As my Beatles album cover warned you, it’s Yesterday and Today in Ginny! The Today part will come when it’s almost Tomorrow, however.
First up, Mary Nash ((1884) was a veteran actress who played Margaret Lord, mother of Tracy and Dinah in THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940). Few people realize that she also played Ginny’s mom in a second film that year, GOLD RUSH MAISIE. Two people couldn’t be more different than the Main Line bred Margaret Lord and the dust bowl mother Sarah Davis, but Nash made them both appealing and believable. Nash came to Hollywood at age 50 after a long run in vaudeville and on Broadway. In addition to her trek into Ginnydom, Nash also made two films with another popular child actress and worked in two films, MEN OF BOYS TOWN and THE HUMAN COMEDY, with Mickey Rooney. Since there are a billion photos of Margaret Lord on the internet, I decided to post one of Nash as Sarah Davis being flanked by Maisie Ravier and Sarah’s daughter Jubie.
Eddie Hart (1890) is actually featured on a site dedicated to forgotten actors. He played henchman Joe in I’LL WAIT FOR YOU (1941), a film remake where Virginia gets to play a role first performed by the child star people most compared Virginia to…Mickey Rooney. Although Eddie would sometimes branch off into bartenders and cab drivers, he was moist comfortable and usually cast as policemen.
Songwriter Sidney Clare (1892) wrote the lyrics to the song, “Please Don’t Talk About Me When I’m Gone” which was played in THE WOMEN (1939). He also wrote “Ma, He’s Making Eyes At Me”, “You’re My Thrill”, and one song I will never, ever forgive him for, “On The Good Ship Lollipop”. Sheet music stands in.
Steve Carruthers (1901) had a rather long career of very few, small parts. His first credit was in 1926, his last in 1964, and there were only 21 of them. He was a Coast Guard Radio Operator in TOO HOT TO HANDLE. I remember him for a role he played on Perry Mason. He was a dashing dude.
John B. Goodman (1901) was the art director at Paramount from 1932-39. He was, therefore, responsible for the art direction on GIRL OF THE OZARKS (1936). He would go on to win an Oscar for PHANTOM OF THE OPERA in 1944 and be nominated three other times. His last film was HANG ‘EM HIGH in 1968. Little Edie Moseley of the Ozarks stands in.
Ellsworth Hoagland (1903) was the editor of THE BIG BROADCAST OF 1936 (1935) and of SOULS AT SEA (1937). He would edit fine films like HOLIDAY INN and not so fine films like PARIS HOLIDAY. More of the former, however. He also edited 81 episodes of BONANZA. Tina from SaS stands in for the missing Mr. Hoagland.
Anne Rooney (1925) was no relation to MGM castmate Mickey, but became a fast friend of Virginia’s and part of the gang from the studio that went out dancing together. She played Jenny in BABES ON BROADWAY (1941) and when on to play Addie (replacing Judy Clark) in two films in Monogram’s Teen Agers series. After those films, Anne left the business and the series went on without the Addie character. I’ve chosen to edit Ginny and Anne out of a BABES group shot and post that.
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