“Ten of California’s Selected Peaches”: Donna Montran Brings the Bathing Beauties to Hagerstown — November 1920
The Herald-Mail‘s November 12, 1920 review called the show a “sure fire winner… from every viewpoint.”
In November of 1920, the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown, Maryland, closed out its week with what the Herald-Mail called one of the greatest bills of vaudeville the city had seen. Topping the bill for the last half of the week — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — was Tom Rooney’s touring revue, “A Beach Promenade,” featuring eight bathing beauties from the California coast and their headliner, billed in the paper as Donna Montram.
The Herald-Mail’s theatrical calendar had flagged the coming engagement days in advance, and when the show opened, the paper’s reviewer did not hold back: the offering had “captivated the audience” in a way the writer claimed happened perhaps once in a blue moon, praising the singing, dancing, and the sheer variety of bathing costumes representing seaside resorts from around the country.
Rooney’s beauties shared the bill with Galletti’s trained baboons in a comedy sketch called “Monkey’s Day at the Races,” comedian Bob Milligan, and a special film reel of the famous Man o’ War–Sir Barton match race. It was a full evening of entertainment, and Donna’s name sat right at the top of it.
A note on the name: the Herald-Mail printed her as “Donna Montram” throughout this engagement — instead of her actual stage name, Donna Montran. It’s a spelling that shows up severaltimes from this period with Tom Rooney, and I’ve preserved the paper’s version here since it’s what ran in print.
“Attractions at the Leading Theatres”
The Herald-Mail, Hagerstown, MD
November 12, 1920, p. 5.
I love finding these little theatrical calendars — the kind of thing nobody kept on purpose, but which somehow survived. Seeing my grandmother’s name sitting right alongside Man o’ War in the same newspaper column made the whole week come alive for me. Hagerstown clearly gave her a warm welcome that November.
Sources (All via Newspapers.com):
“Rooney’s Bathing Beauties Score Big Success at MD.” The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD), November 12, 1920, p. 5.
“Attractions at the Leading Theatres.” The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD), November 9, 1920, p. 5.
“Attractions at the Leading Theatres.” The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD), November 12, 1920, p. 5.
“Theatrical Calendar: Attractions at the Local Theatres This Week.” The Herald-Mail (Hagerstown, MD), November 8, 1920, p. 5.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. Claude (Anthropic) was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
When I set out to confirm Russell’s Korean War service, my search on Fold3 turned up only his draft card — no service record at all, which genuinely surprised me given how confident I was about his military service.
Uncle Russ’s Draft Registration
Russell registered for the draft on August 29, 1945 — his eighteenth birthday, and just months after his January commencement from Southwestern High. The card places him at 8542 Olivet Street in Detroit, working at Western Auto’s Woodward Avenue location, his first documented job before the electrician’s work he’d take up by 1950. The registrar’s physical description gives us the young Russell in miniature: five foot eight and a half, 142 pounds, blond hair, blue eyes, light complexion — “none” listed under other identifying marks, about as unremarkable a description as a Selective Service clerk could offer a boy who’d already crossed an ocean twice before he could walk. Perhaps the most telling detail, though, is administrative rather than physical: the card lists his mother as the person who would “always know his address,” and records her not as Donna Montran or Donna Knight, but as “Mrs. Russell Kees” — her apparent common-law married name.
Uncle Russ’s Military Service
Columbarium – National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Photo: Jerry C. Goldsmith via Find-a-Grave
Niche Marker – Russell E. Kees Photo by Jerry C. Goldsmith via Find-a-Grave
With no military record for Uncle Russ turning up on Fold3, I tried Find-A-Grave instead, and there I found his niche marker. I’d seen buildings like the one housing his niche before and always wondered what they were called — turns out the word I’d been missing is columbarium, a building of niches for cremated remains. Along with a photo of the niche marker itself, Find-A-Grave also had a photo of the columbarium where he’s located. That niche marker at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona gave me exactly the confirmation Fold3 couldn’t: Russell had been a corporal in the U.S. Army, and he served in Korea.
