Monica Bannister (September 8, 1910 – June 17, 2002) was a Canadian-born American actress, best known for her role in Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933).

Monica Bannister
A white woman with dark hair and eyes
Bannister in The Flying Deuces (1939)
Born
Monica Joyce Bannister

(1910-09-08)September 8, 1910
DiedJune 17, 2002(2002-06-17) (aged 91)
Other namesMonica Wilbanks, Monica Cherkhose, Monica Van Munster
OccupationActress
Notable workMystery of the Wax Museum (1933), The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941)

Early life and education

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Bannister was born in Forward, Saskatchewan, and raised in the Pacific Northwest, the daughter of Harry Frederick Bannister and Josephine Mathilda Hagen Bannister. Her father was a candy maker.[1] She graduated from Tillamook High School in Oregon, in 1928.[2]

Career

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Bannister was an actress, signed to a contract at the Warner First National studio in 1932.[3][4] She played "Joan Gale" in Michael Curtiz's Mystery of the Wax Museum (1933),[5][6] and "Maybelle" and The Cowboy and the Blonde (1941). She also made many smaller appearances in films of the 1930s and 1940s, including Hypnotized (1932),[7] Jimmy the Gent (1934),[8] The Great Ziegfeld (1936),[9] Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937),[10] Flowing Gold (1940),[11][12] Accent on Love (1941),[7] and Quiet Please, Murder (1942).[13]

In addition to her film work, Bannister was considered a stylish beauty, and was often photographed in swimsuits or gowns.[14] She worked as a showgirl in the Hollywood Restaurant and Cabaret, a popular New York supper club in the 1930s.[15] In 1932, Bannister was named Queen of the Los Angeles Dahlia Show, and photographs of her wearing a dress made entirely from dahlias appeared in newspapers.[16] Her beauty hints were also featured in newspapers in the 1930s.[17][18] She was said to enjoy boxing for fitness.[19]

Personal life

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Bannister married several times. Her first husband was Eugene Willbanks; they divorced in 1935.[20] She married again in 1937, to actor and writer Eddie Cherkose.[21] They divorced in 1939,[22] reconciled, and divorced again in 1940.[23] Her third husband was Max Nolan Lanier;[24] they divorced in the 1940s. In 1952 she married machinist Johan Hendrik Van Munster. He died in 2001,[25] and she died in 2002, in San Diego, California, at the age of 91.[26] "She was a Zigfield girl, and worked on the first space shuttle," said her obituary.[27]

References

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  1. ^ Parents' names and father's occupation from 1930 United States census, via Ancestry.
  2. ^ Tillamook High School, Kilchis (1928 yearbook): 14. via Ancestry
  3. ^ Thomas, Dan (September 8, 1932). "These Movie People". The Daily Times. p. 3. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "She Lands a Movie Job". Healdsburg Tribune. October 21, 1932. p. 2 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
  5. ^ Palmer, R. Barton; Pomerance, Murray (July 2, 2018). The Many Cinemas of Michael Curtiz. University of Texas Press. p. 285. ISBN 978-1-4773-1555-2.
  6. ^ "At the New Family". The Record American. March 11, 1933. p. 4. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ a b Gevinson, Alan (1997). Within Our Gates: Ethnicity in American Feature Films, 1911-1960. University of California Press. pp. 45, 479. ISBN 978-0-520-20964-0.
  8. ^ Neibaur, James L. (October 3, 2014). James Cagney Films of the 1930s. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-4220-3.
  9. ^ Merrill, Jane (December 17, 2018). The Showgirl Costume: An Illustrated History. McFarland. p. 146. ISBN 978-1-4766-7174-1.
  10. ^ Neibaur, James L. (September 19, 2022). The Films of Judy Garland. McFarland. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-4766-4702-9.
  11. ^ Shelley, Peter (January 10, 2014). Frances Farmer: The Life and Films of a Troubled Star. McFarland. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7864-5777-9.
  12. ^ "Hollywood Gossip". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. August 14, 1940. p. 21. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Mavis, Paul (June 8, 2015). The Espionage Filmography: United States Releases, 1898 through 1999. McFarland. p. 254. ISBN 978-1-4766-0427-5.
  14. ^ "Named Typical Glorified Girl". Napa Journal. August 25, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/A2UAAOSwZ3pb21wy/s-l1600.jpg
  16. ^ "Mother Eve Up to Date". Oakland Tribune. October 9, 1932. p. 63. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Bannister, Monica (December 28, 1932). "My Beauty Hint". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ Bannister, Monica (November 28, 1934). "My Beauty Hint". Wausau Daily Herald. p. 5. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ Grandon, Robert (June 18, 1934). "Boxing Brings Screen Fame". Argus-Leader. p. 5. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. ^ "Obtains Her Third Divorce; Monica Bannister, Film Actress, Says It Will be the Last". The Baltimore Sun. August 15, 1940. p. 11. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. ^ "Actress Ends Marital Rift; Monica Bannister Withdraws Divorce Action Against Mate". The Los Angeles Times. February 11, 1938. p. 35. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Monica Bannister Granted Divorce". The Ogden Standard-Examiner. July 31, 1939. p. 8. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  23. ^ "Actress Gets Third Divorce; Monica Bannister's Two Reconciliations with Husband Fail". The Los Angeles Times. August 15, 1940. p. 20. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "Untitled society item". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. January 28, 1945. p. 34. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ "Obituary for Johan Van Munster II". North County Times. November 14, 2001. p. 21. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Wilson, Scott (September 5, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4.
  27. ^ "Obituary for Monica J. Van Munster". North County Times. June 19, 2002. p. 17. Retrieved July 16, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
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