Diana Serra Cary, who became a self-made millionaire at age 4 as silent-movie smash-hit Baby Peggy, has passed away at age 101. I’d be surprised if there are any stars left from the silent era now.
I had never heard of her, but apparently she was huge from 1921-24, with lots of product endorsements as well. True to child-star form, her manager-father eventually fought with the studio and got her blackballed from any more movies, at which point he went on to waste all of her earnings.
She eventually went back to work in the studios as an extra, and apparently Hollywood wasn’t much different back then:
She later became a well-regarded author of books about movie history.
I knew of her and had read about her in a book about child stars. She was also in a documentary about child actors I’d seen. I found her story interesting, so I read her autobiography. She was an amazingly good little actress considering how young she was. She made a fortune in her brief career, but like many before the Jackie Coogan laws, her folks ran through her money like water.
I also have a copy of Captain January that was published to coincide with her movie version. Shirley Temple also made a version.
Turner Classic Movies has shown a wonderful documentary about her called “Baby Peggy: The Elephant in the Room.” I could tell she was highly intelligent, and they showed the results of an IQ test she was given when she started school; the score was 148. :eek:
That article also recounts how she did her own stunts. Basically, no one looked askance at holding a 4-year-old underwater or putting her where a horse could run right over her. One time they actually set fire to the set for a disaster scene, and it spread to the door that was supposed to be her escape. She didn’t break character; instead, she broke a window.