Donna’s Partner: Russell Harrison Kees’s Draft Card
While I had draft records on my mind, I went looking for Russell Harrison Kees’s card as well — the man my mother and uncle took their surname from, though Donna’s partner never married her or legally adopted either of them. The 1940 census had listed Donna as his wife, but his February 1942 draft card tells a different story: the person he named to “always know his address” was the Commonwealth Loan Co., at the National Bank Building in Grand Rapids — not Donna. That suggests the relationship had ended sometime between April 1940 and February 1942.
That timing raises its own puzzle. In a 2001 letter, my mother told me that she, Donna, and Uncle Russ moved to Detroit in 1941, “after Harvey’s death.” But Harvey Knight didn’t die until May 1942. So something doesn’t line up — whether it’s the date of the move, the reason for it, or my mother’s memory of the sequence, I can’t yet say. What is clear is that the breakup with Donna’s partner and the move to Detroit both happened somewhere in that same narrow window between 1940 and 1942.
Russell Harrison Kees
Born: May 4, 1899, Milwaukee, Wisconsin — likely a WWI veteran, given his age and the shrapnel wound noted below
Residence: 37 Shelby St. SW, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Employer: McInerney Spring & Wire Co., 655 Godfrey Ave. SW, Grand Rapids
Description: 6′, 225 lbs, hazel/brown eyes, gray hair, light complexion; shrapnel wound to left kneecap
Sources:
WWII Draft Registration Cards for Michigan, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947, Ancestry, Russell Erwin Kees – Order Number 14618. WWII Draft Registration Cards for Michigan, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947.
Find a Grave, Russell E Kees, CLP, USA, Korea – 1927-2016. Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/161134930/russell_erwin-kees: accessed July 24, 2026), memorial page for Russell Erwin Kees (29 Aug 1927–16 Mar 2016), Find a Grave Memorial ID 161134930, citing National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA; Maintained by Mark Utley (contributor 47178748).
WWII Draft Registration Cards for Michigan, 10/16/1940 – 03/31/1947, Ancestry, Russell Harrison Kees – Order Number 11398.
This post was researched by the author, drafted with the assistance of Claude.ai and edited with Grammarly.
In my continuing effort to document the vaudeville career of Donna Darling, I’ve identified a fascinating advertisement published in a Polish-language newspaper that places her performance at the Lafayette Square Theatre in Buffalo, New York, in 1925. This clipping not only confirms her presence on a diverse theatrical bill but also highlights her appeal to immigrant audiences.
The Advertisement
This ad appeared in Dziennik dla Wszystkich (translated: “Journal for Everyone”) from July 27th to August 1st, 1925 (Wednesday through Saturday). This discovery was made possible through the excellent digitized collections at New York Historic Newspapers.
Comfortable fun at LAFAYETTE SQUARE Irene Rich in “My Wife and I”
A gripping melodrama centered on a beautiful and morally questionable woman.
Donna Darling (and her) Bathing Girl Revue with Max Sennett’s Original Beauties
Henry B. Murtagh at the Wurlitzer organ
Performance Details
Venue: Lafayette Square Theatre, Buffalo, New York
Date: 27 July through 1 August 1925
Film Feature:My Wife and I starring Irene Rich
Live Act:Donna Darling and Her Bathing Girl Revue with “Max Sennett’s Original Beauties”
Music: Live accompaniment by Henry B. Murtagh on Wurlitzer organ
Language of Publication: Polish
Analysis & Context
This advertisement provides several important insights into Donna Darling’s career and the broader entertainment environment of the mid-1920s:
1. Integration of Film and Vaudeville
The billing demonstrates the common 1920s practice of combining silent film features with live stage acts. The film My Wife and I, starring Irene Rich, served as the primary cinematic attraction, while Donna Darling’s revue offered a lively stage complement.
2. Association with Max Sennett Branding
The reference to “Max Sennett’s Original Beauties” is significant. Max Sennett was widely known for his “Bathing Beauties,” a popular film and stage concept.
