Our daughter looked like Shirley Temple and helped at our cafe.
Innumerable times, Hollywooders and Advertising people would ask if they could put her in ads and movies. And I always said "No way."
I wish I could say I was able to save her and she now leads a normal life, but no. She became a fashionista and moved to New York.
So many dangers and temptations out there.
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The only one I can think of is Robert Blake.
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@Keith Dow
He wasn’t in silent films.
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She was wonderful!!!
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Does anyone know why many parents of child film stars squander so much money?
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Easy answer is that it was easy money. Think of the times. Roaring 20s, then the Depression. Folks of that time had little understanding of money, much less windfalls. Squandering was easy; discipline was hard.
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@Jake.... the same reason Donald Trump could have done better simply putting his inheritance directly into Index Funds than starting all the products and businesses he failed, renting to whites only, and cheating contractors by the dozens. Greed, pride, prejudice, overblown sense of their own abilities. We all tend to think to ourselves that we know better, are wiser than average. And in the case of the child actor, it is certainly abuse and neglect on the part of the parents. Not a life I have ever envied. I lived with a wonderful family my senior year of high school. The father was supportive, listened well, and was very wise. Years later when I had a rich partner and did not feel good about marrying him, he once again gave wise counsel. He believed, and I have seen repeatedly that money is the root of all evil. I have known many well-to-do people in my life. Overall, I’ve seen family battles over the money, a whole lot of drug addiction and one death, a son cheating his mother out of millions, and lots of misuse of money that could create many solutions for hurting people. Money is something I’m happy to have just enough of. I learned that again from a mentor who ripped up lottery tickets when his clients gifted him with them. He was a happy man.
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My mother, the late Marilyn Beck, a Hollywood columnist of some note, never allowed my brother or me to take drama class in school because she had seen, and interviewed, too many screwed-up former child stars. She would often cite Ron Howard as the exception to the rule that growing up on a soundstage is the ruination of a child (his parents made him take out the trash; he grew up to be a genuinely nice, healthy human being). I'm forever grateful for my mom's wisdom.
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@Andee Beck
I remember your mother well. I particularly remember the year she provided backstage commentary and interviews for the Emmy Awards, I believe. I think Jerry Mathers and Tony Dow of Leave it to Beaver fame, also grew up normal, but did not stay in show business. And most of The Waltons kids turned out ok, though not in the business.
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Lovely lady! Saw her films at MOMA a few years ago and realized she was sitting right behind me. We chatted a bit. I read her autobio - as you can imagine, she did not have an easy life.
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Great read, thanks!
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Based on the photo from "The Darling of New York" showing Baby Peggy holding off a group of men with a gun, she would be a poster child for the NRA if the film was made today. Anyway, fascinating story of a bygone era.
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I remember as a child at my grandparent’s N. California ranch in summer, I would peruse movie magazines from my Grandmother’s collection. The idea that Hollywood Stars led lives of fame and glory has long since disappeared. When my son-in-law received a small part in a movie shot in Portland, OR, he ended up getting his own trailer and contract. To myself I thought, this is not good. Fortunately, in my view, it lead nowhere, and his part was cut from the movie, although it’s on the video we rented back then. To this day, I have secretly been thankful it lead nowhere. I have seen very little about fame that supports healthy, happy living. It’s hard enough for Americans to lead rewarding lives in our current era of income inequality and pandering to the rich and famous. I’m hoping we as a country can move away from lionizing celebrity to promoting care for all humans, and our Mother Earth. Just knowing my daughter’s family has enjoyed uninterrupted closeness and dedication to their children brings me great joy. In my seventies I see things quite differently from when I was a starry-eyed kid.
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A good article. My only complaint? "Cary, an author, a film historian and probably the last surviving child superstar of the silent film era nearly a century ago."
Is it really that hard to determine if there's any "child superstar" from that era left? I mean really?
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@Alex
One who was not in silent films but began a few years later was Jane Withers. She's still alive, in her 90's, and probably still very energetic. In that Robert Osborne interview I saw, Jane was a real live wire.
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@Alex why dont you tally them up and get back to us
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@jeanne maiden Olivia de Havilland wasn't a child star or in any silents but she's closing in on 104.
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Even though the Coogan Act was passed, I wonder about the fates of other child actors and models since. And what about today? So many TV and streaming films are produced with many children.
That John Osborne interview was an eye opener.
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Maybe a decade ago, TCM's Robert Osbourne interviewed former child actors Daryl Hickman, Dickie Moore, Jane Withers, and Margaret O'Brien together. The stories of Mr. Hickman and Mr. Moore, in particular, of having to work to support their parents and siblings, were very moving. Both hated that life, but fortunately did not suffer as much as Ms. Serra Cary. I watch a lot of silent films on TCM and always wonder about the chid actors in them.
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@jeanne maiden That was one of my favorite interviews on TCM. It's well worth seeking out.
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Excellent piece - a great run down of Peggy's life.
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Diana Serra Cary was a gracious woman, with many interesting stories to tell. I interviewed her several times while writing my children's book Jackie Coogan: America's First Child Superstar. I had always wanted to meet her in person, but unfortunately it never happened.
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