Sally Phipps: Silent Film Star (Book Review)

In the final years of the silent film era, few careers traced a more unexpected arc than that of a child who began as Hollywood’s tiniest starlet and ended as a world traveler with stories that spanned the golden decades of motion pictures. Barely three years old, the precocious Sally Phipps was already a seasoned veteran of baby beauty contests when she was cast as “the Baby” in Broncho Billy and the Baby, filmed at the Essanay Studio in Niles, California, in late 1914. The film’s leading man, cowboy legend Broncho Billy Anderson, was already a household name, but the toddler who shared the screen with him would go on to live a life as cinematic as any picture of her day.

Sally’s recollections of those earliest studio years were vivid and tender: she remembered perching on Charlie Chaplin’s knee between takes and the terror of a runaway stagecoach during filming. By her teens, she had transformed from a cherubic child actor into a glamorous contract player at Fox Studios, appearing in nearly two dozen films and making a fleeting but memorable appearance in F.W. Murnau’s Sunrise—a masterpiece now regarded as one of the greatest silent films ever produced.

Her ascent, however, was shadowed by tragedy. In 1927, while filming her two-reel comedy Gentlemen Prefer Scotch, word reached her that her father, a respected state senator, had died under scandalous circumstances. The same year, she was chosen as one of the coveted WAMPAS Baby Stars—an honor reserved for Hollywood’s most promising ingénues—alongside future icons whose fame would endure long after the silent era faded.

At the height of her screen appeal, Phipps made the bold decision to leave Hollywood for New York City. There she reinvented herself as a society darling and headline-maker, her name often appearing in the columns of Walter Winchell and other Broadway gossip writers. She performed in two Broadway productions, starred in a Vitaphone short, and married (and soon divorced) one of the heirs to the Gimbel department store fortune. Restless and uncontainable, she embarked on a global odyssey that carried her through Europe, India, and beyond before returning to New York.

Settling into a quieter rhythm, she married again, raised two children, and later made her home in Hawaii. In 1938, she made the newspapers once more when columnist Earl Wilson profiled her under the wry headline, “WAMPAS Ex-Baby Lives on WPA $23 — And Likes It,” chronicling her work for the Federal Theatre Project during the Great Depression. Her final public recognition came in the form of the Rosemary Award, a fitting tribute to a woman whose life and career embodied both remembrance and resilience—a star who never truly faded, but simply changed stages.

Even after her death in 1978, Sally Phipps’s legend endures through photographs—glamorous studio portraits, playful pinups, and rare candid shots from her private albums. Her son, Robert L. Harned, independently wrote a book devoted to her remarkable journey which features more than 150 images chronicling her evolution from silent film cherub to Broadway headliner and beyond. This is the kind of book I wish everyone did for their silent screen parents. Her legacy is preserved, documented, and available for everyone to review. The book is available on Amazon.com through the link below.

https://www.amazon.com/Sally-Phipps-Silent-Film-Star/dp/1511915927/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FIGZ84QG6N1&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.VUL2-l0GCObIB7KkM1cRPw.B5iD_yrtJaGDlHWivQ7Ag7-qGIqQEHH9-LY9ShLlSTs&dib_tag=se&keywords=Sally+phipps+silent+film+star&qid=1759874169&sprefix=sally+phipps+silent+film+sta%2Caps%2C188&sr=8-1

DICK TRACY, ACE DETECTIVE (1943)

As reported in a prior blog post, the Whitman Publishing Company published two hardcover novels based on the comic strip, Dick Tracy. Chester Gould, who was responsible for the newspaper comic strip, was credited as the author for both hardcovers. These are not to be confused with the Big Little Books and Better Little Books, also published by Whitman. These two hardcovers include dust jackets (in most cases worth more than the books themselves) and original art by Chester Gould himself. 

Historically, Gould wrote a treatment for the two novels, along with providing interior illustrations, which someone at Whitman fleshed out into full-length novels. The second novel, Dick Tracy Meets the Night Crawler (1945), is a great read and comes highly recommended. I wrote about this novel, along with reprinting some of the illustrations, in a prior blog post. The first novel, Dick Tracy, Ace Detective, was published in 1943. While the novel contains an element of the detective facing off against Nazi agents, this was the weaker of the two. Still, both novels are original stories which is all the reason why fans of the newspaper strip should seek them out.