3. Appeal to Immigrant Audiences
The appearance of this advertisement in a Polish-language newspaper underscores the importance of ethnic press outlets in promoting entertainment. The Lafayette Square Theatre in Buffalo actively marketed to Polish-speaking patrons, reflecting the city’s substantial Polish-American community during the 1920s.
4. Musical Accompaniment
The inclusion of Henry B. Murtagh at the Wurlitzer organ highlights the continued importance of live music in silent-era theaters. Organists were integral to the overall theatrical experience, bridging film and live performance.
New Insights
This clipping contributes to the growing documentation of Donna Darling’s touring circuit by:
Confirming her presence in Buffalo, New York, in late July and early August 1925
Providing evidence of targeted advertising to immigrant communities
Reinforcing her association with the popular “bathing girl” revue format
Conclusion
This advertisement offers a valuable glimpse into the vibrant and multicultural entertainment landscape of the 1920s. Donna Darling’s inclusion on this bill reflects both her versatility as a performer and her ability to attract diverse audiences. Each newly discovered clipping such as this helps refine the timeline and scope of her vaudeville career.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
Disclaimer: This article was researched and written by the author. ChatGPT was used as a research and drafting aid, and Grammarly was used for editorial review and copy editing.
Ancestor Sketch Family line: Brown-Montran By Don Taylor
Identity Question
Russell Erwin Kees Probably c. 1948
How did Russell Erwin Kees — born Russell Erwin Clark Amsterdam to Madonna Mae Montran and Samson Clark Amsterdam, and later known by an unofficial surname taken from his mother’s partner (a coincidental namesake) — build a life across Panama, Michigan, Illinois, Kwajalein, and Arizona, and what really explains the death certificate’s claim of “Secret Service”?
Vital Facts
Birth name
Russell Erwin Clark Amsterdam
Birth
August 29, 1927, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan — first child of Samson Clark Amsterdam and Madonna Mae Montran
Death
March 16, 2016, Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona (age 88)
Burial
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix — Section H3, Row B, Site 39
Electrician, Detroit (per 1950 census), before Korean War service; required a Top Secret Crypto clearance for a later job, complicated by his unofficial name change to Kees — likely the real source of the death certificate’s unsupported “Secret Service” entry; spent many later years on Kwajalein Island in community theater and, per family recollection, radar/systems technician work
Military service
Korean War, c. 1951 (not WWII) — recalled a strafing attack on his jeep during service
Education
Graduated from Southwestern High School, Detroit, January 1945; noted as an excellent roller skater
Marriages
(1) Delphine Ann Sieradski, 1954, Detroit — divorced quickly, no children; (2) Jacqueline R. Wigfield, August 1, 1958, Cook County, IL — divorced c. 1964, no children; (3) June Elsie Callaway, March 22, 1965, Peoria, IL — divorced 1968, one daughter
Child
[living daughter], born 1965; two grandchildren
Interests
Theater (starred in many Kwajalein community productions); accomplished pianist (“Flight of the Bumble Bee”; recorded himself playing “Beautiful Mother of Mine,” written by his mother in 1923); avid golfer, winning age-group tournaments in his 70s
Residence at death
2050 W Dunlap Ave, B162, Phoenix, AZ 85021
Informant
Margaret Joan Glidden, Executrix
Migration & Residence Timeline
• 1927 — Born in Detroit, Michigan, as Russell Erwin Clark Amsterdam.
• 1927–1930 — Traveled with show-business parents; Sammy and Madonna went to the Panama Canal Zone for vaudeville work after the Depression-era circuit collapsed. Departed Balboa, Panama, March 27, 1930, arriving in New York, April 8, 1930.
• 1932 — Parents divorced; Sammy settled in New York, Madonna and Russell in Chicago.
• c. 1936 — Chicago, Cook County, Illinois.
• 1937 — Madonna became involved with Russell Harrison Kees; family moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan; Russell (the son) and his half-sister adopted the Kees surname informally.
• 1940 — Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan (1421 Fair Street), per 1940 census.
• c. 1942 — Moved to Detroit following the death of Harvey Knight (Madonna’s stepfather).
