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A tribute to actress Anne Shirley (April 17, 1918 - July 4, 1993), who began her acting career as a child actress in silent and early sound films, under the name Dawn O'Day (her birth name was Dawn Eveleen Paris). She began working as a child model as a toddler to support herself and her widowed mother; not surprisingly, while she enjoyed acting, it was more her mother's dream than her own. When she played the title role in the first sound version of Anne Of Green Gables (1934), she changed her screen name to the character she played. In 1937, Anne was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Barbara Stanwyck's daughter in "Stella Dallas" (1937). That same year, she married actor John Payne, and they had a daughter, Julie Payne (1940 - 2019); her granddaughter is actress Katherine Towne. Anne only acted until she lost enthusiasm for it, and retired after appearing in the film noir classic, "Murder, My Sweet" (1944). Following the divorce from Payne in 1943, she married producer Adrian Scott in 1945, and they had an adopted son, Michael. The marriage was short-lived due to Scott's blacklisting, and after divorcing him in 1948, Shirley married screenwriter Charles Lederer (nephew of actress Marion Davies) in 1949; they had a son, Daniel, who became a writer. Anne and Charles remained married until his passing in 1976; Anne battled alcoholism for several years in the wake of her husband's death, but was able to get into recovery. Following her retirement from the screen, she remained a hostess of parties and events and retained many of her Hollywood friendships, but never had the desire to act again. When reminiscing about her career in 1992, Anne stated, about her mother - "I realized how much she dedicated her life to making me a somebody . . . Because of this, I'm very proud I did what I did. What I eventually became justified my mother's hard work, dedication, and sacrifices. So, although I was propelled and pushed toward a life on camera, because of the pride and happiness my mother felt, I was happy too . . . for a while." Regarding her leaving the screen, she stated, "By the time I was 18, I had discovered that I didn't want to be an actress forever. I've always been basically a shy person, and it was hard being 'on' all the time. So finally, I just walked away. I've never regretted that decision." Anne passed away from lung cancer in 1993, at the age of 75. In her obituary, Anne's friend Edie Wasserman described her as "A real, true, honest-to-goodness Pollyanna. To Annie, everyone was wonderful. There was nothing wrong with anybody, even if people hurt her sometimes." Anne Shirley never became a star, but she was far more talented than she gave herself credit for and left behind a wonderful film legacy. Music: "I'll Never Smile Again" performed by Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra; "Yes, My Darling Daughter", performed by Dinah Shore, and "I'll Walk Alone" performed by Martha Tilton.
Clips from:
The Spanish Dancer (1923)
City Girl (1930)
Liliom (1930)
Young America (1932)
The Purchase Price (1932)
Three On A Match (1932)
Rasputin And The Empress (1932)
Finishing School (1934)
Anne Of Green Gables (1934)
Steamboat Round The Bend (1935)
Chatterbox (1936)
M'Liss (1936)
Make Way For A Lady (1936)
Too Many Wives (1937)
Stella Dallas (1937)
Mother Carey's Chickens (1938)
Girls' School (1938)
Sorority House (1939)
Vigil In The Night (1940)
Saturday's Children (1940)
Anne Of Windy Poplars (1940)
Unexpected Uncle (1941)
The Devil And Daniel Webster (1941)
The Mayor Of 44th Street (1942)
Lady Bodyguard (1943)
Government Girl (1943)
Murder, My Sweet (1944)