In Dick Tracy, Ace Detective, the title character and Pat Patton fly out to Vulture Mountain in Arizona to meet with Professor Heywood, who discovered a revolutionary -- and efficient -- method for producing gasoline that could give us an advantage over the enemy overseas. But the Lippelli mob, Nazi agents, and an evil scientist brother are all after the secret formula. This means multiple acts of sabotage, kidnapping of government scientists, and the extraction of the formula from Professor Heywood. Along the way, Junior is kidnapped, a U.S. Senator is shot and killed, there was an attempted escape by submarine and a brief visit from a Japanese agent.

Unlike most Dick Tracy adventures which flow in one direction, feature a daring escape from a villain, a hold-off and a gruesome death, this one varies considerably. I somewhat suspect Chester Gould handed the folks at Whitman two separate stories and the editorial staff at the publishing house edited them together. Much of the trademarks that made Dick Tracy was not there. Sure, there was a mobster who worked towards his own agenda, but Tracy would later be told how Lippelli was killed. No action scene or gruesome death during a battle face-off. Reported deaths told from another police officer is not just a cheat -- it robs us of the violence that is part and parcel of Dick Tracy. Usually when our hero is captured and facing imminent death, some like Junior races to the rescue. In this case, the police arrive like the cavalry of old without any suspense build up. The latter third of the novel played like a quick summary of a detective at work and very little action. All of which is a long-winded way of saying I was a tad disappointed. 

Still, Dick Tracy Meets the Nightcrawler is a fun novel and recommended above this one. But for you completists, this is worth grabbing to read. The purchase price varies from $7 to $45, depending on condition and where you buy your copy. 

BOOK REVIEWS: Rod Taylor, Virginia O'Brien, Rondo Hatton

Bear Manor Media recently sent me a huge box of books to review and I spent the good part of the last month reading a few. I have a mantra not to review books that I feel could have been done better, so the brief book reviews below are not only superb for the subjects they extensively cover, but are highly recommended if you are seeking something to read when you get cozy in your lazy-boy in the coming winter months. 

 

THE MISFITS: THE FILM THAT ENDED A MARRIAGE

John Huston’s ‘eastern Western’ signaled the end of the careers of three major Hollywood figures. It was Marilyn Monroe’s last completed film. Clark Gable died a fortnight after shooting ended. Montgomery Clift rumbled on for a few years but without doing much of note.

 

It also signaled the end of Monroe’s marriage to Arthur Miller. Miller wrote the screenplay as a ‘gift’ to his troubled wife, but their marriage was already on the rocks by the time the cameras started rolling. Matters deteriorated further on the set, culminating in Monroe suffering a nervous breakdown in mid-shoot which led to the set being temporarily closed while she recuperated.

 

Aubrey Malone’s book chronicles the background production of this iconic film which changed the way people saw the old West. It also chronicles the on-set tensions, the squabbling and feuds and divided loyalties. Huston tried to hold everything together as he struggled with a gambling addiction that was too great a temptation to resist in the casinos of Reno. The dramas that took place behind the scenes were arguably as engrossing as anything that appeared in the film itself. Sample both sets of scenarios in this detailed study of a valentine to a bygone era. 

 

This is a superb behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the movie and I can think of a large number of movies that I wish would receive this same kind of treatment. 

 

 

VIRGINIA O'BRIEN: MGM'S DEADPAN DIVA 

I first saw her on a couple of those MGM movies on Turner Classic Movies and knew there had to be a story behind her appearance. It was August and the station decided to devote an entire day to movies she played a role in. Yet, her screen career was short-lived.

 

Virginia O’Brien was one of the more unique talents under contract to Metro Goldwyn Mayer. The California native was discovered by MGM’s mogul, Louis B. Mayer when he attended a performance of the musical revue Meet the People. It was here that Virginia stopped the show with the deadpan delivery of her solo number. Her appearances in more than a dozen of MGM’s musicals were always a highlight. While one can’t “stop” a film, Virginia’s singular performances are etched in the memory of the fans of MGM’s lavish musicals. This is the story of the comedic actress-singer who was fondly known as “Miss Frozen Face.”