• c. 1944 — Moved in with grandmother Ida Mae (Barber) Knight in Detroit.
• 1945 — Graduated Southwestern High School, Detroit (commencement January 1945).
• 1950 — Detroit (1456 Lawndale), working as an electrician, per 1950 census.
Russell Kees c. 1952 Source: Don Taylor
• c. 1951 — Korean War military service.
• 1953 — After grandmother Ida’s death, decided to “go out west” to find his natural father, whom he hadn’t seen since age five; lost touch with the family for roughly 50 years.
• Later years — Kwajalein Island, Marshall Islands, active in community theater.
• 2002 — Located by Don via Classmates.com after ~50 years out of contact; reunited with his sister, an event filmed by “60 Minutes II.”
• By March 2016 — Phoenix, Arizona (2050 W Dunlap Ave, B162), where he died.
Family Connections
Russell was the son of Madonna Montran (stage name Donna Darling; also recorded as Donna Knight and Donna Kees) and Samson “Sammy” Amsterdam, born Russell Erwin Clark Amsterdam. Madonna’s mother, Ida Mae Barber, had married Harvey Knight, which accounts for the “Donna Knight” name on Russell’s death certificate and birth record — a stepfather’s surname, not a further marriage of Madonna’s own; this is the only known record where Madonna is referred to by that name.
Sylvia and Russell Kees, circa 1937
Sammy and Madonna divorced in 1932; Russell remained with his mother in Chicago. Madonna later had a daughter with Richard Brown — making Russell her half-brother, five years her senior and protective of her growing up.
Madonna never formally married Russell Harrison Kees, her partner from about 1937 (a coincidental namesake, not related to how her son Russell came to share the first name). Neither Russell nor his half-sister were ever legally adopted by him, though both used the Kees surname informally.
In 1950, the half-sister married Paul Larson; this marriage was later annulled and expunged from all records once it emerged that Larson had never divorced his existing wife. She continued using the surname Larson until marrying Edgar Matson in 1961 — her son (the author) likewise used the surname Larson from his earliest memory until 1962.
My mom and Russell’s first meeting in 50 years was filmed by a crew from “60 Minutes II”
Russell married three times — Delphine Ann Sieradski (1954, quickly divorced), Jacqueline R. Wigfield (1958, divorced c. 1964), and June Elsie Callaway (1965, divorced 1968) — with a daughter from the Callaway marriage. After decades out of contact, Don located Russell in 2002 through a Classmates.com outreach campaign to his 1944–45 Southwestern High School classmates, leading to a filmed reunion with his sister that drew the attention of “60 Minutes II.”
Research Notes
The unofficial and never-legalized Kees name change reportedly caused Russell difficulty in the 1950s when he sought a Top Secret Crypto security clearance for his job — this is very likely the true story behind the death certificate’s unsupported “Secret Service” occupation entry, which was probably an informant’s garbling of a security-cleared technical position rather than actual Secret Service employment.
The death certificate’s parentage fields reflect the surnames in use at different points in Madonna’s life rather than a single consistent identity, which is a useful caution for anyone else researching this line by name alone: a search for “Kees” in 1940 or 1950 census records turns up the household, while earlier records may show “Amsterdam.”
Sources
Arizona Department of Health Services, Office of Vital Records. Certificate of Death for Russell E. Kees, State File No. 102-2016-012134, registered March 22, 2016, issued June 27, 2016.
Michigan Birth Certificate, State File No. 121-582-0201178.
1940 U.S. Federal Census, Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan; Enumeration District 86-156.
1950 U.S. Federal Census, Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan; Enumeration District 85-2017.
Michigan Death Certificates, Ida Mae Knight, Detroit Vital Records, Local File No. 13031.
New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1909, 1925–1957; Year: 1930 (arrival from Balboa, Panama).
Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930–1960.
Find A Grave Memorial #161134930 — Russell Erwin Kees.
Family Tree Maker “Smart Story” compilation, Brown-Montran_2026.pdf (personal files).
