Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Share #1 Posted February 25, 2020 Diana Serra Cary, Child Star ‘Baby Peggy’ of Silent Films, Dies at 101 Diana Serra Cary, an author, a film historian and probably the last surviving child superstar of the silent film era nearly a century ago, who spent decades coming to terms with a bizarre childhood of triumphs, heartbreaks and parents who squandered her fortune, died on Monday in Gustine, Calif. She was 101. Her death was confirmed by the Niles Film Museum, which is devoted to the silent era, in Fremont, Calif. Her name was Peggy-Jean Montgomery, and she was a precocious 2½-year-old in 1921 when Century Studio cast her as Baby Peggy, opposite Brownie the Wonder Dog. America soon fell in love with the chubby-cheeked little girl as she fled burning buildings, held thugs at bay with a pistol and clung to the underside of a train. By age 5 she had made more than 150 pictures, mostly short comedies and melodramas, for Century, Universal and Principal Pictures, and was a multimillionaire. Home was a Beverly Hills mansion near Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks. A $30,000 chauffeur-driven limousine took her to work every day. ...and not one word abouit the fate of Brownie, the Wonder Dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #2 Posted February 25, 2020 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #3 Posted February 25, 2020 ...bonus points to anyone who can locate Gustine, CA on a map. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Silly Posted February 25, 2020 Share #4 Posted February 25, 2020 What do I win? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtyhip Posted February 25, 2020 Share #5 Posted February 25, 2020 Near Los Banos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #6 Posted February 25, 2020 4 minutes ago, Mr. Silly said: What do I win? bonus points, obviously. Sadly, you will receive no SWF Potatoe Points which can be redeemed for fabulous prizes in the SWF store. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #7 Posted February 25, 2020 ...bone-us points are redeemable at all canine managed establishments throughout the free world. Brownie the Wonder Dog 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #8 Posted February 25, 2020 ...after reading Baby Peggy's sad stories of child star abuse in early Hollywood, I can only surmise that Brownie the Wonder Dog eventually ended up in a hobo jungle in the Great Depression, sleeping on the ground next to a campfire and stealing chickens to survive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #9 Posted February 25, 2020 How do you squander what today would equate to $60 million? How much did property in Beverly Hills cost in the 30s and 40s? Just hard to fathom losing or spending that much money. I wonder if her parents felt guilty for doing that and not setting up some sort of trust for the lass? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #10 Posted February 25, 2020 49 minutes ago, jsharr said: I wonder if her parents felt guilty for doing that and not setting up some sort of trust for the lass? Doubtful. 10 to 1 says they spent it on themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsharr ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #11 Posted February 25, 2020 22 minutes ago, Dottles said: Doubtful. 10 to 1 says they spent it on themselves. Property and cars is what is said. Timing would put the purchases right before the stock market crash of 29 and the great depression, which would explain much. Then her dad got her black listed and she could not get work. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #12 Posted February 25, 2020 11 minutes ago, jsharr said: Property and cars is what is said. Timing would but the purchases right before the stock market crash of 29 and the great depression, which would explain much. Then her dad got her black listed and she could not get work. What the heck would Wade have to do for you to blacklist him? Seriously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dottleshead ★ Posted February 25, 2020 Share #13 Posted February 25, 2020 Gustine was the site of the first 9-1-1 system in California, installed in March 1970.[12] 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #14 Posted February 25, 2020 ...when I lived in Merced, Gustine was the central hub for a lot of cattle and dairy ranching. By now it's probably some sort of commuter housing colony for the Bay Area. Livestock a focal point for Gustine FFA member Wilson Gustine, CA 4 Bedroom Homes for Sale Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Page Turner Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share #15 Posted February 25, 2020 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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