 

Author Robert Strom was able to track down O’Brien’s family and assemble a book documenting her personal life and screen career, as most people should do when assembling a biography – go directly to the family. Thank you, Mr. Strom.

 

 

ROD TAYLOR: AN AUSSIE IN HOLLYWOOD

Before Sam Worthington, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, and Mel Gibson, there was Rod Taylor. For over twenty years, Taylor was the biggest Australian movie name in Hollywood, starring in such films as The Time Machine, Hitchcock’s The Birds, and The Vips. Best known for his action roles, he was equally adept at romantic comedies and dramas, working with top stars, such as Doris Day, John Wayne, Elizabeth Taylor, Jane Fonda, and with major directors, such as Alfred Hitchcock, Walt Disney, and Michelangelo Antonioni. 

 

At a time when Australians could rarely see or hear themselves on screen, Rod Taylor helped keep his country in the public eye, and he paved the way for the "Aussie" actors that followed him.

 

Rod Taylor: An Aussie in Hollywood is his  full-length biography, a thrilling story of a working-class Sydney boy, who went to Hollywood, took on the Americans at their own game on their own turf in one of the toughest industries there is, and won. It's also the story of a talented actor, who was almost brought down by the demons of alcohol and ego, but who ultimately overcame them to triumph. Best of all are the numerous quotes from Taylor himself about his career including the short-lived cult classic, Hong Kong. This is a must for all Rod Taylor fans.

 

 

BEFORE I FORGET: DIRECTING TELEVISION, 1948-1988

James Sheldon directed many of the radio and television shows that shaped the American consciousness. He directed the original radio version of We, The People when it became the first commercial CBS network program to telecast nationally on June 1, 1948. Since then, he experienced technological changes from live to electronic tape to film, from black and white to color, and from a few hundred thousand to multi-millions of television sets that in use today.

His early live credits include dramatic series, such as Robert Montgomery Presents and Studio One; comedies, such as Mister Peepers; musicals, such as Don Ameche's Holiday Hotel. He was also part of the move from New York to Los Angeles as television production shifted west in the mid-1950s, directing The Johnny Carson Show, West Point Story, Harbor Command, and Dick Powell's Zane Grey Theater.

Sheldon helped many actors begin their careers, including James Dean, Paul Newman, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman, Carroll O'Connor, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds, Lee Remick, Tony Randall, and Tyne Daly.

In the 1960s, he directed episodes of Naked City, Route 66, The Millionaire, My Three Sons, and The Twilight Zone. In the 1970s, he directed episodes of M*A*S*H, The Virginian, Sanford & Son, and Raymond Burr's Ironside. In the 1980s, he directed episodes of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Cagney & Lacey, and The Equalizer. Thanks to author James Rosin, I was put in touch with Sheldon to chat about his work on The Twilight Zone for my book about the television series, so naturally I wanted to read Sheldon’s book. I was not disappointed. Rarely do we get a chance to read the memoirs of someone who was so instrumental.

RONDO HATTON: BEAUTY WITHIN THE BRUTE 

In the horror movie heyday of Universal Pictures, he made the studio back lot his own personal preyground: Rondo Hatton, star of the company’s “Creeper” series. The victim of a disfiguring disease, Hatton needed no makeup to play the Creeper, a night-prowling vertebreaker, in The Pearl of Death (1944), House of Horrors (1946) and The Brute Man (1946).

 

A lot of misery and physical pain were packed into Rondo Hatton’s 51 years on Earth and he met his challenges with courage. This book (co-authored by four extremely knowledgeable and awesome historians) tells Hatton’s full story and pays tribute with a full biography, the production histories of his five horror movies, artist George Chastain’s tribute to other “Brute Men” of the movies, artwork (and an afterword) by celebrated pop culture cartoonist Drew Friedman and more. Also: Rondo’s miraculous 21st-century “rebirth” as a coveted award for the finest in Monster Kid achievement. Hatton received his due with this one.