Molly O'Day
Molly O'Day | |
|---|---|
.jpg) O'Day in 1928 | |
| Born | Suzanne Dobson Noonan October 16, 1909 Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | October 15, 1998 (aged 88) |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Spouses | Jack Durant
(m. 1934; div. 1951)James Kenaston
(m. 1952; div. 1956) |
| Children | 4 |
| Relatives | Sally O'Neil (sister) |
Molly O'Day (born Suzanne Dobson Noonan; October 16, 1909[1] – October 15, 1998) was an American film actress and the younger sister of Sally O'Neil.[2]
Early years
[edit]Born in Bayonne, New Jersey, she was the youngest of 11 children of Judge Thomas Francis Patrick Noonan and his wife, Hannah Kelly, a Metropolitan Opera singer. After their father's death, O'Day and her two sisters moved to Hollywood. Besides O'Neil, another sister, Isabelle, also acted in films.[3] Her brother, John J. Noonan, received a seven-year prison sentence in 1930 for receiving stolen property. Another brother, Victor Noonan, faced two charges of grand larceny, as he was accused in two cases of receiving money to buy stocks that were never purchased. He was arrested in 1934 as a fugitive from justice.[4]
Career
[edit]O'Day appeared in minor roles in films early in her career.[5] Her first appearance was in the Laurel and Hardy short 45 Minutes from Hollywood in 1926. She also appeared in Hal Roach's Our Gang series.
Only 16, she defeated 2,000 contenders in an audition for the tough girl heroine in the 1927 prizefighter movie The Patent Leather Kid.[citation needed] One source says that producer Al Rockett chose O'Day for the film after he saw her as one of the extras in a mob scene. Although others preferred to cast a prominent actress in the role, Rockett said, "Either Molly O'Day plays the part or we don't make the picture."[6] When she signed with First National Pictures in 1927 she was initially assigned Kitty Kelly as her screen name.[5] By mid-March 1927 her screen name had been changed to Molly O'Day.[7]
Like O'Neil in 1926, O'Day became one of the WAMPAS Baby Stars in 1928.[8] Also in 1928, she had surgery to "remove several pounds of flesh from her hips and legs."[9] An Associated Press news story reported: "The actress has been gaining weight steadily for the last year and although under contract to a film studio has been idle. Her excessive weight was the cause of her lack of work, Miss O'Day said, and after other flesh reducing methods failed she decided on the surgeon's knife as the final resort."[9]
In June 1930 O'Day and Sally O'Neil headlined the vaudeville bill at the Eighty-sixth Street Theater in New York City.[10]
After appearing in a few dozen films in the 1930s she retired.
Personal life and death
[edit]In 1930 O'Day filed a voluntary petition in bankruptcy in Hollywood, listing $200 in assets and $12,798.78 in liabilities.[11]
O'Day married actor Jack Durant in 1934 in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico.[12] They divorced July 10, 1951, in Los Angeles, California.[13] They had 4 children together.
O'Day died in Arroyo Grande, California, on October 15, 1998.[14]
Recognition
[edit]
O'Day has a star at 1708 Vine Street in the Motion Pictures category on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. It was dedicated February 8, 1960.[15]
Filmography
[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1926 | 45 Minutes from Hollywood | Short | |
| 1927 | The Patent Leather Kid | Curley Boyle, the Golden Dancer | |
| Hard-Boiled Haggerty | Germaine Benoit | ||
| The Lovelorn | Ann Hastings | ||
| 1928 | The Shepherd of the Hills | Sammy Lane | |
| The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come | Melissa Turner | Lost film | |
| 1929 | The Show of Shows | Performer in 'Meet My Sister' Number | |
| 1930 | Sisters | Molly Shannon | |
| 1931 | Sea Devils | Ann McCall | |
| Sob Sister | Daisy | ||
| 1932 | Devil on Deck | Kay Wheeler | Lost film |
| 1933 | Playthings of Desire | Renee Grant | |
| Get That Venus | Belle | ||
| Gigolettes of Paris | Paulette | ||
| 1934 | Hired Wife | Pat Sullivan | |
| Chloe, Love Is Calling You | Joyce Gordon | ||
| The Life of Vergie Winters | Sadie | ||
| 1935 | Bars of Hate | Gertie | |
| The Law of 45's | Joan Hayden | ||
| Lawless Border | Mary Warren | ||
| Skull and Crown | Ann Norton |
References
[edit]- ↑ Obituary (October 28, 1998). "Independent.co.uk". Independent.co.uk.
- ↑ "Easy Come, Easy Go in Movies; Sisters Now Are Bankrupt". Albuquerque Journal. New Mexico, Albuquerque. United Press. November 10, 1930. p. 2. Retrieved October 18, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Villecco, Tony (2001). Silent Stars Speak: Interviews with Twelve Cinema Pioneers. McFarland. p. 122. ISBN 978-0-7864-8209-2. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Victor Noonan Seized on Swindling Charge: Brother of Film Actresses Held in Jersey City in $32,000 Theft From Queens Woman". The New York Times. June 10, 1934. p. 5. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- 1 2 "Another Noonan Girl Wins Success on Silver Screenl". Bayonne Evening News. January 22, 1927. p. 1. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Once Again From Extra to Star Just Like That". The Seattle Star. March 26, 1927. p. 13. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Molly O'Day plays with Barthelmess". Richmond Times-Dispatch. March 13, 1927. p. 13. Retrieved August 12, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ Thomas, Dan (July 11, 1934). "The Tough Job of Being a Prophet in Hollywood". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Illinois, Edwardsville. p. 5.
- 1 2 "Pound of Flesh". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Associated Press. September 3, 1928. p. 1. Retrieved October 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Manhattan Vaudeville". The New York Times. June 1, 1930. p. X 3. Retrieved August 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Film Sisters Owe Thousands". The Daily Argus-Leader. South Dakota, Sioux Falls. November 13, 1930. p. 17. Retrieved August 11, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Molly O'Day, Screen Player, Weds Actor". Oakland Tribune. California, Oakland. Associated Press. December 17, 1937. p. 10. Retrieved October 19, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Divorces". Billboard. July 28, 1951. p. 48. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
- ↑ "Obituary: Molly O'Day". The Independent. October 28, 1998. Archived from the original on February 19, 2025. Retrieved August 9, 2026.
- ↑ "Molly O'Day". Hollywood Walk of Fame. Retrieved October 19, 2016.
External links
[edit]
- Molly O'Day at IMDb
- Hollywood Walk of Fame webpage
- Obituary in the L.A. Times
- Molly O'Day at Virtual History
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
 | This article about a United States film actor born in the 1910s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