This week I continue working through the box of 1930s movie stills from the Linwood Dyer Collection. All five of today’s photographs carry printed studio captions identifying the film and its stars, which makes tracking down the cast and their life stories a bit easier than usual. four are Paramount Pictures releases, one is a Trafalgar Films production released through United Artists, and all appear to be original vintage press photos rather than later reproductions.
Movie: Love from a Stranger (1937)
Still from “Love from a Stranger,” featuring (left to right) Basil Rathbone, Jean Cadell or Binnie Hale, Binnie Hale or Jean Cadell, and Ann Harding
This photo carries the printed credit “Trafalgar Films present ANN HARDING with Basil Rathbone in ‘Love from a Stranger,’ A Max Schach Production, Released Thru United Artists.” The 1937 British thriller, based on an Agatha Christie short story by way of a Frank Vosper stage play, follows Carol Howard (Ann Harding), a working girl who wins a lottery and marries a charming stranger, Gerald Lovell (Basil Rathbone), who turns out to be a serial killer targeting wealthy wives. Four figures appear in this still: Rathbone as Gerald on the left, two women to the left, most likely Carol’s Aunt Lou (Jean Cadell) and her friend Kate (Binnie Hale), though which is which isn’t certain from this angle; Ann Harding as Carol on the right, styled in a satin dress holding a small clutch.
Basil Rathbone (1892–1967)
Born Philip St. John Basil Rathbone on June 13, 1892, in Johannesburg, South Africa, and raised in Derbyshire, England.
Called up into the British Army in 1915 as a private with the London Scottish Regiment; commissioned as a lieutenant in the Liverpool Scottish (2/10th Battalion, King’s Liverpool Regiment), where he served as an intelligence officer and rose to captain. He was awarded the Military Cross for bravery in World War I.
Married actress Ethel Marion Foreman in 1914; divorced in 1926. Married writer Ouida Bergère later that same year.
Best remembered for playing Sherlock Holmes in fourteen films between 1939 and 1946.
Died July 21, 1967.
Ann Harding (1902–1981)
Born Dorothy Walton Gatley on August 7, 1902, at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas.
Married actor Harry Bannister on October 22, 1926; divorced in 1932.
Married symphony conductor Werner Janssen on January 13, 1937; divorced in 1962.
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Holiday (1930).
Died September 1, 1981, in Sherman Oaks, California, at age 79.
Binnie Hale (1899–1984)
Born Beatrice Mary Hale-Monro on May 22, 1899, in Liverpool, England.
One of the most successful London musical theatre stars of the 1920s and 1930s, best remembered for No, No, Nanette (1925) and Mr. Cinders (1929).
Married actor Jack Raine in 1924; the couple had a daughter, Patricia, in 1930; they divorced in 1935.
Died January 10, 1984.
Jean Cadell (1884–1967)
Born Jean Dunlop Cadell on September 13, 1884, in Edinburgh, Scotland.
A prolific Scottish character actress on stage and screen for over five decades.
Died September 29, 1967.
Movie: My American Wife (1936)
Still from “My American Wife,” featuring Fred Stone, Ann Sothern, and Billie Burke
The printed caption reads “Francis Lederer and Ann Sothern in ‘My American Wife’ with Fred Stone, Billie Burke, Ernest Cossart, Grant Mitchell. A Paramount Picture.” Released August 7, 1936, the comedy follows Count Ferdinand von und zu Reidenach, who arrives in the fictional Smelter City, Arizona, with his new American bride, Mary Cantillon. This still captures Mary’s grandfather Lafe Cantillon (Fred Stone), the grizzled Arizona rancher who founded the town and disapproves of the match, greeting Mary (Ann Sothern) and her socially ambitious mother (Billie Burke), who is thrilled her daughter is now a countess.
Fred Stone (1873–1959)
Born August 19, 1873, in Valmont, Colorado.
Began performing in circuses and minstrel shows before becoming a vaudeville and Broadway star, notably as the Scarecrow opposite David C. Montgomery in The Wizard of Oz stage musical, a partnership that lasted 22 years until Montgomery’s death in 1917.
