gesture, The Lullaby, The Yellow Ticket and The Wanderer. Her best remembered movie role was as Miss Havisham in the 1934 production of "Great Expectations"...
played her mother called Mother Goddam in which Reed kills Duncan in a startling end to the play. This play was turned into a very sanitized film in 1941
The Shanghai Gesture
The Shanghai Gesture is a 1941 American United Artists film noir motion picture starring Gene Tierney and Walter Huston, with Victor Mature and Ona Munson....
with Gene Tierney
Gene Tierney
Gene Eliza Tierney was an American film and stage actress. Acclaimed as one of the great beauties of her day, she is best remembered for her performance in the title role of Laura and her Academy Award-nominated performance for Best Actress in Leave Her to Heaven .Other notable roles include...
.
She met and married Stephen "Laddie" Sanford, who was an international polo player as well as director of the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company
Bigelow Carpet Mill
Bigelow Carpet Mill is an historic mill on Union and High Streets in Clinton, Massachusetts.The mill was built in 1847 and added to the National Historic Register in 1978.-See also:*Clinton, Massachusetts...
, in 1933, after which she retired from films. They remained married until his death in 1977. She spent much of her remaining years working with several major charities.
Her last film appearance was with Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn was an American actress of film, stage, and television. In a career that spanned 62 years as a leading lady, she was best known for playing strong-willed, sophisticated women in both dramas and comedies...
in the 1933 film Morning Glory.
She kept herself active by playing golf twice a week and swimming every morning before breakfast, which helped her maintain her size 8 figure. As an actress, she had followed the ministrations 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 keep her shape.
Mary Duncan died in her sleep aged 97. She was survived by a niece and great-niece.
Filmography
- Very Confidential (1927) : Priscilla Travers
- Soft Living (1928) : Lorna Estabrook
- 4 Devils4 Devils4 Devils was a 1928 American silent drama film directed by German film director F. W. Murnau.-Preservation status:...
(1928) : The lady - Thru Different Eyes (1929) : Viola
- The RiverThe River (1929 film)The River is a 1929 drama film directed by Frank Borzage, and starring Charles Farrell and Mary Duncan. Much of the film has been lost. A reconstructed version, using still images and explanatory titlecards to bridge the missing scenes, was produced by the Munich Filmmuseum, in collaboration with...
(1929) : Rosalee - Romance of the Rio Grande (1929) : Carlotta
- City GirlCity GirlCity Girl is an American 1930 silent film directed by F.W. Murnau. Along with Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans, 4 Devils and Tabu, these mark Murnau's Hollywood productions. The director wanted the film to be called Our Daily Bread....
(1930) : Kate - KismetKismet (1930 film)Kismet was a 1930 costume drama photographed entirely in an early widescreen process using 65mm film that Warner Bros. called Vitascope. The film was based on Edward Knoblock's play Kismet, and was previously filmed as a silent film in 1920 which also starred Otis Skinner.-Production:Warner Bros....
(1930) : Zeleekha - The Boudoir DiplomatThe Boudoir DiplomatThe Boudoir Diplomat is a 1930 American romantic comedy film directed by Malcolm St. Clair from the play The Command To Love by Fritz Gottwald and Rudolph Lothar.-Plot:...
(1930) : Mona - Men Call It Love (1931) : Helen Robinson
- Five and TenFive and Ten (film)Five and Ten is a 1931 romantic drama film starring Marion Davies as an heiress and Leslie Howard as the man she loves, though he marries someone else. It is based on the Fannie Hurst novel of the same name.-Cast:*Marion Davies as Jennifer Rarick...
(1931) : Muriel Preston - The Age for Love (1931) : Nina Donnet
- State's AttorneyState's Attorney (1932 film)State's Attorney is a 1932 talking drama film made at RKO and starring John Barrymore. George Archainbaud directed and the film could more or less be considered a warm up for Barrymore when he later went to Universal to film the similar Counsellor at Law...
(1932) : Nora Dean - Thirteen WomenThirteen WomenThirteen Women is a psychological thriller film, produced by David O. Selznick and directed by George Archainbaud. It starred Myrna Loy, Irene Dunne, Ricardo Cortez, Florence Eldridge and Jill Esmond...
(1932) : June Raskob - The Phantom of CrestwoodThe Phantom of CrestwoodThe Phantom of Crestwood is a murder mystery film released by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by J. Walter Ruben, and starring Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Richard "Skeets" Gallagher, Anita Louise, H. B. Warner, and Pauline Frederick...
(1932) : Dorothy Mears - Morning Glory (1933) : Rita Vernon, blonde star