Married Allene Crater, whom he met while she was in the Oz cast; their daughters Dorothy, Paula, and Carol also appeared on stage and screen.
Died March 6, 1959.
Ann Sothern (1909–2001)
Born Harriette Arlene Lake on January 22, 1909, in Valley City, North Dakota.
Married actor and bandleader Roger Pryor in September 1936; the divorce was finalized in May 1943.
Married actor Robert Sterling less than a week later; the couple had a daughter, Patricia “Tisha” Sterling, before divorcing in 1949.
Died March 15, 2001, of heart failure at her home in Ketchum, Idaho.
Billie Burke (1884–1970)
Born Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke on August 7, 1884.
Married Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. in 1914; the couple had a daughter, Patricia, in 1916. The marriage lasted until Ziegfeld’s death on July 22, 1932.
Best remembered today as Glinda the Good Witch of the North in The Wizard of Oz (1939); nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for Merrily We Live (1938).
Died May 14, 1970.
Movie: Swing High, Swing Low (1937)
Still from “Swing High, Swing Low,” featuring Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray
The printed caption reads “Carole Lombard and Fred MacMurray in ‘Swing High, Swing Low’ with Charles Butterworth, Jean Dixon, Dorothy Lamour and Harvey Stephens. A Paramount Picture.” Released in 1937 and directed by Mitchell Leisen, the romantic drama is the second of three film versions of the Broadway play Burlesque, following Maggie King (Lombard), a manicurist who falls for trumpet-playing soldier Skid Johnson (MacMurray) and follows him into a turbulent show-business romance.
Carole Lombard (1908–1942)
Born Jane Alice Peters on October 6, 1908, in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Married actor William Powell in 1931; divorced in 1933.
Married actor Clark Gable in 1939, after meeting him in 1932 on the set of No Man of Her Own.
Died January 16, 1942, at age 33, in the crash of TWA Flight 3 on Mount Potosi, Nevada, while returning home from a World War II war bond tour.
Fred MacMurray (1908–1991)
Born August 30, 1908, in Kankakee, Illinois.
Married Lillian “Lily” Lamont on June 20, 1936; the couple adopted two children. Following her death, he married actress June Haver.
Attempted to enlist during World War II but was rejected on medical grounds; instead sold war bonds and served as an air-raid warden in his Brentwood neighborhood.
Died November 5, 1991, of pneumonia in Santa Monica, California.
Movie: Blonde Trouble (1937)
Still from “Blonde Trouble,” featuring Eleanore Whitney and Barlowe Borland
The printed caption reads “‘Blonde Trouble’ with Eleanore Whitney, Johnny Downs, Lynne Overman, Terry Walker, Benny Baker, William Demarest, John Patterson, El Brendel, Barlowe Borland. A Paramount Picture.” The 1937 musical comedy, based on the 1929 stage musical June Moon, follows aspiring songwriter Fred Stevens as he travels to New York and falls for dentist’s-office employee Edna Baker, only to be led astray by a gold-digging social climber. The bald character actor greeting a traveling Edna in this still appears to be Barlowe Borland, who played the supporting role of Goebel.
Eleanore Whitney (1917–1983)
Born April 12, 1917, in Cleveland, Ohio.
A tap dancer discovered by Bill Robinson, she toured vaudeville with Rae Samuels before working alongside Rudy Vallée and Jack Benny.
Married attorney Frederick Backer in 1939, after which she left acting and moved with him to New York; he later became a New York Supreme Court judge.
Died November 1, 1983.
Barlowe Borland (1877–1948)
Born Frank Barlowe Borland on August 6, 1877, in Greenock, Scotland.
A character actor best known for playing waiters, butlers, judges, and other supporting roles, including in The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939) and A Tale of Two Cities (1935).
Married actress Francesca Redding.
Died August 31, 1948, in Woodland Hills, California, following complications from ulcer surgery.
Movie: Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936)
[]
Still from “Valiant Is the Word for Carrie,” featuring (left to right) John Howard, Arline Judge, Gladys George, Dudley Digges, and Isabel Jewell
The printed caption reads “‘Valiant Is the Word for Carrie’ with Gladys George, Arline Judge, John Howard, Dudley Digges, Harry Carey and Isabel Jewell. A Paramount Picture.” Released in 1936 and based on Barry Benefield’s novel, the drama follows Carrie Snyder (Gladys George), a prostitute driven from a small Southern town after befriending the young son of a dying woman. The role earned George her only Academy Award nomination. Although the studio caption lists all six of the film’s principal players, only five appear in this particular still: John Howard and Arline Judge stand at left as the grown Paul and Lady; Gladys George, in the jeweled velvet gown, is seated at center as Carrie; Dudley Digges, the publisher, sits beside her; and Isabel Jewell, as Lili, is seated at far right in a fur-trimmed coat. Harry Carey, who plays Carrie’s lawyer friend, does not appear in this shot.
Gladys George (1904–1954)
Born September 13, 1904, in Patten, Maine, to British parents.
Married four times: actor Ben Erway (1922–1930); paper manufacturer Edward Fowler; actor Leonard Penn (married 1935); and Kenneth Bradley, a hotel bellboy twenty years her junior.
Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for Valiant Is the Word for Carrie (1936).
Died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1954 in Los Angeles, at age 50.
Arline Judge (1912–1974)
Born February 21, 1912.
Married seven times, including to director Wesley Ruggles (1931–1937) and to Dan Topping (married within hours of divorcing Ruggles), with whom she had a son, Dan Topping Jr. Topping later co-owned the New York Yankees.
Died February 7, 1974, in her West Hollywood apartment, at age 61.
John Howard (1913–1995)
Born John Richard Cox Jr. on April 14, 1913, in Cleveland, Ohio; a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of what is now Case Western Reserve University.
Best remembered for playing Bulldog Drummond in seven Paramount films and for roles in Lost Horizon (1937) and The Philadelphia Story (1940).
Served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War II.
Married actress Eva Ralf in 1954, a union that lasted until his death and produced four children.
Died February 19, 1995.
Dudley Digges (1879–1947)
Born John Dudley Digges on June 9, 1879, in Ranelagh, Dublin, Ireland.
Trained and began his acting career in Ireland before spending the bulk of his 43-year career on the American stage and in over 50 films.
Married Irish actress Maire Quinn on August 27, 1907; they remained married until her death in August 1947.
Died of a stroke just two months later, on October 24, 1947, in his Manhattan apartment.
Harry Carey (1878–1947)
Born Henry DeWitt Carey II on January 16, 1878, in the Bronx, New York.
Married actress Olive Fuller Golden in 1920; they remained together until his death and had two children, Harry Carey Jr. and Ella “Cappy” Carey.
Died September 21, 1947.
Isabel Jewell (1907–1972)
Born July 19, 1907, in Shoshoni, Wyoming.
Married Lovell “Cowboy” Underwood at age nineteen; later married radio personality Owen “Walter” Crump in 1936; married actor Paul Marion (then a private in the U.S. Army) in 1941, separating in 1943 and divorcing in 1944.
Known for roles in A Tale of Two Cities (1935), Lost Horizon (1937), and Gone with the Wind (1939).
Died April 5, 1972.
Conclusion
From a British murder-mystery drawing room to an Arizona ranch, a Panama waterfront office, a bustling train station, and a genteel Southern parlor, these five stills capture the range of Paramount’s and Trafalgar’s output in the mid-1930s — and the tangled, often turbulent lives of the performers who filled the frame. The original vintage prints featured above are available for purchase — $25 each, or all five for $100. If you’re interested in adding a piece of Hollywood history to your own collection, feel free to reach out. Stay tuned for Part 3 as I continue working through more stills from the period. Stay tuned for Part 4 as I continue working through the rest of the box.
![[Photo — left to right: a man, and three women, dressed for the outdoors, gathered in an elegant drawing room]](http://dontaylorgenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Still-from-22Love-from-a-Stranger22-1200-1024x802.jpeg)
